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The Cruise Ship and Cruise Line Discussion Thread!


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Enough about beer, it's time for another episode of "Oh, Carnival!"

 

It was international news recently when a small fishing boat was found adrift in the Pacific Ocean, several hundred miles from the Panama town where it launched. After 28 days at sea, only one of the three men who had been onboard was still alive. The other two died from lack of water and exposure.

 

Now there are allegations that weeks earlier, while all of the men were still alive, an American-based cruise ship, the Star Princess, spotted the drifting boat — but sailed on without stopping to help.

 

The Star Princess is a luxury cruise ship operated by Carnival. It has four pools, a nine-hole putting green, a casino, and cabins for some 2,000 passengers.

 

The complete story is at http://www.npr.org/2012/04/19/150897139/cruise-ship-didnt-aid-drifting-boat-passengers-say

 

The gist of it is that a group of birdwatchers with telescopes spotted the stranded ship and alerted the bridge, and a crew member used their equipment to verify the ship was there, but the captain elected to do nothing.

 

In a statement, Princess Cruises says, "We're aware of the allegations that Star Princess supposedly passed by a boat in distress that was carrying three Panamanian fishermen on March 10. At this time we cannot verify the facts as reported, and we are currently conducting an internal investigation on the matter."
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^ Several things come to mind:

 

A)

After 28 days at sea, only one of the three men who had been onboard was still alive. The other two died from lack of water and exposure.

So they died from a lack of exposure? It really is sad then that their story is only now being covered. Seriously, since the copy editor was either away, asleep, or nonexistent, take 10 seconds and craft a better and more intelligent sentence, man.

 

B)

Meredith [a cruise passenger] says she was told that the Star Princess contacted the boat and "that they were asking the ship to move to the west, because they didn't want their nets to be damaged. And that the ship altered course. And they were waving their shirts because they were thanking the ship."

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. Oh, Carnival.

 

C) I love the irony that a man name Gilligan was the first passenger to spot the boat in distress.

 

D) I really hope the passenger's story is true, and if so, that the captain is punished to the full extent of the law. You DO NOT, under any circumstances, ignore a possible distress signal at sea.

 

On the surface it seems as though someone had a deadline to meet....which wouldn't surprise me, considering the company in question.

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Just wanted to post a really quick few thoughts on our most recent cruise.

 

Brilliance of the Seas

12 Night

Dubai/India/Oman Cruise

 

This was the most 'exotic' cruise we had done to date and it was just fantastic! We kept joking that we should take a Carnival cruise before all of our cruises to make them seem that much better each time! Seriously though, even if we had not just come off the hellhole that was the Ecstasy, this cruise was amazing. Staff were super friendly, food was delicious and the right temperature, kids club staff super fun, and the ship was constantly being cleaned.

 

This cruise really just sealed the deal that Royal Caribbean is obviously the correct line for me and my family and we'll continue to sail them in the future, only straying from time to time.

 

This itinerary is not being repeated next year due to issues with the Indian government, but I really hope they bring it back in the future as I would do it again in a heartbeat!

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http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2012/04/articles/fires-1/fire-breaks-out-aboard-allure-of-the-seas-cruise-ship/

 

 

Fire Breaks Out Aboard Allure of the Seas Cruise Ship

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Jim Walker

 

Tweet17Tonight I began to receive text messages from passengers aboard Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas stating that a fire broke out in the engine room. Heavy black smoke billowed out of the stacks. There was initial panic by some passengers. The cruise ship made emergency announcement and altered its course so that the prevailing winds would not blow smoke into the ship.

 

There are no reports of injuries to passengers at this time. The Allure is continuing its cruise and there apparently remains propulsion, electricity, lights, and air conditioning. The ship is heading from St. Maarten back to Fort Lauderdale, and is somewhere east of Turks and Caicos.

 

We do not have a statement from the cruise line at this time.

