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Bayside Family Cruises To 'Poseidon Misadventure'
" We picked the Crown Princess because it is the jewel of the Princess fleet," said Maria Sakalis, a pharmacist in Bayside. "We wanted our children, Irene, eight years old, and Anna, five years old, to enjoy activities. We loved the ship's 'Movies Under the Stars' poolside movie theater and the 10-day cruise from New York to the Caribbean. We were looking forward to an unforgettable vacation." The vacation was unforgettable, but not in the way the Sakalis family had imagined. Two hundred and forty passengers were injured on July 18 after the ship, cruising off the coast of Florida, tilted. The ship's automatic pilot steering gear was allegedly switched to manual control by a rookie officer following United States Coast Guard requirements that the crew manually steer the ship in water less than 50 meters deep. During the maneuver, the ship listed 18 degrees. Water from the swimming pools spilled onto the deck and slot machines and exercise equipment tumbled on top of passengers. "My husband and I were watching a Disney movie on the seventh deck while Irene was on the 17th deck in a children's activity," said Maria. "When the boat tilted, the table broke and bar glasses were shattered in the lounge we were at. People began screaming and started running to the back of the ship. In a few seconds, everyone experienced horror. The captain's voice on the speakers sounded terrified. He said, 'Don't be scared.' No one believed him. We put on our life jackets. We had practice drills daily throughout the cruise, but this time we were faced with the real thing. When the ship dipped, persons in the pool were thrown out onto the deck, causing serious injuries. The sea was calm during the entire incident. "Our concern was for our daughter, Irene, who was separated from us by 11 decks," said the young mother. "John raced to the 17th deck while I stayed behind on the seventh deck with Anna. Persons were praying, singing religious hymns and crossing themselves. An old man was crying. If the Princess had tilted five more degrees, we would have tipped over like 'The Poseidon Adventure'. " Two persons were airlifted. The boat turned around and went back to Cape Canaveral. There were many ambulances taking persons away for medical care. One man had broken ribs. Many were injured from the pool water that tumbled on deck. A French comedian, who acted [for] 15 years on cruise ships, said this had never happened before. I was thinking how we were going to save our children from falling into the water. Six hundred children were on board. Ironically, the evening of the accident, the scheduled movie on 'Movie Under the Stars' was 'Titanic'. I pray and am grateful for every day. "After the accident, we stayed on board for free from July 18 to 20, until we made arrangements for our departure by airplane from Cape Canaveral. [Princess Cruise ship personnel] shuttled us to the airport, reimbursing us for the return air ticket and cruise tickets. Passengers who took the cruise after us on July 22 received a 50 percent discount on their tickets." Eightyear-old Irene Sakalis is still visibly upset over the incident and five-yearold Anna clung to her mother during the interview. Irene said "I will go on another cruise if Yiayia (her grandmother, Irene Moustakos) goes with me." Anna wants to go on the "Mickey Mouse boat" (a Disney cruise). Although Maria declared, "I do not know if I will ever go on a cruise, even though this was a rare incident," the Sakalis family gave indications that they will probably continue their sea travels in the future despite their misadventure aboard the C rown Princess. Catherine Tsounis is an adjunct professor of Modern Greek at St. John's University and a frequent contributor to this newspaper. |
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