Disney Magic stuck in Bahamas!

[chicklogical]

Disney Magic cannot leave Bahamas because of 50mph winds. Expected to return to Port Canaveral late tonight or early tomorrow causing over 5000 displaced passengers (both debarking and embarking total). Airports and hotels been notified....

[cruzmaven]

News story from local tv station:

 

PORT CANAVERAL -- News 13 has learned high winds have left the Disney Magic cruise ship stuck in the Bahamas.

The ship was due back at Port Canaveral Saturday morning.

Port security officials confirmed to News 13 that 50 mph winds and high waves have kept the ship from undocking from Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line’s private island.

The port said it did not expect the ship to be back in Central Florida until at least 6 or 7 p.m. Saturday, though officials added it may be closer to 8 p.m. before the ship arrives.

The Disney Magic will have to cruise into the northwesterly wind on its journey back to the U.S. It is expected to take 13 hours to reach Port Canaveral.

:

[ducklite]

I guess there are worse places to be stranded, but with the weather already causing massive delays and cancellations in the airports around the country, this is only going to make things worse.

 

I guess it might be a blessing for people trying to get into Orlando to leave--it buys them a few extra hours. But if the ship isn't docking until 8:00 pm, I'd say that pretty much everyone on it has missed their flight home. Many hotels are already at capacity due to the race this weekend, what a mess.

 

Good luck to everyone involved!

[grand isle joe]

Weather...everyone talks about it but nobody does anything....sounds like a good decision to me. Any captain worth his/her salt would agree.

[uffdafla]

but this delay will also make the wonder have to adjust to port availability? on sunday morning

[cycle27]

Or will they send the Wonder to Port Everglades?

[ducklite]

Or will they send the Wonder to Port Everglades?

 

I doubt it, that wouldn't really speed up anything--they'd still need to transport everyone down there and back.

[debnjoe1438]

Do you suppose the cruise ships order enough food "just in case" there is an extra day.:rolleyes:

[cruizer4662]

Do you suppose the cruise ships order enough food "just in case" there is an extra day.:rolleyes:

 

All cruise ships carry at least 2 extra days food. They also carry a additional 2 weeks of "liquid" drinks onboard.

[Johncn]

Disney Magic cannot leave Bahamas because of 50mph winds. Expected to return to Port Canaveral late tonight or early tomorrow causing over 5000 displaced passengers (both debarking and embarking total). Airports and hotels been notified....

 

Hello,

 

Updated article Disney Magic being stuck in Bahamas by winds on the Florida Today website:

 

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100213/BREAKINGNEWS/100213002/1006/NEWS01/High+winds+keep+Disney+Cruise+ship+from+Port+Canaveral

 

That's really going to be tough on Sisney passengers, as the ship won't be in until late tonight at the earliest, so many will be wandering around Port Canaveral and Cocoa beaching as refugees.

 

Johncn

[busdriver2]

We are waiting at home in Orlando to head out for our cruise that was suppose to start today. My father-in-law just called to say he heard on the news that the Magic won't be in till Sunday. I am going to call shortly to find out when.

[ducklite]

Channel 13 is reporting that Disney is scrambling to find Disney resort rooms for the night for passengers waiting to board the Magic, and they are all being offered a free day at Epcot.

 

It sounds like they are trying their best to accomodate people for what is in reality an act of God with the weather.

 

The disadvantage to their plan is that it's COLD out here in central Florida with a brisk wind--I wouldn't want to visit Epcot today.

 

Based on the fact that they are looking for hotel rooms for people who are supposed to be embarking today, it seems that the ship won't be back in port until tomorrow. I see a huge problem trying to get people's air rebooked, because of all the race fans who will be flying out starting tomorrow night. There aren't going to many empty seats.

[Cuizer2]

Things will get interesting on Sunday. The Disney Wonder is also scheduled to dock on Sunday, and there is only room for one ship to dock at the Disney dock. The dock next door will be full of the Freedom of the Seas. So one of the Disney ships will have to dock on the north side ...

 

Disney Magic docked at its home port in Port Canaveral ...

 

 

As you can see, there is only room for one ship ...

 

 

There might be space on the north side, where the Carnival Fantasy is ...

 

 

Here is an overhead view of Port Canaveral ...

