Carnival Triumph

Terry · 02-14-2013, 08:11 PM

Ok - I may regret this lol...but I have to say something about this cruise ship debacle....

We LOVE to cruise on Carnival and try to go once a year....I am sure conditions on the boat were not good at all.....but as a person who camps a lot, you learn how to take care of yourself. I feel like we as a society have so many folks that just rely on someone else to take care of them that they are just unable to cope. Would I like to be there? Nope....but could I improvise and take care of myself - I would hope so....

I have taken the "behind the scenes" tour of those boats...they are very complicated....I have to believe this was unforeseen and the crew is doing their best.....

now -- having said that....it sounds like they needed someone to really take charge and provide leadership and organization...we will see when the real reports come in....Also....If I were the PR person in charge of Carnival - I would have told the CEO - "Hey - you get your butt on that boat and live like everyone else and live on deck and poop in a bag..."....that would have gone a long way....he sure failed there...

Anyway --- do you cruise and if so, did this impact your decision to go again? Keep it civil and would love to hear some opinion....

jdorant · 02-14-2013, 08:24 PM

I have been on 1 cruise and had an outside balcony room. I want to go on more, and this will not impact my decision to go again. But having had a Balcony for our 1st trip, I don't know if I could ever do an inside room. It was just awesome having the balcony. And now with this whole Carnival debacle, I'm pretty sure I will definitely try to get an outside balcony again in the future. I do agree with you that many people rely on others to take care of them and can not cope for themselves.

**Crabman** · 02-14-2013, 08:43 PM

I`m just curious why they lost ALL power. It would seem logical to have separate generator engines from the mains that generate the ships electricity. I suppose the fire must have taken them out too....

bigbird · 02-14-2013, 09:04 PM

My wife and i have taken two cruises and this won't stop us from taking another one. I worry more about the plane conking out more then the ship. I am a bit of a nervous flyer but it hasn't stopped me.

Jagiven · 02-14-2013, 09:36 PM

We have been on a number of cruises, with various cruise lines. I would say there are two major issues; One is how do you train the crew on how to handle such an extreme situation. The other issue is there is not enough critical system backups, and cross ties. For those who have never taken a cruise, the toilets and drains are vacuum powered. So when you flush everything is sucked out of the toilet. So when there is no vacuum there is no flush. On one cruise we had no vacuum in the bathroom for what felt like about a quarter to half of the trip. It was never an issue. After about 4 or 5 tries maintenance finally found a faulty valve for our bathroom.

I do not believe this will keep us from Cruising. As former hardcore mountaineers, I can live with almost anything. My issue would be, I would want to be in the mix trying to help solve the issue. There are to many people out there that I call the “President & CEO of the Me First Society”, they only think of themselves, and are not capable nor would ever consider slowing down to offer to help, or assistance of any kind.

pm1stnau · 02-14-2013, 10:04 PM

We've been on 2 cruises, both with Royal Caribbean. I have to say--and I'm sure I'll catch some grief from this forum--but cruises are an absolutely perfect vacation. You don't carry luggage, you don't drive around looking for a restaurant, you don't cook, you're in a different vacation destination everyday, and everything you could want to do is in 1 place--the boat. I can't say enough good things about a cruise. Having said all that, however, I'll choose camping every time over a cruise because camping is so much less expensive (other than the cost of the TT) and I prefer to live outdoors in the woods or mountains. If we could afford to, we'd go on a cruise tomorrow; this latest cruise ship mishap wouldn't affect our decision one bit. I won't insult any particular cruise line, but big problems seem to happen to Carnival quite often. Happy cruis......er...Happy Camping.

CruizinKim · 02-14-2013, 11:00 PM

I have been on close to 20 cruises, including Carnival Triumph! I am going on an NCL sailing February 24th. I believe Carnival has had at least 4 fires (including Triumph) aboard their ships in past years. Heck, I've been on 2 of Royal Caribbean's ships that had high profile disappearances which included the honeymooner that "fell" overboard and another that included a 21 year old woman whom they suspected had met with foul play. On all my cruises, I have felt nothing but safe. People need to be fully aware of their surroundings and pay attention at the lifeboat drills and make sure, if your party is separated, that you know to meet at your designated lifeboat station. This measure obviously didn't fit with this scenario due to the cruise line & Coast Guard's decision to not deploy the lifeboats because it wasn't deemed an emergency because the ship was in good standing, so to speak. It wasn't feasible to risk hours and safety to transfer each passenger to awaiting ship(s). Even though it may sound sensible to us, I'm sure it sounded crazy to the stranded passengers. All I know is that I will make sure I pack some granola bars in my luggage for my upcoming trip!

Doug · 02-15-2013, 07:53 AM

I like cruises, my favorite being Alaska Inner Passage. I could do that every August.
I agree with another posts. I would have just set up camp on the upper deck, made me a porta-poti and a lean to.
I don't care for Carnival. I've had good service with Princess and Royla Carribean.
For my retirement celebration, took the wife and kids on RC Oasis of The Seas. Great fun, beautiful ship.
Back to camping for now :-)

dg1971 · 02-15-2013, 09:37 AM

I have never been on a cruse but the DW and I are planning one soon. My brother and his wife just got back on a Carnival Cruise and rated it A+. What happened on the Triumph was bad and I am sure it was disruptive and ruined a lifetime vacation for some but things happen and as Terry said, "as a person who camps a lot, you learn how to take care of yourself". You hear and read about the absolute horrid experiences from some of the passengers but I also hear and read from others who said it wasn't near as bad as others said it was. There wil be those who will never set foot on a ship in the future because of the Triumph problems but there are also those that say they will never fly again after an airplane disaster. Think of how many ships, not only Carnival, that sail each year with zero problems or issues. With any disaster, you just can't wait for someone to take care of you...you have to take the bull by the horns and take care of yourself. Depend on Number 1 and you will be OK.

