Here is the latest news on Galveston from John Heald

[Badfinger]

Good, factual article. I'm just wondering how the 4 ships have 20,000 passengers onboard, since that is an average of 5000 per ship. The largest of the 4 is Breeze at 3700, so the others must have a lot of stowaways. Now, if they said that 20,000 were having their cruises affected (10k onboard, and 10k waiting to board), then I wouldn't find fault.

 

I was on the Breeze last week. Over 4800 passengers.

 

The stated capacity is just the number of cabins x 2 IIRC. Max capacity its he number of passenger berths (beds), which for the Breeze is way more than 3690 listed on their website.

[Badfinger]

Maybe plus crew? News orgs don't always get the facts right. We can reasonably assume it's 12k+ passengers and then some.

 

 

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I was on the Breeze last week. Over 4800 passengers on board...plus crew (~1400) for a total of 6200, give or take a few.

[chengkp75]

I was on the Breeze last week. Over 4800 passengers on board...plus crew (~1400) for a total of 6200, give or take a few.

 

Even so, the crew are not "stranded", nor are their vacations affected.

[Brad1972]

Soooo Galveston harbor is closed but yet tankers are still leaving? are they only letting ships leave? look on marinetraffic.com theres been several tanker ships that are leaving the harbor all day long. are they just getting out of the of the harbor so their not slamming against the dock during the storm?

[bUU]

Soooo Galveston harbor is closed but yet tankers are still leaving? are they only letting ships leave? look on marinetraffic.com theres been several tanker ships that are leaving the harbor all day long. are they just getting out of the of the harbor so their not slamming against the dock during the storm?

Makes sense. It's very typical for ships to leave harbors when storms are expected.

[LMaxwell]

Even so, the crew are not "stranded", nor are their vacations affected.

 

Instead of a sensational, and not quite accurate, headline it should have said X number of people aboard cruise ships unable to make final port until possibly Tuesday.

[Drazil65]

So......let's not cancel the cruises, let's significantly shorten them? And don't head to the port until you're told? Little late for that as I'm sure some folks have already began to head that way or are there. That information should've came out yesterday at the latest.

 

No, most people would not be going to a port that has had hurricane warnings all week and more than likely they have been watching and waiting for news one way or another. With the way most people walk around with their noses in their phones there is little worry that someone did not know what was going on. Common sense in the long run. If they want to cancel, then cancel, they will be compensated. It happens, its hurricane season......:rolleyes:

[Dad7k]

A little FYI, if anyone is interested in cams of the area.

 

http://www.galveston.com/webcams/

[Mleonardelli5]

Way out of line. Riclop has been a long time contributor and "tells it likes it is", which these days I thought people liked. Don't get so offended by Riclops statement as to turn into a vulgar person in response.

 

 

 

And I have never...but never, seen anything from Riclop that would make me think they are qualified to be Chief Financial Officer. Lol

 

 

 

Carnival, damned if you do, damned if you don't. I think Carnivals decision could have potentially been made sooner, but I also don't think they sat on it either. I do think the stuff they gave to JH was pretty bogus and he should have done some extreme vetting of his own before putting it out. He is the corporate spokesperson. I think Carnivals offer is generous. People's travel insurance will help with other cancellations and weather related issues if they have that insurance, which they should

 

 

 

Not outta line when he bashes someone that doesn't make the call. Maybe in other post he put out good info but on this he did not. And I told it like it is.

 

 

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[NHNEV2003]

Royal Caribbean has not announced to passengers scheduled to embark on Liberty of Seas on Sunday what they plan to do (though the captain has told passengers aboard the ship), so it isn't Carnival; it is the industry and specifically is this very economical price-point that we all benefit from. That's the reality of this business: You don't cancel until you're absolutely sure the conditions are going to require it. The airlines are the same: When I was traveling for business, the airlines would very regularly wait until the absolute last minute to make irrevocable decisions that are going to cost them loads of money. How many times did I sleep on the floor of a terminal because, by the time the airline decided that they weren't going to be able to get out that night, the airport hotel was already full?

(y)(y) Very True--Not good for travelers, but the cruiselines, airlines, et al, do the best they can under very trying circumstances.

[Quilcruisers]

FWIR, Royal Caribbean is still expecting to turn over Liberty of the Seas in Galveston on Sunday, within what they expect to be a narrow window. Perhaps Carnival is aiming to capitalize on that same window.

 

 

A coworker of mine was cruising tomorrow. He got notice that instead of going to Belize or Honduras, they would possibly only make a shortened trip to Cozumel once they are able to board, possibly Monday or Tuesday. He has decided to cancel, and rebook, and they offered 100% refund if they want to rebook. They were lucky in that they live in Houston, so no airline travel, etc . He did say that depending on the day the ship actually arrives, he may be back at work on Monday, and will cruise another time and save vacation days. He did not have insurance and was initially worried but unfounded, because the weather caused these issues.

