Concordia -- Email from a passenger

Just thought I'd share this. A friend of mine was on the Concordia when they had to abandon the ship. He sent me this email today.

We just landed back in New York. I've never been so happy to be on dry land. You would not believe what we went through. I'm serious. You just would not believe it. I'll call you later to tell you the whole story, but I'll give you the jist of it now...

We had just finished dinner and we're heading to the casino when we felt an awful shaking. Almost immediately after, the lights went out and people began screaming. Once we saw crew members getting their life vests, we went to our cabin and got ours. There were SOME announcements, but they were not in English. More and more passengers were coming out with their life vests on and I knew we were in trouble. During this entire time we saw NO officers, nor did we hear from any of them. Crew members were attempting to help, but you could tell they did not really know what to do. I immediately thought of the movie Titanic. It was unreal. Lifeboats were not lowered until it was too late. By the time they were lowered, the ship was already listing too much to the point that they were slamming into the side of the ship. We saw several passengers jumping off the ship and swimming to shore. By this time we were pretty close to the rocks. We jumped off, and swam with nothing but the clothes on our back. Luckly I had my wallet with me, or I dont think I would have made it home...We had to buy our own airline tickets from Rome. Costa put us up in a hotel for the night, but told us that if we were able to buy our own tickets home we should. I'm glad to be home, but I feel awful for people who were not so lucky. This is something that I never thought could happen.

I am so glad your friend is home safe and sound. It must have been horrific on board; too hard to even imagine what they went through. Very lucky he had his credit card with him.

During this entire time we saw NO officers, nor did we hear from any of them. Crew members were attempting to help, but you could tell they did not really know what to do.

Costa put us up in a hotel for the night, but told us that if we were able to buy our own tickets home we should.

Just thought I'd share this. A friend of mine was on the Concordia when they had to abandon the ship. He sent me this email today.

 

We just landed back in New York. I've never been so happy to be on dry land. You would not believe what we went through. I'm serious. You just would not believe it. I'll call you later to tell you the whole story, but I'll give you the jist of it now...

 

We had just finished dinner and we're heading to the casino when we felt an awful shaking. Almost immediately after, the lights went out and people began screaming. Once we saw crew members getting their life vests, we went to our cabin and got ours. There were SOME announcements, but they were not in English. More and more passengers were coming out with their life vests on and I knew we were in trouble. During this entire time we saw NO officers, nor did we hear from any of them. Crew members were attempting to help, but you could tell they did not really know what to do. I immediately thought of the movie Titanic. It was unreal. Lifeboats were not lowered until it was too late. By the time they were lowered, the ship was already listing too much to the point that they were slamming into the side of the ship. We saw several passengers jumping off the ship and swimming to shore. By this time we were pretty close to the rocks. We jumped off, and swam with nothing but the clothes on our back. Luckly I had my wallet with me, or I dont think I would have made it home...We had to buy our own airline tickets from Rome. Costa put us up in a hotel for the night, but told us that if we were able to buy our own tickets home we should. I'm glad to be home, but I feel awful for people who were not so lucky. This is something that I never thought could happen.

Are you kidding me!?!? Glad to hear that your friend is safe and now at home.

Just thought I'd share this. A friend of mine was on the Concordia when they had to abandon the ship. He sent me this email today.

 

We just landed back in New York. I've never been so happy to be on dry land. You would not believe what we went through. I'm serious. You just would not believe it. I'll call you later to tell you the whole story, but I'll give you the jist of it now...

 

We had just finished dinner and we're heading to the casino when we felt an awful shaking. Almost immediately after, the lights went out and people began screaming. Once we saw crew members getting their life vests, we went to our cabin and got ours. There were SOME announcements, but they were not in English. More and more passengers were coming out with their life vests on and I knew we were in trouble. During this entire time we saw NO officers, nor did we hear from any of them. Crew members were attempting to help, but you could tell they did not really know what to do. I immediately thought of the movie Titanic. It was unreal. Lifeboats were not lowered until it was too late. By the time they were lowered, the ship was already listing too much to the point that they were slamming into the side of the ship. We saw several passengers jumping off the ship and swimming to shore. By this time we were pretty close to the rocks. We jumped off, and swam with nothing but the clothes on our back. Luckly I had my wallet with me, or I dont think I would have made it home...We had to buy our own airline tickets from Rome. Costa put us up in a hotel for the night, but told us that if we were able to buy our own tickets home we should. I'm glad to be home, but I feel awful for people who were not so lucky. This is something that I never thought could happen.