 

[ducklite]

Carnival and RCCL both have a ship leave every Sunday out of Port Canaveral. There are only three berths for cruise ship passengers there. As I see it they have four choices:

 

1. Wait until the Wonder leaves to dock the Magic.

2. Dock the Magic and disembark the passengers, pull her away into open water and unload the Wonder, then bring her back into port to load the Magic. (This seems like more hassle than it's worth and doesn't really resolve the problem, as you are tentatively screwing up Wonder passenger travel plans as well.)

3. Dock in Port Everglades, bus everyone getting off back to Port Canveral, and bring everyone getting on to Port Everglades. At the end of the trip, bus them all back again.

4. Wait until Monday to dock at Port Canaveral.

 

None of them are really good choices, and I think they're going to have livid passengers no matter what they do. On top of it there is another snow storm set to hit across the midwest and to the east coast starting tomorrow.

[catl331]

I bet they find a place for her in Pt Canaveral. A few yrs ago a Norwegian Cruise Line ship had mechanical problems as it left the port and limped back in. It took them a few days to find flights to take passengers back to nY and they found room for that ship and others at the port.

[pcutrone]

It's sad that this had to happen, however people should be thankful that if it had to happen at all, it happened on a Disney ship. Disney has thousands of hotel rooms, hundreds of buses and other transportation vehicles, they are great at customer service and they have the employees to handle this for 5,000 passengers. They will minimize the damage as best they can, however they will still have MANY irate passengers. I feel terrible for all of those passengers and wish everyone involved the very best of luck.

[hencoll]

It's sad that this had to happen, however people should be thankful that if it had to happen at all, it happened on a Disney ship. Disney has thousands of hotel rooms, hundreds of buses and other transportation vehicles, they are great at customer service and they have the employees to handle this for 5,000 passengers. They will minimize the damage as best they can, however they will still have MANY irate passengers. I feel terrible for all of those passengers and wish everyone involved the very best of luck.

 

Yes, but it is also a holiday weekend(a good number of schools have winter break) and usually a crowded weekend for Walt Disney World. The resort themselves may be pretty full. Disney will do the best they can for those affected.

[pcutrone]

Very true hencoll, it is race week and a lot of kids are off from school next week. I live in NY and know many people that have rescheduled their vacations because of the less than ideal weather conditions in central Florida this week. They can stay home to have bad weather! Let's hope they find rooms for all of them!

[outerspaceguy]

All cruise ships carry at least 2 extra days food. They also carry a additional 2 weeks of "liquid" drinks onboard.

 

I've always wondered which a cruise ship would run out of first:

 

a] food

b] fuel

c] fresh water (okay, fine: tied to b)

[channelways1972]

;)

 

Both ships will be in port at the same time; The Majic will probably go to one of the older berths near the entrance to the harbor where Premier used to berth.

 

:)

[teach22042]

I just saw on Twitter, following someone about to board the ship, that the Magic is out to sea, heading home to Florida. What an adventure for all the folks. People on the Disney boards are saying that the ships carry multiple days of extra food. Tomorrow should be crowded at the port!

[grand isle joe]

i've always wondered which a cruise ship would run out of first:

 

A] food

b] fuel

c] fresh water (okay, fine: Tied to b)

 

booze!

[pcutrone]

Last week I sailed on the Independence of the Seas and they ran out of butter on Friday. I've never had that happen on a ship, but it makes me wonder how much "extra" they carry in case something like this happens. In my humble opinion, Disney does everything better so I'm sure they are better prepared than others.

[Host Mick]

They shoult raft them up. Just drop down a few fenders and you're good. That would be cool if they used the lobby gangways. Walk out of the Magic through the Wonder to get ashore. The Wonder's lobby would be eerily similar, like some sort of parallel universe.

In Sea Scouts, we would raft dozens of boats together, sometimes underway. Its a piece of cake.

[ducklite]

Last week I sailed on the Independence of the Seas and they ran out of butter on Friday. I've never had that happen on a ship, but it makes me wonder how much "extra" they carry in case something like this happens. In my humble opinion, Disney does everything better so I'm sure they are better prepared than others.

 

Butter? Really? how the heck can you run out of butter? Somebody screwed that one up, big time.

 

But then again based on my experience with Royal Caribbean, it doens't really surprise me.

 

I went to McDonalds once. They had no burgers. Or chicken. All they had were fish filets. How the heck can McDonalds be out of burgers?