Are Mega-Cruise-liners Safe?

[bus man]

I am glad that the captain is not always at the helm. If he was literally at the controls around the clock for months on end, he would be pretty sleep deprived and probably just a little nuts. Obviously the master of ship delegates the conn to other qualified officers.

 

At a captain's Q & A on the Grandeur, a young boy (maybe age 8 or so) stood up, and in all seriousness, asked "If you're down here, who's driving the ship?" The captain laughed, said that this was his favorite question, then gave the answer about having qualified officers under his command.

[mlmbar]

I was on Oasis last Sept, only my second cruise ever. I felt very confident and lack of safety never occurred to me. I am on the Oasis again this Sept. and this disaster has made me rethink a few things; mainly my behavior. I don't feel like I took the muster as seriously as I should have but certainly will from now on. I think having the drill in a restaurant, club, etc is not as effective as on deck. It took a long time to assemble people so many got antsy. I am always one who counts the number of seats to an exit on a plane so I am a very careful person. I do believe that on these big ships, you begin to forget you are even on a ship so people are lulled into a false sense of security.

 

I found it very difficult to understand the captain's messages as he had a very strong Norweigan accent. The ship actually had engine trouble but I didn't know this until I heard people talking in the Solarium.

 

That being said, my car was hit THREE times in eight months. None my fault and two in parking lots. I still continue to drive but I am very careful in parking lots. I will continue to cruise, but will be very much more attentive during muster and aware of things around me

[ehfl]

It really depends on the officers. Large ships are very safe. Oasis/Allure were designed with rapid evacuation in mind. The recent issue was not a problem with the ship....it was human error on the part of the captain, and the inability of officers to challenge his decisions.

 

If anything needs to change due to this accident, it's not the ships....it's the policies, procedures, training, and selection of officers. Clearly, this captain should not have been in charge. Officers should have had the authority to say "no" when they knew something was not right.

[believer33323]

Nothing against RCL but I do not understand that on the sea pass cards they put your muster station on it but not the floor it is located. Our last cruise it was stated "C8" but what floor. Yes we did the muster drill but the reason they put your station number on the card I guess is so you don't forget where to go in an chaotic emergency situation. but what about the floor it's on????

[marielco]

I guess I'm somewhat confused. :confused: It has already been stated the cause of this unfortunate incident was due to "human error." Why do people want to continue to explore scenarios that are irrelevant.:rolleyes: The ship itself has been sailing week after week since it's debut without incident. The captain's error in judgement was the cause of the accident and not a design flaw or the ship itself.

 

The query is not about whether the shop capsized from human error or not. The questions are 1) if the ship had not had such a shallow draft would it have capsised so easily after it hit and the even more important question 2( whether such huge ships with so many on board can be evacuated quickly enough.

 

It too SIX hours to get most of the passengers and crew off concordia. How many hours would it take to get everyone off the Oasis or Allure?? even without natural panic and a ship listing dramatically to one side.

 

The 21 passengers and crew still missing are thought to be near the muster station on deck 4 near the dining room on the Concordia. I wonder if this was an indoor muster station. Surely all muster stations should at least be out on an open deck with access to the sea!

[uksimonusa]

The query is not about whether the shop capsized from human error or not. The questions are 1) if the ship had not had such a shallow draft would it have capsised so easily after it hit and the even more important question 2( whether such huge ships with so many on board can be evacuated quickly enough.

 

It too SIX hours to get most of the passengers and crew off concordia. How many hours would it take to get everyone off the Oasis or Allure?? even without natural panic and a ship listing dramatically to one side.

 

The 21 passengers and crew still missing are thought to be near the muster station on deck 4 near the dining room on the Concordia. I wonder if this was an indoor muster station. Surely all muster stations should at least be out on an open deck with access to the sea!

 

There is not enough deck space on most ships for all passengers and crew to muster there. Muster basically means "to gather", a muster station is just a gathering place, from where a crew member should lead you, hopefully in an orderly fashion, to your lifeboat when it is available.

 

IMHO a muster station inside the ship, but on the same level as lifeboat entry is safer, it keeps the lifeboat entry deck clear for the crew to ready the lifeboats without distraught passengers fighting to get on.

