# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/101 "2010-11-14T01:48:08Z")
My only thought - Carnival is offering them a replacement cruise - I assume it would be on a similar Carnival owned ship. Wonder how many will actually take them up on that? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/102 "2010-11-14T04:44:46Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > At least it’s not against the law to throw mimes overboard out at sea. Or I’m fairly certain it’s not. Throw too many overboard and you have a mime field. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/103 "2010-11-14T04:50:37Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Throw too many overboard and you have a mime field. Yeah, the [Ottawa Treaty](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_Treaty) prohibits that. Or it would, if it wasn’t about land mimes only. And if the US had signed it. But wasn’t the ship in international waters? ---
**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, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/104 "2010-11-14T05:33:31Z")
You can’t just go throwing them overboard, you might need them. Everyone knows a mime is a terrible thing to waste. ---
**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, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/105 "2010-11-14T05:52:09Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Throw too many overboard and you have a mime field. You can never throw too many mimes overboard. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/106 "2010-11-14T06:10:51Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > \ > Yes, it was an awful situation, I wouldn’t want to go through it, but it was by no means an actual disaster. \ Agreed. There’s a big difference between “unpleasant” and “traumatic.” ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/107 "2010-11-14T07:41:58Z")
The bowels of a ship without power would be the perfect time to organize a zombie walk. ---
**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, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/108 "2010-11-14T10:11:59Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > You can never throw too many mimes overboard. Come to think of it, you can never throw enough mimes overboard, either. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2010, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/109 "2010-11-14T11:17:27Z")
Maybe my perspective is a little different, here’s how I view it: I see an able-bodied young person - hey, suck it up and adapt. Then I start considering someone like my spouse, who is diabetic and for whom irregular meals consisting of pop-tarts could pose some real health issues. Then I consider insulin-dependent diabetics who need to keep their insulin cool stuck on a ship with no power, for whom irregular meals consisting of pop-tarts are an even worse prospect that could conceivably land them in the hospital. Then I think of frail elderly people like my mom used to be, for whom temperature extremes are a real health risk, who couldn’t manage climbing up and down stairs more than a single flight (if that much) if an elevator was out, or people who use scooters and wheelchairs, and… Cause, you know, elderly, frail, and disabled people go on cruises, too. I heard one person _was_ carried off that ship on a stretcher and went to the hospital. I feel lots of bad for people who _aren’t_ quite as healthy or able-bodied as the young and fit and were stuck on that ship for days. Think about being a wheelchair user stuck on a ship with no working elevators. Yeah, that would suck. Or a diabetic getting steadily more and more thirsty with limited water, needing to pee constantly when there aren’t working toilets, knowing you’re getting sicker and sicker and not being able to do a damn thing about it and just hoping you don’t drop into a coma in some dark hallway before you get back to shore. But, you know, that sort of thing isn’t the sexy drama journalists are looking for, is it? No… it’s a 20-something bitching about spam and lack of hot coffee and warm booze. ---
**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 14, 2010, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/110 "2010-11-14T13:32:45Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Thank you. I thought it original for a mime joke. You actually had me at the mime semaphore. ---
**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 15, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/111 "2010-11-15T00:41:03Z")
It is absolutely imperative that we work with the San Diego Department of Biological Preserves to establish a set of rules for the preservation and isolation of that ship. These creatures you call mimes, require our absence to survive, not our help. And if we could only step aside and trust in nature, life will find a way. And if not, the Pacific Fleet in San Diego does have a surplus of Mark48 torpedos… ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/112 "2010-11-15T02:35:44Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Maybe my perspective is a little different, here’s how I view it: > > I see an able-bodied young person - hey, suck it up and adapt. > > Then I start considering someone like my spouse, who is diabetic and for whom irregular meals consisting of pop-tarts could pose some real health issues. Then I consider