Conquest & Voyager Fogged-In in Galveston!

Fellow Cruisers:

It is Sunday night, 12 midnight, now starting Monday. The fog is so dense in Galveston that both Carnival Conquest and Voyager OTS are still tied to the pier. The word from Chris, the Cruise Director, is that he'll give us periodic updates, but that there is no leaving port with this dense fog. Some of us are thinking when we leave will then determine the consequences from a weather delay, including any dropped ports or late arriving ports. One lady guest in the 10 pm Welcome Aboard Show said that their family is here on the ship for a Tuesday wedding on Key West. Chris said that he wished her well, meaning, no promises. No one knows when we'll leave Galveston.

The weather report online shows that we'll get rain tomorrow late morning, which we certainly can cruise through. I hope everyone who cruises knows that we must be flexible to whatever happens to our good ship and crew. My wife and I have cruised this week essentially every year since 2004. We have had our share of December fog, but certainly this is the worst.

I believe there are many Carnival people working out Plan A, Plan B, etc., for all of us guests. We all appreciate what they are doing. This is certainly the most expensive hotel room I have rented in Galveston. But also the nicest!

More updates later. I expect we'll leave port sometime tomorrow morning. The shopping and excursion report starts at 10:30 am in the main auditorium. I'll bet the crew will try to have a plan, if they can, by then.

We were one of many Cruise Critic readers who read with interest and care about the many people whose cruise plans were changed by the technical problems a couple of weeks ago on Norwegian Dawn. We are not facing any problems like that -- we must, however, make the decision that some vacations will be a surprise, and we'll be OK regardless of what happens. Again, the ship's crew is likely planning numerous options for us.

Our CD, Chris, told us at the Welcome Aboard Show that all of the crew is working to provide us a fun, FUN, vacation. I'll adjust my expectations, so we can be part of the guests who support planning with uncertainty!

Hope you are well. Our vacation stories are yet to be written. More from Carnival Conquest soon.

Bob and Donna from Dallas/Ft. Worth

What line is the Voyager? Is it RCI? I thought that only Carnival went out of Galveston any more -- and that with Conquest & Ecstasy only.

Good luck on the fog dispersal!

On our New Years' Conquest cruise last year we got fogged in on arrival and I was ever so glad!! :-) I got to sleep in my room for *hours* longer! My husband was roaming the ship but I'd been up til about 4am making the most of my last night. We didn't disembark until 3pm. We're in Austin so the drive's an easy one.

Hi Candleshoe:

Earlier this Sunday, 12-13-09, Voyager (part of Royal Caribbean) just returned from Europe, I believe. So for 19 weeks, we have Voyager OTS, as well as the 2 Carnival products, Conquest and Ecstasy. We are just taking a vacation. There's no wedding for us to catch on Key West, or other rendezvous plans to execute. But it is just a funny feeling -- we are all still subject to the weather. How we respond to these events will tell us if we are flexible enough to enjoy cruising, because no cruise company can lift this fog tonight. And, we can lift our expectations, and adjust.

Happy CLEAR cruising!

Bob and Donna from Dallas/Ft. Worth

Thanks for the reply Bob. You two have fun, you hear? :)

Fog at a port is a fact of life... It happens... it's weather. In fact, fog is the reason that 'Cruisin' With The Crazies' came about.

Looking at the latest weather info it seems that it's unlikely that the fog will lift 'til about 10 or 11 AM. However, it's a relatively short steam to Key West so the folks who have wedding plans there should be fine.

Please understand that Carnival has no control over the decision to sail or not. The Harbormaster, guided by the Coast Guard, makes the decision to close the port and also makes the decision to reopen it.

The weather, the option to leave, is nothing that Carnival has a say in.

All will be well. Y'all are on vacation. The only difference is that your mobile hotel is currently not so mobile.

Have a great time!!!

:)

Bob and Donna,

I'm waving at you over the Cruise Cam at Galveston.com!!!

Two years ago, in Feb, the Ecstasy was fogged in, and we spent the night in Galveston.

* I know they won't let you off the ship. Once you clear the port and are onboard, you must stay there. (Customs and Homeland Security... and being able to leave the second they say you can without having to clear all that again!!! And, they can't keep a port staff there all night.)

* I know how funny it is to walk around in the fog outside on deck and hear cars and traffic go by.

* And I know the bars must charge sales tax and there are no stores open and the Casino is closed.

