Ovation of the Seas Pax Possibly Injured in Volcanic Eruption

[leaveitallbehind]

21 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

So in the meantime thoughts and prayers and let RCI get it's damage control plan into place and come up with a rational explanation why passengers went on their excursion when the alert level had increased the month before. 

 

So there you go with assuming things not yet in evidence - you know the danger with that.  Not too judgmental. 

 

I think it best to let things unfold before jumping to conclusions on anything.  But do as you wish.

Edited December 9, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[MrsKC08]

Such a sad and heartbreaking thing. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved...and to me, that is not just those that are injured/deceased and their families, but also every one on board including crew. This is a very hard and difficult thing to comprehend and something that will lay heavy on everyone's hearts. I pray for peace.

[puppycanducruise]

Our thoughts and prayers to all those affected.

[jannandjohn]

as of 3 mins ago

 

* Five confirmed dead, eight missing, 31 in hospital after White Island volcano erupts twice 
• There were 47 people in total on the island, 38 of them were from the cruise ship Ovation of the Seas
• Thirty-four injured people and five bodies were taken off the island by heroic rescuers in the face of extreme danger, says PM
• Police say there are no further signs of life on the island, following flyovers late on Monday
• Many of the victims are tourists from Australia, the UK, China, Malaysia and the US 

[bretts173]

32 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

Yes, the facts are not yet understood.  So in the meantime thoughts and prayers and let RCI get it's damage control plan into place and come up with a rational explanation why passengers went on their excursion when the alert level had increased the month before.  At some point they will have to answer two important questions:  What did they know and when did they now it?   

 

The facts are that the alert level constantly changes between level 1 and 2 and has been for the past 20 years. There are always minor steam, and sulphur eruptions which adds to the attraction of the tour for the many who have MADE THEIR CHOICE to take the tour. The tour itself is promoted as a visit to the crater of one of the worlds most active volcanos.

 

I myself did this tour 12 months ago.

 

 

[jannandjohn]

47 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

Yes, the facts are not yet understood.  So in the meantime thoughts and prayers and let RCI get it's damage control plan into place and come up with a rational explanation why passengers went on their excursion when the alert level had increased the month before.  At some point they will have to answer two important questions:  What did they know and when did they now it?   

I was there 2 weeks ago

We had booked it as basic tourists.  not on a cruise

but they decided to cancel the boat that takes us because the seas were too rough.  and they were..

THERE WERE NO ACTIVITY ALERT warnings about the volcano at all

and that was in official the White Island Tourist information Office.

Edited December 9, 2019 by jannandjohn

[alwaysonaship]

38 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

Yes, the facts are not yet understood.  So in the meantime thoughts and prayers and let RCI get it's damage control plan into place and come up with a rational explanation why passengers went on their excursion when the alert level had increased the month before.  At some point they will have to answer two important questions:  What did they know and when did they now it?   

I totally agree. Thoughts and prayers are not going to bring these people back. These things should not happen. Visiting an active volcano is full of risks as we can see, and the cruise line should be held responsible for this tragic loss.

[JVilleGal]

This is not the time to point fingers! Prayers for these families and the community involved in the tragedy.

Edited December 9, 2019 by JVilleGal

[CruiseMH]

Why should the cruise line be held responsible? Do you know whether the cruise guests were informed about the danger or not? Maybe they had to sign some form of waiver?

It is way too early to call for consequences or  determine the guilty.

There will be intense investigations to get answers to all questions and after the investigations have been finished one can talk about the consequences.

 

 

Edited December 9, 2019 by CruiseMH

[bretts173]

7 minutes ago, alwaysonaship said:

I totally agree. Thoughts and prayers are not going to bring these people back. These things should not happen. Visiting an active volcano is full of risks as we can see, and the cruise line should be held responsible for this tragic loss.

 

You are kidding me, people make choices, people could be hurt or killed in any number of tours that cruise companies operate. Why do we always have to blame someone else for our choices.

 

[leaveitallbehind]

14 minutes ago, alwaysonaship said:

Visiting an active volcano is full of risks as we can see, and the cruise line should be held responsible for this tragic loss.

 

I'm sorry but that is just an irresponsible comment. Way too early in this tragedy to be pointing fingers or assigning blame. Blame will also not bring anyone back....

[greykitty]

Hawaii is the site of several active volcanos - in fact, a National Park is located at one.  I guess no one should go there ever.

 

Can we just keep the families, crews and first responders involved in this current tragedy in our hearts and refrain from speculative blame at this point?

[TravelerThom]

20 minutes ago, alwaysonaship said:

Visiting an active volcano is full of risks as we can see, and the cruise line should be held responsible for this tragic loss.

