Costa Concordia SINKING

[Feelin' Nauti']

Keeps getting better -

 

A Hungarian woman whose name was not on the passenger list was initially said to be missing after having contacted her family from the ship on the day it set sail.

However, the Hungarian foreign ministry has told the Italian authorities its inquiries show the individual who declared her missing did so using a false identity, that of a person who has been dead for three years. :eek:

[jules1121]

A Hungarian woman whose name was not on the passenger list was initially said to be missing after having contacted her family from the ship on the day it set sail.

However' date=' the Hungarian foreign ministry has told the Italian authorities its inquiries show the individual who declared her missing did so using a false identity, that of a person who has been dead for three years. :eek:

[/indent']

 

 

That is what we call shenanigans!!! Reminds me of the joke about the people jumping on the bus AFTER the accident claiming an injury.

 

But at least that is one less person the poor divers have to search for!

[judybee]

If This forum was a cruise ship and I was the Mitre'd trying to assign all you posters in a common dining room to make for an enjoyable cruise I would encounter some problems.

I thought Daveyjonesrugrat and charles would be a problem at a table for two. Daveyjonesrugrat thought last night that it would be alright with a liberal amount of drink. It would appear that at breakfast both he and Charlie are at it again.

Deckofficer is trying to find a nice table but it appears that he can put his table mates offside pretty quick. I thought he and IRL Joanie would do ok together at a table for two, but Charles was moved fro Daveyjones's table to join them , this upset IRL Joanie. I moved Deckoffice to join Evil Jeremy's table but that created all sorts of problems time and time again.

Uniall is a bit difficult to assign to a table with any woman wearing black and he easily offends some of but not all of them, but loves a drink and likes Aussies.

Milaandra makes for a nice table companion but loves reading every newspaper and asks for Sarnialo to help her with the translations.

 

I didnt realize how important the Maitre'd was to make for an enjoyable cruise... I must make sure I tip him well on my next cruise....ooops those darn Russian have beaten me to the best table..:(

 

LOL!! Can I have a table for one?

[judybee]

Even before this Concordia Incident, I have been on the email list of every cruise line and cruise online ticket service imaginable, where practically everyday I have solicitation and related emails to buy another cruise.

 

Now with this disaster, I suppose I will be sent double the emails to try to get my business this year.

 

Sure, if they give me a great deal, I will go on the best deal on a boat that

has the best life boats in the business.

 

I have been getting email from NCL offering free balcony upgrades! I'm surprised they don't point out that if the ship is on her side that you can vacate via the balcony! ;)

[UMDCruiseProf]

I thought that given the discussion here folks might like to see some pix I took of the bridge on the Freedom of the Seas. I'd assume that the bridge of the Concordia was very similar in design and installed systems... except for the azipod controls seen here on the FotS. I just wished I had taken a lot more pictures.

 

[bTW: That's Captain Tor Olsen... who was very impressive and whose conversation was the inspiration for the cruise industry class I created. If I had to choose a captain to lead me through an emergency evacuation Capt. Olsen would be right there at the top of my list.]

 

(First six here... next six in a following post)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[UMDCruiseProf]

Here are the next six pix:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jules1121]

That captains chair looks pretty comfy! All that's missing is the doberman to keep the crew honest.

[deckofficer]

Geez, I wish my "office" was that nice. That bridge is a real class act compared to mine on a 32,000 ton rig.

 

 

 

 

 

And me, goofing off.

 

[UMDCruiseProf]

That captains chair looks pretty comfy! All that's missing is the doberman to keep the crew honest.

 

:)

 

My guess is that Capt. Tor is a doberman when the need arises.

[cubella59]

Really? That floors me. I just got off his/THE ship less than 2 weeks before it sunk and have received squat communications from them...:confused:

 

We haven't been on Costa in a number of years, but received the following email a couple days ago:

 

A message from Pier Luigi Foschi, Chairman and CEO of Costa Cruises

 

 

Dear XXXX,

 

I feel I must to write to you at such a delicate time, since you have placed your trust and confidence in us as a member of our CostaClub.

 

The terrible Costa Concordia accident has affected us all very deeply, involving our Guests, our employees and one of our splendid ships.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by this tragic incident and to their families. Around 1.100 Costa Cruises staff members worldwide have been working tirelessly since Friday night to deal with this emergency: providing support for the ongoing search and rescue operations, assisting Guests and crew, and making the necessary arrangements so they can return home safely.

