10-Yr Anniversary (March 23rd): Fire on Star Princess

[chengkp75]

As a non-smoker, a maritime firefighter, but someone who is not offended by the smell of cigarette smoke, I really don't have too much heartache with smokers on their balconies, from a safety standpoint (since the amendments to SOLAS regarding balcony fire safety), only with the exception that it may bother their neighbors.

 

As for the cause of the Star Princess fire, here is the quote from the analysis section, under cause of fire;

 

"In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, it is considered that the most likely source of ignition was a discarded cigarette end." (highlight mine).

 

Given the intensity of the fire, it is not surprising that no evidence of the exact cause was found. While it very well could have been a cigarette (and there was no evidence that it was), and no one will ever know for sure, to trot this out every time a smoking on the balcony thread comes up is pretty trite.

 

It is a good reminder to passengers about the training the crew has, and the necessary good order that passengers need to show in emergency conditions to aid the crew.

[drumline13]

Thank you op and SadieN for referral to this excellent post. I am so comforted with how well Princess did and continued good reports about Princess. I have had 6 cruises and one overnight ferry cruise total (over 36 years lol)...and stay on here to keep the dream alive and informed on what is up for my usual need to have last minute bookings. That and I LOVE travel and cruising. One of my very favorite cruises I hope to repeat soon is Princess. Princess and Hal, were both favorites, but neither were a full week. Service on all my cruises were a different level of good to excellent except for my last Carnival cruise...which was fair due to less staff in dining...and downgrade noticed of food on that trip..just before ship was moving to Australia..the Spirit 2012.

 

I remember this fire but did not study it as that one cruise was a heavenly Travel agent familiarization cruise and I was the lucky friend of TA...and way before the fact. So we also had extra spoiled perks of cocktail parties and free drinks and wine of premium quality the entire cruise and tours of some places on the ship...It was in a word HEAVEN. The shows and music too and we had a mini-suite to boot...fabulous rooms. Thank you so much for this reminder and post..my cruise was 2001 or 2 on the Star...oh the spa too..there was just so much..it was heaven. The dining was rotating with different staff of the ship and Princess Management...they made us feel like queens too. Thanks so much for this post. I think nothing makes or breaks a cruise more than the staff...you can be on a medium older ship and the staff makes it a 5 star experience. This happened for me on the Carnival Paradise in 2009..i.e.5 star service...making the trip as special as my Princess one with much less fancy as per the ship. Very impressive reminder OP, of what they do and did for you. And the relative safety and wonder of cruising. Thank you.

 

Thanks for your compliments! I'm happy to be able to share my story!...

[drumline13]

Thanks for re-posting ur first hand account.....I agree was it really 10 years ago?...but I do remember, all to well....

 

You're welcome! Yes....10 years....time sure does fly...

[drumline13]

I haven't seen it but maybe 1 time since the ban. I'm not a smoker and a $250 fine each time would be enough to deter me from doing it.

 

P.S. I went over to Youtube and watched 2 videos of the fire. I agree smokers should watch the video.

 

I agree....once the video is viewed, it becomes much easier to understand just how big the fire was...and how much worse things could have been. It's amazing that they were able to put this out....while fighting it from inside the ship!

 

For anyone who wants to see a video of the fire and photos of the damage, just search "Star Princess fire" on YouTube.

[drumline13]

As a non-smoker, a maritime firefighter, but someone who is not offended by the smell of cigarette smoke, I really don't have too much heartache with smokers on their balconies, from a safety standpoint (since the amendments to SOLAS regarding balcony fire safety), only with the exception that it may bother their neighbors.

 

As for the cause of the Star Princess fire, here is the quote from the analysis section, under cause of fire;

 

"In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, it is considered that the most likely source of ignition was a discarded cigarette end." (highlight mine).

 

Given the intensity of the fire, it is not surprising that no evidence of the exact cause was found. While it very well could have been a cigarette (and there was no evidence that it was), and no one will ever know for sure, to trot this out every time a smoking on the balcony thread comes up is pretty trite.