So glad to hear that you are home safely.

Costa has a lot of explaining to do, obviously the officers bailed out with the Captain.

Costa haven't been at all helpful to passengers, you are not the first one to be dumped at a hotel and forgotten about.

Would I sail on Costa cruiselines - DEFINITELY NOT!!

I am so sorry to hear this. This makes me ill, and upset that this huge company would not help. Shame on them! I am very glad your friends made it home and are safe.

How did they get home with just his wallet? How did they obtain passports to return? Just wondering as so many others could not leave without their passports. Our passports do not fit in our wallets. Glad they could get home!

I'm not sure. I have not spoken with him yet, but I saw on the news earlier that people were getting assistance from the US Embassy in Rome so he may have gone there for help.

How did they get home with just his wallet? How did they obtain passports to return? Just wondering as so many others could not leave without their passports. Our passports do not fit in our wallets. Glad they could get home!

Thankfully many of the embassies are helping their citizens affected by this tragedy with travel arrangements as they know that most do not have their passports. Another CC poster who was on the ship posted that the Australian embassy worked very hard to get her and her family home.

We never thought of this before ,even afrter doing 53 cruises ;but ,now I will keep my wallet on me & copies of my pass port with me ,unless we are in the pool;). With passport copies or with some one responsible at home having pass port copies ,it makes it much easier for the US authorities to duplicate the passports:)

Not defending Costa here - just offering up a possibility or two.

Many have mentioned 'the crew' not being there rounding people up, etc..

I don't know how that would 'look', but I would think that crew members who have the most authority and training, well... ships are huge. They are long and they have many floors and many hallways that lead to more stairs and... I think it would be difficult for the right types of crew members (ones in authority) to go around. While the ratio of crew to pax was 3:1 or 4:1, most of them likely were not trained to run the show in an event like that, and those that were couldn't be everywhere at once... and it sounds like they were not getting good orders from above. Officers would even be fewer and farther between.

I would assume that Costa will reimburse anyone for airfare they had to purchase to get home, but that it was much speedier for anyone who was in a position to purchase their own, it was best to do that on the spot than to wait for them. They're dealing with thousands of people going hundreds of different places while the disaster is still somewhat unfolding.

OP, I'm so glad your friend made it back to the states safe. Having sailed Costa in the Caribbean, I do remember all the many languages in which they made announcements - more than other lines we've sailed - and often asking myself, "Wait - did they do English? What did they say???" It's unsettling enough under normal circumstances to be unable to understand or communicate. I can't imagine how isolated they felt in the midst of that crowed of scared passengers!

Not defending Costa here - just offering up a possibility or two.

 

Many have mentioned 'the crew' not being there rounding people up, etc..

 

I don't know how that would 'look', but I would think that crew members who have the most authority and training, well... ships are huge. They are long and they have many floors and many hallways that lead to more stairs and... I think it would be difficult for the right types of crew members (ones in authority) to go around. While the ratio of crew to pax was 3:1 or 4:1, most of them likely were not trained to run the show in an event like that, and those that were couldn't be everywhere at once... and it sounds like they were not getting good orders from above. Officers would even be fewer and farther between.

 

I would assume that Costa will reimburse anyone for airfare they had to purchase to get home, but that it was much speedier for anyone who was in a position to purchase their own, it was best to do that on the spot than to wait for them. They're dealing with thousands of people going hundreds of different places while the disaster is still somewhat unfolding.

 

OP, I'm so glad your friend made it back to the states safe. Having sailed Costa in the Caribbean, I do remember all the many languages in which they made announcements - more than other lines we've sailed - and often asking myself, "Wait - did they do English? What did they say???" It's unsettling enough under normal circumstances to be unable to understand or communicate. I can't imagine how isolated they felt in the midst of that crowed of scared passengers!

