fire onboard Insignia

[globevest]

I hope the story of Dr S and her hours of medical assistance to passengers gets to the attention of Oceania Management!

 

 

Nana....forgot to mention that at the St. Lucia airport the leaving passengers were met as we went through security before boarding by the new president of 'O' Jason Montague (sp) who shook hands with all and apologized for our troubles and cruise. I took the opportunity for a few moments to give him my take on DR. S. He took notes and thanked me very much for my comments. I am sure the officers would be reporting the same.

[nana541]

Globevest I hope you follow up with a letter. Your report here would be excellent testimony as to her actions in assisting other passengers!

 

Prayers for all who went thru this and to the families who have lost someone.

 

 

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[Wendy The Wanderer]

Not personal at all... I guess speculation, but looking at it logically.

 

I truly hope the WC gang gets off...but I know what smoke damage can be like in a "ten-story" building...

 

...plus, if there was any kind of engine explosion...that's a big piece o'maintenance. :(

 

Yep, I've been thinking the same thing. Smoke damage, throughout the ship. Doesn't sound good.

 

Horrible tragedy, great stories of patience, good organization and heroism, hope the staff get through this period well and aren't left hanging in Miami without jobs. If the WC does go off, there will be more amazing stories, I'm sure.

[globevest]

Can anyone that was on board at the time of the evacuation tell me if there was any back up power then and if not, how did those who not take the stairs get off the ship?

 

No back up power of any significance .....just emergency lighting as far as I could determine. No water for toilets and no power for elevators. You had to use the stairs. I saw one disabled passenger being carried off the ship by crew. I saw many passengers being helped by crew.

 

One thing puzzled me. Only one gangway was used. Level 3 deck forward and this was being used by passengers, firemen and shore/dockyard officials. After thinking about it I am assuming that other possible gangway locations were too close to the smokey areas.

[Krazy Kruizers]

About an hour after given the clearance to go ashore at St. Lucia, the power shut off, most remarkable as the ventilation fans went quiet. There was a call of "Code Bravo" over the PA system in our cabin. You know, the PA system that means something serious. A bit later, the Captain's calm voice reported a small fire, nothing serious. We took him at his word.

 

To get off the ship, they manually wrote down cabin numbers since computers require electricity.

 

We walked around St. Lucia for a bit, dodging cab drivers soliciting fares: in St. Lucia, the taxi hails you. Just before 11:00, came back to check for a status update to find an ambulance and EMTs furiously working on someone.

 

The update: we are working on the problem. Some passengers taking them at their word waited outside forward for the problem to be resolved. Meanwhile, aft, someone was dying.

 

Decided to leave and walk about as we waited. Returned at 4:00, where we took them up on what was being presented as an "option" to wait at the ferry terminal. The terminal is a big warehouse with two big rooms. Got there too late for the food, so we had bread sticks, cookie crumbs, and bottled water.

 

I mentioned the two big rooms, right? At first, announcements were made in the room on the left, so the right-roomers kind of missed a lot of information updates. Kudos to the General Manager and "blue shirts" who got things running more efficiently as the night went on.

 

After sitting on plastic lawn chairs in a warehouse for almost 10 hours, surviving on bread and water, we boarded busses to the main St. Lucia airport. Much like the warehouse experience, the airport food ran out before I got there.

 

Miami was pretty organized. We got a hotel room even though Oceania had already booked a same-day flight.

 

Arrived home in Ottawa, Canada at 9:00 p.m. on Friday, about 30 hours after being sent to the ferry terminal (warehouse) and about 36 hours after leaving the Insignia for the last time with the shirt on my back.

 

Lessons learned? If it's valuable, put it in the cabin safe since that's all you get back in a situation like this. If there's a problem and you can leave the ship before it's evacuated, take a bag with a few more things than you'd normally take. Always leave your room clean and like someone else might need to pack it. Fare categories have no meaning when selecting your plastic lawn chair and bread sticks at the warehouse.

 

--- JRW

 

Glad you have arrived home safely.

 

I think I am going to start putting all our medications in the safe. I know that the small medical bag that I carry will fit in there. Never really thought of that before.

[nana541]

Glad you have arrived home safely.

 

 

 

I think I am going to start putting all our medications in the safe. I know that the small medical bag that I carry will fit in there. Never really thought of that before.

 

 

Ditto.... This is a wake up call regarding making sure those very important items are either in the safe or onshore with you!

 

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

Background. The evening before the ‘Problem’ my wife and I were playing trivia and one of our team, sitting next to me was a lady. We chatted during the evening. I will call her Dr. S. She is a recently retired Army medical doctor and returned from Afghanistan about a year ago. She was a paratrooper and made 146 operational jumps in her career….repeat…146. Yet the above is not my story. That just provides the flavor. Read on….

 

Story. On the morning of the disaster while being evacuated from Insignia onto the Dockside (about 10.45 am) I spotted Dr.S, stethoscope round her neck, medical bag in hand, administering to an elderly disabled person. In the hot sun (while most passengers tried to shelter in the shade of a dockside building) I watched Dr. S go up and down the 100’s of passengers dealing with people with medical issues. I know of one person who had an asthma attack that Dr.S took care of. I was told (so speculation) that Dr.S gave CPR to a person who had a cardiac arrest and retrieved that person.

