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

[KatetheWanderer]

I think that you need to CC this note to all of the airlines as well. If you are familiar with the circumstances regarding the Air France flight that literally fell out of the sky (bound for Europe from Rio) in totally flyable condition as a result of the Flight Crew's inexperience/lack of training you will know what I mean.

 

There are precious few assurances that we are in competent hands these days. :(

 

 

Good point in terms of the broader perspective. Consumers should be lauded for taking the time to express their specific beefs when malfeasance and treachery is afoot in any corporate activity involving health and safety where there is obvious room for improvement. I accept that I might be one of the ones thinned out by random selection depending on the level of risk assumed. Even so, I want the lords of money to factor my safety into their equations. The OP's letter on the heels of the Concordia is well-timed and well-directed with respect to the immediate issue about cruising. I'm glad the cruise industry is taking a financial hit and having to re-examine its safety procedures and ship design in light of the new information gleaned from the disaster. The more people that write, the better. Now that it is clear that the OP's letter isn't about a fear of cruising, it looks more like a boycott or a vote of no confidence rather than an unwarranted alarm to panic and avoid an otherwise extremely safe mode of travel.

[Forge]

It crossed my mind briefly whether cruising is safe or not, but statistically cruising is very, very safe.

 

Myself & my husband have discussed what we'd do in an emergency, a really serious emergency- & we certainly wouldn't go to the muster station as in my opinion it would be crazy bedlam, with the chance of people getting crushed in the panic.

Its hard enough getting out those places at the end of the safety drill!

 

No, we would put on our life jackets, assess the situation, then either stay in our cabin (we have balcony cabins so we can jump over if need be!!) or go to an outside deck & wait there until we found out what we considered the best plan of action to be.

 

Wrong i know, but in a real emergency i would probably not do as i was asked by a crew member, as unfortunately i do think that the reality in a really scary situation would be 'every man for himself'

 

I agree and it is not wrong. I love cruising and continue to do so. In an emergency the last thing I would do is head for the crowds.

Grab your gear, go topside and find your own way off.

 

For those thinking about giving up cruising, consider this.

You just need to take notice of your surroundings, look around see what's usefull. Those funny looking cylinders you see EVERYWHERE are liferafts with instructions, so there are more than enough boats for everyone and I'm sure there are people savey enough to figure out how to use them.

Take the lifeboat drills seriously, know your exit points and just be aware.

The most important thing, relax, enjoy your cruise but just keep half an eye on the horizon...

One more thing, there are a lot of things on a ship that float and I always notice where the ropes are.. ( No, I'm not parranoid, just being ready ).

 

Cruising is a very safe way to travel, don't let the stupidity of one person put you off. Concordia was a result of human error not malfunction or bad weather.

[fathercop]

To the OP:

 

Good luck to you if that is your choice not to cruise again. And, if you decide to cruise again in the future, good luck to you on that, too.

 

Like an old, Lutheran, pastor friend of mine used to say, "Ain't none of us getting out of this life, alive."

[Moeve]

@OP you might want to take another look at that Discovery show which by the way didn't even wait until the OFFICIAL inquiry into the incident was complete (by the way that couold take well up to 2 years to hear all the evidence etc.)

 

That show was pure fear mongering - that sells better and YOU I am sorry to say fell for it!

[bernardinho]

allowing (or allegedly demanding) the sail-bys by its captains.

 

And THAT is the big question isn't it ? Did Costa corporate know and encourage this or was it really just the actions of one rogue skipper. Costa's future may rest on the answer as if corporate tacitly encouraged it then they risk zero reimbursement from their insurers. With this in mind it's obviously in their interest to see the Captain demonised.

Why would tacitly encouraging (allowing?) the sail-by risk reimbursement from Costa's insureres for either first party (ship damage) or third party claims (passenger suits). Are you suggesting there are policy exclusions for unintended results of intended acts?

[jeanlyon]

Why on earth would you stop cruising and write that letter? How many cruising accidents have you heard of in 20 years? So there was a bad Captain. I'm sure he was a one-off. P&O for example always do their muster drill before the ship sails. Absolute rubbish.

