Titanic

[Tera]

Wow, I haven't seen so many Coloradoan's in one place *waving from Littleton*

You have to remember about those people that didn't get off the ship (mother with kids) were third class citizens that were locked down below. I doubt that would happen now adays

 

[makaylee]

Anything happining to the ship never really dawned on me. I guess something could, but I was never worried because they have enough state of the art lifeboats and I know help could get there fast. My BIG worry is flying. There are no lifeboats to save you there if something goes wrong with the plane. I just stay doped up on Valium!

 

[Tera]

*LOL* I know what you mean Mayaylee. I'm not much of a flyer myself and drive to most places. If Orlando was closer, we'd drive versus flying.

 

[muntzfab4]

My DD (8) greatest fear is that the ship will sink like the Titanic. She also hates to fly since 9/11. I used to be the same way, but now I spend so much time reassuring her that I don't have time to think about what might happen!

 

[mylilnikita]

I lost count of how many times I have seen Titanic, but everytime near the end I start slobbering, it is always a given that I will cry. I even saw an exhibit of Titanic items brought up and I cried seeing that as well. It was such a tragedy, but good things came out of it. It had the required number of lifeboats for that time for ships that were smaller, but now lifeboats are on the ships to hold as many passengers as are on the ship. Just like the lifeboat drill are now required 24 hours of the ship leaving port, and marcani's invention and now we have technological advances for sending out distress signals. Go cruise and have a great time. I have been on 2, but not disney, not yet.

 

[Poly Pal]

Uhmmm.... you must have missed my post last week about there NOT being enough lifeboats for all on board the Magic / Wonder.

The ship's advertised capacity is 3,000 passengers and 950 crew. The lifeboats (20 in all - just like the Titanic!) have a capacity of about 2,900. The theory is the remaining passengers and crew will take to life "rafts" that are stored in drums / barrels on deck. So if you're muster station is not at a lifeboat (i.e. you attend lifeboat drill inside) you most likely have a seat in a raft rather than the lifeboats you can actually see.

I am a big Titanic buff. At night when I've been on deck on other cruises I've thought about how lonely Titanic's survivors must have felt on that cold, dark sea. That said, I'm not concerned about icebergs in the Caribbean. Fire at sea is the biggest safety concern. Just know what to do if there is an emergency.

Odds are very much in your favor for a very safe trip. Go, relax, and have a great time!

 

[inkkognito]

Hubby and I have made it through 36 Disney cruises with nary a problem, so I'd say the odds are with you.
Believe me, you'll barely be able to believe that you're floating on the ocean. Being on the ship is like being on a giant resort. I saw Titanic for the first time before we had ever cruised, and I thought to myself, "How could those people be so foolish? Why did they refuse to believe the ship was sinking until it was too late?" Then, when we cruised, I could understand. The ship is so big and sturdy that it seems impossible for anything to happen.
I know there is always a chance, but it is VERY VERY remote. Like others have said, I am much more fearful of the flight to Orlando, even though I know that the odds are with me there, too.
Relax, cruise, and have a great time!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[immalemon]

ya'll dont know my luck, lol, but that is ok, im just kidding around now. i dont think anything is going to happen. Everyone is right, I think someone would get to us quick enough for sure. Thanks everyone for making me feel much better. Barb, I love your sight. It has helped me plan better for our first trip. 36, huh? Lucky you!

 

[inkkognito]

If you've had bad luck, I look at it this way...you have to be due for some good now
Your comment reminded me of a woman I sat next to on one of our flights. I was across the aisle from hubby, so I was next to a woman and her husband. On her previous two flights, she had to assume crash position for the landing on one (there was a mechanical problem, but thankfully it landed safely). Then she was on a turbo prop that caught on fire, thankfully while it was on the ground. She had to evacuate on the slide! I told her, "Actually, I am very glad to be on the same flight as you because after that luck, third time HAS to be a charm!"
Happily, it was a nice, uneventful flight.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[gizfish]

Go watch the movie Ghost Ship...that'll make you feel loads better.

 

[KaitlinsMom]

Oh my goodness Barb - That poor lady!!!!

But you are right - 3rd time is a charm!

 

[DenverVal]

Gizfish: Ghost ship! That should make her feel LOADS better!

Immalemon: Remember that princess dress? Shucks, I could DRIVE over to hand it off! I'm up here in Thornton!

 

[cruzindon]

One of the most inportant changes since then is the life boat drill. They never had one on the Titanic. It was scheduled but never held for some reason.

Granted they can be a bit of a pain especially if you are in the sun, but they are well worth the time and effort. If they had a boat drill on the Titanic, the loss of life would have been much lower as the passengers and crew would have made sure that the boats were FULL.

 

[mrsltg]

immalemon - Don't worry (easier said then done, right?)! Between everyone on these boards, we must have a thousand sailings at least between us, and we're all here writing about them! The Titanic was a horrible tragedy, but one that happened 90 years ago - lots of improvements have been made since then! Not to mention, the Caribbean water is a lot warmer than the North Atlantic, so even if, for some strange reason, you had to float, you wouldn't freeze!

I know what you mean about worrying about your daughter, though. I think it just goes with the parenting territory! I've only taken one cruise with my daughter, but I had the number of steps and directions to the life boat memorized - if need be, my girl was getting off that ship!!! I was hopeful that my husband would be close enough behind to catch up .

