A chine know what's up with Grand Princess 4/13?

[rpcv77]

We just got off the Grand this morning and didn't notice anything unusual when coming in to SF (but wasn't really looking). We had a great time and good service . Hope you have the same and enjoy every minute of your trip.

[websailor]

It's standard now for the cruise ships to be escorted by armed CG boats. Last week when we left the two inflatables were on either side of us (looked just like the picture posted) and the larger cutter behind us. The other times we've sailed from SF in the past few years was the same.

 

I hope the passenger is okay.

[Seago2]

Whatever the level of armed escort was it was an increase over the last cruise ship he had brought in. For all I know it's new for the port to have that extra CG boat or whatever the increase is. I'll let you know if the next cruise ship he does and if it's the same.

[chengkp75]

Whatever the level of armed escort was it was an increase over the last cruise ship he had brought in. For all I know it's new for the port to have that extra CG boat or whatever the increase is. I'll let you know if the next cruise ship he does and if it's the same.

 

The USCG conducts random security boardings of cruise ships, and cargo ships as well. How often and which ships depends on the budget available to each Captain of the Port district, whether the COTP has just changed, or whether the district is under periodic review at the time. Some times its just the chase boats, some times they board the ship. Boarding party will generally include 5-6 armed Coasties (with M-16 and sidearm), and 2-3 will go to the bridge, and 2-3 will go to the engine control room. Its a bit disconcerting for an armed guy to be standing behind the helmsman, ready to shoot him if he makes a move to swing the wheel and drive the ship into the Golden Gate Bridge. Some times the guys are just looking for a cruise ship meal.:D

 

Interestingly, on a cruise ship in Hawaii, the CG was boarding our vessel, all armed to the teeth, and the ship's Security Officer was checking ID's of the Coasties, as per our Security Plan. One guy didn't have any ID on him, and was told he couldn't come onboard. He was upset, and claiming that he was in uniform and an armed escort, but his supervisor told him the Security Officer was correct, and he would have to "wait in the boat". If the Security Officer had failed to check ID's, the ship could have been detained for improper implementation of the Security Plan.

[chengkp75]

We stopped again a had a tug pull starboard side with a wheelchair on deck. Guess we were picking up our guys.

 

That would be the medical staff that accompanied the patient to the hospital and crew needed to transport the patients (and possibly their families) belongings, or at least documentation and meds.

[gooch47]

We had an armed Coast Guard boat escort the NCL Jewel for quite a ways down the Mississippi River earlier this month. This was the seventh time we took this same cruise recently and this was the first time I saw the escort.

[greenie082756]

Wow! This is why I enjoy reading CC! There is always something to learn about cruising. Thanks for the info! :)

[louanne93]

We were just off the Grand yesterday and we were talking to some crew members, they said that a few crew members have tried to escape (exact words) in San Francisco. Most of the crew was not allowed to get off in San Francisco.

[carqueen1]

We were just off the Grand yesterday and we were talking to some crew members, they said that a few crew members have tried to escape (exact words) in San Francisco. Most of the crew was not allowed to get off in San Francisco.

 

I was on the same cruise as you and was told the exact same thing!

[secretcastle]

We were just off the Grand yesterday and we were talking to some crew members, they said that a few crew members have tried to escape (exact words) in San Francisco. Most of the crew was not allowed to get off in San Francisco.

How was your cruise? We will be boarding soon, and it is so great to hear everyone's thoughts.

[louanne93]

How was your cruise? We will be boarding soon, and it is so great to hear everyone's thoughts.

 

I had heard a lot of negatives about this cruise from passengers on board. With that being said, WE had a FABULOUS time! I think it is all in how you look at life. I don't go around looking for rust, unstained railings, or worn carpet. The only thing that sort of affected us was the service in the main dining room. We had anytime dining and both times we ate at in the dining room we felt like we were in the way. The servers were rude in my opinion. We ate at the Crown Grill 2x and Sabatini's once, both were fabulous. I actually got to talking to the head chef for both restaurant's and as the week went on we got all kinds of treats at our table every time we went! The service in the buffet was AMAZING! They were always right by you to see if you needed anything. That level of service was what I expected in the dining room.

 

Everything else about this ship was great! I spent a lot of time at the International Café. I loved this place. We ate at Alfredo's and thought it was great. We had room service pizza, and it was hot and VERY tasty (a $3 charge well worth it).

 

Our cabin was A707. Always clean and a perfect location. We spent a lot of time at the adult pool at the back of the ship.

 

My husband is a veteran and there were a lot of veterans on board. They had two meetings on the sea days for the veterans which was nice for him (although he definitely was the youngest!). We met more people and socialized so much on this cruise. We just had a blast :D

[Seago2]

Verbatim from tugboat pilot:

 

"Most of the time there are one or two escorts but this time they manned their guns and chased away any pleasure boat that got near them. Also we never had to escort them ourselves. We just dock them. This time we escorted them to the sea buoy."

