Just off Freedom caught in storm October 9th

[SpeedGeek]

Hi, I took the family on the Carnival Sensation and the boat stayed docked in Port. I've read a number of the pages, but not all of them so forgive me if this is repetitive.

 

The Sensation never moved an inch the entire time the storm was coming through. We were tethered to the dock and had a wonderful evening at dinner, the shows, watching football, and the nightclub. We noticed the winds were bad and one of the TV said 58 or 60 knots.

 

The Sensation left the next day for Nassau (flipped the itinerary) and the captain took us due East from the Port. The seas were pretty rough and the boat was rocking pretty good (surely nothing like the RCCL boat) and people did get sick. Roughly 1 hour out to sea the captain turned the ship and sailed SSW toward Florida and hugged the coast all the way down toward the Bahamas and the ride was fine, the boat stopped rocking, and everyone had a great time.

 

Once we arrived in the Bahamas the weather is perfect for both ports of call and the ride back overnight.

 

We were bummed not to leave port, but tremendously happy not to be out to sea in 60+ MPH winds.

 

Yeah, but you couldn't use the Casino. Nyah nyah. :p You haven't lived until you've gambled in the middle of hurricane force winds. :D

[boo214]

Yeah, but you couldn't use the Casino. Nyah nyah. :p You haven't lived until you've gambled in the middle of hurricane force winds. :D

that would make for a great craps game, wouldn't it :p

[snapaxp]

Yeah, but you couldn't use the Casino. Nyah nyah. :p You haven't lived until you've gambled in the middle of hurricane force winds. :D

 

Not much of a gambler, but that was pretty funny. They did post a tug against the ship on our side most of the night.

 

Personally, I figure the Royal Captain made the decision he thought was right with the information at hand. I followed the weather forecast for the entire week being a "local". I recall them saying there was potential for it to go tropical, but they didn't think it would. When we got on the ships the weather was actually windy and sunny. Surely, nobody thought it was going to get as bad as it did. For the record Carnival was #3 in line to leave and I figure they didn't leave after getting weather updates that Royal didn't have since they had already left. These things happen and Royal gave everyone a OBC and $$ off another cruise. I'd take both and come back for another if I was on that cruise.

 

When we look for cruises we mainly look at both Royal and Carnival and this hasn't changed a thing.

 

Sounds like the cruise was a success after the first night.

[beach spring]

Hi, have to admit I have not read whole thread here but have to add my recent experience (maybe someone also experienced this): my DH and I were on the Veendam Aug. 21 Bermuda, out from NYC. First night out, the ship hit a squall and listed 7 degrees for several minutes (captain's actual words). Our balcony door blew open and glasses flew off shelf, etc. Now that was scary. Bar manager said they lost a lot of bottles and glassware from bars.

 

That was an inauspicious beginning to a hurricane-shortened cruiseweek. We had to leave Bermuda a day early due to effort to outrun Hurricane Irene. We put in to NYC port and stayed there Sat. morning early until Monday early. We were not allowed to get off the ship after midday Sat., Mayor Bloomberg/Port Authority having closed down the Big Apple, including airports.

 

Anyone who had transportation before the deadline could leave, of course, and since 2/3 of the pax were from the area, that meant only about 400 of us were left aboard to ride out the storm. What storm? DH and I slept thru whatever happened, in our balcony stateroom!

 

Then there was a real debacle in the embarkation of new pax on Sun. and the inconvenience for those of us who had to leave our staterooms for them, but where to put us??? HAL did not handle this whole situation well.

 

After a hair-raising beginning to our cruise, we were treated with less than gracious accommodation at the end. But, hey, the days we were actually in Bermuda were great!

[SpeedGeek]

Not much of a gambler, but that was pretty funny. They did post a tug against the ship on our side most of the night.

