Costa Concordia - I survived

[cinta]

Too true LauraS

 

Ducklite it seems to be coming out that the young female dancers did a good job

[jacketwatch]

We just want to go home and the travel insurance people are being difficult, emirates say they cant get us on a flight any earlier I JUST WANT TO GO HOME

I hope you get to go home soon. Take care and good luck!!

[ltalessi]

I have written several thousand car wrecks. Do you know how confused, scared and out of touch with reality people can be from a fender bender to a fatality? It's amazing. No idea where the car insurance, registration, license is. No one in seat belts.....

 

Put those people in a cruise ship, andi can SEE the panic.

[Fury1995]

And how would YOU feel if YOU were still waiting on the ship to be rescued, while someone before you was already on land in a hotel complaining about such things. Yes, if your family was already safe, they should be grateful and thinking about the others still waiting to be saved. Not complain about non essentials.

 

 

That is just ridiculous. I wouldn't be thinking at all about other people, at all. I would be thinking of myself and my loved ones and how to get them to safety. I certainly wouldn't be criticizing anyone who is actually reporting from this tragedy and what they are going through for how they feel or how they react... which is my point.

[mississauga]

Michelle,

Thank you for sharing your story. Glad you and your family are safe. Hope you will be able to go home soon. Please let us know when you do. Safe travels!

[fortyseven]

We encountered a crazy (not life threatening) situation on Mercury in Oct disembarking in San Diego...we never saw an officer--the jr staff had to endure the angry passengers frustrations---the cruise lines have to do better in dealing with 2,000 or more people in dire and not so dire situations...officers--MAN UP!

[didiaust]

Best wishes Michelle to you and your family

 

Di

[Marlynmik]

Glad to hear you're safe. Best of luck getting home!

[G.M.T.]

Michelle,

 

So glad that you and your family are safe.

 

Wishing a speedy and safe journey home.

 

Ron

[MartaColin]

What stereotypical nonsense! People like you can't wait to vent your vile bigotry given the chance.

 

My wife and I were on the Celebrity Millenium in June 2007 when it hit rocks off of Villefrance. 7 of the 8 prop blades were destroyed. The officers and crew OFTEN gave us incorrect or incomplete information during this dangerous and scary time. It took almost 1 week after we made port in Civitivecchia before Celebrity got it's act together. Now, using your twisted line of reasoning, the officers of the Millenium were Greek. Have any nasty comments about Greeks?

 

My hats off to the emergency teams that responded to this disaster. Apparently, they are Italian and contrary to what this moron thinks about Italians they are organized too.

 

I'm new to these boards and generally only read for information, but I've been following this story and feel horrible for the people affected. The comment you quoted is just ignorant and I can't understand how someone can be so rude while people are obviously in pain. :rolleyes: Twisted reasoning is an understatement.

 

OP I'm glad you and your family are safe.

[JFontaine]

I'm sure I am not alone in wishing there was something I can do to help you and your daughter to get home Michelle. Try to get some rest and some good food. You've done great so far - hopefully you will be home soon. All the best.

[cubella59]

Michelle, That experience is so horryfying it's beyond comprehension.

 

If you have a Platinum type card such as American Express that offers emergency travel assistance, call them. Amex airlifted people out of SE Asia after the tsunami in 2004. I have never traveled without my Plat Amex since. Several other cards offer this service as well, but none do it quite as well as Amex. Still, it may be worth calling the # on the back of your cards if you're getting grief from your traveler's ins. Good luck. Be happy to help and make some calls on your behalf if you like. PM me.

 

I remember you. You and I were going on the Concordia around the same time and I read a lot of your posts. I just got off 12 days ago myself. I assume your Int'l host was Sean?

 

I'm still trying to reach out through Facebook to many of the crew who became like family to us. They are all so young, have so little, make so little and to think many of them possibly lost their lives because they were probably the last to leave, makes me physically ill. Those that survived lost everything as well all their wordly goods because they LIVE on the ship.

 

Godspeed.

