Lessons from Viking Sky

[nordski]

As many no doubt already know, Viking Sky encountered some difficulties off the coast of Norway last week, difficulties that led to some evacuations etc.

 

Since there will be a formal report, I don’t want to encourage a discussion of technical issues that is best left to the experts.

 

But reading about it caused me to think more analytically about my role as a passenger in such a situation. Much of this I already knew but my follow through has been lacking.

 

1/ I have sat through many muster drills and always paid attention. But upon return to our stateroom I have thought about taking down the flotation device to become more familiar with it but never done so. I will on our next cruise.

Perhaps my memory is faulty but I seem to remember having one on while participating on an open deck drill on HAL. That is too many years ago.

 

2/ I will pay more attention to my surroundings if high seas are encountered. Should we really sit near that large potted plant or even that grand piano?

 

3/ I know about preparing, but have never done so, an emergency package of medications, flashlights, etc. that should be immediately accessible.

Also I should have clothing, especially shoes, readily available. Medicine in the bathroom or clothes on a hangar in the closet might not reflect “immediately” or  “readily”.

 

4/ Social media is a wonderful think, witness our presence on this board. And taking videos and photos of “interesting” seas can certainly provide memories.

But when things become more serious, then for several reasons I think it a bad idea to post such media online. First, such pictures could cause undue anguish to those who have friends or relatives on board. Second, people taking photos/videos may be distracted or distracting others  from instructions from the staff. Lastly, once posted they might well become a concern  to the staff at Viking headquarters who will have to deal with the media and worried friends/relatives. They need to be focussed on the safety of their passengers.

 

I know that others on this forum have been monitoring this unfortunate event. Perhaps they have acquired other lessons or think some of the above poorly considered.

 

[Riocca]

Having recently cruised on Viking Sea the problems encountered by Viking Sky seemed very close to home. I think that some of the videos posted on social media gave a false impression as the moving furniture in the Explorers Lounge was taken at almost the very instant the ship lost power and turned side on to the waves. According to reports on CC from those onboard the passengers in the lounge were watching the ship pitching into the waves, something we’ve all done, with the loss of power the ship turned broadside to the waves causing the furniture to move as it did. I am sure had the staff been aware of what was about to happen the lounge would have been evacuated, in fact if you listen to the audio of the clip the general emergency signal sounds towards the end of the clip.

Going forward there has to be some thought given to the location of muster stations, last year on Crystal Symphony we were mustered on the prom deck adjacent to our designated life craft. I made the point at the time if there was an emergency in rough seas and poor weather conditions the last place I would want to be is on the prom deck exposed to the elements. Marella (Thompson) also mustered on the prom deck a few years ago. 

[uktog]

34 minutes ago, nordski said:

As many no doubt already know, Viking Sky encountered some difficulties off the coast of Norway last week, difficulties that led to some evacuations etc.

 

Since there will be a formal report, I don’t want to encourage a discussion of technical issues that is best left to the experts.

 

But reading about it caused me to think more analytically about my role as a passenger in such a situation. Much of this I already knew but my follow through has been lacking.

 

1/ I have sat through many muster drills and always paid attention. But upon return to our stateroom I have thought about taking down the flotation device to become more familiar with it but never done so. I will on our next cruise.

Perhaps my memory is faulty but I seem to remember having one on while participating on an open deck drill on HAL. That is too many years ago.

 

2/ I will pay more attention to my surroundings if high seas are encountered. Should we really sit near that large potted plant or even that grand piano?

 

3/ I know about preparing, but have never done so, an emergency package of medications, flashlights, etc. that should be immediately accessible.

Also I should have clothing, especially shoes, readily available. Medicine in the bathroom or clothes on a hangar in the closet might not reflect “immediately” or  “readily”.

 

4/ Social media is a wonderful think, witness our presence on this board. And taking videos and photos of “interesting” seas can certainly provide memories.

But when things become more serious, then for several reasons I think it a bad idea to post such media online. First, such pictures could cause undue anguish to those who have friends or relatives on board. Second, people taking photos/videos may be distracted or distracting others  from instructions from the staff. Lastly, once posted they might well become a concern  to the staff at Viking headquarters who will have to deal with the media and worried friends/relatives. They need to be focussed on the safety of their passengers.

