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Irene - Veendam NYC Arrival/Departure 8/28

Sagedeb

By Sagedeb,
in Holland America Line

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hvsteve1

hvsteve1

Posted
Posted

I just saw an interview on CNN. A woman was saying she just got off a cruise (I wonder which one?) and was loaded on a bus with 30 people and taken to Laguardia airport. Unfortunately, the airport has been closed for hours and will not start sending out flights until at least Monday or Tuesday as all planes have been sent to other parts of the country. She, and her 30 fellow cruisers, were given food vouchers and will sleep in the empty airport. She looks on the bright side...at least there are no lines for the ladies room.

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almare

almare

Posted
Posted
I just saw an interview on CNN. A woman was saying she just got off a cruise (I wonder which one?) and was loaded on a bus with 30 people and taken to Laguardia airport. Unfortunately, the airport has been closed for hours and will not start sending out flights until at least Monday or Tuesday as all planes have been sent to other parts of the country. She, and her 30 fellow cruisers, were given food vouchers and will sleep in the empty airport. She looks on the bright side...at least there are no lines for the ladies room.

 

I was just shaking my head after watching the same thing! At least two food service kiosks are open for them.

 

Ron

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sail7seas

sail7seas

Posted
Posted

And people babble about "who needs tv or newspapers when on vacation"? You can't take a vacation from the world, IMO. You need to know there is still a world out there and anyone who had turned on CNN or Fox this week had to have heard about Hurricane Irene. Did they not look at a NY Times at sea? Is anyone really that oblivious? :confused:

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nurseone

nurseone

Posted
Posted

Just received an email - ship arrived earlier - apx 1000 passengers got off - 400+ still on board and they and crew will ride out the storm on the ship. I thought they always wanted to be away from the dock due to possible damage not only the ship but also the dock. Also planning to board new passengers for Bermuda to leave Monday 2pm. Going to be real interesting to see how this plays out with airports closed.

 

Susan

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HeatherInFlorida

HeatherInFlorida

Posted
Posted
It seems like some passengers got off and some are staying until Monday. I know if it was me, and a taxi was available, I would try to board tomorrow. I know that not everyone would take the chance, but originally I thought they said you could board on Sunday. It is taking a chance, and I would have the taxi wait a couple of minutes. You know that if a taxi is out and about it is safe to get to the terminal. Good luck to you and have a great cruise. Cherie

 

I assume you aren't anywhere near us or have any NY news? There is going to be a HURRICANE tomorrow. The eye is forecast to pass us at around noon and the entire storm wont be out until after 6pm. We will start getting serious parts of the storm at midnight and this will linger causing majory surges. Bloomberg has told the city to remain inside 24 hours, from 9pm sat to 9pm sunday. Good luck getting a cab, tough enough during a normal rain when the port area isnt flooded.

 

I am really in shock that ship is still in port, this really isnt a joke. So here is a new question, if I am scheduled to sail sept 4 and have no insurance and the ship is severely damaged because of the crazy decision to ride this out, do i get compensation or refund if cancelled? I'm less than impressed with HAL so far...

 

IF the sun is out tomorrow I will head to the beach and tan-in all likelihood i will be huddled in an interior room most of the day and i'm guessing the cab drivers will be too. But you are correct, IF there are cabs out and IF the city was open and there was no hurricane then it's a great idea to go there :)

 

um, i think i missed the personal accusations? i am very sorry if my comments have offended you, i was simply being realistic and didnt' realize you were sensitive.

 

Jennifer, don't even try to figure this out. I tried over the past couple days and there's no penetrating. I love the "taxi out and about" picture. When is a taxi in NYC "out and about" even in the best of times??? :)

 

Yikes! The CNN story is mind boggling!!! Who in their right mind would pack 30 people into a van and take them to LaGuardia tonight!!!!

 

I keep thinking that somehow/somewhere/sometime we'll learn of an explanation for all this, but right now I'm just not seeing it.

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hvsteve1

hvsteve1

Posted
Posted

Posters also keep talking about passengers moving to hotels. There are NO hotel rooms available. In addition to people who have had to evacuate their homes and move to hotels, there are also businesses, such as the financial industry, that expect to be up and running on Monday come hell or high water (no pun intended) and are keeping their people at hotels over the weekend so they won't need public transportation to get to work. Con Ed is also talking about killing power in parts of the city if they start to see flooding and the hotels are being warned not to use elevators in the event power goes off and people get trapped.

