Carnival Cruise San Diego Fire or Magic?

By now you had to have heard about the Carnival Cruise Splendor stuck at sea off San Diego due to a fire and loss of power...

I find it interesting that the Carnival Cruise out of San Diego, which caught fire and was stranded this week, was attended by magicians for a mini convention! That's right, over 150 magicians stuck with over 4,000 passengers for 4 days. 


I have to joke for a second about the insanity of that concept! "Pick a card…" Oh, man! Seriously thought, I had several friends on that ship and considered lecturing or attending myself. From what I've been told, they did not just eat Spam! They did not have power for four days and could not charge phones and did get flashlights. Luckily, there were battery backups to control doors to let you into your room. I was also informed that Carnival did a great job organizing food, drinks, announcements, etc. Not one person was injured. US military ships and aircraft have been providing fresh supplies since the fire knocked out refrigeration, along with air conditioning, the Internet, and phone service.


One friend described to me that a sort of "shuttering" was felt at about 6am the night after the departure. He and his wife thought they might be docking, but they also knew that they were supposed to be at sea for two straight days. Soon afterwards, they learned that there was a fire and that it was safe and contained. He said that magicians did mingle about the passengers doing some tricks throughout the four days of waiting on board. They also spend a lot of time sharing tricks to each other in a large convention/meeting room. 

Now, to put in my two cents about people's compensation… I think it is great that Carnival has offered refunds for all guests, including flights.. and offered another cruise for free. But think about it for a second. That really just REPLACES what was already paid for. Many people are thinking that this is some sort of deal! The cruise was gone for so long that the next scheduled group waiting in San Diego got cancelled and they were offered a refund (NO KIDDING!) and a 25% discount on their next cruise. When you really look at the fact that Carnival HAS to refund guests for this cruise which was planned, where the real gift, apology or compensation? I'd think that in addition to REPLACING the lost cruise, that guests would be eligible for an additional cruise or discount.


Well, it might have been a magical cruise for some, but I know it was certainly not for others as this happened on day one of the cruise. 


Coincidentally, I just heard another magician back east talking on The Bulldog Show, which I'll be on Wednesday talking about my book on tricks for dating. It's such a small world!