 

It is a good reminder to passengers about the training the crew has, and the necessary good order that passengers need to show in emergency conditions to aid the crew.

 

 

Thanks for your input! You are absolutely correct about the need for things to be orderly, as the quick evacuation of passengers from the hallways/decks allowed the fire crews to get where they needed to be...

[Host CJSKIDS]

Hard to believe that it was 10 years ago.....

 

Every time I hear the alarm sound at Muster drill it brings me back to that night and I just can't wait for it to be over.....

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Hi everyone,

 

Today is the 10-yr anniversary of the Star Princess fire. I can't believe how quickly this time has flown by. I hope this posts finds all my March 2006 Star Princess cruise mates doing well!...

 

As we headed down to our muster station, we noticed that crew members were ALREADY STATIONED on all the floors at the stairwells to guide passengers down. These crew members were as nervous as we were (thought they did not show it), but they made it very clear that their number one priority was to protect the passengers. The speed at which these crew members reached their assigned "posts" was phenomenal. I will comment more on the amazing crew later...

 

As passengers, we were very pleased that the captain, who was always very calm, kept us updated on what was happening above. We did feel a little uneasy when the captain announced that the lifeboats were being lowered as a precautionary measure, but the calmness of his voice kept us all in-check. The captain also announced that the ship was being slowed down and spun around so that the directional wind would blow the flames away from the ship....

 

At somewhere around 5am, the captain announced that the fire was finally put out, and the theater filled with applause and cheers from the passengers! The ship was spun back around, and we continued the trip to Jamaica.

 

Thanks for sharing your post. I didn't know about this fire, and your remembrance comes just one week before I will sail on Star Princess for the first time. I'm one of those folks who tend to think of ships as living things, and it will make Star all the more interesting to know her history. I'm especially glad to read about the admirable performance of Star's crew. Apparently there is much more involved in fighting a fire at sea as compared with practices on land.

 

We leave the towels on the lounge chairs. They are nice to have on the chairs in many ways. Your skin doesn't stick to the plastic seats, your clothing doesn't get soot and dirt on them, it keeps the chairs dry. I haven't seen any "rules" that says otherwise nor do I care. We also hang our wet bathing suits on a hanger to dry out on our balcony.

 

Sailing on ships is not without its risks. Mother Nature has her say, and given the complexity of cruise ships, Murphy has lots of opportunities to wreak havoc. That said, the brazen indifference of passengers toward common sense, even when the rationale for safety policies and practices is explained explicitly, threatens us all when we are at sea.

[chengkp75]

Thanks for sharing your post. I didn't know about this fire, and your remembrance comes just one week before I will sail on Star Princess for the first time. I'm one of those folks who tend to think of ships as living things, and it will make Star all the more interesting to know her history. I'm especially glad to read about the admirable performance of Star's crew. Apparently there is much more involved in fighting a fire at sea as compared with practices on land.

 

 

 

Sailing on ships is not without its risks. Mother Nature has her say, and given the complexity of cruise ships, Murphy has lots of opportunities to wreak havoc. That said, the brazen indifference of passengers toward common sense, even when the rationale for safety policies and practices is explained explicitly, threatens us all when we are at sea.

 

When I was on the Hawaiian cruise ships, we would have fire departments come to the ship to learn how to best interface with our firefighting equipment and procedures. The most frequent comment was, "glad I don't have to fight a fire here". The differences are vast. One main one is the tendency of land firefighters to "get everyone out first". Well, on a ship, the only place "out" is in the boats, and once in the boats you run a very strong risk of injury and fatality when trying to recover people from the boats, so this is a last resort.

