fire on star

[suefalls]

What does this mean?

Just trying to make sense of this.

Do you remember the Oklahoma bombing pictures? This looks more like an explosion than a cigarette fire. But I don't know much about fires, although backdraft may cause something like this.

[sultan_sfo]

hbeard:

Wow--what a first post immediately on getting back!

/Sultan

[bdjam]

I am now safely home in northern california.

Welcome home – and thanks for taking the time to recount your story.

[suefalls]

Welcome HOME Thanks for your Posting

[hbeard]

I just had to get down in words our experiences before they left my brain, which is somewhat foggy after all of the traveling.

 

It's weird. Here back in my living room, with the TV on, the experience already seems like a world away, and a long time ago.

 

Our hearts go out to those who lost a loved one, and to those that are suffering from the smoke inhalation.

Those of you still on the ship, I wish for you quick, safe travel back home.

 

For the one asking about my Northern Cal location...it's Fairfield.

 

hbeard

[rosie the sailor]

Glad to hear you made it home safe and sound. My husband and I were also on the Star (last cabin, port side). We left the ship Friday at 6:00 am and arrived home at 4:00 pm. I've been reading all of the speculation regarding the cause of the fire and I thought I'd offer one observation. There were huge embers landing on our balcony as well as our deck furniture and there was no burning or scorching. I won't go into detail about our experience as it has been well covered thusfar, but I would like to say that from by observations the crew and staff acted very professionally and I believe that it was their calm presence that kept everyone from panicking in Muster Station D. I'm glad to be home but I can't get the blazing and roaring of the fire out of my mind. It's a miracle that there were not more deaths. Anyway, I'm glad I found a place to air my thoughts.

[beachnative]

To those who were on the ship and have posted:

 

1st and foremost, I am glad that you are safe.

 

2nd, my heart and prayers go out to you and those who have yet to return home.

 

3rd, what you have posted has given the rest of us much to think about. We were talking about our upcoming Princess cruise to Alaska and (because of your posts) will be doing some things while onboard that we wouldn't have done before.

 

Rosie, your remarks about the "huge embers" and your observations abut the crew were very reassuring.

 

Thank you again and may you have peaceful days ahead.

[spongerob]

Thanks again to all of you who have added your own personal experiences. Hbeard's comments about the crew were particularly touching.

[mafig]

Hbeard, Thank you for posting.

 

We were on the Star last year and our cabin steward was Ricky. Glad he's OK. We were just talking about him last night and digging out pictures we had taken of him.

[LARGIN]

Hbeard.. Thanks for the info. Glad you are safe.

[Ethel5]

HBeard,

 

Thank you for a very thoughtful posting. I'm gald your family is home safe and sound.

[soonercruisers]

hbeard,

 

Thanks for the overview of your horrifying experience on the Star Princess and the positive manner in the way Princess and it's crew handled the situation. When you have good plans and execution it doesn't just happen by accident. It's the result of extremely good training and professionalism.

 

Having sailed on various Princess cruises the past several years, Sapphire this past October, there are subtle things that go on in background during your Princess cruise that you may not notice. One of them is the scheduled Crew only fire and evacuation drill while the ship is in one of the ports. The drill even includes the launching of the Lifeboats that are deployed and sail away from the ship. No smoke and mirrors, the REAL thing.

 

I'm sure that drills such as these resulted in the manner of how hbeard described the reaction of the crew during the middle of the night. When one the realizes the magnitude of the fire you have to step back and say wow, it could have been a catastrophe with many more souls lost.

 

Having said all this, you can rest asure that Princess and the other cruise ship companies will review processes and procedures to determine what went right and what went wrong to correct and enhance the shortcomings.

 

We just sailed on Celebrity Constellation and to the best of my knowledge I don't recall them having a Crew only fire and evacuation drill. If they didn't and don't shame on them and something to consider the next time you book a cruise

[Cruisin' Chick]

I remember hearing that the crews continuously practice their emergency drills. I know on our last cruise the passengers were told that there was about to be an emergency drill but it was for the crew and we should disregard it. and I seem to remember on other cruises, hearing about drills, even practicing working with the life boats/rafts. I'm guessing that most passengers probably aren't even aware.

