When good cruises go bad – and how to handle it

About 100 guests were affected by the flooding on the Carnival Dream.

Mass brawls, outbreaks of norovirus, corridors flooded with human waste, the looming threat of pirate attack… With the number of cruise catastrophes to hit headlines in recent years, it’s perhaps a wonder cruising’s popularity is still growing.

In the latest case, a passenger likened the scene aboard Carnival Dream after a burst pipe flooded 50 staterooms to something out of the movie Titanic.

“We heard the violins and silverware all come crashing down. What in the world… say a prayer for (us) all,” the passenger, Maria Haase, wrote on Facebook.

Fortunately crew were able to replace or dry out the drenched carpets in about six hours, but spending the night on a yoga mat thinking only divine intervention will save you is not exactly the stuff Caribbean cruise dreams are made of. In this case no one was hurt but there have been casualties in other incidents.  

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* Water line break floods 50 staterooms on Carnival cruise in Caribbean
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* Fourth Carnival cruise ship fails inspection over dirty conditions

In February, passengers were left bleeding and traumatised after a violent brawl broke out on the Melbourne-bound Carnival Legend, forcing the vessel to dock early in New South Wales. As many as 30 people were injured in the fight which a passenger identified only as Zac said was sparked when someone’s jandal was inadvertently stepped on.

Passengers aboard the Sea Princess travelling from Sydney to Dubai last August had worse than a family of agro Australians to deal with – the ship went dark for 10 days as it travelled through the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and Suez Canal to guard against a potential pirate attack. Writing for News.com.au, media specialist Carolyne Jasinski said there was a “weird kind of excitement” on board after the captain announced the ship had to prepare for attack.

“A fishing boat was not looked at the same way. It was no longer an interesting speck on the horizon. We wondered what they were doing so far out at sea and whether there was something hiding behind it.”

One of the most horrifying examples in recent years though was the so-called “poop cruise” that was stuck in the Gulf for almost a week in February 2013 after an engine fire. According to passengers on the Carnival Triumph, they had to survive on limited food and water, there was no running water or air conditioning, hallways were swamped with human waste and they had to do their business in bags.

While such stories can make it seem like good cruises go bad all the time, Bob Levinstein, CEO of independent US-based website CruiseCompete, said that of the some 25 million cruise passengers each year, only a tiny percentage will face a real calamity on board.

“Any time you have large numbers of people involved you’re going to have a few incidents but the way some of these are reported by the media can blow things out of proportion. People form a mistaken impression of how common it is.”

Levinstein said the Carnival Dream case was the first instance of flooding resulting from a burst pipe he has heard of and that mechanical failures are extremely rare. An outbreak of norovirus, which can cause symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea is probably the most likely thing to go wrong on a ship, he said, but people regularly contract it on land too.

“In the US, people get it about once every few years. But there’s a strange quirk in maritime law that says any time 2.5 per cent of people on board have some illness it has to be reported. And that happens about three or four times a year out of the several hundred cruises.”

Crew are adept at dealing with such outbreaks, isolating affected passengers in their state rooms, bringing them everything they need and sanitising the entire ship, he said.

“A lot of people probably had it before they got on but it can spread quickly on a ship.”

In most cases, you won’t know if someone else aboard has it, but Levinstein said it’s always wise to be strict about washing your hands and use the provided hand sanitisers. He does his best not to touch door knobs, lift buttons or anything else lots of other people touch, saying “It’s just good policy for anybody”.

Rough weather can also cause chaos on occasion – in 2016 44 passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas abandoned their Mediterranean cruise after the ship was hit by a freak giant wave. Passengers were woken by sea water pouring into cabins and some were bleeding, according to posts on social media. The ship docked in Corsica as scheduled, repairs were undertaken and the ship continued on its way.

Levinstein said the incident would have been “more scary than dangerous”, with most “injured” passengers suffering only “bumps and bruises”. It was also unusual. In most cases, cruise ships, which are equipped with high-tech weather monitoring systems, steer clear of stormy seas.

Foul air and heat on the lower decks of the “Poop Cruise” prompted many passengers to haul mattresses and bed sheets onto the top deck and sleep there.

As most ships are also supported by stabilisers, seasickness is less common than it used to be. Flight Centre NZ general manager Sue Matson recommends booking a cabin on the lower levels of the middle of the ship if you are worried about it.

“There are many remedies for seasickness so study up before you go. A popular natural remedy is ginger, or if you’d like something over the counter, standard antihistamines have been shown to help ease symptoms.”

Speaking of sickness, cruise lines have medical doctors on board and, if it’s something they can’t handle on the ship, you’ll be airlifted out. You’ll want to have travel insurance if this happens to you though as bills can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, Comparetravelinsurance.co.nz director Natalie Ball said.

Most of the other calamities on cruise ships tend to be caused by drunken passengers, Levinstein said.

“People will do dumb things when they drink but, again, that can happen anywhere.”

He recalled a time on a cruise with Norwegian when an intoxicated passenger dived head first into the hot tub and broke his neck. The cruise line changed the itinerary to get him to a spot where he could safely be helicoptered out, which Levinstein said proves passenger safety was considered paramount.

“Some people were upset the itinerary had changed but if that was you or one of your family members, that’s what you’d want them to do.”

The International Cruise Industry Passenger Bill of Rights adopted by members of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) protects passengers in some cases. Passengers are entitled to a full refund for a trip that is cancelled due to mechanical failure, for example, or a partial refund for a trip that is cut short for that reason. But don’t expect it to come to your rescue if you encounter such issues as bad weather, rough seas, changed itineraries, sickness or badly behaved passengers.

Cruise ships are equipped to steer clear of stormy seas, but sometimes bad weather can’t be avoided.

Contracts of carriage between cruise lines and passengers are “very much in favour of cruise lines”, Levinstein said, meaning you pretty much give them the right to cancel or change anything they like with limited or no liability when you sign one – which you must before you set foot on board. However, he said most lines do their best to meet or exceed customer expectations. If a ship is out of action for a while it costs them millions of dollars and PR disasters can cost them millions more, so it’s in their interest to treat customers well, he said.

In headline-grabbing incidents, cruise lines may well go above and beyond their strict legal duties.. Passengers on the “poop cruise”, for example, were offered full refunds for the cruise, travel and on-board expenses, credit toward a future cruise and a cheque for US$500 (NZ$700).

Levinstein said he was “very encouraged” by the way Carnival handled the flooding incident.

“In the past, people had to fight for refunds but in this case, the line refunded the cruise and flights home and gave discounts on future cruises. I think it was very reasonable considering the level of damage done.”

Ball said people need to bear in mind that “like any adventure, a cruise holiday comes with some risk…

“No one likes to think about all the things that can go wrong on holiday, but things can take an unexpected turn whether you’re on land, in the air, or at sea.  Packing travel insurance as soon as you’ve booked and paid for your cruise is the surest way to pack peace of mind and have some financial protection for your holiday.”

The guy who broke his neck on Levinstein’s cruise might have been out of luck though – most insurers won’t cover you for being too tipsy, Ball said.

“We know the unlimited supply of alcohol and treats is hard to say no to, however if you’re under the influence of alcohol and drop your clutch bag overboard, or slip on the deck you might find your insurer is less sympathetic than usual.”

Have you been on a cruise during a crisis? Share your stories in the comments.

 – Stuff

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