Fire on Carnival Triumph. No engines, running on emergency generators.

[gtalum]

Very well said. The Carnival apologists and cheerleaders have been awful on this thread but I'm not surprised. They take their cues from the head cheerleader who is also the brand ambassador. Goes to show the level of education that we're dealing with. Sad.:(

 

To be fair there are mindless cheerleaders and detractors on all the boards here. The phenomenon baffles me.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I feel for the crew ...:rolleyes:

[Miss Fig]

This begs the question. If 3 tugs are faster than 2, with reports that a 4th is on the way, why did they not have the 3 or 4 tugs from the get go? Every hour saved for these folks living in squalor (as reported by the only witness to get off the ship thus far) would be worth the cost of an extra tug.

 

CNN said that Triumph only had 1 tug when they were in the Gulf. Ridiculous.Dispatch more & lets get them there quickly.

[ducklite]

Ever been delayed on an overseas flight....inconvenienced only to the point of wanting to shower and sleep? Believe me, you aren't going to pick a Ritz Carlton hours away over the nearest shower and bed. These people have been through days of much worse.

 

Given my choice of getting a rental car and an hour to the comfort and service of a Ritz Carlton or some fleabag roach motel, I'll drive the extra hour. That's me, YMMV.

 

That said, there's no way I'd get on a bus with 60 other people and ride an additional 2.5 hours to a hotel--then wait to have keys issued, etc.

[skyeman27]

Guess not, but what is it I don't GET?

 

Wow, it is hopeless, you will never get it!!!

[declansdad]

just like the anti-carnival crew has been out in full force doing. a coin has two sides, just the one side can never see the other.

 

 

Well said!

[Loonbeam]

Oh, and as to them 'keeping them away from cell towers'. In a sheltered port, like a bay, standard protocol for disabled ships that cannot operate under their own power is to always bring them in during daylight to minimize the risk of incident.

 

In short, without thinks like Radar and depth meters the tugs really like to see what they are doing.

[RuthlessBoss]

The additional tugs are for better control of the ship, not towing speed. When the ship gets into shallower water and has to be navigated through a narrow channel, the addtional tugs wll be used on the sides to keep the ship in the center of the channel.

And that will be the LONGEST 20 miles any of them have ever travelled;)

[FSUNole]

The additional tugs are for better control of the ship, not towing speed. When the ship gets into shallower water and has to be navigated through a narrow channel, the addtional tugs wll be used on the sides to keep the ship in the center of the channel.

 

Earlier report said the 3rd tug was because they were making slower progress than anticipated. If only to navigate the channel, why bring the extra tug out so soon?

[MrPete]

So the ship just got a generator. Won't be long now till those cell phones are charged up! Hopefully!

[ducklite]

Honest to God, if they make those people wait until tomorrow to get off, I think people are going to start a mutiny on that ship. :mad:

 

You wonder why they are being escorted by the USCG? I'm sure that's one of the concerns at this point.

[Rangervr6178]

A private jet flight plan out of Opa-Locka Executive Airport this morning has been amended. The flight to Mobile, Al was to depart at noon is now set depart at 5:30pm est.

 

Looks like the executives from Carnival are going to fly in just before the ship docks at 7.

 

Carnival employees flew into BFM last night via another airline.

[J and J]

Carnival Inc. owns the following cruise lines:

 

AIDA Cruises, Germany

Carnival Cruise Lines, United States

Costa Cruises, Italy

Cunard Line, United Kingdom

Holland America Line, United States

Ibero Cruises, Spain

P&O Cruises, United Kingdom

P&O Cruises Australia, Australia

Princess Cruises, United States

Seabourn Cruise Line, United States

 

Would I travel on Carnival again yes.....am I going on a Carnival cruise in the end of March yes....am I worried no.... accidents happen. I guess my only concern I keep seeing is that Triumph has had previous problems and it's a bit concerning to me that they wouldn't dry dock it and fix it, forgoing safety for profit? An now it's costing them a fortune..... Hopefully lesson learned.....

[GrandsLoveCruising]

for those thinking Mobile would be the best place to stay Thursday night, you should read the online reviews of their available hotel space. I found 1 four star, a handful of 3 star, and an abundance of small 2 star.

 

carnival needs to have 1500 rooms for pax, 500 rooms for staff and crew, rooms for those working to get passengers off of the ship. i am sure concerned family members maybe booking another 100 to 200 rooms, media 50 rooms, and inspectors, etc. another 10 to 20 rooms. I figure this disaster, alone, would need about 2500 rooms in at least 3 star or better hotels along with restaurants to feed all of these passengers. Personally I don't think Mobile is equipped to handle this influx of people along with their regular clientele. just my opinion.

 

And the reason Mobile is not a regular embarkation port is because they do not have the infrastructure to handle ships carrying 3000 pax, a terminal to handle it or, I believe a pier long enough for most of the big ships. And obviously the town has not felt it worth their while to provide these services.