[2CarolinaCruisers]

A major fire broke out at 3 am last night. Our balcony was completely engulfed in flames, it was a wall of fire. Steve and I have lost everything but the clothes on our back. 120 cabins are completely destroyed. We sat in our muster stations for 7 hours with no air and no food. It took them 4 hours to finish roll call. I don't think I've ever been so terrified. We're in Jamaica and have no idea what is going to happen. Thankfully all were accounted for though there were injuries and some heart attacks.

 

Carolyn

 

While our hearts and prayers go out to those impacted by the fire on (and that would be all on board) the Star, we cannot help but ask the rational in continuing to allow smoking in cabins on board cruise ships. Past the fire and second hand affects threat, the ash and trash (cigarette, cigar & pipe) blow in from other balconies continue to be the single most discussed complaint on our most favorite source of travel. While on board the Veendam this past November, it was almost a noxious situation to walk by a cluster of cabins with pipe and cigar smokers, even with Hollands (unenforced) no pipes or cigars smoked in the cabin policy. When the policy abiding majority of passengers are affected by a minority who chose to ignore policy, well then it's time for cruise lines to review, change, add and/or enforce their policies.

[minimand]

our thoughts are with everybody that was on board the star princess when the fire happened.we went on the grand princess 3 years ago and remarked at how many practises and drills that were carried out .we were reassured that the crew were proffessional and seemed very good in what they were doing.we are shortly going on the sea princess and whilst i'll be more aware when people are smoking on board[if this was a factor in the cause of the fire]i still feel reassured by what i've seen on princess ships.

[lawsoncd3]

Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who were on the Star when the fire started. Special thanks to all the members of the crew who handled the situation with professionalism and expertise.

[foto]

this goes to show that paying attention to the "Drills" they make you do before every criuse is no joke- not something anyone wants to go threw! but you are safe and well that's what counts -Prays with all that was on the ship and mostly with the one soul that did not make it out alive ....

[ssbeagle]

A good message as to why we need to pay attention to muster drills and heed warnings from the ship's staff. Our deepest sympathy to the Liffger family and a get well wish for those who suffered any ill effects from the fire. We were sorry to hear about the terrible ending to what is a most enjoyable vacation. From someone who is waiting to hear about our Apr 9th cruise on the Star................

[skarletohara]

I just had to get down in words our experiences before they left my brain, which is somewhat foggy after all of the traveling.

 

It's weird. Here back in my living room, with the TV on, the experience already seems like a world away, and a long time ago.

 

Our hearts go out to those who lost a loved one, and to those that are suffering from the smoke inhalation.

Those of you still on the ship, I wish for you quick, safe travel back home.

 

For the one asking about my Northern Cal location...it's Fairfield.

 

hbeard

 

Welcome home HBeard!! Glad to hear you and your wife are doing fine.

 

Dana

[captainron]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

To all those whose lives have been drastically changed by this traumatic experience, our thoughts are with you and your families.

 

Being in the military for years, I know trauma can have a devastating effect on people, months, sometimes years after an occurrence. This affliction is known as PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is common with military personnel returning home from overseas assignments. It is however not unique to our military personnel and can be experienced by anyone in the country.

 

I encourage those of you, who after this ordeal experience anxiety attacks, mood changes or changes in behavioral patterns to seek the appropriate medical assistance. Through medication, such a disorder can be treated.

 

To the master and crew of the Star Princess,

You are to be commended for your team efforts in suppressing the fire and containing it to a specific area onboard ,minimizing injuries and life lost. Your professionalism in the face of the greatest fear at sea will be remembered by those who live to tell of this horrific event on the Ship's Log.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[drumline13]

Hi all,

 

My fiance and I were on the Star Princess when it caught fire on Thursday morning. I would like to share my experience with this message board (this was our first cruise). This may get a little long, but I don't want to miss anything...

 

 

THE EXPERIENCE:

 

We were located on the Aloha Deck (deck 12) in the 200 section of the opposite side of the ship from the fire.

 

At a little after 3am on Thursday morning (March 23rd, 2006), I was woken by the sound of the fire/emergency alarm. My fiance, who was already up at the time, yelled, "What the hell is going on?", and I ran out to the balcony to see if the alarm was sounding on the other floors, and sure enough, it was.

 

So, I opened the door to the hall, and I immediately saw two uniformed crew members running by at full speed. At this moment, we knew that something was up, so we threw on some clothes, grabbed our life vests and valuables, and headed out the door. We had practiced the "emergency drill" on Sunday, so we knew that we should head down to our 7th floor muster station (Muster Station A: Princess Theater).

