Carnival Cruise Ship Triumph-- Bad PR Moment?

As a Chicago public relations firm we strive to help each of our clients make good decisions when they are faced with tough times.  Bad PR moments happen, but it is how a company and a PR firm handle a bad situation that really counts.  Most recently we became aware of a rough situation with popular cruise line Carnival and their ship Triumph.  The news has been bombarding us with commentary on the disaster and we are sure you've probably heard all about the cruise ship disaster as well. In case you haven't heard, we will give you a recap and speak our peace on what made this a bad PR moment for Carnival and what they could have done to handle the situation better and perhaps spare themselves a bit from this very negative attention.

The Situation

Picture this-- You have taken your entire family on a cruise, you're excited for a little peace and quiet and for a beautiful vacation.  Suddenly you realize that the cruise ship you and your family are on is stranded at sea due to major engine failure.  Sounds a lot less like a fun family vacation and more like a horror story if you ask us.  So what really happened?  On the morning of February 10th, just three days after Carnival's ship Triumph had left Galveston, Texas with more than 4,000 people on board, an engine fire occurred.  Lack of power on the ship left passengers with no A/C, running water and very little food.  Worse yet, bathrooms were not in working ordered which left passengers with no choice but to use bags.  Hallways and floors were flooded with sewer water and human waste. Passengers were forced to deal with all of this for five days until they were able to be rescued and brought back to the states (Mobile, Alabama).

What Carnival Did

Instead of being forthcoming about the situation, the Carnival crew kept quiet and were slow to communicate with anyone, including the media.  Carnival had no immediate response to the situation and just two days after the engine fire Carnival Chairman Micky Arison was seen out and about at a Miami Heat game rather than responding to the media regarding the cruise ship incident.  People certainly took notice.  The lack of initial communication on Carnival's end has left many wondering what is next for Carnival and the cruise ship/travel industry in general.

What Carnival Could Have Done

Lack of communication, in this case, made this disaster all the worse.  Right when the situation occurred the lines of communication should have been wide open, which is where public relations typically comes into play.  At this point a PR firm for the cruise ship would typically step in and begin devising a plan for handling the situation.  In this case, no one from Carnival (or Carnival's PR firm) stepped in, so naturally the media ate the story right up. Instead of letting the media speculate about what was really going on on the ship, Carnival should have come out and released a statement immediately addressing their plan of action.  Where was an expert giving up to the minute status updates on what was happening aboard the ship?  Nowhere to be found apparently.

Carnival's website was sprinkled with a tiny bit of information in regards to what the passengers would receive for their troubles, but no real information was provided as to what was happening on the ship or how the passengers were feeling or doing.  What this whole situation proves is that there needs to be an effective crisis communication plan put in to place so that if a situation similar to this ever does crop up, it can be handled well instead of being handled poorly.

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