Do you think you'd cruise again ?

[COLLEYBERRY]

 

 

I appreciate this is a hypothetical question, that hopefully none of us will ever know the real answer to...but if you had experienced the terror of the Costa cruse line tragedy ....do you think you'd cruise again ?

 

Statistically, cruising is an extremely safe choice of vacation travel ...I just don't know if I could get back on a ship ,after going through such an ordeal.

Colleen

[SwissMyst]

Sea sickness is more a detriment for me honestly. Sailing the cheap cruises with flamboyant nationalities will definitely not be on my list. Plus after this tragedy I do think it will be a long, long, long time before anything this stupid will happen again.

 

This was an intentional tragedy based upon human error. Luckily real ship accidents have been a lot rarer and probably even rarer than auto or air accidents. Despite the shockingly senseless deaths, thousands of passengers did get off the ship in a few hours with amazing dispatch under the circumstances and the ship in this case was close enough to shore to make a positive difference too in the outcome. (Maybe the one good thing this captain did).

 

Chaos on the ground under these circumstances was to be expected and reckoned with regardless of whose fault it was. Sheer logistics of moving thousands of people rapidly after this sort of unexpected disruption does take and tax patience, but since there were no choices, best to just muddle through stoically one small step at a time until safely and soundly home. Then let it rip!

[Himself]

Of course I will cruise again!

[FrankNJ]

Just be sure it's not the captain from concordia

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yes -- we would cruise again.

 

We have been on ships with fires and had to prepare for a quick evacuation.

[FLACRUISER99]

I would not have a problem, even on Costa.

[Lesinindy]

This was a real fluke (Costa sinking) and sad event for all. One would doubt if the same situation will ever come again (joy riding near an island).

 

For me I am more concerned about getting back in the saddle after my experience with the Noro Virus. Right now the thought of going on board again turns my stomach. No kidding I feel ill when I start looking at possible cruises again.

[whogo]

On future cruises the survivors will be able to top any cruise stories that anyone else tells.

[jbhcw]

We were involved in a MVA in St. Thomas many years ago..on a shore excursion...van turned over on a hill and friend and traveling companion was severely injured....we left the ship..friend was airlifted back to Duke Hospital and we flew home the next day.

 

We did cruise again...and we do occasionally do shore excursions...but I am much more vigilant as to where we are, what type of vehicle we are in and where we are going...I do not do hills much anymore.

 

If I had been on the Costa ship...not sure cruising would be in my immediate future!! But then I think about the Carnival Splendor that had a fire and lost power but was not danger of sinking and I think that perhaps that would have been easier to deal with, lives were lost on the Costa ship. What happened there is a tragedy.

[Randyk47]

Sure we'll cruise again....past final payment so we have no choice.:D. Seriously I don't think we'd not cruise because of this tragedy. We haven't stop flying because of 9/11 or any of the aircraft accidents before or after. We've seen some horrible car accidents, including a couple with fatalities, but we haven't stopped driving. Sure all of those were sobering, scary and horrible situations but you can't hide in your house or apartment.

[andeesue]

Sea sickness is more a detriment for me honestly. Sailing the cheap cruises with flamboyant nationalities will definitely not be on my list. Plus after this tragedy I do think it will be a long, long, long time before anything this stupid will happen again.

 

This was an intentional tragedy based upon human error. Luckily real ship accidents have been a lot rarer and probably even rarer than auto or air accidents. Despite the shockingly senseless deaths, thousands of passengers did get off the ship in a few hours with amazing dispatch under the circumstances and the ship in this case was close enough to shore to make a positive difference too in the outcome. (Maybe the one good thing this captain did).

 

Chaos on the ground under these circumstances was to be expected and reckoned with regardless of whose fault it was. Sheer logistics of moving thousands of people rapidly after this sort of unexpected disruption does take and tax patience, but since there were no choices, best to just muddle through stoically one small step at a time until safely and soundly home. Then let it rip!

 

Perhaps you met unintentional tragedy... perhaps not.

Obviously, hard to projecture unless one was a survivor of this sad event, but I would hope that I'd cruise again. Diligence even more thorough, if that can be, after such a situation. I was on the RER train in Paris directly before one that was bombed in '95, and felt safer to resume travel on the trains following the tragedy. Of course, eyes were on any bag, parcel, or strange item, or person(s).

[IRL_Joanie]

I think I would cruise again if I'd had anything even remotely like this happen to me.

 

After all, I ride in a car and I've been in car accidents. I've also been an EMT/Firefighter who has responded to fatal car, truck, bus and multiple vehicle accidents.

 

I've flown in airplanes after planes have crashed.

 

I've eaten food even after becoming sick from some of them.

 

Life goes on.... So must I. If I insulate myself from everything that could endanger my life, then life would no longer be worth living.

 

The Carnival Splendor and now the Costa Concordia are extremely rare tragedies, and cruising is I'd say one of the safest ways to travel in the world.

 

Look at it this way, 4200 passengers and crew were able to be evacuated to safety, if a plane crashes how many survivors are there likely to be??

 

Joanie

[FrankNJ]

I've read several posts regarding the "good" actions of the captain by bringing the ship closer to shore to "help the evacuation". Unfortunately I have felt and it is now being echoed by reports from Costa crewmembers that in fact , had the lifeboats been lowered right away , the passengers could have been evacuated and taken to land " without anyone even getting wet" because the attitude of the ship was not yet a problem and the boats would have launched without problems.