 

We headed to the nearby stairwell and began our descent. When we reached the 11th floor, we saw someone come through the closed fire door on the port side of the ship, and when the door opened, a floor-to-ceiling THICK BLACK cloud of smoke came pouring out and down the hall, and this confirmed that there was already a bad fire blazing.

 

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...

 

When we reached the 7th floor, we filled the Princess Theater with approximately 800-1000 other people (just an estimate). The crew members in the theater helped seat the passengers, and immediately, Donna (Williams, I believe), our incredible muster station leader, spoke over the speaker system to help keep passengers calm.

 

As we sat in the theater, we listened to the many updated messages by the captain regarding the state/location of the fire. We were also able to hear the announcements that were made telling the various fire-fighting crew members which floors/rooms to which they should report. 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. Donna performed a multi-hour roll-call in our muster station, and crew members retrieved medications and water for those passengers in need (one note: more water should have been made available, as the amount of water brought in for THAT many passengers was minimal. The A/C was shut down to keep the smoke from passing through the ship's vents, so the theater was very warm.). Other crew members retrieved fans for the theater, and others excorted passengers to the restrooms.

 

At around 10am, the captain announced that my half of the ship could return to our rooms, and he also announced that breakfast was going to be served. To our amazement, while we all sat in the muster stations, the dining staff was hard at work to make breakfast available for ALL passengers at the time we were released from the muster station. This was another sign that Princess values their passengers above all else...

 

Our room was, luckily, not affected by the fires. We did not even smell smoke in our room, so it was very obvious that the emergency fire doors kept the fire/smoke contained on the port side of the ship.

 

When we turned on the TV in our room, we immediately heard that CNN was broadcasting the news about the ship, so we phoned home (yes, the cell phone worked from Montego Bay) to alert our families. We ate breakfast, and after a few hours, we were allowed to leave the ship to tour Jamaica. That night, at 8:30pm, we ate dinner at Sabatini's (the Italian specialty restaurant for which we had made reservations when we first boarded the ship), and the waitstaff, who had all been up with us since 3am, were still top-notch in ALL aspects of their service. Amazing.

 

 

THE FLIGHTS HOME:

 

At 6am on Friday morning, the captain announced that flight arrangements were being made for all passengers who were still on the ship (we were told on Thursday afternoon that this was the plan; 550 passengers had already been sent to hotels in Ocho Rios). We were told to leave the ship by 7:30am for a 10am chartered Delta flight out of Jamaica to Atlanta, GA. We arrived at the airport at 8:30am, and after an hour, 68 of us were told that our flight was full (how did THIS happen??...I don't believe it was Princess's fault.....I believe Delta allowed people on the flight who had arrived that morning from the Ocho Rios hotels, etc.), and we were instead placed on the 4:45pm flight (which did not leave till 7:45pm), so we spent 11 hours waiting to get out of there! As a positive note, Princess ordered two tour busses to take the 68 of us to Margaritaville for a complimentary lunch while we waited for our flight. When we reached Atlanta, Delta gave us hotel/food vouchers for the night, and we stayed there overnight until our flight (which I had to book by calling Delta at midnight) the next morning. There were Princess/Delta representatives in the airport when we arrived from Jamaica, and they told us where to pick up our luggages and catch the shuttles to the hotels. Overall, the flight experience was more of a pain than anything, but after arriving home 27 hours after our first flight was supposed to have left Jamaica, we realized that things could have been much worse.

 

 

THE CREW MEMBERS:

 

We would not hesitate to take another cruise because we know how rare something like this is. In all honesty, when we take our 2nd cruise, we will again take Princess. Why? It's simple: the crew members. When Princess says: "The safety of our customers is our number 1 priority", they truly mean it.

 

The crew members were OUTSTANDING before and after the fire. As I said before, within minutes, if not seconds, after the alarm sounded, crew members were stationed at the stairwells guiding passengers to the muster stations. The crew in the muster stations was phenomenal; they remained calm and responded EXACTLY as they had during the drill on Sunday. I don't know how ALL crew members kept their cool during the whole incident, but they somehow did. Donna, our muster station leader, was phenomenal: she kept everyone in good spirits, and the highlight came when she called an 8-year-old boy up on stage and lead everyone in singing "Happy Birthday" to him. The waitstaff that served us breakfast and dinner was also amazing; though they were as tired as we were, you would have never known it. There were entertainers that performed that evening to keep the passengers in good-spirits (the previously unscheduled hypnotist agreed to perform a "last minute" show at 10:30pm). The captain was calm and informative during the whole ordeal. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: Many, many, MANY THANKS go to the crew members who put out the fire. Though I do not know any of their names, my fiance and I would like to thank them for being the bravest individuals on the ship as they had to go toward the fire as the rest of us were fleeing it.

