Breaking News

[BethA]

I know when we cruised RC we had an aft cabin, where the ship is slanted and those above us were always smoking cigars and cigarettes and flicking ashes and butts on us. If a lit cigarette landed on clothing or reading material on another balcony it could certainly start a fire. Where is the article saying an accellerant was used?

It must have been horrible for thos involved and my prayers are with those injured and the family of the person who died.

 

[captaincrash]

Here is the quote that makes reference to a posssible accelerant.... as you can imagine - how on Earth could so much of the ship be destroyed by aq simple fire on a balcony from a pitched ciggy if not for some mischief with an arsonists' help to spread it?

NOW please bear in mind that this is not a qualified opinion. We have NO IDEA who posted this and what their credentials are. AND it is heresay as to how it looked to them. OF COURSE.... I am not even claiming to have been there so I am a true voice from the peanut gallery.

Take it with a grain of salt and think about the photos we've seen in the media... pictures don't lie... it looks pretty big for a single accidental ciggy, eh? I have trouble imagining how it could find sufficient fuel to sread fast enough to develope that much intensity and damage.

So maybe it wasn't an accident.....read this...scary....


From someone on the ship posting to Cruise Critic
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I copied this from the Princess site:

I have to tell you all that after reading some of the posts on my thread I am appalled at some of your posts.

Let me set the record straight, it was not a cigarette that probably caused the fire. I spoke to the person who pulled the actual fire alarm and she's been interviewed by police and officials. It looks like someone did this on purpose. The initial fire spread way to rapidly and there was some kind of accelerant on the balcony. They believe in the possiblity that either some through a moltov cocktail or poured liquor over onto the balcony and then threw a cigarette. The fire went from being a small thing to an inferno in a matter of seconds. Staff told me that more went on than we're being told and that it was a serious major fire that spread very quickly. Our sprinklers didn't go off properly and some of the fire doors didn't shut like they were supposed to.

My husband and I were sound asleep and were woken up around 3:10 by banging. I smelled smoke and opened the blinds to see many embers flying onto our suite balcony hitting the wood chairs. Within 1 minute my husband opened the other curtain to now see a wall of fire on our double balcony. The sliding door then cracked in his face and we turned and ran. It took almost 15 minutes from the time the girl pulled the silent alarm to when the alarm came over for everyone to hear. My room was on fire prior to the captain sounding the alarm. There was no time to grab much of anything unless I wanted to risk my life. My cabin was C414 and was smack dab in the middle of the fire where the balconies were even gone.

We made it to our muster station and everyone was terrified. They kept telling people it was okay, but we knew differently from what we had left. It took them 4 hours to complete roll call. They finally gave us some water from the tap and we would turn in our glasses and they would reuse them. We all watched the life boats being lowered. Some of the crew was telling people we would have to abandon the ship. By am when the fire was completely out they had no reason not to bring bottled water and some crackers or rolls for people to eat. The captain kept saying that they were working on opening the restuarants so we could eat and we couldn't care less, we just needed something. One flight down were tons of food sitting. We had one of the crew sleeping on the floor when he was to be working. Some of the crew were eating Mike and Ikes. My daughter almost passed out and even though lots of the crew were outside hanging out, they wouldn't let her get any fresh air by standing by the open doors.
Our friends we were traveling in were in a different muster station and they quickly were given bottled water and had air turned on hours prior to us. Their roll call was done quickly and the entertainment crew that was manning their stations took great care of them. We had elderly people and people with different illnesses to needed help. For those poster who said that the diabetics should have grabbed their stuff, you have no idea what is was like or if they had time. If there was a large fire in your cabin I highly doubt you would have stopped for anything but rather ran for your life.

