I'm guessing that the ambulance chasers were lining up the minute the first reports of the fire went out.

I heard the cruise lines are going to charge a post trip premium for the top side cabins when the ship rolls over.

Just taking on fuel in the middle of the Indian Ocean was dangerous aboard my ship, let alone moving people to other boats w/ all their luggage. That would have been out of the question!!

I was listening to Bud Headinger on his morning show on the radio and he was very sure that the passengers should have had the option of leaving on the life-boats. I don't think that would have been safe. I think the life boats are only for a disaster, when the ship is in danger of sinking. Is that what you meant by transferring? Using life boats?

Why weren't supplies brought in? If the food was reduced to onion sandwiches and dirty water, why didn't the cruise line drop uncontaminated food and water for these people if getting them off the ship wasn't an option?

I also heard tonight that the first lawsuit has been filed. Imagine that!

I was on a ship that had a fire back in the mid 80's
 

I Was on the QE2 when there was an electrical fire in the boiler room. I had just gone down to get a sweater (air conditioning at bingo was cold) and the water tight doors closed and I was trapped and had to climb up all those stairs to reach the deck. We were becalmed for two days in the Med but they airlifted huge generators and set them up to give extra power so even though we were not going anywhere we still had everything working. I can't help but wonder why Carnival didn't do the same.

It was an illfated trip as on the crossing back to NY we ran into a huricane in the north atlantic and because we were running late the captain decided to plow through instead of going around we had waves over the top of the ship that flooded water every where. We didn't go on Cunard again. However we took 5 cruises after that but now that my favorite line was merged into Holland America another carnival owned line I don't know if we will again.

My guess is....there is very limited litigation as a result of such a sad story...one of the many reasons that these ships are registered abroad is that they are protected from such suits...otherwise you would have passengers suing the cruiseline for stuff like bad food.
I'm sure we will find out...I am not an attorney but I am sure someone here knows about this stuff.

Still, $500 plus a free cruise if they they ever dare to set foot on one again seems like an insult. Carnival would have created a lot more goodwill if they made it $5000, at least people might have felt somewhat compensated for their troubles.

As parents of a senior at Maine Maritime Academy, we were invited to do the last leg of their training cruise, which involved riding a tug out to their 500-foot training vessel and transferring onto it in choppy Penobscot Bay. It was one hairy experience. There is that one point where you have to step from one rolling boat onto the steps leading up the side of the ship. Took an hour to get 50 people on board the ship. I just can't imagine getting 4000 people transferred from one ship to another.

Good luck with the sharks (lawyers), you do sign a contract. :ho:

Ticket Contract | Legal | Carnival Cruise Lines

While 5 days in miserable conditions is no picnic, those who came to America centuries ago had it MUCH worse. They would probably think of us as a bunch of wimps.

Amen to this! I have also been concerned about the crew and their conditions. Also, let's just give some air time to the millions of people in 3rd world countries who live like this EVERY day of their lives? At least the passengers on the ship knew that their experience would end soon. I hope at least someone used this experience to count their blessings for the conditions they live in during their regular lives and think about those who don't have the option to "just leave".

I am curious...when the company, in this case tries to do what is right...money back...provide transportation to get you home (planes, trains, automobiles)....puts you up in a hotel...gives you $500 in cash....all an attempt to right the wrong of an accident or what ever that was beyond their control (until PROVEN otherwise)......

how is it that more cash makes it a better deal? No matter how much money is offerred the ordeal cannot be erased. All the company can do is try their best to get one back to square one as best as possible.

I fear our litigious society is so geared to sue who ever for what ever that reality plays no part what so ever. Far too many lawyers who are ready to fatten their fee by getting as many dollars as possible. And when that gets done the icident is still what it is/was.

The go for the big bucks is just another opening for opportunists ready to milk the system.....it is an unfortunate by product of our current way of life.

In my opinion as a very frequent traveler my entire life, Carnival reacted with an appropriate spirit and intent to make a bad situation as good as possible.

Could they have done other things....who knows. The game is always easier to play from the bleachers or the day after isn't it?:D

btk

bad mgmt
 

This is NOT the first time for Carnival. They seem to make national headlines every couple of years with these types of issues. I did hear passengers interviewed say they thought the crew did a stellar job, but they only had negative things to say regarding carnival's management.

You would think that these cruise lines would take the responsibility for the well being of 4,000 plus people (and thousands more on the new giant ships) when they haul them off to the middle of nowhere and far from emergency services. A backup generator system with appropriate switching gear sufficient to handle the needs of the ship's infrastructure could easily be installed in an isolated area somewhere on board the ship. Of course that would take away several passenger cabins and loss of revenue. But, how much do these awful incidents cost the the reputation of the ship lines. It seems that total failure of a ship's power system happens every few years so maybe a back-up system is needed.

I've never been on a cruise and such incidents and lack of concern for the passengers reinforces my avoidance of cruising. When pressured by my wife and friends to try a cruise all I have to do is haul out the pictures of people sleeping under sheet tents, pooping in plastic bags, and standing in line for peanut butter sandwiches.:(
Real fun on the high seas. I think not.