Celebrity cruise tour accident

[lettienets]

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/travel/caribbean/story/919118.html

I nearly took this tour when on the Noordam in Jan. Yikes, never think about it:eek:

[hammybee]

People everywhere lose control and drive into ditches, all the time.

Only Miami would turn this into a news story.

[serendipity1499]

Oh, this is so very sad..My heart goes out to all the injured & their families..

Unfortunately, an accident such as this could happen anywhere in the world including our country..

Have often thought about possible accidents in the air, on the sea as well as on land..However, nothing is risk free & we strive to overcome our fears & not let it stop us from enjoying our travels..

Betty

 

[sizzle_sisters]

Considering the citizens involved were US, considering the media coverage and potential loss of revenue for both parties I would expect one state would provide news info. And I didn't find it overly biased or critical.

Accidents happen, esp in countries with poor roads, poor equipment and less skilled drivers. Chances that you take personally in your own country and as a guest of another. I would think the fact that the injured are being returned to the US is the issue, rather than Miami making something out of it.

[KULPN]

People everywhere lose control and drive into ditches, all the time.

Only Miami would turn this into a news story.

hammybee- have a little compassion. Just because this happens everyday doesn't make it an OK thing. Very sad, especially on vacation. My heart goes out to them & their families also.

[jhannah]

"... their bus lost control ..." Interesting. I didn't know the bus was in control to begin with. :rolleyes:

 

It's too bad, but it does happen. Not often, thankfully, but odds are that it will every x-number of trips. I do hope all injured will heal quickly and fully.

[Sirdar]

This appears to be a tour booked through Celebrity which may explain the level of assistance the Cruise Line is demonstrating. It is very popular on these boards to read how many people boast of the savings etc garnered by booking directly with a local tour. One of the downsides to this arrangement becomes evident when one of these tragedies occurs (as they are bound to do from time to time). Passangers should consider the problem of merely missing the ship if the tour is not booked through the line, but even more so the liability issues connected with an accident. Is the local tour insured? By what company? Can you sue them in the US, UK, Canada or only in the local country? Does the Cruise line stand behind the tour when booked through them etc etc. I think an injured passanger will fare much better when booking through the ship.

[MadManOfBethesda]

People everywhere lose control and drive into ditches, all the time.

Only Miami would turn this into a news story.

 

Eleven injured people are being flown to Miami and taken to the largest and most well-known hospital in the city for treatment and you have a problem with it being reported in the newspaper?

 

Only in Miami, huh?

 

Uh, okay.

[Susie51]

Well said sirdar

[NYCsurfer]

Eleven injured people are being flown to Miami and taken to the largest and most well-known hospital in the city for treatment and you have a problem with it being reported in the newspaper?

 

Only in Miami, huh?

 

Uh, okay.

 

[golfclap] :rolleyes:

[Krazy Kruizers]

So sorry to hear this happening to people on holiday not expecting anything to happen to them.

Hope all recover and everything goes well for them.

[KirkNC]

I was worried about this exact thing on our recent Veendam cruise. You drive around on small roads with all kinds of vehicles flying by. I am surprised it does not happen more often. The vehicles in many of these countries have never seen an inspection. On our trip back to the ship in Guatamala cars were passing us and getting back in with only inches to spare, crazy. I am glad the injuries were not more serious.

[jhannah]

... many people boast of the savings etc garnered by booking directly with a local tour. One of the downsides to this arrangement becomes evident when one of these tragedies occurs (as they are bound to do from time to time).

Excellent point. Booking independently, as we have done from time to time, does heighten exposure should the unthinkable happen.

[mamaofami]

It must be just plain awful to get injured when you're away from home. My heart goes out to the injured passengers and their families and I hope they all have a quick recovery.

[nitnyleo]

hammybee . . . how many times do you need to be driven into a ditch before you acquire such a blase attitude? I'm sure most of us have never been driven into a ditch, especially where 11 fellow passengers needed to be airlifted to a hospital.

 

Best wishes and "Get Wells" to the folks injured.

[usha]

My heart goes out to the injured. Have you SEEN the ditches in Dominica????:eek:

I also think Celebrity's response is admirable, whether the excursion was booked through X or not.

[lettienets]

People everywhere lose control and drive into ditches, all the time.

Only Miami would turn this into a news story.

I have been on many a tour where I think the driver is driving recklessly and it should not be happening. The tour companies are obligated to keep their businesses safe. The cruise lines should realize that people take their tours for safety. That's why they don't rent cars and go around on their own.

[chloes nana]

People everywhere lose control and drive into ditches, all the time.

Only Miami would turn this into a news story.

WOW!! that's a rather callous remark isn't it?? having a bad day hammybee?:confused:

[jbhcw]

Let me just say that my heart goes out to all the injured. I have been there and done that and do not want it to happen again. We sometimes think that since we are on vacation nothing bad can happen to you.