I'm so glad to read some voice of reason for once. My dh and I have been reading and following very closely, and granted I may not be half as humble and grateful after going through all of that as the OP's friend. But I just keep thinking, that ship is HUGE and those officers need to be together to coordinate some kind of plan. And if it's true that the capt. left, I'm sure they're asking themselves WTH now?! You know? The crew members are not all prepared to step in as leaders, most are in positions to take orders. Making decisions, I'm learning, can be extremely difficult for some people, let alone under that kind of stressful situation. They want to get home to their families as well, and I guess I just want to give them all the benefit of the doubt that they are doing their best. And after all, MOST of the people were taken to shore or swam the short distance to safety in a short amount of time. Think how long it takes to tender a ship that big under normal situations.

I'm sure Costa is thinking as well as those passengers that are stranded that they just want to get them home as fast as possible. And if it's quicker for the passengers to pay and get reimbursed and they're WILLING, go for it. I would. I couldn't believe it would be meant to insult their pax. They're a big line and it does a real disservice to their line to screw their pax. I'm just going with trying to read the best intentions because first, there are also issues with translation, and second, the intentions are not always clear when typed out in a message forum or on FB, etc... I think we can all recall a time where what we typed was misunderstood some how.

I do think the captain has a horrible price to pay and loads of apologies, but I could hardly fault him right now for being mum or trying to cover his tracks with more than 4,000 angry pax/crew, and then their families as well. He screwed up BIG time and when he hits the remorse stage, well, I hope he can find some way to pay restitution to all those people. :(

How did they get home with just his wallet? How did they obtain passports to return? Just wondering as so many others could not leave without their passports. Our passports do not fit in our wallets. Glad they could get home!

the interwebs are your friend. there are many services that have online "vaults" for documents. they are safe and encrypted but you can access them on line in emergency, etc. hell, when i went traveling for 4 months, i sent myself an email with copies of my passport and driver's license. that may not have been the smartest for identity theft purpose, but...

as for the crew. I have read many articles and seen many interviews at this point. and, consistently, the survivors and pax kept repeating these things: "chaos; every man for himself; no direct; no crew; no officers; no announcements." I know many of you want to believe the best, just as many want to jump to the worst. but, i think it is undeniable that the evacuation process would have been described vastly differently if it was properly conducted.

indeed, the capt fled (no words); but they must have a second in command and a third, who are of the personality and experience to take control, no? and officers should have been present at every part of the ship possible. where are the reports from pax saying they saw them and got there help? surely someone would have had a story by now, 3 days later. at this point, the heroic stories are the scoop here.

something was terribly wrong here. they should have all been trained for a post or position if there is an abandon ship signal. period. and they should have just went automatically to their post and position.

certainly, people would have still panicked and this would have still be hugely awful, but a lot easier to get through.

i see the videos pax took of the ship in chaos and i cannot breathe. stuck, tight quarters, different languages, dark, no announcement, no help, screaming, crying, children. no where to move or run. ugh. awful.

I think it would be difficult for the right types of crew members (ones in authority) to go around. While the ratio of crew to pax was 3:1 or 4:1, most of them likely were not trained to run the show in an event like that, and those that were couldn't be everywhere at once... and it sounds like they were not getting good orders from above.

I could not disagree more. Every ship should have a well-established plan for evacuation, with crew members reporting to assigned stations to show people where to go, loading them onto life boats, and checking to make sure no one is left behind. I have sailed on other cruiselines where I saw tons of crew members stationed at every stairwell and at every hallway just for the muster drill.

I completely understand that there is going to be a certain amount of chaos in such a circumstance. But to not see a single officer while making your way to a lifeboat? To have crew members not knowing where to go or what to do? The apparent delay of raising mayday until the ship was listing so severely that some of the lifeboats were unusable? No excuse for any of that.

This was a huge failure on the part of Costa, from the likely poor decisions of the captain and the navigational staff, to the lack of training and loss of the chain of command (this is NOT is disparage the crew, sounds like many did do a great and heroic job despite the lack of commands from above).

And customer relations people refusing to help out with airfare and incidentals, when they should have been moving heaven and earth to help out the stranded passengers? Remember, many of the passengers were Italian, and reports from Giglio said there were buses to get the locals back to their cars. Those needing to travel by plane were bussed to a hotel and dumped. It would not be easy, of course, but customer relations should have also had an established plan for emergency response for stranded passengers as well.

No excuse for any of this.

And add one more item to the inexcusable list: reports are going around that many of their own staff were having to make their own arrangements to get home, with either their own or with money lent by their embassy. Most crew members lost everything they owned on the ship, and some likely lost a sizable amount of cash onboard as well.

