We have been on cruises where everything went off like clockwork and we enjoyed our time without incident. We did however have an extremely bad situation where on the first 30 hours we suffered the worst weather imaginable with 26 foot waves and we were on a smaller cruise ship with only 500 passengers. That cruise left port when I thought we should have stayed on shore. I looked at the weather and the wind was growing by the minute and as we left port we were all told that because of the weather we were to stay below.
Theresa ,Doris and I had adjoining cabins and as the ship was tossed to and frow so was the stomachs of the passengers and crew. We were heading for Barbados over open seas and we lost our stabilizers hours after leaving and within a short time the ship was a mess. Tables, dishes and everything that was not nailed down was moving about. Since it was an all inclusive cruise I must say that we three never missed a meal and at breakfast we were among only a few to use the service. One funny thing happened when the large table holding mounds of dishes and silverware went sliding across the floor with two waiters holding on for dear life. When the ship tipped the other way they came flying by again.
We were a day late getting to Barbados but the rest of the cruise was wonderful. When we saw the tragic circumstances around the Mediterranean Mess we were thankful we had a competent crew and captain. From what is understood there are more mishaps on cruises than reported and with some of the ships having as many as 7500 people on board there could be a major tragic event if there was a breach of security on incompetent crew.
This winter Theresa and I planned a cruise but maybe I will have to use some coaxing to get her to take another cruise. It seems that more and more we have to be aware of the risks when travelling and be mindful of the responsibility we have for taking care of ourselves. We should research out of country travel and specially if you are going to use domestic flights during your experience. Security and maintenance levels differ from country to country so be careful.
Travel is one of the most rewarding of our life experiences and we must never let ourselves be intimated into just staying at home. We must aware of the risks and weigh the value of our travel against the negatives.
It does make you think about your choices. My last flight into Minneapolis and the landing there made me think that I didn't think it was as safe as I thought it would be. We were buckled in and if not we would have been thrown side to side in that plane. The wind was the problem and they just dropped it as the plane wasn't being held up by any air current.
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