Carnival Triumph - how would you react?

[GottaCruz]

I can't even imagine what those poor people are going through, especially the passengers who are on meds, or who need meds, the elderly, the handicapped, the pregnant , the kids, and just everybody.I don't have much patience normally so I would not be one of those to deal very well with something like this. I wonder if, along with the food and "supplies" being dropped off by helicopter, are these passengers getting flashlights and other "emergency" supplies???

I must say, though, we cruised Carnival for years when we cruised with our kids . We never encountered any problems during that time. The food was good with midnight buffets nightly. The kids' camp was amazing. My daughter had such a great time at camp that as soon as we fed her, she couldn't wait to go back and that definitely worked for us.

The entertainment was "Vegas style" and very glitzy and glamorous , with showgirls and sets that were unbelievable, much better than the RC shows. We stopped cruising Carnival only because we love the walking deck on the RC ships, the open windows on the pooldeck, the Windjammer with the buffet's panoramic views and less children, now that we're empty nesters. Carnival sure is having a run of problems lately but I think that can happen with any ship, any cruiseline.

I hope those passengers can somehow get over this horrible experience and enjoy cruising again. Although, it might take quite a while for some of them to want to get on a ship again, I would think. I wonder how the first time cruisers are going to feel about cruising again after this ordeal.

[KeithnRita]

It seems very convenient for Carnival to have the ship towed to Mobile since that is where the repairs will be made. If we were aboard I'm sure after that many days stranded we would not be happy campers. Being in a business where machine maintenance is a driving factor in our survival I think Carnival needs to take a step back and review how they maintain their fleet.

I really can't say anything bad about Carnival as our our cruises have been fine. They've made some good improvements over the years in food quality and the glitz in their decor has been toned down.

As a matter of fact, we just booked another cruise on the Conquest out of NOLA for Sept.

[DebbieandJerry]

I'm not sure how I would react.

All of your replies bring up good points and perhaps this will force all cruise lines to evaluate and re-evaluate their maintenance -- similar to the muster drill. It really only takes one horrific experience to effect change.

As for medication, I always bring extra. (Just like I always pack an extra pair of undies!) My initial thought was, my injection needs to be refrigerated. If there's no power, the injection is worthless and the medicine is no longer viable.

[GottaCruz]

For me, the worst part would be the lack of bathroom facilities and the smells. With all of that, I don't think I'd have the appetite to eat. I'd be trying not to have to go to the bathroom so I"d be drinking very little fluid , no doubt, result in some pretty horrible headaches.