[chengkp75]

Verbatim from tugboat pilot:

 

"Most of the time there are one or two escorts but this time they manned their guns and chased away any pleasure boat that got near them. Also we never had to escort them ourselves. We just dock them. This time we escorted them to the sea buoy."

 

Can't say if it was related to the USCG Sea Marshal escort, but usually when a tug escorts a ship all the way to the sea buoy, it means that the USCG has been notified that there is something wrong with the ship's steering system. Since the Grand has two rudders and shafts, one of the 4 total steering gear units (two on each rudder) may be malfunctioning. You'll see this a lot with ships having two azipods, when one isn't working, there isn't a redundant steering system, and a tug escort will be ordered.

[Seago2]

Can't say if it was related to the USCG Sea Marshal escort, but usually when a tug escorts a ship all the way to the sea buoy, it means that the USCG has been notified that there is something wrong with the ship's steering system. Since the Grand has two rudders and shafts, one of the 4 total steering gear units (two on each rudder) may be malfunctioning. You'll see this a lot with ships having two azipods, when one isn't working, there isn't a redundant steering system, and a tug escort will be ordered.

 

"No. These ships must be 100% operational. They wouldn't let it leave if that was the case. The theory on the crew members sounds plausible to me."

[chengkp75]

"No. These ships must be 100% operational. They wouldn't let it leave if that was the case. The theory on the crew members sounds plausible to me."

 

Who says that the ship has to be 100% operational to sail? I'm a US merchant ship's Chief Engineer for nearly 40 years, and I have not only sailed ships that had mechanical defects that mandated a tug escort, but all you have to do is look at all the posts about the Allure, Adventure of the Sea, a Carnival ship out of New Orleans (Splendor, I think, but not sure), and a lot of others having azipods out of service to know that cruise ships sail into and out of US ports all the time not being 100% operational. Some of these ships have sailed for months without one pod, and I'm sure several have gone into and out of SF the same way.

 

The ship notifies the CG about the problem, the CG discusses it with the ship to determine if it can be repaired without imposing undue financial burden on the ship owner, and if necessary, a tug is hired as escort to act as the redundant system if required. What possible justification would the CG or Princess have to hire a Crowley tractor tug be in a case of crewmembers attempting to jump ship? They have no police jurisdiction, and there were two armed CG boats in the area. And if the tug were for attempted illegal immigration by the crew, there would have been a CBP or ICE agent onboard the tug.

Edited April 14, 2014 by chengkp75

[Seago2]

Who says that the ship has to be 100% operational to sail? I'm a US merchant ship's Chief Engineer for nearly 40 years, and I have not only sailed ships that had mechanical defects that mandated a tug escort, but all you have to do is look at all the posts about the Allure, Adventure of the Sea, a Carnival ship out of New Orleans (Splendor, I think, but not sure), and a lot of others having azipods out of service to know that cruise ships sail into and out of US ports all the time not being 100% operational. Some of these ships have sailed for months without one pod, and I'm sure several have gone into and out of SF the same way.

 

The ship notifies the CG about the problem, the CG discusses it with the ship to determine if it can be repaired without imposing undue financial burden on the ship owner, and if necessary, a tug is hired as escort to act as the redundant system if required. What possible justification would the CG or Princess have to hire a Crowley tractor tug be in a case of crewmembers attempting to jump ship? They have no police jurisdiction, and there were two armed CG boats in the area. And if the tug were for attempted illegal immigration by the crew, there would have been a CBP or ICE agent onboard the tug.

 

chengkp I am your biggest fan on CC. Put another way, I am a "fan" of no one but you on CC, and that goes back to the early days of Concordia. I hear you and you're right. They are cruising around with one pod all the time. I have no idea why they needed a tug all the way (EDIT, wrong pic). No idea. Zero. Just

presenting what he said.

 

I'm a former maritime lawyer (changed area of law) and the child of a naval architect/marine engineer. I've really enjoyed your posts and you really are a welcome asset to CC.

 

Now if only I could edit this thread title...

Edited April 14, 2014 by Seago2

[chengkp75]

chengkp I am your biggest fan on CC. Put another way, I am a "fan" of no one but you on CC, and that goes back to the early days of Concordia. I hear you and you're right. They are cruising around with one pod all the time. I have no idea why they needed a tug all the way (EDIT, wrong pic). No idea. Zero. Just

presenting what he said.

 

I'm a former maritime lawyer (changed area of law) and the child of a naval architect/marine engineer. I've really enjoyed your posts and you really are a welcome asset to CC.

 

Now if only I could edit this thread title...

 

That's okay, I'm more jumping on the Crowley tug pilot. I used to work for Crowley for about 10 years. As she is a rudder and shaft ship, the loss of one steering gear is not so vital as a pod. And the tug pilot is more correct when he is speaking about US flag ships. While a foreign flag ship can get permission to sail with one of the two radars out of commission, a US flag ship is required to sit at the dock until it is repaired. This is leaving a port like FLL, where the channel is only about a mile long, with the weather clear and sunny, and the USCG holds us until both radars are working (which is as it should be), but let the foreign flag ships go.

