On the occurence on the Legend... in John's words...

John posted this in his blog today:

I am sure many of you have already read about the incident yesterday as the Carnival Legend left Cozumel …………. and I am sure that one or two of the reports may be a little …………. ummmm ………fictional……..so as I was there from beginning to end…………..I thought you might like to know exactly what happened. So, grab a cup of tea, take a seat and let us begin.

And we start with the only humorous part of this event and it really is true because I got a call from the Cruise Director Jen around 6:10pm and when she called…………….guess what ………… yep……………I was in my cabin…………in my underpants.

Anyway, Jen told me that I should come to the bridge as we were experiencing problems. Luckily my cabin is on deck 8 so I had a short walk and as soon as I arrived I could see what the problem was. The first thing that struck me was how angry the sky was. I had been on my balcony an hour or so ago and the sky was blue and the sun was as hot as Megan Fox’s bottom.

But now…….oh my goodness how things had suddenly and dramatically changed. It was noisy, dark and horrific. I could hear the thumping of rain crashing down against the ship and the wind was howling as though hundreds of wolves were outside baying for our blood. The sky was as dark as an Ed Wood movie and the sea, even within the protection of the harbor looked like it had been given the good news with a huge egg whisk……….. And was full of foreboding swells.

And the result of all this weather was that we were getting closer and closer to the Enchantment of the Seas which was docked in Cozumel on the opposite pier.

The captain was fighting the 50 knot winds with all his might using the thrusters and engines at full power. He was calm……….but at the same time you clearly see the look of concern and anguish in his eyes as he battled the elements. But I think he knew that this was one battle he wasn’t going to win and so he told Jen to make an announcement top have all the guests standing on the port side open decks and balconies to leave the area immediately and head back inside or to the middle or starboard side of the vessel………Jen made this announcement calmly and clearly and it’s a good thing she did………….because moments later we touched……not Jen and I…………I mean the Carnival Legend touched the Enchantment of the Seas.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Well, the damage could have been a lot worse. There is lots of broken glass on deck 3 port side where the ships “met” and we also have a bent railing and one damaged life raft. There is also broken glass in the guest relations back office but amazingly no damage at all to guest cabins or entertainment areas. The life raft has already been replaced as we of course always sail with extras and the ship’s crew is already starting to replace the broken glass.

As for the RCI ship……well…she sailed away from Cozumel on time…….the two captains spoke as did the bearded Safety Managers from both companies and I am sure apologies and fruit baskets were sent by Carnival to RCI.

For about two hours we inspected the damage and a pilot boat from the Cozumel sailed around us looking to see if there was any structural damage to the Carnival Legend. Then, after the inspections were completed and permission given by the Mexican authorities the ship sailed to Belize from where I am writing this blog to you now. Today, we will be joined by a safety team from Carnival Cruise Lines and a Lloyd’s inspector who together will give a thorough inspection of the vessel.

http://johnhealdsblog.com/2009/10/01/a-touching-blog/#more-11427

Pictures accompany the blog.

Mach

Thank you....wow he sure does have a way with words

That must have been scary...thank heavens the damage was so slight

I still think that enterprising CC roll call members on board could patch it up with their

duct tape and other supplies <grin>

Thanks for keeping us updated Host Mach (I hadn't got around to reading John's bloggy thing yet).

I am just happy that there weren't any injuries and the damage is not serious. How frightening for the pax. Sounds like the captain and crew did an awesome job though.

Miriam

Mach you left out the best part:

"The guests have been amazing and so far we have received only one negative comment from a guest who feels they deserve compensation for this……"

There is always at least one.

"The guests have been amazing and so far we have received only one negative comment from a guest who feels they deserve compensation for this………..they have no injuries, no damage to their cabin or possessions……….but they feel that some money is due them. It isn’t……..and they are getting bugger all."

I just had to laugh at this....

It would be interesting to find out what could have been done differently. Stay tied up, the other ship leaves first, etc. if the weather turns bad like that.

I love Carnival, everything was under control and no one was hurt. A perfect ending to what could have been a terrible tragedy.

There is always at least one.

yes.... *sigh*

 

 

Pictures accompany the blog.

ouch....:(

Hey...prepare for the "fun"..that one unhappy cruiser will surely find their way here

get the popcorn popped :)

She'll be back to normal in no time at all!

Read his blog. This part made me LOL -

The guests have been amazing and so far we have received only one negative comment from a guest who feels they deserve compensation for this………..they have no injuries, no damage to their cabin or possessions……….but they feel that some money is due them. It isn’t……..and they are getting bugger all.

Some people will use ANY excuse to demand compensation.