[GOLDENBONNY]

My wife and I have been avid cruisers since 2005, but while planning our next cruise we started to realize that we were having second thoughts. Ultimately, we've decided to take a land-based vacation instead. This is a copy of a letter I've sent to both Micky Arison, CEO of Carnival Corporation, and Alan Buckelew CEO of Princess. I thought you might want to see it, and add your comments, pro or con, to this thread.

 

-----------------------------------------------------

 

Dear Mr. Arison and Mr. Buckelew,

 

After 6 cruises, 3 of them on Princess, we've made the decision to stop cruising altogether, and we think you need to know why.

 

The fiasco surrounding the Costa Concordia disaster has shaken us to the core. We've always felt comfortable sailing, because we've always felt safe. Up until now, we were always confident that in a real emergency, the well trained staff and crew would know what to do, and would execute their duties to ensure passenger safety.

 

Watching the National Geographic expose on the events surrounding the Concordia, which included cell phone footage and passenger accounts of the harrowing circumstances on board, I could not help but to envision myself in similar circumstances, and it is simply chilling. We were shocked beyond belief that the situation on board had been allowed to escalate to such chaos. Accounts of passengers running from lifeboat to lifeboat, trying to find room, and ultimately having to jump and swim to shore defied belief.

 

I am well aware that the true facts are still being investigated, but, at this time, the public perception is that there was a complete breakdown of the command structure and safety procedures. Footage showing people being directed back to their cabins while the ship was clearly taking on water was very disturbing.

 

I am not writing to ask for anything from you. I simply want you to be aware of the impressions of one pair of formerly enthusiastic cruisers. I would imagine that we are representative of many others, who might not take the time to write.

 

Our perceptions are that:

 

 

• The crew performed admirably under the circumstances.
  
• The passengers were not properly informed of emergency procedures.
  
• The Captain and senior staff unnecessarily delayed alerting passengers and evacuating the ship, causing unnecessary risk.
  
• The delay in evacuation caused issues with the launching of the lifeboats.
  
• There was a breakdown of communications on all fronts.
  

Again, these are perceptions, not facts, but as is often said, perception IS reality.

 

The current cruise industry response of re-evaluating the mechanics of the safety briefing and muster drill is only one small part in restoring confidence. Speaking only for myself, I need to see steps that will demonstrate that the Captain and senior staff are deserving of the trust that we put into them.

 

It is somewhat ironic that the Concordia incident, demonstrating such a poor response by a commanding officer in the face of an emergency, came at the same time as the anniversary of the successful water landing of US Airways Flight 1549 by Captain Sully Sullenberger. There could not be a greater contrast between two disastrous events.

 

We've come a long way since the sinking of the Titanic, and yet it seems that the fundamental issues of safety of life at sea still remain. I don't know how you will accomplish it, but you need to either somehow restore public faith in the commanding officers of your ships, or rely on the public to gradually forget the horrific events that occurred on January 13th.

 

Most Sincerely,

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

 

did you stop flying and driving your car as well? Did you read news about popel murdered in resorts? Did you see Thailand resort tragedy ?

[jeanlyon]

Exactly, did you stop going to a city in case there was a bomb? I bet Carnival laughed like a drain when they received that diatribe!

[jtmalt]

@OP you might want to take another look at that Discovery show which by the way didn't even wait until the OFFICIAL inquiry into the incident was complete (by the way that couold take well up to 2 years to hear all the evidence etc.)

 

That show was pure fear mongering - that sells better and YOU I am sorry to say fell for it!

 

Actually, I have not seen the Discovery show. I did however, see the National Geographic show, which limited speculation on how the accident occurred and instead focused on accounts of survivors and video footage taken on board by passengers with their cell phones.

 

Exactly, did you stop going to a city in case there was a bomb? I bet Carnival laughed like a drain when they received that diatribe!

 

While I've been very polite, some posters apparently cannot accept another's opinion without resorting to mocking them.

 

I'll take your bet, as I very much doubt that anyone, Carnival included, can find anything at all to laugh about in regards to this incident. Aside from the human toll of 30 men, women, and children perishing needlessly, there is the very real financial impact when 35% of your customers decide not to cruise.

