Frances calls this complete rubbish and so do I. First and foremost smoke is smoke and fumes are fumes, they can be odorless, have no color as they can in some cases be clearly seen and smell. Whenever a vessel is bunkering a message is often sent out over the tannoy forbidding any naked flames (cigarettes, welding – hot works) on any open decks and in some cases, other locations around the vessel.
Frances has made no mention of such a message being announced and again during my time at sea I have never experienced fumes from bunkering entering the inner sanctums of the ship. If there is one thing that annoys me immensely it is when people try and treat passengers like idiots. It is insulting, first time traveler or not!
The situation did not improve and Frances was soon to hear of other complaints from other passengers situated on Decks 4, 5 and 6 who had suffered similar incidents with noxious fumes.
Frances decided; as is her right, to put her complaint in writing before she left the vessel and handed this personally ‘to our friend’ the GLO and where she asked him to confirm in writing its receipt and also to confirm what action he had taken and the result of his enquiries.
Astonishingly, it is alleged by Frances, "he then became quite aggressive, huffing and puffing as if it was all silly and of no account", later leaving a letter on her door in his favor saying she had declined his offer to move cabins; it was her request to move and not his as you may recall, and implied that 'she was unreasonable and that he was being caringly helpful in his offer?'
To add insult to injury, Frances informs us that she and about 100 other guests then went down with Norovirus (NV) and was ‘rightly’ confined to her cabin until it had passed.
Frustratingly I have to report that things did not improve at all for Frances and so it would appear for many other guests onboard the MS Balmoral during this once in a lifetime cruise for many I’m sure. Frances states that throughout the cruise she was simply finding it impossible to stay awake and sent this to me on 11.11.09 during our ‘ping pong’ correspondence as muted previously –
"Mike as soon as I had dinner I was off to bed, much to the disapproval of my table companions who said I was letting the table down! I saw only 3 shows during the entire 40 days and the entertainment should be very much part of the cruise experience. I was not the only one to suffer this effect and I do have the contact details of another lady who was so concerned, that she thought she had become suddenly diabetic. I could sleep the day and night away quite easily and I wonder if there was an on-going seepage of carbon monoxide into the cabin/s."
This is not the first time such incidents have been reported and Frances actually pointed us towards a recent post on CruiseCritic relating to diesel fumes coming through the air con on the Braemar. "The smell of diesel oil, particularly on deck 5 Starboard and often in the air conditioning in our cabin was very noticeable and unpleasant.” (Kevin and Margaret Fenn, review December 2008)
This is clearly not safe at all and is also a health hazard! Diesel combustion exhaust is a major source of atmospheric soot and fine particles, it also contains nanoparticles (particle defined as a small object that behaves as a whole unit in terms of its transport and properties). Although early studies are in their infancy; one study has observed that short term exposure to diesel exhaust does not result in adverse extra-pulmonary effects, long term effects still need to be clarified as well as the effects on susceptible groups of people with cardiopulmonary diseases. wikipedia.org
Frances also reports that she is not alone in her complaints to Fred Olsen regarding this particular cruise, with many making representations for a variety of reasons but mainly to do with the outbreak of Norovirus, severe chest infections, canceled tours and ports of call, the MS Balmorals tendering procedures and the apparent breaches of contract with Fred Olsen 's failure to provide certain services on this particular cruise according to this particular traveler.
In a recent CDC VSP report on the MS Balmoral (10.19.09), as well as hygiene violations the ship was also found not to be completing their medical records correctly. Was the intention here to downplay the incidences of NV onboard?
So come on Fred Olsen – please address this lady's obvious concerns, acknowledge her written complaints on board as well as post cruise and come to a mutually agreeable resolution. As you say ‘It’s all about the people’
Frances booked her tour through an agent forming part of Victoria Travel, Grosvenor House, Prospect Hill, Redditch, B97 4DL and where I have advised her to also lodge her complaint with the booking agents as well as the cruise line directly.
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines purchased the Norwegian Crown from Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) in May 2006 where she later underwent extensive refurbishment and lengthening, with a pre-built 40 meter center section being added and thus increasing her gross tonnage from 34,242 GRT (Gross Registered Tonnage) to 34,537 GT (Gross Tonnage).
She was later renamed the MS Balmoral and entered service in early 2008 and in April 2012 she has been commissioned to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic with a cruise following that ill-fated route.
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A Little Something
To Help You Sleep Madam?
By Mike Groves
