The recent Costa Concordia disaster has many travelers questioning the safety of cruise ships. At a time when oceanic excursions are usually being planned many would-be vacationers are reconsidering their travel plans. Many are concerned about the integrity of the gargantuan vessels as well as the experience, skills and training of the ship’s crew members.
Reports indicate the massive cruise ship Costa Concordia struck the rocks off the coast of the island of Giglio in Italy late last Friday. The megaship sustained a 160 foot gash to the hull and began taking on water.
The mega-liner was carrying 4,234 passengers and crew. The amount of passenger confusion has many cruisers wondering what happened. Traveler interviews report immediate panic and a lack of guidance by crew members. Thousands of vacationers onboard speaking different languages, all trying to abandon ship was a recipe for pandemonium.
Although international rules govern cruise ship evacuation drills, no drills had taken place prior to the accident. The rules state that cruise ship passengers must be given practice evacuation drills within 24 hours after departing from the port. Passengers are taught to recognize emergency signals and directed to locations on the ship, in case they must abandon ship. The evacuation drills were scheduled for Saturday but the crash occurred three hours into the cruise.
Many experts say that mega-liners have good performance records. Although the vessels are massive in size safety has been meticulously considered in the construction of fail safes and emergency plans. Many back-up systems are in place, such as emergency generators, fire pumps and ship hulls are designed with watertight sections.
Travelers must consider human error as a factor in the latest marine tragedy. According to Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of Cruise Critic, oversight, training and adherence to policy were more factors in the accident than the design or size of the ocean liner.
If the megaships are too intimidating for travelers considering a cruise vacation, AARP recently published an article about the benefits of three different sized cruise ships. The article describes costs, vessel size, cabins, dining, target travelers and entertainment. Learn about more discount travel cruise deals at AARP
More than 15 million travelers enjoy cruise vacations annually. The loss of the Costa Concordia will weigh heavily on their future travel plans. Whether the cause is structural design or human error, this tragedy, one of the worst cruise line disasters in history, will keep travelers focused on safety procedures.
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