Could you make the best out of the Carnival Cruise from Hell?

[Lionqueen2]

I think I'd be ok on a ship even with no food. Now, if I were trapped on an airplane for hours I'd have issues.

Agree! I'm usually calm in a crisis and think I'd be fine on a ship, but would not be as patient trapped in an airplane.

 

[mnrose]

I am an optimist by nature, and seldom get "down" about things. Mostly because have learned that being down or depressed about something only makes it worse. I know I could power through and do so with a +++ attitude. I survived 53 days in a hospital bed, unable to use anything but a bedpan, and I didn't lose my optimism. The nurses who cared for me were impressed by my attitude.

While conditions were no doubt bad, I'm certain I would survive and be cheerful about it too. I'd be the one trying to cheer up other people.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My anxiety level is slightly high on a ship anyway. (And really high on a plane!)

One that was dead in the water without even the stabilizer bars working so it was listing, combined with a lack of AC, being in the dark, putrid smells, potentially contaminated food, and an angry mob, would seriously bum me out.

HOWEVER, I would want to stay calm and positive for my kids, AND my DH would be having a field day with with his commentary I'm sure we'd be laughing (to a degree).

We no doubt would have been one of the families who dragged our mattresses up to the top deck, balcony or not. [Probably irrational, but] I think I'd be worried in the room that if the ship tipped, we'd be stuck in there. At least up top, maybe we'd have a chance jumping in the water. (Hypothermia and sharks notwithstanding.)

Good thread. I was wondering last night (haven't read reports today) at how it was going to be for people having to wait 5 hours to disembark after that whole fiasco. I was imagining it was rough in the lines getting off - lots of REALLY ANGRY PEOPLE!

PS we prefer an inside room on DCL! See tag!

 

[WDSearcher]

I would be in the "let's turn this into an adventure" camp. I've been stuck on airplanes during blizzards, stuck in cities during national disasters, lost in the middle of a city I don't know, etc. I tend to just take a breath and figure out how to turn it into something positive.

I figure, the people in charge -- whether they're cruise staff, flight attendants, whoever -- don't want to be in that situation either, and why would I want to make a bad situation worse by freaking out or by yelling at someone who can't fix it anyway? And there's something to be said for being a calm voice in an otherwise frustrating situation. During a weather situation, where a bunch of flights were being cancelled and people were screaming at airline reps to GET THEM ON THE NEXT PLANE NOW!! (even though no one was really certain when the next plane was even leaving), I just smiled and said, "Whenever you can get me out of here is cool ... just please put me by a window." The reservation agent cracked up, and then put me by a window. In first class.

 

[Phdmama06]

There is a reason I don't go on cruises, I have a lot of anxiety about this type of situation. But in theory, if stuck like this, what choice would I really have but to make the best of it? Probably would not choose to cruise again after that though.

 

[Chikabowa]

Never been on a cruise... but totally know that I'd definitely be the "this is an adventure we didn't plan on having" kind of person. DH and I would be the annoying ones laughing and makes jokes the entire time.

Sometimes life happens. And it's just a story for later on!

 

[MissManda]

I would like to think that if I found myself in that situation, that I would be able to remain calm, cool and collected.

I would have had a really hard time dealing with the restroom related issues....overflowing toilets, the smells, having to go in bags. On top of that the lack of AC and the thought of germs and bacteria that must have been growing in that ship might have been too much for the germaphobe in me to handle.

If those issues weren't so bad, I think that I could handle it a lot better.

I feel terribly for everyone that had to deal with that.

 

[linda0706]

I was on the 2010 Carnival Splendor fire cruise that was stranded for 4 days, so I have a very good idea of what these cruisers went through.

We just made the best of it. What else can you do?? Everybody there with you is quite literally in the same boat, so we just sucked it up & dealt. Even the cruise employees--they were stuck right there with us and were not in any position to do anything to fix the problem. In fact the employees were awesome - nothing but praise for them.

I was with a group of 7 friends. We spent lots of time hanging around on deck, playing cards, passing around paperback books, and waiting in food lines. It wasn't a "good time" by any means, but it wasn't totally miserable either. The fire was early Monday morning...our cabin toilets didn't work until Wednesday night but most of the public toilets were working by Tuesday evening.

 

[4nana]

DH & I struggled mucho in our early years, are both old scouts, built tough, and thankfully know some survival skills . Few yrs back, we had 3' snow storm, we lived w/o power, bath facilities, etc., in our home, and had to improvise for a week.

My heart goes out to the Carnival crew and passengers . How disheartening it would be to have your vacation ruined stuck in middle of ocean. However, we'd have plenty of company and hopefully could forge through. We make it a practice to get trip insurance, take a case of water on our cruise, enjoy a balcony cabin, and have plenty to snack on . Now the smell and raw sewage leaks would be another story!?!?!