 

This dramatic and exceptional event, which appears to have been caused by a human error, should never have occurred and no such incident must ever happen again.

 

At this time we are aware of acts of heroism on the part of crew members who saved other people's lives regardless of the risk to their own safety.

The crew of the Costa Concordia acted bravely and swiftly in an extremely difficult situation and succeeded - despite the terribly demanding conditions - in evacuating more than 4.000 people in the shortest possible time: we are proud of our commitment and dedication to your safety.

 

Anyone who knows us is aware that Costa Cruises operates in full compliance with all safety regulations and that our internal procedures are in line with - and in some cases even stricter than - those laid down in international standards.

 

All our crew members under go specific training on dealing with an emergency and assisting Guests in the event of an order to abandon ship. Each member of our crews holds a BST (Basic Safety Training) certificate and all perform fortnightly ship evacuation drills. Roles, responsibilities and duties are clearly defined and assigned to handle any such emergency. The level of preparedness of Costa Cruises' crews is also periodically verified by Coast Guard authorities and independent classification societies to ensure that it is in line with the requirements specified in the SMS (Safety Management System).

 

All our cruise Guests take part in a muster/lifeboat drill within 24 hours of sailing, as required by international law. Costa Cruises has a computerized system enabling us to check that all Guests participate in the safety drill.

 

Also, in order to guarantee maximum safety, the number of lifejackets, lifeboats and life rafts on each Costa ship is determined based on the maximum number of persons that can be carried on board plus an additional percentage as a safety margin. Lifeboats carry survival kits with food and water, first aid supplies and signaling and communication devices. Lifeboats are regularly inspected both by Costa personnel and by certification bodies. All Costa Cruises ships are certified by RINA (Italian Shipping Register), built to the highest standards and equipped with state-of-the-art technology. We are fully aware of our responsibility to those who place their trust in us; the many expressions of appreciation that we have received over the last few days from Guests who have sailed on our ships and know our people are a great encouragement to us at this time.

 

This demonstration of your trust and confidence in us, and the pleasure of seeing you on board our ships again, will be the greatest reward for all our efforts.

 

 

Yours most sincerely and gratefully,

 

Pier Luigi Foschi

Chairman & CEO Costa Cruises

[IRL_Joanie]

Since the topic has veered in this direction, I have always been curious what kind of "perk package" for the cruisers that have cruised with one cruise line, say 20 times? Deck officers that have sailed on a cruise ship tell me that the captain is notified which passengers are loyal, long time, with (X) amount of cruises under their belt.

 

I wonder what the amount of (X) is in the number of cruises before the perks start rolling in?

 

And on another note after the above post, I think Joanie must have been a crisis councilor or other noble profession, with that response. Thanks Joanie

 

1st off, no sir deckofficer, I've never been a crisis counselor in any life. Thank you though for that compliment:) I have only the school of hard knocks on which to rely upon as experience. Life was hard, but resiliency taught me I could not dwell on that hard times, but look to the future or I would not have survived.

 

As to loyalty and perks. We cruise exclusively, so far 8 or so ceuise, I believe, with Holland America Line. The perks we have received as returning guests is not in my estimation from being just returning guests but also the attitude we have to everyone a board and land side.

 

By the above I mean that I not only smile and talk and chat with all the crew that I meet, be they officers, stateroom attendants, chefs, servers or the young men and women shining the brass and washing down the walls.

 

Not only to I stop, smile and chat with them, but I also mention as many names as I can when I write not only my CC reviews, on my Comment card on the ship, but also when I write a snail mail and email to Holland America Line Public Relations Department. I want everyone to know what was so special about my cruise and who made it special.

 

I believe that because of these reasons we may have gotten a bit more attention by way of being invited to sit and chat with the Hotel Manager and/or Executive Chef in their offices, nice chocolate covered strawberries...

 

Joanie

[degarr]

Italian magistrates will be asked to investigate claims that Costa Cruises, owner of the Concordia ocean liner which ran aground off the Italian coast 11 days ago, tried to cover up a similar incident in 2005, when their Fortuna vessel allegedly struck rocks near Sorrento.

