Returning to Port - Why?

[roothy123]

I have been looking at marinetraffic.com to see where ships are and what routes they take from ports I will be visiting next summer. I notice that the Costa Luminosa sailed out of Arrecife in the Canary Islands and about 50 minutes after leaving, she returned to port. She has been there about 15 mins. or so now. I was wondering what might require a cruise ship to return to port. Obviously engine failure or mechanical failure might be a reason, but what else might be a reason? Pick up a very important, late passenger? Dropping someone off to go to a hospital?

[GTO-Girl]

I have been looking at marinetraffic.com to see where ships are and what routes they take from ports I will be visiting next summer. I notice that the Costa Luminosa sailed out of Arrecife in the Canary Islands and about 50 minutes after leaving, she returned to port. She has been there about 15 mins. or so now. I was wondering what might require a cruise ship to return to port. Obviously engine failure or mechanical failure might be a reason, but what else might be a reason? Pick up a very important, late passenger? Dropping someone off to go to a hospital?

 

More than likely it's a medical emergency.......but I'm just guessing

[20pluscruises]

More than likely it's a medical emergency.......but I'm just guessing

 

Sadly, crew members may have gotten the devasting news of a loved ones passing from the storm in the Phillipines. Cruise lines are doing their best to get some of the crew members home to family.

[Keith1010]

Likely a medical issue.

 

Keith

[Dreamer115]

Sadly, crew members may have gotten the devasting news of a loved ones passing from the storm in the Phillipines. Cruise lines are doing their best to get some of the crew members home to family.

 

I'm glad to hear that they are doing that. I have been thinking of our waiters we had on last cruise, I know they were from the Phillipines.

[kcwingwalker]

Agree with all of the above. Not so likely that the ship would return for a VIP.

[Keith1010]

I don't think the ship would return for anything other than a medical issue or a problem with the ship.

 

Keith

[mom says]

Sadly, crew members may have gotten the devasting news of a loved ones passing from the storm in the Phillipines. Cruise lines are doing their best to get some of the crew members home to family.

 

Since they left port less than an hour earlier, I doubt that they would do this- they would do it while in port, or wait until the next POC.

 

Seems like medical emergencies right at or after sailaway are all too common. IMO, this is more likely. Possibly a ship mechanical issue, but less likely.

[20pluscruises]

Since they left port less than an hour earlier, I doubt that they would do this- they would do it while in port, or wait until the next POC.

 

Seems like medical emergencies right at or after sailaway are all too common. IMO, this is more likely. Possibly a ship mechanical issue, but less likely.

 

I wonder if they do actually return to port for medical emergency...has anyone ever been on a cruise that actually returned to port for medical reasons (other than someone overboard)

[rvsullivan]

I wonder if they do actually return to port for medical emergency...has anyone ever been on a cruise that actually returned to port for medical reasons (other than someone overboard)

 

 

Sure, we've had that happen twice now, and reading posts here it happens with some regularity. Not too unusual.

First day stress tends to bring on medical problems. The one's we have experience with have been heart attacks and strokes.

[kitty9]

I wonder if they do actually return to port for medical emergency...has anyone ever been on a cruise that actually returned to port for medical reasons (other than someone overboard)

 

I've been on a number of cruises that returned to port for a medical emergency. One time it was because an infant got very sick and needed to be intubated and they could not do that on the ship. Another time it was an elderly person who fell and broke a leg.

[20pluscruises]

Sure, we've had that happen twice now, and reading posts here it happens with some regularity. Not too unusual.

First day stress tends to bring on medical problems. The one's we have experience with have been heart attacks and strokes.

 

Thanks! I've often wondered as I have never heard about a ship returning to port (other than the first day).

[20pluscruises]

I've been on a number of cruises that returned to port for a medical emergency. One time it was because an infant got very sick and needed to be intubated and they could not do that on the ship. Another time it was an elderly person who fell and broke a leg.

 

Thanks! Good to know that they actually do return to port.

[ducklite]

I wonder if they do actually return to port for medical emergency...has anyone ever been on a cruise that actually returned to port for medical reasons (other than someone overboard)

 

We didn't return to,port but made an unscheduled port stop to take off a passenger who had a heart attack. We also saw a crew member airlifted off while at sea after an accident in a different cruise.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[SantaFeFan]

I wonder if they do actually return to port for medical emergency.

