Just off Freedom caught in storm October 9th

[bajathree]

So the National Weather Service issued an urgent marine weather warning over an hour after Freedom had sailed. I think this storm, weather system, whatever they finally end up calling it, caught everone by suprise in its intensity. None of our local TV stations were forecasting it to be as violent as it was, just ask these guys

 

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=A9&Dato=20111010&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=110100802&Ref=PH

 

While the intensity of the storm may have been worse than originally forecast...I wouldn't argue that....Odd how it didn't seem to totally take Carnival and Disney so much by surprise....they had to both make a decision also....and their decision is that it was obviously safer to stay in port than depart.....3 different lines and only one departs into a storm the other 2 obviously didn't feel comfortable to do....you have to wonder.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

My husband would love to be on a ship in a storm, but we always get great weather.

 

 

DH and I are both sitting here with a big LOL at this...we love rough seas and all we ever get is sunny skies and seas that are smooth as glass!!!

 

I hope all the Freedom cruisers OK and now have smooth sailings!! :)

 

***

[uksimonusa]

While the intensity of the storm may have been worse than originally forecast...I wouldn't argue that....Odd how it didn't seem to totally take Carnival and Disney so much by surprise....they had to both make a decision also....and their decision is that it was obviously safer to stay in port than depart.....3 different lines and only one departs into a storm the other 2 obviously didn't feel comfortable to do....you have to wonder.

 

could have a lot to do with ship size, the larger the ship, the less the weather effects it

[bajathree]

could have a lot to do with ship size, the larger the ship, the less the weather effects it

 

I have kept that in mind....but Dream is no slouch either.

[csk]

Just got an email from a friend on the ship, she said everything is back normal, did have a few hours of heavy winds and dishes everywhere. She said Royal Caribbean was great to them, checking on everyone coming to cabins and knocking around 1am, they were also given $200 obc, for there inconvenience.

 

Today they were having a great time

[Eng23]

I arrived on the Freedom the morning of Oct. 9th and can tell you the weather was rough Saturday night Oct. 8th but not nearly as bad as this. We arrived in Port Canaveral around 4:30ish Sunday Oct. 9th and I was off the ship early and on my way to Orlando. The weather continued to get worse all day long in Central Florida and I wondered if this would impact the port. I am glad to hear you guys made it and that the crew took care of the guests in a good fashion. I hope the rest of the cruise goes well for you.

[mark290]

I didnt say you did.........I was just saying I trust what he has to say..

 

I didn't say you said I did :)

[CasaSmith]

They probably would have stayed in Port if they knew it was going to be that bad. Glad everyone is safe.

 

Have a great rest of the week.

[LBumb]

enjoy the rest of your cruise

[Retiredprofessor]

Thanks to CSK for an update on Freedom today. We are leaving this Sunday and I have been reading this thread with much anxiety. I'm just glad that all onboard are enjoying their cruise now and keep hoping next week is calm and beautiful. Can't wait. :)

[larka]

We sail on Sunday. The FOS is a great ship and we are never concerned about her seaworthiness. Great Captain and crew also. We are ready!

[ohiogrammy]

we had 35' waves going from Ireland to Iceland one year. There were bags attached to all the stair rails, the dishes were taped in place at the buffet. One lady broke her ankle trying to get out of the elevater and had to be lifted in a basket to helicopter. My husband was seasick in our cabin. Most outdoor areas were closed. I was totally mesmerized by it!! Took pics of the waves off our 8th floor balcony and anywhere else I could find.

[AdrenalineRush]

Interesting update....compensation and port official says port remained opened throughout the storm

 

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=4628

[Janice M]

DH and I are both sitting here with a big LOL at this...we love rough seas and all we ever get is sunny skies and seas that are smooth as glass!!!

 

I hope all the Freedom cruisers OK and now have smooth sailings!! :)

 

***

 

Us too. We love the rough seas and have had nothing for the last several cruises. We are leaving for New England Thursday on the Explorer. On one New England cruise we had very rough seas.

 

Jan

[bajathree]

Interesting update....compensation and port official says port remained opened throughout the storm

 

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=4628

 

According to Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez, Freedom of the Seas was the first ship scheduled to leave Port Canaveral on Sunday -- making it something of a guinea pig. "When Freedom of the Seas departed Port Canaveral, the port was still open and the pilots were still taking ships out," explains Martinez. She says the weather the ship encountered, which occurred at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday and resulted in 13 passengers seeking medical treatment for cuts, bruises and scrapes, was much worse than forecast. In fact, Martinez says that the ship experienced wind speeds three times stronger than expected. "Based on information gathered by our Captain and the pilot while the ship was departing Port Canaveral, a decision was made by the pilots to suspend all other departures," she notes.

 

Not so, says Port Canaveral's CEO Stan Payne. "The Port remained open throughout the storm ... This was a freak storm, a bit reminiscent of Tropical Storm Fay in 2008 with the huge amounts of rain, very much like a tropical system with rain bands mixed with periods of calm, and certainly not your typical Florida summer afternoon thunderstorm. Just odd."

[Dalton5]

Interesting update....compensation and port official says port remained opened throughout the storm

 

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=4628

 

Ok I have to ask....wasn't everybody on the ship having the same experience with the storm whether in an interior room or a suite?

 

I know a suite guest paid more but why the difference in obc when those in another room were affected in the same way?

 

Just wondering...

 

Edited to add: I know RC didn't have to give any compensation and respect that they did as an act of good will

[Stags14]

Were the bars opened at least??

[EVALUATOR]

According to Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez, Freedom of the Seas was the first ship scheduled to leave Port Canaveral on Sunday -- making it something of a guinea pig. "When Freedom of the Seas departed Port Canaveral, the port was still open and the pilots were still taking ships out," explains Martinez. She says the weather the ship encountered, which occurred at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday and resulted in 13 passengers seeking medical treatment for cuts, bruises and scrapes, was much worse than forecast. In fact, Martinez says that the ship experienced wind speeds three times stronger than expected. "Based on information gathered by our Captain and the pilot while the ship was departing Port Canaveral, a decision was made by the pilots to suspend all other departures," she notes.

 

Not so, says Port Canaveral's CEO Stan Payne. "The Port remained open throughout the storm ... This was a freak storm, a bit reminiscent of Tropical Storm Fay in 2008 with the huge amounts of rain, very much like a tropical system with rain bands mixed with periods of calm, and certainly not your typical Florida summer afternoon thunderstorm. Just odd."

 

All three ships were supposed to leave at 4 p.m.

 

Why would RCI be a guinea pig? If the other two were going to leave they would have been right behind her. It's not like the other two ships were going to wait for a weather briefing from the Freedom.

 

Sounds like PR BS to me.

[whirlybird3]

It’s our first sea day and finally got hooked up to the internet on the Freedom of the Seas. I did a quick search of the board and didn’t see it posted yet but shortly after we left hit gale force winds. We left Port Canaveral promptly at 4:30 leaving the Carnival Sensation and Disney Dream in port. We were sailing towards an intense weather pattern off the coast of Florida. Around 5:30 the captain announced the weather was going to be a little rough until around 2:00 am and that the other two ships had elected not to venture out but rather overnight it in Port Canaveral.

We went to dinner at 6:00 pm for the early seating and around 7:00 was when the really bad weather started. For the next 30 minutes we heard stacks of plates falling on the floor as well as silverware too. There were also crashes of large trays on the floor too. We estimated the ship was leaning about 15° degrees to the right. Initially I wanted to return to our room, to let the waiters tend to the mess, but was advised it was better to stay in the dining room. About 15 minutes later, the captain announced for all passengers to return to their rooms and wait it out.

For this cruise I had booked a balcony cabin and was about to get my monies worth. As we were walking down the hallway we could see water coming from under the doorways of almost every balcony cabin on the windward side of the ship. The conditions were so intense that it was driving the rain under the balcony door and into the room. Eventually it flowed across the rooms and into the halls. There were probably some interior cabins that got damp entrances to their rooms.

I have a picture of the tv showing an 86 MPH wind hitting the ship. Another couple told us that they saw wind speeds in excess of 100MPH on the TV (Sorry, no picture of that). Eventually around 11:00 things began to calm down and the captain told us we could come out of our rooms and the cruise director got some venues opened up. The crew did a great job getting pizzas and sandwiches out in the restaurant because the late seating hadn’t eaten at all.

The main dining room was a complete mess, but the crew did what they needed to get areas cleaned for passengers to sit down and eat. Walking around the liquor store and perfume stores were destroyed with many broken bottles. The other stores, stuff was all over the place. But by the next day everything was cleaned up and you would never know what we had been through.

During the ordeal the captain did a great job keeping us informed to the current situation and telling us not to worry. The ship was never in any danger and was not being operated outside its operating envelope, even though the weather was extreme. The next day we received letters apologizing for the events and it explained the winds were 3 times what was forecast. Bottom line, the captain did an excellent job using he seamanship in such a freak storm. However, major thanks needs to be given to the crew for taking care of their stuff and seeing to the passengers needs and comfort at the same time. Many worked through the night to get things going by Monday morning.