 

I've heard, but not done, that if you "go advanced" during the editing time limit, you can edit the thread title. And I got jumped all over for typing 140 instead of 104 in a post about hot tub temps, so my fingers are no better than yours.

Edited April 14, 2014 by chengkp75

[ar1950]

.............. The only thing that sort of affected us was the service in the main dining room. We had anytime dining and both times we ate at in the dining room we felt like we were in the way. The servers were rude in my opinion...........................

 

Probably they were the ones trying to escape.......:cool:

 

We were just off the Grand yesterday and we were talking to some crew members, they said that a few crew members have tried to escape (exact words) in San Francisco. Most of the crew was not allowed to get off in San Francisco.

[bdjam]

We were just off the Grand yesterday and we were talking to some crew members, they said that a few crew members have tried to escape (exact words) in San Francisco. Most of the crew was not allowed to get off in San Francisco.

 

I was on Golden Princess on a California Coastal reposition to Vancouver a number of years ago. We stopped in San Francisco for the day and a couple of crew members never came back. By the time Customs, local law authorities and Princess got finished with the matter, we sailed six hours late..

[carqueen1]

I had heard a lot of negatives about this cruise from passengers on board. With that being said, WE had a FABULOUS time! I think it is all in how you look at life. I don't go around looking for rust, unstained railings, or worn carpet. The only thing that sort of affected us was the service in the main dining room. We had anytime dining and both times we ate at in the dining room we felt like we were in the way. The servers were rude in my opinion. We ate at the Crown Grill 2x and Sabatini's once, both were fabulous. I actually got to talking to the head chef for both restaurant's and as the week went on we got all kinds of treats at our table every time we went! The service in the buffet was AMAZING! They were always right by you to see if you needed anything. That level of service was what I expected in the dining room.

 

Everything else about this ship was great! I spent a lot of time at the International Café. I loved this place. We ate at Alfredo's and thought it was great. We had room service pizza, and it was hot and VERY tasty (a $3 charge well worth it).

 

Our cabin was A707. Always clean and a perfect location. We spent a lot of time at the adult pool at the back of the ship.

 

My husband is a veteran and there were a lot of veterans on board. They had two meetings on the sea days for the veterans which was nice for him (although he definitely was the youngest!). We met more people and socialized so much on this cruise. We just had a blast :D

 

I agree with the poster about how you look at things, but this was my 12th cruise and it was the exact opposite of hers. LOUSY SERVICE not up to Princess standards or expectations. Only good service we got was in the dining room, we had traditional dining at 5:30 pm.

 

Here is an example: After boarding after a wonderful day in San Diego, I went to passenger services desk and asked if I could view a menu for the evening in advance. The desk clerk, told me "What do you think I am??" Food and Beverage?" I went back to my room and immediately called her supervisor. This is just one example.........

[R&V]

Here is an example: After boarding after a wonderful day in San Diego, I went to passenger services desk and asked if I could view a menu for the evening in advance. The desk clerk, told me "What do you think I am??" Food and Beverage?" I went back to my room and immediately called her supervisor. This is just one example.........

 

Just a FYI for you, the evening dinner menus are posted next to the restaurant entrance doors each morning and are available all day for your perusing.

[louanne93]

Here is an example: After boarding after a wonderful day in San Diego, I went to passenger services desk and asked if I could view a menu for the evening in advance. The desk clerk, told me "What do you think I am??" Food and Beverage?" I went back to my room and immediately called her supervisor. This is just one example.........

 

Just a FYI for you, the evening dinner menus are posted next to the restaurant entrance doors each morning and are available all day for your perusing.

 

I did that at 6am every morning when I was on my way to get my morning tea.

[MTJSR]

Living in the area, I have never seen a cruise ship do a donut on its way out the gate like this before, I caught the Grand after flipping the U'ie and heading back around Alcatraz towards the Bay bridge.

 

.

.

.

[bhopal21]

Someone reported that they experienced a medical emergency immediately after sailing.

 

Mike:)

[timesurfer7]

Louanne thank you so much for your positive comments. My husband and I, both veterans (me only three years and he 35 years served in Air Force) will be on the Grand on the 28th and we cannot wait. I have read so much on this ship, both negative and positive, and yet we are still going!!! Hmm I think. Rust on a boat? You mean the thing that is traveling on water has rust? Wow what a concept. But I am like you. I look at the half full glass and only see the good in all. Will there be some things I don't like? Perhaps. Will I let it ruin my 30th Anniversary cruise? NO WAY. I will accept the good with the bad and wake up the next morning and start fresh. I think we will be on the young side (54 and 57) but does this matter? No it does not. I enjoy all people whenever we go. Must be the fact I have moved 23 times in the past 30 years and in my life time, moved over 30 TIMES. I will have fun no matter what life brings me on board (hmmm not if my room smells of smoke but there are remedies for that too!!!) and I am counting the days and hours before we board the ship for Hawaii.

 

Do you remember which nights are formal nights? Need to plan on when to celebrate our anniversary and my husbands retirement. Again, thank you for your words.