So what would you have likely taken on board that would have helped when this emergency occurred at sea?

What could/should you reasonably take on board -- knowing the odds of this occurring on your cruise are very low?

No power. No refrigeration. 4500 passengers. Many (most?) rooms with no windows to bring in light. Toilets malfunctioning (most apparently are working -- thank goodness).

Waiting for helicopters to drop Spam and Pop-Tarts....

The pitch-black dark room (and corridors?) would get to me.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101111/ap_on_bi_ge/us_cruise_ship_fire


Lines for cold food stretch for hours. Navy helicopters flew in Spam, Pop Tarts and canned crab meat and other goods for the passengers and crew...

...Gina Calzada, 43, of Henderson, Nev., said her diabetic sister, Vicky Alvarez, called her Wednesday on her cell phone and started sobbing. She said she has not been able to take her insulin for her diabetes because she is not eating enough.

She told Calzada all that she had eaten was some bread, cucumbers and lettuce.

"She said it stinks of rotten food and smoke," Calzada said. "It's dark, and it's cold.'"

Alvarez's husband said that when he went looking for food for his wife, a crew member told him to give her a Tic-Tac.

Carnival officials said they could not confirm Alvarez's report.

A flashlight.

Whenever and wherever I travel, I keep a mini-mag light with me, along with spare batteries (and bulb in the handle, as is standard). At night, it says on the nightstand next to my eyeglasses, within reach at all times.

I don't travel much anymore, but today I think I would add (not substitute) a LED head lamp.

A good bottle of malt whisky and a fishing rod. The Spam would have made for some good fish bait.

With 3500 folks on board there is always going to be some whingers & whiners especially from the those who have trouble taking the silver spoons out of their mouths before making their utterances.

A compact assortment of canned food heavily fortified with animal products, crackers, mayo packets, real cheese spread (heavily laced with pimientos), DeDe Brand Thai coffee, and one of those newer little compact Esbit cook kits with the built-in windscreen, 2 cup+ cooking pot, lid, and a bunch of the fuel tabs. This is what I have in my truck with me at all times. I can survive WW 10 with a cracker spread with tuna salad and pimiento cheese spread, or bbq Vienna sausages. Actually, I have survived WW 10 (grad school) on these rations.

Standard travel kit ( even for cruise boats) includes:

Fleece jacket
flashlight
book
power bars
caffeine source
camera
tiny FAK
cash
tiny sak

There's not alot of difference between this love boat scenario and ones we have covered before, e.g. evacuating Las Vegas after a total power meltdown. I prefer to look at it from the ship captain's perspective rather than my own survival or comfort: several thousand passengers, mostly elderly, a certain percentage will have pre-existing medical conditions that would be exacerbated by the power loss. Parallel with sending an SOS and getting assistance, the crew must triage and sustain these passengers immediately. We aren't hearing about any fatalities, which is the metric of success or failure in most disasters, isn't it? They are on the motherf*cker...

The woman who complained she hadn't had enough to eat to take her diabetes medication might not have had as much to eat as she usually would, but she was alive, awake, and witting enough to tweet out her complaint to relatives on shore. Something tells me the woman may have never had enough to eat in the first place, but that is probably unnecessarily cruel.

Stay away from cruise ships and similar gatherings. There are far better ways of spending your leisure time - my preferences run to backpacking, bike touring, and similar enterprises where you can more easily retain control of the situation.

Once again I say, "Common sense is the new Gifted."

Plastic bags and baby wipes.

This is about all you can get onto a cruise ship anyway. They run you through airport-like customs upon embark and debarkation. It would be nice to have bottled water with the possibility of water-borne pathogens that cruises are susceptible to...especially when equipment is down.

raid the mini bar. Alcohol actually is more calorie dense than carbs and/or protein. Plus, after a few glasses, it'll be a party!

