Costa Concordia sinking (merged threads)

[Jean1946]

My husband talked to a guy today whose Costa cruise was postponed for a few days and he and his wife were each given a $600 credit for the inconvenience. Don't know if they are doing that for everyone, but seems like they are doing a little something.

 

I will be on another cruise ship just as soon as I can come up with the money! We've been on 3 in the past 6 months and I'm ready to go again.

[sail7seas]

My husband talked to a guy today whose Costa cruise was postponed for a few days and he and his wife were each given a $600 credit for the inconvenience. Don't know if they are doing that for everyone, but seems like they are doing a little something.

 

I will be on another cruise ship just as soon as I can come up with the money! We've been on 3 in the past 6 months and I'm ready to go again.

 

 

Why was the Costa cruise postponed a few days?

 

Aren't all their other ships sailing their regular itineraries?

 

[Jean1946]

I have no idea why it was postponed. Guy told my husband this at the local Rite Aid this morning while he was processing pictures of our cruise from Jan 8th - 15th.

[HappyInVan]

The link below should take you to a good graphic depicting the events of the sinking. Found it in the National Post article this morning...You should be able to click on the diagram to enlarge it once you have it up....FYI

 

http://nationalpostnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/fo0121_cruisesinksmall.jpg

 

 

Thanks for the link.

 

Don't understand why the captain turned shorewards when he had no power. Almost certain to collide with land.

 

Better to stand offshore and evacuate.

 

Seems like he made the biggest mistake of the night.

[Krazy Kruizers]

My husband talked to a guy today whose Costa cruise was postponed for a few days and he and his wife were each given a $600 credit for the inconvenience. Don't know if they are doing that for everyone, but seems like they are doing a little something.

 

I will be on another cruise ship just as soon as I can come up with the money! We've been on 3 in the past 6 months and I'm ready to go again.

 

Interesting -- I hadn't heard about that.

[kazu]

The prosecutor has now said that they must look past the captain - and at the company. The captain is at fault but who hired the captain - here is the story http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/24/costa-concordia-captain-blame-prosecutor and the Globe & Mail has now reported that the SURVIVORS have been offered 30% off their next cruise - with some strings attached.

 

Unfortunately the article refers mostly to Carnival, not Costa - http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/costa-concordia-compensation-survivors-offered-30-off-next-cruise/article2312477/?from=sec434

[kazu]

sorry - I should have added that I still think that the media is mis reporting Costa's offer. I do believe it is still for future cruises only. Saw a quote someplace from Costa in that regard but I can't find it now:confused:

[Krazy Kruizers]

I also heard that the 30% off is for the passengers who were on the Concordia and that it is just for them for future cruises.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I have watching the Today show this morning and they showed the divers trying to pull out chairs, etc just to get inside some areas of the ship. The debris they showed was unbelievable.

They also mentioned about the stench with the rotting food.

[Krazy Kruizers]

There was another story on the Today show -- I tried to get most of it -- seems that the passengers have 19 days from the accident to file a claim to get back their personal possessions. I didn't hear if this is Italian law or law of the sea.

It was also mentioned that for those wanting to file a law suit you have to go to Italian and hire an Italian lawyer.

It seems that in that contract that the majority of us don;t read -- you give up all your rights when you cross that gangplank.

Have any of you heard anything about this?

[Pete Jackson]

There is footage of pieces of the Concordia's hull found by divers at the site where the ship hit the rocks. The metal is squished up into what looks like folds of ribbon left over after Christmas gifts are opened:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-16695140

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you -- part of that video was shown on the Today show -- that was what I was talking about.

They didn't show the "ribbon like" metal.

[wilsonqbc]

The 30% discount is for the ones on the next cruises that were disrupted,

Thier cruises have been cancelled, so refunded then 30% off next booking.

Not for the passengers who were onboard during the accident.

I think they will be offered a bit more than 30%

[kazu]

Unfortunately another body has been found - now bringing the death toll to 16 http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gYGLQY3GMAqg6dov8HHiuBlmk6Ow?docId=59dd730ad5584127a2f0ccf1bc4bec69

[Globaliser]

Why was the Costa cruise postponed a few days?

 

Aren't all their other ships sailing their regular itineraries?

No, Costa has rearranged some of its schedules: http://www.costacruises.co.uk/B2C/GB/Info/cambio_itinerari.htm

[Globaliser]

However, one would also have thought that as passengers going on holiday or working on ships usually have family and friends who know where they're supposed to be, the Italian authorities would have been passed reliable reports of missing people who are believed to have been on the ship, even if they were not on Costa's list.

 

So the fact that this is now news is all very curious.

It sounds like the "unregistered passengers" story may have started with a hoax.

 

It seems (from the few details that I've glaned) that there had been a call from someone who said that a Hungarian relative had called from the ship before she set sail, but had not been heard from since the accident yet was not on the list of missing.

 

Apparently, the person who called may have given a false identity, so it's possible that this was a hoax.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The 30% discount is for the ones on the next cruises that were disrupted,

Thier cruises have been cancelled, so refunded then 30% off next booking.

Not for the passengers who were onboard during the accident.

I think they will be offered a bit more than 30%

 

Each station that I listen to gives a different story about who is being offered the 30%.

[Krazy Kruizers]

No, Costa has rearranged some of its schedules: http://www.costacruises.co.uk/B2C/GB/Info/cambio_itinerari.htm

 

That makes sense -- thanks for the link.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Unfortunately another body has been found - now bringing the death toll to 16 http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gYGLQY3GMAqg6dov8HHiuBlmk6Ow?docId=59dd730ad5584127a2f0ccf1bc4bec69

 

 

Sorry to hear this.