 

Regardless of the cause of this accident, not a single death need have occurred if the Captain, his officers, or Costa had taken appropriate action to muster and abandon the ship far earlier than they did. It is only by the grace of God that this ship did not roll over in deeper water.

 

Comparing this to robberies, street crime, driving, taking a bus, or whatever other foolish comparison you would care to use is just obscuring the issue. This was a survivable accident, and yet some posters are tossing off the deaths of 30 very real people with very real lives as a minor detail, simply because cruise liners don't sink very often. Well, on this rare occasion one DID sink, and the safety procedures went very poorly indeed.

 

Some have claimed that the muster procedures on other ships are much more professionally designed. I don't know about that. My most recent experiences have been on Princess and Carnival. On those ships, muster is conducted in the main indoor spaces, such as the theater. Theoretically, in an abandon ship situation, passengers would then be escorted to escape areas from there.

 

Taking some of the comments on this thread into consideration, where passengers are stating that they would instead proceed directly to the lifeboats regardless of instructions to the contrary, I have grave doubts that there would be any less chaos than was seen on the Concordia, even with the more "organized" muster practices....and let's face it, by the time muster is held, many passengers are thoroughly pickled and in no condition to be retaining life-saving information.

 

For now, my cruise dollars will be spent elsewhere, not because I'm afraid of my ship sinking, but because I have lost confidence in the safety measures if an accident DOES happen. I won't cruise again until a better system that I feel confident in is put in place. Some 3 out of 10 cruisers seem to agree with me, as reflected by the decline in bookings. The major cruise lines need to be aware that this is not just a public relations issue...they need to do something concrete if they expect cruisers like us to resume cruising.

 

Whether you think that's a foolish attitude or not is irrelevant. It's my attitude, and it's shared by enough others that there will be some serious financial repercussions to the cruise market if the management of the cruise lines don't get the message and address it.

[thinfool]

http://www.gfkrt.com/news_events/market_news/single_sites/009460/index.en.html

[isujim]

jtmalt

 

Take a deep breath. I for one congratulate you on your courage to do what you think is right for you and your family. You did, by posting the letter on cruise critic open yourself to those who don't agree with what you did, including those with sarcastic remarks. While I personally don't agree with you, I respect that you are doing what you think is right for you AND had the conviction to follow it up with a letter that was obviously well thought out.

 

I wish you the best in your future vacations. I for one, think your letter was read carefully at both Princess and Costa. Whether any serious changes come of it remain to be seen..........but as consumers, it all starts with a letter.

 

Again, while I don't agree, and I will continue to cruise, I respect your right to express yourself and have the conviction to follow through.

[Canadian Karebear]

You must do what you feel is right in your own mind.

 

When we sailed on the MSC Poesia recently, we asked a few of the wait staff if this disaster had any impact on their training. Most were quite up front with us and advised us that they have indeed, had new training added to their list of duties, most of which was life saving training.

 

This tragedy just makes one re-evaluate their travel decisions and act accordingly. After all, you must live with yourself either way.

 

I will continue to cruise, but am very much more aware of my surroundings, where the lifeboats are, paying attention at the muster drill, listening to the announcements.

 

I will also fly in a plane, and travel in a bus or train, trusting that my life is important enough for the pilot or conductor/engineer to be careful and ensure safety is of the utmost importance.

 

But you have to make the decisions for yourself that make sense to you.

[Forge]

Jtmalt is expressing his democratic right to make a decision he feels strongly about and good on you for doing it.

We should not be giving him a hard time over it. We're all entitled to make a choice. He has done nothing wrong, so lets be more supportive.

I stand by my earlier comments, which have nothing to do with Jtmalts' decision, and I think a lot of people have made some valid points.

Nothing in life is guaranteed, but I'm sure you will be at sea again in the future.

I've sailed with Princess, Royal Carribean, P&O and the Royal New Zealand Navy and I can tell you that sailing through 12 metre waves in a 1.500 ton warship is no fun!!

[Keel Haul]

Exactly, did you stop going to a city in case there was a bomb? I bet Carnival laughed like a drain when they received that diatribe!

