Scary Cruise on the Eurodam

[JanetDeV]

We sailed on the Eurodam from NY Manhattan on 9/24/15 to Quebec. Unfortunately, we were awakened at 4:00 a.m. on the morning of October 1 by things falling off counters and a continual loud thudding. Realizing we were in a storm, we turned on the ship's channel and discovered the wind speed was 93 mph - Yes, 93 miles per hour. At one point the ship listed to the side and my husband was walking uphill in our cabin to get back into bed. When daybreak finally arrived, the Captain announced we had hit "unexpected hurricane force winds", including a gust of 110 mph, which caused the ship to list 7 degrees". (It felt like a lot more than 7 degrees.) Another Holland America ship, The Maasdam, which is smaller than the Eurodam, also sailed through the storm and listed even further. Wondering how hurricane force winds could be "unexpected", I checked the internet when we returned home and discovered the storm had been predicted to hit New Brunswick with up to 7 inches of rain and four cruise ships had taken refuge in Halifax to shelter from the storm. We spoke to several fellow passengers who had been on 30-40 cruises and never worried . . . until that night. There was no explanation as to why we sailed through the storm, but we'll never sail with Holland America again.

[cruz chic]

Sorry to hear that. Bad weather can happen any time. Several years ago I was on a cruise to Bermuda. We were in the middle of a noreaster. The captain went around it and some pax complained bitterly about arriving late to Bermuda. Dammed if they do, dammed if they don't.

[slabeaume]

We sailed through a bad storm on an Alaskan cruise with another cruise line. The stores had to be closed because the merchandise was thrown to the floor, the plates in the lido were handed to us because they were falling, the pool and spa were closed because the water sloshed out and flooded the spa area, the large potted trees were even falling over and rolling around. I imagine this sort of thing can happen with any cruise line.

[CruiserBruce]

Wow- Mother Nature always has the final say- not the cruise line.

 

 

Sheltering in a harbor is NOT typically the normal thing to do in heavy winds and seas. Lots of damage to ship and pier can happen in heavy weather.

 

 

20-20 hindsight is wonderful. 7 inches of rain is a lot, but it doesn't, in and of itself, indicate hurricane force winds. And, yes, we have sailed in "hurricane force" winds (75+ mph), at least 3 times. It happens. Sometimes we hardly noticed the winds, other times it was quite obvious..

Edited October 15, 2015 by CruiserBruce

[JanetDeV]

Not sure why CruiserBruce feels the need to be sarcastic, but experienced cruise passengers were also very frightened that morning. My idea of vacation does not include three hours of terror so I guess cruising will no longer be in our future. Happy sailing to Cruiser Bruce and others who enjoy that sort of thing.

[sail7seas]

Captains follow weather predictions very carefully and are well experienced and trained at how to sail safely through them. Seeing the Captain brought his ship, crew and guests safely to shore, he must have done something right.

 

Cruiser Bruce really wasn't being sarcastic but was speaking the reality of going to sea. There are times Mother Nature will rule and it takes the skill and experience of Captain/Officers/Crew to handle the weather.

 

If one wants smooth as glass seas all the time, cruising is not their best choice for vacation. It is not a matter of enjoying it; it's a matter of reality.

 

Was this your first cruise? If so, I am sorry for your fear but happy you are safe.

 

[POA1]

I know it's scary when a ship lists, but it's not that unusual.

 

http://cruises.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Cruise_Ship_Tilt

 

As far as "unexpected" storms go, they happen all the time. (See Superstorm Sandy, or the remnants of Hurricane Hazel that turned into "The Perfect Storm." The list can go on and on.) Bad weather happens at sea. I still have a scar from being banged by a drawer on a Royal Caribbean cruise a few years back. We had a very flat cruise until the last night when we were returning to Miami. A storm blew up. If the ship got diverted, we'd have missed our flights and the next set of passengers would have missed their cruise. Travel by sea and by air is fraught with uncertainty.

[Despegue]

Dear JanetDeV,

 

When you are not used to sea-going ship life, sailing through a depression with the resulting turbulent weather might be indeed frightening.

