Explorer sailing this week--anyone heard?

[sept10dsm]

There is always 2 sides to a story, but, in this case, I am sure there will be a lot more. Should make for some interesting stories when they return. I hope they at least get some OBC or a percentage off on another cruise. They are going through a difficult situation. I hope the best for them.

 

 

 

We went through (4 nicole in 2004 and similar happened o the grand broken glass no deck open. There was water over the main deck (7) and into Many balcony cabins. Were told not to use many elevators. We didn't get any OBC.

[caribsun]

Not hearing major issues from NCL Jewel or the Miracle. They all left NY area at about the same time and all were on almost identical course. Time will tell.

[dee308]

Not hearing major issues from NCL Jewel or the Miracle. They all left NY area at about the same time and all were on almost identical course. Time will tell.

 

 

A friend of mine is on Carnival and posted on facebook this morning::)

 

Very scary night last night sailing through the storm. Holding on tight to my bed to keep me from falling out. LOL Feel better now that we made it through the night. Slept in late this morning and now am down stairs looking at the high waves outside. Captian is on loud speaker again letting us know the storms situation. 18' waves! Anyhow having a great time. The crew is fantastic!

[Trekker954]

did you see this one. Coast guard had to rescue crew who abandoned ship off the coast of N.C. It was sailing from Maine to Florida. 180 foot pirate ship used in movies

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/29/hurricane-sandy-ship-abandoned-ship-coast-guard/1665339/

[cruizefam]

did you see this one. Coast guard had to rescue crew who abandoned ship off the coast of N.C. It was sailing from Maine to Florida. 180 foot pirate ship used in movies

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/10/29/hurricane-sandy-ship-abandoned-ship-coast-guard/1665339/

 

 

Yes, it's been on the news, and some blogs about it. Sad that crew members are still missing at sea.

 

On a sailing I got to see that ship while docked it San Juan, PR, it was so beautiful! It's a shame.

[M&M cruiseaholics]

I sailed on the 10/7 Explorer cruise to Bermuda. Went to the "Captain's Corner" session where the Captain stated that he would never sail near a hurricane. If it is true that he sailed further East before turning South, he just contradicted his own words. However, he also stated that "this ship can handle it" several times. Interesting remark.

[concernedmom]

My daughter in law called her mother quickly at 4:15 today (Monday, 10/29/12). They are doing fine and having fun. That's about all I know. Now I am concerned about their car. They are parked at the Cape Liberty port.

[KJL53]

So what is the truth? I f there are broken windows can they be fixed by next Sunday? I am suppose to be on Explorer next Sunday. I am coming from California. My flight is suppose to leave Thursday for New York to visit friends before the cruise. I sure hope I get information about the cruise before I leave on Thursday. If I go and the cruise is canceled or delayed I will be stranded on the East coast until Nov 15th.

[BND]

So what is the truth? I f there are broken windows can they be fixed by next Sunday? I am suppose to be on Explorer next Sunday. I am coming from California. My flight is suppose to leave Thursday for New York to visit friends before the cruise. I sure hope I get information about the cruise before I leave on Thursday. If I go and the cruise is canceled or delayed I will be stranded on the East coast until Nov 15th.

 

Our cruise will not be cancelled or delayed. A few broken windows are easily fixed. They'll probably be fixed in the next couple of days. The ship is sea worthy. It was not damaged structurally. People need to quit panicking.

[reallyitsmema]

So what is the truth? I f there are broken windows can they be fixed by next Sunday? I am suppose to be on Explorer next Sunday. I am coming from California. My flight is suppose to leave Thursday for New York to visit friends before the cruise. I sure hope I get information about the cruise before I leave on Thursday. If I go and the cruise is canceled or delayed I will be stranded on the East coast until Nov 15th.

The truth is we don't know what is going on yet. All that have heard from people on the ship have heard the WJ is damaged. No one posting here knows how damaged it is, we just have to wait.

[awboater]

Freedom cruised last Oct after taking on rainwater in multiple cabins and having damage in other locations onboard. We were on the cruise after (just like we will be on EX next week) and other than a couple of areas where they were replacing carpet, you couldn't tell.