They allowed us to go back to our cabin and I lost it. One at a time with staff. What was once two sliding doors witha wall inbetween was now
a large gaping hole.
Everything was burnt, wet, and black. There was nothing for us to salvege, nothing. My husband had his pajamas and I had a pair of shorts and shirt on. At no time did the staff on any level and a senior staff should have taken those of us who lost everything and spoken to us to prepare us. They already knew what our staterooms looked like. All afternoon I would have to go back to the pursers desk to see what was going to happen to us only to be told to come back in an hour. On one of my trips I had to endure an idiot in front of me would was pissed and loudly complaing how he had $40 worth of casion chips and it was crazy he had to wait and "they better give me my money back". It was very hard to hear that. At 3 pm I finally took it upon myself to book my own hotel and called in a favor at a hotel that I stayed in in November. I also used the computer to book my own flight home on American Airlines. We felt like we were on our own.
My hair still stinks and I still have soot under my nails and on my feet that no matter how much I scrub it all won't come out. My chest is killing me and I'm still coughing up black crap. Can you imagine what it's like to walk into a hotel and have some guys make a joke how it smells like the hotel is burning down and laugh at us.
__________________

 

[momrek06]

WOW

 

[CPM]

That was from a girl, Caroline who posts on Cruise Critic.
It does sound scary!!
There was another Cruise Critic poster that posted from this same cruise. She was treated completely different by the crew. But, in any case, the fire spread very quickly!! hopefully this will wake up the cruiselines to the possibility this can really happen and they were very lucky this time.

 

[captaincrash]

I saw this article and it states that the accelerant was PAINT!? Not an arsonist. And that with the balcony doors closed all the fire alarms were not triggered. It took someone noticing at 3AM that something was amiss before an alarm was sounded!

This is a link to a 43 second video clip that aired on CNN (there is a credit card ad that seems to play at first... wait it out to reach the ship fire video....) (javascript:playVideo('728429', 'De...kgroundImageURL=', 'video.sun-sentinel.com');

AND Here is a copy of the article:

One Cigarette, One Ship Out of Service
by Anne Campbell
Imagine a fire so hot that steel balconies melt. The fire that erupted aboard Star Princess in the pre-dawn hours of March 22 is a very serious matter indeed, especially since it was most likely started by a cigarette tossed off the top deck of the vessel, according to cruise line executives I spoke to. Several sources speculated that the fire may result in changes that affect the entire cruise industry.

Star Princess in Montego Bay - Courtesy NBC News

The fire started on the balcony of a suite, officials said, and quickly jumped to balconies on three decks covering roughly one quarter of the vessel's length. The flammable agent that caused the fire to spread so quickly is probably paint (external paint is flammable, I'm told). The Coast Guard confirms that the port side of Decks 10-12 was the worst area of fire damage, affecting more than 100 cabins. Because the fire raged up the outside of the ship, Star Princess' smoke detectors failed to respond while the blaze spread. And because it broke out at 3:00 a.m., it spread unchecked until a passenger or crew member saw the flames and called in the alarm.

According to Mike Driscoll, editor of the industry publication Cruise Week, "Early reports and pictures of the ship, showing three decks of twisted and charred balconies, would indicate it was a harrowing experience for many onboard." Some passengers described balconies engulfed in flames ("a wall of fire," in the words of one) with heavy losses of their belongings. Many passengers reported being at their muster stations for six-plus hours. According to news reports, some lifeboats were lowered, but the captain did not order an evacuation of the vessel.

Tim Rubacky of Oceania Cruises told me his cruise line immediately implemented a policy of "zero tolerance" for smoking in areas of the ship that are designated as non-smoking and will strictly enforce its fleet-wide. While passengers were never permitted to smoke in cabins or on balconies, those who were previously caught or reported by other passengers were merely sent polite and gentle reminders of the cruise line's policy. Effective immediately, anyone caught smoking in a non-designated area will be thrown off Oceania's ships and no exceptions will be made, Rubacky said. The cruise line does permit smoking in a small area on the top passenger deck.

Cruise ship insurance companies and the U.S. Coast Guard have yet to comment on the Star Princess fire. But the executives I spoke to said it's conceivable that the cruise industry may be forced to declare cabins and balconies off-limits to smokers and adopt a policy of zero tolerance similar to Oceania's new strictly-enforced policy. It took Star Princess' staff three hours to account for all passengers because of the vessel's size. This could conceivably affect future shipbuilding in terms of size and passenger capacity, one executive told me.

