An open letter - Why we've decided to stop cruising

[Dmetrius]

I am a retired teacher and I had the feeling, on the Holland America cruises we went on, that it was a little like being at school again. A bit too communal, a bit too tied to timetable, a lot of work to organise ( our last cruise went to five countries and that was a lot of research) and too much dependent on the behaviour or misbehaviour of the other passengers.

Those factors may indeed be so but they are the trade-off for travelling in a floating four star hotel, unpacking only once, avoiding wretched airports between multiple stops and all the paranoid security checks that would entail, no washing dishes after dinner, and seeing multiple destinations at a price you couldn't do for that price if you did the same itinerary via air travel.

Nothing's perfect even if The Love Boat brainwashed all of America into believing that cruising was exempt from imperfections.

So the TV lied to us, but we're gradually getting over the illusion.

[Mrs. Wilburforce]

To the O.P.,

I understand what you're feeling and am not going to belittle you for deciding that you won't cruise again. I'm on the fence as well but for different reasons. Concordia didn't help.

I wish you well and hope you have many, many, many happy trips in the air and on land.

Most people on this board are helpful and understanding, and have expressed some very nice sentiments.

Good luck to you and to all people who enjoy cruising and are struggling with this decision.

[caribill]

Furthermore, in the past , most ships i sailed on had the very much appreciated and what i believe should be mandatory, in cabin monitor screen showing at all times, location, heading, speed, wind velocity, etc etc. plus on a separate screen a bow and stern cam. Ideally, the up to date currently used maritime chart would be displayed showing the ship's location with its crucial data.

 

 

Princess usually has this (less the stern cam), but on the recent Crown cruise to nowhere, passengers posted that the navigation information was turned off after the ship started heading back to Florida but before the Captain announced this to the passengers. Some passengers did notice that the sun was rising on the wrong side of the ship.

[KruzPrincess]

I respect your decision. I hope you enjoy your future vacations.

 

When the Concordia disaster happened I was asked by practically everyone I know what I thought. They all know how much I love cruising. The truth is that I was sad to see how this played out and what I learned about how things happened. I'm angry that the captain of the Concordia was such an idiot. I thank God I wasn't on that ship. I feel sorry for the people who lost their lives and their families. That said, I still feel safe on a cruise ship. I think it's far more likely that something bad could happen to me in most other modes of transportation. I think Princess does a good job with safety. I will continue to cruise.

 

I live in Minnesota and today was the memoral service for the Heil's who were the missing couple from the US on the Concordia. My thoughts go out to their family.

[bahrain_not_dubai!]

While I can understand your sentiments, I'd also recommend never stepping on a plane again, in a house because houses have been known to collapse and cars as vehicles can have an accident, many fatal.

 

I support your decision not to cruise again, or at least in the coming future, as if you will not feel safe aboard a cruise ship then don't waste your vacation time there, go somewhere where you feel both comfortable and safe. For many perception is reality, but it need not be that way.

 

Ships are NOT UNSINKABLE. The difference between the Titanic and Concordia is, on the Titanic, 1,500 lives perished out of 2,200, and on the Concordia, out of 4,200 about 30 or so were tragically lost. Even with the complacency of Costa Cruises, the chaos that ensued, even with all that went wrong, modern design and safety features saved over 4,160 of the vessel's compliment.

 

Those who say cruise ship travel is NOT safe, I say, wake up! If cruise ships, the safest vacation around (yes, safer than staying at resorts) is not safe, then nothing is. The fact of the matter is, vessel sinking are far and in between. Some people here (not the OP) have made it sound that a ship can never sink. It is the sad reality, but it makes cruising no less safer than it already is.

[Aplmac]

While I can understand your sentiments, I'd also recommend never stepping on a plane again, in a house

because houses have been known to collapse and cars as vehicles can have an accident, many fatal.

 

I support your decision not to cruise again, or at least in the coming future, as if you will not feel safe aboard a cruise ship

then don't waste your vacation time there, go somewhere where you feel both comfortable and safe.

For many perception is reality, but it need not be that way.

 

Ships are NOT UNSINKABLE. The difference between the Titanic and Concordia is, on the Titanic, 1,500 lives perished out of 2,200,

and on the Concordia, out of 4,200 about 30 or so were tragically lost.

Even with the complacency of Costa Cruises, the chaos that ensued,

even with all that went wrong, modern design and safety features saved over 4,160 of the vessel's compliment.

 

Those who say cruise ship travel is NOT safe, I say, wake up!

