Indeed, the passengers on the Concorde were looking forward to a splendid cruise. The ship was built to evoke the 1920s and featured crystal chandeliers, an imperial ballroom, a salt.water swimming pool and loom chairs in a palm-filled winter garden. Tour plans included a visit to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and a stop in Havana before arriving in Ecuador. Deilmann said the cruise, which had 510 passengers booked, would not be canceled. There's no sense letting the ship lie there, he said.
Life goes on.
They were met by representatives of the charter company. Another passenger, Silcher Dagmar, said she had initially wanted to take the Concorde but was advised against it because her husband recently had a pacemaker installed. Some of those boarding the boat said the tragedy would certainly cloud the trip. I'm devastated, absolutely speechless, said Olga Wehrmann, a German woman who had been on the ship since it left Germany. I can't imagine any dance parties or other festivities.