In all seriousness, I dont' think there's a good way to prep for this. I usually have a flashlight too, and maybe one spare battery. I guess I'd be putting to test the "300 hours on low!" claim. But otherwise, are you really going to take enough food for all your days at sea? Bring a case of MRE's with you if you go on a 7-day cruise? Maybe the crew could have done something productive, like takign their liferafts to shore and stocking them with supplies, shuttling food back and forth. Hand out fishing rods and open the lower deck loading areas. Call it "Catch your own sushi night" or something clever.

As for whiney diabetic lady, well, if you're not taking in the carbs, I guess you don't need the meds. Is that a bad thing? Maybe there's a good take-away message there.

Ajax is correct in his post. Cruise ship security checks...much like air travel security severely limit what you can take on board.

A balcony room (fresh air, light and a place to put wastes :-(.

The small kit like the one Teacher carries, plus wipes and a water purification system (for cruises I really like my SteriPen).

Ajax is right, most of sotto's truck kit would not be allowed on board.

The best,

Jerry

I cruise every year at or near Christmas with the wife and kids. My standard kit includes...

- SAK
- LED flashlight (single AA)
- 8 Enelopes plus charger (seems excessive but I always find uses)
- safety pins
- tweezers
- nail clippers
- chapstick
- Burts Bees Res-Q Ointment
- small sewing kit
- bandaids
- antacid
- anti-diarrheal
- Hat
- toothpicks
- Duct Tape

I have used them all over the years...

My cruise ship didn't have a minibar, maybe in the swankier suites.

I don't think they were anywhere near close enough to land to run lifeboat shuttles. And I doubt they are capable of safely re-supplying by boat in open seas. I remember at-sea replenishment in the Navy and that was an orchestrated miracle on water. Two, sometimes three, ships running lines in-between and pumping fuel and loading cargo all at the same time in heavy seas?

Amazing.

I also recall seeing the coxswains trying to maneuver small boats close enough to off load people, usually harbor pilots, and that looked scary as hell.

I have been thinking the same thing the last few days before I read this thread. I am not arm chair quarterbacking here as I always take these items with me when I travel. Will there be holes, yes. But you can't prepare for everything.


My usual EDC (modified to conform to boat security requirements)
Mini Mag LED- (in EDC)
headlamp (in EDC)
Krill lamp (always take on trips so I don't stumble in a foreign room at night)
extra batteries

box of powerbars, caramel or licorice, bags of chips and dry food for kids.
We would have brought if we could or stockpiled free bottles of water or bought a few gallons of it as soon as we could once on the boat.
baby wipes.
grocery bags. (which in this case we'd have used for the used wipes).
fully charged battery packs for iPhones and psp's.

The one thing I should take from this is finding a really good solar charger for iPhones, psp's, batteries, etc. I actually surfed the net for reviews a few weeks ago and found poor ratings on everything I looked at.

I'd Go to 1 of the Many bars,Get ahold of a Bottle of Bacardi-151 Rum,& Make an Alcohol stove to cook with in my Quarters,Possibly stuff wet TP in the Smoke alarms,Just in Case!That would make Life a Bit More comfortable! A couple of headlamps,& A Can of Air freshener-Febreeze would help ALOT!

I've avoided cruises because the "what if.." just makes me uncomfortable, especially once I became a parent. I imagine I'd use the same rationalization as I do whenever I travel so I'll throw in my two cents anyway.

1. RESEARCH your route and destination and ask yourself "What should I expect and what could possibly go wrong?" Planning for a carribean cruise would be different than planning to go to Alaska.

2. I'd modify my EDC to comply with security (i.e. removing/shrinking sharps in my PSK) and then try to replace/substitute as best I could as soon as I was on-board. http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h351/backpackjac/?action=view&current=pursepsk.jpg

Light: I ALWAYS wear a mini photon around my neck, and especially in an unfamiliar environment, I keep an LED flashlight within reach. (There's also a headlamp and extra batteries in my EDC.)

Clothes: Pack smart and then throw in a fleece jacket with hood, rain jacket and pants, hat and extra sunglasses

Water: 1 full bottle on person and in luggage, plus a empty collapsable bottle to fill once I'm on-board.