[MattNYC]

Older cruise boats like the original SS Queen Elizabeth and Mary, SS France and SS United States were built with deep hulls

 

Actually these were built specifically for the north atlantic "bus route" before aviation took over, they ran a scheduled service in fair weather or foul. The SS United States was IIRC the last holder of the coveted "Blue Riband" for the fastest crossing.

 

Sadly, the U.S.S. U.S. is rusting away across from the IKEA in South Philadelphia. :( I look at the original photo of it that they have on the IKEA cafeteria windows that look out upon it and imagine myself dashing across the Atlantic...

 

Matt

[cruiser-007]

I second that - plus I can eat on the way and the seats are much more comfortable.

 

:p:)

[cruiser-007]

Nothing against RCL but I do not understand that on the sea pass cards they put your muster station on it but not the floor it is located. Our last cruise it was stated "C8" but what floor. Yes we did the muster drill but the reason they put your station number on the card I guess is so you don't forget where to go in an chaotic emergency situation. but what about the floor it's on????

 

I was actually wondering that too. The only reason I can figure is they don't want to confuse people with an extra number. I know on the Explorer, all of the life boats are on deck 4 so that means everyones card would say deck 4. I guess they just assume from the start everyone should have deck 4 engraved into their brain.:)

[netgear2020]

I sailed on the Allure in Nov and have the Oasis booked for 2013 and I most likely won't change my plans but it has been bothering me.

 

yeah I have never liked the oasis that much , i dont know why :confused:

[netgear2020]

Remember what they said about the Titanic, she was supposed to be so great that even God himself couldn't take her down. :rolleyes:

thats why i dont like the oasis yet

[AFsouth]

I guess I'm somewhat confused. :confused: It has already been stated the cause of this unfortunate incident was due to "human error." Why do people want to continue to explore scenarios that are irrelevant.:rolleyes: The ship itself has been sailing week after week since it's debut without incident. The captain's error in judgement was the cause of the accident and not a design flaw or the ship itself.

I respect your opinion. However, I work in one of the most technologically advanced fields in the world, and trust me "things" can happen. :eek:

[spowell]

I agree, GOD is the head of my life and whom should I fear. Prayer is the key to everything! Put it in the lords hand and everything will be alright. Trust me on this one!

[PeterPan]

Nothing against RCL but I do not understand that on the sea pass cards they put your muster station on it but not the floor it is located. Our last cruise it was stated "C8" but what floor. Yes we did the muster drill but the reason they put your station number on the card I guess is so you don't forget where to go in an chaotic emergency situation. but what about the floor it's on????

 

I was actually wondering that too. The only reason I can figure is they don't want to confuse people with an extra number. I know on the Explorer, all of the life boats are on deck 4 so that means everyones card would say deck 4. I guess they just assume from the start everyone should have deck 4 engraved into their brain.:)

 

Have you ever noticed the signs all over the ship that direct you to the various muster stations? Seriously, they are located throughout the ship.

[bus man]

Remember what they said about the Titanic, she was supposed to be so great that even God himself couldn't take her down.

 

thats why i dont like the oasis yet

 

I'm not aware of anyone claiming that God is incapable of sinking the Oasis.

[norcalal]

I have read all that was available and have seen many actual videos of the event.

 

Modern cruise ships are safe and have more than enough lifeboats and rafts for all passengers and crew.

 

Were I to be in a real emergency, my real fear would be the passengers who panic. There is nothing that the crew can do with those people that are pushing and shoving with out any regard for others. This is the real danger in real life threating situations.

 

Me...I would make myself as familiar with the ship as soon as possible upon coming on board. In that situation, Concordia, I would head for the most remote lifeboats. As I understand it, they were coming out the doors in a panic and pushing aboard the first boat they came upon.

 

I don't have an answer on how to control people who have panicked. I heard one man say that sure he pushed and shoved and probably knocked some people down, but he had his family, wife and two kids in tow and he was going to get them into a lifeboat, how are you going to control this type of behavior?

 

The ships are safe and have proper lifesaving gear all over the ship. But the bottom line folks is simply how you and I are going to respond to the likes of such. How will we react.

 

Just in passing, allow me to mention that we are sailing on her sister-ship in June.