 

Dr.S was on the go for 2/3 hours on the dockside in the hot sun before they bussed us about 300/400 yards a covered dock Entrance/Departure building which had wooden benches with backs and plastic chairs but did not have air conditioning. It did have big fans on the walls and the temperature was a little more comfortable.. By this time Dr.S’s dark hair was matted down with perspiration and her clothes were looking a little worse for wear.

All day Dr. S continued to provide medical aid and comfort to passengers. The CD and other ships officers consulted with Dr. S all day. She saw me and asked how I was. She checked my heart for a condition I have, which she recognized immediately. As my meds were still onboard and I was many hours since my last dose, she read my meds list which I keep in my wallet, she took a very similar pill from here bag which I took and she gave me another for later. That took about 5/6 minutes and she was off taking care of others. While Dr.S was examining me I was able to ask a couple of questions…..YES she had volunteer to help sometime near the start of the Insignia problem. I don’t know if other passenger knew that Dr. S was herself a passenger but I doubt it.

 

The last time I saw Dr.S was at 10.50 pm when the bus I was on left the dockland heading to the airport….Watching Dr.S performing for those many many hours, made me forget my issues, my back ache, my sweating, my rumpled clothes, my minor minor issues. Watching Dr.S made me so very pleased that I had had the opportunity of meeting her for even so short a time. I will think of that wonderful, beautiful lady and hope our paths cross again….

 

Thank you for this wonderful story.

 

Dr. S sounds like angel from heaven.

[LoveTheSouth]

I don't know about everyone else but in our case, the crew went into our room and got what they referred to as our "personal belongings". The passports and my husband's wallet were in the safe, but our meds were in our nightstands. They also got our cell phone chargers off the desk, and my jewelry in a drawer. They did not touch any clothing or toiletries, and in some cases they used not just the clear plastic sealed bags but passengers' bags that were clearly visible (I had a tote right next to the nightstand so they put everything in that). So it was not just items from the safe.

[journeyfan]

Oh no, globves. I see we are on the same Feb. cruise as you. If your wife gets any more "visions," let us know right away. Or maybe we should just go ahead and cancel now. You guys must be bad luck! Or maybe you are good luck as you survived and are back home and your sense of humor doesn't seem to have been damaged by the ordeal.

[LHT28]

Let's just wait for the experts to complete their assessments before making assumptions

 

If the ship was filled with smoke the crew would not be allowed to go on & collect personal possessions of the passengers

 

Smoke inhalation is one of the biggest killers in a fire

 

Lyn

[buggins0402]

Globevest, thank you for sharing such a wonderful story. Dr. S sounds like she was an amazing woman!

 

When we left the ship after the second fire and muster, we stood on the dock a while at the area they had designated for our muster. It was near the aft of the ship where they were sending the ambulance for the casualties. After a while, we asked if it was ok to go into town. They said yes so we started on our way, passing two women, standing watching the activity. We told them that we were told that it was ok to leave if they wanted. They responded that they were nurses and they wanted to see if they could help in any way.

 

Personally, we've moved to the Mondrian on the Bay until our flight on Wednesday (we booked our own air). We can see Riveria at the dock from our room. There is another couple here who are also Insignia refugees. The blue O bag which has now become the main piece of luggage is a giveaway. It also, makes a wonderful purse in town. BTW, the blue beach towels were dubbed St. Lucia pashminas, for those who only had their beach clothes into Miami.

 

DH is fine.....came through this one better than he ever has. Thanks for the well wishes.

Edited December 13, 2014 by buggins0402

[Portolan]

I'm assuming the passengers won't be allowed back into the US without their PPs.

 

If you are a US citizen, you can always return to the US. Not saying you might not be delayed without the passport, but you will be allowed to return home.

[nana541]

O requires passports of all passports even on Closed Loop cruises.

 

 

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[durangoscots]

..... and if they had not been able to retrieve them from the safes there are arrangements that can be made to get people back onto the U.S. It happens more often than you know.... even with people on a closed loop that have to fly home suddenly for an emergency - arrangements for reentry can be made quickly. Not to say their might not be some hassle and some extra steps, but it is very doable.

 

Susan

[beachmudhut]

Globevest, thank you for sharing such a wonderful story. Dr. S sounds like she was an amazing woman!

 

When we left the ship after the second fire and muster, we stood on the dock a while at the area they had designated for our muster. It was near the aft of the ship where they were sending the ambulance for the casualties. After a while, we asked if it was ok to go into town. They said yes so we started on our way, passing two women, standing watching the activity. We told them that we were told that it was ok to leave if they wanted. They responded that they were nurses and they wanted to see if they could help in any way.

 

Personally, we've moved to the Mondrian on the Bay until our flight on Wednesday (we booked our own air). We can see Riveria at the dock from our room. There is another couple here who are also Insignia refugees. The blue O bag which has now become the main piece of luggage is a giveaway. It also, makes a wonderful purse in town. BTW, the blue beach towels were dubbed St. Lucia pashminas, for those who only had their beach clothes into Miami.

