Do you think you'd cruise again ?

[Sage]

As I have watched the news and heard and read the reports about the Costa accident, it made me pause and think more about if I would criuse again. Brian addressed some of my concerns in his reply, but I began to think about what kind of a hinderance would I be to my fellow cruisers with my current mobility problems. When I was on the Eurodam in December, I was told to use the elevator for the lifeboat drill, but I was told in case of a real emergency, that I would not be able to use the elevators. I asked the young woman that told me to use the elevator what would I do, and her reply was someone would tell me if the problem came up. What would they tell me? Would they tell me to take the stairs and possibly create a problem where other passengers would be pushing and shoving to get past me, as I was slower than they were? What if I were in a wheel chair, or on a scooter and unable to use the stairs? Would I be sitting at a gathering point waiting for help that may never come?

 

I also wonder about the cutback in help around the ship. We have fewer waiters and busboys in the MDR, and our cabin stewards have more and more cabins to service. Would these cutbacks reduce also the number of people available to help in an emergency? Also how many people can a 100 pound dancer assist by lifting children, or possibly adults into the lifeboat? Would one once again have to rely on a paniced passenger's good will to assit? I know that there are several out there that would say that it would not happen, as the ships are very safe, that one is safer on a cruise ship than in a car, but I have lived through one tramatic event when I was very young, and don't fancy another. So for me the answer may be that I should not cruise again, or at least not cruise again on large ships. I'm not trying to bring flames to the thread, I'm just wondering.

[COLLEYBERRY]

 

Thank you for a very poignant post Sage, this event has given us all something to think about.

Best Wishes Colleen

[DDMau]

It might take a few years but I would definitely cruise again.

[hvsteve1]

As I have watched the news and heard and read the reports about the Costa accident, it made me pause and think more about if I would criuse again.I also wonder about the cutback in help around the ship. We have fewer waiters and busboys in the MDR, and our cabin stewards have more and more cabins to service. Would these cutbacks reduce also the number of people available to help in an emergency? Also how many people can a 100 pound dancer assist by lifting children, or possibly adults into the lifeboat? Would one once again have to rely on a paniced passenger's good will to assit? I know that there are several out there that would say that it would not happen, as the ships are very safe, that one is safer on a cruise ship than in a car, but I have lived through one tramatic event when I was very young, and don't fancy another. So for me the answer may be that I should not cruise again, or at least not cruise again on large ships. I'm not trying to bring flames to the thread, I'm just wondering.

 

There are a couple of deciptively easy solutions to your perceived problems.

 

1. Cruise on smaller luxury lines, such as Crystal or Regent. The ships are smaller and the crew to passenger ratio is much higher so, no worry about havng enough people around to help.

 

2. Book a room on the same deck as the lifeboats. On Crystal, if the room has a partially obstructed view...lifeboat outside your window!

 

3.Those "dancers" are probably in better physical condition than most of the men on the cruise.

 

Actually, I really sympathize because my wife isn't the most mobile person around and, watching the pictures of how those passengers had to climb long rope ladders to get to the lifeboats or the CNN interview with a woman who said they had to shimmy down ropes, I assume my wife and I would be stuck on the top of the ship until either somebody came for us or we drowned. There are people scared to death of being trapped by fire when staying in a hotel. The answer? They always ask for a room on the first or scond floor so they don't have to worry about being trapped as, the worst that can happen, is they jump 15 feet off a balcony. There's a solution to everything (except flying...you crash, you crash.)

[sapper1]

As I have watched the news and heard and read the reports about the Costa accident, it made me pause and think more about if I would criuse again. Brian addressed some of my concerns in his reply, but I began to think about what kind of a hinderance would I be to my fellow cruisers with my current mobility problems. When I was on the Eurodam in December, I was told to use the elevator for the lifeboat drill, but I was told in case of a real emergency, that I would not be able to use the elevators. I asked the young woman that told me to use the elevator what would I do, and her reply was someone would tell me if the problem came up. What would they tell me? Would they tell me to take the stairs and possibly create a problem where other passengers would be pushing and shoving to get past me, as I was slower than they were? What if I were in a wheel chair, or on a scooter and unable to use the stairs? Would I be sitting at a gathering point waiting for help that may never come?

