Fairfield couples have eventful cruise ship trip

Two Fairfield couples are relieved to be safe, sound and back on solid ground after a cruise ship adventure last week.

Margaret and David Wilson and Connie and David Wells were aboard the Carnival Ecstasy when the ship encountered a large buoy adrift in the water and made a sharp turn to the left, causing the ship to tilt to one side. Dozens of passengers were injured, and three were hospitalized after docking.

?People were scrambling to get to the lifeboats. We just held onto the railing, hoping we wouldn?t go farther into the water,? Margaret Wilson said.

Carnival has reported the ship listed 12 degrees; however, other sources have reported the ship tilted as much as 45 degrees.

?I would definitely say it was more than 12,? said Connie Wells.

The incident occurred at 12:55 p.m. April 21 as the Ecstasy headed back to Galveston, Texas, through the Gulf of Mexico. The last minute maneuver was reportedly necessary because the ship?s sonar failed to detect a mostly submerged buoy.

The Wilsons and Wrights had booked the five-day cruise to Progreso, Mexico, and Cozumel, Mexico, to celebrate their anniversaries and two birthdays.

?It was a perfect day at sea,? Wells said, describing blue skies and water as smooth as glass before the near disaster. ?It just made it feel so surreal.?

The sisters and their husbands were enjoying ice tea on the lido deck and waiting for a demonstration in ice sculpting when the ship began to tilt, sending the side they were on closer to the water.

?Nobody knew what was going on,? Wilson said.

?I thought there had been an explosion over in the grill section,? Wells said, explaining her attention was drawn to hissing and a huge cloud of steam billowing from where cruise ship staff were grilling on the deck.

Cups, plates and chairs crashed about on the deck, and water gushed from the pool, along with the swimmers in it, during the chaos.

The Wilsons and Wrights gripped a nearby railing until the frightening, 10-minute ordeal was over.

?We were wondering if we were going to be another Titanic,? Wilson said. The Titanic actually sunk April 15, 1912.

Afterward, the couples sat, held hands and prayed for everyone?s safety.

For the complete article, see the Wednesday, April 28, 2010, printed edition of The Fairfield Ledger.