Norwegian Cruise Lines Gave Up Searching For Its Crew Member That Fell Overboard So Carnival Stepped Up And Found The Guy 22 Hours Later
Source - An employee on a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship is counting his blessings after a “miraculous” rescue in the open waters off Cuba on Sunday.
Carnival Cruise Lines announced they rescued the 33-year-old crew member from the Norwegian Getaway at about 2:15 p.m. on Sunday after Norwegian had reported the man missing the previous day. Carnival said a member of its crew spotted the man in the water and the ship turned around, lowered a life boat and rescued the overboard employee.
The man had been in the water about 22 hours after going overboard and was found about 21 miles north of Cuba.
Norwegian Cruise Lines had suspended its own search, in conjunction with the Coast Guard, as it became too dark on Saturday night. The Coast Guard said it searched an area of 1,630 square miles. The ship had been halted during the search, leading to a delayed itinerary.
“We apologize for disturbing you at this moment, but it’s time to give you an update on our situation. We have now decided to stop the search for our crew member and this is also made in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard. … We feel we have covered the area quite well and unfortunately we could not find anything.”
Norwegian thanked Carnival for recovering the employee and said he would be returned to shore soon.
“Early yesterday morning a crew member went overboard as Norwegian Getaway made her way back to Miami,” Norwegian said in a statement. “The Coast Guard was notified and a search and rescue operation ensued near western Cuba. Thankfully, the crew member was found by Carnival Glory and is reported to be in stable condition. We are so happy to know that the individual is safe and will soon be reunited with friends and family.”
To be honest, it’s a miracle this doesn’t happen more often than it does. Thousands of blacked out fat people shuffling around low-railing skyscrapers in the middle of the sea. That’s all cruises are; a vacation for poors. Sure, there are nice ones. I’m sure the one Willie went on for a month was fantastic but the vast majority of cruises are disgusting. For every one good story you hear there are ten horror stories. Like that time the plumbing stopped working aboard a Carnival cruise in 2014 and everyones room flooded with shit. Or that other time when a cruise ship captain got caught blasting lines of coke and ended up killing thirty-two people. Then you have the pre-timed meals, the bullshit excursions, the overcrowding. It’s a nightmare. You couldn’t pay me enough to go on one (yes you could.) But every once in a while you hear a story that almost changes your mind about cruises. If you ignore the fact that Norwegian decided to call it quits and let the guy drown, this is one of those stories.
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I imagine it went down similar to how Rose was found in the Titanic. Except instead of a whistle and a floating door, it was a tourist and a drunken scream. If I’m the victim, not only am I dead from having given up ten minutes after falling overboard, I’m suing Norwegian cruises for everything. Same with the Coast Guard. They didn’t even search for a full day before giving up. I thought they lived for these search and rescue situations. I guess it’s different when it happens on a weekend?
Regardless, I can’t imagine the level of relief this guy and his family felt when he was finally rescued. Just in time for the fourth no less. Now all they have to do is get him back stateside and they’ll be able to move past the whole situation. Hopefully.
Ps: Brilliant