 

We were on that Freedom cruise last year. While it presented some scary moments, I could not believe some of the accounts I read on CC when we returned home.

 

Some people seemed to over-exaggerate the experience, while others just blew it off. We were kind of in the middle. We were not scared, but maybe 75% close to it.

 

We hit at least 96mph winds, until the ship's anemometer broke, along with 30ft seas. It was not the seas that were that bad, it was the wind. The problem is we hit a micro-burst with hurricane force winds. The cap't had to make an emergency move to turn the ship into the wind, which resulted in about a 12deg list (about like standing on your roof).

 

By far, the abrupt turns was the most scary part. We were walking through the promenade when all of the fire doors started to close on their own.

 

Then shortly after, the wind direction changed 180 degrees, so the ship had to make another emergency turn, resulting in another 12deg list in the opposite direction.

 

The worst part of the ordeal were those turns, and hopefully the people on the Explorer did not have to go through any of that. I assume not as the winds would tend to be from a constant direction I would think, whereas we were in constantly shifting winds.

 

If not for those turns, the ride in 30ft seas, while rough, was not too bad. I am not trying to minimize the scary ride those on the Explorer felt, and anytime they hang out the barf bags, it is going to be an uncomfortable ride.

 

At any rate, the worst that happened on the Freedom last year was a couple of doors broke on the 11th deck, and a lot of merchandise fell over, including probably hundreds of liquor bottles in the bars. The floors were all slippery because of all of the spilled booze.

 

And we did get some water in our stateroom, but it was due to rainwater coming in from the balcony during those emergency turns.

 

When I got back home after the cruise was over, I read comments on CC and even some YouTube videos that claimed everything from the ship laying on it's side to almost sinking. While it was indeed a rough ride, it was not anywhere near the description of some accounts.

 

So while I am sure many people were pretty scared - you have to take the stuff you read with the realization that their account of what happened was perhaps a result of being scared.

 

Still, cruising near a hurricane is a dangerous thing, and I wish those on the Explorer safe journey.

[sr4mjc]

So what is the truth? I f there are broken windows can they be fixed by next Sunday? I am suppose to be on Explorer next Sunday. I am coming from California. My flight is suppose to leave Thursday for New York to visit friends before the cruise. I sure hope I get information about the cruise before I leave on Thursday. If I go and the cruise is canceled or delayed I will be stranded on the East coast until Nov 15th.

 

With all the flooding and transportation issues, I'd be more concerned with your Thursday flight right now. They'll be able to fix some broken windows.

[karinad]

Awboater, your story makes me wonder if I'd be a true sailor and go back on the sea! We've never experienced these kind of conditions, and we don't mind some rough waters, but getting the s..t scared out of you is another story! :o

[awboater]

Awboater, your story makes me wonder if I'd be a true sailor and go back on the sea! We've never experienced these kind of conditions, and we don't mind some rough waters, but getting the s..t scared out of you is another story! :o

 

We certainly would not want to go through it again.

[Ocean Boy]

And from what I understand all were offered opportunity to leave ship and get full refund or free other cruise (basically same thing I guess). I do understand if you have already flown in and taken time off from work not wanting to lose your holiday. But having said that, I would NOT have cruised with the forecast as it was.

 

I've lived through a good number of hurricanes and considering what I went through last night I really don't think that I would have gotten on the ship. Being on the ocean during a hurricane is just not something that I would voluntarily put myself through. Living on the coast, and initially on an island, leaves one with a tremendous love, and respect, for the ocean. I was very surprised when the NYC webcam showed the ship leaving port. Even IF some of what we are reading is greatly exagerated there was no fun to be had on the ship yesterday. I am quite sure of that.

[LEtue]

I've lived through a good number of hurricanes and considering what I went through last night I really don't think that I would have gotten on the ship. Being on the ocean during a hurricane is just not something that I would voluntarily put myself through. Living on the coast, and initially on an island, leaves one with a tremendous love, and respect, for the ocean. I was very surprised when the NYC webcam showed the ship leaving port. Even IF some of what we are reading is greatly exagerated there was no fun to be had on the ship yesterday. I am quite sure of that.