 

It has not been a good year for the cruise industry, as everyone knows. Just last month there was a disabling fire in the engine room of Royal Caribbean's Quest cruise ship operated by its subsidiary Azamara. In February, there was a disabling fire aboard the Costa Allegra.

 

Cruise ship fires are not uncommon. There have been 79 fires on cruise ships since 1990. This one makes 80 in 22 years. Almost 4 a year. Read our article "Ten Years of Cruise ship Fires - Has the Cruise Industry Learned Anything?"

 

If you are on the cruise and have info, photos or video, please leave a message.

 

Update April 20, 2012: Several readers pointed out that my reference to and photos on the webcam were dated April 19, 2012 (yesterday). The webcam is not active now. I deleted the image. Sorry for the misleading reference to normal events yesterday - but why is the webcam not showing what's going on tonight? I suspect the cruise line shuts the web cams down during emergencies.

 

Update April 21, 2012: Here is the official cruise line PR statement:

 

"At approximately 7:45 pm (ET) Royal Caribbean International's Allure of the Seas experienced a small and short lived engine fire. The ship's high fog system was immediately activated, which contained and extinguished the fire. There were no injuries to guest or crew. The ship is sailing towards Port Everglades, Florida, where it will arrive on Sunday, April 22 as scheduled."

 

Royal Caribbean wrote a masterful PR statement. "Small" fire which lasted "short" time and was "immediately" extinguished. But let's have some real information? What caused the fire? Why did a new ship touted as having new generation technology catch on fire in the first place? All fires start out "small." A small fire on a huge ship in the middle of the sea is not a good thing. The 2006 fire aboard the Star Princess started out with a single cigarette smoldering in a towel and then barely erupting, yet it led to 100 cabins being destroyed, one death and multiple injuries.

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^Yeah, I heard about this yesterday morning and it seems like everything worked just as it should and two or three years ago you wouldn't have even heard about an 'incident' like this.

 

That being said, sure looks like the RCCL fire systems worked perfectly, they alerted the guests, and everything went just fine!

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"Small" fire which lasted "short" time and was "immediately" extinguished. But let's have some real information? What caused the fire? Why did a new ship touted as having new generation technology catch on fire in the first place? All fires start out "small." A small fire on a huge ship in the middle of the sea is not a good thing. The 2006 fire aboard the Star Princess started out with a single cigarette smoldering in a towel and then barely erupting, yet it led to 100 cabins being destroyed, one death and multiple injuries.

These incidents are not uncommon at all. This is why they have response systems put in place, and in this particular case, the response system worked so well, that it didn't impact anything.

 

When I worked at a theme park, we saw small incidents from trash can fires to kitchen fires happen quite often. You just never heard about them because the response system in place didn't make them a threat to anyone.

 

Anytime you are working around sophisticated systems like engines, mechanics, chemicals, etc, there is always a high risk of fire or any other accident. I would applaud RCCL for having a system in place that made it so this wasn't a big deal.

 

I would also have to assume that they are also launching an investigation as to what happened to prevent it from happening again.

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In other cruise ship news, this was released yesterday....

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/costa-concordia-salvaged-piece-16185987#.T5P3HE8yE7w

Costa Concordia to Be Salvaged in 1 Piece

Salvage work to remove the capsized Costa Concordia cruise ship from its rocky perch off Tuscany, where 32 people died, will begin early next month and is expected to take a year, the Italian owner announced Saturday.

 

The U.S.-owned company Titan Salvage won the bid to remove the ship, which struck a reef off the tourist-dependent island of Giglio on Jan. 13, after the captain veered off course and steered the liner carrying 4,200 people close to shore in an apparent stunt. Thirty-two passengers and crew members died in the frantic and delayed evacuation. Two of those remain missing.

 

The salvage plan, which still needs approval by Italian authorities, foresees removing the ship in one piece and towing it to an Italian port, Costa said.

 

Workers completed the removal of fuel from the Concordia on March 24, and Costa said environmental protection will be a "top priority" during the ship's removal. The island of Giglio is in fishing grounds and falls within a sanctuary for dolphins.