 

Personally, I figure the Royal Captain made the decision he thought was right with the information at hand. I followed the weather forecast for the entire week being a "local". I recall them saying there was potential for it to go tropical, but they didn't think it would. When we got on the ships the weather was actually windy and sunny. Surely, nobody thought it was going to get as bad as it did. For the record Carnival was #3 in line to leave and I figure they didn't leave after getting weather updates that Royal didn't have since they had already left. These things happen and Royal gave everyone a OBC and $$ off another cruise. I'd take both and come back for another if I was on that cruise.

 

When we look for cruises we mainly look at both Royal and Carnival and this hasn't changed a thing.

 

Sounds like the cruise was a success after the first night.

 

Well they gave everyone OBC; only people with water damage in their rooms got the half off vouchers for the future cruises. But yeah, the weather as we were leaving was drizzly and windy, but everything was going down the line of the ship, which was fine (remember that the Sensation would have had to turn around in those winds, potentially exposing the broad side of the ship to the wind conditions, which could have been a reason for staying in port). We ended up encountering three times as much wind as forecast and the crew responded to keep us safe. In the end, it wasn't expected and we made it through fine. As an inside cabin we only got 200$ OBC, and in my opinion, I'd go through it again for another 200$. It really wasn't that bad to us. And yep, the next morning it was just gorgeous at Coco Cay. I was actually surprised the weather had moved on that much.

 

I'm hoping that the event didn't scare off anyone from cruising again in the future, especially considering how great the weather on the rest of the trip was.

[Aquahound]

We were not allowed to get off the ship after midday Sat., Mayor Bloomberg/Port Authority having closed down the Big Apple, including airports.

 

Then there was a real debacle in the embarkation of new pax on Sun. and the inconvenience for those of us who had to leave our staterooms for them, but where to put us??? HAL did not handle this whole situation well.

 

What an odd scenario! There's one we don't hear every day. What I'm confused about is they wouldn't let you disembark, but they allowed embarkation of others? Your cruises overlapped? :confused:

[BettyCruiser]

For the record Carnival was #3 in line to leave and I figure they didn't leave after getting weather updates that Royal didn't have since they had already left.

 

 

The Sensation left first every Sunday and Thursday in recent history, I've been watching, so #3 is an exception.

[Patty00]

Captain Rob definitely is a pro - from what I recall in his bio he used to captain a factory ship out on the Bering Sea. I'm thinking that he's seen his share of hairy weather if the conditions we see on shows like "Deadliest Catch" are any indication.

I disagree. He sailed directly into a storm on a cruise that we were on and he had a choice to go eastern and follow our itinerary or western and avoid the storm and give us a smooth cruise. He choose the storm....will not go into details but I am sure some first time cruisers will never sail again!

[garnetpalmetto]

I disagree. He sailed directly into a storm on a cruise that we were on and he had a choice to go eastern and follow our itinerary or western and avoid the storm and give us a smooth cruise. He choose the storm....will not go into details but I am sure some first time cruisers will never sail again!

 

Just to make sure I understand you, you're advocating that he scrap an entire itinerary on his own, passengers be damned, RCI's commitment to deliver passengers to CocoCay, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten, be damned, and do three straight weeks of Western Caribbean cruises to Falmouth, Labadee, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman despite forecasts that the storm would not be as bad as it actually was?

[FrancescaH]

I disagree. He sailed directly into a storm on a cruise that we were on and he had a choice to go eastern and follow our itinerary or western and avoid the storm and give us a smooth cruise. He choose the storm....will not go into details but I am sure some first time cruisers will never sail again!

 

The storm in question was off the FL coast not far from PC and the ship would have been in the area of it on either itinerary. He was trying to sail through a storm that was forecasted to be less rough than it was. I'm quite sure it was already listed as an invest on the tropical storm maps by Saturday night so you should have known to expect rougher seas had you looked at any area forecasts. And you can't reasonably believe it would be smooth sailing if you know anything about storms off the FL coast, be it a true tropical system or not during this time of year. Those are the risks to sailing at this time of year.