I really don't disagree with you. I just have a feeling that the presence of a captain who said it was an electrical problem, followed by the absence of said captain, is at the root of what happened.

But I do also think that the best laid emergency plans often go awry in the face of a real disaster, no matter what the intentions. I cant imagine that there won't be willing and fair compensation eventually.

oh my. the poor crew members. I speak to them often when i cruise. and i get that for very young people its a good gig. but its a hard job, and i often feel the major liners take advantage.

i cannot believe they were left to their own devices, after being paid in cash, and losing everything, and staying on board to help when the capt bailed. how absolutely awful.

and, yes, i too question what the on the ground emergency people were thinking? if you take on the responsibility of 4200 passengers, you should indeed have a plan in place to get them all safe and home.

also, they have DIRECT LINES to airlines. on credit. it should be absolutely nothing for them to get these people plane tix, clothes, vouchers. crazy.

How did they get home with just his wallet? How did they obtain passports to return? Just wondering as so many others could not leave without their passports. Our passports do not fit in our wallets. Glad they could get home!

We just had to change info on our (US) passports & were sent wallet sized cards in addition to the passport. Not sure if it would smooth the way in such an unfortunate situation, but you can be sure that I'll be taking a closer look at it later & it will probably be residing in my wallet!

I would assume that Costa will reimburse anyone for airfare they had to purchase to get home, but that it was much speedier for anyone who was in a position to purchase their own, it was best to do that on the spot than to wait for them.

Considering they're refusing to refund paid in full fares on future Concordia sailings, I wouldn't hold my breath on that.

How did they get home with just his wallet? How did they obtain passports to return? Just wondering as so many others could not leave without their passports. Our passports do not fit in our wallets. Glad they could get home!

Some countries waved the passport requirement if you were on the Concordia manifest. I saw an interview with a family last night on HLN that got home to the US without their passports. They were put into some kind of database of some sort.

the interwebs are your friend. there are many services that have online "vaults" for documents. they are safe and encrypted but you can access them on line in emergency, etc. hell, when i went traveling for 4 months, i sent myself an email with copies of my passport and driver's license. that may not have been the smartest for identity theft purpose

This really caught my eye. Very good idea! I don't know about the security of the email, but kudos for thinking on your feet.

Forgot to thank you for sharing this. Best wishes to your friend. Let him know that people here at cc are thinking of everyone affected by this disaster. Sounds pretty hollow at this point, I know, but for what it's worth....

Just thought I'd share this. A friend of mine was on the Concordia when they had to abandon the ship. He sent me this email today.

 

We just landed back in New York. I've never been so happy to be on dry land. You would not believe what we went through. I'm serious. You just would not believe it. I'll call you later to tell you the whole story, but I'll give you the jist of it now...

 

We had just finished dinner and we're heading to the casino when we felt an awful shaking. Almost immediately after, the lights went out and people began screaming. Once we saw crew members getting their life vests, we went to our cabin and got ours. There were SOME announcements, but they were not in English. More and more passengers were coming out with their life vests on and I knew we were in trouble. During this entire time we saw NO officers, nor did we hear from any of them. Crew members were attempting to help, but you could tell they did not really know what to do. I immediately thought of the movie Titanic. It was unreal. Lifeboats were not lowered until it was too late. By the time they were lowered, the ship was already listing too much to the point that they were slamming into the side of the ship. We saw several passengers jumping off the ship and swimming to shore. By this time we were pretty close to the rocks. We jumped off, and swam with nothing but the clothes on our back. Luckly I had my wallet with me, or I dont think I would have made it home...We had to buy our own airline tickets from Rome. Costa put us up in a hotel for the night, but told us that if we were able to buy our own tickets home we should. I'm glad to be home, but I feel awful for people who were not so lucky. This is something that I never thought could happen.

OMG -- nothing more to say about it. So glad your friend is safe.

Considering they're refusing to refund paid in full fares on future Concordia sailings, I wouldn't hold my breath on that.

I'd bet cash money this will change.

Anyone who makes excuses for crew members not performing their duties as trained and feeling sorry for them , might as well have pushed the passengers overboard themselves. Absolutely incredible that people make excuses for crew not doing their jobs and contributing to the deaths of many. I am ashamed of people .:mad: