Progress of the Triumph

[maria-fan-22]

Originally Posted by mom2jcg

Has anyone heard why they're not getting hotel rooms for passengers in Mobile? Here in Alabama, the president of Mobile's visitors bureau is quoted as saying that they have plenty of hotel rooms for all, not just the ones they reserved for crew members. I figure there must be a reason, but it wasn't addressed at the press conference. Not looking to start a Carnival bash, just sincerely curious if a reason has been given.

The VP of Planning said that the Mobile airport was not properly suited to handle the number of chartered flights Carnival is using to transport the guests to Houston.

ETA: Just checked a satalite image of the mobile airport, and they only have 7 gates by the looks of it and Carnival needs about 15 large planes to handle all the passengers, which would involve shutting down the entire airport for like half a day... So I can understand why they aren't using the Mobile airport.

[mom2jcg]

Originally Posted by maria-fan-22

The VP of Planning said that the Mobile airport was not properly suited to handle the number of chartered flights Carnival is using to transport the guests to Houston.

Thank you! I missed that somehow.

Watching news with tears in my eyes...mother talking to her husband and son for first time. All people they talk to that are still on the ship are praising the crew for being so fantastic. That's so nice to hear. Sounds like they made the best of a horrible situation.

[sesame_123]

They are almost docked. Yeah! So happy for them!

[speakupjc]

The Mobile Airport was able to handle that much business as quoted by Airport Executives in the Press Register. Just yesterday Carnival had on their website the following - "Why would you want to sail out of Mobile when you could sail out of New Orleans." You can draw your own opinions but I would highly suggest looking at the Mobile Press Register for eye opening information.

[EPCOTatNight]

Originally Posted by speakupjc

The Mobile Airport was able to handle that much business as quoted by Airport Executives in the Press Register. Just yesterday Carnival had on their website the following - "Why would you want to sail out of Mobile when you could sail out of New Orleans." You can draw your own opinions but I would highly suggest looking at the Mobile Press Register for eye opening information.

I'll have to see a screenshot or something before I believe that. I'm not a Carnival fan, and I live in New Orleans, but I don't think they are that inconsiderate.

[speakupjc]

Here is the an article from the Mobile Press Register. I am posting that one as it is the latest news and also explains what occured.

A "communication breakdown" led to Carnival Corporation to assume that Mobile could not handle the logistics of assisting the passengers and crew of the Carnival Triumph ship with hotels and chartered flights, Mayor Sam Jones said.

"We talked to Carnival about what we considered a communication breakdown which sometimes occurs during a crisis situation, which is what this was," Jones said this evening outside the Alabama Cruise Terminal, where the Triumph arrived around 9:28 p.m. to much elation of those on board. "They agreed there was a communication breakdown. Now they found that it should have been handled in a different way."

Jones said Carnival and the city is "on the same page" and that the more than 3,100 passengers aboard the ill-fated ship were polled on whether they want to take a bus to a hotel in New Orleans or be allowed to stay the night in a Mobile hotel, many of which are within walking distance from the terminal.

"They told me 50 percent of people want to take the charter buses to New Orleans, Galveston and Houston," Jones said. "The other 50 percent may make a request to stay here in Mobile. If they make that, Carnival (will pay for that) too."

During a news conference, a Carnival official did not say whether Mobile hotels will be filled with passengers tonight, though he didn't confirm which ones.

David Randel, president and CEO of the Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau said both the Renaissance Riverview Plaza and Battlehouse hotels were full for tonight with passengers, Carnival crew members and a Carnival task force.

Randel said initially it made sense to bus the passengers to New Orleans if the ship had arrived around the original 4 p.m. time frame. He said logistically, it made more sense for passengers to stay in two larger hotels in New Orleans instead of at hotels throughout Mobile.

Jones, though, said the chartered flights are still scheduled to take off out of New Orleans, although Mobile is prepared to handle them.

"They assumed it could not be done out of Mobile," Jones said about Carnival. "(Mobile Regional Airport Executive Director) Bill Cisson assured them that it could still be done out of Mobile."

Jones said he felt somewhat disappointed Carnival, on Wednesday, announced it was ushering passengers to New Orleans instead of Mobile because of logistical concerns. He also raised those concerns while being interviewed by CNN's Erin Burnett.

"They made those assumptions without assessing it through us," Jones said. "I'm disappointed with that. We made it clear to them. With the crisis of them running around trying to make accommodations, there were some errors made."

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

They are docked!

[speakupjc]

Another article from the Mobile Press Register backing up my original comments.


Airport officials in Mobile claim that the Mobile Regional Airport is capable of handling the chartered flights required tomorrow for passengers aboard the Carnival Triumph, despite comments earlier today from a Carnival official.

"We have plenty of space," Buddy Rice, spokesman with the Mobile Regional Airport said. "We were ready. We talked at length with the airlines and took in a couple of flights (carrying their) employees from Miami. They all know about our airport. It's more than sufficient to handle any type of aircraft."