BUT, I also know how much fun it is to be on vacation and on a cruise... AND yours has started!!!! As you said, they had the welcome aboard show and all the parties and FUN FUN FUN!!!! AND they are doing everything they can!!!

We lost one port on our delay, but since you have the buffer of cruising to Key West... it's GREAT that you can still make it!!!!! We weren't able to make BOTH Progreso and Coz on our Ecstasy voyage...

BON VOYAGE and GREAT CRUISE to you!!!! Thanks for checking in!!!

Visibility in Houston this morning is about 1/2 mile, so it's probably worse in Galveston which is 45 miles from where I'm sitting right now.

Just checked the CRUISE CAM & she has now left.

GOOD LUCK on your Cruise.

Hopefully we wont have this problem in January when I am going to be on her.

Just checked the CRUISE CAM & she has now left.

 

GOOD LUCK on your Cruise.

 

Hopefully we wont have this problem in January when I am going to be on her.

I think you might need to check again.....she's still there:(.....sitting behind the fog...you can just barely see her lights shining through the fog.

We were fogged in 2 years ago in December, we did not leave until around 5 PM. They everyone a $75 credit for missing Jamacia. We also missing Grand Cayman because of a storm that form east it GC. We just got back 2 weeks ago from that cruise and all was great then. Good luck, have fun.

Carnival Conquest 11-29-09

Carnival Conquest 12-06-07

Hey Bob and Donna,

I see you are still cruising in mid December!!! Congrats on the aft balcony. Enjoyed cruising with you on Rhapsody a few years ago. Hope you have a great cruise, even with the delayed start.

Hope they get to leave soon. We were late leaving in January but didn't end up spending the night. Makes me a little worried about our upcoming one also... Oh well, can't control Mother Nature.

I thought Carnival did a great job keeping us informed with the late boarding. When we got to the terminal, we were told we could drop off bags & come back later. We walked around a bit & opted to just wait in line. By the time they started check-in, we were in zone 1 - we were served a box lunch around 3:00 & able to board around 4-5 - also received a $15 credit pp for missing lunch on board.

Hope they have CLEAR sailing soon!!

What line is the Voyager? Is it RCI? I thought that only Carnival went out of Galveston any more -- and that with Conquest & Ecstasy only.

You should try Voyager, great and beautiful ship.

Sorry to hear Galveston got the fog we had yesterday morning. We are supposed to be having fog this morning too, but not as bad, .... then it gets colder.

Good luck to both ships.

Bob and Donna,

You two have a great attitude about what cruising is all about. Like any vacation you adjust to the bad and embrace the good. We'll be on the Conquest the week of January 10th and can't wait. And if we fogged in, so be it, we will make the best of it too.

Enjoy your cruise and when you come back make sure you post a review. The review section is one of my favorite parts of CC.

Host Mach and Our Cruising Family Members:

Thank you for all of your well wishes. Here's the status: we are still tied to the pier here in Galveston. I wish I could tell you about our big sister, Voyager OTS, but, even though it's 400 feet away, I cannot see it! The fog is just so dense, I cannot make out anything from our aft balcony. OK, I just walked out to the balcony again, now 2 minutes later, and now I can vaguely see Voyager. So as of our first day, we are all land crusing. But that's OK. None of us our at work, and there's 1100 crew members who are working to give us a good time.

Some of the different things about being fogged in are: I have never seen more technicians in the casino. The sit down game tables were disassembled, and the parts set about on many chairs. You could also see some of the slots had their covers off, with techs working on them.

One of our CC members reported that the shops were closed. That is true for the duty free shops. You could still go to an open shop for toothpaste, or candy, or small items. My wife and I enjoy the full cruise atmosphere experience. So it was a little eerie to walk past the windows, and see no one in the shops, except the crew preparing the goods inside for proper exposure and sale.

We are used to seeing the aft pool cover open during the day, at least, on comfortable days. Yesterday, the sliding roof was closed. And last night

The captain is now speaking over the loud speaker at 8:17 am. There is a good shot for the fog to clear before 12 noon, and he'll get us the word when it is time to leave. And now Chris, the CD, is speaking. He has also confirmed that the Port of Galveston has kept the port closed. No in or out traffic in the Port. We will receive a written report delivered to our staterooms confirming our updated plans probably this morning or so.

Chris says it's official: we will drop one port. We will not be cruising to our second port of call, Freeport. However, Chris said that all of the changes will be confirmed as soon as the fog clears enough for us to traverse through the Ship Channel. He will try to give us more details at his 10:30 talk in the main auditorium here.

