Letter from Allure's captain - 3 refugees saved from water

There is a news flash in Finnish newspapers about a Finnish couple who were on their honeymoon on Allure Sep 14-21 cruise.

They were on their balcony on the last night, heard some voices in the ocean calling for help. They made a phone call to inform ship staff (the message reached captain in the end) about this, and Allure stopped to search for 3 hours.

In the end, coast guard found 3 Cuban refugees on a broken self-made raft. The couple did not know this until they received a letter from Captain Johnny Maevelen.

Letter is posted in web - otherwise the news is in Finnish of course

http://www.rantapallo.fi/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Allure-of-the-Seas-Saloranta.jpg

http://www.rantapallo.fi/matkailu/suomalaispariskunnan-sankariteko-karibialla-haamatkalaisten-neuvokkuus-pelasti-kolme-ihmishenkea/

I think it is very nice that the captain took time to inform the couple about the result.

Very classy! Nicely done, Captain!

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Thank you for saving these peoples lives, but unfortunately they were returned to Cuba. It's simply the law, but you did a really good thing.

This isn't unusual at all, happen on two cruises I've taken over the last few years.

How nice for the follow up and acknowledgement! Good job by the couple that reported, and I'm sure the letter about the outcome is very much appreciated by them. :)

Can you imagine reporting something like that...the ship changes course and wanders for a few hours, (with possible delays) and you feel like the person that cried wolf? It was great that Royal Caribbean let them know what happened.

That's wonderful that they reported it, the folks were found. And even if they were returned...at least they are still alive.

WOW,

I bet the refuges are grateful to be alive.....even if they are returned to their location of exile.

Sea Ya

How nice for the follow up and acknowledgement! Good job by the couple that reported, and I'm sure the letter about the outcome is very much appreciated by them. :)

 

Can you imagine reporting something like that...the ship changes course and wanders for a few hours, (with possible delays) and you feel like the person that cried wolf? It was great that Royal Caribbean let them know what happened.

 

That's wonderful that they reported it, the folks were found. And even if they were returned...at least they are still alive.

This is exactly what I thought! Nice gesture from the captain letting them know the outcome. Not having to think for the rest of your life, if you caused some delay without proper reason.

I wonder what I had done in similar situation... Probably nothing.

I feel sorry for the refugees - for the sake of having such conditions in your home that you would risk your life and illegally try to sneak in another country for a hope of better life. I dont know Cuban situation well enough to be able to justify. Still, I hope they are grateful for being alive.

For the most part my reason for posting this was just kudos for the Captain for sending the letter.

Gotta love Captain Johnny. He is a real class act.

Love captain Johnny

To correct Captain Johnny's last name in post #1, it's Faevelen.

Very nice of the captain to take the time to update the folks who originally contacted the crew. Well done, Captain!!!

We had the same situation on our Aug 3 Allure cruise. The crew on the bridge of the Allure did not see the raft/boat and the passengers had to call and tell them there were people in the water. I would hope RCCL can look into some additional training for the bridge crew so they don't miss small craft in the water.

We had the same situation on our Aug 3 Allure cruise. The crew on the bridge of the Allure did not see the raft/boat and the passengers had to call and tell them there were people in the water. I would hope RCCL can look into some additional training for the bridge crew so they don't miss small craft in the water.

At 3am a broken raft on the ocean is not going to be easy to spot. I think you are looking for a negative angle to the story that does not exist.

We had the same situation on our Aug 3 Allure cruise. The crew on the bridge of the Allure did not see the raft/boat and the passengers had to call and tell them there were people in the water. I would hope RCCL can look into some additional training for the bridge crew so they don't miss small craft in the water.

You've been really cranky about Royal Caribbean as of late. Something crawl up your robe? ;)

Gotta love Captain Johnny. He is a real class act.

Very classy - love the "Master's" stamp!

GOOD JOB!!!! But the questions should be. Were they Quarantined? What precautions were taken by the crew? Masks and gloves or protective clothing, was it used? NOT TO START ANYTHING, but but but.............Anybody sick?.............................RADICAL

At 3am a broken raft on the ocean is not going to be easy to spot. I think you are looking for a negative angle to the story that does not exist.

On Aug 9, the Allure passed a raft/boat in the middle of the afternoon. If the Allure is passing rafts that are close enough to hear the occupants voices, it must be very close. The refugees would have been a lot happier if the Allure didn't pass them the first time. The fact that the Allure passes these boats/rafts and other ships don't rely on the passengers to spot rafts/boats is concerning. Perhaps the crew on the Allure needs some additional training.

You've been really cranky about Royal Caribbean as of late. Something crawl up your robe? ;)

Not cranky, but I'm not an RCL cheerleader. And yes, you are correct, I was wearing my robe on Deck 15 as I watched the Allure go back for the raft/boat. Always a good day relaxing in my robe.

We had the same situation on our Aug 3 Allure cruise. The crew on the bridge of the Allure did not see the raft/boat and the passengers had to call and tell them there were people in the water. I would hope RCCL can look into some additional training for the bridge crew so they don't miss small craft in the water.

Maybe you should put your suggestion in a letter to the cruise line.

They can probably take some sort of correspondence class to learn new skills.

In November 2005 on a Celebrity Western Caribbean itinerary on our way back to Miami, where you can see Cuba in the distance, the ship came upon 6 Cuban refugees in what I would call the equivalent of a child's inflatable swimming pool bobbing in the sea. Surprisingly to me at the time - they waved us off. But, there was a small child with the group of adults and the captain sent a tender to pick them up on humanitarian grounds. I thought there would be a riot on the ship as many passengers knew that they would be returned to Cuba. In any case, the Coast Guard came about 11 p.m. to pick up the adults, using a cage-type apparatus that slid down a wire from the ship to the Coast Guard boat. No tenders were used. The child was left on the ship and was released to immigration officials in Miami. Heartbreaking.

At dinner that night, our waiter told us that on this itinerary they find empty "boats" ALL THE TIME. The Cubans try to get out to open water past Cuban jurisdiction any way they can and then they wait, sometimes for days, for smugglers to come by and pick them up in speedboats and try to get them to land in the U.S.

Everyone in Cuba knows that if caught, they'll be returned to Cuba. For them, its worth the enormous risks. Heartbreaking.

Thank you for saving these peoples lives, but unfortunately they were returned to Cuba. It's simply the law, but you did a really good thing.

wAh Wah!

On Aug 9, the Allure passed a raft/boat in the middle of the afternoon. If the Allure is passing rafts that are close enough to hear the occupants voices, it must be very close. The refugees would have been a lot happier if the Allure didn't pass them the first time. The fact that the Allure passes these boats/rafts and other ships don't rely on the passengers to spot rafts/boats is concerning. Perhaps the crew on the Allure needs some additional training.

That's great, the article that was referred to in this thread though specifies that it occurred at 00:30 AM which is 12:30 in the morning, so I stand corrected, however it's still not the afternoon. So we have two incidents here, one in the middle of the night, and yours of which I had not heard of until just now when I read your post.

it happened on allure August 16 too

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GOOD JOB!!!! But the questions should be. Were they Quarantined? What precautions were taken by the crew? Masks and gloves or protective clothing, was it used? NOT TO START ANYTHING, but but but.............Anybody sick?.............................RADICAL

The Allure did not rescue them. The USCG did.