[sunshine426]

Hello to cjskids!! As for recall her family had a direct impact mp lfrom the fire. Cabin destroyed. Smoke inhaled. A very different experience from mine. we were one of the last families to leave the Star. Our trip has me home was uneventful. Still. We experienced the experience of a real muster call. Experienced then fear of the unknown until we were reunited with our daughters. We watched the emergency preparedness to f the crew from m our vantage point n muster station b

[Host CJSKIDS]

Hello to cjskids!! As for recall her family had a direct impact mp lfrom the fire. Cabin destroyed. Smoke inhaled. A very different experience from mine. we were one of the last families to leave the Star. Our trip has me home was uneventful. Still. We experienced the experience of a real muster call. Experienced then fear of the unknown until we were reunited with our daughters. We watched the emergency preparedness to f the crew from m our vantage point n muster station b

 

 

Hi back! Hope you are well!!

[drumline13]

Hard to believe that it was 10 years ago.....

 

Every time I hear the alarm sound at Muster drill it brings me back to that night and I just can't wait for it to be over.....

 

Funny how we can still remember how we felt that night when we hear the muster alarm...

[drumline13]

Thanks for sharing your post. I didn't know about this fire, and your remembrance comes just one week before I will sail on Star Princess for the first time. I'm one of those folks who tend to think of ships as living things, and it will make Star all the more interesting to know her history. I'm especially glad to read about the admirable performance of Star's crew. Apparently there is much more involved in fighting a fire at sea as compared with practices on land.

 

 

You're very welcome! Hope you have a great time on the ship....say hello to Aloha 259 for me! :) You're in great hands with the Princess crew!...

[drumline13]

...Here's something I didn't mention in this thread: My (now) wife and I got engaged on the Star Princess 2.5 days before the fire. I'll always have a story to tell!... :)

[johpo]

My dd was adancer on board during that cruise. She spent the rest of the night and morning fetching medications from passenger cabins and dispensing water. My dw and I saw a news report about the fire and immediately got that cold feeling inside. We were trying to get in touch with her and not having any luck when she called and let us know that she was fine. When I read this review I had that same feeling for a second and then a feeling of pride for the way the crew (incuding my daughter ) handled themselves. Thank you for this post and your appreciation of the crew.

[drumline13]

My dd was adancer on board during that cruise. She spent the rest of the night and morning fetching medications from passenger cabins and dispensing water. My dw and I saw a news report about the fire and immediately got that cold feeling inside. We were trying to get in touch with her and not having any luck when she called and let us know that she was fine. When I read this review I had that same feeling for a second and then a feeling of pride for the way the crew (incuding my daughter ) handled themselves. Thank you for this post and your appreciation of the crew.

 

You're welcome! My family and friends had trouble contacting me, too....but that's because my cell phone was in my swim suit pocket when I jumped in the pool a day or two before the fire. Oops.

 

You should definitely be proud of how the crew (including your daughter) handled everything. Fetching medicines from the cabins HAD to be a miserable experience, and I'm sure your daughter, to this day, can describe the horrible smell she encountered as she went back to the passenger cabins. But, she did a great thing, as she was able to help many people...

[drumline13]

Here's a photo of the Kingston, Jamaica newspaper I picked up at the airport the next morning (March 24th, 2006)...

[Host CJSKIDS]

Here's a photo of the Kingston, Jamaica newspaper I picked up at the airport the next morning (March 24th, 2006)...

 

I have that same paper!! The manager of the hotel we stayed Thursday night actually had it delivered to my room. Our hotel

[shredie]

It was pretty horrific, all right. However, the rhetoric here is a bit over the top where all smokers are equated with arsonists. :rolleyes:

[drumline13]

I have that same paper!! The manager of the hotel we stayed Thursday night actually had it delivered to my room. Our hotel

 

..and to think I had to pay $.25 or so for mine! :)

 

I saved everything from that cruise...key cards, Princess Patters, notes from Princess left in the mailbox outside the room, etc!

[Go-Bucks!]

We were on the Grand last November when we had a small fire in one of the control panels. We were all awakened early but fortunately we never had to go to muster station as it was controlled quite quickly. Some cabins lost power for a few hours.