[Cruisebaza]

On my last cruise there were weather issues and during the "ask the Captain" session I asked the Captain about the flexibility he has to alter course. His comments were that once the cruise plan is filed upon leaving the port, you can not really deviate. To do so requires quite a bit of process, approvals, etc. and it would seem on this cruise there certainly was not enough time to make that type of alteration. Certainly the Captain can not just alter the path on a whim (even if a well warranted one) I would presume absent a specific emergency (pirates, icebergs, etc.)!!

[Cotswold Eagle]

On my last cruise there were weather issues and during the "ask the Captain" session I asked the Captain about the flexibility he has to alter course. His comments were that once the cruise plan is filed upon leaving the port, you can not really deviate. To do so requires quite a bit of process, approvals, etc. and it would seem on this cruise there certainly was not enough time to make that type of alteration. Certainly the Captain can not just alter the path on a whim (even if a well warranted one) I would presume absent a specific emergency (pirates, icebergs, etc.)!!

 

I'm sorry, in this context, that is nonsense. The Master's first responsibility is the safety of his ship and he has absolute authority in those matters.

 

Perhaps he misunderstood your question and he was talking about changing itinerary?

[SpeedGeek]

I disagree. He sailed directly into a storm on a cruise that we were on and he had a choice to go eastern and follow our itinerary or western and avoid the storm and give us a smooth cruise. He choose the storm....will not go into details but I am sure some first time cruisers will never sail again!

 

You're wrong for a few reasons. The storm system was just off the coast, and we were to the north of the storm when it intensified and we got hit with the increased and shifting winds. Changing to Western (running back and down the coast) would have actually sent us right through major portions of the system. I assure you, it would not have been smooth. On top of that, Merritt Island reported 81 mph wind gusts. We were unfortunate that the system intensified as it did and we got caught in it rather than being able to make it to the other side of the system before turning south, but if you were on the ship you'd note that everything was hunky dory on ship up until the list at 7:30. Heading south (for the Western Itinerary) with an 81mph wind from the east hitting the broad side of the ship... THAT would have been stupid.

[crazy canadian]

If you re-read Patty00 post, she is not talking about the October 9th sailing. She is talking about a different cruise she was on with Captain Rob.

[awboater]

 

I'm hoping that the event didn't scare off anyone from cruising again in the future, especially considering how great the weather on the rest of the trip was.

 

Didn't scare me off. We booked another Oct cruise while we were aboard the Freedom last week.

 

Reflecting back on the storm, it didn't seem too bad.

[Desertbelle]

If someone is scared off from cruising because of a bad storm on a ship in the middle of the ocean, then better they found out now and stop wasting their vacation money on something they could potentially hate and stick to dry land.

[Aquahound]

On my last cruise there were weather issues and during the "ask the Captain" session I asked the Captain about the flexibility he has to alter course. His comments were that once the cruise plan is filed upon leaving the port, you can not really deviate. To do so requires quite a bit of process, approvals, etc. and it would seem on this cruise there certainly was not enough time to make that type of alteration. Certainly the Captain can not just alter the path on a whim (even if a well warranted one) I would presume absent a specific emergency (pirates, icebergs, etc.)!!

 

Sorry, but that is not true. Either he was messing with you or you misunderstood his answer. The Master is the divine authority on scene and can make whaetver decision he thinks is best for the safety of the ship.

[beach spring]

Yes, Aquahound, that is it in a nutshell. They were embarking passengers for the next outgoing sailing while we were still aboard in our extended situation! The original passengers who could get off and get away from the city (i.e., had their own transportation; mostly NYers and NJers) disembarked that Sat. morning. Those left were required to also disembark the ship that Sat. afternoon, go thru Customs, then reboard. Required to :( We sat in the terminal a while, then were told we could reboard. Of course, the usual euphoria of boarding for a cruise was woefully lacking. And there was no smiling photographer to take our picture;)

 

Meanwhile, things went on -- sort of -- on board for the usual last night doings. A difference was that at our dinner table were two young men, one of whom was a bus driver aboard so he could take departing passengers to airport the next day (which did not happen, of course)!

