Triumph with kids - can you imagine?

[TupeloHoney]

I haven't been paying that much attention with what is going on with the Triumph because I find it disturbing and really, there are more important stories in the news. But still. It keeps nagging at me.

 

We're getting ready to sail in early March with our two kids - 5 and almost 2. And I keep thinking: what if we were on that ship? What if this happens to our ship? What would I do? How would my kids react? How would I get them food and water?

 

I just can't imagine. And I confess, I have half a mind to bring a suitcase full of food and bottled water just in case! Okay, I won't really. But man.

 

Hearing the stories (true? I don't know) about people waiting in line for forever for food and then people hoarding. I would go without for 5 days so my kids could eat. But could I get them food?

 

Ug. It's upsetting to think about.

 

Of course it's still better than the cruise ship sinking last year shortly before our cruise...

[B_Mc]

It crossed my mind. I really can't imagine. Like you, I imagine I'd be going without or very little to keep the kids fed, but what would I do with my kids all.day.long in those conditions??? I can barely stand to stay cooped up in the house when one of us is sick! They're so busy and full of energy just being stuck in the cabin would be horrid enough.

 

Its hard to believe any of that is happening with modern technology and all.

[snoopy5386]

We are sailing Sunday with our 6 and 2 year olds and this has been on my mind too. I really can't imagine how horrible it was with small kids. The poor sanitary conditions, trying to convince kids to go to the bathroom in a shower or bag, lack of food, the heat and the boredom.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I have often thought about safety and the ship sinking and that is rather frightening. This situation was bad (gross really) but survivable. I feel so bad for the passengers and I'm curious as to why boats weren't chartered to come and rescue the passengers. I think that the conditions were deplorable. I would have much rather been rescued by the coast guard or neighboring ships and taken to Mexico and put up in a hotel- than to poop in trash cans and wait in line for hours for food.

 

I am bringing some power bars with us on our upcoming cruise but I don't think anyone can really prepare for this type of incident. Thankfully- they happen rarely.

[luvsviola]

It has crossed my mind too. My son is special needs, and some of his needs require electricity--he has a G-J tube and asthma. He uses a pump for this tube, which needs to be charged every day or so, and a nebulizer. Without his pump, he can't get fluids. He gets 1 mL per minute into his intestines, so you can't rush it.

 

I also wonder for any dialysis patients, diabetics, or others who need chilled meds, and those with babies who may not have had many extra diapers, if there were any issues since the cruise was significantly longer than they had planned. We intend to bring twice the amount of medical formula and medication our son needs just in case, but it did scare me because that long in the heat without his feeding pump would be deadly for our son.

[Colorado Kat]

They did have some emergency power. So medications could be kept cold. And any needed medical apparatus could be charged.

 

They did airlift out a dialysis patient.

 

I'm sure that the crew took good care of any passenger who needed extra help. (Very young or very old, wheelchairs, special needs.)

[crusinmama06]

Anyone that needed to be removed would have been removed.

 

And yes - it's scary. I was on Triumph when she was fully functioning ;) So I kept watching the images and going back to that as a "what if"

 

But as someone who spent decades working in media - I can keep much of the "horror at sea" in perspective. That is what sells. And they are REALLY selling it.

[melly923]

We are getting ready to sail on the Carnival Elation in a few weeks, with our children 20 months and 4. I can not imagine how awful the Trumpet experience would be with children. I keep wondering what the passengers did for diapers, I can't imagine anyone had that many extra. Perhaps they brough some on board during restocking? Also I wonder if they opened the kids club to allow families to hangout in? Seems that I would have been a lot safer for the young children to be contained there - espcially the ones who had to camp - then out on the lido all night.

[askimdog]

We tend to go camping alot, hiking into remote areas with the kid (7) and a tent. Several times we have had all day rains. Those days we sit in a tent or under a rain fly, sometimes for 36 hours playing cards, drawing or chatting. I imagine on a cruise it might be easier. Even on a cruise our child is with us 24/7 ( she dislikes Camp Carnival). So being on the Triumph may have stunk, but not too horrible for our family.

[nothriver]

We tend to go camping alot, hiking into remote areas with the kid (7) and a tent. Several times we have had all day rains. Those days we sit in a tent or under a rain fly, sometimes for 36 hours playing cards, drawing or chatting. I imagine on a cruise it might be easier. Even on a cruise our child is with us 24/7 ( she dislikes Camp Carnival). So being on the Triumph may have stunk, but not too horrible for our family.

 

We are campers/backpackers too, so frankly, we'd be just fine on a disabled cruise ship. I seem to be in the minority that feel stranded at sea may be inconvenient but not unbearable!

 

I agree that this story has largely been blown out of proportion. Obviously this wasn't the vacation those stranded on the ship *hoped* for, but MOST people have said it wasn't awful, either. I'm confident that all cruise lines would take care of those that require help - young children and those with medical needs. Especially the children, since most of the staff are separated from their own families by time and distance, I find that normally they go above and beyond what I expect when it comes to the children, and would not expect any different in an emergency situation.

 

I understand that they just can't do large scale evacuations at sea unless lives are truly at risk, as it is very risky to evacuate pax on the open ocean. When things like this happen, rare but they obviously do happen, you've just got to tough it out.