m/s Rotterdam Stranded - 63 Pictures from Sept 24

[CasinoBar]

Hello one and all! I was onboard the Rotterdam for the Sept 14-30 Trans-Atlantic Cruise which succumbed to technical issues on September 24, 2004. When I reached home I searched high and low for any information or other pictures to try and get some insight as to what other passengers felt about the journey. I was dismayed to find very little information readily available and no pictures whatsoever. Over a month later (today actually) I started searching again and found CC. There is a very detailed thread from close to a month ago regarding the whole evening. I was surpised to find only about 5 or 6 pictures from that evening though... I have over 200 pictures from various sources of the damage that occured that night. I have narrowed it down to 63 (so you guys don't get bored) and I encourage anyone who is interested to check them out! If you have other pictures you'd like to share, please feel free to contact me! :) I have read all of the accounts of that night that I could find and there are too many discrepancies between accounts to make heads or tails of the evening. I'll let the pictures do the talking!
Pictures from September 24, 2004 of the Rotterdam in (slight) peril. (http://www.fakemusic.ca/rotterdam)

[janisutx]

Great pictures, thanks for posting them. You were lucky you weren't hurt.

[Quendryth]

Thank you for sharing these pictures. I have sailed the Rotterdam & consider her to be my favorite ship. I am so happy that more damage and/or injury did not occur.


:)

[CasinoBar]

In retrospect, I had a blast that night. Affer the initial shock of being tossed around like an inflatable raft, it was neat to see how everyone came together to help out fellow passengers. The previous thread (from about a moth ago) on this topic mentioned a guy that broke his hip on the aft deck - He actually fell and broke his femur and it was my sister that initially attended to him. My brother-in-law and brother were the ones who picked him up and brought him to the landing by the aft elevators. There was an overhweling feeling of "togetherness" (for lack of a better word) that evening and I wish to extend a personal thank you to any fellow passengers that may be reading for keeping spirits high and remaining calm and cheerful. It was by far the most exciting thing I have ever experienced in my life and, like I said on the picture page, woudn't trade it for anything. Although I'll never cross the Atlantic during Hurricane Season again! :)

/John

P.S. Someone mentioned making money from the pictures of the Rotterdam in such a state... Feel free to explain how! ;)

Pictures! Get your fresh, hot pictures here! (http://www.fakemusic.ca/rotterdam)

[RaffinOrganGrinders]

Without power, were there emergency backup systems? Did the ship ask everone to go to their rooms? Where are the links to other accounts of the event?

George

[CasinoBar]

Without power, were there emergency backup systems? Did the ship ask everone to go to their rooms? Where are the links to other accounts of the event?

George

George,

We had emergency power (hallways, stairwells and public areas. although only half of the lights lit) the whole while but our rooms were black as night. We were asked to remain wherever we were, be it in your room, in the dining room or in a lounge, and not move around the ship. Several people wound up having blackout cocktail parties in their rooms (The gentleman who broke his femur being one of them) but most people just sort of hung out wherever they were and helped out fellow passengers. The accounts that I was refering ot came from the post a while back about this topic. (I'll see if I can find the link to it) About an hour and a half into the whole ordeal I had to go into my Uncle's room to find some pop and some crackers... We had a horrble time opening the door (Deluxe Verandah Suite) as everything had toppled off the bar and crashed on the floor in the foyer. Also, his luggage had come out from under the bed and slid into the foyer as well. After managing to snake my arm around the stuck door and remove his luggage, I opened the door and turned on my flashlight. It was disastrous. The plants had crashed onto the floor leaving chips of ceramic and potting soil all over the place which made an eerie crunch as I stepped through it. The dresser drawers had ALL come out and been sliding all over the place. It was a very surrreal experience. I admit I did have a few flashbacks to The Poseidon Adventure (although our ship was luckily still upright!...almost ;) ). The crew deserves full respect for managing to clean up several thousand dollars worth of damage in under 24 hours.

/John

The original thread... (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=87620&page=1&pp=25&highlight=hurricane)

[jazzsea]

Thanks for posting your account and pictures. I love the Rotterdam and am glad that there was no serious damage to passengers or the ship.

[RaffinOrganGrinders]

Now, the big question. What will it take to get you back on a cruise during a major storm?

[elmorejj]

Your pictures are awesome!! I cannot imagine going through such an adventure. I think I`d be standing at my muster station in full gear!! How long did this last? and when where you informed that everything was OK? ....jean :cool:

[sail7seas]

Amazing pictures of what had to be a a very stressful event. Thank you for posting them. REALLY happy to hear that no one was critically injured.

