Slog
News & ArtsThursday, February 14, 2013
Horrors Senate Filibuster, Minimum Wage Hike, War in Syria, Gay Marriage... AND THIS!
Posted by Dominic Holden on Thu, Feb 14, 2013 at 1:26 PM
The Carnival cruise ship Triumph—Triumph!—which has been adrift after an engine fire in the Gulf of Mexico, its thousands of voyagers sweltering with limited electricity, huffing the fetid scent of sewage and building a shanty town on the decks with sheets and mattresses taken from their dank quarters, finally saw the terminal of the misery as tug boats pulled them to Alabama.
And then this happened:
A tow line being used to pull the Carnival Triumph snapped this afternoon, setting back the efforts to bring the damaged cruise ship and its 3,143 passengers to port in Mobile, Alabama. Coast Guard Petty Officer William Colclough told the AP the ship is "dead in the water and when they reconnect safely, they then proceed on their way."
Oh, man. Those poor people. What hell for them all. But still... everyone loves a luxury-resort-turned-gulag-of-the-sea story.
1
Aren't they close enough to just swim for shore? Turn the tow lines to a fun zipline ride and send them on their merry way.
4
I don't get cruises: you're basically are trapped in a multi-story building on water, with all sorts of "fun" and food supplied.
Like a mall on water, only you can't get to the water to swim or fish or whatever, because you're three stories up.
If you're travelling to a place, you spend little time in that place and most trapped in the multi-storied mall of "fun" on water.
Like I said, I don't get cruising.
Like a mall on water, only you can't get to the water to swim or fish or whatever, because you're three stories up.
If you're travelling to a place, you spend little time in that place and most trapped in the multi-storied mall of "fun" on water.
Like I said, I don't get cruising.
6
I don't understand why they aren't evacuated by a helicopter or hydrofoil? Cost? Even cruise ship passengers deserve better making them stay on board for a week without adequate accomidations.
7
Every new generation of cruise ships stacks more decks of cabins on an increasingly top-heavy hull filled with blue velvet and smoky mirrors and crystal chandeliers, a 1970's Liberace aesthetic that apparently screams "luxury" to the cruising classes. They seem to have fewer back-up systems and fewer emergency supplies, relying on satellite weather forecasts and sober crews to keep them out of trouble. And they can be registered in a country with weak regulations.
If you like that sort of thing, book a midwinter week or two in Las Vegas. You'll save money, likely not be bedridden with a norovirus infection or hepatitis-A, and avoid the risk of capsizing entirely.
If you like that sort of thing, book a midwinter week or two in Las Vegas. You'll save money, likely not be bedridden with a norovirus infection or hepatitis-A, and avoid the risk of capsizing entirely.
8
there wasn't a closer port to disembark the poor fuckers? tow them all the way across the Gulf to fucking ALABAMA? its a miracle cholera didn't break out.
11
My parents went on a small scale cruise years ago in the Mediterranean. Since the ports were relatively close together, they didn't spend that much time at sea, and the boat was small enough that they were able to swim. I don't recall all the stops they made, but they ventured from Italy to the former Yugoslavia to Greece and to Turkey. I would be thrilled to sign up for a cruise like that. A floating toilet in the Caribbean? Not so much.
14
How does Carnival stay in business? I mean, I haven't heard a good thing about a cruise in 10 years, and every story I can think of about Carnival is something about a mysterious outbreak of illness, threatening passengers who dressed in drag on a drag cruise with being put ashore, or some other vacation horror story (and always they can't possibly give a dime back to the people who they've trapped on their cruise from hell).
15
@13, the staff, especially the below-decks staff (engine, cooks, etc.), are always in hell. It's slave labor. They get paid shit, are exempt from every country's labor laws, and can't get off at the ports or leave the ship for any reason.
16
I cannot wait for the accounts of the passengers. I wonder if Carnival will try to make the passengers sign gag orders before they debark, a condition of their refunds. (Yeah, probably not legal, but when did that matter?)
17
I'm totally having multiple schadenfreude-gasms. Nearly passed out when the tow rope broke MMMMmmmMMMmmmMMMunnnggggmmmMMMunnnnggggoooooooOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
18
@16 While Im sure Carnival would love too, its too late, many of the passengers now have cell signal and are calling family (and lawyers I imagine) and uploading video of the horror as fas as they can go
19
They are getting all their money back, plus (the last thing these people would ever want) a free cruise.
20
@2 and others beat me to my comment about offloading in Alabama, but I still offer:
a) This the cruise they'll *really* remember
b) As awful as this experience was, it wasn't the Titanic
c) Now all of them know first-hand what the Katrina evacuees trapped in the Superdome experienced
a) This the cruise they'll *really* remember
b) As awful as this experience was, it wasn't the Titanic
c) Now all of them know first-hand what the Katrina evacuees trapped in the Superdome experienced
21
I really like "gulag-of-the-sea." What has to be even more torturous, once they get to port, it will take FIVE HOURS to get everyone off.
And yes, the idea of being stuck on a giant ship most of the time sounds like the worst vacation idea ever. I don't understand why people want to go on a cruise. Plus, these ships dump their crap in the water. Liquid waste, chemicals, all go in the water. Completely obscene industry for that alone.
And yes, the idea of being stuck on a giant ship most of the time sounds like the worst vacation idea ever. I don't understand why people want to go on a cruise. Plus, these ships dump their crap in the water. Liquid waste, chemicals, all go in the water. Completely obscene industry for that alone.
23
My guess would be that Mobile's port was the closest deep-water harbor that could accommodate the ship on such short notice.
As bad as Alabama can be, I doubt those poor people care where they are put ashore.
As bad as Alabama can be, I doubt those poor people care where they are put ashore.
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
It's Spring! Who's Ready for Street Harassment? by Cienna Madrid
-
New Gun Enthusiast... by Dan Savage
-
SL Letter of the Day: Gonna Boil My Laptop After Answering This One by Dan Savage
-
America Doesn't Care About Black People by Charles Mudede
-
Slog Super Poll: Who Should Be Mayor? by Dominic Holden
-
Bigot Florist Files Countersuit by Dominic Holden
-
Tim Burgess Quits the Mayor's Race by Dominic Holden
-
Slog Overnight by Dan Savage
-
Meanwhile in Toronto by Dan Savage
-
In Which I Do Not Declare My Candidacy for Seattle City Council by Goldy
Stranger Personals
The Stranger
RSSSeattle Art & Performance Quarterly
A complete guide to Seattle's current art, film, dance, and theater season.
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (23) RSS