 

Wind and swell forcasts are just that, forcasts, and although modern vessels like Ms. Eurodam and Ms. Maasdam have the latest equipment onboard to assess weather predictions, the Captain and Navigational Officers are still not assured that actual conditions will be as forcast.

 

Especially wind speeds are in some conditions very difficult to predict, particulary in remnants of Cyclones ( like Hurricane Joaquin) and Storms.

There are many variables, too many to point out on this forum.

 

Let me assure you though that although I am not a HAL Captain, I am absolutely sure that my colleagues onboard Eurodam and Maasdam have put their passengers and crew's safety at all times as Priority 1 and that the Safety of the vessel was never compromised. Sometimes, a ship list and/or movement can feel severe, reality is that Ocean going vessels are designed to withstand a multitude of the conditions you have experienced.

 

It is obviously your own choice not to cruise anymore, but weather is a fact of life onboard a vessel. A cruise is not a hotel, it is a very sophisticated marvel of engineering designed to move through and protect from Nature's Elements.

 

You were not harmed in any way, you were not in danger at any point.

 

Ita seems that you arrived safely at your destination, so in the end, Job well done to the Crew.

 

Yours Sicerely,

 

Capt. Tino Coddé ( username Despegue)

Master Nautical Sciences

Capt B747

Founder TCAS Maritime and Aviation Safety

[ithaca gal]

I had to re-read CruiserBruce's post to find the sarcasm that I thought I had missed. Nope, none there.

 

I am sorry you had a scary experience but it does happen. It definitely is a risk to seek refuge in port.

 

The captain seems to have done a good job of keeping everyone safe and sound, even though it wasn't the smoothest cruise.

 

Experiences like this are rare. Don't cheat yourself, give HAL another chance.

[JanetDeV]

Thank you to everyone for your comments. No, this wasn't our first cruise, nor was it our first time in rough seas. It was, however, our first experience with 90-110 mph gusts of wind. Mathematics tells me that 110 mph is a little bit worse than 75 mph, and I wasn't lying when I said some very experienced passengers who had been on 30-40 cruises were frightened. Since your posts indicate this is a more common occurrence than we knew, we won't be sailing again. Hours of terror are simply not included on our list of vacation wishes. We'll relax on dry land from now on and leave cruising to all of you hardy souls.

[JanetDeV]

Just a note to let Ithaca gal know that Cruiser Bruce edited his post right after I replied.

[serendipity1499]

Not sure why CruiserBruce feels the need to be sarcastic, but experienced cruise passengers were also very frightened that morning. My idea of vacation does not include three hours of terror so I guess cruising will no longer be in our future. Happy sailing to Cruiser Bruce and others who enjoy that sort of thing.

 

 

So very sorry you had to experience such a bad storm, but we too have cruised in unexpected storms, both when cruising on HAL as well as on other cruise lines & also while on our own boats..

 

One time we were on our own boat on a overnight trip when a fast sudden storm came up in the Middle of the Gulf.. DH woke me up to come up into the cockpit & don my life jacket.. The lightning literally surrounded us..Of course I too was frightened, but we lived through them..

 

I think one of the worst storms we heard about was when Arzz reported about their harrowing trip when they rounded Cape Horn on the Prinsendam..

 

It was fascinating reading..When we've rounded the Horn most times the sea was like glass but my DH & Friends DH were hoping it would be a harrowing trip..LOL

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=480550

 

Don't believe Cruiser Bruce is being sarcastic at all.. He is telling you what Cruising can be like..

 

But agree that cruising is not for everyone & perhaps you would be happier only taking land vacations..

 

P.S. BTW, AARZ is still cruising & is a gifted writer.. If you don't want to read the entire thread take a look at Post No. 44 when she asks: "Do You Hit a Rogue Wave or Does a Rogue Wave Hit You?"