 

Not so, we were in a MVA while on a cruise, in St. Thomas many years ago. One of our companions had to be air lifted back to NC - Duke Hospital with severe hand injuries.

 

Don't give an opinion or blow it off until something like that happens to you. We stayed with our friends until the plane came for them that night (That is why we always get the insurance) and we flew home the next day.

 

The Port Authority people were great in helping us get tickets to fly back home, etc. I will never forget what the surgeon in St. Thomas said to us after he had operated on our friend, if we had been in one of those safari type vehicles with just the top, that he would have still been x-raying folks about 10 hours later.

 

We were in a 14 passenger Ford van and only one severely injured, vehicle lost brakes and turned over on it's side on a steep hill.

 

My thoughts and prayers go out to the injured and their families.

[Toad]

So sorry to hear about this and hope all recovery quickly. It does sound as if Celebrity handled this very well. I was quite impressed with the response the cruiseline provided.

[weelv2cruise]

This appears to be a tour booked through Celebrity which may explain the level of assistance the Cruise Line is demonstrating. It is very popular on these boards to read how many people boast of the savings etc garnered by booking directly with a local tour. One of the downsides to this arrangement becomes evident when one of these tragedies occurs (as they are bound to do from time to time). Passangers should consider the problem of merely missing the ship if the tour is not booked through the line, but even more so the liability issues connected with an accident. Is the local tour insured? By what company? Can you sue them in the US, UK, Canada or only in the local country? Does the Cruise line stand behind the tour when booked through them etc etc. I think an injured passanger will fare much better when booking through the ship.

 

Our prayers are with those who experienced this. Many times I've ridden on those buses and thought, "My God, will we make it!" Exciting at times, and I actually trust the drivers! My bad! And my next thought is--that is why you take the cruise excursions!

[Oceanwench]

hammybee . . . how many times do you need to be driven into a ditch before you acquire such a blase attitude? I'm sure most of us have never been driven into a ditch, especially where 11 fellow passengers needed to be airlifted to a hospital.

 

Best wishes and "Get Wells" to the folks injured.

 

Exactly.

 

It is a news story and should be reported.

And rather than pick apart the writing or criticize the newspaper, it makes more sense to wish these people well.

Show some compassion for fellow cruisers.

Any of us could be in a similar situation.

[innlady1]

My heart goes out to the injured. Have you SEEN the ditches in Dominica????:eek:

I also think Celebrity's response is admirable, whether the excursion was booked through X or not.

 

Mine, too. That is a really sad way to end a vacation. My heart goes out to these folks as well. Sadly, it could happen to any of us.

 

Yes, I've seen the ditches there! :eek: Egads, is all I have to say! We were there earlier this month on the Noordam and did a ship shore excursion....Dominica's Best Kept Secrets or something like that. The ditches are unbelievable! A severe drop off of three or so feet on very narrow roads. I was looking at them as we drove by and the bus passed some workers on the roads....lol....saw one man relieving himself at the side of the road...into the ditch. Same thing when we came back down the mountain. Sorry, I couldn't resist!

 

Dominica seems to be one of the poorer Caribbean islands...it struck DH and I that way...and we've been to many of them.

 

From the sound of it, Celebrity did a great job. Kudos to them.

 

I didn't see that shorex on HAL's list.

 

Sometimes, when it's an island we've visited previously, we'll do an independent taxi tours...this makes me realize that might not be a smart move. :eek:

 

Thanks, Lettie, for posting the article. :)

[kryos]

Passangers should consider the problem of merely missing the ship if the tour is not booked through the line, but even more so the liability issues connected with an accident. Is the local tour insured? By what company? Can you sue them in the US, UK, Canada or only in the local country? Does the Cruise line stand behind the tour when booked through them etc etc. I think an injured passanger will fare much better when booking through the ship.

HAL requires all excursion providers to have a certain amount of liability insurance, and to "indemnify/hold harmless" HAL in the event of any accidents. That is why there are a lot of excursions that the cruise line simply won't offer ... because the liability is great (skydiving, SCUBA, etc.) and there is no way the excursion provider could get such a level of liability insurance as required by HAL at anywhere near an affordable price.

 

So, if you take a HAL-sponsored tour, you are assured that the provider carries a pretty high level of liability insurance, sufficient to cover any claims or lawsuits that may result from an incident.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[lettienets]

From the sound of it, Celebrity did a great job. Kudos to them.

I didn't see that shorex on HAL's list.

Sometimes, when it's an island we've visited previously, we'll do an independent taxi tours...this makes me realize that might not be a smart move. :eek:

Thanks, Lettie, for posting the article. :)

 

Hi Sheila, I saw this tour on our list. I had first signed up for the Dominican cooking lesson in the Culinary Arts Center on the ship but it got cancelled because of not enough numbers. The tour desk suggested this one where you drive to a place and shop for local foods and then a cooking demo at a home somewhere. I decided to do the snorkel trip instead because it was shorter and I didn't want to be touring all day.