cougaraz

True, but there is a big difference between many ports, for instance Fort Lauderdale and Houston/Bayport. I have lived in Houston since 1968 and I know the bay well. Cruise ships in Fort Lauderdale have about 1 mile to sail before reaching open waters. From Houston/Bayport the cruise ship (only one until late 2014) has to sail through 29 miles of the Houston Ship Channel which is nothing more than a ditch dug out in a large very shallow bay. The channel is 530 feet wide and 50+ ships and 300+ barges move through it every day - when meeting other ships such as the Caribbean Princess the ships pass very close to each other, about 100-150 feet apart (about 80 feet on the starboard sides as safety from running aground)

 

Princess moved from Galveston (7 miles to open sea, 5 of which are in the wider Galveston Jetties) to Houston/Bayport because of the economic incentives that were offered, however I think this was a bad move which did not help passengers. Maybe they will reconsider once the contract is up.

I agree with you, my point was simply that bad things go wrong in ports all around the world. However, the longer you are near shoal water, the greater the chance that something can go wrong. The hydrography of the Gulf Coast is particularly challenging.

I don't want to be a total downer, but there really isn't any place you can sail in and out of without the risk of something like this happening. Wherever there is maritime traffic there is the chance that something bad will happen. However, oil does tend to be persistent and the potential damage to the ship from sailing through the slick is a huge factor.

I think the waffling by Princess was not a classy move, but glad they went back to the original offer. I think it was very generous.

I have seen the channel obstructed or blocked by various issues (spills, vessels aground or in distress or on one occasion an F/A-18 in the water) in New York, San Diego, Honolulu, Manama, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai off the top of my head.

"I know better and I refuse to do as I'm told."

Makes for a good epitaph on your gravestone.

Sure can and I took it seriously even though many other passengers continued doing their own thing. We were told to stay in our cabins after the announcement by a crew member in person in the hall way. I don't think so! We saw at least 8 fire fighters dressed in their fire fighting gear. Why would we stay in our cabin when we could smell the smoke and the captain announced FIRE! No wonder things go awfully wrong at times like this.

You should stay in your cabin because the last thing fire fighters need is passengers in their way as they try to combat the casualty.

As for the profanity, in my time in the Navy I've unfortunately had to deal with several fires and despite my refined outward appearance while attending formal night am quite certain that there was plenty of swearing. To be frank, a fire at sea merits the finest swearing that a salty sailor can provide!

I don't doubt what you are saying, however airplanes are complicated too, yet there are passenger based standards there. There should be some reasonable resolution, weather it is with the maritime attorney or just with Celebrity being reasonable, the ball is in their court.

What would an airline give you? A meal and a room?

For those that suggest somehow this was planned by Celebrity, no offense, but you don't know what you are talking about. I find it borderline miraculous that they were able to effect a turbine change in such short order and can guarantee no profit seeking business on earth would chose a turbine change at what amount to an 'expeditionary' location for them. The cost is multiples of what it would take do it at a homeport on a schedule. Having changed out many U.S. Navy gas turbines over the years, I can say I am impressed at the schedule on which they completed the change and that they did it so far from a major support hub.

Also from the contract into which you voluntarily entered with Celebrity:

6. CANCELLATION, DEVIATION OR SUBSTITUTION BY CARRIER:

a) Carrier may for any reason at any time and without prior notice, cancel, advance, postpone or devia

te from any scheduled sailing, port of call,destination, lodging or any activity on or off the Vessel, or substitute another vessel or port of call, destination, lodging or activity. Except as provided in Section 6(e) below, Carrier shall not be liable for any claim whatsoever by Passenger, including but n

ot limited to loss, compensation or refund, byreason of such cancellation, advancement, postponement, substitution or deviation.

e) In the event that a Cruise (or the cruise component of a CruiseTour) is canceled or terminated earl

y due to mechanical failures:

i) Passenger shall have a right to a full refund of the Cruise Fare if the Cruise is canceled in full,

or a partial refund if the cruise is terminated early;ii) Carrier may cover or reimburse Passenger for additional costs (e.g. airline change fees) as deemed appropriate by the Carrier .

iii) If the passenger has travelled to the Vessel Passenger shall have a right to transportation (by m

eans selected by the Carrier to the Vessel’s scheduled port of disembarkation or the Passenger’s

home city; and

iv) Passenger shall have a right to lodging (selected by the Cruise Line) if disembarkation and an overnight stay in an unscheduled port are required due to the Cruise or cruise component of a CruiseTour being cancelled or terminated early because of such mechanical failures.

A ship is not a car or a truck or even a boat. The complexity of systems and the harsh conditions of the sea mean that even the best maintained ships in the world will experience engineering casualties. This is not a function of poor maintenance practices, neglect or grounds for litigation.

I have served on ships at sea for the last 15 years of my life and there is no such thing at 100% reliability. Cruise ships are generally miraculously clean, well maintained, efficient and reliable. Also, I think that the average non-marine engineer type would be most impressed should they see the massive effort and expertise that goes into keeping a ship operating.

You actually captured something very interesting in this picture and might not even know it. The ship just left of MISSOURI is the Canadian Navy oiler HMCS PROTECTEUR. On February 27th, she suffered a catastrophic fire in an engine room while operating in the waters near Hawaii. This photo would have been taken just before that fire.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/hmcs-protecteur-crew-fought-engine-fire-for-11-hours-1.2586636

I will stand corrected. Can't help you with the chocolates, however - that varies by cruise line.

 

Enjoy your first cruise - and let the room steward do their job for you!

Princess has always done chocolates as part of turn down service on my cruises with them. Also, my wife love chocolate and told our stewards and there were always a few extra.

One other point to consider, is the overall benefit of constant cleaning. I am in no way implying that you are an unhygienic person, but there is huge benefit to the ship and all personnel aboard with regular cleaning of as many spaces as possible. There is a reduction in total germ load and everyone wins for it. As mentioned before it also makes turn around day easier on your steward.

However, more to the point. Don't worry about it. If you tell your steward (or stewardess) that you brought your own pillowcases, they will be more than happy to leave them. They won't bother your stuff and will clean around your lay down. Also, if you want 3 bath towels, 4 hand towels, 5 wash cloths, a bucket of ice, two oranges and 11 copies of the plan of the day delivered when they do turn down service, they will do that too!

It is your vacation, you paid good money and the line is there to make your vacation amazing, so enjoy it!!!:D

Fettucini Alfredo; always good on every Princess ship on which I have sailed!

It is so nice to be able to get it whenever you want. Sometimes the menu just won't tickle my fancy, through no fault of the chef or team, but you can get the fettuccine and know it will be amazing!

They serve a cheese and artichoke souffle in the MDR as an appetizer that is absolutely amazing! It is rich and creamy, but not too fatty on the tongue!! Goes perfectly with a nice glass of wine.