Food: Power bars, dried fruit, jerky, instant coffee, juice boxes, koolaid

Health: FAK, antacid, anti-diarrheal, anti-histamine, vitamins, anti-inflammatory, tylenol, water purification tabs, baby wipes, couple week supply of meds, suncreen, bug spray, garbage bags, TP, pocket heaters

Shelter: heatsheet, paracord

Communication: cel phone, extra battery, charger, pre-paid calling card, mini radio

Timekillers: HUGELY important when I travel with my kids! Books, dinky cars, deck of cards, travel checkers/chess.

That is an excellent suggestion -- solar charger. Unless it were an Alaskan cruise.... The Brunton solar charger I bought several years ago for camping just never panned out to be worthwhile.

After this cruise ship story I'd at least take Doug's e-PICO (at least one is with me 24/7) and my Petzl e-Lite. They're both tiny. Probably would have taken them anyway but now I'd take more batteries.

And MicroPur tablets.

I've never been on a cruise so have no idea what the luggage limits may be.

Looked into Windjammer cruises years ago but never did one. The Love Boat-style cruises just never held much appeal. Seemed confining.

I don't take cruises. A recently learned that crimes on cruises are prosecuted in the country in which the ship is registered. That alone is enough for me to avoid stepping on board.

If I were to take a cruise (I don't), then I would make sure the ship is registered in the United States. I would bring the standard personal survival kit (flashlight, fire starters, whistle, first aid, mirror, etc.). I would also bring extra snacks, extra batteries, bandanas, water purification, toilet paper, plastic bags, and a personal life vest.

Outside of the Mississippi river boats, I don't think there are any.

Great idea ireckon! Seems like a no-brainer now that you've said it.

I am fairly sure that any vessel registered in the US is required to have enough life vests for all persons on board. This may be hypothetical if no cruise ships are so registered. I do know that local passenger vessels give a short orientation to maritime life, including where the LVs are located - kind of like the routine you get on planes.

Usually totally unnecessary, but there was the morning we awoke with three feet of water in our bilge....

Cruise passengers skew older. Hadn't considered how that could be problematic when the elevators cease functioning. Some more details:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...d=moreheadlines


http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=162691&catid=339


Some passengers carried food to others who used walkers and canes and couldn't climb up nine decks of stairs to reach the food lines, Alim said.

OK, I need help understanding something. There were 4,500 passengers. Did they have to take turns to be out in the open air? In a situation like this, it seems like I would want to be out in the open air most of the time. However, from the pics and videos I've seen, it doesn't seem like it would be possible for everybody to enjoy the open air. Apparently, many people had to be in the rooms with no windows. Is that right? Someone please explain. By the way, I've never taken a cruise and have even less desire to do so now.

I've been on a couple cruises. There are life jackets everywhere. Under couches, in your room, out on the deck... Having a personal is almost pointless unless you want to wear it everywhere. Though you would be able to customize it for you gear should you ditch, which may be worth the effort.

And, yes, before the ships get underway, there's a mind-numbing evacuation drill on every ship I've been on.

PO1 Ajax, you're right about refit at sea. Pretty cool that it's done at all. Though spam and pop tarts seem a cruel joke to me Even the Haitians got better fare than that.

Ditto. Weather-permitting, I'd rather be in a sleeping bag on the deck.

LED flashlight w/ lithium cell/s, half-dozen Cliff bars, a few liters bottled water, SAK or multi-tool, Dramamine for seasickness. Sunscreen, wide brimmed hat. and cotton tee shirt if the weather is warm. Poly-fleece jacket, windproof/waterproof shell w/ hood, watch cap if cooler. Remember that conditions overlap at sea. Sun in the frigid regions can be brutal and things get windy and surprisingly cold in the tropics.

When a modern ship loses power it loses housekeeping, (lights, potable water, AC/heat, sewerage). It also loses steerage, the ability to control its orientation and navigation. Which means the inside gets uncomfortable, and the ship is at the mercy of the wind and waves so it can be quite unstable. With the aesthetics and smell of a drunk tank, and rocking and rolling like a country bar bull, your looking at potentially violently ill people. Which improves the aesthetics ... not at all.

