Guest rimchair Posted February 13, 2013 Posted February 13, 2013 (CNN) -- Ewwwww. That about sums up how people are describing conditions aboard the Carnival Triumph on Tuesday as tugboats slowly drag the stricken cruise ship toward Alabama -- and freedom for its 3,143 passengers. Some on the ship reported sewage sloshing around in hallways, flooded rooms and trouble getting enough to eat after a fire in the ship's engine room Sunday left it drifting in the Gulf of Mexico. Passengers dragged their mattresses onto the ship's open deck to stay cool and get away from the nasty smells inside. "The odor is so bad, people are getting sick and they're throwing up everywhere," said Brent Nutt, whose wife is aboard the ship. Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 13, 2013 Posted February 13, 2013 At least no one got injured or killed. I hope they can get their money back. Quote
Guest EXPAT Posted February 13, 2013 Posted February 13, 2013 I agree Carnival is a disaster of a business. Quote
Members RA1 Posted February 13, 2013 Members Posted February 13, 2013 And, yet thousands of cruises set sail without this kind of difficulty. We all have our favorite cruise line or lines but any one of them can and will have some difficulty at one time or another; some more serious than others. A cruise ship is after all a self contained small town with far more amenities than the average small town. In some ways it is perhaps a minor miracle they don't have more problems than they do. No fatalities and no serious injuries that I have seen reported. So, is the glass half empty or half full? OTOH, refunding their fare seems a minimum. I think I would offer them all a free further cruise or at least a heavily discounted one. If they never showed up for same, at least you got some fairly free PR. Best regards, RA1 Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 13, 2013 Posted February 13, 2013 Incidents like this once or twice in a while are acceptable in any business but I think this has been Carnival's second or third incident in a short interval. I hope they can sort out their internal problems so they can prevent from this happening again. I think they will be able to do that. I personally am not a big fan of cruise ships. I love nature and I love walking in the woods. I would rather stay at home read books to being on a ship for a long time... Quote
Guest rimchair Posted February 13, 2013 Posted February 13, 2013 ​Ah, how short memories are here, Carnival owned the Costa Concordia. ​ ​Would I take a cruise tomorrow? Sure, on Crystal or Seabourn. Incidents like this once or twice in a while are acceptable in any business but I think this has been Carnival's second or third incident in a short interval. Quote
Members wayout Posted February 13, 2013 Members Posted February 13, 2013 I've never been on a cruise and for me it isn't high on my list of things I must do before I die. A situation like this drops this further down on my list. I realize there are many many people that like/love cruises and this may not happen with high frequecy, so I am hesitant to post anything negative without having tried it first but I just feel it's not for me. I'm more like hitoallusa in my preferences for a relaxing time. I heard on the news that the passengers will get full refunds plus a free cruise in the future. After their experience, I wonder if anyone would want to take them up on the offer of a free cruise. Quote
Members RA1 Posted February 13, 2013 Members Posted February 13, 2013 I doubt that Carnival advertises to hire "stupid captains'" which is what the guy was on the Costa Concordia. I am not about to defend Carnival but things happen. Life is full of relatively minor inconveniences, isn't it? Many have spent the night and longer in an airport terminal. Been stuck in traffic behind a wreck for hours. Missed a bus. On and on. Now if it is proven that Carnival is seriously under maintaining their fleet or some such, then that is a different story. However, the US Coast Guard and others do inspections of cruise ships that use US ports. There are no guarantees but offialdom is watching. Have you ever bought a "cheap ticket" on an airline? Did it cross your mind that perhaps their maintenance was not on a par with other airlines? Why not? The FAA is certainly not perfect in their oversight and various airlines do have different reputations for the quality and extent of their maintenance. Keeping an open mind but your eyes and ears open should go a long way towards making your various decisions the correct ones, at least for you. Cruises may not be for everyone but millions have enjoyed them and will continue to do so. Best regards, RA1 Quote
Members lookin Posted February 13, 2013 Members Posted February 13, 2013 I heard on the news that the passengers will get full refunds plus a free cruise in the future. Plus they still have Alabama to look forward to! Quote
Members RA1 Posted February 13, 2013 Members Posted February 13, 2013 With the port city being pronounced MO BILE, as in the stuff your gall bladder makes, by at least one "reporter". I wonder how the guy on camera would have done with Ouachita? For those who have never been South or are otherwise ignorant, it is pronounced "Wash i ta". I always look forward to LA aka Lower Alabama. Best regards, RA1 Quote
AdamSmith Posted February 13, 2013 Posted February 13, 2013 I always look forward to LA aka Lower Alabama.One's ex being from Lafayette, LA -- yeah. Quote
Members RA1 Posted February 13, 2013 Members Posted February 13, 2013 So, your ex was a ragin' cajun? It could have been worse. He could have been an "actual" frog. Therefore I have to suppose that you did not actually enjoy enormous cajun cooking else you would still be together? Don't misunderstand, I do not mean that you are incapable of enjoying such cooking, only that it was not provided in sufficient quantity for your relationship to survive. Otherwise I think we both enjoy the fruits of the "south sea" regardless of petroleum influences. Best regards. RA1 AdamSmith 1 Quote
