Costa Concordia...such a shame!

I'm such a bad blogger. Life gets in the way and then another few months go by.

I was so stricken by the sinking of the Concordia. I hadn't heard good things about Costa to begin with, but the actions of the Captain...yes the CAPTAIN who should know better...is absolutely outrageous!

I see many mistakes here:

1. No muster drill. Whoever came up with the idea that international cruises can wait up to 24 hours to hold is insane. While no one particularly likes this part of the cruise, it is one of the most essentials learning lessons! I love that they scan cards to know who is there. The fact that most people didn't know where to go is unforgivable.

2. "Go back to your staterooms". What? Go back to your staterooms? The ship is sinking and you want me to go down to deck 3 or 4...etc. Unbelievable. It seems to me they were more concerned with the perception that nothing was wrong, than the people who probably lost their lives going back to their staterooms.

3. The Obvious. What in the heck was the Captain doing so close to shore? I mean really? Was he drinking? Did he have a woman on the bridge? Was there no one looking at all their high tech gadgets to show a giant rock formation/reef in the water? A Bridge Officer is required to be a navigation and ship operations expert who has to make decisions which affect the safety of the ship, its passengers and crew. How about the Captain? Oh and he's under house arrest? Why is he not in jail???? Why was he off the boat while others never made it off.

4. One of the reasons I've heard negative complaints with Costa is the fact that many of their crew do not speak multiple languages. (Especially English) A huge hindrance in an emergency.

5. My prayers and thoughts go out to those who survived this horrible (and AVOIDABLE!!!) cruise and for those who lost loved ones; my heart breaks for you. No one should have to go through this, especially due to negligence.

Not a happy cruiser today...
Mary