As your local cruise expert, I wanted to share some of my personal thoughts on cruise ship safety. You couldn't turn on the television this weekend without hours and hours of footage, reporting and speculation after the incident involving Costa Concordia. As the fact and fiction common to a live event began to separate, it was alleged that human error on the part of the captain contributed to the capsizing of the ship. I believe that all of the staff, officers, crew as well as management of the various cruise lines will be stuyding this for years to come and procedures and training improve on all ships.
The Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) has been putting out talking points about the safety of cruise ships and the numbers of people that safely cruise year after year. Nearly 19 million passengers last year alone. None of this changes the fact that there has been a constant barrage of images of a modern cruiseliner laying on its side. What I find interesting is that a few polls indicate that this will have no affect on the majority of cruisers. People are going to continue to cruise. Those who were already afraid of cruising had their fears solidified by this incident.
Does this affect my own feelings on cruise ship safety? Honestly it doesn't. I continue to fly even after plane crashes. For most of my clients, both new and old, the story has not affected their decision or desire to take a cruise either. I continued to service exisiting clients, and I just had one of my busiest weekends ever with new booking requests.
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I would could offer you some tips to consider on your next cruise:
- Know the location of your muster station. It is printed on the back of your stateroom door.
- Make sure you have enough life jackets for everyone in your stateroom. If you have toddlers and infants, be sure to ask your stateroom attendant for the right sized lifejacket. If there are not enough, ask!
- Carry a small keychain flashlight. This applies to hotels too.
- Attend the muster drill. Something different from the picture with this article (not from Costa Concordia), passengers are no longer required to wear their lifejackets to the muster drill.
- Always always always purchase travel insurance when you cruise.
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About that last point, travel insurance is not just for reimbursement for your trip charges should you have to cancel for a covered reason. In an extreme case like this one, travel insurance coverage can find you the location of the nearest consulate or embassy. Arrange for wire transfers and provide assistance for your return home. Cruise lines are not travel agents and there have been reports of passengers stranded at hotels with literally the clothes their backs waiting for the cruise line for instructions. Look for an upcoming article featuring more about the importance of travel insurance.
As far as this incident is concerned, I am still going to cruise. We are next scheduled to sail with Disney during the February school break. This has been a horrible accident. Putting this in perspective however, over 4100 passengers survived. If you have questions about this incident, cruise ship safety, other tips, or just want to talk cruise, don't hesitate to give me a call.
Chuck and Laura Flagg own The Flagg Agency in Canton, G.
We are fee-based cruise consultants and our specialty is the selecting,
planning, marketing and administering cruises for groups of all sizes.
We help people find a cruise experience that matches both their wants AND their needs.
PHOTO CREDIT: Flickr Creative Commons-GollyGForce
NOTE PICTURE IS NOT FROM Costa Concordia