Guest rimchair Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 And, yet thousands of cruises set sail without this kind of difficulty. Best regards, RA1 Yes, and they are not on the dreaded Carnival Cruise Line. Even when things go right, going on a Carnival Cruise is like being locked in a shopping mall with a bunch of obnoxious, drunken dimwits. Accept it's miles out at sea, so you can't leave. No thanks. Personal attack deleted. More of this will have repercussions. TY Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 14, 2013 Posted February 14, 2013 Oh come on let's not make fun of southerners.. They are sweet and nice... I have never been to Alabama because I have no business there.. I want to invest something there... Before that I need to come up with ideas to promote its strength and develop good PR for the state. It's doing ok and it has great potential to grow... Quote
Guest FourAces Posted February 15, 2013 Posted February 15, 2013 Carnival seems to have its share of problems. Four fires in two years and let us not forget the ocassional passenger who just happens to decide to jump off the ship at sea. Will Carnival make good financially on this latest mess ... probably not. At best cutomers might see a refund but a free cruise and refund from this horrific company is probably not going to happen. Quote
Members RA1 Posted February 15, 2013 Members Posted February 15, 2013 Carnival claims they will "award' a free cruise + "this cruise" + $500 + ground transport + a hotel stay as partial compensation for the "inconvenience" of this cruise. We shall see. I suppose it is only human nature to "suddenly" be much happier once an "experience" is over. Passengers started praising the crew for their efforts throughout. A hot shower, a "comfortable" toilet and a good meal can often do wonders, can it not? Without denigrating the passengers, I have to comment that limited food, being trapped on a "stalled" cruise liner and doing without "appropriate facilities" is NOT the same as older or deceased relatives suffered during WWII or many other wars. This was an inconvenience that was not bargained for without a doubt but it was not SUFFERING in the "true" sense of the word. I think many of the passengers would now agree to this comment. Compared to "ordinary" urban or suburban life in the USA this was the pits. But, no one was shooting at them or forcing them to unburden their family possessions or making them do manual work before they were executed. We are all spoiled by modern life, aren't we? Best regards, RA1 Quote
Guest EXPAT Posted February 15, 2013 Posted February 15, 2013 I hated hearing all of the people on the news programs this morning positioning themselves to file a lawsuit. People look for any reason for a quick buck. Quote
Members JKane Posted February 16, 2013 Members Posted February 16, 2013 I don't understand how *all* critical services can be repeatedly knocked out on these cruise ships like this. The insurance companies (the real regulation of the industry) need to fucking step in (on all future designs) and say, "You know what, a ship that holds thousands upon thousands of passengers, you're going to cut the capacity by a couple hundred and have FULLY REDUNDANT, SEPARATE engine/generator rooms!". It's really not that hard... two fuel supplies, two engine rooms, two water creation systems, two propellers and a rudder big enough to keep the ship straight when only one is turning. Circuits from each system to power critical systems like control, medical, galley, and waste handling. There are a crapload of private yachts that do this even! I think they should lose a fuck ton of money because they chose to opt for profit over basic redundancy/safety. Then there were reports of the ship having had previous troubles and setting out on this voyage anyway. I agree on these morons giving interviews about how they almost died... though then again it may be impossible to look intelligent on these kinds of news interviews--and the worst are often chosen to air. I don't think these people necessarily deserve massive payouts, but with the bullshit system of these vessels being foreign-flagged, it's probably just about the only mechanism available to punish Carnival so I hope it and the massive media black eye make them examine and reorder their priorities. Quote
Members RA1 Posted February 16, 2013 Members Posted February 16, 2013 Pure economics. But that works both ways. As the old saying goes, what goes around, comes around and likely Carnival will reap their reward, just or otherwise. The foreign flag issue is also two sided, at least. Yes, the companies are avoiding some rules and regulations that would be imposed by the NTSB or other US officaldom by having the ships registered in other countries but our unions have also "pushed" themselves out of the running with asking for too much and getting virtually nothing. We could just prohibit foreign ships from using our ports if they don't "measure up" and to some extent we do that but not as completely or effectively as in aviation and that is going the "wrong" direction itself. Best regards, RA1 Quote
Guest rimchair Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 Carnival was the subject of Letterman's nightly Top Ten routine, which listed the Top Ten Things Passengers Said After Getting Off the Carnival Cruise: 10. "You know, it's not the worst Carnival Cruise I've taken" 9. "I loved everything about the trip except the raw sewage" 8. "I didn't find love, but I did catch campylobacteriosis" 7. "Thanks for nothing, Superman" 6. "He looks taller in films" (Oh, I'm sorry, that's what people say getting off Tom Cruise) 5. "Maybe I'm just not a 'cruise person'" 4. "I need a hot shower, then a lawyer" 3. "Next time, we're taking an Italian cruise" 2. "I waited in line six hours for an onion and mayonnaise sandwich, and I'm not leaving till I get one" 1. "Damn, I missed my connecting cruise" Quote
Members RA1 Posted February 16, 2013 Members Posted February 16, 2013 Letterman or his writers are often funny. This was not. Best regards, RA1 Quote
Guest EXPAT Posted February 17, 2013 Posted February 17, 2013 This meme hit the nail on the head. . . Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted February 17, 2013 Posted February 17, 2013 Lol I'm not sure whether family members of people died on the Titanic had gotten compensated? Quote
AdamSmith Posted February 17, 2013 Posted February 17, 2013 Letterman or his writers are often funny. This was not. Agree. But thought #10 was almost funny. Quote