Thank you for the link.

[IRL_Joanie]

sorry - I should have added that I still think that the media is mis reporting Costa's offer. I do believe it is still for future cruises only. Saw a quote someplace from Costa in that regard but I can't find it now:confused:

 

Per one of the couples, Alex and Arthur Beach, who were on the Costa Concordia, they are from Albuquerque, they received, while being interviewed a few days ago by our local NBC affiliate KOB TV, a phone call from Costa. Costa offered them a full refund of their cruise fare, cost of air deviation, hotel rooms and a 30 percent Future Cruise Credit.

 

The lady stated emphatically to the KOB TV reporter that they will never cruise again.

 

I posted the link in an earlier post to the interview, but here is the latest link: http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2465150.shtml?cat=500

 

Joanie

[kazu]

Per one of the couples, Alex and Arthur Beach, who were on the Costa Concordia, they are from Albuquerque, they received, while being interviewed a few days ago by our local NBC affiliate KOB TV, a phone call from Costa. Costa offered them a full refund of their cruise fare, cost of air deviation, hotel rooms and a 30 percent Future Cruise Credit.

 

The lady stated emphatically to the KOB TV reporter that they will never cruise again.

 

I posted the link in an earlier post to the interview, but here is the latest link: http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2465150.shtml?cat=500

 

Joanie

 

Thanks Joanie - I saw this link, but it is the media saying the 30% is being offered to the 4,000 passengers (that in it self doesn't make sense as I thought it was a total of 4,000 on board including 1,000 crew). It doesn't appear to be a quote from the couple? At least that was how I read it. This tragedy is one confusing mess IMO

[powderhorn]

Here's a link to an article titled "How the Cruise Ship Industry Sails Under the Radar"

 

Down a ways in the article this point is made:

 

"What needs to be done is the designated person ashore needs to be monitoring these ships all the time, and if they go off course they should get on the radio and ask 'why are you off course?'," said one senior marine underwriter at the Lloyd's of London insurance market.

"With aircraft, if you go 2,000 feet too high or too low, you have air traffic control on the radio immediately saying 'you're off course, get on course'. Maybe what they'll come up with is the equivalent of air traffic control for passenger ships."

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/24/us-italy-ship-regulation-idUSTRE80N1OD20120124

[IRL_Joanie]

This is on Costas' Web Site:

Tuesday, January 24th 2012

 

Time 3.00 pm (CET)

 

With reference to news reports on discounts and promotional offers, Costa Cruises asserts that the company has never offered any discount on future cruises to guests who were on board the Costa Concordia for the cruise of Jan. 13, 2012, and involved in the accident. The information published by a newspaper and reported in various news outlets is unfounded, as is confirmed by the English passenger who was quoted by the newspaper.

 

Costa Cruises reiterates that after the tragic accident the company’s priority has always been to provide the maximum possible assistance and solace to the people involved. From the outset the company has been fully aware of and saddened by the suffering and hardship endured by guests and crewmembers and has acted with this firmly borne in mind.

 

On a joint basis with rescue teams, the Company worked to provide evacuated passengers and crewmembers with all the necessary assistance to ensure they were able to return home. Subsequently, it contacted guests by telephone after they had returned home to check on their physical and emotional wellbeing, and to confirm that they will receive a refund for the cruise and all material expenses related to it.

As previously announced, the company welcomes discussion with its guests and all consumer-protection associations to determine indemnity for the hardship endured, with the support of tourism-sector trade associations with which it has been in contact for days.

Driven by its sense of ethics and the values of fairness and responsibility that guide it, the Company also has given all customers with bookings for future Costa cruises the opportunity, if they feel hesitant to cruise, to cancel their cruise booking by no later than Feb.7, 2012. All travel agents who work with the Company were informed of this days ago.

 

Costa Cruises would also like to clarify that starting on the day after the accident, all advertising initiatives planned were cancelled out of respect for those affected by this tragedy. The Company was unable to stop only one postal promotion, which had already been sent to some customers at the end of December.

 

Costa Cruises is incredulous at the disgraceful and unfounded assertions made about the Company without any form of verification.

 

(I broke it into separate paragraphs to make the reading easier)

 

Here is their direct Link: http://www.costacruise.com/B2C/USA/Info/concordia_statement.htm

 

Joanie

[kazu]

Thanks Joanie!

[sail7seas]

I am aware the cruise contracts cover terms of where law suits can be brought, limits of liability etc etc and that most of those terms (if not all) lean towards benefit to the cruise line but I was very surprised this morning to learn another facet of recovering lost property.

 

Apparently any of the survivors who want their personal property returned must submit formal notice of that within a set number of days from the time of the loss. The report did not clearly delineate exactly what constitutes 'notice' but it well could be law suit filed in Genoa. What surprised me is the short time period they have to enter their notice...... there are only 19 days left according to the report I heard. That is a very brief amount of time in these conditions IMO

 

Also interesting is if they do have to proceed with suit in Genoa, they will need an Italian lawyer. They will not be able to have a 'contingency fee' lawyer as well could have been the case if a U.S. suit could be brought. The survivors will have to come up with fees to file and pay the attorney. There are U.S. attorneys who are trying to bring an action saying that due to the reckless negligence and facts of this tragedy, as they are still to be determined, that the must file suit in Genoa terms be set aside. That would make it easier for those U.S. persons who were aboard.

 

If they left a pouch of jewelry in their cabin safe and if the ship is eventually righted, it should be easy enough to identify to whom that jewelry belongs if there is any readable ID in the safe or if it is still in place in the same cabin where it was when guests used it. Shouldn't they expect to have that jewelry returned to them? Maybe not.