With the interior gone south in a big way you are going to want to be seeking fresh air. Which means you are looking at wind, sea spray, sun, heat/cold; whatever the nature provides. Plan to spend the rest of the trip on or near the deck.

If and when things go south in a big way, conflagration/ sinking, something requiring abandoning ship. Being near the deck is a bonus. A full-on exposure suit would be handy if you need to jump but it seems extreme in this case.

About 1/3 of the cabins have windows or a deck and there is plenty of deck space for all 4,500 passengers to get air without much crowding. During our evacuation drill every passenger lined up by their lifeboats and that was only on 2 narrow decks on either side of the ship.

Having been on a large Navy ship that lost power (and generators) at sea, I started carrying a flashlight all the time -- very useful item.

These days with good LED lights that run forever on a pair of AA batteries, it's a small item that would be fairly discrete. Take a few spare batteries too; after a few days even a very good light running on a low setting would run down. Again, small item, no brainer.

Spare batteries seem like a good idea even with energy sipping LED lights but I've started shifting to toward putting in fresh set of high-capacity lithium cells, AA or AAA cells, and foregoing the bulk and weight of the spares.

I wouldn't be worried about bulk or weight with a suitcase on a cruise ship. I use lithium AA's too.

Just a thought about batteries; If you can, arrange your electronics (flashlight, radio, cell phone emergency charger, etc.) so they all run off of the same 1 or 2 sizes of batteries. It cuts down on the cost and bulk of the spares since you're not buying different types for each device.

Also, consider water purification tablets. Though they're more suited to airtravel and utilities problems then cruise ships.

I think one of the smaller solar /crank radio/ phone charger/ flashlight units would be useful. Amazon has them for $20 -30

Unless it has HF/Shortwave, not sure how much use a radio would be. A small solar battery charger might be nice to have though, with four NiMH AA's you could keep going indefinitely. But that amount of weight/space would store a lot of Lithium AA's.

Its been many years since I've been on a cruise but even then I remember security as being pretty strict.

A flashlight and spare batts goes without saying. There's plenty of food on board, so maybe start a small stash of snacks and water from the buffet?

That's sharp -- build a cache after boarding.

I have actually been on several cruises in the western Carribean and enjoyed them. An incident like this would definitely ping the suckage meter, though. As far as bringing stuff on board, I have found security to be less strict than at an airport. There are metal detectors at the port entrance, and checked baggage is supposedly x-rayed, but I didn't see that happen. I know there are no drug dogs sniffing stuff when boarding, because the smell of burnt marijuana was quite evident on several occasions once we were underway. I placed my large folding knife, lighters, etc, in my checked baggage and took it out when the bags arrived at the room. I saw several experienced travelers openly place 24 packs of bottled water and packaged snacks with their baggage and no one batted an eye. bottled water and snacks are available on board, but are expensive. If you are leary of trying to carry it in, bring some empty bottles and fill them in your cabin. The onboard water is palatable, but I would have some drink mix for taste. Or just plan for the expense and buy the stuff as soon as you're aboard.

I always have a headlamp and secondary flashlight when I travel, spare batteries, and clothes for one "season" colder than what I expect to encounter, a knife, and charger for the cell phone, and some baby wipes. I am considering a small solar powered radio. All of which would have been nice for this type of incident. The one thing that boggles my mind about this particular incident is the fact that there are no independant generators on board to power refrigeration and emergency lighting, plumbing, etc. Surely someone envisioned this kind of thing when designing a cruise ship? Unless the Captain banned it, I bet alcohol sales went up sharply!

As several have mentioned, a flashlight seems practical and useful. As for lugging a bunch of other stuff on a cruise I'll pass. Anybody who is so apprehensive about cruising that they they want to carry a bag of survival gear, should just stay at home or find another way to travel. It makes about as much sense as carrying a parachute on a commercial flight IMHO. And yes, I have cruised before - a two week Alaskan excursion.

Heresy!! ;-)

I would expect any breakdown like this on a large ship to be resolved relatively quickly, either by emergency repairs or by towing to a port as has now been done.
I presume that a standby generator, located away from the main engines was available for emergency lighting and the public address system. Some reports speak of cabin doors being left open "to admit light from the corridoor emergency lighting" I doubt that batteries would last that long.