If cruise ships, the safest vacation around (yes, safer than staying at resorts) is not safe, then nothing is.

The fact of the matter is, vessel sinking are far and in between. Some people here (not the OP) have made it sound that a ship can never sink.

It is the sad reality, but it makes cruising no less safer than it already is.

Yes, but their illusion has been shattered you see.. and that's the problem!

 

They had found Perfection in cruising, and now that too lies in ruins.

Many more out there are having to come to grips with this.

.

[Davyjonesrugrat]

Hi There,

 

If you feel unsafe then you are right not to cruise, however what ever type of holiday you take there is risk,

 

a number of years ago while in London there was a bad underground station fire I was there 1 month before, then a train crashed I was on that train the week before, then a plane crash I was on that plane only hours before,

 

I did not give up traveling, just paid more attention to safety notices etc

 

 

yours Shogun

Thank you for your open and honest 'past incidents' and I would like to ask a favour. Both me and my partner are avid travellers and as yet have not suffered any mishaps. I would therefore ask that you forward your travel arrangements/program for this forthcoming year (2012/13) in order that we can avoid your companionship. It does appear that you a 'Jonah' and a fellow 'Scots' to avoid

 

aye yours

:D:D

 

P.S. Have you contemplated using 'holy water' from your local church to get rid of the 'hex'

[WarumistdieBananekrumm]

What do you plan to do w the data on the screen - run up to the bridge and warn the captain that the ship is in danger; grab your lifevest and run up to the lifeboat deck and wait for the ship to crash, or call room service and order a 5th of scotch to keep warm in the lifeboat?

 

In other words, that data on the screen would be completely useless.

 

DON

-

 

thank you for your input .....

[Blondie008]

Thank you for your open and honest 'past incidents' and I would like to ask a favour. Both me and my partner are avid travellers and as yet have not suffered any mishaps. I would therefore ask that you forward your travel arrangements/program for this forthcoming year (2012/13) in order that we can avoid your companionship. It does appear that you a 'Jonah' and a fellow 'Scots' to avoid

 

aye yours

:D:D

 

P.S. Have you contemplated using 'holy water' from your local church to get rid of the 'hex'

 

:D Even although I know you were referring to me, your comment made me laugh!!! Well, so far this year I've managed Miami, Cozumel, Ocho Rios, Costa Rica, Panama, Key West, Cayman Islands, London, and a few other Caribbean ports and returned home safely. You might want to avoid England, France, Norway, Denmark, Holland and Germany around June ;)

Possibility of northern Spain in August, and the highest odds of risk factor, Morrocco in October -

Thankfully, we Jonah's have survived to tell the tale :)

PS - Oor Kirk disnae hae' holy wata!:p

[cruiserfanfromct]

:D Even although I know you were referring to me, your comment made me laugh!!! Well, so far this year I've managed Miami, Cozumel, Ocho Rios, Costa Rica, Panama, Key West, Cayman Islands, London, and a few other Caribbean ports and returned home safely. You might want to avoid England, France, Norway, Denmark, Holland and Germany around June ;)

Possibility of northern Spain in August, and the highest odds of risk factor, Morrocco in October -

Thankfully, we Jonah's have survived to tell the tale :)

PS - Oor Kirk disnae hae' holy wata!:p

 

Mods - I believe this post belongs in the "Floataway Cafe" - please move accordingly. Thank you.

[jtmalt]

Ships are NOT UNSINKABLE. The difference between the Titanic and Concordia is, on the Titanic, 1,500 lives perished out of 2,200, and on the Concordia, out of 4,200 about 30 or so were tragically lost. Even with the complacency of Costa Cruises, the chaos that ensued, even with all that went wrong, modern design and safety features saved over 4,160 of the vessel's compliment.

 

Modern design and safety features didn't save over 4,160 of the vessel's complement. The fact that the Concordia ultimately ran aground on a sandbar, preventing it from completely capsizing and sinking did. You may recall that rescuers were prevented from entering the wreck on several occasions because it was on the edge of much deeper water, and was in danger of slipping off. Had it finally listed to the point of becoming unnavigable just a few meters further off shore, many more people may have been killed.

 

Yes, but their illusion has been shattered you see.. and that's the problem!

 

They had found Perfection in cruising, and now that too lies in ruins.

Many more out there are having to come to grips with this.

.

 

A very good point. Up until now, it's been easy to say things like "oh, they will never put their passengers in danger", whether it be a port with unrest, a hurricane, etc. Now, we can see the reality that the Captain can take foolhardy risks, and there is no monitoring or supervision to stop them.