[cruznon]

Incredible photos--thanks for sharing.

[localady]

Those pictures are unreal. What a mess to clean up!!! Especially in the food areas.:eek: We will be on the Rotterdam on about 24 days and it was a really interesting way to see the Ship! Thanks again, and I can truly understand why another transatlantic crossing is not in your future!:cool:

[jhannah]

Yikes! I've never had any hankering to make a crossing. This just seals my feeling ... hurricane season or not.

[ryansmemom]

Thanks so much for the pictures. They are incredible. They remind me of a movie I saw once. No, not the Poseiden Adventure. This was a movie starring Harry Hamlin back in the 1980's. He was a young Greek lad out to save a princess, Andromeda. He had to get Medusa's head to kill the Karckin(sp) the son of Poseiden. Anyway, all of the greek gods and goddesses were played by these wonderful actors. Peter Ustinov played Zeus. (I'm getting to the relevant part now) The pictures of the Rotterdam looked as though Zeus had been "playing" with her as he would have in that movie.

My daughter says I'm weird and have a weird imagination. Let's just say I get caught up and enjoy these flights of fantasy as some of you all ready know. (Sometimes they get me into trouble, I hope this one doesn't)

Thank heavens the Rotterdam suffered no permanent or devestating damage that put her precious human souls in any peril of their lives. She was a mess, but thankfully she is back to her usual splender, providing pleasure to those who sail on her.

Linda

[bepsf]

It makes me wonder why more large things like grand pianos & roulette tables aren't bolted to the decks...
:confused:

[CasinoBar]

First I want to say thanks to people for taking a look! My intention was never to put down HAL or expose any great scandal and seems that those of you who responded recognize that! This was my 7th cruise (I know...still a rookie) so over the years I have developed great trust in the folks who work their as*ses off to ensure the guests are as comfortable as possible. I just wanted to take the opportunity to show what CAN be the darker side of cruising. Just because of something as trivial as a bit of rocking and damage, it will not sway me from cruising again! When I filled out the comment card at the end of the cruise I did say that I probably wouldn't cruise HAL again. I wish I could take it back because the Rotterdam is a beautiful ship (albeit a bit older than I'm used to) and it was by far the staff that made the experience enjoyable. I wanted to show these pictures to people who may have shared the experience or at least have sympathy for the people who suffered these events. Things like this are a possibility when cruising and HAL is defnitely going to smooth things over and try and clean up the mess and keep this under wraps. Keep this thread high on the list so that others can see how well HAL has done to clean up after a disaster like this (First time in 130 years I believe).

/John

The pictures in question... (http://www.fakemusic.ca/rotterdam)

P.S. I believe the Rotterdam is in the Carib. right now so anyone that is boarding soon keep an eye out for a young Asst. Cruise Staffer named Joe Philips. He's a young, blond guy from WA and he's still getting comfortable with his first contract with HAL. If you get the chance, invite him to dinner in the Pinnacle (We took him and he LOVED it!) and tell him that John, Shana, Charlie and Michelle say hi! (If a PAX invites a Cruise Staffer to dinner, they get out of any staff obligations they have for that night so t's a nice treat for them!) :)

[RuthC]

The thought of being on the Sun Deck to take those pictures scares me to death! I've been in tough seas and you couldn't pay me enough to go out there under those conditions.

Kudos to the staff who cleaned up that awful mess so the passengers could get back to being on vacation.

Many, many thanks for the photos.

[DeltaBC]

Thanks So much for posting those pictures.We were on the Rotterdam that night but couldn't leave the cabin.So it was great to see that you were so brave to take thoses pictures.It was a very exciting and scarey trip.

[Bucky3]

Thank you for sharing these pictures. Thank goodness no one was seriously hurt during this ordeal. It's hard to believe that part. I would think there might have been a heart attack or two......Maybe there will be a lot of "good deals" to be had on north Atlantic cruises next fall!

[RuthC]

Maybe there will be a lot of "good deals" to be had on north Atlantic cruises next fall!From your lips to HAL's ears! (but it's July next year.)

[PoohUnderstands]

I agree with all that has been said. But my hope and desire is that HAL and all similiar cruise ships have learned from this and have created a backup system!! From what I heard that there was so much rocking that the fuel filters got clogged and to fix had to turn off, etc. etc. I do hope they have changed the design or something so this can't happen again in any type of bad weather!!

