Worst Vacation Ever Continues as Cruise Ship's Bus Ride Home Breaks Down

[louis-t]

Source: The Atlantic Wire

As a final indignity perpetrated on the passengers of the disabled Triumph cruise ship after it reached port last night, a bus ferrying tired and disheveled tourists back to their homes broke down halfway to New Orleans this morning.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/worst-vacation-ever-continues-cruise-ships-bus-ride-143021525.html;_ylt=AnvD4i_GxaVmqiDtTa7RtnqbCMZ_;_ylu=X3oDMTVxdjBwOGdtBGNjb2RlA2dtcHRvcDEwMDBwb29sd2lraXVwcmVzdARtaXQDQXJ0aWNsZSBNaXhlZCBMaXN0IE5ld3MgZm9yIFlvdSB3aXRoIE1vcmUgTGluawRwa2cDYmZkZTgyYzctZjQzYS0zZWYwLWI5YWUtMjUyN2FjN2IxZTU3BHBvcwMzBHNlYwNuZXdzX2Zvcl95b3UEdmVyA2Q0ZTJhYTgyLTc3ODAtMTFlMi05NmZmLWFlNTc0YWQ0ODhjMA--;_ylg=X3oDMTM1YTFla2ZyBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDMjMxMWFiYzAtOWFiYi0zZGJjLWI5NGYtOWIxNzc1NDFmMTQzBHBzdGNhdANwb2xpdGljc3x0aGV0aWNrZXQEcHQDc3RvcnlwYWdl;_ylv=3

[Berlum]

1. On the bright side, they didn't get smacked by a flaming meteorite

[louis-t]

3. Yet....

[riderinthestorm]

16. Okay, I laughed at that one

I do, I really do feel bad for these folks. Honest!

(I really hope some of them are able to look back and laugh this off too someday).

[Happyhippychick]

2. Oye, sounds like a Chevy Chase movie!

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

4. Just out of curiousity....

I'm sure many of these travelers had airline reservations for return flights that left several days ago. Are they being compensated for that, as well?

[WilliamPitt]

5. Great comment at the link:

"In order to prevent similar occurences in the future, Carnival has ordered a fleet of vessels modeled after Roman galleys and complete with shackles, extra oars, whips, and a large drum."

[harun]

6. Sounds like my kind of vacation!

[Renew Deal]

7. lol

The old technology works!

[littlewolf]

8. I really really feel sorry for these folks.

they opted for the bus ride home rather then stay at hotels and then
taken a plane ride home the next day. then the bus breaks down.
good gravy. *shakes heads sadly*

[yardwork]

12. It's not clear that they were given the option of staying in a hotel in Mobile.

I saw an earlier report where the mayor of Mobile asked why Carnival wasn't booking hotel rooms in Mobile rather than putting people on buses and sending them to New Orleans.

[spooky3]

27. I heard on the radio that at least one traveler stayed in Mobile - my guess is that Carnival

told their customers that they would pay for the bus only and not for local hotel rooms. So (at least) that one traveler probably shelled out his/her own $$$ for the hotel. Some people of course probably wanted nothing more than to get home ASAP and this is outrageous that their bus also broke down.

[cliffordu]

9. So, apparently the Lord has had to shift part of the Purgatory load to this world.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

29. I'm thinking an outer circle of hell, myself.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. What's funny is they will be bombarded with spam for cruises....

Since they actually went on one.

[The Second Stone]

11. Worst cruise vacation since the Titanic

at least they didn't suffer as long. The movie for this one will be amazing.

[FailureToCommunicate]

13. Or: 'Average Americans get tiny taste of everyday life in a refugee camp'

Last edited Fri Feb 15, 2013, 05:36 PM - Edit history (1)

(Minus the buffet, helpful staff, wi-fi, and of course, the beautiful scenery)

This could be a real teachable moment for many of those complaining of their several days of inconvenience being the 'worst time in my life'

[kiranon]

18. The well off do not generally go on Carnival Cruises IMHO. n/t

[FailureToCommunicate]

24. That wasn't really my point

However I really doubt folks from places like Owsley County, KY go on many cruises either.

[spooky3]

28. But that is really not the point. They paid for (and probably took time off work for) a

relaxing vacation, complete with buffet, helpful staff, etc., and got anything but that. Carnival should pay big time for the problems and their slow response once the fire occurred.

