How Are the Cruise Ship News Stories Impacting Your Plans

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Cruise Line Cancels Remainder of Cruise ...

Fire Onboard ....

Generator Failed ...

Propulsion Problem ...



These are some of the headlines from this year that have been making the news.  In some cases, several of the stories were from one cruise line (I'm certain you know which one - we don't want to inflict any more pain on their management, employees, or loyal cruisers).

Just today there is news about a UK based cruise line, Voyages of Discovery, who has had to cut their current nine-day Celtic Treasures cruise short due to generator problems.   They were docked in
Killybegs, Ireland when two of their four generators starting having technical problems.   Technicians have been unable to resolve the problem so the line has terminated the cruise there and will fly guests to the disembarkation port of Portsmouth.

Fortunately, in this most recent generator issue, there was no loss of complete power as the two remaining generators could run all the ships functions, however, that would be insufficient to sail.

What Do You Think? 

For us, these news stories don't change any plans that we have for future cruises.  The way we look at it: much like other mechanical items such as cars and planes,  ships can have parts fail and they will do so at the most inopportune time.  There is only so much that can be done to prevent it from happening.

How many airline flights a day are cancelled due to weather or mechanical issues?   They usually don't make the news unless there's some huge number of cancellations, perhaps due to a storm or computer glitch.

Both the airlines and cruise lines are in the business of making money, and moving passengers is the only time when that is possible.  Therefore, it is in their best interest to have their fleets working.   Both sub industries have to adhere to safety and maintenance rules and are under regular review.

The news media does have a flare for hyping certain types of stories.  They do so to increase their following which pays their bills.  

Do the stories have an impact on your vacation plans?  

In the left-hand margin of our blog, we've created a poll to allow you to share your feelings.   We'll run it for several days so that you have an opportunity to vote.   If you have comments, you can share them here or on our Facebook Page.

Carnival Fleetwide Reliability Program

Does the Ship Make Its Own Power?


If you've cruised on Carnival before, your Cruise Director probably answered this question in one of his talks.  Of course everyone knows that the ship has a long extension cord that runs all the way back to Miami.


Carnival in the News

Even if you've never cruised before, you've recently heard news stories about various operational issues onboard Carnival Cruise Lines' ships. While these situations are rare, it does afford the opportunity for review of the fleet operations and to learn ways to improve. Carnival Cruise Lines has done just that, and has announced an ambitious fleetwide program.

Watch this video to see President and CEO Gerry Cahill explain the improvements and then read about the highlights below.


CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES ANNOUNCES FLEETWIDE $300 MILLION PROGRAM TO ENHANCE OPERATING RELIABILITY AND GUEST COMFORT


This enhancement program will cost more than $300 million, and rapid upgrades have already begun. It will focus on the following areas:

• Increased Emergency Generator Power
• Increased Fire Prevention, Detection and Suppression Systems  
• Enhanced Operating Redundancies
• Company to Form New Safety & Reliability Review Board

The actions by Carnival Cruise Lines will expand the availability of hotel services for the comfort of its guests in the rare instance of a shipboard event that involves the loss of main power. In addition, the plan will reinforce key shipboard operating systems to further prevent a potential loss of primary power. The improvement plan is the result of a comprehensive operational review, overseen by parent company Carnival Corporation & plc, initiated immediately after the Carnival Triumph fire in February 2013.

“All of Carnival Cruise Lines’ ships operate safely today. Each vessel already has effective systems in place to prevent, detect and respond to emergency situations, and we meet or exceed all regulatory requirements,” said Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines. “However, by applying lessons learned through our fleet-wide operational review after the Carnival Triumph fire and by taking advantage of new technologies, we have identified areas for enhancement across our operations. These initiatives reflect our commitment to safe and reliable operations and an enjoyable cruising experience for the nearly 4.5 million guests who sail with Carnival Cruise Lines each year.” 

“Our fleet already operates at a high standard of reliability. The investments announced today for Carnival Cruise

Lines, and those we will continue to make, will reinforce our ability to consistently deliver the customer experience that 10 million people every year have come to expect from us across our fleet of 101 ships. Absolutely nothing is more important than the safety and comfort of our guests and crew, and we will use the full resources of our company to meet that commitment,” said Micky Arison, Chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc.

We applaud Carnival for taking these steps to further demonstrate their commitment to safety of their guests, crew, and ships.  Even in the wake of these events, the overall Cruise Industry still remains the safest means of travel.     

Let's Pick on Carnival Again

IF IT'S ON THE NEWS IT MUST BE TRUE Toilets Overflowing .... Elevators Not Working ... Sewage on the Floor ... Passengers Stranded ... Carnival Dream without power ... Prediction:  The News Media will have sensational headlines Here is a live webcam from the Carnival Dream ... Does this look like a ship that is in distress? No - it is one that is in port with passengers enjoying the pool and other facilities. Give Carnival Corporation a Break!!

