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The future of Carnival Cruise lines

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    Cruise line deals with aftermath of ship being disabled

  • Duration 9:47
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Hi I'm Juan Williams in for Bill O'Reilly thanks for watching us tonight let's get right to our top story.

The future of Carnival Cruise Lines and the thousands of passengers who may be considering what the company owes them.

After their crews from hell.

The massive ship trying fourteen stories tall finally returned to -- last night.

Carrying more than 4000.

-- and crew members who have incredible stories to tell.

They had been planning to go from Galveston to -- -- but ended up stranded at sea for five days with overflowing toilets.

Food shortages and foul odors and engine prior to turn their dream vacations into nightmares.

There is really Roush -- And they would like because natural disaster -- I'm gonna vote went very -- another -- All the sewage would spill over there so that was what.

-- became the primary problem is this terrible odor and a sanitation was just out of control.

And the -- is in the cafeteria.

We had to walk through it and they don't actually -- this -- we try not to eat.

-- is next.

Be very sporadic it's basically bread is what you get.

And there's an RJ -- light medium and finds a tomato with a man and but that time we get scared -- I mean series water everywhere -- -- valid then writing.

Now saying look in that part of a plan.

To make matters even worse one of the buses carrying passengers from the port in Mobile, Alabama to New Orleans.

Broke down causing even more frustration for the exhausted -- Joining us now from Miami maritime attorney Michael -- -- and from Dallas.

And how is the author of the book.

The truth about cruise ships.

Michael let me begin with -- and just say look I don't think this is the way anybody wants to spend their vacation this was a bad time.

But I also say let's me honest about this this was not Katrina -- some knucklehead suggested these folks that lived through Katrina nobody lost their lives right nobody is like dying from sickness from all the sewage that's not the case.

So.

The question is.

Exactly what was the injury I mean what's wrong with -- they stood in line for -- -- -- and they had a longer vacations so what's the injury.

Well number one I -- caught a longer vacation is anything to even think about calling edification would be sort of silly.

I mean these are people that for an extra five days were forced to live in deplorable conditions that you just heard from.

And certainly thank goodness it's not like the Costa Concordia were 32 people died.

But to think that these people didn't -- is a sort of little bit ridiculous and you're hearing that a lot of different versions of the stories.

And I don't dispute that the people that were in the captain's lead up top and a lot different experience than the people that were on the the potty -- the bottom two levels where they were sewage all over the walls and all over the place.

But you're saying that really this was suffering and I'm just wondering if in fact.

They may have been inconvenienced by it.

At most that was it and yet you hear people talk about it as if -- this was this hellish experience and I imagine that they're coming to you Michael and -- Hey get me some compensation -- -- right are people approaching you.

That absolutely I've I've already spoken with -- with numerous passengers aboard and one I've got an excellent analogy which is the Costa Concordia which happened just thirteen months ago.

That it when that happened 32 people died.

But -- well carnivals the ultimate parent company of Costa Concordia every single person that was on that ship.

We're even if they were -- -- they were they were -- 141000 dollars so here that was a short period of time.

-- sheer terror in my -- -- represented dozens of people that were heard in the concordia.

Which is presently the lawsuits are presently.

Pending in Italy but here you had five days just disgusting awful stories living in living with sewage overflowing toilets and -- -- I was like pretty well Michael there's a huge difference between 32 people dying they -- falling over on its side the captain I mean that's different Jake.

Let me come to you and say right now.

What carnival is offering is they're gonna have reimburse people for the cost of this -- they're offering them another free -- they giving them 500 dollars.

I mean front do you think there's that in fact Michael should be asking for millions for the each of these front passengers.

You know on a scale of one to ten.

The Costa Concordia was definitely -- 1032 people lost their lives the ship sank.

This incident I would say is it's probably a five or six nobody was hurt and so I think the compensation that -- was offered.

Is more than adequate maybe kukui -- to a thousand dollars maybe but I think what DO given the circumstances I think this is very fair.

-- wait a second hold on let's let's let's go back the other side of this these folks paid for a vacation these are hard working people this was their vacation time.

And they were -- basically you know stranded on this ship they had no alternative no way to get off and that -- me another question.

Why couldn't carnival like somebody out there and fix this ship.

