I am truly sad for what happened last Friday, Jan 13th 2012. I am Italian, Venetian. I love my country and I am proud of being Italian. But this tragedy could be avoided. No excuse. Things like this make me feel a little less proud of being Italian.
Costa Crociere has a huge reputation. Decades of cruises. Millions of clients. Loads of loyals from all around the world who became affectionate thanks to the professionality and the good skills of Costa human resources through the seas, the oceans, the years.
I only hope that the unforgivable mistake of one will not compromise substantially the efforts and hard work of thousands whose mission is to grant safety, entertainment, relaxation and joy. As a cruise should be.
My thoughts and prayers are for the victims, for those who lost their loved ones, for all the cruisers who experienced such a terrible time, for the Costa employees who made their best not to make things even worse, for the rescuers, for all of us.
Thank you
Cristina
Replies
Tonight I heard the tape from the Italian Coast Guard officer commanding the captain to go back on board and supervise getting people into the lifeboats, and everything he said to the cruise ship captain was exactly right. Nothing to be ashamed of there.
I also heard (not for the first time) a safety expert explain that even if the captain had not been a coward, these ships are too big to be evacuated in a timely manner. Moreover, he said, the cruise lines seem to know that, because no one has even dared to try such a drill.
Maria Cristina -- Don't take on your own shoulders the responsibility for something like this. Yes, there seems to have been a lot of compounded blundering, and it makes us all feel terrible for the people and families involved, but it is in no way the fault of Italy or Italians. And I for one, still admire and respect Costa Cruises and their employees for the excellent product they have created and maintained for so many years. It's all too easy to have 20/20 hindsight; let's hope this experience spotlights the potential problems and prevents accidents in the future.