 

I know that others on this forum have been monitoring this unfortunate event. Perhaps they have acquired other lessons or think some of the above poorly considered.

 

We had exactly this conversation on Sunday and decided to do a check of putting the jackets on sometime on the first day it is so long since we have done this 

[Lottie A]

Seems like this was the reason the Viking Sky engines shut down. My father always told me to dipstick my car engine oil once a month! 

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-ship/luxury-cruise-ship-lost-engines-due-low-level-of-lubricating-oil-norway-idUSKCN1R81PW

[Grandma Cruising]

There’s a fuller report which says that although the oil was low, but within accepted levels, the high waves caused it to move around, causing it to set off an alarm which then resulted in the engines stopping.

[STLCRUISIN]

Nordski, Thank you, you have some very good and valid points we should consider when cruising in the future.

[LuAnn]

8 hours ago, nordski said:

As many no doubt already know, Viking Sky encountered some difficulties off the coast of Norway last week, difficulties that led to some evacuations etc.

 

Since there will be a formal report, I don’t want to encourage a discussion of technical issues that is best left to the experts.

 

But reading about it caused me to think more analytically about my role as a passenger in such a situation. Much of this I already knew but my follow through has been lacking.

 

1/ I have sat through many muster drills and always paid attention. But upon return to our stateroom I have thought about taking down the flotation device to become more familiar with it but never done so. I will on our next cruise.

Perhaps my memory is faulty but I seem to remember having one on while participating on an open deck drill on HAL. That is too many years ago.

 

2/ I will pay more attention to my surroundings if high seas are encountered. Should we really sit near that large potted plant or even that grand piano?

 

3/ I know about preparing, but have never done so, an emergency package of medications, flashlights, etc. that should be immediately accessible.

Also I should have clothing, especially shoes, readily available. Medicine in the bathroom or clothes on a hangar in the closet might not reflect “immediately” or  “readily”.

 

4/ Social media is a wonderful think, witness our presence on this board. And taking videos and photos of “interesting” seas can certainly provide memories.

But when things become more serious, then for several reasons I think it a bad idea to post such media online. First, such pictures could cause undue anguish to those who have friends or relatives on board. Second, people taking photos/videos may be distracted or distracting others  from instructions from the staff. Lastly, once posted they might well become a concern  to the staff at Viking headquarters who will have to deal with the media and worried friends/relatives. They need to be focussed on the safety of their passengers.

 

I know that others on this forum have been monitoring this unfortunate event. Perhaps they have acquired other lessons or think some of the above poorly considered.

 

 

Your memory is correct about HAL...and they still do it that way today! LuAnn

[Shawnino]

Pro Tip: Don't take a cruise ship to Northern Norway in March.

If you do want to go there then, take a Hurtigruten ferry (or similar) that's actually built for it.

[excitedofharpenden]

Scariest part for me?  The inability to deploy the lifeboats from the deck.  I know QM2' are higher up. I'm sure that makes a difference. 

 

Phil 

[donaldsc]

What worries me is that they said that they could not launch the lifeboats because of the wind and high seas.  What would have happened if this emergency had happened out to sea where they had to launch the lifeboats.   What good are they if they can't be launched in bad seas?

 

DON

[Mrs Miggins]

For anybody that is interested there is a very long thread about this on the Viking Website.  It is full of speculation plus input from professional mariners who debunked many of the theories from the uninformed.  Some even used it as a way of venting about their dislike of Viking due to completely unrelated issues e.g. one man who had problems on a Viking river cruise owing to industrial action by porters in Belgium.

My understanding is that it was considered less dangerous to evacuate by air than deploy the lifeboats taking into consideration the sea conditions.  As it happens all ended well and those on board (that have posted) seem to be unanimous in their prose for the captain, crew, rescue helicopters and the good people of Norway when they eventually landed.

[Haworth]

16 hours ago, nordski said:

As many no doubt already know, Viking Sky encountered some difficulties off the coast of Norway last week, difficulties that led to some evacuations etc.