 

Some people seem to think those cruisers were stupid to go to the airport. Maybe so but I seem to think a bus taking 30 people from the ship to the airport must have been a cruise line transfer. Nothing, other than a chartered bus, would have been on the road.

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YYC F/A

YYC F/A

Posted
Posted

Latest report from my HAL clients just off are that they were able to check into their (independently booked) hotel for 4 nights-post, as planned today. The Gramercy area hotel apparently has plenty of empty rooms.

 

Taxis are out and about in force in the inner midtown area which is not under evacuation order, but apparently many businesses/restaurants are still closed and boarded up.

 

The hotels staff is apparently upbeat, and are all volunteers whom chose to work through the Hurricane.

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cccole

cccole

Posted
Posted
Latest report from my HAL clients just off are that they were able to check into their (independently booked) hotel for 4 nights-post, as planned today. The Gramercy area hotel apparently has plenty of empty rooms.

 

Taxis are out and about in force in the inner midtown area which is not under evacuation order, but apparently many businesses/restaurants are still closed and boarded up.

 

The hotels staff is apparently upbeat, and are all volunteers whom chose to work through the Hurricane.

 

Thank you. This is good news!! I have a daughter who volunteered during a tsunami at her hotel and know that they (those who volunteer) are in good spirits and really happy to help the guests. Cherie

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Jade13

Jade13

Posted
Posted

Travel Advisories

 

 

August 27, 2011 - 10:00 PM PDT

 

Travel Advisory Regarding Hurricane Irene

 

 

As a result of weather and sea conditions related to Hurricane Irene in the Atlantic, nearby cruise itineraries have been reviewed. While we intend to stay as close as possible to the published schedules, there may be some changes to select itineraries. The current status is as follows:

ms Veendam August 21, 7-day Bermuda Cruise

The ship departed Bermuda at 5:00pm on Thursday, August 25, and arrived in New York one day early on Saturday, August 27 ahead of the storm’s arrival. Guests who wanted to disembark early were allowed to do so. For guests choosing to overnight until Sunday, the ship will remain alongside in port. These plans have been approved by the United States Coast Guard and the New York City Mayor’s Office.

 

ms Veendam August 28, 7-day Bermuda Cruise

The ship will remain in New York overnight on Sunday, August 28, and will now depart Monday, August 29, at 2:00 pm. Guests will be able to embark as scheduled on Sunday provided there is access to the cruise terminal. Due to the government declared evacuation of some areas of the city and impending transit challenges, access to the cruise terminal may be limited or closed on Sunday.

For guests considering embarkation on Sunday, Holland America Line encourages guests to check local New York City transit and government websites (www.NYC.gov or www.mta.info). If you are in the local area, you can also call our special information line at 732-698-1222 for the latest information on access to the pier.

 

 

 

Embarkation on Monday, August 29 will begin at 8:00 am and continue until 1:00 pm, at which time all passengers should be on board the ship.

The revised itinerary is below:

 

DATE LOCATION ARRIVE DEPART

Sunday, Aug 28 New York

overnight

Monday, Aug 29 New York

2 pm

Tuesday, Aug 30 At Sea

Wednesday, Aug 31 Hamilton, Bermuda 9 am overnight

Thursday, Sept 1 Hamilton, Bermuda

overnight

Friday, Sept 2 Hamilton, Bermuda

2 pm

Saturday, Sept 3 At Sea

Sunday, Sept 4 New York 7am

 

ms Maasdam August 27, 7-day Canada/New England Cruise (Boston to Montreal, Quebec)

Guests embarked in Boston on Saturday, August 27, as planned and the ship sailed at 5:00pm prior to the storms arrival. Due to very high winds and rough seas expected near the first two port calls of Bar Harbor, Maine, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, these calls have been cancelled and the itinerary modified, adding the ports of Gaspe and Saguenay, Quebec later in the week.

 

DATE LOCATION ARRIVE DEPART

Saturday, Aug 27 Boston

5:00 pm

Sunday, Aug 28 At Sea

Monday, Aug 29 Sydney, Nova Scotia 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Tuesday, Aug 30 Charlottetown, PEI 8:00 am 5:00 pm

Wednesday, Aug 31 Gaspe, Quebec 7:00 am 1:00 pm

Thursday, Sept 1 Saguenay, Quebec 12:00 noon 8:00 pm

Friday, Sept 2 Quebec 7:00 am 5:00 pm

Saturday, Sept 3 Montreal 7:00 am

 

We will continue to monitor the weather conditions closely and communicate any further changes if necessary to guests and travel agents as they are implemented. Updates will also be posted at 10:00 am and 10:00 pm Pacific Daylight Time in the Travel Advisory section at www.hollandamerica.com.