 

Mods - I believe this post belongs in the "Floataway Cafe" - please move accordingly. Thank you.

 

Actually, this thread started out on the Princess board, since it was my letter to Princess, explaining why they were losing my cruising business, even though they had nothing to do with the accident on the Concordia. If I feel this way, even as a seasoned cruiser, I'm sure I must be representative of many others who are not vocal about it, and that's something the cruise industry will need to address. I'd actually prefer if the mods would move it back to the Princess board rather than consign it to the dustbin of the Floataway Lounge.

 

I'd like to note that, if you look at my past posting, I'm not particularly risk-averse. We've been on a ship that skirted Hurricane Rita and was tossed about for three days, I've broken my ribs on a shore excursion in Jamaica, and we were on one of the first ships to return to Egypt after the revolution. I've always felt safe, because I've always had confidence that we would not be put in harms way. The most recent serious incident we knew about had been the fire on the Star Princess, and it seemed that everything was done right in that instance, which gave us confidence.

 

The Concordia illustrated what can happen when things AREN'T done right.

[Blondie008]

Actually, this thread started out on the Princess board, since it was my letter to Princess, explaining why they were losing my cruising business, even though they had nothing to do with the accident on the Concordia. If I feel this way, even as a seasoned cruiser, I'm sure I must be representative of many others who are not vocal about it, and that's something the cruise industry will need to address. I'd actually prefer if the mods would move it back to the Princess board rather than consign it to the dustbin of the Floataway Lounge.

 

 

Think you'll find cruiserfanfromct was referring to my personal post JT, isnt that right sweetie ;)

[cruiserfanfromct]

 

....Actually, this thread started out on the Princess board, since it was my letter to Princess, explaining why they were losing my cruising business, even though they had nothing to do with the accident on the Concordia. If I feel this way, even as a seasoned cruiser, I'm sure I must be representative of many others who are not vocal about it, and that's something the cruise industry will need to address. I'd actually prefer if the mods would move it back to the Princess board rather than consign it to the dustbin of the Floataway Lounge.

 

jtmalt - My response to move a post was referring to another poster's response and not this thread or your open letter. (please view my prior post in response to your letter). I agree the thread should stay on the Costa forum and not be moved anywhere else. Again, thank you for sharing this letter and opening up a very pertinent discussion.

[greg-nc]

Those who say cruise ship travel is NOT safe, I say, wake up! If cruise ships, the safest vacation around (yes, safer than staying at resorts) is not safe, then nothing is. The fact of the matter is, vessel sinking are far and in between.

 

After crunching the numbers....

 

Only 1 in every 96712 cruise ship voyages sinks since 1970.

 

Your chance of being dealt a royal flush in the ship's casino is 1 in 649,740.

 

Your chances of hitting the power ball lottery are 1 in 146,107,962.

 

 

So are you feeling lucky?

[Davyjonesrugrat]

:D Even although I know you were referring to me, your comment made me laugh!!! Well, so far this year I've managed Miami, Cozumel, Ocho Rios, Costa Rica, Panama, Key West, Cayman Islands, London, and a few other Caribbean ports and returned home safely. You might want to avoid England, France, Norway, Denmark, Holland and Germany around June ;)

Possibility of northern Spain in August, and the highest odds of risk factor, Morrocco in October -

Thankfully, we Jonah's have survived to tell the tale :)

PS - Oor Kirk disnae hae' holy wata!:p

Thanks for the heads up I have no problem avoiding England, also some of the other countries, however Germany might be a problem.....I will now book a cruise for the Eastern med, then later on in the year a trip to Oz......last time was in 1977......then rounding it off with a two week stop off in Phuket

 

aye yours

 

p.s. I happen to do a range in 'holy waters' fae me local !!!

[OrlandoD]

Here's the very thing that stopped me cold in my tracks from making another cruise reservation at the moment: I didn't think that "these modern ships" could get a hole ripped in them and then flop over. I honestly thought that despite the damage, they could be controlled. I also never thought that a captain could change course at whim and navigate "by eye" just to say hello to an old friend with 4000+ lives under his dubious command. I also never considered what it might be like to be in lifeboat at night with my waiter on top of another waiter's shoulders trying to aim for shore. The cold hard reality of it all smacked me up the side of the head and I began to wonder if we all haven't just been lucky until now. How do you know, when you make those exciting reservations and choosing your cabin and start packing, if you have Captain Coward showing off for his lusty Main Squeeze on the bridge or the Captain who actually takes it all more seriously? Last I looked it's been reported bookings are down around 35% for this time of year. Obviously we are not alone in our hesitation.