Have a wonderful cruise!

Erin

 

[Greysword]

Well, this thread certainly got my attention, and I had to register and reply

I mostly wanted to say that as a passenger, our only job should something happen, is to get off the boat. I don't beleive that will be a problem, given the layout of the Magic and the fact that all of our areas are currently above water (ie more time to scramble). So you should plan on doing that, which is a good idea, anyway. Thats it, just get off the ship...and let the professionals handle it from there.

Once off, we simply have to wait until help arrives. More than likely, it will be in the form of the US Coast Guard! There are bases in both Miami and Puerto Rico that have cutters and aircraft available. In fact, the first thing we will see would be the white and orange jet or C-130 airplanes they have. Then an armada of vessels would be quick to arrive not only consisting of the Coasties, but the US Navy and whatever civilian vessels also (I would be suprised to see a new helicopter show up as well). I would be willing to guess the longest wait before anything arrives would be 30 minutes.

This quick response can be attributed to several factors:

1) The ship has modern radio and GPS technology, so they will know exactly where we are and what is going on.

2) The Coast Guard probably has DCL's itinerary strored, so they can extrapolate where we are if need be.

3) The Coast Guard stations are relatively close and these guys have been doing this for a long time, so the training is there.

Other things to consider:

- We won't be too far from land and could probably make it ourselves if required through most of the trip.

- If we are close enough to Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, St Thomas, etc, our cell phone will probably work, too.

- A cruise ship going down will elicit more response than any other ship in the region (and more than you can possibly imagine).

- The Navy does a lot of counter narcotic interdiction patrols in the area, so they have aircraft and ships available (and sophisticated radar system, experience).

- As my formaer boss used to say, "If hurts when you do that, don't do it."

One suggestion I would like to close with. If your little ones are truely worried about the ship sinking, have them write a letter to Mickey (ie DCL) and the US Coast Guard explaining their concerns. i'm sure they will get a wonderful reply explaining how safe it is. You can also possibly tour a Coast Guard station in your area (or in Florida) if you make an appointment. A Coastie may even fly out to your kids' school to talk about boating safety if you ask (can't hurt to ask).

For your research:

USCG GREATER ANTILLES SECTION SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO
http://www.uscg.mil/d7/units/gantsec/

Global Security Website: USCG District 7
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/dot/district7.htm

US Coast Guard Website
http://www.uscg.mil/

Thanks for letting me participate!

 

[immalemon]

Oh my wasnt that informative. Thank you so much for that information. Luckily, my daughter is not scared of anything really. I just really shouldn't have watched that movie. Sad thoughts thats all. Im not worried about sinking in the least anymore. You guys have all been great, even the ones putting more bad thoughts in my head, lol. Thanks guys

 

[LAMPSKIES]

We were to do our first land/sea sailing Feb. of 2000. I booked a cat. 9 (for price reasons). Around Christmas of 2001 my DD's (then 7 and 9) saw Titanic. The next day they came to me with the DCL brochure and said "Dad, show us where we will be on the ship". I did and they said "Dad, isn't that where the people were on the Titanic that got locked downstairs?" Nothing I said to them would convince them that that wouldn't happen. So, yes I called DCL and explained my DDs concerns. For 50.00 per person we were upgraded to a verandah!!! That was the good news.....the bad news is that we loved it so much I wasn't even allowed to think of booking anything different on our next 3 sailings!!! LOL! DW was worried about terrorist threats on our last sailing so I called DCL and I was told that the hull of the ship is inspected prior to docking and prior to sailing.

 

[makaylee]

Originally posted by Poly Pal
Uhmmm.... you must have missed my post last week about there NOT being enough lifeboats for all on board the Magic / Wonder.

The ship's advertised capacity is 3,000 passengers and 950 crew. The lifeboats (20 in all - just like the Titanic!) have a capacity of about 2,900. The theory is the remaining passengers and crew will take to life "rafts" that are stored in drums / barrels on deck. So if you're muster station is not at a lifeboat (i.e. you attend lifeboat drill inside) you most likely have a seat in a raft rather than the lifeboats you can actually see.

mergenc

Someone else posted earlier that the liferafts that look like barrels are for the crew. There are enough of the regular life boats for the passengers.

 

[disneygal58]

Hello to my(former) fellow Coloradoans!
I lived in Summit County/Fort Collins/Boulder then Loveland for 22 years before heading to the Sunshine State three years ago. I now live a half hour from the Port and enjoy watching the ships come in and go out on a regular basis. IF I were to worry about anything surrounding a vacation and I WILL NOT, I would worry more about the drive down the highway getting there. Take a deep breath and enjoy - YOU GET TO SAIL ON THE DISNEY SHIPS!!!!

Dawn Hope

 

[HLFDZN]

A month before my girlfriends and I were to embark on our 40th BD cruise, a friend invited us over for lunch and a Cruise movie... Little did we know it was a cruise HORROR movie.

The first scene is people dancing on the top deck when a wire gets loose and cuts them all in half.....pretty gory. Needless to say, we did not finish watching the movie and made a pact not to dance on deck 10.

Hubby and I watchecd the movie together and joked about it when we went on our cruise, but stayed away from Titanic.

Melissa