[CasinoBar]

I agree with all that has been said. But my hope and desire is that HAL and all similiar cruise ships have learned from this and have created a backup system!! From what I heard that there was so much rocking that the fuel filters got clogged and to fix had to turn off, etc. etc. I do hope they have changed the design or something so this can't happen again in any type of bad weather!!

...and that is... Not even a backup system is enough to keep things running smoothly. We were told that there were redundant systems on board to prevent such a mishap. Sometimes even backup systems fail. HAL did whatever they could in their power to prevent this from happeneing but... the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray... HAL has had a pristine record for about 130 years (barring sunken ships etc...). I think that ONE 3 hour bout of trouble is nothing to sneeze at in 130 years. By those numbers, they're batting close to a thousand when it comes to PAX safety and well being. As far as passengers on that cruise have been told, the lubricating oil filters are what got clogged. It MAY have been due to rough seas which kicked up a bunch of sediment in the oil...who knows... The fact remains that for the most part, the passengers are safe and sound, the ship (in all its beauty) is intact and still seaworthy and we have a night to remember. Assuming that we spent a grand total of 408 hours aboard the m/s Rotterdam that cruise, only 1.36% of that time was under duress. I was happy to receive 50% of my paid cruise fare (for a deluxe verandah suite no less!) as compensation. All in all, I enjoyed the cruise, the staff, the experience and everything that HAL has to offer and would not hesitate to recommend them to friend. I hope you all feel the same way... :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for the pictures - enjoyed them.

[~Nereus~]

Nice dose of reality. Last year I remember a picture posting of a 75 ft wave hitting the Rotterdam..

We were on the golden Princess two years ago when 7 windows were broken as a result of hurricane induced waves... nothing like your experience on the 'Dam though.

[CasinoBar]

I thought I'd bump the thread up one last time just in case there was anyone who has not yet seen these pictures. I will be removing them from our server shortly so If anyone would like a peek or hasn't seen them yet, now's your chance!

/John

Rotterdam Stranded Pictures (http://www.fakemusic.ca/rotterdam)

[Two@Sea]

Ok, I am really sorry to be the one to bring this up, but...

You said passengers were asked to remain wherever they were, yet you have pictures from all over the ship, including areas usually accessable only to the crew. The pictures are amazing, but personally, I would have preferred it if you remained in a safe location as instructed. Your well-being is far more important to me than seeing those photos from the deck.

[szdiver]

Reminds me of the Maasdam where we were on our balcony in the Middle of the Panama Canal and the rudder was turned. The Captain ordered full speed ahead at this time, and the water from the pool emptied out over our balcony and all the dishes were broken that were being readied for dinner. Man that was a ride.....

Great pictures.....and I do think you were brave to be out and about during that time....

[Globaliser]

You said passengers were asked to remain wherever they were, yet you have pictures from all over the ship, including areas usually accessable only to the crew. The pictures are amazing, but personally, I would have preferred it if you remained in a safe location as instructed. Your well-being is far more important to me than seeing those photos from the deck.I think that if you read the blurb at the top of the page, you'll find that the pictures come from multiple sources.

[Two@Sea]

Oops... did not read the blurb. I really must make a better effort to check for blurbs! Sorry.

[CasinoBar]

My Mother was in a bit of a state during the incident so I did stay (almost) put for the greater part of duration of the blackout. We had aft cabins on the Navigation Deck so we just sort of hung out there for the most part trying to keep people's spirits up! The only wandering I did was up to the Lido Restaurant to get some shots and footage of the damage there. Watching the buffet trays sliding back and forth across the deck was pretty cool though! My pictures are the ones from the aft foyer and the lido, the others just sort of happened into my posession one day ;).

[~Nereus~]

From web news:

"ROTTERDAM Meets KARL
September 29: When the MS ROTTERDAM sailed in to Halifax yesterday, she was greeted by ambulances after passengers and crew were injured when the ship met with with monster waves generated by hurricane Karl in the North Atlantic. About 12 passengers were taken to hospital with suspected fractures and severe bruising. The cruise ship was sailing to New York from Greece, when it hit rough water about 900 kilometres east of St. John's, Newfoundland and was diverted to Halifax. Passengers described the increasing severity of the storm and the ship's eventual loss of power. For about almost 4 hours the ship was reportedly tossed about in total darkness. Engineers from Holland America Line inspected the ship at Pier 21 in Halifax and she was cleared to depart for New York. Hurricane Karl generated waves averaging about 20 metres."