 

Islanders have expressed concern that the ship's presence and salvage work will disrupt tourism, Giglio's main economic driver.

 

Giglio Mayor Sergio Ortelli said it is important that the ship be removed in one piece with the least possible impact on the environment, economic and port activities, and that the operation be completed within a year, as foreseen, "so that we can return to normal."

 

Titan Salvage, based in Pompano Beach, Florida, has performed more than 350 salvage and wreck removal projects since 1980, according to its website. It will partner with Micoperi, an Italian marine contractor that specializes in underwater construction and engineering. Titan was one of six companies bidding for the salvage job.

 

Salvage crews and their equipment will be based at the nearby port of Civitavecchia in a move aimed minimizing the impact on Giglio's port activities, Costa said.

 

"As was the case with the removal of the fuel, we have sought to identify the best solution to safeguard the island and its marine environment and to protect its tourism," Costa CEO Pier Luigi Foschi said in a statement.

 

Capt. Francesco Schettino is accused of abandoning the ship in the middle of a confused evacuation that saw passengers and crew members jump into the water and swim to shore after the ship's tilt made it impossible to lower lifeboats.

 

Schettino, who is under house arrest and denies wrongdoing, faces possible charges of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship. Other top officers and Costa officials also face possible charges. Schettino has claimed that the reef, which appears on many tourist maps, wasn't on his navigational charts.

 

The ship's owner, Costa Crociere SpA, has distanced itself from Schettino, contending he made an "unauthorized" maneuver that took him perilously too close to the island. It has said that only once, in August, was the cruise ship allowed to sail close to Giglio, because of a special occasion on the island.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/04/21/shipwrecked-italian-cruise-liner-costa-concordia-to-be-refloated-removed-intact/

Shipwrecked Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia to be refloated, removed intact

GENOA, Italy -- The shipwrecked Italian cruise liner the Costa Concordia will be refloated and towed away in one piece by a US-owned salvage firm, the ship's owners announced Saturday.

 

Costa Crociere said Florida-based Titan Salvage will work with Italian marine contractors Micoperi to remove the wreck from waters off the island of Giglio, where it crashed Jan.13, killing 32 people.

 

Italian authorities must first approve the work, which is expected to begin in early May and take around a year to complete, Genoa-based Costa Crociere said in a statement.

 

Pier Luigi Foschi, the chief executive of the British-American owned Italian cruise line said, "We are very pleased to announce another important step towards salvaging the wreck from Giglio island."

 

He thanked Dutch company Smit and Italian firm Tito Neri for successfully pumping fuel from the ship in a six-week operation, completed March 24, Italian newspaper Liguria Notizie reported.

 

Foschi added, "As was the case with the removal of the fuel, we have sought to identify the best solution to safeguard the island and its marine environment and to protect its tourism."

 

Once the wreck is floated, it will be towed to an Italian port, where authorities will decide on its fate, Costa said. The sea bottom will then be cleaned and marine flora restored.

 

The operational base will be located outside the island on the nearby port of Civitavecchia, to lessen the impact on Giglio's port activities and tourism, Costa added.

 

The Costa Concordia had 4,229 people on board -- including 3,200 passengers from 60 countries -- when it capsized.

 

The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, and three Costa Crociere executives are among nine people being investigated over the disaster.

Edited by robbalvey
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Last February I was able to take a 7 day cruise aboard Holland America's ms. Ryndam. While I did have a good time, I honestly can not recommend Holland America to other TPR members. It is true that 99% of other cruisers on this line is over the age of 65. I have never seen so many people using walkers or motorized vehicles in one place. The service, food, and activities were pretty good, though I have to admit that Disney Cruise Line has really spoiled me in these departments. We did do the up charge restaurant one evening and it was really great. Anyways, here are a few photos from the trip. I mostly posted photos of other ships since this is more of a discussion thread.

188096921_Cruise2012Dollywood018.jpg.c2f7896ed85db64e972db7ed7d116edc.jpg

This is what we are sailing on.