 

Thanks to the 5-star performance of every crew member we saw, we will definitely book our 2nd cruise with Princess. Princess knows how to make all of their passengers feel safe, and it's clear that their passengers are their number 1 priority.

 

 

WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER:

 

1. More water should be readily available near the muster stations. During the fire, the A/C was shut down, and the muster stations became very warm. I would like to see more water brought in for the passengers, especially the elderly, etc. Some water was brought in by crew members, but I think there should have been more brought in. I am sure Princess realizes this and will adjust accordingly. We heard that at least one of the muster stations was provided with coffee, but I believe that all stations should have been provided with enough water.

 

2. Our hearts go out to the crew members who had the unfortunate job of sitting near the fire doors (post fire) on the burned side of the ship to prevent passengers from entering the unsafe areas. These crew members had to sit on chairs near blaring fire alarms (some of the alarms remained on for many hours after the fire) and had to breathe in the HORRIBLE smell of burnt plastic, etc., for HOURS (hopefully they rotated). We only saw 2 of these crew members (out of the 5 or so that we saw) with protective breathing masks on. ALL of these crew members should have had masks, earplugs, etc., so as to protect themselves. This should be a top priority for Princess: PLEASE make sure to have masks, earplugs, etc. available to all crew members who are given such jobs as these men/women. The health of these crew members should NOT be overlooked, and I am sure that all passengers would agree.

 

 

WHAT PRINCESS IS DOING FOR US:

 

All passengers are going to be given a full refund for the cruise, air, related expenses, packages, and government fees. In addition, 25% of the fare we payed for this trip can be applied as a credit for another cruise through 2007. Our flights home were also fully payed.

 

 

SPECULATION ABOUT THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE:

 

My fiance and I have heard numerous rumors about what caused the fire. Some claim it was a cigarette, others say it was caused by kids, but we don't want to speculate. However, we do have a different theory based on what we have heard from a couple other passengers, but I don't want to share it on here until I have mentioned it first to Princess.

 

 

SUMMARY:

 

I hope I was able to accurately describe our experiences during the fire, and I hope I was able to show how incredible/professional all of the Princess employees were. We will definitely book another Princess cruise thanks to the handling of this situation by all crew members on the ship.

 

 

(Our prayers go out to the family and friends of the passenger who passed away from a heart attack during the ordeal.)

[Snoozeman]

Thank you drumline13 for a well thought-out synopsis of your experiences on the Star. Your faith in the Princess crew is well noted. Thanks again.

[English Tim]

Yes, many thanks, drumline13. It's good to know that you were so well looked after and that the crew acted so professionally. I hope you will copy your report to Princess.

[phillipahain]

Having heard Tony Yeoman the Captain on the star talk about his life on board ships he certainly came over as someone who was indeed very experienced indeed as well as cool calm collected and well able to deal with the emergency on the Star

 

My heart goes out to all who were affected by the smoke and fumes and i can but hope the true cause of the fire is found , the persons responsible held to account and changes are made to the systems to ensure a similar incident cannot occur in the future

 

Seems from what we have read so far someones carelessnes or stupidity caused the fire

Sure hope they are thoroughly ashamed of themselves

[jhbkcb]

We just wanted to offer our sympathy and condolences to the family of Mr. Liffridge and to all those who were injured or lost all their personal belongings.

 

We were on the port side just aft of the affected area. We, too, had embers and smoke on our balcony. We spent Thursday night in our cabin and left the ship on Friday.

 

Having been home now for a couple of days, I just wanted to add our praise to the captain and his staff. In my opinion, they acted very professionally and did as much as possible to get everyone to safety and to keep them safe during the incident.

 

On Friday, the captain was walking around the ship reassuring people and allowing them to ask questions and provided what answers he could. He did straighten out some rumors and offered his condolences to everyone concerned. It was impressive that he made himself available to the passengers.

 

The staff continued to do their jobs and also expressed their concern for everyone. Our vacation was interrupted but their lives and for some their livelyhood is changed. Many were as frightened as we were but continued to do their jobs as they were trained to do.