pauleydm

Crew is going back on the ship now...

Crew is going back on the ship now...

The latest news is that guests are being directed to the Marriott Fishermans Reef to rest in one of the ballrooms. The fire was contained and extinguished by the automatic fire suppression system. We are now waiting for clearance to reboard the ship. We will not sail before 8:00pm. This was an official letter from the captain.

Sorry, we were able to borrow $20.00 to get some food. We were originally scheduled to leave at 5:00. We have heard no news at the moment if that is happening. We have heard from some passengers that we will be allowed to board the ship at some point, but whether we leave as planned is still not known. Some are saying that we will be here over night, but that has not been an official announcement. Passengers and crew members are still waiting patiently for an official announcement.

The smoke appears to be the normal exhaust. We are supposed to be back on ship at 4:30 and leave for Barbados at 5:00.

Did they sound the abandon ship horns, six or seven short beeps, and then a long one? Or did they just make announcements?

Both

Yes, getting tired. It is hot, and there are very few places that are shaded. Plus, besides the intermittent wood benches which are occupied, most people are sitting on the side walk. Carnival is now going around asking people if they swiped their card before they left the ship...which we did not do. The crew member said we should be going back on the ship soon, but when asked, there is no news on whether we will be able to finish the cruise.

I'll always carry some cash and a credit card on my person....

We were just planning on playing trivia and having a relaxed day since we have been to St Thomas two times. I am glad I have my medicines with me at least.

You can tell people are getting tired, but the mood seems to be positive. A lot of people are sitting in the shade on the side walk. I talked to another passenger that said he saw black smoke coming out of the whale tail before we were evacuated. By the time we got off the ship, there was no visible sign of smoke.

We, unfortunately have no money on us since we were not planning on leaving the ship...so water for us I guess.

Carnival is doing a great job passing out water.

One of the fire trucks just left. Hopefully that is a good sign.

There have been no official announcement that there is an engine fire made by the captain, although all indications is that there is something going on to merit the fire department. There have been no signs of smoke leaving the ship.

Men and women of the Virgin Islands Fire Department are here now. I am not sure how long they have been present, but this is the first time I have seen them. The ambulance is leaving now with its lights on. Staff and crew are still in groups outside the port entrance.

The staff and crew are in groups now, but no one is going back on the ship yet.

Crew are now being called back in groups based on department.

We are now seeing officers and engine crew leaving the ship.

We are not being allowed near the back of the ship, so it is difficult to discern if anything is being vented. I did not witness anyone in masks, but who can say who is still on the ship. Most of the crew was evacuated after the passengers. Based on uniforms, we have mostly crew and staff that are from housekeeping, food and beverage, entertainment, and shop attendants. I do not see any officers or engine crew at the moment.

An ambulance just arrived. I am not sure if it is related to what is going on onboard the ship or if a passenger off the ship needs medical assistance.

I would post pictures, but my cell phone will not let me.

We are still waiting for an official announcement. The captain was quite firm when he said we have an emergency situation on the ship and all passengers must evacuate.

So the noise I mentioned earlier is definitely coming from the ship and not from a helicopter. There have been no announcements recently from the bridge.

This is certainly peculiar. When we were on board, we thought that this was a drill, but the way the staff and crew were running to their emergency stations, it looked like they were concerned. I would not say they were panicked, but you could tell that this was something of concern. I stated earlier that there was a helicopter near the ship, but I can not see it visually. The noise may be a helicopter or a similar noise coming from the engines of the ship.

Although we are docked in St Thomas and not at sea, a lot of passengers left the ship with their life vests. Most likely a visceral reaction to the situation.

It appears that close to 1000 crew and passengers were evacuated. The rest of the passengers are most likely on excursions or are shopping.