Viking Star evacuation

Jalima I’ve been reading up on this and according to the cruise compsnies there is no danger of capsize at all. According to others there could well be, as these ships are top heavy and especially where, as in this case, the Captain has lost control due to engine failure.

I think we will just have to wait and see if it ever happens then the question will be answered.

What it has brought home is how difficult and time consuming it is to evacuate when lives are at risk and why on earth the ship decided to sail when others chose to stay in port....oh, and why all the engines failed??

But no ones answered my question why free floating large item of furniture why not built in

In addition to the moving furniture I was shocked at the ceiling panels that fell on heads!

You'd expect such things if the ship was structurally damaged and breaking up, not when it's just being buffeted by bad weather.

Only a guess, but perhaps there are times when rooms eg restaurants and communal spaces need to have the flexibility to move tables, chairs etc around to make more space or accommodate different settings?

It seems from other Norwegian captains that if ships didn't sail on that part of the coast in bad weather they'd never sail at all! The Viking ship would have been fine if the engines hadn't failed.
I agree that there should have been more thought given to the fixtures and furnishings. The Viking Ocean ships all have beautiful art works and sculptures too. They are very tastefully furnished in an understated Scandinavian way. I hope they can maintain this appearance without compromising safety.

...but Anja sacrifices have to be made in the name of safety I have seen videos before of furniture flying around and hitting people and always wondered why it’s not fixed even in static homes we have built in cupboards, wardrobes, I remember all those years ago when I lived in a prefab we had a table that came down from the wall and beds can be folded away surely safety come above looks
Yes I was surprised by bits of the ceilings falling

I understand that to an extent Jane10 but it would seem that other ships didn't sail due to the bad weather conditions. Hindsight is a wonderful thing though.
I question why the engines failed as well, was this due to poor maintenance or purely bad luck ?

I could go into great detail about this but suggest you look at the cruise Critic Forum to which experienced captains have been contributing.

I question why the engines failed as well, was this due to poor maintenance or purely bad luck ?
From my maritime expert: for all four engines to fail, which is most unusual, there was probably water ingress into the fuel supply. This could have been due to the bad weather or contamination at source.

I can't seem to access the right part of that, Jane10, but I would be interested to read their views.

Despite this recent incident, would you still recommend Viking as a cruise line Jane10 ? We have had many lovely cruises with other lines, but I am always happy to try a different one, and I liked the sound of the one you were on from how you described it.

They are better known for their river cruises and I think they have only fairly recently ventured into ocean cruising.

For those who are still scared to try a cruise, I can't stress enough how very unusual this incident is.

JenniferEccles Viking Ocean is absolutely the best cruise line we've ever been on. Wonderful service, beautiful ships and facilities, no pubs, no casinos, no art auctions, no extras to pay. Gratuities and drinks included. Over 18s only. No set meal times, no extra cost for eating in the speciality restaurants, all outside cabins with balconies (no inside cabins at all), max of 930 passengers. I could go on!
Look for Cruise Critic forums Viking Ocean Forum. There are lots of threads but the hottest one is re Viking Sky rescue.

Thanks very much for the info Jane10 It sounds lovely, and just the type of cruise line we would be interested in.

It's always nice to have recommendations isn't it?