Five Things We've Learned About Cruising

Sarge6870 · February 18, 2013

Before I begin my response to this negative" report" from another lawyer with a subliminal "Let's sue 'em" message, allow me to give a little information about myself. I have embarked on 8 cruises over the years on various cruise lines. These cruises have sailed to destinations from Bermuda to the Western Caribbean as well as the Eastern Caribbean. I have sailed on voyages lasting from 3 day's to 8 day's. I have had inside as well as balcony cabins. Over those 8 cruises, I have sailed on 4 different cruise lines. I do NOT work for or own a travel agency. Although my past experience may dwarf that of some of my fellow passengers on the CruiseCrazies site, I still consider myself a "Cruise Veteran". This story reported by CNN, is the same news agency that covered the travel of a disabled (Carnival Triumph) ship moving six to seven miles per hour for almost a complete day. I watched 15 minutes of their broadcast, which I equate to that of watching ice melt, before finding re-runs of "Little house on the prairie" more interesting. This failing news agency in my opinion is experiencing more distress than the Triumph by broadcasting this event!! Now, let's break down their "report" somewhat in comparison to the other mode of vacation travel. FLYING!!!

"Emergency systems aren't designed for a pleasant trip".
YES, generators DO supply power! Some designed for EMERGENCY power. Thus, the limited power after the incident. There was a disruption to most important passenger comfort equipment such as A.C. and refrigeration, but the power needed to supply limited lighting and the "NECESSITIES" were in place. Toilet facilities must be electric powered when you consider the vessel is servicing over 3000 toilets! In a situation such as this, the importance of a vessel being seen and heard, especially at night, while at sea is most important. It is evident that there ARE emergency procedures for power in place in this type of situation but those systems were obviously affected by the fire as well. Airplanes, with their multiple redundant systems, still seem to have crashes. My wife and I had been stranded in Miami waiting for a connecting flight to Aruba a few years ago because the scheduled plane was undergoing "Scheduled" maintaince. Scheduled usually applies to something pre-planned. Why was that plane assigned to a "Scheduled" flight? Did we look to sue the airline, NO! It is reported that flight delays affect over 320,000 flying passengers per year and cost the airlines AND taxpayers over $40 BILLION in gate fees and excessive fuel usage (nytimes.com). It is also reported that over 6,716 flights were cancelled, up 40% from the previous year, in 2010 (travel&leisure.com).

"Itineraries can change without notice".
Unfortunately, this is true. You will primarily see these changes for the SAFETY of the passengers. Bad weather such as hurricanes, warring countries and sometimes for vessel malfunctions. How often do you hear of cruise lines cancelling their scheduled cruises? You must keep in mind that your Captain holds the responsibility of the passengers in their hands and must make tough decisions when incidents occur. Also remember that these vessels carry an average of 3200 passengers per week and operate 52 weeks per year!! That's almost 170,000 passengers per year on one ship. And to quote from the story, " This week Triumph sister ships Carnival Legend, Carnival Conquest and Carnival Elation all diverted to provide provisions to Triumph. However, those diversions did not result in any delayed arrivals or skipped ports of call, Gulliksen said. ".

"Passenger compensation often is not required".
That may be true, and I'll keep this point short, Carnival will refund the total cost of the cruise PLUS $500 (that's about 150% restitution), a discount on a future cruise and were provided transportation from the dock and lodging in a hotel(s). I could not concieve ANY cruise line refusing to provide some sort of restitution to passengers when an incident such as this occur's regardless of their contractual obligations!! The passengers from the failed Triumph cruise interviewed that cried "I will never cruise again" were most likely first time cruisers that had nothing to compare their cruise to and did not understand that as with ANY vacation, there are risks. A few years ago, we flew to Aruba for our yearly vacation. Aruba is not necessarily considered in the Hurricane belt, yet we indured Hurricane Felix. Did we sue the resort? NO. Did we receive any sort of restituation? NO!!

"Cruise ship inspections vary by ship and country".
The Carnival Triumph on their last inspection received a score of 96 out of 100 when inspected on July of 2012 (CDC.gov). Inspectors are paid to find failures during inspections for YOUR safety. Unless a cruise ship is within a few months of being new, you would be hard pressed to find a score of 100. A score of less than 85 is considered a failing score. The cruise ships visiting U.S. ports are inspected, considered surprise inspections, approximately every six months unless they receive a failing score. At that point, they are revisited sooner to ensure the infraction was corrected. These inspections are primarily aimed at the sanitary conditions of the vessel and not the mechanical operation.

"Passengers may have a legal case".
Any cruise veteran will tell you that they have read of past passengers filing a lawsuit against a cruise lines, regardless of the restitution being offered, for reasons as minimal as not receiving their luggage to their cabin in a timely manner. Look at the world today, there are ALWAYS people you can't appease no matter what you do and filing a suit against a major company is faster and easier than winning the lottery. There will be suits against Carnival to follow, I can guarantee that. And these cases will cost the taxpayers millions in court fees and will clog up the courts worse than the toilets were on the Triumph.

Yes, I have experienced some service interruptions on past cruises, with the worst being one in which we had an itenerary change do to the ships turbo charger malfunctioning. Did I file a suit against the cruise line? NO. YET, when I did contact the cruise line and explained my dissatisfaction in the change, they provided me with a discount on a future cruise AND added amenities for that cruise. Did I cruise again after that occurrence? YES! Did I cruise with that cruise line again? YES!
It was reported last week that this incident on the Carnival Triumph will have no effect on the cruise industry just as after the Costa Concordia accident had no effect. My feelings are that the only bad cruise is when the ship sinks (hence the Concordia)! It is easier for you to find people that thoroughly enjoyed their past cruises than those that explain their cruise as though they were on the Titanic. And, it is easier to find someone that had a bad flight than a good one. No vacation is 100% perfect. But when you look into the amenities you get for what you pay for a cruise vacation, for me it IS worth the very, VERY minimal risk of an incident happening. So come this November, I will be "sipping my umbrella drink" aboard my ninth cruise.