Amazing Cruise ship wreck pix.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 1/15/12 at 11:17pm

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2086831/Costa-Concordia-cruise-ship-pictures-Trapped-survivor-Manrico-Giampedroni-airlifted-safety.html

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 12:32am

That is my nightmare. My father, god love him, is a huge fan of cruises and takes 3-4 a year. Every few years he gets me and siblings together for one. He means well, but god, I just hate cruises. The last one I went on I dreamed every night that I somehow got myself off the ship for good.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 12:55am

Oh don't be down on cruises because of this story, Phyl. they're nice...but on the smaller ships. And in the Carribbean and the South Pacific. Disasters are very rare. I hope TCM doesn't air The Poseidon Adventure this wk!? The pix are kinda unbelievable, though.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 1:12am

I love cruises. I wanna work on one maybe when I get out of college to get some experience.
But I had a friend who went on one and they hit some rough seas and said it was one of the scariest things he has ever endured. The ship was tossing and turning and he really thought they were going to capsize. And he was on one of the bigger Royal Caribbean one's.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 9:37am

This all has to do with the upcoming 3D release of "Titanic" and the 100th anniversary of her sinking, right?

A James Cameron publicity stunt!

[Jane2]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 10:28am

those photographs were unreal looking! The gravity of the situation notwithstanding, I was in awe of the photography. Amazing.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 11:19am

Are cruises (the boring old couple kind) still fun if you can't eat much? My friends just go on and on about the FOOD. lol My friend gained 12 pounds on her 10 day honeymoon.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 12:39pm

You don't want to miss the food on a cruise. That's part of the experience. Floating restaurants with all-included delicious meals.

Yes, you're going to gain 10-12 pounds on a 10-day cruise. The trick is to diet a month or so before you leave. It helps a lot. It also helps the weight come right off when you get back.

But don't deny yourself the cuisine. Also, don't sit around by the pool the whole time. Take shore excursions, go to the gym on board, walk around the deck and explore the ship. It helps if you've put in a good day's exercise before you sit down to one of those delectable meals.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 5:41pm

I would love to go on a cruise, but 10 days is a bit much. I think 5 would be plenty for me. My son refuses to go on one though, so I guess if we go it's just hubby and me.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 6:04pm

It depends. I like to go on cruises for the destinations, not just for the ship life (which actually interests me very little). If you want to hit some beaches in the Caribbean and eat and drink and party, then 5-7 days is perfect. Seven is great for Alaska, too. If you want to see incredible ports on the Mediterranean and do a lot of exploring while you're over there, then 7 isn't enough. 10 is best.

I've been on four Cyrstal Cruises, ten days each:

Mediterranean:
Rome (4 days prior to sailing)
Sorrento/Capri
Malta
Corfu
Venice (2 days)
Mykonos
Kushadasi, Turkey
Athens

North Sea/Baltic Sea:
London/Dover (4 days first)
Oslo, Norway
Copenhagen, Denmark
Helsinki, Finland
Goteborg, Sweden
St. Petersburg, Russia (2 days)
Stockholm, Sweden

Italian Cruise:
Venice (2 days)
Sorrento/Capri
Taormina, Sicily
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Florence
Portofino
Rome (4 days, post-sailing)

Celtic Cruise:
London (4 days, prior to sailing)
St. Peter Port/Guernsey
Invorgordon/Inverness, Scotland (Loch Ness)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Shetland Islands, Scotland
Dublin, Ireland
Waterford, Ireland
Rouen, France
Paris France (4 days, post-sailing)

I'll never forget 'em! It's a great way to see a lot of cities without spending extra days packing and unpacking and traveling to the next town. You're in a floating hotel. You wake up the next day in a new city (and often a new country).

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 6:11pm

The one I went on with my family was a five-day. I couldn't have taken more than that. The food was pretty great, though, I will admit that. It's good if you like to drink, too, I guess, but I'm a pretty light drinker.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 6:11pm

Sounds great, best12! I have severe travel-envy at the moment.(Which was your favorite?)

In some cases, cruising is really the only way to see places too, such as Alaska.

[singtopher]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 6:24pm

I went on a Disney Mediterranean Cruise about a year and a half ago. It was an amazing trip, but I have to say I think I would have enjoyed it more if some of the ports were closer to the attractions. Rome was an hour away by train and Florence was about 2 1/2. By the time you get there, you don't have much time to see stuff before you have to return. I'd rather do it as a vacation than a sight seeing trip.

These photos are SCARY! On the last full day of our cruise, there had been a large storm the night before creating 20 foot waves that created for a rather nauseating experience. It wasn't until about mid afternoon that they were able to get out of it.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 1/16/12 at 6:40pm

Besty, that Mediterranean cruise sounds amazing!

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 1:57pm

I've been on two cruises -- one was Carnival (Bahamas/Florida) and one was Princess (Australia/New Zealand). Carnival was pretty stereotypical with its clientele, mediocre food and shiny everything, but I had a good time (though I was 17 and thus too old for the kid stuff and too young for the adult stuff). The other was Princess, which was a lot more understated. So was the clientele. The food was a lot better, too.

I'm a big fan of the "unpack once" type of trip, so I can't really come down on the concept of a cruise -- though it's not for everyone!

My parents go on cruises all the time, but this kind of stuff makes news because it is news. It's not something I worry about.