Edited October 15, 2015 by serendipity1499

[SetAnOpenCourse]

On the morning of Oct. 1, I think you were 2-3 days beyond Halifax, so you must be wondering about the potential of sheltering in another port. I can't speak to that, but sheltering in Halifax would seem to be those other ships' alternatives to sailing in the Atlantic, perhaps more risky at the time than your location (Gulf of St. Lawrence?). Another factor might have been the suitability of the ships that did wait it out in port, for rough water as compared to the Eurodam. I'm just conjecturing, but unless there are more facts to consider, I do not see a reason to doubt the judgement or prudence of the captain, and therefore do not see a reason to avoid the cruise line.

[niceguyneastbay]

So I have to ask, if you were on a flight , the sky is blue, not a cloud around, seat belt sign is off and all of a sudden hell breaks loose and you are in severe turbulence. Are you telling me you would not fly that airline again? Just because HAL was in a storm outside the control of the Captain or the Company, your not sailing again with them? Mother Nature works in mysterious ways. No one can really predict her.

 

Check out 1:13 sec

 

Ocean view room turns into submarine view.

[swin26]

I was on this cruise as well and thought the captain did an excellent job keeping us safe, which is his primary job. As he told us, prior to the storm and in preparation for the storm, the water carried by the ship was moved from one side to the other for balance. Also, his maneuvering the stern into the wind reduced the possible listing from around 15 degrees to 7 degrees. I felt and still do feel that we were in very good hands. In fact we bought our future cruise deposits the morning after the storm.

[niceguyneastbay]

I was on this cruise as well and thought the captain did an excellent job keeping us safe, which is his primary job. As he told us, prior to the storm and in preparation for the storm, the water carried by the ship was moved from one side to the other for balance. Also, his maneuvering the stern into the wind reduced the possible listing from around 15 degrees to 7 degrees. I felt and still do feel that we were in very good hands. In fact we bought our future cruise deposits the morning after the storm.

 

Thank you for posting your experience.

[kazu]

I was on this cruise as well and thought the captain did an excellent job keeping us safe, which is his primary job. As he told us, prior to the storm and in preparation for the storm, the water carried by the ship was moved from one side to the other for balance. Also, his maneuvering the stern into the wind reduced the possible listing from around 15 degrees to 7 degrees. I felt and still do feel that we were in very good hands. In fact we bought our future cruise deposits the morning after the storm.

 

Thank you for sharing your cruising experience and perspective.

 

Appreciate your comments.

 

Sorry you both had to go through the storm but this stuff does happen. I was thrown across the room on NCL many years ago while trying to pack and it didn't stop us from cruising either;)

[cbr663]

To the OP, thank-you for sharing your experience with us. I haven't read anything about the Maasdam's experience, but have read about a NA experience also experiencing rough seas and heavy listing on a recent cruise. It does leave me wondering why 3 ships chose to sail into the storms?

[DaveOKC]

To the OP, thank-you for sharing your experience with us. I haven't read anything about the Maasdam's experience, but have read about a NA experience also experiencing rough seas and heavy listing on a recent cruise. It does leave me wondering why 3 ships chose to sail into the storms?

 

Hard to say what the situation was in total, but that was a bad week along the whole East Coast. My sister left NY on Oct. 2 and said it was rough sailing as well (she was headed up to Saint John, Canada being rerouted from Bermuda due to the hurricane).

[blizzardboy]

If you go to sea, it's only a matter of time before you find yourself in heavy seas. Using satellite views and weather radar, today's Captain does his best to avoid or minimize exposure to storms, but storms often move at 3-4 times the speed of the ship, can be very large in scope, and can change direction without warning. It's unfortunate that it happened to you, but now you have a real "sailing story" to tell. Condemning the whole cruise line is like burning an orchard because you got a bad apple. Take another bite. Bet it's sweeter!

[catl331]

I have experienced a couple of storm emergencies while on board HAL. I firmly believed that these experienced captains made a decision after considerable discussion with weather professionals etc. They were very concerned about the safety of passengers and crews. Yep, china and booze bottles broke and in one incidence 5 Xmas trees fully decorated hit the floor but we went through the storms safely. Thank you HAL Captains and crew! See ya soon.

