Rotterdam Sep 14 Hurricane Incident - Pictures as promised!

OK...I'll try a few different methods here. I finally had the chance to upload the digital pics from my parents' trip in which the Rotterdam encountered Hurricane Karl in the North Atlantic and lost power for 3 hours during the storm.

First, here is the link to the gallery where I uploaded the pics. NOTE: This is a 4 page gallery, and the first 2 1/2 pages are from around my neighborhood after Hurricane Frances dealt us a blow...the Rotterdam pics begin about halfway down page 3, which I am linking here:

http://www.funtigo.com/zackiedawg?b=191115&c=177495&p=2.0&n=2&af=y&nav=next

You are welcome to look at the Frances pics...but just didn't want anyone to get confused if the page loads pictures that don't look like the Rotterdam! There are 3 pics on page 3 related to the Rotterdam, and the rest are on page 4...in case you can't get to page 4 in my gallery, here is a direct link:

http://www.funtigo.com/zackiedawg?b=191115&c=177495&p=3.0&n=3&af=y&nav=next

Here is one of the pics which I will try to post directly to this thread:

When viewing the gallery, the pics are smaller size...to see a larger version of any picture, just hover the mouse over the picture, then click on the icon that appears in the top left corner...you will see a drop-down menu with a choice to view a larger version. I uploaded all pics in a maximum of 800x600 to save some space.

Sorry the pics aren't high quality...I'm sure it was dark and nerves were a bit frayed, so taking the perfect picture wasn't exactly on their minds! But this will give you an idea of the type of damage the ship suffered - cosmetic, messy, but not structural or life threatening. Certainly enough to put a damper on the cruise though!

Comments welcome.

Oh My!!!!

Thanks for the pix.

Wow!!! Those are great pictures! Thanks so much for posting them ... it gives us a real feel of what it must have been like. Both DH and I decided we're not ever doing an Atlantic crossing. We weren't tempted anyway, but this cinches it.

Incredible pictures. Thank you for sharing them with us. It's amazing not more people were hurt.

Have been in rough seas - not always fun times!

Thanks for sharing the photos.

Looks like you all had a wild ride.. Glad your ok.. :)

Wow, what pictures! Thank you.

Thanks for posting the pictures from your parent's cruise on the Rotterdam.

It is amazing that a lot of people weren't seriously hurt.

Incredible pictures! That's actually more damage than I'd imagined. The grand piano upside down was particularly interesting.....the captain and the crew obviously had their hands full. Now I'll never get DW on a trans-Atlantic. :(

Wow, those are some pics. Doesn't remind me of any cruise I've been on (luckily), but it does bring back memories of college days in my fraternity.:D

I have to agree with Heather, this would cinch it for me about doing a cross Atlantic Cruise. I will stick to where the ship can get to Land a little bit sooner. I can only imagine how bad my motion sickness would get. There would be no way my Bonine would work on that.:eek:

Thanks so much for sharing your pictures, this could scare a first time cruiser so glad I never saw this before our first cruise;)

I, too, want to thank you for taking the time to post your parents pictures. Quite an experience I would say. The few pictures of the ocean (I presume a day later?) don't look as bad as what we experienced last year on the Rotterdam though. I think the biggest problem was no power this time.

Thanks again. Wonder what our Maasdam cruise next July will hold for thrillers??

I've never seen (or imagined) anything quite like these. It is truly amazing no one was hurt. It is hard to imagine what it must have been like as a passenger.

Thank you for sharing.

thank you so very much for posting these pictures. just looking at them breaks my heart---I recognize every shot. :(

Ruthc, I am sure those pictures brought back memories for you!!

You are all welcome...I really wanted to make sure the middle ground was reached between those underestimating what scare the passengers went through and those overestimating the damage the ship sustained. And for everyone else, I just wanted to show what happened!

My parents are regular cruisers...80+ times each...and had been through hurricanes, earthquakes, and other incidents none of which ever scared them from cruising more. Though my stepfather took it fine, he is currently saying he's done the Transatlantic enough, and doesn't need to do it again. They've crossed maybe 15 times, and always had calm seas and no incidents...he figures they pushed their luck and finally got a piece of the North Atlantic everyone usually talks about. My mother wasn't deterred though...she'd get on this weekend crossing the Atlantic if the price was right.

