here´s what i don´t get: these cruise lines don´t have a contingency plan? what if, God forbid, this had happened near Haiti and not so close to the US? this situation inspires no confidence.

There must be some legal reason they can´t transfer them to another ship. That would seem the obvious solution - a couple of days ago!

No cruises for me, thanks. My niece and her hubby go 3 times a year and have had wonderful experiences, but with my luck....

I´ve cruised and loved it...had good experiences. Does seem in this day and age something quicker could have been done. Wondering though how many wonderful stories there are to tell of people behaving extremely well...we are only going to hear about people behaving badly...hey a new reality show?

Doing anything with 3,000 people on a 900 foot boat for more than a couple of hours hardly sounds like a vacation.

I´d rather be on the S.S. Minnow

Cruises on those giant mega-ships never appealed to us. 3,000 plus people? I guess a lot of people like them but not me. Like
floating cities.

We have discussed one of the river cruises on the Rhine or Danube. Small ships with only 95 staterooms seems like more fun. There are also cruises in the Hebrides on ships with only about 25 staterooms.

I don´t know why that Carnival ship is taking so long to get everybody home. Maybe it´s impossible to offload 4,000 people to another ship in the open sea.

Putting all your eggs in one (electrical) basket would never be allowed on an aircraft. Where is the DOT and NTSB on this sort of thing?
I can imagine some pretty sticky lawsuits coming from this.
In the aviation world, the intent is that a passenger getting on a commercial airline has a reasonable expectation of being able to walk off the aircraft safely. (maybe not at desired destination, but at least safely). What´s the reasonable expectation here?

My husband and I just returned from a Caribbean Cruise on Royal Caribbean. It was fantastic. The ship, the service, the food, etc. They went over themselves telling the passengers everything about safety and preparedness on the ship and visiting the ports. The ship was immaculate clean at all times. Our cabin was cleaned three times a day. Two weeks before cruising we received emails with instructions, what to expect, and a list of things to take also in case of delays. Story short, no complains, but things like this happen.

#6, what man wouldn´t want to be marooned with Mary Ann and Ginger?

We had a similar experience to #9 in January with Norwegian Cruise Line. They took great care with safety instructions, cleanliness, food, etc.
It is a fantastic experience to travel on the water to interesting places... but as another Replier said, you are basically "in a city" and among strangers.
So pay attention to what you might need... balcony room, first aid kit, insect repellent, sunscreen, Immodium, Tylenol, your credit card, simple clothing and minimum jewelry. Another time, I would also take a case of bottled water and a few bags of ´hiking´ snack mix.. just in case.
We´ve been to Alaska on Holland America; and it, too, was one of our super memories.

Not exactly the kind of cruise ship publicity that Mobile, Alabama would like
to have at this point.

At least with Mardi Gras just passed, the lodgings will be available, and probably
the innkeepers eager to help these folks.

There have been so many kinds of incidents reported about illnesses and everything
else regarding cruises on cruise ships, I doubt I would ever go on one.

The concept is very appealing, but the reality can be far different.
Also, everyone I´ve ever known to go on a cruise said they gained 15 pounds on the
excellent food provided. Don´t need that.

So many things just don´t make sense in this. Why has it taken so long to tow this ship in? why weren´t people off-loaded to other vessels or ferried in? Weren´t supplies sent?

And mostly does society degenerate this rapidly when faced with adversity?

All cruise lines are not alike. Choose carefully and have a good time.

The only way to prevent this from happening again is to raise taxes. Sorry, I unexpectedly channelled Obama ~ and a frightening experience that was!

#10 I think the guy who played Gilligan wasn´t very interested in Mary Ann or Ginger.