 

[lurkernj]

I agree with having a balcony making it easier (although should you be out there with the boat listing?). If I could hang out there with a book and be in denial about what was going on around me, I'd probably be ok

With my claustrophobia getting worse over the years, I don't think I'd book an inside room anyways, but the whole human waste issue is really gross to think about. I guess if you have a balcony, well, you know.

Being stuck on a plane, hmmm, they'd be peeling me off the ceiling. I find myself sometimes fighting anxiety as it is (especially when the air isn't coming thru the little blowers), but manage since I like to travel too much, but to be just sitting there for hours not moving, nope.

 

[Kristibo42]

I always say "everything happens for a reason" so I would deal with it. It not like they set the fire and it was not sinking. Heck their getting their money back, a free cruise, $500. I'm sure most of them had insurance so they will get even more back. I would not have stayed in my room I would have been up on the top deck.

 

[minkydog]

As bad as the situation would be, I think I would be okay. DH & I are avid campers, so we've had our fair share of dirt and bugginess. I wouldn't like being stuck on a ship for 5 days without toilets or decent meals, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. Plenty of people live worse than that in refugee camps around the world. I figure as long as nobody is shooting at me, I'm going to be okay.

The thing that would be the hardest for me would be lack of sleep. I use CPAP at night and without it I simply do not sleep. When I don't sleep, it messes with my bipolar and I start to get manic. Five days of that would really wind me up. Not that I would be dangerous to myself or anyone else, but I probably wouldn't be very good company.

 

[LisaR]

I'm a natural-born problem solver and generally a pretty optimistic person. And, being in medicine, I can take pretty gross stuff.

So, I think I would do pretty well, but I would not be happy about it.

I think this would be a negative for us. DH and I would want to fix it and there wasn't anything we would be able to fix in this situation. They wouldn't let DH in the engine room and they wouldn't let me in the kitchen. It seems like it would be a lot of time sitting around doing nothing. Put me to work making the situation right and I would be fine. Let me sit and wallow and the situation would be so much worse. I hate when there is a problem and I can't do anything to fix it.

 

[mdsoccermom]

I always say "everything happens for a reason" so I would deal with it. It not like they set the fire and it was not sinking. Heck their getting their money back, a free cruise, $500. I'm sure most of them had insurance so they will get even more back. I would not have stayed in my room I would have been up on the top deck.

Actually, there is a very good chance that most insurance carriers won't cover any claims from this. The cruise wasn't cancelled or delayed, and since the passengers still sailed and stayed on the ship, it wasn't interrupted.

 

[linda0706]

Actually, there is a very good chance that most insurance carriers won't cover any claims from this. The cruise wasn't cancelled or delayed, and since the passengers still sailed and stayed on the ship, it wasn't interrupted.

Plus the passengers were all made financially whole...

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I'd like to think I'd be calm about it all. I grew up with boats, so I wouldn't be worried about our safety situation, and I'm not a germaphobe. I'd probably try to start a euchre tournament or something to pass the time.

As bad as it would have been, at leats it would be an adventure...and it's gotta be better than being back at work.

 

[Minnesota!]

I think I would do pretty well. I would be freaking out inside about being powerless in the middle of a vast body of water, but as far as everything else goes - eh - it's not permanent. Just power through the 5 or so icky days and then life resumes as normal.

Getting hysterical or mad won't make the end come any quicker.

 

[eliza61]

I think I would probably be ok once we started heading back home.

I don't think I would have stressed too much because in the back of my head I know it's only temprorary. Sandy, katrina or other natural disasters would be more stressful because those tend to be life alterning events.

 

[princesspiglet]

Well for me I think it would totally depend on if my DD10 was with me or not. If it was just DH and I, we would be fine. DH has done two tours in Afghanistan and 3 in Kosovo, so he is used to crappy conditions and with his positive attitude I would be able to make the best of it.

Now if DD10 was with us, I would probably lose it. She has GAD and would probably be having attacks left and right, so that would make it much harder for me. I like to think I would be able to keep her calm, but sometimes that doesn't always work.

 

[minkydog]

Well for me I think it would totally depend on if my DD10 was with me or not. If it was just DH and I, we would be fine. DH has done two tours in Afghanistan and 3 in Kosovo, so he is used to crappy conditions and with his positive attitude I would be able to make the best of it.

Now if DD10 was it, I would probably lose it. She has GAD and would probably be having attacks left and right, so that would make it much harder for me. I like to think I would be able to keep her calm, but sometimes that doesn't always work.

You know, I always think about things like this. It would be so much harder to take care of your children in this situation. I have a son who is severely mentally handicapped. When stuff like this happens, I wonder "what would we do if Christian was with us?" It would be a disaster, I can tell you!

I can't help thinking about all the little old ladies with their canes, the young adults in their power chairs, and the people who have chronic health problems that would be negatively affected by such a terrible situation. So glad they made it "home" last night.