Xmeister Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 An ad just showed up on Facebook for a "win an eight-night singles cruise" contest on Carnival. Hmm--I imagine a cruise during which you had to avoid zombies, werewolves, vampires, and raptors for a week might be more terrifying, but I doubt it. I wonder how many people on that cruise will be wearing PBR t-shirts. I didn't realize that PBR actually had t-shirts until my last Carnival cruise.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hhappy Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 (edited) Time for another Costa Concordia update. Looks like they are almost ready to refloat and remove the ship. All sponsons now in position. Technicians set to start testing all systems before refloating the wreck. Installation of the last sponson, P1, on the port side of the wreck of the cruise ship Costa Concordia has been completed as planned this afternoon. Now, ahead of authorization from the Monitoring Observatory, technicians can start to test all the systems for the final refloating of the Concordia. “Following installation of the last sponson, we can start the countdown to refloating and final departure of the wreck from Giglio Island,” said Costa Crociere CEO Michael Thamm. “Now all our energies are focused on the successful conclusion of this unprecedented engineering challenge to respect a precise commitment: remove the Concordia wreck as soon as possible, in compliance with the highest environmental and safety standards.” A total of 30 sponsons have been positioned on the two sides of the Concordia. When the refloating operation begins, the sponsons will be gradually emptied of ballast water by means of a pneumatic system thereby providing the necessary buoyancy to refloat the wreck. At the end of this operation the wreck will have a draft of approximately 18.5 meters. The Concordia will then leave Giglio Island and be taken to Genoa, for dismantling and recycling. Update from the 3th of july.. so we might see something happen in the next week... source: http://www.theparbucklingproject.com/article/85/Costa_Crociere:_installation_of_all_sponsons_completed,_ten_days_to_possible_refloating Edited July 8, 2014 by Hhappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 Thanks for the update. It's still amazing what happened there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xmeister Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 They've released underwater footage of the ship as it is now. At the end there is some spectacular video of the half submerged atrium, it's amazing to think that nearly all of the atrium was submerged prior to the righting of the wreck! [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hhappy Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 More Costa Concordia news: Refloating procedure is scheduled for july 14th at this time (weather permitting) http://www.theparbucklingproject.com/article/86/Refloating_of_the_Concordia_at_Giglio_Island:_accreditation_procedure_and_logistics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Stratosphere Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 www.cnn.com/2014/07/14/world/europe/costa-concordia-salvage/ Here is an update from CNN, The ship has been successfully been refloated. Giglio, Italy (CNN) -- The last time anyone saw Russel Rebello alive, he was near the stern of the Costa Concordia, helping passengers into rescue boats. But the 33-year-old waiter from India never escaped the doomed cruise ship. And he's the only victim of the 2012 shipwreck whose remains haven't been found. Investigators hope that could change soon. By midday Monday, the ship was floating again, Costa Crociere CEO Michael Thamm said. Salvage crews began the arduous task of trying to refloat the ship on Monday morning so they can move it to the Italian port of Genoa to be dismantled. It's been more than 2½ years since the ship ran aground off Italy's Giglio Island with more than 4,200 passengers aboard, killing 32 people in a disaster that drew global attention. And it's been 10 months since salvage teams rolled the 114,000-ton vessel off the rocks in one of the most complex shipwreck recovery efforts ever undertaken. But there's still more work to be done. "We are not at the end, but we are at a critical moment," Giglio Mayor Sergio Ortelli told reporters. For 10 months, engineers have been hard at work, attaching metal boxes to either side of the ship. After draining water from the boxes, they had to pump compressed air into its place to get the ship to float. It was a dangerous and tricky procedure. The ship is rotting, and there's a real risk the bottom of it could give way. By lunchtime Monday, the ship had been moved 20 meters (about 66 feet) as part of an initial 30-meter (98-feet) shift to the east. Officials told the media that a problem with the cable, described as "nothing serious," meant it would take another few hours to move the vessel the final 10 meters. After 30 meters, the ship will be anchored and operations will cease for Monday. After the ship is anchored, the riskiest part of the operation will be over until the vessel gets moved off the island. The 20-meter shift had already dramatically changed the appearance of the wreck from land. Officials said the Concordia's stern had been raised four meters (13 feet) and the bow two meters (about 6.5 feet). On Tuesday, five steel hollow boxes, or sponsons, will be lowered, and divers will begin attaching more chains and cables to help reinforce the bottom of the boat. Then the full refloat begins, lifting the Concordia, deck by deck, clearing any debris along the way. Once the ship is completely floated, it will be towed -- slowly and carefully -- 240 kilometers (150 miles) to Genoa. Italian Environment Minister Gian Luca Galletti told the media that the operation marked the closure of a dark moment in Italy. He said it would have been too dangerous to leave the Costa Concordia in the same position for another year. "We could have dismantled the Concordia in situ, but they chose to take the more expensive, riskier route to tow it away to save the environment of Giglio," Galletti said. Officials said it's likely the towing process won't start for days due to port restrictions. It will take five to six days for the ship to reach Genoa, officials said. Thamm, the CEO, called the operation "the most daunting salvage ever attempted on a ship of its size." He added that the cost of the project has already exceeded 1 billion euros -- not including the refloat, the anticipated transport to Genoa or the dismantling. Since the wreck two years ago, 24 metric tons of debris -- including furniture, dishes, food, personal effects