# Oh the horror! Cruise ship story **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 12, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446 "2010-11-12T16:53:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/81 "2010-11-13T03:51:45Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Again, the media only gives the people the stories they want to hear. Don’t blame the media; blame the “National Inquirer” populace. How can anyone possibly be surprised that Americans have an easier time emphasizing with other Americans trapped on a cruise vacation from Hell than they do with poor foreigners in a 3rd world country dying of a disease most people only read about in history books or seen on Dr Quinn. > [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > I think they are refunding the money for this trip too, so they will get their vacation after all and for free. Somehow I think I might want to just cash-out the free cruise as well and spend the money on another form of vacation (or at least another cruise line). > [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > They might not even have been obligated to do that much. I read an article recently (I think it was in the Los Angeles Times) saying that for most contracts you sign when you book a cruise, it’s pretty clearly said that there are not very many reasons that require a refund… I’ve always wondered what does the cruise line do if the ship sinks? Are you entitled to a refund then? Do they at least reimburse you for your luggage? > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > They need to get to work on installing nuclear generators on all cruise ships. Chop chop! Get on that! That’s actually something we tried [before](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NS_Savannah). ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/82 "2010-11-13T11:56:11Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Magicians? Here you are, dirty and smelly, undernourished because you skip meals to avoid lining up, and going through caffeine withdrawal. Then a wandering magician accosts you on deck, thinking that however exhausted you may be, you are not too beaten down as to be unable to select a card–any card–from the pack they offer. > > (Actually I kid, I love close-up magic of any kind, particularly card tricks.) What was that sir?😕 You want me to pull a hot meal out of my what?:eek: ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/83 "2010-11-13T12:26:40Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Maybe the magicians could have started pulling rabbits out of their hats. The bastards probably ate them all themselves, though. But it could have been worse. It could have been a clown conference. “Does this taste funny to you?” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/84 "2010-11-13T13:01:32Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Magicians? Here you are, dirty and smelly, undernourished because you skip meals to avoid lining up, and going through caffeine withdrawal. Then a wandering magician accosts you on deck, thinking that however exhausted you may be, you are not too beaten down as to be unable to select a card–any card–from the pack they offer. > > (Actually I kid, I love close-up magic of any kind, particularly card tricks.) Look at the bright side. There coulda been a group of mimes onboard. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/85 "2010-11-13T13:02:04Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Look at the bright side. There coulda been a group of mimes onboard. Nah, thems good eats. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/86 "2010-11-13T13:27:49Z")
First Mate: Captain look at that cruise ship. They’re using mimes hung from the radio mast to semaphore us. The power’s out and they’re dead in the water. Captain: You can do anything if you set your mime to it. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/87 "2010-11-13T14:18:45Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > How can anyone possibly be surprised that Americans have an easier time emphasizing with other Americans trapped on a cruise vacation from Hell than they do with poor foreigners in a 3rd world country dying of a disease most people only read about in history books or seen on Dr Quinn. Nobody watches Dr. Quinn. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/88 "2010-11-13T14:40:09Z")
You know, they might make a movie about this. Hmmm… I wonder if Sandra Bullock would be interested…? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/89 "2010-11-13T14:50:07Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > That was it, thanks. > > I think that Carnival did a great job with their offer, but still it wasn’t an optimal situation. Getting a free cruise to make up for a sucky one doesn’t make the sucky one any less sucky. > > I was on a cruise a few years ago, and I’m imagining what it would have been like without electricity. Our room was on the lowest deck, and didn’t have a window. It was impossible to distinguish night from day when we were in it, and I found that to be disturbing enough. I didn’t realize how much I rely on windows until then. To have to stay in it with no lights would have been a drag. To have to walk up 6 flights of steps – in the dark – to get to an open deck would have been a drag. If there was emergency lighting that would have made it better, but I’m not sure there was any. Someone in the article mentioned having to read by flashlight. > > Yeah, stuck on a cruise ship, boo hoo. But I’d much rather stay home than deal with that. Actually, if you hang out over at CruiseCritics, an amazing number of people bring along little flash lights, and the fake candles to light the bathrooms so you dont have to turn all the glaringly bright lights on to go pee at night, and to use as night lights … when we went along we had our normal luggage flashlights along with 2 fake candles as nightlights. Most of us would have been happy to loan out one to make someone without have a bit of light. Heck, I would have let a couple come and crash on our floor [we get outside with balcony or suite normally] People can tend to be nice and helpful in disaster if asked nicely… ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/90 "2010-11-13T20:54:40Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > First Mate: Captain look at that cruise ship. They’re using mimes hung from the radio mast to semaphore us. The power’s out and they’re dead in the water. > > Captain: You can do anything if you set your mime to it. _stands and claps_ Well done! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/91 "2010-11-13T21:36:11Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > _stands and claps_ > > Well done! 😃 I really don’t think we should be encouraging that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/92 "2010-11-13T22:26:57Z")
Imagine what would have happened if this “ship” lost power in a storm? The hulk would have foundered. Anyway, don’t they have emergency generators above the waterline? I am very suspicious of these floating boxes-the look very unseaworthy, and without emergency power, they are potential deathtraps. Even the sinking TITANIC was able to keep the lights on, while the ship was listing-this situation sounds very bad. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/93 "2010-11-13T22:43:59Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > _stands and claps_ > > Well done! 😃 Thank you. I thought it original for a mime joke. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/94 "2010-11-13T22:49:55Z")
The crank case of the generator cracked and the oil started on fire. The damage was where all the power cables are routed to. I’m thinking the whole power grid was unusable because of this so a different power source couldn’t just be hooked to the grid. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/95 "2010-11-13T23:19:29Z")
The Titanic stayed lit for as long as it did because the water tight doors kept the water out of the engine room and the boilers going to power the dynamos. The batteries were just for the radio. The lights went out when the boilers went. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/96 "2010-11-14T00:30:13Z")
Lets’ see. Well, It does suck when your vacation goes astray. It does. But really. Trip paid for, another free trip in the future, 3 WHOLE HORIFYING DAYS of free booze and crackers and cheese. Oh, and spam. 3 days of CNN covering your terrible experience :rolleyes: They HAD water. Just not hot water. Sheese. Has no-one taken a cold shower or a bird-bath? I’d see it as a bit of an adventure. A lame adventure, but one with free booze and spam. Really, people have no sense of humor anymore. They were not sinking, they were not thirsty, free booze and the NAVY is providing you with SPAM and Pop Tarts. :snort: It’s just too funny. Oh, and there are 100 magicians on board providing entertainment. I’m taking a cruise in March. I only hope it will be this entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/97 "2010-11-14T00:58:37Z")
Sure it was an terrible experience for those involved but it was not the horror it is being made out to be. These people knew they would be rescued. They knew they weren’t going to die out there. Most anyone who lives in hurricane zones has had similar experience with no power, water or fresh food for days and many people experience worse and don’t know for sure when they’ll have power or safe running water again. Yes, it was an awful situation, I wouldn’t want to go through it, but it was by no means an actual disaster. Although, four days without coffee would certainly be a disaster for anyone around me. But I’d probably just be sucking on handfuls of coffee grounds by day 2. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/98 "2010-11-14T01:19:17Z")
Four days without coffee and I’m going to be extremely miserable…unless… wait, how much caffeine is there in Kahlua? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/99 "2010-11-14T01:36:17Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Look at the bright side. There coulda been a group of mimes onboard. At least it’s not against the law to throw mimes overboard out at sea. Or I’m fairly certain it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/100 "2010-11-14T01:39:52Z")
Come on, it’s San Diego. The paper’s just happy to have something to distract from the fubar’d budget. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446.md?page=6)