I have some pictures and videos and will post when I can. Most exciting cruise so far to date.

 

 

I did see where some else posted from a friend. Needless to say we are all fine now as if nothing had happened.

 

Thank you so much for posting! Wishing you & everyone on the ship a pleasant cruise. Sailing through a storm or around a hurricane has never been my favorite part of the cruise, but the experience of the destination & cruising are priceless. All of the RCCL & X captains have done a fantastic job!

[lidodeckbound]

I thought I read they closed the port after the FR left.........but still Carnival was supposed to leave first but choose not to.

And Sensation is a MUCh smaller ship!

[zpdw484]

I think before we all give rci and the captain too hard a time we should realize that the Monarch was due to dock at the same berth as freedom was occupying a short 12 hrs later. From what I can gather the weather was pretty unpredictable and I assume the captain and folks at RCI were thinking "we should get the Freedom out of port while we can, so we don't possibly end up with two ships at port canaveral the following morning" The Disney Dream and Carnival Sensation had no ships due at their berths the following morning so they could afford to "wait it out" and not really be in any type of rush to get out of the way of a ship trying to do a turn around the following morning. Yes the Freedom could have stayed in port until midnight or so and then sailed and been just fine but the weather was so unpredictable, who could have known for sure that she would not have been sitting at the berth the following morning, or possibly navigating out of the harbor at the same time the monarch was due in and therefor delaying the monarchs arrival and disembarking-embarking etc. So I think given the situation and the weather reports that were given if it was my call I would have sailed promptly at 4:30 also.

[Cushing985]

Some of the remarks in this string are remarkable! I didn't realize so many ship Captains were into Cruise Critic!:cool:

 

I have full faith in a Captain of a cruise ship with his many years of experience and have no doubt he took everything into consideration before getting underway. In other reports it stated the Captain was pressured into leaving by the Corporate types. Highly doubtful as the Captain is ultimately responsible for the safe handling of the ship.

[Cushing985]

Yes, the dock is cement, but the lines attaching the 154,000 GT cruise ship to the dock are not cement. Ever seen what happens when ship mooring lines snap? I have. It is not a pretty sight. The structural damage a cruise ship would suffer inside that harbor would be much greater, not to mention, it could result in the harbor getting shut down.

 

Totally agree with you. Remember when that storm system marched up the East Coast? The Navy in Norfolk pulled out and spent a few days at sea to avoid the type of damage you described.

[Cushing985]

You are correct, the lines are not cement. I think cement lines would probably be a bad idea.

 

This is like asking if you have ever seen what happens when the anchor drops while cruising in heavy seas or what happens when the windows from the Viking lounge blow out or when the radar equipment flys off the mountings or the ships bridge blows off and lands on the pool deck. Yes these would all be bad but they are all also secured in such a way that is considered safe.

 

Ships lines, non cement ones, are very capable of securing a ship quite safely to a cement dock in a protected harbor. The possibility of those lines failing in those conditions is much less than liquor bottles, glass doors and many other non secured items becoming a hazard while cruising in very heavy seas with very high winds.

 

Ask a ships captain if based on strictly safety if it would be better to be secured with non cement lines to the dock at Port Canaveral or at sea in very severe weather. The Disney and Carnival captains might be a good place to start.

 

The whole safer at sea thing is based on being secured to a dock in unprotected water where the ship is being hammered by the same 30ft waves as in the open ocean. Think of the term safe harbor.

 

After 20 years in the Navy I can safely say you are wrong and its time for you to play with your plastic ships in your tub. With your vast amount of experience at sea, can you explain why all the Navy ships in Norfolk pulled out when that hurricane was moving up the coast?

[Cushing985]

https://homeport.uscg.mil/cgi-bin/st/portal/uscg_docs/MyCG/Editorial/20110802/2011%20NE%20and%20EC%20FL%20Port%20Hvy%20Wx%20Plan.pdf?id=7f5c9824b744cb96f92abf8c5b51ccea8b5d221b

 

 

"Port Canaveral is located on the east coast of Brevard County, Florida, approximately 145 miles south of

Jacksonville. Port Canaveral is not a suitable refuge for either hurricanes or tropical storms. In

addition, Port Canaveral is a port of significant national interest, and every effort must be taken to minimize

the damage caused by severe weather. In most cases this means that vessels or barges greater than 500 GT

will not be permitted to remain anywhere within Port Canaveral."

 

Please don't confuse him with the facts!:D