Opps guess Winterstale beat me to it. =P

I'm so very grateful there were no passenger/crew injuries on either ship, and glad that all could continue on with their planned vacations (and on time). :)

Also happy to read that the lady shopping specialist onboard Carnival Legend wasn't blamed for the collision, since she's already been thrown under the bus, in a public way, earlier this week.

I'm thinking about driving over to Tampa on Sunday to check out the ship, and will get some pictures.

Also happy to read that the lady shopping specialist onboard Carnival Legend wasn't blamed for the collision, since she's already been thrown under the bus, in a public way, earlier this week.

 

What do you mean?

Mach you left out the best part:

 

"The guests have been amazing and so far we have received only one negative comment from a guest who feels they deserve compensation for this……"

 

There is always at least one.

Yeah... I did leave that out... intentionally. Had I included I would have included the follow on...

"they have no injuries, no damage to their cabin or possessions……….but they feel that some money is due them. It isn’t……..and they are getting bugger all."

which is as it should be...

;)

enough about the ships,,, can we get back to Megan Fox's bottom? :D

please post the pictures thanks don planning my next cruise the grandkids are hooked want to go again.

Remember the time you dented or scratched your car trying to park …………. ladies…………..I am talking to you………seriously though………remember how bad you felt when you put a scratch on the paint work? Well imagine how you would feel if your car was worth hundreds of millions of dollars and you had the responsibility of 2,200 people who were inside ……….. and ………….you hit another car nearly as valuable. Well, that’s how our captain feels today…………and I feel for him.

This made me giggle. He definitely has a way with words. Poor captain though.

Wow, the difference in the weather in an hour or so was so dramatic. I'm sure the Captain did everything he could and probably was responsible for keeping the damage to a minimum. Thank goodness no one was hurt and the damage was fairly minor.

Thanks for the post, Mach!

That post by John is really well written. Who knows if he ever gives up the cruise director gig he could write a book about his adventures with Carnival.

Those winds were pretty strong. It is amazing what wind can do. It moved the ship against the efforts of the engines/propellers, or whatever moves a ship.

A storm system of this magnitude normally does not just appear. I thought there was a way to follow the weather and predict to a degree when it might be hazardous to operate a ship. I know that I don't really know much about this, or about sea conditions. Or operating a ship. So I am not trying to second guess the captain, I am just surprised at how this caught them off guard.

I'm glad everybody is safe.

John's blog always makes us laugh.

We had 40 knot winds on the Pride this past week coming back up the coast, and you could feel the ship rocking in every direction. It doesn't surprise me at all that the Captain had troubles. :(

Those winds were pretty strong. It is amazing what wind can do. It moved the ship against the efforts of the engines/propellers, or whatever moves a ship.

 

A storm system of this magnitude normally does not just appear. I thought there was a way to follow the weather and predict to a degree when it might be hazardous to operate a ship. I know that I don't really know much about this, or about sea conditions. Or operating a ship. So I am not trying to second guess the captain, I am just surprised at how this caught them off guard.

 

I'm glad everybody is safe.

It seems the ship was actually being blown sideways and a bit backward.

The storm was off the starboard side. The Peurta Maya pier is probably 1/4 mile from the International where RCI docks.

The Legend's bow is pointed out to sea and away from the dock and the RCI ship with no room to maneuver, no ability to turn.

These ships are a few hundred feet tall and, in the case of the Legend, 960 feet long, little more than a massive sail. With the wind blowing nearly directly from starboard at 50 knots the thrusters couldn't possibly keep the ship from drifting to port.

It could have all been very much worse.

It seems the ship was actually being blown sideways and a bit backward.

 

The storm was off the starboard side. The Peurta Maya pier is probably 1/4 mile from the International where RCI docks.

 

The Legend's bow is pointed out to sea and away from the dock and the RCI ship with no room to maneuver, no ability to turn.

 

These ships are a few hundred feet tall and, in the case of the Legend, 960 feet long, little more than a massive sail. With the wind blowing nearly directly from starboard at 50 knots the thrusters couldn't possibly keep the ship from drifting to port.

 

It could have all been very much worse.

 

I noticed in the pics the captain had even dropped the anchors in hopes of stopping them. That had to have been some really crazy wind/seas to still move the ship :eek:

Granted that our pontoon boat is MUCH smaller..........BUT.............We KNOW what wind can do, even to a small craft. I've been caught in a cross wind where a 70 hp motor would NOT let me change direction. all I ran into was a dock. I can't imagine trying to control a cruise ship in high winds!!!:eek:

I love Carnival, everything was under control and no one was hurt. A perfect ending to what could have been a terrible tragedy.

I would hardly say that Carnival had everything "under control". They hit another ship:eek:. Would not be surprised to see the captain relieved of his duties shortly (and rightly so).

Bottomline is the captain screwed up. Period.