I would agree that water purification tablets, flashlights and a small stash of non perishable foods would be sensible.
Bit suprised that no one suggested glowsticks, these could be usefull.

I dont think that an emergency of this type would be allowed to carry on for long, with hundreds on board.
Supplies can be air dropped, as was done, or persons evacuated by air, by lifeboat. As a last resort the stricken vessel could be towed by a warship.

If the ship sinks, or suffers fire throughout, then personal supplies wont help that much, though flashlights are useful.
The lifeboats should be properly equiped, and rescue relatively quick.

4 days in these conditions isn't very quick in my book.

done

In all seriousness, your comment makes no sense to me. I'm less likely to have a survival situation at my home. I have a survival kit and survival gear at my home anyway, just like most (or all) people on this site. Further, many people here are of the mindset that they should be carrying a survival kit 100% of the time. I applaud that mindset. So, if I were to take a cruise into the middle of the ocean on a ship that is registered in another country, then I would certainly bring a survival kit, especially because I'm NOT 100% healthy. In fact, this situation seems like it could be the prototypical purpose for this website.

Yeah, that must've been a long 4 days.

With the reports coming out of the conditions--pitch dark interior sections, waiting hours in line for cold food, like mayo sandwiches, the stench of backed up sewage in many sections, mobility-challenged folks like seniors being essentially trapped in their cabins or on a particular floor... Sure sounds more and more like a floating Superdome scenario.

The only thing missing are rumors of freezers piled high with murdered ship's passengers, like at the Superdome. Of course, in this case, the story would've been jazzed up with something like a Mexican drug cartel boarding party that snuck onboard in the dead of the night, or something dramatic like that.

Which isn't to say that with the right attitude, someone couldn't take it all in stride without much trouble. Sounds like the whole experience was more of an adventure for the the one kid I read quotes from.

Funny thing...I'm surprised I haven't heard any reports of norovirus spreading like wildfire on this cruise. You'd figure that with their bad luck, they'd be sure to add the misery of nausea and vomiting of thousands of sick passengers to the mix.

I guess that only happens when they get the good food?

In a situation like this cruise ship, if they don't have power, how do diabetics keep their insulin cold?

Can you buy packaged 'junk food' and the like on these ships? Like cheese and crackers, jerky, chocolate, etc?

Personal lighting certainly sounds like a good idea!

I keep thinking of the movie The Poseidon Adventure...

Sue

HEY NOW. I mentioned the Krill lamp, its a 'chem light' that runs on 2x AA. Basically a tube to fit the battery's and a liner of electroluminescent paper like a Timex indiglo watch. Go back and check.

Glow sticks do not work very well. About half the time, I have pulled one out, activated it, and had exactly nothing happen. If the paper wrapping is punctured or abraded, they become inert rather quickly. The ones that do work are the ones made for life vests. They are packaged in a tough plastic case that is adequately tough.

Glow sticks are not worth the bother. Krill lights would be a much better solution

A flashlight.

Whenever and wherever I travel, I keep a mini-mag light with me, along with spare batteries (and bulb in the handle, as is standard). At night, it says on the nightstand next to my eyeglasses, within reach at all times.

I don't travel much anymore, but today I think I would add (not substitute) a LED head lamp. [/quote]

Both torches should be L.E.D. The bulb on a mini-mag is only rated for a few hours and by current standards, the battery life sucks. Most pocket L.E.D. torches at the same price point have vastly superior performance.
M
Just to reiterate a point for newer members: It it advisable to ensure that they use the same batteries, and you have at least one spare set for each. No great hardship if they are both AA/AAA.

It depends if the individual was a type one or a type two. That is to say pills or injection. My late beloved was pills.

Also: If food was in short supply, and someone diabetic was in need I would give them my food. Fasting for a day or three is not going to be a particular hardship under those circumstances.