 

On Sunday morning, when we normally would have been disembarking to go home, we could not, but any passengers on the "new" cruise who could manage to get to the ship and board, as planned, were embarking. Odd but actual:confused:

 

As I said previously, we were not allowed then off the ship until Monday morning, so our 7-night cruise had become a six-night cruise whichthen became an 8-day cruise.

 

You didn't ask but here's how that Sun. afternoon went. We were told to leave our staterooms, with all our belongings, at 3pm. and to go to a room near theater to await further instructions. Once there (a really crowded area -- 400 pax + luggage), we were allowed to leave stuff there and go elsewhere on ship to relax and come back at 5pm for room assignments. That of course dragged on until after 9pm for many of us. Eventually, and I am really cutting this short, DH and I ended up back in our original stateroom.

 

We were occasionally updated throughout these last few days from captain in both spoken announcements and written communiques, all the while being reassured that he was working with "Seattle" for plans etc. Nice to know. But when push came to shove, those of us still aboard were treated rather shabbily. HAL had extended us a % discount for a future cruise to compensate for leaving Bermuda early. And I have no problem with their struggles to accommodate arriving passengers. But again, those of us in a "holding pattern" were pretty much shoved aside. When DH and I left that room (6 hours later) to return to our stateroom, there were still many awaiting their new room #, some sitting on the floor, leaning against luggage! Shameful.

 

The more I have thought about it, the more I realize how easy we "old" passengers let them get away with it. Shell shock maybe? It reminded me kinda like the old days when we did the tip envelopes on the last night. After that, remember how "service" seemed to change and even the sweet smiles seemed to disappear? We were through with our cruise, they no longer had to please us. Let's just get this all over with...

 

OTOH, would I sail with HAL again? You betcha:) or Royal Caribbean.

[JAYRAY1259]

Hey Sam, I too enjoy being at sea when it gets rough. The wife and I will be going on our 9th cruise in January on the Allure. On our last cruise which was on the Freedom in Nov. 2009 we caught the beginning of "Ida" we left the port of Cozumel and rocked an rolled for awhile on the way home. It was rough but nothing compared to the storm that these folks are commenting on that just occured. We were just on the outskirts of Ida. I have to admit that the wife was enjoying the whole scene as much as I was. This storm did not interfere with our cruise as it did with these folks. Our cruise was all but over with the exception of being at sea heading back to home port. I spent three years in the Navy and I was on ships for about two of them so I saw what the sea can do first hand. I guess I'm lucky, I never got seasick. I'm glad the wife didn't get sick. I wouldn't want to spoil her love of cruising. The cruise ships today are so huge and equipped with stabilizers, etc. that it takes quite a big puff of wind to make them start to dip and roll.

[Scotty G]

We had a pretty scary experience in our early cruising days. There was all the damage in the shops, etc.. Here is what I posted in a previous thread. (It obviously did not keep us from cruising more):

During a return leg from Bermuda to NYC on Song of America we were thrown out of bed onto a wet floor. The seas had been particularly rough and my wife had secured the drawers with large rubber bands to keep them from sliding out and in. Our cabin was an interior on deck 6. I opened the door to see what was up and observed ship's crew working in the passageway on the port side. They were doing major damage control. Some unidentified object had broken the windows in two cabins. There was broken glass and deep water everywhere. At least one of the occupants was cut by flying glass. There was no warning given to passengers. When we arrived in NY, we were not allowed to go on the port side of the ship. I really wanted to get pictures of the damage but they were blocking it. The ship did sail for Bermuda that evening. I have never been able to find out what it was that broke these windows on deck 6.

[Tonka's Skipper]

Sorry, but that is not true. Either he was messing with you or you misunderstood his answer. The Master is the divine authority on scene and can make whaetver decision he thinks is best for the safety of the ship.

 

 

You are totally correct. The Master has great responsablity for the safty of the vessel, crew and cargo (yes passingers are cargo).

