The crisis of Carnival’s “Splendor” cruise ship was apparently a malfunction that resulted in 3,300 people stuck for 72 hours with limited food, challenging hygienic conditions, and without electricity. It was no one’s fault, yet surely constitutes a Public Relations crisis for Carnival Cruise Lines. I stand up and say hats off to Carnival for how they handled the PR surrounding the crisis. Nobody wants to become injured or unhealthy on a cruise ship, which is why it is important that all health and safety measures are accounted for. However, if this is not the case and you have been endangered on a cruise ship, you may require a Naylor Law cruise ship lawyer to help you with any legal action you may be fighting.

Despite countless negative headlines, it is necessary to remember that there is no amount of publicity or spin which can make a situation like this even remotely positive. Sometimes, the goal is simply to minimize the negative and, all in all, I think Carnival handled the issues fairly well – offering full refunds along with a 25 percent discount on a future cruise to a lighthearted blog post from the Senior Cruise Director: http://johnhealdsblog.com/2010/11/10/here-i-am-2.

The piece spoke not of smelling of roses, but smelling “like Paris on a hot summer’s day …that’s Paris the city not Paris the …person.” He continued with “continuous announcements from the bridge.”

It was simply an awful situation, but I strongly commend them for telling the truth and communicating via a press release and an apology from Carnival Cruise Lines’ CEO. He spoke of the challenges on the cruise ship, which are unlike any others his company has faced in its 35-year history, and made the difficult statement, “we are very, very sorry for the discomfort and the inconvenience that our guests have had to deal with in the past several days.”

These are very hard things to own up to and many other brands would have blamed someone else, ignored the problems, or simply taken way too long to communicate (remember how long it took Jet Blue in a much easier situation ?). I commend them for their transparent and rapid-response. If I was a passenger, there would have been nothing anyone could have told me to make me understand or even tolerate the experience.

The situation will continue with a few days of negative stories from passengers on the boat, and Carnival will continue to need to address the many questions which exist. All in all, crisis is never good, but I think Carnival should be held up as an example of how to handle crisis PR.

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Ronn Torossian is the Founder & Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the United States. Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company's growth and vision, with the agency earning accolades including being named a Top 50 Global PR Agency by PRovoke Media, a top three NYC PR agency by O'Dwyers, one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and being awarded multiple American Business Awards, including a Stevie Award for PR Agency of the Year. With over 25 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America's most prolific and well-respected public relations executives. Throughout his career he has advised leading and high-growth businesses, organizations, leaders and boards across corporate, technology and consumer industries. Torossian is known as one of the country's foremost experts on crisis communications. He has lectured on crisis PR at Harvard Business School, appears regularly in the media and has authored two editions of his book, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations," which is an industry best-seller. Torossian's strategic, resourceful approach has been recognized with numerous awards including being named the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, the American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year, twice over, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist, a Top Crisis Communications Professional by Business Insider, Metropolitan Magazine's Most Influential New Yorker, and a recipient of Crain's New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Outside of 5W, Torossian serves as a business advisor to and investor in multiple early stage businesses across the media, B2B and B2C landscape. Torossian is the proud father of two daughters. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member of multiple not for profit organizations.