 

I totally agree and I know I would not have boarded the ship. Can't imagine that I would have even flown to catch the ship knowing what was coming :(

[mekongsailor]

Sailed on Haze Gray Cruise Line (US Navy) and took 52 degree rolls each side (104 degrees total) from centerline on a destoyer. And, that was not in a hurricane. If you go to sea, expect ships to respond to the seas they are in. Generally, the ships can and will handle it. It won't be comfortable.

 

The problem is everyone remembers "Love Boat" or sees recent clips of the glamour of ships at sea, and do not realize that there can be some unbelievable movement in three dimensions while aboard. And, the problem is unlike an amusement ride - ie, it does not end in 90 seconds but can go on for hours and days.

 

People who opted to cruise when given the choice to cancel, now understand the nature and power of the seas, and hopefully will make a different decision in the future.

 

By the way, where did our Navy ships and their crews go this past weekend - to sea. It's the safest place for a ship, not the most comfortable for the crew.

[Ocean Boy]

Sailed on Haze Gray Cruise Line (US Navy) and took 52 degree rolls each side (104 degrees total) from centerline on a destoyer. And, that was not in a hurricane. If you go to sea, expect ships to respond to the seas they are in. Generally, the ships can and will handle it. It won't be comfortable.

 

The problem is everyone remembers "Love Boat" or sees recent clips of the glamour of ships at sea, and do not realize that there can be some unbelievable movement in three dimensions while aboard. And, the problem is unlike an amusement ride - ie, it does not end in 90 seconds but can go on for hours and days.

 

People who opted to cruise when given the choice to cancel, now understand the nature and power of the seas, and hopefully will make a different decision in the future.

 

By the way, where did our Navy ships and their crews go this past weekend - to sea. It's the safest place for a ship, not the most comfortable for the crew.

 

It is true that going out to sea is a safer place for ships. However, it is not a safer place for people. It is one thing for sailors to be out on the ocean with their ships during a storm. It is quite another issue for cruise passengers to be there riding out a storm. They are hardly trained professionals.

 

Naval vessels are designed to operate during all kinds of weather conditions. These 18 story floating hotels are an entirely different animal. I do have to question the dicision by cruise lines to take people out in conditions that were far from being a surprise.

[Addictedtocruising]

Someone I know on the ship posted this on facebook this morning, all is well....

 

"I met sandy "eye to eye" in the atlantic over 100 knots of wind and 30 to 40 ft seas the Explorer took it like a champ and we will be in bermuda on wednesday morning at 715 as planned

I hope all is well back home and I will talk to everyone soon"

[buffi001]

The blame should be spread around...if there is any. Someone called them names and asked if they watched the news.....did the passengers watch the news? They knew it was coming too. I'm not making excuses for anyone but RCCL decided to pull out of port (because it is safer in the open ocean then tied up to a dock) but the passengers made the decision to get on the ship.

 

 

We arrived back in NJ on Sunday morning. The captain announced that

the port was closing on Sunday evening and that all ships HAD to leave

port. They did not have the option to stay in Bayonne. The passengers didn't have to board...but the Explorer had to go somewhere.

Too many people are criticical before they have all of the information.

[Ocean Boy]

We arrived back in NJ on Sunday morning. The captain announced that

the port was closing on Sunday evening and that all ships HAD to leave

port. They did not have the option to stay in Bayonne. The passengers didn't have to board...but the Explorer had to go somewhere.

Too many people are criticical before they have all of the information.

 

Explorer had to leave. RCI chose to allow passengers to go with it. And it may have been a reasonable dicision. I am not going to question it. But understand that many people, who have never experienced an ocean storm, will simply have the opinion that if the cruise line, which is operated by professionsals, says it is ok to go then we will go. They simply defer to the people who have the experience. It is easy to understand that mentality if one has never lived through it.

[reallyitsmema]

The New York harbor cam is now surverying the coast, showing everything that has washed up. Water still looks rough.

 

http://nyharborwebcam.com/

 

The dock he is showing now is all but stripped. A pilot boat has pulled along side and they are talking to a guy on the dock.

