| | |  Travel & Outdoors 
What Would You Do On A Disabled Cruise Ship?
 City News Service
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November 11, 2010
| | Stranded Carnival Splendor being towed to San Diego (NBC) | |
Several U.S. military ships, including the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, steamed into Mexican territorial waters today to help rescue a disabled cruise ship stranded about 150 nautical miles south of San Diego with nearly 4,500 people aboard.
The Carnival Splendor has been floating off the coast of Baja California since about daybreak Monday, when a fire erupted in an aft engine room, according to Carnival Cruise Lines officials. None of the 3,299 passengers or 1,167 crew members aboard was injured, though several people reportedly suffered panic attacks.
The Carnival Splendor is disabled at sea. What would you do if this happened on your vacation?
The cruise line decided to tow the crippled ship to San Diego instead of the initial emergency destination of Ensenada, Mexico. It is expected to dock late Thursday, officials said.
[How would you, or most people react, to this situation? Leave a comment below.]
In a statement, the company said the change of plans stemmed from "the ship's speed and current position'' while being pulled through the ocean by a tugboat.
However, if the ship is unable to maintain sufficient speed under tow, Carnival officials may revert to the prior plan and dock in Baja California, according to the company.
Additionally, Carnival late today announced the cancellation of the Splendor's next voyage, which had been slated to begin in Long Beach on Sunday.
"We sincerely apologize to our guests for this unfortunate situation and offer our thanks for their patience and cooperation during this challenging time,'' said Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of the Florida-based cruise line.
This morning, dozens of pallets of supplies were transferred from Naval Air Station North Island to the Ronald Reagan, which was at sea in the Pacific on maneuvers before being diverted to the Splendor's coordinates.
The 4,500 pounds of emergency rations were then flown by helicopter to the disabled cruise ship, according to U.S. Third Fleet public affairs.
In addition to the Coronado-based nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, vessels aiding the 113,000-ton cruise ship were the U.S. Coast Guard Cutters Aspen and Morgenthau; a 140-foot Mexican government patrol boat; and a tugboat named Chihuahua.
During the operation, the USCG Rescue Coordination Center in Alameda kept in contact with all response craft as well as Carnival Cruise Line's operations center.
At the time of the fire, the 952-foot luxury liner was roughly 55 miles west of Punta San Jacinto on the first leg of a seven-day Mexican Riviera tour. It departed Long Beach on Sunday.
As the crew worked to extinguish the blaze, passengers were directed out of their cabins and onto the ship's open upper decks.
After several hours, passengers were let back into their rooms. They were being given bottled water and cold food.
The Coast Guard initially sent three cutters and a helicopter to monitor the situation and provide any needed assistance.
The Panamanian-flagged Splendor has been operating on auxiliary generators. Because engineers were unable to restore its propulsion systems, however, the cruise was canceled.
Monday night, the crew was able to restore toilet service to most cabins and all public bathrooms, as well as cold running water.
As of this evening, though, several key systems, including air conditioning, hot meals and telephones, remained unavailable. Ship's personnel continued to "actively work to restore'' those services, Carnival officials said.
Despite the ongoing inconveniences, passengers were able to move about the ship and had access to limited food and beverage service, along with some shipboard programming, including children's activities and entertainment.
The stranded vacationers will get a full refund along with reimbursement for transportation costs, according to the company. Additionally, they will receive a complimentary future cruise equal to the amount paid for the aborted voyage.
Those who had been scheduled to sail on the ship's next voyage also will receive a full refund of their fare and any air-transportation costs, along with a 25 percent discount on a future cruise.
The normal itinerary of the Splendor, which entered service in 2008, includes stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. |
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