Caribbean Princess still at dock

[jtcoolk]

Captain just announced we would be leaving. Imagine we will now miss Cozumel to keep on schedule.

[JeffandMelissa]

Captain just announced he is going to try and get the ship out. He has two tugs- one in front and one in back. All thrusters going to stabilize the ship while he goes throught the channel. Winds have died down a bit. Problem is the channel at its narrow point is only 92 meters...while the CB is 36 wide. He had concerns making it through that.

 

I just went on the Lido deck about 15 minutes ago and it felt less windy. NFL football on all day...no problem with that. Was on deck 6 prior to going to the lido and they had opened the shops already.

 

We've been having a good time while on board despite these issues. DH and I had no plans but to rest and relax...so far so good.

 

Melissa

[ceba]

super. Just saw this post. I put my nephew on this cruise for his honeymoon.

Oh well. They are "honeymooners", perhaps they wont notice ;)

[trabeler]

Shops opened at 9 am today even though we haven't left yet. Cruise director said they got special permission somehow.

 

Interesting theories about being stuck or grounded here. Will be easy to tell based on how the ship behaves when they loosen the lines. Seems hard to believe that we're grounded.

 

Captain has said that we'll have two tugs tied to us to navigate through the 1.5 mile long Bayport channel. Channel is 90 m wide and were almost 40 m wide which he claims is the primary concern.

 

 

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[Cruzin-K]

and of course, now that y'all are leaving I can't get the port cam to load.

 

Oh well, I'm going out anyway. I will keep my fingers crossed that by the time I get home from Catching Fire, the ship will be long gone :)

 

:D

[MarkSeattle]

She's starting to move out now on the port cam.

 

Have a great cruise!

[jp20]

We hope you are still enjoying your vacation, as its better than work. I hope we don't miss ANY ports next week as I had to Pre-pay in Cozumel to swim with the Manatees. I will be very sad if I miss that opportunity.

 

Sorry for the loss and thinking that the other ship that got out of port was due to its size being smaller.

[Scottydogs]

Just looked at Bayport Webcam and the CB is underway.

[trabeler]

We're moving very slowly. Two tugs are tied fast and holding us in position as we come off the dock.

 

Highly doubt we were grounded since we came off quickly when the lines were dropped.

 

 

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[kellor]

I feel so sorry for the crew what they must be enduring from passengers that are upset about not leaving on time, missing ports, etc... We are on this sailing in January and I figure it this way...as long as I am on that ship relaxing I don't care what the weather does!

 

I'm thinking, however, that the new norm for this port needs to a late return flight or staying overnight for a post stay.

 

Wishing you all a wonderful sailing !!

 

Lori

[RickEk]

I see that she's on her way... the talk of her being "grounded" is certainly erroneous. There is no way that there is not enough clearance at the pier even at low tide. Cruise lines would not risk their ships in that way. I'm sure the problem is that the Caribbean Princess is a very tall ship that must traverse a narrow channel. The ship acts as a giant sail and if the wind is too great, she could be pushed out of the deep channel. We missed Bermuda on the CB once because the approach is very narrow and it was too windy to make the attempt. Hopefully we won't have these problems in a couple of weeks!

[SapphireHoneymoon]

super. Just saw this post. I put my nephew on this cruise for his honeymoon.

Oh well. They are "honeymooners", perhaps they wont notice ;)

 

That's the plan! Haha.

[AKman2495]

We sailed on her on 11/5 and 11/9. I know just how narrow that channel is and it is tight. On 11/5 we were in Skywalkers at the very back. As far as I could tell, the ship moved a few feet from the pier and then slowly pivoted around her stern as stern slid along the dock. We were literally overhanging the pier in Skywalkers for the whole turn. I thought for sure she was going to hit the dock.

 

That was with no wind. I can see why the captain would be nervous doing it with a hight wind. One good gust and she could easily hit the pier as she leaves...

[Sillybowtie]

 

Just went down to the bay to see it leave. We will be going on it for spring break 2014! It will be nice to be able to ride the golf cart down to cruise terminal.

[Bimmer09]

Have a great cruise everyone! You all have taken this disappointment very well indeed so there is some great spirit on board-and I'm not just talking about the rum!

 

Hope to hear (read) more from those on board.

 

Norris

[caribill]

I believe these kinds of "operational" issues are why Princess had abandoned sailing from Texas for a few years.

 

Main reason they left last time was there was too much competition for almost identical itineraries. This required lower pricing to entice passengers to book.

[dforeigner]

It's on its way!

[whataboutport]

Oh man, I feel for the pax on board, and really hope this doesn't happen every time. It really is very narrow. We were on board for the first 7 nt cruise with the fog delay. The ship pretty much has to do a 180 to get in the correct position. There are these big poles that stick out of the water that the Capt has to avoid hitting. It's very very close. Plus I think Capt Street is a very safe and down to business guy. No way he would take a chance if he didn't feel 100% sure.

[DrivesLikeMario]

For those sailing in January and early February, be prepared for fog delays. If they don't happen, great! If they do, just realize it's part of the risk you take sailing out of TX.

 

Last January, our boarding was delayed by about 10 hrs. due to fog. It wasn't bad at the port, but the ship couldn't get into the port because about 1.5 miles out, it was so thick, the crew members told us they couldn't see anything outside. They tried to look down from the Caribe Deck balconies and couldn't see the water below or even the next balcony below on the Dolphin Deck.

 

So, be prepared for weather delays, be flexible and just chalk it up to the experiences of traveling. ;)

[caribill]

Last January, our boarding was delayed by about 10 hrs. due to fog. It wasn't bad at the port, but the ship couldn't get into the port because about 1.5 miles out, it was so thick, the crew members told us they couldn't see anything outside.

 

And that was when the ship used Galveston.

[RickEk]

Hmmmmm.... the webcam is showing the ship is now bound to Costa Maya. I guess they're substituting that for Cozumel... hopefully someone on the ship will report back soon...

[Cruzin-K]

Hmmmmm.... the webcam is showing the ship is now bound to Costa Maya. I guess they're substituting that for Cozumel... hopefully someone on the ship will report back soon...

 

Hmmm, interesting. Costa Maya would be better than an extra sea day, at least for me it would.

[DrivesLikeMario]

And that was when the ship used Galveston.

Yes!

 

Hmmmmm.... the webcam is showing the ship is now bound to Costa Maya. I guess they're substituting that for Cozumel... hopefully someone on the ship will report back soon...

 

That's an awesome substitution in my book. Love it there and would bypass Coz any day for Costa Maya. Hope everyone is enjoying the change!

[caribill]

Hmmmmm.... the webcam is showing the ship is now bound to Costa Maya. I guess they're substituting that for Cozumel... hopefully someone on the ship will report back soon...

 

Interesting. Earlier it said it was on the way to Belize.

Edited November 24, 2013 by caribill

[LEtue]

Hmmmmm.... the webcam is showing the ship is now bound to Costa Maya. I guess they're substituting that for Cozumel... hopefully someone on the ship will report back soon...

 

That is interesting. I didn't think there was a lot of distance between the two port....but it must be enough :)

 

We enjoyed our day at Maya Chan in April but I guess it is too late for those on board to try to get reservations.