The Cruise Ship and Cruise Line Discussion Thread!

[SoCalCoasters]

Crashing Into Rocks...

 

Required

[imagenius128]

Anyone else see the Royal Caribbean commercial that said "The Ocean Is Calling"? *facepalm*

[Hotlanta]

They have finally started to remove the fuel from the Costa Concordia.

 

Underwater pumping operations began Sunday to remove some of the 500,000 gallons of fuel aboard the Costa Concordia, officials said, nearly a month after the cruise ship ran aground off Tuscany.

 

After nearly two weeks of delays because of rough seas and bad weather, the pumping got under way on the first of 15 tanks that are believed to hold around 84 percent of the fuel on board, Italy's civil protection department said.

 

Officials say it will take 28 consecutive days of pumping to empty the tanks.

 

Dutch shipwreck salvage firm Smit is overseeing the operation, along with an Italian partner

 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/02/12/fuel-removal-begins-on-italian-cruise-ship-costa-concordia/#ixzz1mCuOGIRG

[Swiminn6]

^Can't believe it. I kept checking the webcam and it didn't look like anything was being done. Hopefully they get it all out ASAP because it seems like rough seas here are very common for this time of year.

 

I'm glad we got this news since this whole accident has gone quiet lately.

[Hotlanta]

^Can't believe it. I kept checking the webcam and it didn't look like anything was being done. Hopefully they get it all out ASAP because it seems like rough seas here are very common for this time of year.

 

I'm glad we got this news since this whole accident has gone quiet lately.

Can you give a link to the webcam, would love to see what's happening.

[Hotlanta]

The Costa Concordia's story gets stranger by the day:

 

ROME — Lawyers for survivors of the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship on Saturday pressed for new drug tests on the ship's captain after traces of cocaine were reportedly found on the outside of a hair sample.

 

But the consultant who did the analyses for prosecutors stood by results, which found no presence of the drug in urine samples or within the hair of Captain Francesco Schettino.

 

Read more @ http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/lawyers-cocaine-on-capsized-1353879.html

[Swiminn6]

^^I'm so sorry I didn't respond earlier, I don't check this website everyday! But heres the webcam link,

 

http://www.giglionews.it/2010022440919/webcam/isola-del-giglio/webcam-giglio-porto-panoramica.html

 

The majority of there daytime is when were sleeping on the east coast but you can still check out the action when you wake up in the morning because it would be late afternoon there.

[Cyber.Fiber]

Last night while I was on the Carnival Magic a man went over board for unknown reasons. I tried to get on the Internet to update you all but they shut down all cellular and wifi service until this early this morning. The captin managed to turn the vessel around and a safety boat was sent out and managed to find the man. He was wearing a life vest which activated a gps and safety light. The newspapers this morning say it was a crew member who was cleaning the boat, but with the weather conditions at sea yesterday, I highly doubt they would have sent a worker out to do something dangerous... Covering their ass..?

 

Also, they made MANY safety announcements all throughout the trip in regard to the recent accident in Italy. They have really stepped up their security and safety scene since the accident it seems.

[jray21]

At least he was wearing a life jacket with GPS! I couldn't imagine how freaked out he must have been. Falling overboard in the middle of the night in rough seas with it pitch black must have one adventure!

[jray21]

I'm sure this happens to other cruise lines, but Carnival just can't seem to catch a break

 

http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/26/world/mexico-cruise-robbery/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

[SharkTums]

Falling overboard in the middle of the night in rough seas with it pitch black must have one adventure!

 

From reports on cruise critic, he may not have 'fallen'...more like jumped while intoxicated. (But not so intoxicated as to not wear a life vest!)

[Moose]

^That makes sense since if he fell, he likely wouldn't have had a life jacket on.

[KI Kidd]

Haven't been able to read a story on it yet but the ticker on the top of the ABC News site (mobile version) is reading "Fire breaks out aboard Costa Concordia's sister ship off Seychelles."

 

Here's hoping that everyone is ok and the damage is minor.

 

EDIT: Removed edit.

Edited February 28, 2012 by KI Kidd

[OISU8P]

^More here.

Costa Cruises liner calls for help after fire on board

Feb 27 (Reuters) - A liner owned by the same company as the Costa Concordia, which ran aground off Italy last month, sent out a distress signal in the Indian Ocean on Monday after a fire in the engine room left it without power, the company said.

 

Costa Cruises said the fire on the Costa Allegra had been put out and no passengers were hurt.

 

At least 25 people died when the Costa Concordia ran aground off the island of Giglio last month.

 

The Costa Allegra, with 636 passengers and 413 crew on board, was sailing some 200 miles south west of the Seychelles, the company said.

 

Crew were working to "restore functionality" to the ship and tugs and other support vessels were on their way to offer assistance, Costa Cruises said

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/27/costa-ship-fire-idUSL5E8DR9QY20120227?feedType=RSS&feedName=cyclicalConsumerGoodsSector&rpc=43

[PKIDelirium]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Allegra

 

Originally entered service in 1969 as a container ship. Eventually converted into a cruise ship and purchased by Costa in 1990.

 

Costa Cruises liner adrift after fire on board

[disneyfan1313]

All I have to say is... "Oh, Carnival.....".

 

I would be shocked if Costa isn't sold off or absorbed within 6 months after these issues. The brand is essentially tarnished at this point.

[cfc]

^Aye, those vessels be cursed, sez I!

[PKIDelirium]

Costa doesn't actually operate this ship. They own it, but it's operated by a third party.

[disneyfan1313]

^ Right - but that doesn't matter. The ship is flagged in the Costa name and the media are all referencing it as a Costa ship. The damage is done and the average person doesn't know or care that it was chartered...just that it was a "Costa" ship.

[SharkTums]

^I actually read a terrifying report the other day that Carnival was thinking of trying to sell off Costa and buy either RCCL or NCL!!!??!?!?!!?

[Meteornotes]

^That is easily the most frightening thing I've ever heard.

 

dt

[cfc]

^I actually read a terrifying report the other day that Carnival was thinking of trying to sell off Costa and buy either RCCL or NCL!!!??!?!?!!?

 

I'm sure they could get this line for next to nothing.

 

[BeemerBoy]

^I actually read a terrifying report the other day that Carnival was thinking of trying to sell off Costa and buy either RCCL or NCL!!!??!?!?!!?

My heart sank when I read this (Carnival pun intended). Oh, please God, no.

 

I guess the next logical step would be Ultra-Private TPR cruises then, right? Perhaps I could suggest this or this?

 

And if so, be sure to let me know....I think I can still get a finders fee from the IYC guys.

[ginzo]

^I actually read a terrifying report the other day that Carnival was thinking of trying to sell off Costa and buy either RCCL or NCL!!!??!?!?!!?

 

Does this mean Guy Fieri is going to redo the menu for 150 Central Park?

[Hotlanta]

Picture of the Costa Allegra taken by Indian Navy:

 

Costa Cruises, the Italian company that owns the ship, announced that instead of being disembarked at Desroches island in the south-west of the Seychelles, the vessel will be towed all the way to Mahe, the main island, more than 200 miles away.

 

Trying to disembark the passengers, including 31 Britons, into small boats and then transport them across a reef to the shore of the tiny island was too risky, the company said in a statement.

 

The island, which has just one luxury £1,000-a-night resort with 24 rooms and 24 beach villas, would have been swamped by the influx of 1,050 passengers and crew.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/seychelles/9110926/Costa-Allegra-passengers-face-three-day-voyage-to-safety.html