 

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/costa-cruise-hit-rocks-in-2005--and-firm-tried-to-cover-it-up-6293683.html

[Uniall]

If I promise to wear a red dress instead of a black one can I be seated with Unaill? :D

 

I think Sharon Rae will have something to say on that subject ;)

[Uniall]

How many do you think filled out the comment card?

 

That's the best comment so far.

 

The Italian authorities should investigate why the crew did not pass out comment cards to passengers as they disembarked the life boat.

[judybee]

Really? That floors me. I just got off his/THE ship less than 2 weeks before it sunk and have received squat communications from them...:confused:

 

I received an email and I haven't sailed with Costa since I was on the Concordia in 2007. Do they have your email address? :confused:

[cubella59]

OK, For the record, because there seems to be so much confusion as to Capt Bisio's title and when he boarded, he is listed as a Staff Capt on the Concordia cruise 12/21-12/30 under Capt Schettino. It seems to me, he was always assigned to the ship and was not the Serena Capt he was reported to be; deadheading towards Savona. This does not take away Capt Bosio's reported heroic actions; just want to clarify.

 

Today I reviewed all of my Costa "Today"s daily newsletters and there he is. Also, interestingly enough, we got navigational highlights daily in and out of port. For Civi, not a word is mentioned about Giglio. Just mentions Argentario, passing Gianuturri lighthouse at 9:30 pm (Gigilo?) and then Head of Man and Lily Head, the Formic Islands and finally, the islands of Elbo

 

I think you are getting caught up in semantics. Roberto Bosio is the captain of the Costa Serena and was off duty and getting a ride home on the Concordia the night of the accident. After impact he was called to duty. He was probably initially on the bridge and then when the ship capsized and the bridge was nonfunctional he was at the muster station helping passengers. There are multiple eyewitness accounts and news reports that he was on the ship to the end of the evacuation unlike most of the officers of the Concordia.

 

The court magistrate referred to him as the second in command (as did Schettino in his testimony) because as an off duty captain called to duty he was the second highest ranking officer on the ship.

[Uniall]

Its a good thing we have the media to tell us the "real" story (insert sarcasm font). The captain (who is blackened by his own actions with no need of the media's help) is drinking, show boating, womanizing, taxi driven sock shopping etc, while the diabolical blonde is getting a free ride on the ship and distracting the captain, the passengers are asking for meals on the life boats and just out for themselves, the crew are incompetent, and then we have those darn palm-greasing Russians cutting in line at the life boats.

 

Are all the good heroic actions so boring they have to almost always be overshadowed by the drama above in the media headlines?? :(

 

Julie

 

I can't wait for the movie.

 

Leonard DeCaprio is perfect for the role of Captain in age and ethnicity. He also has prior experience on cruise ship disaster movies.

 

Any other ideas on casting?

[TheBestIsYetToCome]

That's the best comment so far.

 

The Italian authorities should investigate why the crew did not pass out comment cards to passengers as they disembarked the life boat.

 

"I'm gonna have to give a -1 for Disembarkation Procedures." :D

[deckofficer]

1st off, no sir deckofficer, I've never been a crisis counselor in any life. Thank you though for that compliment:) I have only the school of hard knocks on which to rely upon as experience. Life was hard, but resiliency taught me I could not dwell on that hard times, but look to the future or I would not have survived.

 

As to loyalty and perks. We cruise exclusively, so far 8 or so ceuise, I believe, with Holland America Line. The perks we have received as returning guests is not in my estimation from being just returning guests but also the attitude we have to everyone a board and land side.

 

By the above I mean that I not only smile and talk and chat with all the crew that I meet, be they officers, stateroom attendants, chefs, servers or the young men and women shining the brass and washing down the walls.

 

Not only to I stop, smile and chat with them, but I also mention as many names as I can when I write not only my CC reviews, on my Comment card on the ship, but also when I write a snail mail and email to Holland America Line Public Relations Department. I want everyone to know what was so special about my cruise and who made it special.

 

I believe that because of these reasons we may have gotten a bit more attention by way of being invited to sit and chat with the Hotel Manager and/or Executive Chef in their offices, nice chocolate covered strawberries...

 

Joanie

 

Well here is someone that knows how to get the most out of their cruise. With the staff, I'm sure it is reciprocal, they enjoy serving passengers like yourself with the "glass 1/2 full attitude", with in turn a full glass.

