Cruise ship Costa Allegra in trouble. Yet another craptastic ship by Carnival Cruise

**angelais** · February 28th, 2012, 09:24 AM

One more reason I have no desire to ever go on a cruise.

reuters.com

Reuters) - A crippled cruise ship owned by the same company as the capsized Costa Concordia was being towed by a French tuna fishing boat on Tuesday to Seychelles' main island, the liner's owner said.
An engine room fire on the Costa Allegra knocked out the ship's main power supply, leaving it adrift with more than a thousand people on board in waters vulnerable to pirate attacks.
Costa Cruises said an earlier plan to tow the vessel to the nearest island of Desroches had been aborted because security conditions for mooring the ship and offloading the passengers and crew "would not have been assured".
Two tugs were approaching the cruise ship to assist the Seychelles-based tuna purse-seiner Trevignon pulling the Costa Allegra, which is now due to arrive at the main island Mahe on Thursday morning.
"Helicopters will ensure continuous supply of food, comfort items, flashlights in order to mitigate guests' discomfort given the difficult conditions on board," Costa Cruises spokesman Davide Barbano said in a statement.
An evacuation off Desroches Island would have presented the ship owner and local authorities with a tricky and expensive logistical operation.
The 636 passengers and 413 crew would have had to use the ship's lifeboats to land on the exclusive coral-fringed island, where Prince William and his then girlfriend, Kate Middleton, stayed a few years ago.
Ferries or a fleet of small private planes would most likely then have shuttled the passengers to Mahe.
"Logistics and hotels on the island are not enough. It would require ... an immediate transfer from Desroches to Mahe," Barbano said.
ARMED GUARDS
Seychelles authorities still face a logistical headache finding accommodation in Mahe for all those onboard.
"Right now we are in consultation with the hotels on Mahe to find out how many beds are available. It's a busy time of year," Srdjana Janosevic, spokeswoman for the Seychelles presidency, told Reuters.
The giant Costa Concordia capsized on January 13 after hitting rocks off the Italian island of Giglio, killing at least 25 people. Divers and rescue workers are still searching for the bodies of seven missing people.
The much smaller, 29,000-tonne Costa Allegra was sailing some 200 miles southwest of Seychelles when the fire broke out and it sent a distress signal, the company said.
The fire was put out and there was light onboard thanks to an emergency battery but no air conditioning or cooking facilities.
The passengers are from 25 different nations, including four children, with the largest contingents being 127 from France and 126 from Italy. There are 38 Germans, 31 Britons, 13 Canadians and eight Americans on board.
Seychelles is an archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean northeast of Madagascar with a population of just over 80,000.
The Costa Allegra left Diego Suarez in Madagascar on Saturday and had been due to dock in Mahe on Tuesday.
It is being protected by nine members of an "anti-pirate" unit of the Italian navy, a precaution regularly taken on ships in the Indian Ocean which is prone to attacks by Somali pirates.
While yachts have been seized in the past near Seychelles, Somali pirates have yet to successfully hijack a cruise liner in the Indian Ocean.
"The ship is not in a high-risk area, but we can't be 100 percent sure," said Costa Cruises' Giorgio Moretti.
Seas in the area were moderate with winds gusting at 25 knots, the Italian coastguard said in a statement.
Shares of Costa Cruises' parent company Carnival were down 0.54 percent at 1,831 pence at 1205 GMT.
Costa was accused by some passengers of long delays and a lack of organisation in the evacuation of the Costa Concordia.
That vessel's Italian captain is under house arrest near Naples accused of multiple manslaughter and abandoning the ship.

**sputnik** · February 28th, 2012, 09:32 AM

cruises don't appeal to me at all. in fact, they're pretty much my nightmare vacation, essentially a combination club med/shopping mall/casino, except gigantic and floating on water, full of people and with no escape. and i love boat trips but give me a no-frills old sailing boat or refurbished navy boat and a bunk and i'm good.

that said, i don't think cruises are unsafe at all. 2 incidents with heavy media coverage, and the odd incident here and there, don't make an entire industry unsafe. tacky, boring and nightmarish, for sure, but not unsafe.

**SHELLEE** · February 28th, 2012, 09:48 AM

I've always had a fear of falling off of one in the middle of the ocean. All I think of is that part in jaws when Robert Shaw is talking about the USS Indianapolis.

**greysfang** · February 28th, 2012, 09:52 AM

Hopefully, this captain has a set of balls and some damn sense.