[Auggie]

14. New series for TV: The Flub Boat

[mac56]

15. "The Sludge Boat"

[valerief]

20. Put the two together and you get The Fudge Boat.

[kentauros]

30. Starring Bill Murray!

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

17. In the 1960s I sailed across the Atlantic on the iconic Queen Mary

In 1965, my mother had spent a year in her native France with her sister while my American dad was fighting in Vietnam. She was afraid of air travel so we returned to the U.S. by sea. The ship was really beautiful inside and was very English and old-fashioned. But we were told that the ship had just had an encounter with a bad storm in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland and some of their food stores had been damaged and, since they were on a tight schedule, they didn’t have time to restock in port. The food choices became very limited (spaghetti with canned sauce every day). They assigned us seating (my mother, grandmother, and myself) at a table in the dining room for meals with two other French people (ocean liners match people with those with similar backgrounds) and our waiter for the trip was a nightmare. I think he was from Northern Ireland and he absolutely hated French people and constantly said as much under his breath. He would slam dishes on the table and say things like “here you are you damned frogs”. I hate to think what he did to the food when it left the kitchen. Then about a day and a half out from New York we ran into the outer arm of a hurricane off Cape Hatteras. The sky was orange and black and soon the ship was tossed around and creaking like it would come apart. It would list to left and then right at dramatic angles as though it would capsize and the entire ship would shake with a low groan when the propeller came out of the water. What remained of the food was lost and the ship stopped serving meals altogether but most people had confined themselves to their cabins out of terror or seasickness. My mother and I went to breakfast and the dining room was nearly empty. At least they served hot tea. Despite the problems, I have fond memories of my trip on the Queen Mary. It was quite a stunning ship.

[yardwork]

19. In the 1960s I traveled across the country on the Silver Zephyr. It was a wonderful trip.

We ate our meals in a restaurant car with white tablecloths, silver, and crystal. Our nights were in little Pullman sleepers. Our days were spent looking at the stunning scenery. That was the way to travel. Even though I was really young I remember it well.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

22. I love trains

I once traveled from Los Angeles to Denver and then later from Denver to New York. I don't know if they were extra luxurious trains and the trips took a relatively long time but they were great experiences in wonderful style. The best nights of sleep I've ever had have been on trains, being rocked by the rails and dropping off into slumber to the regular clack-clacking sounds. Very relaxing.

[littlewolf]

25. went from Chi-town to CA on a train in the 80's

4 days (maybe) .. didnt have a sleeper ... slept in a recliner it was
very nice.

[yardwork]

26. That would have been Amtrak by the 80s. Not as nice but still good.

[alfredo]

34. The observation cars were good for napping. At night nobody goes there except for a nap or

more amorous activities.

[daleo]

35. Certainly a memorable trip

At least you can dine out on a good story.

[yellowcanine]

21. On the bright side they were given vouchers for a future bus trip.

[judesedit]

23. I don't know why.I guess the money didn't trickle down to fix the ship or the bus. Wake up.Vote DEM

At least you have half a chance of some of them caring for you and your plight. I realize many are millionaires and billionaires in Congress who don't get it. But SOME of them do. NO rethug gets it. And that should be as plain to you as the nose on your face by now.

[Laelth]

31. +1

We have quite a few sell-outs in the Democratic Party, but the sell-out ratio in the Republican Party is approaching 100%. Indeed, if you want to vote for someone who might actually represent you (presuming you are not a millionaire), then you are better off voting for Democrats.

-Laelth

[pangaia]

32. I can not imagine why anyone would even want

to go on one of those monstrosities. I mean, they are HUGE!! HUGE, I say. :&gt Why not just stay in a hotel in Vegas with a big flat screen and watch videos of Tahiti?

When I was in San Juan, PR I was walking down toward the harbor, turned the corner and HOLY SHIT!!!! WTF is that?? it was one of those..... things. I mean.. totally out of proportion to the.. well just it didn't fit there.. didn't belong there..... It was like a Dali painting.!! I was speechless.. !!

[ehrnst]

33. And the Onion comes in just a little late on this one:

Bus Transporting Carnival Cruise Passengers Crashes Into Sewage Treatment Plant




http://www.theonion.com/articles/bus-transporting-carnival-cruise-passengers-crashe,31322/

[underpants]

36. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles 2