[GXmanDC]

We were on Allure a few weeks ago. On Day 6 at 7:12 AM there was a call for us to go to our muster stations. We were still asleep. I was initially confused by the the whistle blasts, it was our stateroom attendant pounding on our door that really woke us up. Within 15 minutes of the call everyone was present at our muster station. They scanned our seapass as we entered. The device shows the real time count of the passengers present. I heard the crew member with the device say "that was the last one, we are all here."

 

I'd never experienced an unscheduled drill before and my first thought was Concordia. At the muster station I wasn't surprised that many other passengers had the same thought. The surprise- everyone was extremely calm. People were quiet and attentive. I was very impressed and assured with the process.

 

The captain made a few announcement to keep us informed. There was a missing passenger and the drill was called to account for all passengers and determine the identity of the missing man. The drill was over by 7:55 or 8AM. We walked into Park Cafe at 8:05 to get breakfast.

 

One more thought about ship safety. There had been so much chatter on CC about Oasis/Allure after Concordia regarding the life jacket storage. On this cruise I saw the life jacket storage lockers all over the ship. Previously I did not notice them. They are near or in the muster stations and identified with a green and white life jacket symbol. No doubt the Concordia incident has made me more aware.

 

The crew were also very honest about their surprise and fear after the Concordia incident. But they were also quite confident in their training, the officers and the captain.

[Phillies14]

The recent sinking and capsizing of the MS. Costa Concordia raises a question that all of the found cruise-lines must consider and answer. Are these enormous cruise-ships safe?[/B]

 

 

 

The cruise-lines have found that the Mega-ships are more profitable than the smaller (below 100,000 tons) cruise-ships. Because of this over the past several years all of the major cruise-lines have been designing ships which are increasing in both the size and the number of passengers that are on board. Princess launched the first 100,000+ boat which was followed by even bigger ships built by Carnival and RCL. These were, in turn, followed by RCL Mega-Liners of over 200,000 tons (Oasis of the Seas etc).

 

Older cruise boats like the original SS Queen Elizabeth and Mary, SS France and SS United States were built with deep hulls which would preclude them from docking at many of the Caribbean Islands but made them extremely stable. The newer cruise-ships are flat-bottomed, and they can sail in relatively shallow waters, making them more suitable for visiting the islands in the Caribbean. To increase passengers loads the shipbuilders are building them with hugh superstructures. Unfortunately this will upset/raise their centers of gravity and increase risk of these ships capsizing. It is like compared the stability of a sports car to an SUV.

 

When you factor in the increasing number of passengers which would have to be evacuated and at times the inexperience of the ships crews, the possibility of a major catastrophe should be considered.

 

What I expect is that we will begin to see new ship-builds being smaller in size with the boats carrying less passengers. The ratio of crew to passengers will be increase and their will be a new emphasis on ship safety. This may increase the price of a cruise, but would add to the safety of cruise experience.

stevenr597

But there is not one item in your post that I even remotely agree with....K.O. near Philly:confused:

[pscruzinboyz]

If the time comes one day...put me on a ship with a drink......But i really think that will not happen to me....this was a once in a lifetime event....I really worry more about a fire from all of the smokers on board...P U !

 

Mike

[goouchjac]

I'm not aware of anyone claiming that God is incapable of sinking the Oasis.

 

Really,,where did that come from:eek:...Wish we could all just keep the boards to fun things and good and bad reviews:confused::cool:

[bus man]

Really,,where did that come from:eek:...Wish we could all just keep the boards to fun things and good and bad reviews:confused::cool:

 

Read Posts 50 and 61.

[temple1]

Remember what they said about the Titanic, she was supposed to be so great that even God himself couldn't take her down. I for one am not going to challenge Him on this one, but I am also not going to spend the rest of my life in a padded room trying to avoid any tragedy that might befall me. I pray alot and proceed through life as it is. That being said, I am still looking forward to my cruise on FOS in March......and yes my God will be with me:rolleyes:

 

Really,,where did that come from:eek:...Wish we could all just keep the boards to fun things and good and bad reviews:confused::cool:

 

Bus man was only picking up on what was already posted. Some other folks were taking it to a different direction.

[norcalal]

If the time comes one day...put me on a ship with a drink......But i really think that will not happen to me....this was a once in a lifetime event....I really worry more about a fire from all of the smokers on board...P U !

 

Mike

 

A voice from the past!

[Phillies14]

thats why i dont like the oasis yet

Do you realize that you make zero sense????:rolleyes::rolleyes: