so you always wanted to go on a cruise, huh?
- Thread starter MadJack
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Cruise lines feel heat over onboard crimes
By David Whitney - Bee Washington Bureau
http://www.sacbee.com/292/story/147483.html
By David Whitney - Bee Washington Bureau
http://www.sacbee.com/292/story/147483.html
All aboard!!!!!!!
I think that there is something wrong with the ballast tanks, it seems as though it keeps keeling to the starboard, and not so much the port side. yet hell what do i know.
I think that there is something wrong with the ballast tanks, it seems as though it keeps keeling to the starboard, and not so much the port side. yet hell what do i know.
Tsunami Strikes Solomon Islands
By GEORGE HERMING, Associated Press Writer
45 minutes ago
HONIARA, Solomon Islands - Bodies floated out to sea and thousands of residents camped out overnight Tuesday on a hillside above a devastated town in the western Solomon Islands after a tsunami that struck without warning washed away coastal villages, killing at least 13 people. The death toll was expected to rise.
A wall of water reportedly 30 feet high struck the island of Choiseul and swept a third of a mile inland, while smaller but still destructive waves surged ashore elsewhere in the western part of the impoverished archipelago, causing widespread damage and leaving thousands homeless.
The tsunami was triggered by a magnitude 8.0 quake that struck shortly after 7:39 a.m. Monday (4:39 p.m. EDT Sunday) six miles beneath the sea floor, about 25 miles from the western island of Gizo and 215 miles northwest of the Solomons' capital, Honiara, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake _ the strongest in the Solomons in more than three decades _ set off tsunami alarms from Tokyo to Hawaii and closed beaches along the east coast of Australia more than 1,250 miles away. Lifeguards with bullhorns yelled at surfers to get out of the water at Sydney's famous Bondi Beach.
The danger passed quickly, but officials rejected suggestions they overreacted, adding that the emergency tested procedures put in place after the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster that left 230,000 dead or missing in a dozen countries.
Up to 4,000 people were camped on a hill behind Gizo (pronounced GEE-zoh), a town of about 7,000, said Alex Lokopio, premier of hard-hit Western Province. Floodwaters subsided, but the Red Cross reported about 500 houses were damaged or destroyed, leaving 2,000 homeless. Many people were too scared to return to the coast amid more than two dozen aftershocks, including at least four of magnitude-6 or stronger.
Initial reports from other islands suggest similar or worse levels of damage, the Red Cross said. Roads were inaccessible and there was heavy damage to infrastructure, including phones and electricity, said Martin Blackgrove, the International Red Cross' regional disaster management coordinator for the Pacific, based in Fiji.
Because of Gizo's proximity to the quake's epicenter, the tsunami struck before an alarm could be sounded.
"There wasn't any warning _ the warning was the earth tremors," Lokopio told New Zealand's National Radio. "It shook us very, very strongly and we were frightened, and all of a sudden the sea was rising up."
Within five minutes, a wall of water up to 16 feet high plowed into the coast, inundating homes, businesses, a hospital, schools and two police stations, and dumping boats into streets in Gizo, a popular spot for diving, witnesses and officials said.
Outlying villages, where many houses are flimsy wooden structures, may have fared worse, based on scattered reports from residents with two-way radios.
"It was just a noise like an underground explosion," Gizo resident Dorothy Parkinson told Australia's Nine Network television. "The wave came almost instantaneously. Everything that was standing is flattened."
Judith Kennedy said water "right up to your head" swept through town. Her father, dive shop owner Danny Kennedy, said Gizo was devastated when the wave subsided.
"There are boats in the middle of the road, buildings have completely collapsed and fallen down," he told The Associated Press.
Alfred Maesulia, a spokesman for Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, told the Sydney Morning Herald that some coastal villages were struck by waves up to 30 feet tall, although most reported heights of between 9 and 15 feet.
"There are reports that some villages were completely washed away," he told AP.
Maesulia said the death toll was expected to rise as the cleanup progressed.
"Some people were seen floating on the sea during the big waves but it was very difficult to go near them," he told the AP. "The number at the moment is 13. It's possible that number will increase, maybe double up or even more."
Villagers on Simbo, Choiseul and Ranunga islands reported deaths and widespread destruction, he said.
"Sasamungga village is quite a big village. ... It was reported that 300 houses were completely destroyed in that village alone."
Sogavare declared a national state of emergency and held meetings with his impoverished country's aid donors about getting help. "My heart goes out to all of you at this very trying time," he said in an address to the nation.
Debris needed to be cleared before Gizo's airfield could be fully operational, the Red Cross said.
Fresh water was in short supply in some areas, while temporary, localized food shortages have also been reported, it said. Some of the affected areas can only be reached by boat.
A damage assessment team flew over the tsunami zone late Monday, then reported back to the government in Honiara, National Disaster Management Office spokesman Julian Makaa said.
Helicopters made the first drops of tents, drinking water and other supplies to the crowd on the hill behind Gizo, said Peter Marshall, the Solomons' deputy police commissioner. Flights were expected to resume Tuesday.
One boat carrying relief supplies left Honiara for Gizo, and at least three more were expected to go Tuesday, Makaa told the British Broadcasting Corp.
The Australian government pledged $1.6 million in emergency aid and said helicopters already in the Solomons as part of a multinational security mission had been made available for rescue and relief.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was releasing $53,000 in initial aid to the national Red Cross.
The archipelago has more than 200 islands with a population of about 552,000 and lies on the Pacific Basin's so-called "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines where quakes are frequent.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued warning bulletins for the Solomons and neighboring Papua New Guinea, and lower-level alerts for most other South Pacific countries, eastern Australia and Hawaii.
The warnings outside the Solomons' zone were lifted within hours, but Australian officials closed beaches, stopped ferry services in Sydney, closed some schools and warned fishing boats to return to port.
"We just feel it's best to err on the side of caution," said Warren Young, the chief lifeguard on the Gold Coast, about 1,370 miles from the quake's epicenter.
All canceled services in Australia resumed by late Monday.
The quake occurred when the Australian tectonic plate suddenly dived beneath the Pacific plate, said David Wald of the USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado.
The undersea temblor lifted the ocean bottom, generating deadly tsunami waves near the epicenter, Wald said. A quake of that magnitude rarely causes tsunami damage far away, he said.
"It would have been a much worse situation if the cities were heavily populated," Wald said.
The Solomon Islands has been rocked by several strong earthquakes in recent history.
In 1971, the region was hit by temblors of magnitudes 8 and 8.1. In 1939, two more quakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.9 hit the islands, according to the USGS.
The Solomon Islands experienced the last strong quake in 2003 when a magnitude-7.3 struck the region.
___
By GEORGE HERMING, Associated Press Writer
45 minutes ago
HONIARA, Solomon Islands - Bodies floated out to sea and thousands of residents camped out overnight Tuesday on a hillside above a devastated town in the western Solomon Islands after a tsunami that struck without warning washed away coastal villages, killing at least 13 people. The death toll was expected to rise.
A wall of water reportedly 30 feet high struck the island of Choiseul and swept a third of a mile inland, while smaller but still destructive waves surged ashore elsewhere in the western part of the impoverished archipelago, causing widespread damage and leaving thousands homeless.
The tsunami was triggered by a magnitude 8.0 quake that struck shortly after 7:39 a.m. Monday (4:39 p.m. EDT Sunday) six miles beneath the sea floor, about 25 miles from the western island of Gizo and 215 miles northwest of the Solomons' capital, Honiara, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake _ the strongest in the Solomons in more than three decades _ set off tsunami alarms from Tokyo to Hawaii and closed beaches along the east coast of Australia more than 1,250 miles away. Lifeguards with bullhorns yelled at surfers to get out of the water at Sydney's famous Bondi Beach.
The danger passed quickly, but officials rejected suggestions they overreacted, adding that the emergency tested procedures put in place after the 2004 Indian Ocean disaster that left 230,000 dead or missing in a dozen countries.
Up to 4,000 people were camped on a hill behind Gizo (pronounced GEE-zoh), a town of about 7,000, said Alex Lokopio, premier of hard-hit Western Province. Floodwaters subsided, but the Red Cross reported about 500 houses were damaged or destroyed, leaving 2,000 homeless. Many people were too scared to return to the coast amid more than two dozen aftershocks, including at least four of magnitude-6 or stronger.
Initial reports from other islands suggest similar or worse levels of damage, the Red Cross said. Roads were inaccessible and there was heavy damage to infrastructure, including phones and electricity, said Martin Blackgrove, the International Red Cross' regional disaster management coordinator for the Pacific, based in Fiji.
Because of Gizo's proximity to the quake's epicenter, the tsunami struck before an alarm could be sounded.
"There wasn't any warning _ the warning was the earth tremors," Lokopio told New Zealand's National Radio. "It shook us very, very strongly and we were frightened, and all of a sudden the sea was rising up."
Within five minutes, a wall of water up to 16 feet high plowed into the coast, inundating homes, businesses, a hospital, schools and two police stations, and dumping boats into streets in Gizo, a popular spot for diving, witnesses and officials said.
Outlying villages, where many houses are flimsy wooden structures, may have fared worse, based on scattered reports from residents with two-way radios.
"It was just a noise like an underground explosion," Gizo resident Dorothy Parkinson told Australia's Nine Network television. "The wave came almost instantaneously. Everything that was standing is flattened."
Judith Kennedy said water "right up to your head" swept through town. Her father, dive shop owner Danny Kennedy, said Gizo was devastated when the wave subsided.
"There are boats in the middle of the road, buildings have completely collapsed and fallen down," he told The Associated Press.
Alfred Maesulia, a spokesman for Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, told the Sydney Morning Herald that some coastal villages were struck by waves up to 30 feet tall, although most reported heights of between 9 and 15 feet.
"There are reports that some villages were completely washed away," he told AP.
Maesulia said the death toll was expected to rise as the cleanup progressed.
"Some people were seen floating on the sea during the big waves but it was very difficult to go near them," he told the AP. "The number at the moment is 13. It's possible that number will increase, maybe double up or even more."
Villagers on Simbo, Choiseul and Ranunga islands reported deaths and widespread destruction, he said.
"Sasamungga village is quite a big village. ... It was reported that 300 houses were completely destroyed in that village alone."
Sogavare declared a national state of emergency and held meetings with his impoverished country's aid donors about getting help. "My heart goes out to all of you at this very trying time," he said in an address to the nation.
Debris needed to be cleared before Gizo's airfield could be fully operational, the Red Cross said.
Fresh water was in short supply in some areas, while temporary, localized food shortages have also been reported, it said. Some of the affected areas can only be reached by boat.
A damage assessment team flew over the tsunami zone late Monday, then reported back to the government in Honiara, National Disaster Management Office spokesman Julian Makaa said.
Helicopters made the first drops of tents, drinking water and other supplies to the crowd on the hill behind Gizo, said Peter Marshall, the Solomons' deputy police commissioner. Flights were expected to resume Tuesday.
One boat carrying relief supplies left Honiara for Gizo, and at least three more were expected to go Tuesday, Makaa told the British Broadcasting Corp.
The Australian government pledged $1.6 million in emergency aid and said helicopters already in the Solomons as part of a multinational security mission had been made available for rescue and relief.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was releasing $53,000 in initial aid to the national Red Cross.
The archipelago has more than 200 islands with a population of about 552,000 and lies on the Pacific Basin's so-called "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines where quakes are frequent.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued warning bulletins for the Solomons and neighboring Papua New Guinea, and lower-level alerts for most other South Pacific countries, eastern Australia and Hawaii.
The warnings outside the Solomons' zone were lifted within hours, but Australian officials closed beaches, stopped ferry services in Sydney, closed some schools and warned fishing boats to return to port.
"We just feel it's best to err on the side of caution," said Warren Young, the chief lifeguard on the Gold Coast, about 1,370 miles from the quake's epicenter.
All canceled services in Australia resumed by late Monday.
The quake occurred when the Australian tectonic plate suddenly dived beneath the Pacific plate, said David Wald of the USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado.
The undersea temblor lifted the ocean bottom, generating deadly tsunami waves near the epicenter, Wald said. A quake of that magnitude rarely causes tsunami damage far away, he said.
"It would have been a much worse situation if the cities were heavily populated," Wald said.
The Solomon Islands has been rocked by several strong earthquakes in recent history.
In 1971, the region was hit by temblors of magnitudes 8 and 8.1. In 1939, two more quakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.9 hit the islands, according to the USGS.
The Solomon Islands experienced the last strong quake in 2003 when a magnitude-7.3 struck the region.
___
Cruise ship sinks on Mediterranean reef By DEREK GATOPOULOS, Associated Press Writer
ATHENS, Greece - A Greek cruise ship that struck a volcanic reef and forced the evacuation of hundreds of tourists sank on Friday, 15 hours after it began taking on water off the coast of a Mediterranean island. A Frenchman and his daughter were missing, officials said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Passengers on Thursday climbed down rope ladders to coast guard boats below in a three-hour rescue that involved Greece's military, commercial ships and local fishermen from the island of Santorini. Passengers on the cruise were mostly American, and also included groups from Canada and Spain.
Authorities said two French passengers ? a 45-year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter ? had still not been accounted for, and lists of rescued passengers were being rechecked.
Tourism Minister Fanny Palli Petralia said she had spoken with the missing passenger's wife.
"The lady said her cabin filled with water when the ship struck rocks and that she narrowly escaped," Petralia said. "She was not sure whether her husband and daughter made it out because things happened so suddenly ... in a few seconds. Her other child was up on deck and was evacuated safely."
Those rescued said most people remained calm though there were some tense moments.
The Sea Diamond struck rocks in the sea-filled crater formed by a volcanic eruption 3,500 years ago. Tourists gathered on clifftop towns and villages to watch the rescue.
"We realized there was a serious problem ... We exited our cabin and it was tough to be able to walk out of the ship. A lot of people were very emotional over it, upset, very frightened," said Stephen Johnson, a Canadian passenger.
An Australian passenger, Katie Sumner, said the early stages of the rescue were chaotic.
"We heard a big shudder and then the whole boat started to tilt," Sumner said.
"All of our glasses were sliding everywhere and our warning that the ship was sinking was some of the staff running down the corridor screaming out 'life jackets' and banging on doors, so we got no time to, sort of, get ready or anything, we just left as we were."
The 469-foot Sea Diamond was operated by Louis Cruise Lines, part of a Cyprus-based tourism group. The Merchant Marine Ministry said 1,195 passengers and 391 crew members were on board.
"Whoever is responsible for this will be held accountable in the strictest way," Petralia said. "Greece is a major tourism destination and incidents like this must not be allowed to occur. ... Authorities handled the rescue very well."
Most of the rescued passengers arrived at Athens' main port of Piraeus Friday on a chartered ferry and a Louis cruise ship.
Authorities on Santorini said they were working to contain a small oil spillage from the sunken ship.
The Sea Diamond's captain and three officers were being interviewed Friday by coast guard investigators who flew to Santorini.
More than 300 rescued passengers arrived at Athens' main port of Piraeus early Friday on a chartered ferry, and more were due to arrive later in the day on another Louis cruise ship
ATHENS, Greece - A Greek cruise ship that struck a volcanic reef and forced the evacuation of hundreds of tourists sank on Friday, 15 hours after it began taking on water off the coast of a Mediterranean island. A Frenchman and his daughter were missing, officials said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Passengers on Thursday climbed down rope ladders to coast guard boats below in a three-hour rescue that involved Greece's military, commercial ships and local fishermen from the island of Santorini. Passengers on the cruise were mostly American, and also included groups from Canada and Spain.
Authorities said two French passengers ? a 45-year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter ? had still not been accounted for, and lists of rescued passengers were being rechecked.
Tourism Minister Fanny Palli Petralia said she had spoken with the missing passenger's wife.
"The lady said her cabin filled with water when the ship struck rocks and that she narrowly escaped," Petralia said. "She was not sure whether her husband and daughter made it out because things happened so suddenly ... in a few seconds. Her other child was up on deck and was evacuated safely."
Those rescued said most people remained calm though there were some tense moments.
The Sea Diamond struck rocks in the sea-filled crater formed by a volcanic eruption 3,500 years ago. Tourists gathered on clifftop towns and villages to watch the rescue.
"We realized there was a serious problem ... We exited our cabin and it was tough to be able to walk out of the ship. A lot of people were very emotional over it, upset, very frightened," said Stephen Johnson, a Canadian passenger.
An Australian passenger, Katie Sumner, said the early stages of the rescue were chaotic.
"We heard a big shudder and then the whole boat started to tilt," Sumner said.
"All of our glasses were sliding everywhere and our warning that the ship was sinking was some of the staff running down the corridor screaming out 'life jackets' and banging on doors, so we got no time to, sort of, get ready or anything, we just left as we were."
The 469-foot Sea Diamond was operated by Louis Cruise Lines, part of a Cyprus-based tourism group. The Merchant Marine Ministry said 1,195 passengers and 391 crew members were on board.
"Whoever is responsible for this will be held accountable in the strictest way," Petralia said. "Greece is a major tourism destination and incidents like this must not be allowed to occur. ... Authorities handled the rescue very well."
Most of the rescued passengers arrived at Athens' main port of Piraeus Friday on a chartered ferry and a Louis cruise ship.
Authorities on Santorini said they were working to contain a small oil spillage from the sunken ship.
The Sea Diamond's captain and three officers were being interviewed Friday by coast guard investigators who flew to Santorini.
More than 300 rescued passengers arrived at Athens' main port of Piraeus early Friday on a chartered ferry, and more were due to arrive later in the day on another Louis cruise ship
i have to show my wife this thread....she wants to take a cruise to alaska & i'm trying to convince her that cruises are not for us....
Kidding aside, I was in a real bad storm on Lake Ontario in Sept 1981. We were out salmon fishing and the steering on our boat was gone. We were on a 27 foot SeaRay and I couldn't turn the boat to head north when this storm hit. My buddy had to call MayDay as we were in BIG trouble. He then took over and there was water everywhere, the boat was being thrown around like a toy. My buddy who owned the boat was also a Pro Fishing Guide and we had a magazine writer on board with us that day interviewing him for an article. He's the one that had noticed a pin on the motor was too far over to one side and that was preventing us from turning. How in the world he could have noticed that to this day I don't. I just know that I had him by the ankles as he was stretched out trying to back the pin back over in which he did. Knowing there was a storm brewing we were only about 400 yards from shore when this happened.....but **** me. I never had time to :mj08: at the time but when we got to shore and on land my knees were knocking and yes I was shaking. The Toronto StarShip guys were waiting for us at shore because they knew my buddy and he had told them "these guys were shitting"...."Yah, Bruce and you weren't" is what I had told him in front of everyone. Told him that as I was shaking due to being scared and cold from being soaking wet. Seeing that it was going to be a free day because of him being interviewed and him cancelling his clients because of the storm he told me to bring someone along if I wanted to. I asked my kid brother who loved fishing but was never out on Lake Ontario for salmon. His 1st time and he was speechless he was so scared. The next day there was a thing in the paper asking for any photo's or videos of the lake since that was the worst it was since ??
Having fished for many years I had many days when it was rough but never ever like this day.
Having fished for many years I had many days when it was rough but never ever like this day.
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Two couples I know went on the Alaskan cruise last May or June and they loved it. AR don't let your wife read down this far if you're not into going.....:nono:
jake....
the problem is somebody my wife knows told her the best time to go is the latter part of august. that's a bad time for me because it's the start of football.
so it's funny that you mentioned may & june.... i'm curious to know how the weather is during those months in alaska....
AR
They went at the end of May. Temperature 50-55 and they had on spring jackets at times but also had layers at times as it did get cool. Said that it was comfortable and also said that they recommend getting an outside balcony room. They said it's great for whale watching and just the fact that you can just go out on balcony. The couple I just spoke to said they're going back next year as it was probably the best cruise they have been on and probably around the same time again because of migration. Scenery is spectacular...don't know if this helps or not. The other couple are in Florida right now so I can't ask them but I know they raved about it.
They went at the end of May. Temperature 50-55 and they had on spring jackets at times but also had layers at times as it did get cool. Said that it was comfortable and also said that they recommend getting an outside balcony room. They said it's great for whale watching and just the fact that you can just go out on balcony. The couple I just spoke to said they're going back next year as it was probably the best cruise they have been on and probably around the same time again because of migration. Scenery is spectacular...don't know if this helps or not. The other couple are in Florida right now so I can't ask them but I know they raved about it.
im done. I always wanted to go on a cruise but im finished with the ocean. First Jaws now these things happening.:scared I will stick to pools. I don't care how large the boat is if the ocean wants it, it will take it.
We went in June the highs for the day were in the high 50'sone day it got in the 70's. MAKE SURE THEY CRUISE GLACIER BAY they only allow a few ships a day in there. Alaska is just beautiful if you can stay a extra day & rent a car it's well worth it. We couldn't stay the extra day so we scheduled a red eye flight home & drove around all day it never gets dark that time of year.
Sponge do they still have medical waste floating around on Jersey shore ? :scared
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