 

A passenger with Joanie's attitude on this ill fated cruise would probably get out of the life boat and declare "what a lovely island, glad we have a chance to visit".

[TheBestIsYetToCome]

OK, For the record, because there seems to be so much confusion as to Capt Bisio's title and when he boarded, he is listed as a Staff Capt on the Concordia cruise 12/21-12/30 under Capt Schettino. It seems to me, he was always assigned to the ship and was not the Serena Capt he was reported to be; deadheading towards Savona. This does not take away Capt Bosio's reported heroic actions; just want to clarify.

 

Today I reviewed all of my Costa "Today"s daily newsletters and there he is. Also, interestingly enough, we got navigational highlights daily in and out of port. For Civi, not a word is mentioned about Giglio. Just mentions Argentario, passing Gianuturri lighthouse at 9:30 pm (Gigilo?) and then Head of Man and Lily Head, the Formic Islands and finally, the islands of Elbo

 

Does Costa give you the log of the cruise at the conclusion? I don't usually even look at those logs after our trips anymore, so I don't remember...is there usually an illustration of the ship's course on there?

[tomko2]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16638399

 

this may have already been posted here. It is a good account of rescue efforts told by the Deputy Mayor who boarded the ship to help.

[King of Cool]

Fun 2010 Cruisers - He went for dinner but was told by COSTA to go close to the Island but maybe he wanted to do it and never got authority b) then ate with a Blonde c) He ate alone d) He never ate and went to his cabin e) He was at the controls but distracted by guests f) He ate dinner and waited for dessert g) he fell into a life boat h) He fell over board but swam to shore i) He never left the ship stay til the very end j) He ate dinner, met the blonde had dessert, never inspected the damage, went to his cabin, undid his safe, got off the ship like a rodent and is now sitting have a latte in his house, awaiting trial.

Fun 2010 Cruisers I remember these lyrics well and the tune. Maybe some of the younger generation do not. Perhaps we could re-write them for Captain Schettino?

We met at nine

We met at eight

I was on time

No, you were late

Ah, yes, I remember it well

 

We dined with friends

We dined alone

A tenor sang

A baritone

Ah, yes, I remember it well

 

That dazzling April moon!

There was none that night

And the month was June

That's right. That's right.

It warms my heart to know that you

remember still the way you do

Ah, yes, I remember it well

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sISWPzEqHLQ

[IRL_Joanie]

Italian magistrates will be asked to investigate claims that Costa Cruises, owner of the Concordia ocean liner which ran aground off the Italian coast 11 days ago, tried to cover up a similar incident in 2005, when their Fortuna vessel allegedly struck rocks near Sorrento.

 

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/costa-cruise-hit-rocks-in-2005--and-firm-tried-to-cover-it-up-6293683.html

 

Google Search found this:

 

BOSSES of the capsized Costa Concordia blamed a previous accident with a sister ship on a collision with a WHALE.

 

A former crew member on the Costa Fortuna said the vessel appeared to hit rocks after nearing the coast at Sorrento in Italy in May 2005....... There is more here

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4081095/Costa-Concordia-bosses-blamed-previous-accident-of-Costa-Fortuna-in-2005-on-crash-with-whale.html

 

Do not know whether it is a cover up or not.... but

 

Joanie

[jules1121]

Julie

 

I can't wait for the movie.

 

Leonard DeCaprio is perfect for the role of Captain in age and ethnicity. He also has prior experience on cruise ship disaster movies.

 

Any other ideas on casting?

 

Throw a blonde wig on Angelina Jolie ( she has pulled off the husband stealing seductress well before).

 

Tom Selleck could play an investigator and throw the bad guy(s) in jail.

[IRL_Joanie]

Well here is someone that knows how to get the most out of their cruise. With the staff, I'm sure it is reciprocal, they enjoy serving passengers like yourself with the "glass 1/2 full attitude", with in turn a full glass.

 

A passenger with Joanie's attitude on this ill fated cruise would probably get out of the life boat and declare "what a lovely island, glad we have a chance to visit".

 

I must admit, I would not have been as Pollyannaish on Concordia as I would have been if on board the Splendor..... Got to be truthful about it. I'd have probably been one of the missing due to my mobility probelms and my thoughts of other's safety before my own.

 

Not to say that I'd not have drowned or whatever without screaming and crying like a baby.....

 

Joanie