 

 

My friend and I were also on the Grand in November during the fire. We woke up at 0530 smelling a burning chemical smoke smell, the engines had all stopped and the electricity was out. We knew something was wrong and within 30 seconds the announcement of a fire came over the PA system and then the captain came on to tell about what was happening. He gave very frequent updates and the crew were great. We were still able to get a shower and breakfast. Our electric (in the very far aft part of the ship) was out for 7 hours, but it was a nice warm Hawaiian day so we could still enjoy ourselves.

 

I'm very grateful that it wasn't a serious fire and although I was disappointed in missing 3 of our ports, Princess definitely made it a wonderful cruise with 12 sea days plus a generous compensation package!!

 

The pictures of the Star are quite sobering. :( Even if Princess did eventually ban smoking in cabins and balconies, it is still done regularly. We had a smoker staying near us on the Grand who smoked on their balcony several times a day and made it miserable for us to be out on ours, let alone the safety issue. The staff said they couldn't figure out who it was. :rolleyes:

[Lucky TGO]

My friend and I were also on the Grand in November during the fire. We woke up at 0530 smelling a burning chemical smoke smell, the engines had all stopped and the electricity was out. We knew something was wrong and within 30 seconds the announcement of a fire came over the PA system and then the captain came on to tell about what was happening. He gave very frequent updates and the crew were great. We were still able to get a shower and breakfast. Our electric (in the very far aft part of the ship) was out for 7 hours, but it was a nice warm Hawaiian day so we could still enjoy ourselves.

 

I'm very grateful that it wasn't a serious fire and although I was disappointed in missing 3 of our ports, Princess definitely made it a wonderful cruise with 12 sea days plus a generous compensation package!!

 

The pictures of the Star are quite sobering. :( Even if Princess did eventually ban smoking in cabins and balconies, it is still done regularly. We had a smoker

 

staying near us on the Grand who smoked on their balcony several times a day and made it miserable for us to be out on ours, let alone the safety issue. The staff said they couldn't figure out who it was. :rolleyes:

 

I think if you can take a picture of the person that is smoking and the area (balcony) it's coming from. It may help figure out who it is. The $250.00 fine may make them stop.

 

Tony

[Colo Cruiser]

I think if you can take a picture of the person that is smoking and the area (balcony) it's coming from. It may help figure out who it is. The $250.00 fine may make them stop.

 

Tony

 

 

 

I would be surprised if anyone has ever been charged a fine.

 

Bid talk no action. :(

[Lucky TGO]

I would be surprised if anyone has ever been charged a fine.

 

Bid talk no action. :(

 

I read this just the other day on CC that someone was smoking in there cabin and set the pillowcase on fire. They put it out but the cabin steward seen the pillowcase and turned them in. And they were fined $250.

Tony

[Go-Bucks!]

I think if you can take a picture of the person that is smoking and the area (balcony) it's coming from. It may help figure out who it is. The $250.00 fine may make them stop.

 

Tony

 

 

That would work if we had ever seen someone! As a matter of fact, if I saw someone I could have told the housekeeping supervisor which cabin to go to. No, we just smelled the "several-times-a-day" smoke wafting to our balcony. There were balconies beside us, below us and above us so how can we figure it out?? No one was leaning over the railing - they were probably sitting far back by the sliding door so no one could see them. I agree with Colo Cruiser --> I doubt if anyone, short of burning something up, has ever been fined. Princess employees are too busy to be bothered with searching down smokers. :rolleyes:

[easyboy]

Today is the 10-yr anniversary of the Star Princess fire. I can't believe how quickly this time has flown by. I hope this posts finds all my March 2006 Star Princess cruise mates doing well!

 

I dug up my post from March 2006, which I posted a few days after returning home from the fire cruise (see below)...

We were on the Star in Jan 2006.

Though we heard of the fire later,

we never had any idea of how it transpired,

until you share again your previous post.

Thank you for sharing.