While early news reports of the fire led many to believe it was a minor event, photos of Star Princess docked in Montego Bay - showing a large swath of the ship's exterior blackened by flames - told the cruise industry it was a watershed event.

March 24, 2006 — Dr. Philip Shields was in his cruise ship cabin on the Star Princess early Thursday morning, when loud noises woke him up. He went out to his balcony and saw a large fire about 50 yards to the right. He got his wife and son, and left the cabin immediately.

"They were lowering the lifeboats as we were going to the various stations for disembarkment, so there was quite a bit of fear," Shields said.

Passengers were immediately notified of the fire over the public address system, and they were told to report to their muster stations, according to a statement released by Princess Cruises.

Fortunately, the 2,690 passengers and 1,123 crew members didn't have to abandon ship. Shields praised the crew — calling them "excellent" — for keeping the passengers safe during the fire.

"Their drills worked perfectly. We went to our stations in an orderly fashion, and I think it saved the lives of everybody onboard," he said.

One person died in the fire — Richard Liffidge, 75, of Georgia, who suffered a heart attack — and 11 others were injured. Two passengers suffered significant smoke inhalation and nine suffered minor injuries, according to Princess Cruises.

When Shields returned to his cabin, he was shocked by the damage the fire had caused.

"I never anticipated that it would involve our cabin," he said. "The walls were melted. The TV was melted. The bed we were lying in was burned. All our things were destroyed. It was quite an ordeal."

At least 100 rooms were scorched.

All Shields had left were the clothes he was wearing — and barely that.

"They were pretty filthy by the time we got to the hotel."

Shields and his family are now staying at a hotel in Jamaica. Star Princess sailed from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on March 19 on a western Caribbean itinerary with calls at Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Montego Bay and Princess Cays.

 

[captaincrash]

Here's another insightful article from among the 1,033 that I found on the search I ran..

Posted on Fri, Mar. 24, 2006
THE CARIBBEAN

Fire on cruise ship leaves 1 dead, 11 hurtA fire aboard the Star Princess as it cruised the Caribbean leaves one dead and 11 injured as safety once again comes into question.
By LUISA YANEZ, CURTIS MORGAN AND AMY MARTINEZ
aemartinez@MiamiHerald.com
The cruise started in Fort Lauderdale with the promise of a week's worth of Caribbean sun and warmth. It ended amid flames and smoke that left one passenger dead and 11 injured aboard the Star Princess, a 2,600-passenger behemoth of the seas.

Metal sheets bent by the heat of the blaze and rows of windows blackened by smoke across the middle third of the ship and three floors marred the left side of the $430 million liner as it docked Thursday in Jamaica's Montego Bay. ''When we got out of our stateroom . . . there was someone lying in the hallway passed out. He was being attended to, but it was very, very scary,'' Klemens Fass, of Toronto, told The Associated Press. ``We consider ourselves very lucky,''

Lisa Gobel, of Philadelphia, told WTVJ-NBC 6 that passengers remained calm when ordered to evacuate their cabins.
The massive damage from a blaze initially reported to have been started by a smoldering cigarette is likely to focus public and political attention on cruise-ship safety.

''These are floating cities and they are not equipped with the type of support services that a city that size should have,'' said Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board and a longtime critic of the cruise industry.

`DEVASTATED'
Princess Cruises said the incident marked the first time in its 40-year history that a passenger died from a fire aboard one of its ships. Coast Guard records dating back to the Star Princess' launch in 2002 show no significant safety issues.

''This was incredibly tragic. It's simply never happened before,'' said Julie Benson, spokeswoman for Princess Cruises, which is owned by the Miami-based Carnival Corp. ``We're devastated by this.''
The fire started about 3:10 a.m. as the Star Princess sailed from Grand Cayman to Montego Bay, and damaged about 100 cabins before crew members managed to extinguish it, Benson said.

One passenger died from cardiac arrest and two others suffered significant smoke inhalation but were believed to be in stable condition, Benson added. Another nine suffered minor complications from the smoke. Hospital sources in Jamaica said three passengers were admitted. Benson declined to release their names.

