Costa Concordia Tragedy

I am not writing this blog to bring any light to this situation.  I am simply commenting on what came to my mind throughout the days after the Costa ship ran in to trouble.

  As a frequent cruiser, I think I have always taken safety for granted when on the high seas.  I have never once been concerned for my own well being onboard.  I have traveled on a variety of lines: Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival, Princess, and soon Disney.  Each one handles Muster, the time when you gather to review safety procedures, nearly the same.  You used to meet on the promenade deck, near the lifeboats with your life vest on.  People would complain about this experience.  Some would even hide out in there cabins because they didn't feel like it was important.  In the last year some cruise lines have transitioned from meeting on deck to having passengers meet in public rooms such as the dining room, theater, lounges, etc.  I often questioned this practice as unsafe.  If the ship is going down, the last place I am going would be INSIDE the ship!

I do think they should have people meet near the lifeboats.  Do I think people need to wear the life jacket?  No.  Those are important pieces of equipment, but requiring someone to go back to their cabin to get it can be dangerous in situations such as the Concordia.  Having life vests available in the lifeboats and nearby is probably far more effective.

Is this going to affect my future cruising?  No.  Because I know that this was an event that happened due to pure human error.  Could it happen again?  Yes, I won't lie.  Anything is possible.  However, the possibility of it happening is rather low.  I'm sure the cruise lines are going to be extra cautious during safety drills in the near future.

Surprisingly, this past weekend has been one of my MOST productive!  Maybe the word cruise ship popped in to many people's minds and got them thinking about their next vacation.

So please, on your next cruise.  Don't take the muster drill for granted.  It could be very important.  Hopefully you will never have to use the information first hand.