 

The ship is 177 feet tall above the water and was apparently in very shallow water when it hit the first rock , the overreaction of the helmsman ( who we are now learning was the crazy captain on manual control) seems to have made the stern swing into additional rocks and in his frenzy to get closer to land , tip over. On its own after the first collision the ship

very likely would not have had enough water to sink in .

 

Very sad.

[sparky-elpaso]

Me too, Joanie. We can't spend our lives hiding under the bed in case something might happen.

[RMLincoln]

I think I would cruise again if I'd had anything even remotely like this happen to me.

 

After all, I ride in a car and I've been in car accidents. I've also been an EMT/Firefighter who has responded to fatal car, truck, bus and multiple vehicle accidents.

 

I've flown in airplanes after planes have crashed.

 

I've eaten food even after becoming sick from some of them.

 

Life goes on.... So must I. If I insulate myself from everything that could endanger my life, then life would no longer be worth living.

 

The Carnival Splendor and now the Costa Concordia are extremely rare tragedies, and cruising is I'd say one of the safest ways to travel in the world.

 

Look at it this way, 4200 passengers and crew were able to be evacuated to safety, if a plane crashes how many survivors are there likely to be??

 

Joanie

 

I agree completely with Joanie. I'm also an EMT/Firefighter and see that a lot of bad stuff happens. I can't crawl under a rock and not live my life.

 

Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I will be even better prepared and even more aware next cruise.

 

We will be in more danger driving to the airport than at any other time on our vacation. I could stay in my house and have a tree fall on me!

 

I've read, listened, been horrified, cried and prayed about this tragedy. And will be doing this for days and weeks to come. But when it's time to sail, I'll be off with smiles and waves and be happy to be able to enjoy it with my beloved DH. m--

[SwissMyst]

Perhaps you met unintentional tragedy... perhaps not.

Obviously, hard to projecture unless one was a survivor of this sad event, but I would hope that I'd cruise again. Diligence even more thorough, if that can be, after such a situation. I was on the RER train in Paris directly before one that was bombed in '95, and felt safer to resume travel on the trains following the tragedy. Of course, eyes were on any bag, parcel, or strange item, or person(s).

 

 

I thought about that word choice and decided once he chose to go off course, the accident in any form was a product of his intentional choice. You are right, he did not intentionally look for a rock to run into.

 

But intentionally violating fixed practice was his choice and his choice alone. The rest is just details - horrific as they turned out to be. A court would ask was it foreseeable he could put his ship in harms way when he breached his duty to stay on course.

 

Where is the line between negligent action and intentional action? When does this act get measured as the "but for" phenomenon that starts the chain of liability. Or is this what they call "negligence per se" - just the act alone is culpable regardless of the reasons or expectations there were no underwater hazards.

 

I am getting ahead of myself claiming "intentionality" here instead of reckless negligence ...... but the sheer stupidity of the potential risks, of course now obvious in hindsight. should have also been obvious in foresight. But as you point out, this is not for me to decide but the courts will have a field day with these fine points of argument.

[kazu]

The question is not if WE will cruise again (and yes we will) but if the passengers on that ship will.

 

One couple who just returned home to Canada and escaped are regular cruisers. They are not spring chickens and had to jump off the ship to escape because of being pushed aside.

 

THEY cannot answer that question now (by reports). Visibly shaken, he said probably not - at least not for a while - they had 3 cruises booked.

 

We're not in these people's shoes (thank heavens) - I am sure for many of them a cruise is out of the picture right now.

 

For those who have never booked a cruise I suspect this has put a question mark on any plans. JMO:)

[Typhoon1]

S*** happens. It would have no effect on future cruising. Unless, of course, I were among the deceased.

[tcook052]

Sorry but how does this related to HAL? :confused:

[George C]

Yes, I think for the people that had never cruised before, I doubt they will be back, but I have been on 54 cruises including 7 Costa cruises and would sail Costa again ( but not in Europe )

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

No one really knows how they will react to such an event as the Concordia. I was in the 1988 Loma Prieta Earthquake in Northern California and assisted in evacuating a 5 story library building. I like to think I kept my cool then and would in a sea disaster but really don't know. I have experienced ships dead in the water for a few hours, hitting a sandbar and being on in for a few hours, but never had to prepare to evacuate. However, I like to think I would cruise again in an event such as the Concordia but as I say, you never really know for sure unless you experience it. Barbara

[bonafidebeachbum]

Knowing of this horrible accident and tragedy I would most definitely cruise again ... and I'm counting the days until mid-May when I will!!!! BUT ..... I could not honestly render an opinion whether I would or not if I had actually experienced what the passengers on Costa Concordia did, without experiencing it first hand myself.

[DizzyDallasDi]

Hmmmm....that's a tough one to answer, Miss Colleen. I can't imagine the terror those passengers must have felt. I'd like to think that time would heal my fears and I'd jump back in the saddle, so to speak. I was in a very bad car accident in Mexico (not a good place to have that happen) many years ago and I wasn't afraid to drive again. I was thrown into the river while whitewater rafting (in level 4 rapids :eek:) and I've gone rafting again. I could have easily died in either of those events.

 

But the Concordia tragedy would have been so much scarier with so many passengers panicking, crying, etc., the chaos with lack of leadership from the captain, the total darkness and disorientation when left in a foreign country where I don't speak the language....cold, wet, frightened and alone -- with no money to buy some much needed wine. :(

 

I'm sure I'd cruise again, but it wouldn't be real soon.

[SwissMyst]

I suspect a lot more attention will be paid to cruise lines safety records than the size of their lobster dinners or height of the water sides from now on, when consumers make their travel choices.

[cmdchiefthom]

Its what my wife and I do. I can't imagine giving it up!;)