[BND]

The New York harbor cam is now surverying the coast, showing everything that has washed up. Water still looks rough.

 

http://nyharborwebcam.com/

 

The dock he is showing now is all but stripped. A pilot boat has pulled along side and they are talking to a guy on the dock.

 

Water doesn't really look rough, but it is pushing in towards the city.

 

Not sure what dock you say they were showing at but everytime I've checked the camera they've been showing the seawall under the camera on Staten Island and while it has some debris, there isn't really any damage. The power lines are still standing.

 

The problem with that camera is it really only shows the seawall area and can look across the harbor, but you can't really see much. When EX is in port it shows up as a very small ship until it sails toward and past the camera.

[Tranquil Waters]

We were on that Freedom cruise last year. While it presented some scary moments, I could not believe some of the accounts I read on CC when we returned home.

 

Some people seemed to over-exaggerate the experience, while others just blew it off. We were kind of in the middle. We were not scared, but maybe 75% close to it.

 

We hit at least 96mph winds, until the ship's anemometer broke, along with 30ft seas. It was not the seas that were that bad, it was the wind. The problem is we hit a micro-burst with hurricane force winds. The cap't had to make an emergency move to turn the ship into the wind, which resulted in about a 12deg list (about like standing on your roof).

 

By far, the abrupt turns was the most scary part. We were walking through the promenade when all of the fire doors started to close on their own.

 

Then shortly after, the wind direction changed 180 degrees, so the ship had to make another emergency turn, resulting in another 12deg list in the opposite direction.

 

The worst part of the ordeal were those turns, and hopefully the people on the Explorer did not have to go through any of that. I assume not as the winds would tend to be from a constant direction I would think, whereas we were in constantly shifting winds.

 

If not for those turns, the ride in 30ft seas, while rough, was not too bad. I am not trying to minimize the scary ride those on the Explorer felt, and anytime they hang out the barf bags, it is going to be an uncomfortable ride.

 

At any rate, the worst that happened on the Freedom last year was a couple of doors broke on the 11th deck, and a lot of merchandise fell over, including probably hundreds of liquor bottles in the bars. The floors were all slippery because of all of the spilled booze.

 

And we did get some water in our stateroom, but it was due to rainwater coming in from the balcony during those emergency turns.

 

When I got back home after the cruise was over, I read comments on CC and even some YouTube videos that claimed everything from the ship laying on it's side to almost sinking. While it was indeed a rough ride, it was not anywhere near the description of some accounts.

 

So while I am sure many people were pretty scared - you have to take the stuff you read with the realization that their account of what happened was perhaps a result of being scared.

 

Still, cruising near a hurricane is a dangerous thing, and I wish those on the Explorer safe journey.

 

My younger DD and her friend were also on that cruise and she has described the experience pretty much as you have. They missed dinner the first night as they were late seating which was cancelled. And having had a couple of boarding drinks they could have used food. They were at one of the bars for a pre dinner drink when the lists occurred. Flying and broken barware Then everyone sent to cabins for the evening. They were in an inside cabin on a lower deck so their cabin was dry.

 

She cruised Freedom again this Oct so I guess that tells you just how "traumatic" it was for her! :D. But then she is mid 20's and so very resilient.....;)

[Tranquil Waters]

I've lived through a good number of hurricanes and considering what I went through last night I really don't think that I would have gotten on the ship. Being on the ocean during a hurricane is just not something that I would voluntarily put myself through. Living on the coast, and initially on an island, leaves one with a tremendous love, and respect, for the ocean. I was very surprised when the NYC webcam showed the ship leaving port. Even IF some of what we are reading is greatly exagerated there was no fun to be had on the ship yesterday. I am quite sure of that.

 

I spent my elementary years in Virginia near the coast and spent a great deal of time at the beach. I loved playing in the ocean. Learned to water ski in the Chesapeake Bay with heavy tights on under my bathing suit and a sweatshirt on over my bathing suit to protect us from the jellyfish in the water when we went down. And you are right, once you have experienced a hurricane or even stron tropical storm you do develop a healthy respect for the ocean.