 

and, nowhere, have I not expressed concern for the passengers and crew. they deserve all my well wishes. but i do find the overly dramatic angst from others totally self-serving and majorly entitled. i'll allow that mothers and fathers of the under 18 on board have a right to be overly concerned, but all of the others seem to be more concerned about themselves and their sensibilities than the plight of their loved ones.

 

The media could stay out of the way and that would be leave 50+ rooms available for more of the people aboard that needs the rooms or stay in their vans. That is if they really cared for anyone but their self or to see which station can get the wildest story out first. JMHO.

[BrianMD]

Yep. "Challenging" is corporate-speak for "this is a complete cluster**** and we are screwed."

 

Well said

[broberts]

This begs the question. If 3 tugs are faster than 2, with reports that a 4th is on the way, why did they not have the 3 or 4 tugs from the get go? Every hour saved for these folks living in squalor (as reported by the only witness to get off the ship thus far) would be worth the cost of an extra tug.

 

Yesterday the winds shifted and a storm came up. The winds have continued to hamper progress. Hence the additional tugs. Carnival appears to still be counting the pennies for this disaster. It may make the shareholders happy but I'm sure many customers and potential customers are wondering what it would take for the company to just worry about the people.

 

The only mitigating possibility that came to mind is that additional tugs were simply not available until now. Since Carnival hasn't bothered to comment on this I expect most will presume this was not the case.

[MrPete]

I feel for the crew ...:rolleyes:

 

They'll have 12 "weeks" now to recover.

[Aquahound]

CNN said that Triumph only had 1 tug when they were in the Gulf. Ridiculous.Dispatch more & lets get them there quickly.

 

No, it is not ridiculous. A cruise ship can only be safely towed so fast. The sole towing tug was more than ample.

 

Besides, there were 2 tugs, not 1.

[Loonbeam]

I repeat my prior statement. There isn't a fleet of long distance ocean capable tugs sitting around waiting to be called on. The reason there was one tug initially is that it is very possible that that was the only tug in range.

 

I know for a while, years ago, there was one long range ocean rescue tug covering the entire east coast from New York to Charlotte. If additional were needed they had to come up from the Gulf around Florida or down from Canada.

 

 

CNN said that Triumph only had 1 tug when they were in the Gulf. Ridiculous.Dispatch more & lets get them there quickly.

[dwjoe]

just like the anti-carnival crew has been out in full force doing. a coin has two sides, just the one side can never see the other.

No, more like responding to the "CCL can do no wrong" crowd when they

 

cast disdain on people's suffering,

suggest that 90% of the Internet is made up,

flame posters for piecing together those parts of the story that don't fit their agenda,

label family as "entitled" for wanting to know what's going on,

post sensationalized summaries that twist pages of thread discussion into straw man arguments.

 

e.g. 45 degree list vs 4.5 degrees list ... not easy to hear what someone says over a cell phone... but the 45 degree comment got argued down very quickly. So don't know how someone would "learn" that the ship had a 45 degree list unless they read very selectively.

[gtalum]

You wonder why they are being escorted by the USCG? I'm sure that's one of the concerns at this point.

 

I think that's standard procedure for this situation, just in case.

[berryberry]

Have never said firsthand accounts are untrue. Never would. I have said and will continue to maintain that there are very few firsthand accounts, quite literally a handful. Until more facts and firsthand accounts emerge it seems to me only prudent to withhold judgment.

 

From Today - the latest first hand report

 

http://houston.cbslocal.com/2013/02/14/passengers-sleeping-with-life-vests-on-fearing-cruise-ship-will-tip-over/

 

Speaking by phone to NBC’s “Today” show Thursday morning, passenger Jamie Baker said conditions on the ship were “extremely terrible.” There has been no electricity and few working toilets, she said.

 

Baker also described having to use plastic bags to go to the bathroom and wait in line for hours to get food and once saw a woman pass out line.

 

“It’s just a nightmare,” she said.

 

Baker said she and her friends slept with their life vests one night because the ship was listing and they feared it would tip over.

 

Vivian Tilley, whose sister, Renee Shanar, is on the ship, said Shanar, of Houston, told her the cabins were hot and smelled like smoke from the engine fire, forcing passengers to stay on the deck. She also said people were getting sick.

[truecruiser]

Until you show me proof that those passengers are in danger of dieing, you have nothing.

 

I didn't say they were, you said they "weren't.";) ...

 

right after you said "no one knows" the conditions on the ship.

[Aquahound]

Earlier report said the 3rd tug was because they were making slower progress than anticipated. If only to navigate the channel, why bring the extra tug out so soon?

 

Weather.

[RuthlessBoss]

Wow, it is hopeless, you will never get it!!!

Are you posting to get your count up?

 

I asked you, what is it I don't GET? I said in so many words, why sit at the port a day or two early to wait for a ship that's still out to sea!!