Now we have some confidence that we will have a chance to be underway in 3 hours or so. That will give everyone a lift, including the crew.

Being fogged in is surely giving us a different cruise experience! We have enjoyed many cruises, all in the Caribbean, and they have all been fun and renewing for us. Having a new cruise experience like this will surely separate this cruise from all of the others. I like to remember what President Abraham Lincoln used to say: People are as happy as they make up their mind to be!

Son of a Cruiser, I remember you both. I hope we see you soon on the blue waters again. Thank you for posting.

Other cruisers and CC members, thank you for your kind words. We feel very safe, and in a tropical environment on the ship. You cruisers on the Ecstasy and other ships that left late, or arrived late, you all had uniquie cruising experiences. Those cruises separated themselves from the others. When I sang a song last night at Karaoke (2 Pina Coladas!) I told our fellow cruisers that we go with the ship, and it doesn't matter to us really where. We just want to enjoy our vacations with them!

I will also point out that the food in the Monet dining room last night was awesome! We each enjoyed the steak, cooked as ordered to perfection. The appetizers (all four of them) were perfectly prepared, and the cocktail sauce for the shrimp had just the right amount of horseradish sauce. Yummy! Our servers, both from Thailand, told us that they wanted to give us a memorable dining experience. It's their job to do so, and they will deliver, they said. I admire the crew and CCL for creating the right training, because I don't often hear that stated sense of responsibility elsewhere in the world.

Ante, the maitre'd in the Monet dining room, changed our table for us as we requested, right after we boarded, so we could have a table for 2. He did the same thing for us this same week last December. I told him he helped us then, and again, today.

For those of you who are planning Galveston cruises on any of our 3 ships homeporting this winter in Galveston, I say don't worry. Can you imagine how much experience CCL and RCI have with bad weather and alternative plans for you? My wife and I talked last night before turning in. What is it that makes a great cruise for us? Our answer: having many new and repeat experiences with the crew, meeting fellow passengers, playing in the fun and some goofy activities, enjoying ports of call, and feeling a sense of safety and personal growth. Being tied to the pier here in Galveston this morning surely meets some of those qualities. However, knowing that our crew and the people of Carnival are working hard to give us a good vacation, also gives us a calm and hopeful feeling.

Let the fog and wind come and go. We'll have a different cruise experience to tell you all about!

More from Conquest soon. Good luck in all of your cruising plans. Your CC reporters,

Bob and Donna from Dallas/Ft. Worth

From the Carnival Conquest, Galveston, Texas

It's looking good for the fog to lift around 10 AM... from then until 5 PM y'all should be good to go...

Thank you for the great attitude and have a brilliant cruise!!!

:)

Host Mach and Our Cruising Family Members:

 

Thank you for all of your well wishes. Here's the status: we are still tied to the pier here in Galveston. I wish I could tell you about our big sister, Voyager OTS, but, even though it's 400 feet away, I cannot see it! The fog is just so dense, I cannot make out anything from our aft balcony. OK, I just walked out to the balcony again, now 2 minutes later, and now I can vaguely see Voyager. So as of our first day, we are all land crusing. But that's OK. None of us our at work, and there's 1100 crew members who are working to give us a good time.

 

Some of the different things about being fogged in are: I have never seen more technicians in the casino. The sit down game tables were disassembled, and the parts set about on many chairs. You could also see some of the slots had their covers off, with techs working on them.

 

One of our CC members reported that the shops were closed. That is true for the duty free shops. You could still go to an open shop for toothpaste, or candy, or small items. My wife and I enjoy the full cruise atmosphere experience. So it was a little eerie to walk past the windows, and see no one in the shops, except the crew preparing the goods inside for proper exposure and sale.

 

We are used to seeing the aft pool cover open during the day, at least, on comfortable days. Yesterday, the sliding roof was closed. And last night

 

The captain is now speaking over the loud speaker at 8:17 am. There is a good shot for the fog to clear before 12 noon, and he'll get us the word when it is time to leave. And now Chris, the CD, is speaking. He has also confirmed that the Port of Galveston has kept the port closed. No in or out traffic in the Port. We will receive a written report delivered to our staterooms confirming our updated plans probably this morning or so.

 

Chris says it's official: we will drop one port. We will not be cruising to our second port of call, Freeport. However, Chris said that all of the changes will be confirmed as soon as the fog clears enough for us to traverse through the Ship Channel. He will try to give us more details at his 10:30 talk in the main auditorium here.