422561354_Cruise2012Dollywood026.jpg.6f24b50d0aa170b85d1e771a1d276c79.jpg

The Tampa Port is really super convenient to sail from.

928853039_Cruise2012Dollywood029.jpg.625d8c938490e246af1a3a572b51d079.jpg

The Norweigan Star also disembarks from here.

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Goodbye, Tampa!

2007723412_Cruise2012Dollywood070.jpg.52d88b8d7fab55478eb5573ef897d132.jpg

You get to sail under the Sunshine Skyway bridge.

2116607002_Cruise2012Dollywood085.jpg.5e031dd76080a44e7e0d134876db1869.jpg

The Oceania Marina. It is only one year old.

2020451477_Cruise2012Dollywood087.jpg.c792e4912698c653090f12cf37d53f7a.jpg

The Carnival Valor.

498148402_Cruise2012Dollywood116.jpg.cd480d04b06659e46ba0c453230341e8.jpg

I finally made it to Key West.

1712764671_Cruise2012Dollywood164.jpg.f742f834be1cef7c54c1e75f83c1e003.jpg

The Ryndam does have a great library.

1601831260_Cruise2012Dollywood173.jpg.ba249522134f323020762e811c541776.jpg

Goodbye Sun!

1763422079_Cruise2012Dollywood176.jpg.94a932f4f1ebdee1375124bf8c8f18f6.jpg

Yum!

531747361_Cruise2012Dollywood191.jpg.64f1750f2337317ebf4a7e601154b571.jpg

We parked next to this huge looking floating hotel thing.

519676406_Cruise2012Dollywood193.jpg.0e666f0b95ddbe6d82f9e62189e5e2dc.jpg

Oh that explains it.

237678990_Cruise2012Dollywood221.jpg.540f60951730c7a2cb02b1024a821ed5.jpg

Since you are in Jamaica, I guess it is required to see Dunn's Falls.

1767030427_Cruise2012Dollywood253.jpg.2b96e9245f1297c860dd1f759ac0bcbd.jpg

Our ship looks a bit smaller when compared to the Allure of The Seas.

1799623926_Cruise2012Dollywood255.jpg.fdae3f9155f505e9fe3855179fe6c540.jpg

Largest cruise ship in the world.

91845808_Cruise2012Dollywood280.jpg.2974d3468afbe16d8cc245217616fbac.jpg

On deck with the swimming pool.

994065332_Cruise2012Dollywood288.jpg.2c1a32e46dd282a45c0c157696af1663.jpg

The Norweigan Pearl.

2060800743_Cruise2012Dollywood299.jpg.9557fd29af301c42bee9d452224afc12.jpg

Grand Cayman

305825268_Cruise2012Dollywood312.jpg.bc0268a0e3c7b078bc0651f437857e49.jpg

Guy Harvey's studios are located here.

1265060055_Cruise2012Dollywood313.jpg.ea5e606b1e69ce86540112f28dea87f7.jpg

He released a book all about the Tropic Star Lodge which is Guy's favorite spot to fish. The book is dedicated to my Great Aunt and Uncle and is still owned by some of my family members.

242144512_Cruise2012Dollywood314.jpg.b934b663fa92a040d5efd3aae277b003.jpg

Hanging out with the cruise ships.

1001894159_Cruise2012Dollywood318.jpg.8015390df514d5f5debc660e253c84a0.jpg

Cruise Ship Porn.

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Yummmm.....chocolate night!

963724422_Cruise2012Dollywood338.jpg.584b4f6ce0aa0c7b8b70b55a432d194b.jpg

We meet again, Allure of the Seas.

924989820_Cruise2012Dollywood339.jpg.05e2390b473773f0f9ad9ce7d89364f7.jpg

I have decided that the next cruise I take will be on that ship.

1030980080_Cruise2012Dollywood340.jpg.c80b70616c97c5d06c9ede2c5488dede.jpg

We are parked pretty close to this other ship.

