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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.
