Bellevue Chiropractor Recounts His Adventure At Sea On The Carnival Splendor
If you have ever planned a vacation you know the excitement that is involved with preparation. Planning on gourmet meals, lots of sunshine and the Mexican Rivera, Dr. Michael Weir of Bellevue WA and his wife embarked on the Carnival Splendor on November 7th 2010. To their horror that is not what ended up happening. Instead they ended up “dead in the water” with no electricity, no toilets, and cold food. “We had been planning this trip for 9 months and were very excited to go on vacation with friends”, said Michael Weir, owner of Back in Action Chiropractic in Bellevue WA.
Sunday afternoon, Dr. Weir, his wife Angela and four other friends boarded the cruise ship not knowing what lay ahead for them as they went out to sea. “Sunday evening was great”, says Dr. Weir. “Great food, and wonderful entertainment. Exactly what you would expect from a cruise.” Six o’clock the next morning they were awoke from a loud rumble and a shaking of the ship. “At first I thought it was just heavy waves, but as soon as the captain came over the loud speaker telling us there was a mechanical problem I knew something big was happening.” The rumble ended up being the main engine of the ship catching fire and then catching all the electrical wiring on fire as well. The engine and electrical fires sent billows of smoke throughout the entire boat. “We had to leave our rooms almost immediately because of the amount of smoke that was flowing through the halls and cabins.”
Dr. Weir explained, “My main concern through the whole ordeal was the sanitation on the boat. Because of my public health courses in school I knew that a major concern in a disaster is the lack of public restrooms. When all of the toilets on the ship would not flush, I knew there could be a problem.” Eighteen hours after the power went down, the ship was able to regain function of the toilets, and just in time. “I truly felt that we were 3 to 4 hours from a sanitary disaster, if they could not get the toilets to flush.”As if that were not enough the toilets were not the only sanitary concern though. “The smell of garbage and rotting food was almost too much to bear. By Thursday they were even putting bags of garbage in the elevators to try and help disperse the smell.”
After months of preparation and closing his Bellevue chiropractic office, Back in Action Chiropractic, Dr. Weir maintains a positive outlook on the whole situation. “It was a big disappointment to close my office and not be available for my patients, only to have a week stranded at sea, but we made it home safe, and we get another cruise out of the deal.” Michael went on to say, “I was very impressed with how well the passengers on the boat responded to a bad situation. There could have been pandemonium, but every one stayed very positive. There were even nights that you would not have known that we were stranded at sea, people singing karaoke, dancing, and laughing.”
Dr. Weir and his family were extremely happy to be home, but maintain that they have no reservations about going on another cruise in the future. “Our only decision now is do we go back to Mexico or go to another destination?”
Michael Weir, D.C. is a Bellevue Chiropractor at Back in Action Chiropractic Center, in Bellevue Washington. He and his wife Angela reside on the Eastside.