I dont think you are old enough to remember the 2007 bombings in London. The numbers of American tourists visiting London dropped dramatically.

People have the right to make a choice and express their reasons. I doubt if Carnival are laughing at much at present.

[Moeve]

Perhaps we should remember that we as papssengers play an important roll too..

 

Bear in mind the last 4 bodies to be found were 4 people in the ELEVATOR wearing life jackets. This indicates they were fully aware of the fact that they were indeed in an emergency stuation and they still chose to use the elevator. Ladies and Gentleman EVERY single elevator in this world has a sign saying DO NOT USE IN AN EMERGENCY! Be it on land,sea or anywhere else on this planet.

[Keel Haul]

Perhaps we should remember that we as papssengers play an important roll too..

 

Bear in mind the last 4 bodies to be found were 4 people in the ELEVATOR wearing life jackets. This indicates they were fully aware of the fact that they were indeed in an emergency stuation and they still chose to use the elevator. Ladies and Gentleman EVERY single elevator in this world has a sign saying DO NOT USE IN AN EMERGENCY! Be it on land,sea or anywhere else on this planet.

I find this very insensetive as you dont know how and when they got in the lift. When did the main power supply fail?

[carrickfergus]

my friends cruise 3 times per year and also do 1/2 world cruise.they are 6 couples.they spend aprrox.500,000 dolllars per year.we do 4 cruises per year.we will do one this year.as you can see things have changed dramatically.

[Moeve]

I find this very insensetive as you dont know how and when they got in the lift. When did the main power supply fail?

 

The fact that they were already wearing lifejackets is a very good indicator they already knew there was an emergency of some sort and why is that in sensitive when I am stating basic facts. Not entering an elevator is a solild fact in an emergency reguardless of it here was power or not. THat is part of our responsiblty as passengers or actually people using elevators any where on this planet. You don't wait for a power failure. Is there some sort of emergency issue reguardless you don't use the elevators PERIOD!!!

 

We are all adults and there are certain things we should be able to do - without someone standing there telling us. Every elevator in this world has that stupid sign - it isn't there for decoration for crying out loud. The same thing applies to buildings not only ships.

 

Adult life comes with a certain amount of responsibly for ones actions. Sadly apparently some don't think so.

[Keel Haul]

The fact that they were already wearing lifejackets is a very good indicator they already knew there was an emergency of some sort and why is that in sensitive when I am stating basic facts. Not entering an elevator is a solild fact in an emergency reguardless of it here was power or not. THat is part of our responsiblty as passengers or actually people using elevators any where on this planet. You don't wait for a power failure. Is there some sort of emergency issue reguardless you don't use the elevators PERIOD!!!

 

We are all adults and there are certain things we should be able to do - without someone standing there telling us. Every elevator in this world has that stupid sign - it isn't there for decoration for crying out loud. The same thing applies to buildings not only ships.

 

Adult life comes with a certain amount of responsibly for ones actions. Sadly apparently some don't think so.

One of the few words you spelled correctly was "Period" I wonder why.

To quote "we are all adults" please clic on this link it shows the dead five yrs old girl at her last birthday party. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2104938/Eight-bodies-Costa-Concordia-including-missing-year-old-girl-salvage-workers-reveal-intricate-hand-drawn-plans-recover-victims.html

 

Timeline from the House of Representative inquiry being heard today.

 

9.40pm struck rock

9.45pm electricity is lost.

[nellydean]

Well, I never believed for one moment that, caught up in a disaster, any modern-day crew would stick rigidly to their training anyway, or that they would be able to cope in anything other than a 'standard' emergency so, in that sense, nothing has changed for me, and I will continue to cruise, albeit with a bit more reflection.

 

The Costa Concordia tragedy, and this week's power cuts/fire, highlight the fact that no two emergencies are the same and you can't always legislate for everything that might happen.

 

Obviously, if you are elderly, or disabled, you will depend more on the crew, and I don't discount the importance of crew during an emergency during evacuation but if, when the time comes, the crew leaves you to it, then you have to be prepared to help yourself and your loved ones (and anyone else in need), as happened on Jan 13th 2012.

