So you would shit on the floor to get a cheap ticket?

Another thing that doesn't make sense is why weren't the fuel pumps killed when the fire started?  That would have starved the fire immediately.  Let's just leave the fucking pumps on and burn the bitch completely out.  Idiots.

I used to work on several cruise ships as a musician when I was younger. Carnival, in fact. Here's some fun times that happened while I was aboard:

1) I had a constant sore throat and cough.

2) On one stretch of our route, the prevailing winds would cause the ship to list so much that waste water would come up through the shower drain in my bathroom. Sometimes I would wake with a 1/2 inch of waste water on my cabin floor.

3) Americans were not looked upon very kindly by the 'multinational' crew. Especially if you dated a female crew member from their country. More than once I was threatened.

4) Our chief steward, from Trinidad and Tobago, was caught dealing cocaine. He had 60 kilos hidden in the walls and ceiling of his cabin.

5) Someone died onboard at least once a month, often more. Usually someone's ticker couldn't take all the 'fun'.

6) If you're an American, never, EVER go down to 2-deck aft.

Man-made diarrhea island.  No thanks.

Dang, 60 kis?  Think that was intent to distribute or what?

A cruise is one of the least expensive vacations a family can take, I have been on carnival and won't go back there about $20 cheaper per person per day than royal Caribbean, but overall there fleet is outdated, modern cruise ships are nothing like they were 10-15 years ago. There floating resorts.

I was in Haiti on a cruise on 9/11/01 and try to take a cruise every year.

I personally don't get the appeal but I've never been on one.

Every port of call is a fabricated tourist trap.  I have been to some in the Caribbean when the ships are not in and the places where tourists go are not only not busy...they aren't even OPEN.

An article I read just today stated that the engineering crew onboard made the decision to NOT start up the generators that were located in other engine rooms that were not involved with the original fire.  They did this to be on the safe side.

I got the impression that this whole ordeal about not having running water, air-conditioning and so on, could have been avoided if they had started up the other generators.

The most interesting cruise story I ever heard was as a kid when my uncle told me that someone went missing on the ship and a week later a mechanic found the body in a combustion chamber on one of the engines.  A WHOLE lot of WTF there...

Heck, I've been on two Carribean cruises and one Alaskan cruise.

Had a blast on every single one.

I could care less to try to convince someone else to go on one.

The price of drinks can add up though...

Giant floating prison where all there is to do is eat?

Not for me..

4 years on this cruiser ship was enough to last a life time.

From what I've heard, cruises are a lot like a Glock.  The vast majority of the time they're a hell of a lot of fun but every once in a while, sh*t blows up.

Carnival cruise= Gray Hound bus of the sea       I went on one with the wife and kids, half the trip the plumbing wasnt working and the ship smelled like a porta john.

Been on 3 cruises so far and 4th in May. Best vacation for the buck. The whole point of a vacation is to not have to answer the phone, internet etc.

I've been on 3. Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal transit. Another is planned this summer for Northern Europe.

Not all of them are "booze cruises" like Carnival. Though drinking is part of my experience. Heck, I'm not driving.

There is plenty to do besides just eat. Lectures, seminars, trivia, etc. and most of it doesn't cost anything.
There is lots of stuff to do on shore. In Alaska we helicoptered out to a glacier, in Costa Rica I zip-lined in the canopy of a tropical rain forest.
It's a great way to visit a number of places without having to pack and unpack repeatedly. We've used our cruise experiences to decide on where to go for some of our traditional vacations.
It's cost-effective.
It's luxurious. After our 16 day Panama Canal cruise it was very difficult to go back to normal life.
It's relaxing. I get to be completely disconnected from the office. No "I know you're on vacation, but..." calls.

We do a few every year. Just good to get away and not worry about having to do a damn thing is what I like. Its a hotel that takes you places. My family loves it when I book them a cruise. We do inside rooms, get resident rates and hardly drink and dont gamble. If you drink, smuggle, if you gamble, dont. Crusie ships casinos are notoriously tight.































 

Motion of the ocean plus fat chicks and all that.

 

I went on a Carnival cruise once and it was fun. And really cheap.



When I'm single and out of college, I see myself doing more cruises.

well for me big ship = work so cruises hold zero appeal.

as for what went on in this ships plant, really we won't know until the crew, CG and NTSB start talking about it. simply because when it comes to ships the media doosn't know it's ass from a hole in the ground. same goes for passengers, just because they were on the ship doesn't mean a fucking thing.


this ship like most cruise ships these days was diesel electric powered. having 2 dedicated engines/generators for the propulsion motors and 4 other engines/generators for everything else, generally these are called SSDG's or ship service diesle generators. the long and short of it is that the whole shebang is electrical powered. anyhow. so the ship has an ER fire, engineering crew loses control and my guess is triggered the spaces fixed fire suppression system. this is a standard of ships. basically if a fire in aspace gets out of control you seal the space and trigger FFS system which floods the space with CO2, thus killing the fire. the thing is though FFS's are a one shot deal, once it's triggered you can't use it again until it gets recharged in port. so assuming the crew could have started some of the plant back up operating without  a sure means of extinguishing another fire was a rick they probably weren't willing take that risk.

but this is just spitballing.

I know there are a few merchant marine engineers on here. perhaps they could chime in.

What I don't get is, WHY is it that the ship apparently has a SINGLE power generation system?





One engine room fire and it's batteries for everything...if they HAD any batteries.





I'm no ship designer but to me it's simple common sense that any ship that's going to carry a few thousand paying passengers

who have high expectations, like power, light, working toilets, and plenty of food,   would have a fully redundant electrical power

generation and distribution system, with the ability for EITHER system to power the entire ship by itself if necessary.



Heck, the ship has two Azipod drive systems.  Two engines.  Why not have their engine rooms, including power generation,

duplicated exactly but completely separated from each other so that if one should burn to slag, the other is unaffected and

can drive and power the ship all by itself?



These ships already cost upwards of half a billion dollars.  Why not spend a few percent more for true redundancy in critical systems?



I can assure you, there have been enough incidents with cruise ships to FULLY justify the additional expense.





And,  why are people stupid enough to keep using the toilets when they've been told not to do so because if they do, it'll overflow,

on a lower deck if not your own?    Damn it,  use your fucking heads, people!   Hike it out over the side and let fly!    





Bring back the poop deck!



Just evacuate the decks below it.

I have been on 6 and will be leaving on my 7th cruise on the 25th. I prefer them because I get to see different areas, I don't have to worry about where to go or what to make to eat, I don't have to worry about driving. For me, it is the care-free nature of it. It is also more cost effective when you break it down. From gas and meals, to lodging, it has been more cost effective. And now, I have founnd out that Royal Caribbean is offering an all-inclusive drink package which is cheaper than what my usual bar bill is..

And for the record I have and will never travel on Carnival. It has always been Celebrity or Royal Caribbean for me.