 

Since there will be a formal report, I don’t want to encourage a discussion of technical issues that is best left to the experts.

 

4/ Social media is a wonderful think, witness our presence on this board. And taking videos and photos of “interesting” seas can certainly provide memories.

But when things become more serious, then for several reasons I think it a bad idea to post such media online. First, such pictures could cause undue anguish to those who have friends or relatives on board. Second, people taking photos/videos may be distracted or distracting others  from instructions from the staff. Lastly, once posted they might well become a concern  to the staff at Viking headquarters who will have to deal with the media and worried friends/relatives. They need to be focussed on the safety of their passengers.

 

I know that others on this forum have been monitoring this unfortunate event. Perhaps they have acquired other lessons or think some of the above poorly considered.

 

Not a view shared shared by some on this and other boards, of course they weren't on board or had family at home waiting for news.

[Lottie A]

1 hour ago, Haworth said:

Not a view shared shared by some on this and other boards, of course they weren't on board or had family at home waiting for news.

I agree with you Haworth and your live and helpful info from Sky while undergoing such a stressful event was much appreciated in the "other place".  You gave information without sensationalism. 

 

What I didn't like was the close up and inappropriate photo's of distressed pax that were posted by a woman who almost seemed to be blogging the whole event. I thought they were intrusive and I would imagine that relatives st home would have found them upsetting. I doubt whether the passengers would have given their permission for their close up photo's to be used in this way on social media. 

 

As someone who was onboard Sky for the whole traumatic episode I know you personally feel nothing but praise and gratitude for the heroic actions of the Captain and crew onboard and also feel that Viking have acted very well with their compensation after the event. 

 

Like you, I I would book another Viking cruise in a heartbeat and am actively looking at them for next year. Hope to see you onboard. 

[Lottie A]

7 hours ago, donaldsc said:

What worries me is that they said that they could not launch the lifeboats because of the wind and high seas.  What would have happened if this emergency had happened out to sea where they had to launch the lifeboats.   What good are they if they can't be launched in bad seas?

 

DON

No Don...of course they could launch the lifeboats if needed. What they actually said was it was much safer to evacuate the injured passengers by helicopter in such bad seas and therefore the Captain took that decision. 

 

 There is a wealth of expert information from Chengkp, the cruise ship Chief Engineer (not on Viking) on the very long thread on the Viking forum. He stated that even if all power is lost on any cruise ship then there is a gravity drop facility that can be used to launch the lifeboats safely. He really seems to know what he is talking about and quickly debunked the more wild and silly theories of some of the "armchair experts" on the Viking forum. 

[Haworth]

15 minutes ago, Lottie A said:

I agree with you Haworth and your live and helpful info from Sky while undergoing such a stressful event was much appreciated in the "other place".  You gave information without sensationalism. 

 

What I didn't like was the close up and inappropriate photo's of distressed pax that were posted by a woman who almost seemed to be blogging the whole event. I thought they were intrusive and I would imagine that relatives st home would have found them upsetting. I doubt whether the passengers would have given their permission for their close up photo's to be used in this way on social media. 

 

As someone who was onboard Sky for the whole traumatic episode I know you personally feel nothing but praise and gratitude for the heroic actions of the Captain and crew onboard and also feel that Viking have acted very well with their compensation after the event. 

 

Like you, I I would book another Viking cruise in a heartbeat and am actively looking at them for next year. Hope to see you onboard. 

Thanks, I appreciate your support, there was one particular picture of 2 people sleeping in a very small narrow space particularly wrong, I know that you have been on Viking, it was the area behind the technicians booth and the exit to the theatre

[AllisonJames]

Like the Costa Concordia, this is another wakeup call for those of us who have gotten complacent (I know I have) about cruising, like any mode of transportation, things can go wrong.  The risk is extremely low but always good to be prepared!  I will add one more comment about the Viking ships since I have sailed on the Viking Star...after that cruise I commented in my review that I had never seen a ship so carefully "curated" with decor items, books, objects d'art...many areas were decorated as if it was someone's home.  So when I saw some of the videos, it reminded me that all those lovely items become extremely dangerous when falling over or flying through the air.  It will be interesting to see if Viking now cuts down on many of those items.

