I recently wrote about a sweepstakes where the prize was a cruise vacation, only to have someone respond that they weren't interested after hearing about the recent crash of a luxury cruise liner in Italy.
This surprised me, because I'm as enthusiastic as ever about cruise sweepstakes. When I compare the number of people who die in cruise disasters to the number of people who die in car crashes, cruises seem awfully safe. And even staying at home isn't all that safe, with many deaths occurring from simple accidents around the house.
I also tend to think that after a big disaster, most people take extra precautions. My gut feeling is that cruising today will be even safer than it was before the Costa Concordia crash.
What do you think? Are you still entering cruise sweepstakes? Or are you taking a break until you feel safer? Take my poll, and click the "comments" link below to share your thoughts.
Image © Laura Lezza / Getty Images; Used with permission.
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Comments
I usually take 2 cruises a year, but will never take another after this incident! I don’t care what cruise line it’s on.. I keep thinking about “How much water can you drink.” Never enough for something like this, and I swim like a fish.. I just will never take another cruise cause I want to have some kind of control regarding the way I die.. when it’s time.. This was purgatory before death, on earth!
I would be way more concerned if this was a pure accident. Like if the ship just for no reason blew a hole in the hull and started to sink.
No, this was a guy acting like a 13 year old on a dirt bike wanting to jump a hill and show off. Purely preventable, totally did not have to happen. He has ruined his life, with blood on his hands. The company will probably be sued out of existence. Then there’s the dead and unaccounted for, including a local couple to me who are missing; and the aftermath of that for families. Plus this is the fodder for nightmares for the surviving victims for years to come.
This doesn’t influence my desire one way or another to cruise. It’s not something I’ve ever aspired to, simply because it strikes me as a lot of lying in the sun or sitting around the pool chatting. Not my thing. I have to be doing something every waking minute. Even watching TV I’ve got something to read across my lap. Plus seems like there’s an enormous amount of eating goes on onboard these things!
On the other hand, my son and his fiance are doing a cruise in May, planned before this happened, and are still head up to go. I did read some cruise lines are seeing cancellations and hesitancy to book. Maybe they’ll get some added perks for staying the course.
After our first cruise, the cruise from hell, (Celebrity – Alaska) my wife and I will never take another. We hated the experience.
Safety was a joke, the obligatory lifeboat muster a farce (I am retired after 45 years sea, 30 as Captain). I have never felt so vulnerable.
Food appalling, service worse and being caged with thousands of fellow passengers dreadful.
If could have left the ship after 48 hours we would have done and happily paid to fly home to the UK.
Always remember that the closest land on board is usually below you.
The Concordia accident only reinforces my opinions.