 

I also wonder about the cutback in help around the ship. We have fewer waiters and busboys in the MDR, and our cabin stewards have more and more cabins to service. Would these cutbacks reduce also the number of people available to help in an emergency? Also how many people can a 100 pound dancer assist by lifting children, or possibly adults into the lifeboat? Would one once again have to rely on a paniced passenger's good will to assit? I know that there are several out there that would say that it would not happen, as the ships are very safe, that one is safer on a cruise ship than in a car, but I have lived through one tramatic event when I was very young, and don't fancy another. So for me the answer may be that I should not cruise again, or at least not cruise again on large ships. I'm not trying to bring flames to the thread, I'm just wondering.

Sage--you raise some excellent points and mobility impaired people need to consider them.

I am in pretty good shape myself due to regular hours in the gym, but I seriously doubt how I would fare having to shimmy down a rope or descend a rope ladder to safety. Even if I could, my husband certainly couldn't and I would not leave him to fend for himself.

The smaller HAL ships have outside cabins on the lifeboat deck level and a few of them have lanai cabins. They would work if you did not need a handicap equipped cabin and the emergency occured at night or when you were in your cabin. It is a real tough call.

 

Since a large number of HAL's passengers are older or mobility impaired, I wonder how many will come to your conclusion themselves and decide not to cruise anymore? This event is going to have a major impact on the cruise industry as all the implications start to occur to people.

[GTVCRUISER]

Yes I will Cruise again , cruising in 8 days and a wake up

[iancal]

Do people fly after an airline disaster?

 

Do they drive after hearing about traffic fatalities?

 

Cruising may even be statistically safer than staying at home!

[regnig]

I'm not going to go back and read all the prior responses but the simple answer is YES, of course we will!

[peaches from georgia]

In my previous post I answered incorrectly because I didn't answer the actual question, nor have others.

 

The question was would you cruise again if YOU had experienced an event like the Concordia yourself, not if you will cruise again after hearing about this event or fly again after hearing about a plane crash. My answer is if I had been on the Costa ship and survived I would not ever be able to cruise again. I bet not many pax on that ship will cruise again.

[Boytjie]

Do people fly after an airline disaster?

 

People fly to New York to come look at Ground Zero. ;)

[lettienets]

this is something that i think has struck everyone to the core. it's not hard to imagine it on any ship - anywhere - including HAL - and now a concern to everyone. This isn't a ship that lost electricity or had a fire and people had to eat sandwiches. It's a ship that sunk and lives are lost and from evidence so far, due to an inept captain.

The indeterminate factors like hubris and stupidity...., and other human error factors like alcohol, drugs, mental stress or whatever problems .... a concern for all of us.

The onshore port authority asked this captain who abandoned ship about women and children and people with special needs......

Scarey as far as getting off depending on your own physical circumstances.

I am on a Carnival ship this Sunday and am curious if there will be any changes re the safety procedures over past cruises.

A disaster at sea is something we have all wondered about and now we know it can really happen with a ship this big.

[FrankNJ]

What is it Captain Quint said ? "I'll never put on a lifejacket again".

[Sage]

Peaches, you were correct in saying that most people did not answer the question asked. I went back and reread the question, and my answer would have to be no. I would never cruise again.

[LSEA]

 

 

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

 

No. If I had experienced the terror of the Costa tragedy I seriously doubt I would cruise again. Truth be told, cruising in general has lost a bit of its shine for me at the moment. Not as excited about an upcoming cruise as I normally would be, but I am sure I will get there.

[Harley57]

While I can't say with 100% certainty, I'm quite sure if I had been a passenger on the Costa Concordia, I would not cruise again for a very, very long time, if ever.

 

That being said, I have no qualms about boarding the Eurodam in June. IMO, first hand experience of such a disaster would definitely give me a different outlook on cruising.

[COLLEYBERRY]

 

 

Hi all..OP here ,sorry there was some confusion with the question I posed.

 

I think the thread's title may be to blame, perhaps some thought it read .

Do you think you will cruise again.?

 

Note to self..choose your thread titles carefully :o

I admit I was a bit surprised by how adamantly some stated they would cruise again.:):)

Hope none of us ever experience such an event ... it would take me a very long time to get over it.

 

Best Regards Colleen