[KatetheWanderer]

Here's the very thing that stopped me cold in my tracks from making another cruise reservation at the moment: I didn't think that "these modern ships" could get a hole ripped in them and then flop over. I honestly thought that despite the damage, they could be controlled. I also never thought that a captain could change course at whim and navigate "by eye" just to say hello to an old friend with 4000+ lives under his dubious command. I also never considered what it might be like to be in lifeboat at night with my waiter on top of another waiter's shoulders trying to aim for shore. The cold hard reality of it all smacked me up the side of the head and I began to wonder if we all haven't just been lucky until now. How do you know, when you make those exciting reservations and choosing your cabin and start packing, if you have Captain Coward showing off for his lusty Main Squeeze on the bridge or the Captain who actually takes it all more seriously? Last I looked it's been reported bookings are down around 35% for this time of year. Obviously we are not alone in our hesitation.

 

All of your misapprehensions were also mine. Ignorance is bliss. I will still cruise again but I will never be as completely at ease as I was before. I thought that if the weather was good, not much could happen. The fact this was such a rare occurrence will sustain me so that I will still enjoy the big ships without too much worry. It just won't be exactly the same as before. We need wakeup calls occasionally. Thank goodness this one did not involve an even greater loss of a lot of good people who were supposed to be having the time of their life.

On a more positive note, I was heartened to hear today that most of the fuel has been removed from the Concordia.

[Gingee]

I am also leary and debated about making our final payment. Well we did it. In a way I am getting excited and a way leary. I have never felt great falling asleep at night on a cruise ship. Seems like that is when disaster happens. I can relate to stopping to cruise. Do what makes you comfortable.

[OrlandoD]

I am also leary and debated about making our final payment. Well we did it. In a way I am getting excited and a way leary. I have never felt great falling asleep at night on a cruise ship. Seems like that is when disaster happens. I can relate to stopping to cruise. Do what makes you comfortable.

 

OK - so now you're going. Go full speed ahead! Obviously statistics are on your side for nothin but fun. Pay attention during your muster drill and enjoy every minute of your trip!!:cool:

[OrlandoD]

PS Gingee - Sovereign of the Seas was my first cruise in October 2000 - been at this quite some time!!

[notladjr]

Have you also given up driving a car? How about flying in a plane? Riding a bus? Many more people get killed by these activities.

 

The post I am quoting here are my sentiments also. I do believe the original post in this thread is absolutely 100% correct in the analysis of the situation with the Concordia.

 

However in my mind to allow this one incident to keep a person from cruising seems an over reaction to say the least.

[glrounds]

I can appreciate the OP's concern and wish them the very best future vacations.

 

I'm, however, unfazed by this "speed bump" in ocean travel. As a previous poster stated, only one sinking in some 96,712 cruises. The odds are a little bit more in my favor cruising than flying, driving the 405, or even sitting in a McDonald's like I'm doing now.:)

 

I'll continue to cruise. You can bet future captains will be vetted much better and their non-standard activities observed with much more scrutiny. Love Carnival and hope to be milestone in 5 more.:rolleyes:

 

[Blondie008]

Thanks for the heads up I have no problem avoiding England, also some of the other countries, however Germany might be a problem.....I will now book a cruise for the Eastern med, then later on in the year a trip to Oz......last time was in 1977......then rounding it off with a two week stop off in Phuket

 

aye yours

 

p.s. I happen to do a range in 'holy waters' fae me local !!!

 

Sounds wonderful Davy!, I've never been to the Far East, would love to, we have family in the Caribbean so most trips go west to be with them..one day.. Safe journeys, and hae' a wee dram o' that holy water for me please ;)

aye yours tae :)

[Silverado6x6]

I had a plan in its infancy of a combined short cruise on a Disney ship with a month long vacation in Orlando for the family.

 

Nixed the cruise plans, can't shake the vibe of being like herded cattle into a daily milking machine.

[Esprit]

My daughter is currently performing her third contract aboard a cruise ship and she has no concerns about her safety. Her collegues seem quite dismissive about the Concordia tragedy too.

 

I personally think the open letter is over the top but respect the writer's decision.

 

There is new Utube footage showing the boarding of life boats in a very calm manner (not chaotic at all). The crew filmed are even making jokes about the list of the ship. Clearly not footage the Media would want to show as they still want us to believe the whole evacuation was a total nightmare.