Sue: assuming insulin, and no ice available, keeping the vials in a wet cloth will help keep them cool through evaporation. Some of the "pen" type insulins are rated for 28 days at room temp. Four days should not be a problem with either type (vial or pen) if it is kept in the 60's or 70's Fahrenheit. After your off the love boat, replace it asap.



Leigh: Absolutely. My former career had me on the road and living in hotels 25-30% of the time--before the days of LED. At that time, I found the mini-mags the most reliable. They do have problems with bulb and battery life, so I always had spares with me. LED's are the way to go now; no good reason not to. Today, I would certainly take my LED head lamp.

Typically, though, most Type-2 diabetics don't "need" insulin, or their medications, to survive. They get blood sugar just fine. It's the complications of being too high that their medication is for. With these folks, the sugar is there, their body can access it, but it can't use it "well."

Going without your pills for a couple days won't do too much damage (no more than their years of unhealthy habits of done, certainly). Assuming, of course, that you don't go into DKA or HHNK.

Now, insulin-dependent is a different story. Their sugars tend to stay high too w/o medications, but they can't utilize the sugar, which is where they get in trouble. Without insulin, the sugar can't get out of their blood and into their body at all (there are exceptions in particular organs, but that's a generalization)

But unless you had a prior medical condition, it doesn't sound like it was hard to survive. The boat didn't sink. Food and water were available. It was just a matter of sitting in the dark for a few days. The main needs would be light and entertainment. The toilets may not have worked, but you could use a bucket and chuck it overboard.

Everyone has their breaking point, and everyone's is different. I watched a neighbor's wife crack up after 8 days without power after a winter storm. Folks have mutinied after 3 hours sitting in an air plane on the tarmac without air conditioning or toilets. And if this had been a land-side hotel, on what day would you have walked out and booked somewhere else? The fact they were a captive audience meant the captain and his crew had their safety as their highest obligation, and their health and welfare had to be addressed throughout the ordeal. Since the cruise ship industry is a service industry, I suspect they were especially good at anticipating needs and addressing them with what they had. There are a few stories complaining about the conditions, but no one died, which is a good thing when at least half the people on your bus are over 60 yrs of age.

It looks like light was one of the primary issues. Without the ability to recharge from a wall outlet and assuming no one planned to bring a stash of batteries, charging flexibility and long battery life would have been important attributes.

I would have suggested the Photon Rex which has decent battery life and can be recharged via any 1.2 to 3 volt battery you happen to find or via an optional USB or solar charger. The Rex is bright enough to walk darkened halls and its small size makes it very packable.

Just as useful is the Pak-Lite. This is essentially a 9volt battery topper and they are cheap enough that you can buy a few. The real advantage of these lights is 80 hours of light on high and 1200 hours of light on low on a lithium 9 volt battery. Again, very packable.

Standard disclaimers apply. I have no financial relationship with the people who make either of these lights, but I love their products.

Craig

I've had the same bad luck with solar! Let me know if you find anything that actually works!

As a workout guy I don't go far without a box of protein bars. As a survival guy I don't go far without my FAK, PSK, EDC, etc. The diet wouldn't be fun, I have light, the only real danger would be dehydration and passenger stupidity.

I've actually been in a similar situation on a cruise that lost one engine and had to hobble back over three days. We had power, food and entertainment but you'd have thought the ship was going down the way most passengers complained and vandalized the heck out of the ship.

My late beloved was type 2.
Most diabetics carry more medication than they actually need. That ain't the issue.
Problem is most likely to be lack of food. If Zahnele didn't eat then she stood a good chance of going into a hypo.

I always carried extra food with me for her. Mostly a choc bar and a bag of salted peanuts and a bottle of water.

A sure-fire 6p led, with a few packs of spare batteries. Give you light for almost a day that way....

Can't take a spyderco or swiss army knife,etc, on a cruise ship? Really?

This has been a great thread. It insures that, whatever future vacations I may take, they will not involve a cruise ship.

"Can't take a spyderco or swiss army knife,etc, on a cruise ship? Really?"

Like the airlines, they don't want their victims armed, or to be able to fight back.

Cynical Sue