BPoland
03-23-2006, 04:41 AM
I received an e-mail(at 11:30PM!) from Celebrity that apparently several passengers were killed and injured in an accident while on a private (non-ship) shore excursion. Celebrity seems to be being fairly straightforward with info.The ship will remain in Arica until further notice to assist. They have also set up a phone line for relatives of passsengers ONLY to call for information on family members who are on this cruise (Millenium). 1-888-829-4050.
What a very sad event. My thoughts are certainly with the injured, and the families of those killed.
Here is a link to the MSNBC story:
Link (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11964601/)
Originally posted by BPoland@Mar 23 2006, 05:41 AM
I received an e-mail(at 11:30PM!) from Celebrity that apparently several passengers were killed and injured in an accident while on a private (non-ship) shore excursion. Celebrity seems to be being fairly straightforward with info.The ship will remain in Arica until further notice to assist...
What a very sad event. My thoughts are certainly with the injured, and the families of those killed...
22834
This is indeed a sad story, made even worse, in my opinion, because it might have been avoided.
When one books tours directly with local operators you have to be really diligent about finding out the particulars about the tour company. In this case, the bus was not licensed by Chile to carry passengers. In fact, "The bus was not registered with the Transportation Ministry,” said Jorge Caceres, head of the ministry’s office in the region where the accident occurred."
Apparently the bus driver fell asleep at the wheel. That could have happened on any bus of course, but it's more likely to happen on an unlicensed one as it's more likely that they aren't following safety rules of how many hours per day and per week their drivers may be on the job.
I have found that you can't really save all that much by booking shore excursions yourself when you add in the work you have to do to find out if the company is reputable, safe, and insured. The exception is if your travel agent does it, as they have the resources, personal and industry experience and know-how to know those important aspects of touring companies.
For me, I rarely book shore excursions which aren't via the cruise line, but when I do, except for excursions in US ports, I let my travel agent do the work. It's safer. It's smarter.