 

Alicia

[ltalessi]

We encountered a crazy (not life threatening) situation on Mercury in Oct disembarking in San Diego...we never saw an officer--the jr staff had to endure the angry passengers frustrations---the cruise lines have to do better in dealing with 2,000 or more people in dire and not so dire situations...officers--MAN UP!

 

And do WHAT?

 

1 single cop with a badge and a gun cannot get 10 people to stay behind crime scene tape, turn around at a car accident scene. But an officer on a ship can deal with 2000 people having their own perceived mini-crisis?

[lilacwine]

Thank you for updating us. I'm glad that you and your family are alive and well. Best wishes for a safe trip home!

[lostinvegas]

First off let me say I am really glad the OP and her daughter are ok. I hope you get hope safe and sound very soon. Thank you for sharing your story.

 

I mean intently listen to the instructions of what to do.. about as many people that pay attention to the flight attendants on planes.

 

Well I am sorry but people who don't listen to the safety drills and instructions are idiots. The safety drills are there for a reason and to be honest the selfish people that don't listen to the instructions are endangering other peoples lives.

 

I was on a flight from Las Vegas to London on British Airways last year. We were on a Boeing 777 but they played the safety video for a Boeing 747. The exits and layout of the 777 and 747 are completely different. I told the stewardess and she checked with the captain. They had indeed played the wrong video and re-played the correct one. I was the only person that noticed. In an accident knowing where the exits are and how to access them is paramount. Everyone thinks it wont happen to them but if it does you should be sure you know what to do. If your slow because you don't know the drill you risk endangering other people around you as well as yourself. I know a bit about aircraft disaster having studied them as part of my degree, getting out in under 2 minutes is paramount to surviving. Its similar on ships to staying out of cold water for as long as possible.

 

Think about it the first time you do anything it takes longer than if you have practiced and know what your doing.

 

I was on a cruise over Christmas and a rude gentleman was on his phone during the drill, he would not switch it off and was not paying attention. It turns out he was in the wrong muster station and it took members of staff time to explain where he should be, he also had trouble walking so this took more time to help him to the right place. That was in the drill, in a real emergency he would have caused havoc.

 

The OP's story is scary, the crew should be well drilled on what to do, as well as holidaying I occasionally work on the ships, usually the crew's are very well drilled. I have never sailed on Costa but it sounds like something went seriously wrong.

 

Remember be responsible watch the drills and safety videos, they might save your life one day.

[IRL_Joanie]

God speed you to Oz and keep you safe!!

 

I am glad you posted to let us know what is happening and what you went through.

 

My prayers are with all concerned in this horrific accident, crew, passengers, rescuers and evetryone involved.

 

As a former EMT/Firefighter, I can tell you that the worst shock is still to come, unfortunately:( When you least expect it the horrific memories will come back and you will relive those horrifying hours/days. I wish it were not so, but life tends to numb us at the moment something happens and then later it catches up with us full force.

 

God Bless you Michelle and family!!

 

Joanie

[Clay Clayton]

Michelle,

Thanks for posting your story, particularly the part about the confusion during the abandon ship portion.

 

Your description about what happened after reaching shore, however, I find more through provoking. As cruise passengers, we expect everything to be planned and catered. Consider the logistics involved in planning for excursions, etc., during planned port visits. One of the criteria of being selected as a port-of-call is the locality's ability to support several thousand day visitors.

 

With cruise ships getting bigger and bigger, the passengers and crew now can exceed 4,000 people--roughly equivalent to 10 fully loaded jumbo jets. Particularly if you live in a smaller town or city, imagine what would happen in your home town if 4,000 people arrived unexpectedly, many of them not speaking the language, with only the (wet) clothes on their backs, and many injured. Think of the logistics involved in keeping track of them, communications, lodging, help, transport, etc.