 

Now we have some confidence that we will have a chance to be underway in 3 hours or so. That will give everyone a lift, including the crew.

 

Being fogged in is surely giving us a different cruise experience! We have enjoyed many cruises, all in the Caribbean, and they have all been fun and renewing for us. Having a new cruise experience like this will surely separate this cruise from all of the others. I like to remember what President Abraham Lincoln used to say: People are as happy as they make up their mind to be!

Son of a Cruiser, I remember you both. I hope we see you soon on the blue waters again. Thank you for posting.

 

Other cruisers and CC members, thank you for your kind words. We feel very safe, and in a tropical environment on the ship. You cruisers on the Ecstasy and other ships that left late, or arrived late, you all had uniquie cruising experiences. Those cruises separated themselves from the others. When I sang a song last night at Karaoke (2 Pina Coladas!) I told our fellow cruisers that we go with the ship, and it doesn't matter to us really where. We just want to enjoy our vacations with them!

 

I will also point out that the food in the Monet dining room last night was awesome! We each enjoyed the steak, cooked as ordered to perfection. The appetizers (all four of them) were perfectly prepared, and the cocktail sauce for the shrimp had just the right amount of horseradish sauce. Yummy! Our servers, both from Thailand, told us that they wanted to give us a memorable dining experience. It's their job to do so, and they will deliver, they said. I admire the crew and CCL for creating the right training, because I don't often hear that stated sense of responsibility elsewhere in the world.

 

Ante, the maitre'd in the Monet dining room, changed our table for us as we requested, right after we boarded, so we could have a table for 2. He did the same thing for us this same week last December. I told him he helped us then, and again, today.

 

For those of you who are planning Galveston cruises on any of our 3 ships homeporting this winter in Galveston, I say don't worry. Can you imagine how much experience CCL and RCI have with bad weather and alternative plans for you? My wife and I talked last night before turning in. What is it that makes a great cruise for us? Our answer: having many new and repeat experiences with the crew, meeting fellow passengers, playing in the fun and some goofy activities, enjoying ports of call, and feeling a sense of safety and personal growth. Being tied to the pier here in Galveston this morning surely meets some of those qualities. However, knowing that our crew and the people of Carnival are working hard to give us a good vacation, also gives us a calm and hopeful feeling.

 

Let the fog and wind come and go. We'll have a different cruise experience to tell you all about!

 

More from Conquest soon. Good luck in all of your cruising plans. Your CC reporters,

 

Bob and Donna from Dallas/Ft. Worth

From the Carnival Conquest, Galveston, Texas

I love your attitude!!! Hope ya'll get to sail soon!

Bob,

We have Aft Cabin 8448 for our September Cruise. Its our first Aft Cabin, yeah :p. Can you please post photographs of your cabin after the cruise so we can see what to expect.

Thanks , enjoy the rest of your cruise and Godspeed that you soon be underway.

Rose Marie

Fantasy is due into Mobile this morning and the port is also closed due to fog.

It sounds like you have a great attitude and will have a great time no matter what. We cruised Ecstasy out of Galveston last December on a 4 day cruise and experienced fog also. We did not board until midnight and did not get underway until after 2 am. Because it was only a 4 day cruise with a stop in Cozumel we could not make that and had to settle for Progresso. Then on our last sea day coming back in, we ran into a major cold front that made it impossible to be on the outer decks. It also created some rough seas that had an effect on lots of folks. (including my husband) We made the most of it and had a good time but I felt like we were short changed (no one's fault) and did not get the full experience of our first cruise. But when you live in this part of Texas you know to expect just about anything. We may not have to deal with large amounts of snow like the north but the weather here is very unpredictable and you just learn to go with the flow.

.....We made the most of it and had a good time but I felt like we were short changed (no one's fault) and did not get the full experience of our first cruise.>>>>>

Which means that you are going to have to book another cruise soon :p

Just curious....

Anyone know WHAT are the minimums

for visibility for ships coming and, going into port, at say Galveston?

Are different ports with different visibility requirements for the port pilots,

or, is it just based on local waters?

Any info would be welcome. ;)

Thanks.

Well I can't wait to finally see a ship leave the Galveston port. I can never remember to watch sail-away's for the life of me. Now I have been watching the cruise cam like a hawk. Enjoy your time away. Our fog lifted about 10 am this morning.

In the last 1/2 hour, the fog got real bad....shame....