IMO the only way the cruise line would be at fault is if they knowingly actively understated the risk. You do not have to be a Volcanologist to know that volcanos are inherently dangerous. Nothing in this world is totally safe - I could get killed by a meteorite coming through my living room ceiling as I write this. But having explored wild caves on 5 continents I don’t wish for big brother to tell me what I can and can’t do. 

[atricks]

Best article I could find on the volcano and Ovation.  (From Australian ABC)

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-09/new-zealand-volcano-erupts-on-white-island/11780540

 

and an account from on board:

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-10/what-it-was-like-aboard-ovation-on-the-seas-after-volcano/11782188?pfmredir=sm

 

 

Edited December 9, 2019 by atricks

[Krazy Kruizers]

Prayers for all the families and friends involved in this sad event.

[fin]

54 minutes ago, bretts173 said:

 

You are kidding me, people make choices, people could be hurt or killed in any number of tours that cruise companies operate. Why do we always have to blame someone else for our choices.

 

54 minutes ago, bretts173 said:

OK I'll bite.  Name a couple such.  I've done over 50 cruise excursions and never come close to one such

 

[fin]

This is a tough one! Far from being a "bubble baby" and expecting Da Gummint to keep me totally safe from anything on earth including words that might hurt my feelings, I am sure that had I been on that cruise I would have signed up to go.

I was not specifically aware of the fact that it is impossible for trained volcanologists to predict an eruption. My "feelings" would have been that any 'danger' was more "Disney" than 'Real" and just part of the fun. I would have thought that a reputable cruise line like Royal Carib would never subject their passengers to real known danger, and that the folks running the tours there every day would not be putting their own lives in danger if they felt it was unsafe.

I will be curious to see how the legal end plays out (if it doesn't take a dozen or more years).  And I cannot begin to imagine the feelings of the guy who took the now undoubtedly viral video 20 minutes after he was there.

[npcl]

1 hour ago, K32682 said:

 

Yes, the facts are not yet understood.  So in the meantime thoughts and prayers and let RCI get it's damage control plan into place and come up with a rational explanation why passengers went on their excursion when the alert level had increased the month before.  At some point they will have to answer two important questions:  What did they know and when did they now it?   

To put it in perspective, tours were still being conducted in Volcano national park in Hawaii on the day that the large eruption and 6+ earth quake, even though the lava flow near Hilo had started several days before with numerous smaller quakes.  The lava tube that people could visit and walk through was still open when the quake hit, now closed due to massive rock fall inside during quake.  People could easily have gotten injured or killed there as well. So White Island is not the only place in the world where tourist activity takes place around Volcanos even during some periods of elevated activity.

Edited December 9, 2019 by npcl

[Cruiser_1977]

 " 54 minutes ago, @bretts173said:

OK I'll bite.  Name a couple such.  I've done over 50 cruise excursions and never come close to one such"

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Zip lines, those self piloted motor boat tours, jet skis, ropes courses....they all have risk. Then there are less adventurous such as, van tours (car accident) or hiking (falling down) nothing is without risk. An earthquake could happen as I sit at my desk. Probability is very small. As I said earlier, each INDIVIDUAL must weigh risk v. reward.

 

People have been trying to predict mother nature forever. She keeps us on our toes and when it comes to "acts of nature" there are no guarantees. It's "the experts" best educated guesses.

Edited December 9, 2019 by JennyB1977

[Haoie]

This is very big news here locally in NZ. 

Very sad and unfortunate for the tourists caught up in this.

This thread is also available in the AUS/NZ forum.

[not-enough-cruising]

1 hour ago, alwaysonaship said:

 the cruise line should be held responsible for this tragic loss.

Utterly ridiculous!!

[ctsharpie05]

16 hours ago, Scottygirl1 said:

There are now reports of bodies being brought back (heard on a radio interview).

 

Oh no. My heart is breaking. 

[Haoie]

If you'd like more info, see this topic in the AUS/NZ forum:

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

1 hour ago, alwaysonaship said:

I totally agree. Thoughts and prayers are not going to bring these people back. These things should not happen. Visiting an active volcano is full of risks as we can see, and the cruise line should be held responsible for this tragic loss.

 

A passenger from the Grandeur died in Barbados on Saturday while  snorkeling.

 

Are in you favor of banning snorkeling excursions?

[jagsfan]

1 hour ago, alwaysonaship said:

I totally agree. Thoughts and prayers are not going to bring these people back. These things should not happen. Visiting an active volcano is full of risks as we can see, and the cruise line should be held responsible for this tragic loss.

😮 Am I reading this wrong?

Royal Caribbean is responsible for the eruption of an active volcano?