Royal Caribbean
Monarch of the Seas
Baja, Mexico

Joanne Kartak

Age: 73
Occupation: retired
Number of Cruises: 1
Sailing Date: October 10th, 2005

On October 10, 2005, when we boarded the Monarch of the Seas as part of a large group sponsored by the Master Builders of King and Snohomish Co. WA, we were aware that in September of this year, the Monarch had suffered a serious sewer-gas problem that killed three crew members and sent a dozen or so to the hosptital. We assumed that the problem had been corrected. Wrong. My 75 year old husband and I had one lovely evening and one delightful morning on board before it it became a nightmare. On the 2nd day out, as we were napping after lunch, we awoke to find our cabin filled with sewer gas.( Note: Anyone who has owned an RV or boat, has no problem identifying gas straight from a black-water holding tank.) We exited the cabin ASAP, and phoned from another cabin to report the problem. Unfortunately for us, the cabin supervisor and the purser, (3rd class) who answered our call, denied there being any problem, and insisted there were no odors or fumes in our cabin. Assuming the ships MD would just repeat this obvious lie, we were hesitant to ask for medical assistance. We were both confused, nauseous and dizzy. If we had been thinking, we would have left the ship and called either the LA Fire Dpt. (who had responded to the Sept. incidence), or the Coast Guard. Instead, we spent the rest of the day on deck or in a lounge, going into the cabin only long enough to grab clothes for dinner that evening, then dressed in a neighbor's cabin.

After the boat sailed that night, the air began to clear, and by 11 P.M. our cabin was clear of fumes, and we slept there. In fact, my husband stayed in bed the rest of the cruise, unable to eat normally, or stand for any length of time.

On the day after the fumes had permeated the cabin, the pursor finally admitted there had been a problem with a "gasket", but that it had been fixed (again) and approved by the Coast Guard. My husband didn't fix quite so fast, and spent the rest of the cruise in bed, unable to eat, suffering from constant coughing and nausea. He needed assistance in leaving the boat at the end of the cruise. Today, six days after he inhaled sewer-gas, he is still barely able to eat. Word when we were disembarking is that this ship will finally go into dry dock in 7-8 weeks in order to overhaul the holding tank drain and intake valves. (After all, they have cruises booked in the meantime!) Will we cruise again? Never.
 

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