**southernbelle** · February 29th, 2012, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by sputnik

cruises don't appeal to me at all. in fact, they're pretty much my nightmare vacation, essentially a combination club med/shopping mall/casino, except gigantic and floating on water, full of people and with no escape. and i love boat trips but give me a no-frills old sailing boat or refurbished navy boat and a bunk and i'm good.

that said, i don't think cruises are unsafe at all. 2 incidents with heavy media coverage, and the odd incident here and there, don't make an entire industry unsafe. tacky, boring and nightmarish, for sure, but not unsafe.

I agree. I have several friends and family members who really enjoy cruises, but it's something that I've just never had any desire to do. I would be more likely to consider it if they had one that didn't allow kids, but even then, for the amount of money you spend, I'd rather just go to a resort somewhere.

**Charmed Hour** · February 29th, 2012, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by southernbelle

I agree. I have several friends and family members who really enjoy cruises, but it's something that I've just never had any desire to do. I would be more likely to consider it if they had one that didn't allow kids, but even then, for the amount of money you spend, I'd rather just go to a resort somewhere.

Actually, depending on where you cruise to/from, they can be considerably cheaper than your average all inclusive resort.

I cruised once, it was ok.

**fgg** · February 29th, 2012, 10:32 AM

if you enjoy relaxing, drinking and eating, cruises are awesome. if you are someone who needs to be doing something constantly, then pass.

**yanna** · February 29th, 2012, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by sputnik

cruises don't appeal to me at all. in fact, they're pretty much my nightmare vacation, essentially a combination club med/shopping mall/casino, except gigantic and floating on water, full of people and with no escape. and i love boat trips but give me a no-frills old sailing boat or refurbished navy boat and a bunk and i'm good.

that said, i don't think cruises are unsafe at all. 2 incidents with heavy media coverage, and the odd incident here and there, don't make an entire industry unsafe. tacky, boring and nightmarish, for sure, but not unsafe.

If I ever did go I would go on the Peace Boat:
Peace Boat - Home

My brother served on it (well, not the current chartered boat, a previous, the now soon to be decomissioned Topaz *sniffle*) , she had been a Carnival ship but when the Japanese chartered her they turned the Casino into a library and the disco into a conference centre etc. They travel around the world promoting peace and they learn about each country they visit... if I hadn't had a full time job when he was working there I would volunteered for it, for sure.

**sputnik** · February 29th, 2012, 12:37 PM

yanna, that sounds really cool.
traditional cruises don't appeal to me at all, and neither do all-inclusive resorts either so the idea of a floating one is no better.

i really want to go to antarctica on a chilean or argentinian navy ship though. those trips sound awesome and not your typical cruise. the chilean navy also takes people to juan fernández (robinson crusoe's island) on one of their ships, and that's supposed to be an awesome trip as well.

**yanna** · March 1st, 2012, 02:44 AM

^ Have you been to Easter Island? brother said it was fantastic! And I would totally want to go to Patagonia, too. I think you have been, haven't you? One of my very close friends is married to a Chilean so I really hope I will get to visit someday, it looks like such an amazing place!

**sputnik** · August 17th, 2012, 10:13 AM

Originally Posted by yanna

^ Have you been to Easter Island? brother said it was fantastic! And I would totally want to go to Patagonia, too. I think you have been, haven't you? One of my very close friends is married to a Chilean so I really hope I will get to visit someday, it looks like such an amazing place!

holy necro but i just saw this.
patagonia is incredible. even the name is awesome.
easter island was fab too. didn't make it to antarctica though

one day...

**Grimmlok** · August 19th, 2012, 06:45 PM

Ugh. The BF loves cruises, to me they seem like the most horrid aspects of suburbia made into a prison.

Just give me a beach and a quaint tropical city to explore. That's all I want.

**Bellatheball** · August 19th, 2012, 10:10 PM

^ St. John in the USVI.

**greysfang** · August 20th, 2012, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by Grimmlok

Ugh. The BF loves cruises, to me they seem like the most horrid aspects of suburbia made into a prison.

Just give me a beach and a quaint tropical city to explore. That's all I want.

Don't say that! I'm about to go on my first cruise this Christmas. And yes, I totally get what you're saying and I kinda feel the same way (though not as strongly), but I'm going to make the most of it anyway.

**McJag** · August 20th, 2012, 03:00 PM

Everyone I know that has been on a cruise loved it. One friend's child had been on 12 cruises by the time she was 5! And they are all out active,rock climbers,joggers,etc.