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| This isn't the stranded ship, this is actually the one we were on in 2003. |
Seriously, I want to smack around these people from the Carnival Cruise gone awry – and I’m not talking about the Carnival people, either. I’m talking about the “woe is me” passengers who are making the rounds on the TV networks trying to fish what they can out of this ordeal – more money, 15 minutes of fame, whatever.
Before I attack part of a story, let me give you my two cents, because, well, it’s my blog and I can.
I understand that 4,000-plus people trapped in a floating city with no power leads to a non-ideal situation. I get that. I understand it’s dark down in your cabin and the plumbing isn’t working so the toilets don’t flush and they can’t make hot food (or keep cold food cold). But you know what? People live in these conditions – or worse – every day. People are dying of Cholera in Haiti right now. But you’re complaining because you were lucky enough to go on a vacation, but it didn’t end up like you planned. Oh, the tragedy of life.
No, I wasn’t on the cruise, so yes, I can say a lot of this only on speculation. Perhaps my mentality would be different had I experienced it for myself. Of course, I’d make the best of it. I’d go meet new people, I’d read some books, I’d spend a lot of time on the deck getting sunburned, I’d enjoy getting to see the USS Ronald Reagan up close. Ohhhh, and, most of the time when you go on a cruise you do nothing but eat, so you end up going home heavier than when you left – at least we know that wasn’t the case on this cruise! (See, there’s always an upside somewhere!)
Carnival, to their credit, has gone above and beyond as far as restitution is concerned, at least to me. I mean, they got reimbursed for the cost of the cruise, the cost of their travel to get to port for the cruise, and a free cruise in the future. I know there are people saying they will never go on another cruise, but this is like the anomaly of life. The odds of this happening again – let alone to the same people – are slim to none.
And, might I point out, there are risks you take with anything. When you get in your car to go to work, you risk getting in an accident. When you fly somewhere, you risk your plane crashing. When you go on a cruise, you risk your ship hitting an iceberg and sinking and freezing to death while the woman you just met and claim to love floats on a door next to you. (Oh, wait, that’s only Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio.) The point is, there are always risks involved. Yes, your “dream” vacation may just end up a nightmare because things can – and do – occasionally go wrong. Deal with it. It’s called life.
The first time I went to France was a year after the TWA 800 crash in New York. I was scared to death. I didn’t want it to happen to me. But I’m so glad that I went, the trip was awesome, but I knew there were risks involved. To take any sort of vacation without realizing there are risks, and that things could go horribly wrong, is just asinine. Nothing is without risk. Grow up, people.
Side note, the only people who might have a legit complaint is the couple from (ironically enough) Virginia Beach – first, when they got there, their luggage was dropped into the water during loading. Then, when the ship lost power, the lady was unable to use her breathing machine. Though, again, reference my whole “things happen” – you have to realize losing power is always a risk on vacation when you’re dealing with devices like that. But dropping their luggage in the water, how the hell did that happen?
'Vacation from hell' on a ship called Splendor
And now, it’s my favorite time of day – let’s rip apart idiotic comments in news stories!
Passengers stranded on the stricken vessel have praised the crew, including Mr Heald, for the way they handled the crisis, but called their ordeal the "vacation from hell" and likened it to being "marooned on a prison ship".
A prison ship, really? Really? I mean, bad conditions and stuff, after a couple days, okay, but prison? I think that’s sort of a stretch.
"It was putrid like a pit toilet," Greg Parish said, 48, adding it was his first and last cruise. "This is a vacation from hell... I think I'm pretty done with this cruise business."
Cruises are awesome. So if he’s done with it, it’s one less asshole I have to deal with on my next cruise. Win!
"It was awful, it was sewage," added 41-year-old Maria Azila, on her fifth cruise to celebrate her mother's 75th birthday, describing the smell on the ship.
Perhaps they could have handled the bathroom situation a little differently. But, I mean, what are they going to do? I don’t think the smell could be helped. No, I wouldn’t have enjoyed it, but I’d endure that without much of a complaint, after all, it’s not like the ship was sinking or anything. Again, always a bright side.
Barbara Levant from British Columbia said the crew "did a great job" and described how staff slept under the tables in the dining room because their quarters - at the bottom of the ship - were too hot without air conditioning.
I love how everyone else bashed the crew – but look, they suffered right along with you.
Passenger Marquis Horace voiced anger at being left in the dark - literally.
"It was absolutely deplorable. ... I felt like marooned on a prison ship, because I was in the dark and I had mayo sandwiches and backed-up toilets. It was just bad, it was really bad all the way round," he told CNN.
Back to the prison ship thing. Mayo sandwiches are disgusting, I get it, but they had PopTarts too! Don’t eat the mayo sandwiches, idiot. Seriously, starve if it’s such a big deal. At least they made sure there was SOMETHING for you, disgusting though it may have been.
And why is the dark such a big deal? Hang out on the deck during the day and head down to the dark cabin to sleep.
Azila said she was afraid of drug-runners or pirates boarding the ship while it was adrift, before the tugs and the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier came to the rescue.
Hey, if you got taken hostage, I bet their ship would be nicer than the one you left. So, it might actually be a blessing.
"I was scared. I was afraid for the 32 hours we were there, for sure," she added, describing the moment the US Navy ship arrived, carrying some 4,500 pounds of groceries including bottled water, Spam and Pop Tarts.
"I thought, 'Oh my Gosh, we're going to be saved.' It was like the cavalry was coming," she said.
Yay Navy!
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