[Boytjie]

Thank you to everyone for your comments. No, this wasn't our first cruise, nor was it our first time in rough seas. It was, however, our first experience with 90-110 mph gusts of wind. Mathematics tells me that 110 mph is a little bit worse than 75 mph, and I wasn't lying when I said some very experienced passengers who had been on 30-40 cruises were frightened. Since your posts indicate this is a more common occurrence than we knew, we won't be sailing again. Hours of terror are simply not included on our list of vacation wishes. We'll relax on dry land from now on and leave cruising to all of you hardy souls.

 

I am not sure what you base the conclusion on that posts " indicate this is a more common occurrence than we knew". What I have read is that people have said that it could happen, not that it happens often. And with the conditions you were in, I am not surprised that even experience passengers were concerned.

 

That storm's track changed quite a bit day by day; at one time it looked like it was going towards the US East Coast and Bermuda would be safe but it ended up hitting Bermuda hard and not coming near the US coast.

[Daisyloo]

Thank you to everyone for your comments. No, this wasn't our first cruise, nor was it our first time in rough seas. It was, however, our first experience with 90-110 mph gusts of wind. Mathematics tells me that 110 mph is a little bit worse than 75 mph, and I wasn't lying when I said some very experienced passengers who had been on 30-40 cruises were frightened. Since your posts indicate this is a more common occurrence than we knew, we won't be sailing again. Hours of terror are simply not included on our list of vacation wishes. We'll relax on dry land from now on and leave cruising to all of you hardy souls.

 

I understand you were frightened and it is your prerogative to sail again or not. However just because you vacation on dry land doesn't mean you will be safe. I know several people who were on land based vacations on Caribbean islands and were caught in hurricanes. My in laws spent a scary night in a beachfront hotel with water lapping up the side of their bed during a hurricane. The next day they were driven across the island to a resort that hadn't been hit so badly. I know another couple that had to be evacuated from a resort as the local officials were worried the hurricane would wash out roads and strand tourists. Weather happens, sometimes quite quickly and or unexpectedly.

(I also didn't see anything sarcastic in cruiser bruce's response.)

[kazu]

If you go to sea, it's only a matter of time before you find yourself in heavy seas. Using satellite views and weather radar, today's Captain does his best to avoid or minimize exposure to storms, but storms often move at 3-4 times the speed of the ship, can be very large in scope, and can change direction without warning. It's unfortunate that it happened to you, but now you have a real "sailing story" to tell. Condemning the whole cruise line is like burning an orchard because you got a bad apple. Take another bite. Bet it's sweeter!

 

I have experienced a couple of storm emergencies while on board HAL. I firmly believed that these experienced captains made a decision after considerable discussion with weather professionals etc. They were very concerned about the safety of passengers and crews. Yep, china and booze bottles broke and in one incidence 5 Xmas trees fully decorated hit the floor but we went through the storms safely. Thank you HAL Captains and crew! See ya soon.

 

I agree with both of you.

 

I am sorry the OP was frightened, but things happen whether you are on land, at sea or in a plane or train.

 

I am saddened to hear that this has traumatized you so much that it has blurred the memory of the wonderful cruise you were on and you will not be cruising.

 

The Captains and crew's first goal is to get you there safely and they do a lot of planning to do it.

 

Storms change quickly and unpredictably. Whether you were in the air or at sea, it would have made little difference.

 

What is good is that you arrived safely and the Captain and crew did a good job of manoeuvering through the storm.

 

I hope your future vacations are much more enjoyable.

[Linerguy]

I understand you were frightened and it is your prerogative to sail again or not. However just because you vacation on dry land doesn't mean you will be safe. I know several people who were on land based vacations on Caribbean islands and were caught in hurricanes. My in laws spent a scary night in a beachfront hotel with water lapping up the side of their bed during a hurricane. The next day they were driven across the island to a resort that hadn't been hit so badly. I know another couple that had to be evacuated from a resort as the local officials were worried the hurricane would wash out roads and strand tourists. Weather happens, sometimes quite quickly and or unexpectedly.

(I also didn't see anything sarcastic in cruiser bruce's response.)

 

Agreed. Ships move, island don't.