I have been in several stormy seas on board various-sized vessels, and am not much prone to seasickness luckily. I was on one previous cruise with a larger incident...The Carnival Jubilee Mexican Riviera cruise out of Los Angeles in late 1993. Coming out of Puerto Vallarta, during the deck party, the ship listed sharply and the winds picked up ferociously...the ship sat on what was claimed by the captain as a 17-degree list for over a minute before recovering...it FELT like alot more than 17 degrees, but apparently those slab-sided ferry cruisers can't handle much more than 20 degrees, so it was probably accurate.

The result was similar to the pics here, but on a lesser scale: chairs knocked over, bars emptied of bottles and glasses, buffet lines tossed to the deck, and a good bit of the pool emptied over the port side and made its way down the staircase. But pianos and casino tables tossed over is the next level!

I would guess the best preventer of large injuries was that the ship would have been rolling in heavy seas but still somewhat stable until the power was lost...after momentum was lost, the ship would slowly give in to the wave action and begin more random bobbing...so the passengers had some warning as the roughness and tossing slowly built up, allowing most people to find the most stable place to settle down and ride it out. Those who were hurt were primarily those who were caught taking a nap in their cabins who didn't know it was happening, or those who might have been trying to walk or move around during the worst of the tossing.

As for the seas...the shots in the gallery were from the morning before the power-loss, when the seas were getting larger and loooking ominous. I would guess the seas grew somewhat larger during the peak of the power-loss, but may not have ever grown to the level seen last year. The difference, of course, was the power loss which prevented the ship from facing its bow into the oncoming waves and control the motion. Even a 20-30 foot sea hitting from the side of the ship instead of the front can be quite a ride!

Thanks again Justin!

I notice on your list of cruises you have "Carla C" - which line is that? My Mom still talks about a cruise she took on the "Carla" and I keep thinking she's just confused... :confused:

Amazing and scary pictures! Last year we boarded the Rotterdam for the cruise after the one that RuthC was on. I remember the crew talking about the crossing. I'll bet they are REALLY talking about this one. The overturned piano is, I believe, in the Ocean Bar. When we boarded last year, Perry Grant was playing that piano during embarkation. So even overturned, it brings back some wonderful memories of Perry and his Piano Bar.

I notice on your list of cruises you have "Carla C" - which line is that? My Mom still talks about a cruise she took on the "Carla" and I keep thinking she's just confused... :confused:

I can answer that question! I was on the Carla Costa in 1988 for my very first cruise and it was absolutely gorgeous! It had been retrofitted in 1984 and was in excellent condition. It will always be my favorite ship, although Celebrity's Horizon comes very close. (I prefer smaller ships!) I can see why your Mom still talks about her cruise!

In 1992 the Carla Costa was sold to the Greek Epirotiki Line, and renamed Pallas Athena. In 1994, a fire, which started in an empty stateroom as passengers were disembarking, and spread quickly, destroyed the ship. The superstructure of the ship collapsed on itself and after the fire burned itself out, the ship was towed out to sea and sunk. If anyone knows any more details, I'd love to hear about what happened.

Yikes! :eek: To experience that would end cruising so far as my DW is concerned. I agree with others who have said that would clinch the decision to not do a crossing.

Thanks so much for posting the pictures. It really let us know what the ship looked like. Penny

I don't know about staying away from any crossing. Engine failures can happen anywhere. Certainly, after this year we all might be choosing more carefully about where to cruise during hurricane season.

Oh my! Sooooo sad. Having taken the eastbound transatlantic on the Rotterdam in June, this is very hard to look at. Thank you for sharing and how fortunate they were able to continue sailing from New York. What a huge job it must have been to get everything back in order,

Thanks for posting the pictures. We sailed the transatlantic 34 day cruise this past summer on the Rotterdam and know all the places in the pictures very well, and we also live in the same town and Hurricane Frances did as much, maybe more to our neighborhood. I can't say it was a joy, but seeing both sets of pictures together was "very interesting."

Those are some amazing pix!

- Anyone know how long it took for the crew to have everything cleaned up and righted?