Richard Liffridge, the Atlanta-area passenger who died, had turned 72 on the 11th. He had been on a handful of cruises -- and always looked forward to the next one. ''He loved to travel,'' said his son, Phillip, in a telephone interview from his home in Dover, Del. ``That's what I'm having a hard time accepting: How could something that's supposed to be so much fun end up like this?''

BIRTHDAY GIFT
Liffridge's latest cruise with his wife, Vickie, and a group of friends was a sort of birthday gift for the retired Air Force man who had a second career with FEMA. But on Thursday his son was trying to figure out why his dad would suffer a fatal heart attack. He said his father did not have cardiac problems -- and certainly wasn't faint of heart.
''He had been an airman during Vietnam; he retired from FEMA and had certainly seen plenty of disasters. . . . I don't understand what happened,'' the son said.

Phillip Liffridge said he and his three sisters learned the news from his father's wife, who called from her hospital bed in Montego Bay. ''She was so upset she could hardly speak,'' Phillip Liffridge said. She was expected to return today to their home in Locust Grove, some 30 miles outside Atlanta.

The Bermuda-registered Star Princess set sail Sunday from Fort Lauderdale on a week-long tour of the Caribbean, and was due to return to Port Everglades this Sunday.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it sent three investigators from Miami and two fire engineers from Washington, D.C. to Jamaica on Thursday to determine the cause of the blaze and the extent of the damage. Its records showed the Star Princess underwent its semi-annual safety training on Oct. 25, 2005 in Puerto Rico. At the time, the crew was required to go through a fire drill.

OTHER SHIP FIRES
Before Thursday's blaze, the North American cruise industry had reported at least 33 fires at sea over the past 15 years, causing some 200 injuries and six deaths. Florida-based ships were involved in 16, including Carnival Cruise Lines' Ecstasy in 1998, which began billowing smoke shortly after sailing from the Port of Miami-Dade. In 1990, nearly 160 people died in an inferno aboard the Scandinavian Star off Denmark.
The Ecstasy fire generated Congressional hearings and another round of calls for safety upgrades for cruise ships. Though the Coast Guard conducts regular inspections of ships in U.S. ports, most are registered under foreign flags and operate under international standards that differ from U.S. regulations. Smoking in cabins is permitted in many of the ships.

Cruise lines, though they initially resisted a call for cabin smoke alarms, voluntarily adopted many of the safety upgrades recommended by the NTSB in 1997 after a rash of ship fires. The industry bills itself as the safest form of transportation.

But Hall, the former NTSB chairman who is now a consultant on security and safety issues, said ships still have numerous problems. For example, he questioned whether each ship has dedicated fire crews and whether cabins have fire-retardant bedding.

WANTS HEARINGS
''I would certainly hope there would be Congressional hearings and for a change, I would hope there would be Congressional action,'' said Hall, who has been a persistent critic of the industry since 1997, when the NTSB issued an array of recommendations after a string of fires at sea. ``It's American dollars that fund the international cruise industry and we let them just waltz around our regulatory oversight.''
Hall speculated that the extent of damage in the Star Princess could indicate some sort of problem.
''Clearly, the smoke detection and suppression system, if there was one present, did not work for the fire to have gone uncontained like that," Hall said.

The Star Princess is supposed to be equipped with 4,000 fire detectors and 5,000 sprinkler heads, along with 6,000 miles of fire-fighting hoses, according to Coast Guard documents.

REFUNDS
A Princess company statement said the cruise had been terminated in Montego Bay. Passengers in damaged cabins were put up in area hotels and the others will remain on the ship until their flights home. The ship is safe and continues to provide full services, the statement added.
Princess said it would pay to fly the passengers home and give them a full refund and a 25 percent credit that can be used on a future trip.
Miami Herald staff writers Nicole Smith and Joe Mozingo contributed to this report.

Carnival Estacy Fire 1996​

So, in 1996 when the CCL Estacy had a fire passengers were offerred a FREE cruise as compensation for the inconveninece of having had a fire.

 

[Mr D]

What makes Disney ships any safer?

 

[captaincrash]

What makes Disney ships any safer?

Well...