 

What the Captain was explaining was to change a port,He would have to discuss that with the line,(IE his reasons why......weather, medical emergency)......a lot of work to deal with the port authorities, chandlers, pilots, Coast Guard etc., but in the end,the Master has the final say!

 

AKK

[La Paz]

Having been on the cruise and being a 100 ton captain I of course talked to the captain directly about the storm. It was a micro burst and those of you that do not know what a micro burst is look it up. There is no way the captain could of predicted this and we were pretty lucky that the wind speeds only reached 117mph or so. It was however very exciting and when it was all over worth I felt it was worth being there, of course if you like thrills. For others very scary and lots of sea sick people.

 

I remember maybe up to 40 minutes listing very strongly. We were down in the Disco salsa dancing with dancers going to and fro until the big list and all the whiskey went sliding and crashed. At that point, we gave up dancing and I decided after about 5 min of waiting to return from the list it was time to go to the stateroom. Exiting I did not want to take the elevator so took the stairs up to the Promenade where water was coming in from the 11th floor where the revolving doors had blew open and let rain in only to work its way down to the Promenade. We needed to walk to the other end of the ship as our stateroom was deck 2 on the other side. Not easy walking as we were push to the starboard trying to dodged things as well as the sliding doors that would not stay open due to the list. Again arriving to the other side we took the stairs down and made it to our SR. I turned off the lights to see the waves. They came as sets getting larger to the point they were above our window. Many crashing way above our window. I estimated later that above our window must be about 35 feet.

 

It was a fact that if we had capsized those little life boats were not going to save us in waves that big. About 10 pm we started to pull out of the storm and flatten out. Boy was I hungry and the pizza and sandwiches were great. Yes, the captain did a great job but maybe a warning to return to cabins should of happened sooner. That is the only thing I would fault him for. Thank goodness the stabilizer hydrolysis system did not fail.:rolleyes:

[sj25]

I was on this week and the one after. I have to say it was an experience like alot have said here...read alot of the post but not all.

I first have to say the water did come in under the sealed and locked balcony doors...we was in an aft corner cabin and it took a beating...our chairs did fly to the divider glass and break them. ( Which they had ours fixed I think it was the 3rd day.) Water came in and on the floor, we even had someone come to our door at midnight to see what damage we had. The floors did become to stink.

I was on the 4th floor early seating for dinner and yes dishes fly everywhere and I have to give most waiters a high five and dedication.

The captain was great and felt it was handled very well

I feel the compensation was very well done by them.

 

You would of been amazed when we came into port how fast they had a team in there tearing up carpet and removing bedding and in so many rooms just in the hall we was at. Since we was doing a b2b we could go to our rooms early and got to see how fast they was working to get it back to shape.

 

Then the stories that was told during my second week there....I have ones for a life time and will be right back to the Freedom next year and would still go during Oct...we like this time of the year. I will just chalk it up as an experience I will never forget.

[MollyBasset]

Didn't scare me off. We booked another Oct cruise while we were aboard the Freedom last week.

 

Reflecting back on the storm, it didn't seem too bad.

 

 

 

I personally do not know if I will ever cruise again, that was way to scary, my sons friend was white as a ghost and having anxiety attack, I truly believe the captain should not have left port and should have waited like Disney and carnival,I truly thought the ship was going to capsize.

 

Debbie

[travelin_nat]

I personally do not know if I will ever cruise again, that was way to scary, my sons friend was white as a ghost and having anxiety attack, I truly believe the captain should not have left port and should have waited like Disney and carnival,I truly thought the ship was going to capsize.

 

Debbie

 

Hi Debbie - wish we got a chance to meet on the cruise. Keep in mind that was highly unusual - the worst the crew had ever encountered. Sorry it was so traumatic for y'all. I would say just avoid cruising during hurricane season again and you should be fine. Dan and I were glad our girls didn't come - they would not have liked it either. We are planning to take them with us to Alaska next summer.

 

Nat