Thomas Hughes, the airport's director of aviation, said his team had been working with Carnival since Tuesday and that "various airlines" had contacted the airport about operating chartered flights out of the Mobile Regional Airport and the airport at Brookley Aeroplex.

Hughes said the only logistical issue at either facility was providing stairs to the operations at Brookley for a 747 plane. Security would not have been a problem at either facility, he said, adding that private screeners would have to have been set up at the Brookley facility.

"From what I understand, they would operate out of New Orleans from the west ramp," Hughes said. "If that is the case, they are also faced with the same task for getting a private screener (to that facility)."

Terry Thornton, senior vice-president of marketing at Carnival, said during a morning news conference that it simply was not "feasible" to provide chartered flights from Mobile to Houston.

He said a Carnival logistics expert determined that the air charter requirements and the number of people needed to move out of the city made it difficult to handle the operations in Mobile.


More than 4,200 passengers and crew members are aboard the Triumph, and a sizable amount of Carnival employees will stay in Mobile while the vessel is repaired.


Passengers are expected to begin unloading between 7 and 8 p.m., but too many variables exist to set a firm timetable.

Carnival, through a news release yesterday, somewhat surprised local officials when it announced plans to bus passengers from Mobile to New Orleans after the Triumph docks later this evening.

Mayor Sam Jones, during a news conference on Wednesday, said the city's airport is "perfectly capable" of transporting passengers to Houston and that there are enough hotels in the region to accommodate all passengers and crew members.

Jones, Rice and Hughes admit that they were not part of the decision making on the logistics of how the passengers would return to Houston.

But the Miami-based company's decision to forgo Mobile and haul the weary Triumph passengers to New Orleans instead of an immediate trip to Mobile's downtown hotels has some people online asking questions.

Further compounding the situation was Carnival's web site yesterday posting an advertisement questioning why people would stay in Alabama when they could cruise from New Orleans. The company, in October 2011, left the Alabama Cruise Terminal, leaving the facility along Water Street relatively dormant ever since.

"Thank you for taking the offensive ad telling traveler's to avoid Alabama off of the front page of your website," one person commented on Carnival's Facebook page. "Our city has mobilized for days and has some 6,000 rooms available five minutes from your ex-terminal as well as many other amenities prepared for the passengers that you are now planning to put on buses to Texas and Louisiana. Another long drive. I am sorry that your company believes that an additional night on their stranded ship AND an additional drive of up three to seven hours is preferable to staying in Mobile for even the time it takes to shower and eat ... I do hope that you stop your 'vendetta' against us. It isn't warranted and is shameful and insulting of you."

Rice, meanwhile, believes the likely reason for Carnival's decision to bus passengers about two hours to New Orleans is because the "Crescent City" has single hotels with larger occupancy than Mobile's hotels.

"What is the deciding factor is to get customers into one hotel," Rice said. "We have plenty of rooms in the Mobile area, but not (large enough hotels)."

Hughes said the Mobile Regional Airport remains prepared to handle the chartered operations if Carnival chooses to change their plans.

Rice also said that the decision didn't come down to whether Mobile's fees were higher than New Orleans.

Hughes said fees were never discussed.

"This is a humanitarian event and we stand ready to do whatever it is to help these people," Rice said.

[mom2jcg]

Thanks for the update from the Mobile Press Register.

So so glad they are docked! Can't wait to see that first passenger off the ship!!

[lugnut33]

LOL, my 15 year old and I are watching CNN and she commented, "This is the biggest first world problem ever".

[sesame_123]

They are making their way off now!! I can go to bed now! Was staying up to see them make if off!

[mmouse37]

This thead can stay open for the discussion of the progress the ship.

Any bashing, bickering, snarky, snide off topic posts will be deleted and the thread shut down.



MJ

[violetmonarch]

THANKS!

[Phil'sFrontier]

Originally Posted by maria-fan-22

Some ships require power to lower the lifeboats, the Disney Magic and Wonder included. But they usually have back up power available for those. It has become a new standard to have lifeboats that can be launched using only gravity. The Dream and Fantasy have this. I believe they have electronic assist, but in the case of power loss, they can be lowered manually... but yes very tempting to just take a boat...

Thanks for the info!

[justmestace]

From another website:


Carnival Triumph Arrives in Mobile:

Gerry Cahill, Carnival CEO said:

First, I'd like to start with saying how very thankful we all are that the ship is alongside and everyone is safe.
... I am so appreciative of the efforts of everyone involved in bringing the Carnival Triumph safely to the Port of Mobile.

I want to thank the United States Coast Guard, The Port and City of Mobile, Customs and Border Protection, and the countless other parties who have been incredibly helpful throughout.

I’d also like to thank our shoreside teams for working around the clock to make this happen. And finally, I want to thank our crew for all they have done. We have seen and heard so many reports, online and in the media, from passengers praising the crew’s hard work.

I am now going onboard to talk with our guests and crew, as well as to help with getting our guests off the ship and on their way home. Thank you.