[once a month]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 2:10pm

I love cruise vacations. I've been on six gay cruises and had the times of my life...parasailing in the Bahamas, scuba in the Carribean, whale watching in Hawaii. Ship life is fantastic...party or solitude, whatever you prefer. While it's true I never stopped eating all of my fantasy foods, I never gained much. I ate a lot of fruitsa and fish every day, and since I don't drink it wasn't an issue at all.

Speaking of freaky, my favorite ship, the Norweighan Dawn was slammed by a wave reaching its 10th deck causing a lot of damage and injuries. Getting hit by a wave isn't something one tries to dwell on at sea.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 2:22pm

I am hot and cold on cruises, it really depends on the locations. The most recent ones were the European trips that I really loved that went out of Southampton, one to the Baltics and the other Mediterranean. Ironically, my dad had been planning on the family having an entirely Italian cruise (we usually go Norwegian Cruise Line) on an Italian cruise line. According to my mother, his reaction to this news item "Well, we'll probably even get better deals than before". My dad loves cruises, which I think has somewhat to do with him being a Navy brat.

Jay, I actually went on two Alaskan cruises (the second one sadly were all the same exact locations for port of call as the first). While I would only say go once, it is fun for anybody who has never visited before.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 7:34pm

My mom's downstairs watching E! and I just heard them compare this to a real-life Titanic.

Sometimes I just can't anymore.

[canmark]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 7:46pm

Reading the transcript of the communication between the coast guard commander and the captain of the Costa Concordia had me steamed. Not only did his reckless actions cause the disaster, resulting in 11 deaths (known so far), but his behavior--abandoning the ship and cowardly avoiding orders from the coast guard commander--is just shameful.

I went on my first cruise this past summer (Ruby Princess, Venice to Barcelona) and was in those very waters, as our ship sailed from Civitavecchia (Rome) northward to Livorno (Pisa/Florence). I thank my stars I wasn't on that guy's ship.

http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/story/2012-01-17/Transcript-Costa-Concordia-captain-and-Italian-coast-guard/52613814/1

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 10:18pm

@canmark. just heard the actual convo that you posted betw. the captain and de falco, on cnn... holy cow...even in crisis, the italian language is so sexy. anyway, thank god this coast guard guy was so intense and demanding. hope he will be interviewed internationally in the coming days and wks.

[winston89]

Posted: 1/17/12 at 11:34pm

I am not a fan of going on a cruise. My family and I went on an Alaskan cruise awhile back and although we loved everything Alaska related, we hated the cruise itself. It really felt too similar to a resort in the Catskills to our taste. Furthermore, both myself and my brother were too old for the children's activities and too young for the adult ones so we were bored. I remember there was one time where both my brother and I wanted to swim in the indoor pool there but there was a sign saying that it was closed off to people under the age of 18. When my father went to the desk to ask about it they said no. They had then told him that regardless of if he was there with us or not that we couldn't swim there. And, that was the same for a lot of things on the ship as well. We left the trip with the mutual feeling that we wouldn't go on a cruise for the sake of going on one. However, we would only go on one again if we wanted to go somewhere where that was the only option of getting around.

As for the the cruise ship wreck. What baffles me is the fact that the captain was totally not doing the right thing at all and didn't seem to care. The port where this happened had two sides to it. One side was for large cruise ships and the other side was for smaller, private boats. The big question had been why the large cruise ship was on the side of the port that typically held smaller, private boats. I had heard that he crossed the other side to show his friends that he was sailing a cruise ship. Kind of brings the term showboating to a new level.

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/18/12 at 9:58am

The thing that bothers me the most about this situation is this captain was highly regarded by passengers, especially female passengers, these past few years. He was a favorite with travelers. It's sad when the "swimsuit competition" outweighs nautical skills.

I hope all cruise lines think twice before listing "user friendly" as the number one criteria for hiring a captain. Hopefully, they don't do that. But it sure seems that way, in this case.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 9:08am

Are cruises (the boring old couple kind) still fun if you can't eat much?

I'm not a huge eater but I still had a blast. I actually came back from my cruise 0.2lbs less than when I left. I also only ate in the main dining room twice during the 11 day cruise. The Lido buffet just fit into the scedule better.

But, also, I was part of The Phil Coulter Tranquility Cruise group so I can't really comment on what a Holland America cruise is really like. Aside from ports of call we had two concerts a day, Q&A sessions, photo/autograph opportunities, opening/closing cocktail parties, and an open mic night.

This accident actually happened the day before I left for Florida and I haven't really seen any pictures until now. And am I glad I didn't see them until now. I don't know if I would have gone.

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 9:59am

All cruise ships offer options (hundreds, actually) for food. You don't have to eat or order the most fattening thing on the menu. That tends to be the mindset when people are on vacation, though. There are plenty of activities, too. There's a gym on board most ships, plus you can jog around (usually at least) one "promenade" deck. Plus the swimming pool(s). Sometimes a basketball or tennis court.

You could definitely lose weight or "maintain" while on a cruise if you have that mindset and willpower. It's up to you.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 2/1/12 at 10:08am

You could definitely lose weight or "maintain" while on a cruise if you have that mindset and willpower. It's up to you.

Very true. My friend and I were night and day when it came to how we viewed our "vacation". She would have three desserts or take the elevator one floor and justify it by saying "I'm on vacation". While I would take the stairs if only going one floor and had no dessert or just an ice cream cone. I would walk around the observation deck and she would nap in the cabin. Different strokes.