 

 

 

At Holland America Line the safety of our guests and crew is our top priority.

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IRL_Joanie

IRL_Joanie

Posted
Posted
Sorry, The camera was up when I posted but seems to come and go.

 

It was like that yesterday and is still doing the same. Just wait for the refresh and it will come back in (usually about 18-15 seconds left on refresh rate). I'm watching it now and it is getting harder to make out the Veendam and the Intrepid.

 

By the ay, their clock is showing about a 10 minutes time difference than real time (it is generally showing 10 minutes ago, hope that makes sense)

 

The Intrepid Web Cam went down about 10 minutes ago:( http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/intrepid/

 

Joanie

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mamaofami

mamaofami

Posted
Posted

Here in NY, we've been under a tornado watch all night. High tide in the city will be at 8AM and they're expecting a surge of water to flood the streets. Things are not looking good for the city.

 

It's foolish to speculate whether or not the passengers will be able to board the Veendam today.

 

People outside the city who are not affected directly should really just pray that all of us remain safe, including the passengers already on the Veendam and those waiting to board. Right now, the east side of NYC is getting the brunt of the storm, but the winds are expected to change and then the west side will be hit very hard.

 

It's disconcerting to see such bickering, especially from people who can sit back and watch their TV and don't have to worry about falling trees, loss of power, flooded streets, etc.

 

We're all entitled to our opinions, but let's just it go now and see where the next 12 hours takes us.

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted
Here in NY, we've been under a tornado watch all night. High tide in the city will be at 8AM and they're expecting a surge of water to flood the streets. Things are not looking good for the city.

 

It's foolish to speculate whether or not the passengers will be able to board the Veendam today.

 

People outside the city who are not affected directly should really just pray that all of us remain safe, including the passengers already on the Veendam and those waiting to board. Right now, the east side of NYC is getting the brunt of the storm, but the winds are expected to change and then the west side will be hit very hard.

 

It's disconcerting to see such bickering, especially from people who can sit back and watch their TV and don't have to worry about falling trees, loss of power, flooded streets, etc.

 

We're all entitled to our opinions, but let's just it go now and see where the next 12 hours takes us.

 

Totally agree with you Carol - It's still a category 1 - hasn't become a tropical storm yet! It comes to us after you - stay safe

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innlady1

innlady1

Posted
Posted
Here in NY, we've been under a tornado watch all night. High tide in the city will be at 8AM and they're expecting a surge of water to flood the streets. Things are not looking good for the city.

 

It's foolish to speculate whether or not the passengers will be able to board the Veendam today.

 

People outside the city who are not affected directly should really just pray that all of us remain safe, including the passengers already on the Veendam and those waiting to board. Right now, the east side of NYC is getting the brunt of the storm, but the winds are expected to change and then the west side will be hit very hard.

 

It's disconcerting to see such bickering, especially from people who can sit back and watch their TV and don't have to worry about falling trees, loss of power, flooded streets, etc.

 

We're all entitled to our opinions, but let's just it go now and see where the next 12 hours takes us.

 

I totally agree with you, Carol. People's lives are at stake up and down the Eastern coast, and to see such foolishness in this post is very disconcerting.

The logistics of all of this must be a nightmare for HAL.

You and Sam stay safe...thinking of you. The wind is beginning to kick up here. We had a call from Visitor Services yesterday...doing a survey for the Fire Department on how many rooms we have available if they need to evacuate low lying areas. We only have three rooms booked...people stranded because of cancelled flights...everyone else cancelled for the weekend, and for today & tomorrow.

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mamaofami

mamaofami

Posted
Posted

The meat packing area is below where the Veendam is located. The high tide surge was worrisome because it had the potential for flooding all of lower NYC.

 

Out of curiosity, I called the local number on Hal's website for information on the Veendam today. The terminal is open, and there are security people to assist people who want to board, but they strongly suggest waiting till Monday. They didn't say if there were any workers to assist with luggage.They don't know if the parking facility will be open or not. The west side drive between 125th street and 96 is closed due to flooding. Amost all parkways into the city are closed. So, the trick will be getting to the pier.

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