....IMHO.... I really think the patrons that Disney tends to attract are actually NICER and more considerate of others as opposed to SOME cruise lines that we have sailed. That counts for something.

2nd) I do believe that Disney exercises more attention to DETAIL than other mass market cruise lines. And it shows in their staff, CM, ship condition, procedures, and innovation across all aspects of the operation that we've notice. High praise in general, eh?

3rd) Consider... when Disney was threatened by a hurricane they kept the Magic at sea longer (3 extra days for Francis) and docked in Houston to disembark any who HAD to leave and to replenish stocks and ENTERTAINMENT for the passengers. I noted that NCL cut THROUGH hurricane intensified seas to make port and the passengers formed a class action lawsuit because so many became seasick from the rough seas. AND on another occasion I heard of another line whose name escapes me that ran low of food and had marginal meals in the final days of an extended voyage because they did not replenish. Disney exercises more concern for their patrons IMHO.

4th) No Casino... so a certain type of crowd is denied a pastime and opportunity to indulge and possibly get drunk and have have a throughly adult time. A lot a creative license is being exercised in THIS marginal claim.

5th) ... I'm reaching now.... more young kids = fewer who are likely to be smokers who might in turn be flinging smoldering butts into inappropriate places.

And now a couple reasons why we should NOT expect things to be any different....

#1) There is probably a lot more in common about the safety design and features of the DCL ships as with any other major cruise line. These things are 100s of millions a piece and they are designed by expert ship designers.... so they have near identical capabilities by virtue of having similar equipment and safety standards.

#2) Since there have been NO Fatalities among passengers from or associated with a fire since 1986 - til now - it probably is assumed that the prevailing ships designs and crew practices are sufficiently safe for passengers. SO no stress = no evolution in advancing safety potential.

#3) .... heck I don't know as I'm just a voice from the peanut gallery. Will someone else contribute some commentary?

 

[WDWLVR]

So, in 1996 when the CCL Estacy had a fire passengers were offerred a FREE cruise as compensation for the inconveninece of having had a fire.

The difference I believe is that the Ecstacy fire was as they were leaving port on the very first day. I don't believe those passengers ever got a cruise which is why CCL gave them a full one. On Princess they got the cruise they were on for free (full refund) and then 25% off another cruise.

What makes Disney ships any safer?

Quite simply I think what makes Disney different is the time and energy they put into the training the crew. Could the same thing happen on a Disney ship? Sure. Do I think it will? No Do I think the crew is ready for it? Yes.

I will say after reading all of the posts on this thread that there is one thing I won't agree with. Disney is no better off than any other ship when it comes to their patrons. As with most tragedies like this (including house fires, forest fires, etc.) it is usually the carelessness of one person. That one person could be sailing Disney just as easily as they could be sailing any other ship.

I don't smoke, I don't drink...but to try and lump anyone who does into a group and blame them for something like this just isn't right. Do I think there are careless smokers out there? Sure Do I think there are considerate smokers out there? You bet! Do I think there are people out there who get drink and do stupid things? Sure Do I think there are even more people out there who know how to drink responsibily? You bet!

IMHO it is better to to focus on how many lives were saved and to pray (if that is what you do) for the gentleman who's life was lost and those who were injured than to try and place blame.

 

[dwkwootton]

Carolyn ~ I can't believe that this is the Princess Cruise you were telling me about ~ sending you a PM!!

 

[HappyLawyer]

What makes Disney ships any safer?

well my first thougt is that i don't thiink they would have wet paint without some type of supervision. Beyone that i would also think because of the nature of the cruise and people most of them are traveling with children they would not put children in harms way, but then i remember my teaching years, were i taught ed/bd and i am not sterotyping but it could have been a teen, if a teen did start the fire then tehe whole hoping for the children aspect goes right out the window. I just hope nothng like this ever happens again. It is such a terrible thing.

 

[pppiglet]

I said before I wouldn't go on one of those large mega ships coming out soon, but this last article really made it sink in about how dangerous it really could be with that many people to take care of.

This could conceivably affect future shipbuilding in terms of size and passenger capacity, one executive told me.