and ship parts -- have been recovered from the seabed. While salvage crews continue efforts to deal with the wreckage, Francesco Schettino, the ship's captain, is on trial on charges of manslaughter, causing a maritime disaster and abandoning ship with passengers still on board. He denies wrongdoing. Search teams thought they had found Rebello's remains in October. But the body divers found turned out to be that of Maria Grazia Trecarichi, a Sicilian who was on the cruise to celebrate her 50th birthday with her 17-year-old daughter, who survived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 Wow! This salvage operation is a real feat of engineering. Sucks that it had to occur from such a tragic situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hhappy Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 current image from the webcam. Looks like they managed to move it a little. still a long way to go before it's really gone gone.. cam: http://www.giglionews.it/2010/02/24/webcam-giglio-porto-panoramica/ project: http://www.theparbucklingproject.com/?lang=uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJeXeL Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 I haven't really been following this since the parbuckling back in September. Did Carnival just walk away from this and letting the Italian government foot the bill? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahecht Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 (edited) I haven't really been following this since the parbuckling back in September. Did Carnival just walk away from this and letting the Italian government foot the bill? No, Costa/Carnival, or more technically their insurance company, is paying for it (about $2 billion): http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/07/06/italy-concordia-costs-idINL6N0PH0EO20140706 http://www.tradewindsnews.com/weekly/340755/Costa-Concordia-claim-climbs-by-257m-after-Genoa-gets-scrap-job Edited July 14, 2014 by ahecht Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJeXeL Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 ^Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laqueefa Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 An ad just showed up on Facebook for a "win an eight-night singles cruise" contest on Carnival. Hmm--I imagine a cruise during which you had to avoid zombies, werewolves, vampires, and raptors for a week might be more terrifying, but I doubt it. Some of these are so good, they should be used for their contest ads! http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/6c/6cc34c22785c0356c3b7d9e2c3da92c57550635d1b95dd13d23797882fda2420.jpg http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/17/17acec0f24cbbbbce90033b15b1f016830ee84c3714ab1d4833df146a865cbd3.jpg http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/b2/b2d2ec10a5dcce44a43b119ea98b344379032857cede53838e88913e31abb842.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Stratosphere Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Here is a time lapse of the re-float. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Cool Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 http://www.royalcaribbean.com/quantumoftheseas/dining/?cid=di_ext_fdwn_j_srs_3770#prettyPhoto Was on a food website and found an ad for Royal Caribbean Dynamic Dinning on Quantum Class. Figured I would share with everybody. Everything looks and sounds amazing. Royal Caribbean looks like they're doing amazing things for food choices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 I am intrigued. I do like the idea of eating whenever you want. And some of those restaurants look really good. dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hhappy Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Costa Concordia appears to be rising out of the water.. just a few more meters left before it will be towed away. webcam: http://www.giglionews.it/2010/02/24/webcam-giglio-porto-panoramica/ Project page: http://www.theparbucklingproject.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Sounds like RCCL went and copied NCL's Freestyle dining. Not that there's anything wrong with that - if anything, that makes the Quantum class more appealing. And having them depart from China means maybe it'll justify me going there for once! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 ^Not really. We're booked on Quantum and the dining is very different from NCL. There is not one main dining room and a bunch of specialty like NCL had. There are FIVE main dining rooms all free, a ton of other free options, and some specialty. We were also able to make reservations for everything we wanted ahead of time. NCL is still too 'freestyle' for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 LOL! And NCL just announced this: Freestyle diners now have the ability to make main dining reservations up to 90 days in advance. Reservation times are available at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30, and can be made for parties up to 12 people. So it sounds like they're actually moving even more towards what RCL is doing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Stratosphere Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I definitely am interested in how it will be on Quantum, and excited to hear about the inaugural sailing! Considering booking a Quantum Class sailing soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Stratosphere Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 Some amazing photos as they prepare to move the Costa Concordia tomorrow. There are also some incredible photos from inside the bridge of the Costa Concordia. Photos from: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2699943/Costa-Concordia-finally-set-removed-locals-disappointed-thousands-foreign-workers-BOOSTED-Giglios-economy-introduced-new-foods.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hhappy Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 The webcam looks different now.. Ship is on it's final journey at this time.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I think this looks like a SyFy movie in the making: Ghost Shark v. Ghost Ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteornotes Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 ^That needs to be on my TV right now. dt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_koppen Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I still can not believed that they did not immediately thought that the ship was a total loss. At first they actually thought that they could have here in service again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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