What's the problem here.

Yeah I mean it no question they they had a terrible time you know I think that that people who the passengers who are eager to sue.

You'll find are going to be generally less happy in life.

Then those who take this in stride.

You know again nobody was hurt and -- -- we talk about -- and they just fly amount.

We heard a report of the cruise director coming on and say they could not afford it.

And I -- really maybe they said that but I don't believe that was really the case I mean come on -- got deep pockets we know they can afford it.

I think maybe what happened was they were trying to keep the passengers from freaking out.

From from -- from feeling like they were in danger.

Not -- -- news to announce whether he used to work on this very boat in my right.

Sell -- yeah it in your experience why wouldn't they just get these folks that look I mean in reality you have people missing work.

You have people feeling is that hey I'm stuck here I can't get -- I'm in the middle the ocean and no -- helping me.

I'm claustrophobic.

I mean you should they should've been sensitive to these people and done a better job and is the former executive I wanna hear what you -- -- -- about.

What's so there's no way I mean -- why they're the reason why they could not transfer them off the ship.

The only way to do that let's say here's your cruise ship -- in its gonna remain stationary.

And you're gonna have this small little boats that's -- -- -- transfer between the vessels.

Well in let's say you have one to two foot waves this -- going to be bobbing up and down -- you're gonna have a game away from this boat to the ship that again remain stationary.

Young children the elderly trying to walk across -- game play -- that's bobbing up and down.

I mean it -- been disastrous people could follow the Watergate crushed between the two boats.

I -- the only safe option unfortunately.

Was that they needed to stay on the boat until they can get -- back to port.

You know I just find this kind of thinking -- I gotta tell you I mean this is what airlines say when they sticky on the tarmac for eight hours until we couldn't take -- back.

To the terminal because we don't want to miss guy you know if they give us the F are you leave and it would have been such confusion but the reality is.

You know what as the individual passenger you are being -- bill -- I knew I mean the you're a former.

Executive on the cruise ship you understand how people feel that they are being taken advantage up.

I can understand that feeling that immunology at your analogy with the airplane let's let's let's take that and put the airplane in the air.

Okay now there's no chance for you to get off that airplane that's that's kind of what it is on the ship there's there's no alternative I mean there's no safe alternative to get off that boat.

And let's have stopped.

All right Michael did you intervene on behalf of the passengers while they were on board were you able to put pressure on carnival and -- -- do something to fix the boat.

-- I -- -- I wasn't I actually was working with them -- several cases and -- conversations about it but sadly my my power is limited to that in a court of law.

But I think it's an important point one that is.

They certainly had an option of going back to Mexico and sending all those people back from Mexico they probably would have been -- -- a day or two instead of subjecting the five more days of this awful mess.

And I I just want to be clear I don't think anybody's.

-- always gonna have a different case I'm I think anybody's case is worth a million dollars.

-- in and it.

What's important is it is a jury of your peers that decides ultimately what the damages should be and it's my job to help them to do what I can't -- -- what is fair and reasonable under the law.

I'm -- I'm hoping to look you do your job you represent your clients but here's my question to the -- -- -- what.

Happens to carnival we know about the incident in Italy now we know about this when.

You know the people who are quoted in the papers as experts on cruises -- open carnivals a great cruise looks cruise ship line.

How can that be what does that say about the entire industry I.

I'm not getting on a cruise ship if they're telling me I can't come back and you might work if they're guys that stick me out there in these hellish conditions.

One at a time Michael.

I I think I think honestly.

Pretty much nothing happens because I think number one.

Americans have a short term memory of that short term memories there's a series of incidents -- it goes away quickly -- -- -- genuinely.

So -- in passengers that take cruises there and there's a 95%.

Approval rating.

On whether they enjoyed their -- so that's why you're gonna see that this is not gonna affect passenger bookings.

Or overall have become -- launching with the gallery I don't like they're gonna get 95% out of the folks that was stuck there and I -- the -- You're not mean this is a 0% on rating but on most Cruz's double that smooth sailing that this safely that's that's what happens this was gonna stick and a lot of my and I agree that cruise cruises are generally safe and and generally enjoyable -- a very affordable vacation.

When bad things happen no unfortunately not -- down the middle position but thanks -- government entitlement.

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