1470774054_Cruise2012Dollywood351.jpg.505e41924f47123237e63885c2360f31.jpg

Holland-America's largest ship, ms Nieuw Amsterdam

2009305577_Cruise2012Dollywood346.jpg.18719ab34806c6b811c76ff736e802fa.jpg

Lots of ships dock at Cozumel.

296705958_Cruise2012Dollywood374.jpg.631dc427856b1762107e41a43a50b455.jpg

Hanging out.

91852038_Cruise2012Dollywood385.jpg.ca24ed9e665e0f91c3afcef1f2b5f043.jpg

Another day at sea.

1500511611_Cruise2012Dollywood409.jpg.014a23bbf94528a1e5bd986eea757f37.jpg

And we are back home.

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These incidents are not uncommon at all. This is why they have response systems put in place, and in this particular case, the response system worked so well, that it didn't impact anything.

 

When I worked at a theme park, we saw small incidents from trash can fires to kitchen fires happen quite often. You just never heard about them because the response system in place didn't make them a threat to anyone.

 

Anytime you are working around sophisticated systems like engines, mechanics, chemicals, etc, there is always a high risk of fire or any other accident. I would applaud RCCL for having a system in place that made it so this wasn't a big deal.

 

I would also have to assume that they are also launching an investigation as to what happened to prevent it from happening again.

 

Great point! I'd also agree, when I worked at the big pointy tall building in Vegas, things happened all the time as well.

 

Do you believe it's just the media looking for anything in the cruise industry right now? If anything, this made RCCL look good no?

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Too Bad that they could not have scuba excursions of the ship in the meantime.

 

Don't see that happening with two non-recovered bodies.

 

Are Gene Hackman and Shelley Winters still in there?

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I'm not sure if it has been posted or not but I heard a rumor that Ritas Cantina on Allure of the Seas in being swapped out for Margaritaville.

 

Edit: link, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=33440772

 

I *hate* Jimmy Buffet - but this actually makes a ton of sense. It's such a popular "brand" and fits in perfectly with the Caribbean itineraries. Plus I know fanatical buffet people who would sail on this ship just to get a "credit".

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Too Bad that they could not have scuba excursions of the ship in the meantime.

 

Don't see that happening with two non-recovered bodies.

 

Are Gene Hackman and Shelley Winters still in there?

 

Gene Hackman and Jack Albertson, not surprisingly Shelley Winters floated to the surface.

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I'm not sure if it has been posted or not but I heard a rumor that Ritas Cantina on Allure of the Seas in being swapped out for Margaritaville.

 

Edit: link, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=33440772

 

I *hate* Jimmy Buffet - but this actually makes a ton of sense. It's such a popular "brand" and fits in perfectly with the Caribbean itineraries. Plus I know fanatical buffet people who would sail on this ship just to get a "credit".

 

I have mixed feelings about Buffet. He's written a number of great songs; however, he spends so much time disparaging the tourist industry that his career feeds on (he also hates cruise ships).

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^The food at Margaritaville is "meh," but the one in Orlando does make a good margarita. It is annoying that he hates the "tourist culture," yet connects himself to a few restaurant chains that openly cater to it (Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise).

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I ate at the Margaritaville in Vegas once and it was ok. Nothing wrong with it but not really anywhere I'm going to go out of my way for. That being said I can see it working very nicely on a ship.

 

On another topic I'm wondering if any of you are dive certified. My wife and I have really enjoyed cruising and we both see ourselves doing it more in the future. As part of that we are really considering getting our dive certifications and having some fun with that. Just curious if anybody here has done it and how they enjoy it.

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Plus I know fanatical buffet people who would sail on this ship just to get a "credit".

<------------This guy.

 

Nah, I wouldn't go that far, but this would certainly seal the deal for RCCL's awesomeness, and Allure as the best ship in the world.

 

 

 

 

Scott "buying JB tickets for the ATL show when I get home" B.

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