Blake Miller, left, and Steve Garcia, a gay couple from Austin, were among those who survived the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy over the weekend. Garcia, a school teacher in Round Rock, reportedly was celebrating his 50th birthday on the cruise with Miller, his partner of 10 years. Miller is the director of business travel at the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin hotel. It was both men’s first cruise and Miller’s first time in Europe. They told the Today show on Sunday they had been to one of the ship’s bars and were planning on going to another when the ship started to list. After they went back to their cabin, they heard a horrible scraping sound. Fortunately the couple had read about the location of the lifeboats.
“I honestly did not have a true understanding of how bad it was until we were on the lifeboat and looked back and saw the first row of windows under water and people screaming, that couldn’t get on a lifeboat,” Miller said. “That’s when we realized how much it was really tilting.”
The Austin American-Statesman reports that once the men were on land, they were stranded on an island for 12 hours.
When he spoke to one of the ship’s officers on shore, Miller said, the man made a flippant comment.
When the couple were ferried to Porto Santo Stefano early Saturday, Miller said, it was the first time anyone from the cruise accounted for them. It wasn’t until media cameras were filming that a cruise employee offered then blankets. But once they boarded a bus to take shelter in a nearby school gym, away from the media’s bright lights, the blankets were taken away, he said.
After hours without information or answers, they were routed to a hotel in Rome. But without money, passports or clothes, they’re still grappling to put their lives back in order. Though embassy representatives from other countries have deployed to their hotel to help other stranded passengers there, Miller said he’s seen no sign of American help. And with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, they may have to wait until Tuesday, he said.
Watching CNN in their hotel room, Miller said images of the incident continue to upset him. And Costa Concordia’s behavior since the ship ran aground has left him angry.
“I just don’t see how you can leave people with no food, no water, no warmth and not have some kind of plan,” he said. “It’s just not how you run a business. It’s 4,000 lives.”
Watch the couple’s appearance on the Today show below.
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This is such a difficult time for them. And my thoughts and prayers are with them as they deal with this situation. I would like to share some friendly advice for everyone… 1) always purchase travel insurance on a cruise or land based vacation; and 2) ALWAYS register your journey with the US Department of State at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ for every city where you are travelling; and 3) use a travel agent and make sure that the agent has a copy of your passport (notarized if possible). This is completely free advice from a cruise and vacation planner doing business in Dallas. I’m not doing self promotion, just giving you advice that every good travel agent should give you.
Doug Thompson
Great advice. Thanks Doug. My family has cruised for years and enjoyed some great vacations. The first problem, not close to the magnitude of the Costa Concordia victims, happened in Puerta Vallarta when my mother fell on the uneven pavement during a quick dash to El Walmart. We discovered at that time that although the doctor on the ship was wonderful and responsive her insurance coverage did not extend to Mexico. It was a costly reminder of why travel insurance is worth a few dollars every trip, rather than a large bill on one. Also, anyone who has ever cruised has had the experience of the “end of the trip get off the ship whoever you are and get out of way for our next paying guests attitude.” Get all of the information for any situation that occurs that you may need in the “real world” before you leave the vessel. It’s not that they don’t care, it’s just that there are too many new challenges each cruise. My prayers are with the passengers and families of the Costa Concordia. PS: I’ll also be investing in waterproof pockets on lanyards as the latest in cruise wear and not trust the stateroom safe to guard my passport, valuables and tickets home. Perhaps the phone number for the American Consulate in each port will be added to my phone before departure as well.
The people responsible for the Costa Concordia are located in Miami: Micky Arison’s Carnival Corp. This company makes billions off cruising and pays no US taxes. Costa Cruises and Carnival are part of a totally unregulated cruise industry that holds the US Congress captive by big pay-offs by lobbyists.
I just wish they would keep their lifestyle to themselves.
Mickey Razor-
I just wish you would keep your lifestyle to yourself! People are born gay, but being a bigot is something that is learn! 🙂