Live Webcam - Courtesy: http://zydecocruiser.net

This is a follow up to the breaking news story about a backup generator issue onboard the current voyage of Carnival Dream, while in port, resulting in the early termination of the current voyage and cancellation of the next one.  More Engine Woes for Carnival Report of Conditions Onboard As reported on Cruise Critic, according to a Carnival spokesperson: "Based on the ship's service logs and extensive physical monitoring of all public areas, including restrooms, throughout the night, we can confirm that only one public restroom was taken offline for cleaning based on toilet overflow and there was a total of one request for cleaning of a guest cabin bathroom. Aside from that there have been no reports of issues on board with overflowing toilets or sewage. The toilet system had periodic interruptions yesterday evening and was fully restored at approximately 12.30 a.m. Thursday." Routine Maintenance Found Problem Ships are in service 24x7x52  in most cases (ignoring planned dry-dock time). That means it is necessary to do regular maintenance checks and repairs at off hours while the ships are in port.  This is exactly what happened in this instance when a backup emergency generator failed while being tested. This is not the main generator and it doesn't run all the ships power, so despite the media's desire to have another catastrophe on their hands - this just isn't the case. Compare To Your Car Let's compare a ship to your car.   Each day you go out to your car and assume that when you turn the key, assuming you have filled it with gasoline, it will start and you'll be able to drive to your destination of choice.   Periodically you take the car to your local mechanic for routine maintenance, or do the work yourself.   Most of the time, the routine maintenance goes well and you don't have to do anything further, but everyone has had that dreaded phone call when the mechanic tells you ... "I found something else while I was doing your work..." Does that mean the car manufacturer has an inferior product or you haven't been doing your job of performing maintenance?   In most cases, I suspect the answer to those questions is no.  It means that the car is made up of mechanical parts which eventually need to be replaced and can in some cases fail when you least expect them. Could the same car problems happen to your neighbor that has a different car?   Yes. Carnival Is Doing The Right Things Just as you are most likely taking good care of your car, Carnival is also taking care of their ships.  If your car doesn't work, you can't get to your destination.  A ship is no different, so it makes perfect business sense to keep them running. Despite your best efforts with your car, and despite Carnival Cruise Line's best efforts, unexpected things happen.   When they do, plans are impacted, and steps are taken to respond to the situation at hand.  While you only have your plans and perhaps a few other family members or friends to contend with,  a problem on a ship is a logistical nightmare and a huge expense. When these incidents occur, the Carnival staff onboard do everything they can to accommodate the passengers while the suits in Miami, sort out the logistical nightmare.  Carnival has always come through with a compensation plan for those impacted, which costs them additional money on top of the repairs.   Under contract, they actually aren't required to do so by the way, but they feel the duty to take care of their guests. So, I ask the media, and any of you out there that can help spread the truth ...   Please tell the story the way it is, not the way it sounds worse!! Even if there are deplorable conditions, as in the case of the Carnival Triumph,  it isn't because the cruise line wanted to punish their guests and make conditions terrible.  Unexpected events happen! Thank you to the Carnival Staff onboard the ship and around the globe that tends to our guests while under their care.   We know that you are doing the best possible and may have to take extraordinary measures when problems arise.

More Engine Woes for Carnival

Emergency Diesel Generator
Malfunctions on

Carnival Dream

Just one month since the Carnival Triumph fire which left the ship without power and stranded passengers for days, Carnival Corporation has yet another problem with power onboard one of their ships.

Earlier this week, Carnival Cruise Lines President and Chief Executive Gerry Cahill had reported that a comprehensive review of its entire fleet had been launched.  Perhaps this test was part of that review, and unfortunately this backup generator failed.

Current Voyage Terminates Early

The Carnival Dream has a technical issue with the ship’s backup emergency diesel generator which our engineering team is currently working on. Yesterday, during regularly scheduled testing of the ship’s emergency diesel generator, a malfunction occurred. At no time did the ship lose power and the ship’s propulsion systems and primary power source was not impacted. The ship is at dock in St. Maarten. All guests are safe and comfortable. There were periodic interruptions to elevators and restroom services for a few hours last night. However, all hotel systems are functioning normally and have been functional since approximately 12.30am.

While personnel continue to work on the technical issue we are making arrangements to fly all guests home via private charter flights and scheduled flights from St. Maarten. Guests on the current voyage will receive a refund equivalent to three days of the voyage and 50 percent off a future cruise.

Next Voyage Cancelled
 
We are also cancelling the ship's next voyage which is scheduled to depart on Saturday, March 16. Guests scheduled to sail on this cruise will receive a full refund and 25 percent off a future seven-day cruise. Guests who re-book will have their current rate protected on the future sailing.
Additionally, any non-refundable transportation related expenses will be reimbursed.

Yesterday was a scheduled port of call visit to St. Maarten. Guests were able to spend the full day in port and have the option of continuing to do so until their scheduled return home. All of the ship's activities and facilities are fully operational.

We are very sorry for this disruption to our guests' vacation plans and extend our sincere apologies. We look forward to welcoming them back on another Carnival cruise.

The Carnival Dream was on the last leg of a seven-day cruise and was docked in St. Maarten when the technical problem arose. The ship is based in Port Canaveral, Fla.

Source: Carnival Facebook page