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Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship in 100-mph Atlantic Storm
- Thread starter Christian Williams
- Start date
Rick R.
Contributing Partner
Been on some nasty cruises (mostly nasty in the Gulf Stream) but nothing like this! Wonder if the bars onboard were serving during the storm?
Tom Metzger
Sustaining Partner
I understand the bars were closed, and the Denvers won the football game which was on TV uninterrupted. No comment from Cam.
I've been caught out in that s**t, but I can't imagine a cruise ship doesn't have better forecasting. Scary. I do know better than to go in February.
u079721
Contributing Partner
I understand the bars were closed, and the Denvers won the football game which was on TV uninterrupted. No comment from Cam.
I've been caught out in that s**t, but I can't imagine a cruise ship doesn't have better forecasting. Scary. I do know better than to go in February.
I've been wondering about this too. I also can't imagine that they don't have up to date forecasts before putting to sea in a $950 million dollar (!) ship, so I'm left concluding that they felt they were just so big it wouldn't matter. Scary.
Those big floating resorts keep very tight schedules, published months in advance and all cabins booked at sequential ports months in advance. Millions of $$ at stake.
My guess is that the company told the captain that if he did not get to his next port of call within XX hours he's out of a job. :0
There is zero chance that the ship or the owners did not know the strength and track of any and all storms affecting the routing of their vessel. They just looked at the potential $$ loss if the vessel did not keep its schedule and rolled the dice.
Skipper had only the choice of going or quitting.
Then, they lost their gamble and have refunded passengers' money and taken a big PR hit, plus now they have to inspect and repair their vessel.....
it's not a company I would want to book a cruise with.
Loren
My guess is that the company told the captain that if he did not get to his next port of call within XX hours he's out of a job. :0
There is zero chance that the ship or the owners did not know the strength and track of any and all storms affecting the routing of their vessel. They just looked at the potential $$ loss if the vessel did not keep its schedule and rolled the dice.
Skipper had only the choice of going or quitting.
Then, they lost their gamble and have refunded passengers' money and taken a big PR hit, plus now they have to inspect and repair their vessel.....
it's not a company I would want to book a cruise with.
Loren
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Seems like the cruise lines could benefit from paying attention to the same scenario with El Faro last fall
(cargo ship, routed through a hurricane, captain purportedly told some version "get your cargo there on schedule or we'll find someone who will". lost with all hands)
(cargo ship, routed through a hurricane, captain purportedly told some version "get your cargo there on schedule or we'll find someone who will". lost with all hands)
Randy Rutledge
Sustaining Member
I was on a carnival cruise Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica there were two hurricanes tracking the area of the cruise, the itinerary was reversed and we slipped between the storms with only a 15 minute sprinkle on the whole trip. Grand Cayman was messed up from the storm we followed a day behind and not hit by the second. At least Carnival routed to give us the vacation we wanted and missed all bad weather.
I would love to have been on a 900 footer in that instead of my 23' 6" in the storm at Mobile bay.
The logic of management that aren't in the line of fire amazes me. They should have their a$$es on a small boat in a storm to get a little real world experience.
I would love to have been on a 900 footer in that instead of my 23' 6" in the storm at Mobile bay.
The logic of management that aren't in the line of fire amazes me. They should have their a$$es on a small boat in a storm to get a little real world experience.
Rick R.
Contributing Partner
There used to be a cruise ship out of Port Canaveral called the Big Red Boat. It was much smaller than the class of ships RC, Carnival and Disney had. I think she was commissioned in the 50's.
Back in the 90's the Admiral and I took a trip to the Bahamas onboard. It was scheduled to stop in Nassau then a smaller island the next day before a day at sea heading back. When the day came for the small island I noticed we were not stopping so I asked a crew member why. He said there was a gale coming and it would be too dangerous to launch the tenders. Back in our cabin I turned on the TV and saw a huge squal line coming at us. While not as bad as the RC ship, it was indeed very bad. We had the same experience of looking out the port one moment then into the sea the next as waves crashed up three decks. The aquarium effect.
You know it's bad when the crew look startled and frightened. Passengers were actually green looking. Sick people everywhere. Nearly empty dining room. The sound of the waves crashing into the hull was like a train hitting the side of the ship.
Needless to say the Big Red Boat did not last long.
Back in the 90's the Admiral and I took a trip to the Bahamas onboard. It was scheduled to stop in Nassau then a smaller island the next day before a day at sea heading back. When the day came for the small island I noticed we were not stopping so I asked a crew member why. He said there was a gale coming and it would be too dangerous to launch the tenders. Back in our cabin I turned on the TV and saw a huge squal line coming at us. While not as bad as the RC ship, it was indeed very bad. We had the same experience of looking out the port one moment then into the sea the next as waves crashed up three decks. The aquarium effect.
You know it's bad when the crew look startled and frightened. Passengers were actually green looking. Sick people everywhere. Nearly empty dining room. The sound of the waves crashing into the hull was like a train hitting the side of the ship.
Needless to say the Big Red Boat did not last long.
Tom Metzger
Sustaining Partner
Yup... just like the USS General William Mitchell in the north Pacific. There were no bars though. :0
Rick R.
Contributing Partner
Sounds like you had a similar experience my dad and father in law had on a troop ship?
u079721
Contributing Partner
Lots of interesting comments on this incident at the Cruise Law News blog. Interesting site.
http://www.cruiselawnews.com/
http://www.cruiselawnews.com/