 

Adhere to the safety code, by all means, but keep your wits about you, just in case. I know this is easier said than done if you are not fit and healthy but, for the majority of cruisers, I'd say it probably applies, even for older passengers. Not because it should be up to us to fend for ourselves in an emergency but, because being on the open water can throw up a whole host of emergencies that we probably haven't even thought of, never mind legislated for. Keep calm, and follow instructions and you'll be OK, but be prepared, just in case.

 

Costa has done a lot of damage to the cruise industry, but it is only two out of thousands of sailings each year, and should be kept in perspective.

 

I have sailed with Cunard, RCI and Princess.

[Moeve]

One of the few words you spelled correctly was "Period" I wonder why.

To quote "we are all adults" please clic on this link it shows the dead five yrs old girl at her last birthday party. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2104938/Eight-bodies-Costa-Concordia-including-missing-year-old-girl-salvage-workers-reveal-intricate-hand-drawn-plans-recover-victims.html

 

Timeline from the House of Representative inquiry being heard today.

 

9.40pm struck rock

9.45pm electricity is lost.

 

Keel Haul - I beg your pardon I see it didn't occur to you that english might not be my main language.

 

In referance to the young italien girl - she was NOT found in the elevator. She was found with her father in a stairwell - they had apparently fallen into once the ship had started listing severely. They were found there because the lady friend they were with was able to identify the area they had been seen in last. This was NOT the lift in my post. The people in the lift were identified as all being adults. Please read the official releases by the italien coast guard.

[Canadian Karebear]

Keel Haul - I beg your pardon I see it didn't occur to you that english might not be my main language.

 

In referance to the young italien girl - she was NOT found in the elevator. She was found with her father in a stairwell - they had apparently fallen into once the ship had started listing severely. They were found there because the lady friend they were with was able to identify the area they had been seen in last. This was NOT the lift in my post. The people in the lift were identified as all being adults. Please read the official releases by the italien coast guard.

 

I wonder if the people in the lift were disabled? I have cruised a few times and the elderly and the disabled were the passengers that most often used the lifts. We just use the stairs, but we can as able-bodied people.

 

Such a terrible tragedy.

[bbeltmom]

Each of us are responsible to be prepared & with effective guidance to survive disasters.

 

How true - you are responsible to educate yourself on what to do in case of an emergency. Yes the crew are supposed to lead, but you never can be certain of the experience or how they themselves will react in an emergency situation.

 

On our first cruise, I did not hear a word that came over the speakers during the muster drill due to ignorant people who only saw the drill as a nuisance and couldn't be bothered to pay attention or stop talking! Being a first-timer I was furious because I was still a bit nervous about heading out to open water. My husband and I re-watched the instructions on the television in our cabin (a loop that is continuously played) and made sure we knew the drill.

 

Accidents do happen - your best chances are to PAY ATTENTION to safety briefings (on ships or airplanes) and BE PREPARED - that's what drills are for!

[glrounds]

One of the few words you spelled correctly was "Period" I wonder why.

To quote "we are all adults" please clic on this link it shows the dead five yrs old girl at her last birthday party. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2104938/Eight-bodies-Costa-Concordia-including-missing-year-old-girl-salvage-workers-reveal-intricate-hand-drawn-plans-recover-victims.html

 

Timeline from the House of Representative inquiry being heard today.

 

9.40pm struck rock

9.45pm electricity is lost.

 

Tacky, at best.:(

 

[jtmalt]

@OP you might want to take another look at that Discovery show which by the way didn't even wait until the OFFICIAL inquiry into the incident was complete (by the way that couold take well up to 2 years to hear all the evidence etc.)

 

That show was pure fear mongering - that sells better and YOU I am sorry to say fell for it!

 

Just to follow up, I finally had the opportunity to view the Discovery Channel show. For what it's worth, I thought it was a pretty level-headed analysis of the probable sequence of events based on the available factual data. I didn't find it to be "pure fear mongering", unless you're referring to the (understandably) melodramatic interviews with survivors who really were convinced they were about to die.