 

I'm not defending Costa here--the description of the events onboard between the accident and the evacuation sound incredibly incompetent. However, I'm bringing up the point what as far as emergency support and organization once you hit shore, I doubt that most cruise lines could do much better, and many of the locations we visit/pass on cruises are far less able to quickly mobilize the resources necessary to accommodate that many refugees from such a large ship than this island only an hour away from mainland Italy. Compare that to how a small Alaskan fishing village along the inland passageway, or a small Caribbean island, or some hole-in-the-wall Mexican coastal village could support a similar accident.

 

In other words, based on Michelle's story, getting ashore is only half the battle, you need to plan to be resourceful once you reach shore until you make it home--regardless of the cruise line.

 

It's sobering...

 

So glad Michelle is safe and hope she will soon be home safe, sound and warm in her own bed.

You are right it is sobering, but what I am finding so interesting is how awfully Costa is handling this compared to how well their parent company handled the issues on their ship last year off the coast of Mexico/California. As I recall from reading passengers posts, carnival was pretty much praised by all.

[momof4boys]

Michelle,

 

Thank you for posting. What a horrible experience! I am so sorry that you had this happen. I am so glad you and your daughter made it off the ship. I will keep you in my prayers. Get home quickly and safely!

 

M

[kokoko]

That is just ridiculous. I wouldn't be thinking at all about other people, at all. I would be thinking of myself and my loved ones and how to get them to safety. I certainly wouldn't be criticizing anyone who is actually reporting from this tragedy and what they are going through for how they feel or how they react... which is my point.

 

I see that you are being very honest but not pollicticaly correct. More power to you. I would be the same way. I am so thankful for letting us know about what she has gone thru what a horrible event.

[michelle1836]

glad you and your daughter are ok! wishing you safe travels back home

[debster11]

That is just ridiculous. I wouldn't be thinking at all about other people, at all. I would be thinking of myself and my loved ones and how to get them to safety. I certainly wouldn't be criticizing anyone who is actually reporting from this tragedy and what they are going through for how they feel or how they react... which is my point.

 

Excellent post! I totally agree. If this were me I would be thinking of myself and my family as well. What these people went and are still going through will be with them for a long time if not for the rest of their lives! How anyone can place judgement on their feelings about this is just wrong. Period. My prayers go out to the OP as well as the ones that lost their lives and all the other survivors. May God be with all of you.

 

Edited to add, I foresee a change back to the original way of muster drills and maybe a complete redo of them. The way this evacuation was handled leads me to believe that in a real life situation panic completely takes over. JMHO.

[LaurieHoffman]

Michelle,

 

I hope by the time you are reading this you are safe and sound in your own home. I can't even imagine what you and your family went through on that ship - a vacation that had just started and so soon ended BUT this is the start of a new life for you. You survived and that is something to be thankful of. It was meant to be.... Prayers to you and your family and the entire list of passengers and crew from this ship......

[alwayshappytocruise]

On behalf of everyone here at Cruise Critic, particularly the Community, I'd like to say "thank you" for taking the time to share your story with us. We immediately checked the ROLL CALL for this sailing and reached out to you and are so glad we now know you are safe.

 

There's so much more to this thing we call the internet, isn't there.

 

Please, continue to stay safe.

 

Laura

 

LIKE:o:):o:p:):o

[swtpnk]

Michelle, its amazing you, your daughter and the others got out! The Lord was with you and everyone else.. You will arrive home safely, and have so much to talk about after the shock you have had. You may never want to sail again, for fear of what may happen, and your daughter may need some help of some kind with what has been printed in her mind now.

 

Lets hope Costa is in shock, never thinking this would have EVER happened, and they will get their act together and be in contact with all the passengers. They have each and everyones name and address etc, they are scurrying too in panic in a business way. Im sure they are in disbelief of what has happened to the passengers AND their ship! What a loss for 'everyone' involved.

 

God bless you and your daughter Michelle, you will be fine. gotta be positive, right? it may be years from now you will be saying remember when. and then say, I WILL NEVER SAIL AGAIN! and hope there will be laughter. although there is NO laughter now. this is a terrible tragedy.

[peg013]

Michelle, I'm so sorry this has happend to you, your daughter and all the others. I hope you are both able to cope with all the stress involved. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.