[dabear]

21 hours ago, Shawnino said:

Pro Tip: Don't take a cruise ship to Northern Norway in March.

If you do want to go there then, take a Hurtigruten ferry (or similar) that's actually built for it.

 

Agree that taking cruises out of season adds an element of risk that should be considered when considering it. Saving money is not always the best approach. In all events, I'm glad all were saved and mostly well.

Edited March 28, 2019 by dabear

[Haworth]

1 hour ago, dabear said:

 

Agree that taking cruises out of season adds an element of risk that should be considered when considering it. Saving money is not always the best approach. In all events, I'm glad all were saved and mostly well.

Given that It was a cruise billed as "In Search of the Northern Lights", how do you get to taking a cruise out of season, it was the peak season

[dabear]

1 hour ago, Haworth said:

Given that It was a cruise billed as "In Search of the Northern Lights", how do you get to taking a cruise out of season, it was the peak season

 

Cruising in the west coast of Norway in March is not a peak season &  Viking was the only major cruise line in these waters at this time of the year. If you wanted to see the northern lights it may have been safer to do a land trip.

[Cyber Kat]

On 3/27/2019 at 7:12 PM, LuAnn said:

 

Your memory is correct about HAL...and they still do it that way today! LuAnn

 

We have done 2 Viking River Cruises and 1 Ocean Cruise (with 2 more booked) and we had to wear our life jackets for all 3. On the river cruises the life jackets were in our cabin under the bed. I can’t remember if they were in the cabin on the ocean cruise or If we were given them when we reached our muster station. We were required to put them on. 

[Haworth]

6 hours ago, dabear said:

 

Cruising in the west coast of Norway in March is not a peak season &  Viking was the only major cruise line in these waters at this time of the year. If you wanted to see the northern lights it may have been safer to do a land trip.

So P&O are not a major cruise line?

They have been doing this trip for years and were in Alta as the same time as us 

[Ray in NH]

10 hours ago, Cyber Kat said:

 

We have done 2 Viking River Cruises and 1 Ocean Cruise (with 2 more booked) and we had to wear our life jackets for all 3. On the river cruises the life jackets were in our cabin under the bed. I can’t remember if they were in the cabin on the ocean cruise or If we were given them when we reached our muster station. We were required to put them on. 

Vast difference between river cruises and ocean cruises.

When we did our first river cruise (Viking) someone asked at the Safety Drill about life boats.  The Captain's reply was except in case of fire, the best thing to do was head to the top deck (60 feet above the keel and the river depth was less than forty feet).  He quickly admitted that it was (mostly) humorous, but made sense.  

That would not work for ocean going vessels.

 

NRayH

[mnocket]

I guess I'm odd man out, but I appreciated that near live video and pictures were available.  I learned a lot watching the videos and it will serve me well should I ever find myself in a similar position.  I never realized that rolling could get so bad that heavy furniture would slide violently about the floor or how important it is that you take meds, passports, etc. with you to muster stations as you may not be allowed to return to your cabin and your next stop may be aboard a rescue helicopter.  If I was on that ship I would like the fact that my loved ones could see live video and know exactly what was going on.  Yes it might alarm, but if the situation were reversed I'd rather know what was actually happening than be left in the dark wondering how bad it was.  Plus seeing that the passengers were behaving calmly, even sitting at muster stations with water about their feet, would be a relief.  Just my opinion, I know many others feel differently.

[nordski]

3 hours ago, Ray in NH said:

Vast difference between river cruises and ocean cruises.

When we did our first river cruise (Viking) someone asked at the Safety Drill about life boats.  The Captain's reply was except in case of fire, the best thing to do was head to the top deck (60 feet above the keel and the river depth was less than forty feet).  He quickly admitted that it was (mostly) humorous, but made sense.  

That would not work for ocean going vessels.

 

NRayH

 

Sadly this past autumn cruising season, and its shallow river problems primarily on the Rhine and the Danube, you might not even have had to go to the top deck.

 

Edited March 29, 2019 by nordski