 

[HappyLawyer]

I said before I wouldn't go on one of those large mega ships coming out soon, but this last article really made it sink in about how dangerous it really could be with that many people to take care of.

yes, i agree i don't know their staff capacity but i know the wonder has a staff of 964 and hold 1750 guests so that makes it average each staff for 2 people, give or take if push comes to shove, there seems like there would be plenty of eyes around watching the ship.

 

[lbgraves]

Has anyone else questioned why there would be wet paint at 3 am? I have witnessed DCL CMs painting in the morning & afternoon but by night they are usually wrapped up with the work. The paint shouldn't take that long to dry and was outside in the sun & fresh air so it should have been dry at 3 am.

 

[dwkwootton]

lbgraves (and any others interested!) ~ There is an excellent and informative thread on the cruisecritic board with tons of very helpful information and idea exchanges ... no debate topics to sidetrack. If you are interested in lots of possible answers without the personal opinions and debates, the thread can be found on the Princess Cruise section of cruisecritic.

 

[misseulalie]

Ok, here's a dumb question, but I always think about these things when I hear about situations like this....

If they had to stand at their emergency posts for 7 hours, did the crew let the passengers go to the bathroom? get something to eat? I always think about what I would do, or how my eldery parents or toddler would have to stand there for 7 hours.

Just thinking out loud.....

 

[SeaSpray]

I don't have much to add to this thread, except that I wanted to post this picture of our balcony, which I believe shows an attached ash tray. I believe it's the silver cup type thing on the wall, on the right:

Also, I was on the 7-night cruise that got turned into a 10-night cruise, and we feel that DCL handled everything in an exemplary manner, continuously kept us informed, and went above and beyond to keep the ship safe, and the guests happy, at what I'm sure was a huge cost to them. (Bringing on the additional entertainment and food while in port in Houston). This of course doesn't make them immunue to accidents or sabotage, but I believe it does show at least to some degree, their level of commitment to their guests.

 

[beachblanket]

Two new pictures that really give a sense of how frightening the fire was:

A passenger in the port foward area of the ship looks out over her baclony during the early stages of the fire:

Detail of damage:

 

[captaincrash]

Say... Seaspray!

We were getting onin Fort Lauderdale when you were getting off from the H-Frances adjusted sailings. Lucky you with the 10 day as we were cut back to 4 days!

And...Beachblanket:

I'm not sure how "cool" it looks to be photographed with a dangerous fire raging in the background like that below here. I would be embaressed to have this photo circulating! However, it is interesting in it's threatening nature though.

Two new pictures that really give a sense of how frightening the fire was:

A passenger in the port foward area of the ship looks out over her baclony during the early stages of the fire:

 

[cjsmith]

Here is the quote that makes reference to a posssible accelerant.... as you can imagine - how on Earth could so much of the ship be destroyed by aq simple fire on a balcony from a pitched ciggy if not for some mischief with an arsonists' help to spread it?

NOW please bear in mind that this is not a qualified opinion. We have NO IDEA who posted this and what their credentials are. AND it is heresay as to how it looked to them. OF COURSE.... I am not even claiming to have been there so I am a true voice from the peanut gallery.

Take it with a grain of salt and think about the photos we've seen in the media... pictures don't lie... it looks pretty big for a single accidental ciggy, eh? I have trouble imagining how it could find sufficient fuel to sread fast enough to develope that much intensity and damage.

Here is the quote that makes reference to a posssible accelerant.... as you can imagine - how on Earth could so much of the ship be destroyed by aq simple fire on a balcony from a pitched ciggy if not for some mischief with an arsonists' help to spread it?

NOW please bear in mind that this is not a qualified opinion. We have NO IDEA who posted this and what their credentials are. AND it is heresay as to how it looked to them. OF COURSE.... I am not even claiming to have been there so I am a true voice from the peanut gallery.

Take it with a grain of salt and think about the photos we've seen in the media... pictures don't lie... it looks pretty big for a single accidental ciggy, eh? I have trouble imagining how it could find sufficient fuel to sread fast enough to develope that much intensity and damage.