 

DH is fine.....came through this one better than he ever has. Thanks for the well wishes.

 

We are the other refugees currently staying at the Mondrian - now I know the identity of Buggins! We also decided to make the most of things and stay some extra nights.

 

We received an e mail today to say that 75% of luggage packing has been completed and will be finished by Sunday. Not sure how they will have managed to pack our cases with all the stuff in our cabin - even we have to be quite creative because I don't travel light. One good thing is we don't have to haul our cases through the airport!

 

The most miserable part was the flight to Miami from St Lucia. We were in group three and the plane was like an ice box. Just what we needed when most of us were in beachwear!

 

For the future, put ALL your travel documents in the safe. Ours were on the table in the cabin and they said it was not important enough to bring out. We are currently trying to work out how to retrieve our car from Heathrow car park without the necessary paperwork!

 

Oceania handled the situation extremely well under very difficult circimstances.

The fact is, we are all safe but three people tragically will never go home and our prayers and thoughts are with their families.

[tosh99]

Who is/was the Captain?

 

 

 

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[wiks]

How is the name of the Captain important at a time like this--except to praise him for the coordinated effort!!!!

 

 

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[Caroldoll]

but it is unfair to place blame anywhere. From what I have read, they did their best. My DH and I have decided to keep everything valuable in a mostly waterproof bag in the safe, so they just have to go to one place. We are re-evaluating how we will travel in the future. You never know what will happen and it isn't anyone's fault. What is funny is he wears a 3XLTall and I am close to being a midget...but my top is 1X...we could never buy clothes! LOL. But we would make do. We were stranded in Sandy on Crystal...and we made the best of it. We ended up in Charleston and got home "somehow". That is what you do when you travel!

[Merriem]

One thing about the safes, they are really tiny. I could get my iphone, jewelry, and money in there and that was about it. So glad you are all safe.

[Mura]

I dunno ... I wouldn't say the safes are "really tiny", I'd say they are the standard size for safes in hotels and on ships. But I agree, huge they are not.

 

In our case, we'd have our phones with us (in the past we haven't, but now we would!). The safes would certainly hold our money, passports, and meds. People who have LOTS of meds could have a problem, I agree. In our case, we don't have that many (at least not now) and we tend to transfer them into smaller containers when we are traveling. If we are doing an 18 day cruise, we don't need a 3 month supply.

 

And I don't travel with jewelry ... (mostly because I don't really have any ...)

 

But we definitely are taking note of the suggestion to keep really important items in the safe in case something like this tragedy happens on one of our trips. It's good to know.

 

I would pity any staff trying to pack our suitcases to ship them home ... No doubt they would do a better job than we do!

 

Mura

[Merriem]

I dunno ... I wouldn't say the safes are "really tiny", I'd say they are the standard size for safes in hotels and on ships. But I agree, huge they are not.

 

In our case, we'd have our phones with us (in the past we haven't, but now we would!). The safes would certainly hold our money, passports, and meds. People who have LOTS of meds could have a problem, I agree. In our case, we don't have that many (at least not now) and we tend to transfer them into smaller containers when we are traveling. If we are doing an 18 day cruise, we don't need a 3 month supply.

 

And I don't travel with jewelry ... (mostly because I don't really have any ...)

 

But we definitely are taking note of the suggestion to keep really important items in the safe in case something like this tragedy happens on one of our trips. It's good to know.

 

I would pity any staff trying to pack our suitcases to ship them home ... No doubt they would do a better job than we do!

 

Mura

 

This all has been most helpful in regards about where to put your stuff. My ipad would not fit in our safe. I normally don't bother putting it away, but this seemed very small. The meds are very important . Thanks for the post.

[Mura]

Okay, I agree that I wasn't thinking about an iPad! I normally bring my laptop along rather than my iPad (which I haven't used in 2 years, my bad). And you're right ... the iPad would NOT fit in the safe, and my laptop surely wouldn't. And I do NOT bring the laptop along with me when I'm on shore. I'll just have to hope something like this disaster doesn't happen to me when we are traveling, and if it does, I'll have to do without the laptop.

 

I normally use a PC at home. The laptop is really only for travel.

 

That brings up another thought ... I do usually have a zip drive along and copy my photos/diary there, and it is easy enough to carry that little drive with me. At least when I get home I can copy everything to my REAL computer.

 

These are all very interesting conversations ... Normally we don't have these problems, but we now know they can certainly occur and we should plan ahead just in case.

 

Mura

[njhorseman]

Our deepest sympathy to the families of the deceased crew members.

 

We just returned from a Southern Caribbean cruise and were in St. Lucia a few days before the Insignia. Reading about the tragedy sent shivers down our spines...

[GJH123]

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this tragic event Sincerest condolences and sympathy to the families and friends who lost loved ones

[wiks]

The safe is definitely small, but I have never had a problem getting my iPad Air, iPhone 5S, passports, jewelry, wallet, etc. in the safe at the same time.

 

 

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