Terry · 02-15-2013, 09:45 AM

Preach it Brother Dan! lol.....

I want to cruise with all of you folks next time! We would have quite the tent city up on deck - some might even have slide outs! Crabby would fabricate us some type of latrine and DG would be catching fish and cooking them on the exhaust manifold of the working generator. RoyBraddy would be down below rigging up some kind of battery cables to try to get the ice cream machine operational. Healthi would be our on board entertainment. If we had to get towed back to port, Rustic Eagle would be rigging up some tow lines that would never snap since he could calculate the weight properly. As for me, I would have figured out how to distill some spirits so we really would not care.....

Heck...it is sounding better and better the more I think about it....

BlueHaul · 02-15-2013, 10:02 AM

I've never been on a cruise, but the Mrs. would like to go someday, possibly to Alaska. I don't think this latest issue will stop us from going in the future. Cruises are pretty far back in our minds now though since we're getting so close to full-tilt camping season!

Quote:

Originally Posted by dg1971

You hear and read about the absolute horrid experiences from some of the passengers but I also hear and read from others who said it wasn't near as bad as others said it was.

Surviving any situation (whether it be anything from a bad day at work to a meteor strike) depends quite a bit on your mindset. What dg1971 points out is a perfect example of that. You can have all the equipment and tools at your disposal but whether you say the situation is wonderful or horrible, you're absolutely right. Preparation is important, for sure. My grandfather used to say, "You can go to your grave laughing too, but isn't it better to go laughing than crying?" Haven't we all seen the proverbial camper that bumps his leg against the hitch ball and gets grease all over his pants? You can either laugh or complain about it but either way, it colors your experience. Personally, I'd try my best to be the guy who laughs at how much money he spent to use mutt mitts on vacation! Kim's right though, I'll take a few granola bars with me whenever I do get to take that first cruise!

Rustic Eagle · 02-15-2013, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terry

snip....... If we had to get towed back to port, Rustic Eagle would be rigging up some tow lines that would never snap since he could calculate the weight properly..... snip

.... plugging the numbers into my towing program as we speak...., just a little challenge figuring out how to account for the "bow-wave" effect

dg1971 · 02-15-2013, 11:50 AM

That does it....we need to talk up a JOF cruise sometime in the future. And if we can't get enough intrested to employ a big boat, we can always charter a large flat barge and take our Jayco's with us. We have enough talent and experience amoungst us to make it one heck of a trip.

Denise · 03-01-2013, 04:10 PM

Another reason WHY you keep some non-perishable food in your cabin when sailing!

What happens on a Princess cruise ship when someone says they saw a person in the water….!

I can tell ya it sucks when it’s dinner time *sigh* Geeky DH Ray had his scanner so here was the play-by-play once we were sent back to our cabins for a head count:
-Captain announces (initial) that there was a report of a person overboard and that all passengers must return to their cabins for a head count (it's about 5:40 pm and we were ordering dinner in main dining room on “formal night”)
-about 6pm, each staff member in charge on each of the different decks announce as there 'area' is confirmed cleared of passengers.
-shortly after 6pm, our steward comes through to visually account for each passenger on his watch.
-around this time, the scanner indicates that they are reviewing the video from that area.
-squawking on radio announces a “debrief” was occurring at 5:25pm
-Captain announces thanks at 6:40pm for cooperation so far and lets us know he will be back on when he knows more of what’s happening.
-6:50… all good. Confirmed all "souls" on Princess accounted for, and no maritime reports of missing persons along our route.

What was even better, no one griped about the situation and the evening went on a usual

Denise · 03-01-2013, 04:20 PM

We enjoy cruising even more now so that we are retired. We've cruised enough now to know how to do so 'safely'. So even after the "Splendor" situation in Fall 2010, or the recent Triumph disaster, we will definitely cruise again!

A good resource for those who cruise or would like to is CruiseCritic.com. The "Roll Call" forum is especially helpful for those looking to meet others on their future cruise who have 'private' shore tours booked (saves anywhere's up to 50% or more of what a cruise line will charge for the same tour and you are in a much smaller group!).

CruizinKim · 03-04-2013, 12:58 PM

Just got back from sailin on Ncl and had a wonderful time!

Denise · 03-04-2013, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CruizinKim

Just got back from sailin on Ncl and had a wonderful time!

Where'd ya go?

We are currently at sea somewhere in the Pacific

Besides the 'person overboard' scare, all is well and it's been smooth sailing. We already have our next couple of cruises booked... one being on Carnival in June

krackeer · 03-04-2013, 06:05 PM

Been on one cruise with Carnival. We enjoyed it very much and will definitely go again. Problems happen, none on ours, but I am sure more than we hear of. My wife would have died if she was on the Triumph. She enjoys camping in our TT, but thats about as roughing it as she gets.

Mike and Rose · 03-06-2013, 04:50 PM

We have cruised in the north Atlantic, Caribbean, Pacific and Mediterranean. Disney cruise with our kids was a really fun time. Have never cruised on Carnival so cannot say anything about them. Yes, I would cruise again but would not be as comfortable as before. Not just about the ship, but security issues depending on where we were in the world. We were on a cruise when Desert Storm started back in the 90ies. Security was tight and their was a certain uneasiness on board. Next cruise will be Alaska and then the Hawaiian Islands. Hope there isn't a Tsunami!

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