insulin-dependent diabetics who need to keep their insulin cool stuck on a ship with no power, for whom irregular meals consisting of pop-tarts are an even worse prospect that could conceivably land them in the hospital. Then I think of frail elderly people like my mom used to be, for whom temperature extremes are a real health risk, who couldn’t manage climbing up and down stairs more than a single flight (if that much) if an elevator was out, or people who use scooters and wheelchairs, and… > > Cause, you know, elderly, frail, and disabled people go on cruises, too. I heard one person _was_ carried off that ship on a stretcher and went to the hospital. > > I feel lots of bad for people who _aren’t_ quite as healthy or able-bodied as the young and fit and were stuck on that ship for days. Think about being a wheelchair user stuck on a ship with no working elevators. Yeah, that would suck. Or a diabetic getting steadily more and more thirsty with limited water, needing to pee constantly when there aren’t working toilets, knowing you’re getting sicker and sicker and not being able to do a damn thing about it and just hoping you don’t drop into a coma in some dark hallway before you get back to shore. > > But, you know, that sort of thing isn’t the sexy drama journalists are looking for, is it? No… it’s a 20-something bitching about spam and lack of hot coffee and warm booze. Good points - for a lot of the people on the ship, it was just unpleasant, but I’m sure there were many for whom it was a very bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/113 "2010-11-15T13:56:38Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I feel lots of bad for people who _aren’t_ quite as healthy or able-bodied as the young and fit and were stuck on that ship for days. Think about being a wheelchair user stuck on a ship with no working elevators. Yeah, that would suck. Or a diabetic getting steadily more and more thirsty with limited water, needing to pee constantly when there aren’t working toilets, knowing you’re getting sicker and sicker and not being able to do a damn thing about it and just hoping you don’t drop into a coma in some dark hallway before you get back to shore. They should suck it up and deal. Hey, free Pop Tarts and booze! It’s a camping adventure! Fucking whiners. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/114 "2010-11-15T14:18:14Z")
Um… _please_ tell me you were being sarcastic before I unload a can of extra-strength “I am offended” on you… ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/115 "2010-11-15T14:19:15Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Um… _please_ tell me you were being sarcastic before I unload a can of extra-strength “I am offended” on you… I was being **extremely** sarcastic. ETA: From my cruise ship experience, the disabled far out number the able-bodied. ---
**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 15, 2010, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/116 "2010-11-15T14:52:26Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > ETA: From my cruise ship experience, the disabled far out number the able-bodied. I’ve done 2 cruises. On my Alaskan cruise, a passenger had a heat attack while off the ship in some town. On my Caribbean cruise, a woman had too much to drink and passed out, hitting her head, in the ladies room. She never regained consciousness. We were at sea and a helicopter came and lifted her (couldn’t land due to rough seas) in a basket after first dropping a nurse. Although I didn’t, many people do buy special cruise insurance for this sorta thing. ---
**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 15, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/117 "2010-11-15T16:17:12Z")
It was my understanding that the weather was not an issue so I would think that if anyone needed urgent medical care they could have been airlifted off the ship. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/118 "2010-11-15T16:24:22Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > I think the biggest deal about the whole episode has got to be the stench of the shear volume of rotting food onboard. It’s illegal for them to toss it overboard so all that unrefrigerated lobster and and stuff just sat there and rotted. Genuinely interested here: what makes it illegal to toss food overboard in international waters? As far as I know, they can pump sewage overboard, so it seems strange that they can’t also dump the raw material. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/119 "2010-11-15T16:43:46Z")
It was purportedly only about 40 miles off the Mexican coast when the fire broke out. I assume that Mexico would have had an issue with a US ship dumping food into her waters. I assume the US felt the same as the ship neared San Diego. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446/120 "2010-11-16T04:32:59Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Genuinely interested here: what makes it illegal to toss food overboard in international waters? As far as I know, they can pump sewage overboard, so it seems strange that they can’t also dump the raw material. Maybe because introducing moldy or diseased food into the environment is more harmful than poo? I have no idea, though. Just trying to throw things out there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-the-horror-cruise-ship-story/560446.md?page=7)