 

Sorry, but I have to ask this: Do you really think that a captain would NOT return for a medical emergency? Two reasons why that question is completely off the wall: A captain's first and second priority are the safety of his passengers and crew, and the safety of his ship, in that order. The second reason is that a captain would be held legally liable if he refused to attend to a medical emergency if it required immediate evacuation to a hospital. No responsible captain would put himself in that position. A person's health/life is much more important than maintaining a schedule.

Edited November 11, 2013 by SantaFeFan

[Kartgv]

I wonder if they do actually return to port for medical emergency...has anyone ever been on a cruise that actually returned to port for medical reasons (other than someone overboard)

 

Yes, we sailed out of San Francisco once (could have been a Radiance repositioning cruise after Alaska), a beautiful sunset sailing. At dinner an hour or so later, our tablemates commented that their only disappointment was not seeing the city lights at night. At that point I happened to look up at the window in the dining room and told them that apparently they were going to get their wish, as I could see city lights. We went back to the dock, and after considerable delay, they wheeled a passenger down a gangway in a wheelchair, with her companion following behind carrying their luggage. The woman had apparently been dosed up with painkillers, as she was smiling and waving and blowing kisses to all the passengers lined up on that side of the ship to see what was going on.

Returning to port under similar circumstances is not unusual if the ship is not too far out to sea.

[leaveitallbehind]

I wonder if they do actually return to port for medical emergency...has anyone ever been on a cruise that actually returned to port for medical reasons (other than someone overboard)

 

They would not return to port if someone goes overboard - they would stay in the area and search the site, which may include the coast guard and other vessels in the area. If / when the person is found, depending on whether they are alive or not would determine the next course of action, which may or may not include a return to port. (Unfortunately more often then not, the person is not recovered). But eventually the ship will continue on it's itinerary.

 

The decision to return to port with a medical emergency would depend on a number of things - how serious the situation is, where the ship is relative to the departure or other port, whether or not a helicopter evacuation is needed / feasible, etc. The next port of call may be the best choice, or no evacuation at all if not a serious issue.

 

We have been on cruises - as examples - where one person broke an ankle and another dislocated a shoulder, but stayed on board after treatment; a passenger died and was taken off with family members at the next port of call; helicopter evacuation due to a stroke; delayed port of call departure due to a taxi accident that had passengers taken to a hospital and their family disembarked. In fact the only incident we haven't experienced was a return to the departure port!

 

Not medical, but we also were on a ship that picked up Cuban refugees from a floundering vessel and a coast guard cutter came along side later that night to pick them up and return them to Guantanamo Bay.

 

It happens.....

Edited November 12, 2013 by leaveitallbehind

[roothy123]

Wow, leaveitallbehind, you have certainly seen a lot! I've "only" seen a body bag being offloaded in a port, and a ship staying at a port after cruise departure while someone was taken to the hospital, with someone from the ship as escort. I didn't hang around to see if the passenger and nurse came back, but I assume they did. My husband and I were very thankful that we weren't the ones going to the hospital, and we were wondering how it was that someone was being taken to the hospital with an Oceania nurse, as we would have thought that the ship would have simply called an ambulance and that would be that. It's kind of nice to know that they did more than that - even if it meant we were late sailing from Southampton. But then as someone already posted, I suppose that once you're on the ship, the ship's medical staff has to take responsibility.

 

I guess I'll never know what happened, but I did follow the Costa ship's travels last night. She didn't stay long after her return to Arrecife (Canaries), and from where the ship appeared to be on marinetraffic, it looked like she might have been sitting close to, but not tied up to the dock. She then apparently made it to her next port of call (another Canary Island) only a little bit late, and is now sailing somewhere else.

 

Yes, a lot of Phillipinos work on cruise ships. My heart goes out to them.

Edited November 12, 2013 by roothy123

[leaveitallbehind]

It all actually happened as I reported - 21 years of cruising I guess results in a lot of situations on board.

Edited November 12, 2013 by leaveitallbehind

[Ashland]

On our recent (Oct 5th) Oasis eastern caribbean cruise not only did we have to return to Nassau due to an onboard medical problem but the PCL ship that was inport with us had to do the samething... and return to Nassau...We ended up being a bit late to St Thomas but did end up staying an extra approx hour.