Quote:
Originally Posted by pppiglet
So maybe it wasn't an accident.....read this...scary....


From someone on the ship posting to Cruise Critic
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I copied this from the Princess site:

I have to tell you all that after reading some of the posts on my thread I am appalled at some of your posts.

Let me set the record straight, it was not a cigarette that probably caused the fire. I spoke to the person who pulled the actual fire alarm and she's been interviewed by police and officials. It looks like someone did this on purpose. The initial fire spread way to rapidly and there was some kind of accelerant on the balcony. They believe in the possiblity that either some through a moltov cocktail or poured liquor over onto the balcony and then threw a cigarette. The fire went from being a small thing to an inferno in a matter of seconds. Staff told me that more went on than we're being told and that it was a serious major fire that spread very quickly. Our sprinklers didn't go off properly and some of the fire doors didn't shut like they were supposed to.

My husband and I were sound asleep and were woken up around 3:10 by banging. I smelled smoke and opened the blinds to see many embers flying onto our suite balcony hitting the wood chairs. Within 1 minute my husband opened the other curtain to now see a wall of fire on our double balcony. The sliding door then cracked in his face and we turned and ran. It took almost 15 minutes from the time the girl pulled the silent alarm to when the alarm came over for everyone to hear. My room was on fire prior to the captain sounding the alarm. There was no time to grab much of anything unless I wanted to risk my life. My cabin was C414 and was smack dab in the middle of the fire where the balconies were even gone.

We made it to our muster station and everyone was terrified. They kept telling people it was okay, but we knew differently from what we had left. It took them 4 hours to complete roll call. They finally gave us some water from the tap and we would turn in our glasses and they would reuse them. We all watched the life boats being lowered. Some of the crew was telling people we would have to abandon the ship. By am when the fire was completely out they had no reason not to bring bottled water and some crackers or rolls for people to eat. The captain kept saying that they were working on opening the restuarants so we could eat and we couldn't care less, we just needed something. One flight down were tons of food sitting. We had one of the crew sleeping on the floor when he was to be working. Some of the crew were eating Mike and Ikes. My daughter almost passed out and even though lots of the crew were outside hanging out, they wouldn't let her get any fresh air by standing by the open doors.
Our friends we were traveling in were in a different muster station and they quickly were given bottled water and had air turned on hours prior to us. Their roll call was done quickly and the entertainment crew that was manning their stations took great care of them. We had elderly people and people with different illnesses to needed help. For those poster who said that the diabetics should have grabbed their stuff, you have no idea what is was like or if they had time. If there was a large fire in your cabin I highly doubt you would have stopped for anything but rather ran for your life.

They allowed us to go back to our cabin and I lost it. One at a time with staff. What was once two sliding doors witha wall inbetween was now
a large gaping hole.
Everything was burnt, wet, and black. There was nothing for us to salvege, nothing. My husband had his pajamas and I had a pair of shorts and shirt on. At no time did the staff on any level and a senior staff should have taken those of us who lost everything and spoken to us to prepare us. They already knew what our staterooms looked like. All afternoon I would have to go back to the pursers desk to see what was going to happen to us only to be told to come back in an hour. On one of my trips I had to endure an idiot in front of me would was pissed and loudly complaing how he had $40 worth of casion chips and it was crazy he had to wait and "they better give me my money back". It was very hard to hear that. At 3 pm I finally took it upon myself to book my own hotel and called in a favor at a hotel that I stayed in in November. I also used the computer to book my own flight home on American Airlines. We felt like we were on our own.
My hair still stinks and I still have soot under my nails and on my feet that no matter how much I scrub it all won't come out. My chest is killing me and I'm still coughing up black crap. Can you imagine what it's like to walk into a hotel and have some guys make a joke how it smells like the hotel is burning down and laugh at us.


I am actually the poster who has been quoted from cruise critic as I'm cjskids over on that board. I would post pictures but our camera was burned up and even though we still had our daughters they would not allow us to take a picture of our remains of our cabin when they let us return. I'm now home suffering from infections caused by smoke inhalation and intersting enough still haven't heard from Princess cruises to see if we got home safely and how our health is.