 

 

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[BIGREDIOWAN]

are you assuming first time cruises do not own televisions?

 

Yep, sure am, because I said that in one of my posts. *sarcasm* :rolleyes:

[Loonbeam]

To answer two items:

 

Galveston (as of 5 PM est) was only closed to inbound, they are trying to get ships out of the path of the hurricane as that is much safer than being tied to a dock especially if full of oil. They will probably close to all traffic tonite if they have not already.

 

Secondly, its not as simple as a cruise line just making a call when to do things. There are possibly insurers and re-insurers involved, the port itself, etc. They also have to look at potential re-routes, possible alternatives, supplies on ships, medical needs. These all take time and information, more information than we have. Passengers on ship will take priority over arrivals. That means announcements may not always come as fast as customers would like, but there's also common sense. Even if they haven't announced it, its a safe assumption that the port will be closed at the very least the time the hurricane was over it, so cruisers should plan accordingly even without the line saying so.

[IntrepidFromDC]

A little FYI, if anyone is interested in cams of the area.

 

http://www.galveston.com/webcams/

 

I'm sorry but your post is disqualified.

 

If you hadn't noticed, a post must be A) argumentative, and B) not of any value, to be in this thread.

 

:D

[Shaded Lady]

For anyone thinking Carnival isn't handling this appropriately, here's what's posted on the Royal Caribbean website:

 

'We are still actively monitoring path and progression of Hurricane Harvey. At this time, Liberty of the Seas will keep her original schedule for Sunday’s turnaround in Galveston, Texas. Should we make any changes to Liberty of the Sea’s itinerary, we will make sure to inform our guests.

 

We will post another update on Saturday, August 26, 2017 by 12:00 PM CT.'

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/

[bury me at sea]

For anyone thinking Carnival isn't handling this appropriately, here's what's posted on the Royal Caribbean website:

 

'We are still actively monitoring path and progression of Hurricane Harvey. At this time, Liberty of the Seas will keep her original schedule for Sunday’s turnaround in Galveston, Texas. Should we make any changes to Liberty of the Sea’s itinerary, we will make sure to inform our guests.

 

We will post another update on Saturday, August 26, 2017 by 12:00 PM CT.'

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/

 

Your cruise on the Breeze is still a couple of weeks away, right?

 

Stay safe at home. One of my daughters has a house that's prone to flooding but she has made plans to stay with friends in north Austin if necessary.

 

I'm pretty worried about the vast number of people on the coast since it looks as though Harvey intends to visit most of them.

[perditax]

Your cruise on the Breeze is still a couple of weeks away, right?

 

 

 

Stay safe at home. One of my daughters has a house that's prone to flooding but she has made plans to stay with friends in north Austin if necessary.

 

 

 

I'm pretty worried about the vast number of people on the coast since it looks as though Harvey intends to visit most of them.

 

 

Just wanted to give you a heads up that Austin is also under a flash flood watch.

[chengkp75]

To answer two items:

 

Galveston (as of 5 PM est) was only closed to inbound, they are trying to get ships out of the path of the hurricane as that is much safer than being tied to a dock especially if full of oil. They will probably close to all traffic tonite if they have not already.

 

 

Outbound traffic always has priority in Houston/Galveston. They have to get the outbound (empty tankers) away from the docks to enable the full ships to come to a dock. If the storm is not coming directly over the port, it is not always safer to be at sea, it all depends on the port, the dock, and the weather direction, etc. Galveston is only looking at moderate winds but significant rain, which will not noticeably affect port operations.

[bury me at sea]

Just wanted to give you a heads up that Austin is also under a flash flood watch.

 

Yes, I know. We are southeast of Austin and our forecast isn't pretty. Nothing, though, compared to the coast.

[Shaded Lady]

Your cruise on the Breeze is still a couple of weeks away, right?

 

Stay safe at home. One of my daughters has a house that's prone to flooding but she has made plans to stay with friends in north Austin if necessary.

 

I'm pretty worried about the vast number of people on the coast since it looks as though Harvey intends to visit most of them.

Yes- 3 weeks from Sunday. Selfishly I hope that Galveston comes away unscathed, but I feel heartsick for all those near the coast. I used to live in Florida and used to live through this feeling pretty regularly, yet we never took a direct hit, despite all the near misses. Those folks are going to be feeling the effects of Harvey for quite some time.

 

Separately, someone posted on another thread that the garages in Galveston are in an area prone to flooding. If they get flooded it will be quite some time before parking is available, since they'll need to tow all the flooded cars out.

 

As for me personally, as I mentioned before, I'm in northwest Austin, pretty high ground and not expecting strong winds/tornedos/flooding or other destructive issues, just lots of rain. Stay safe yourself, Bury Me At Sea! You could be facing more weather than I will.

[bury me at sea]

Yes- 3 weeks from Sunday. Selfishly I hope that Galveston comes away unscathed, but I feel heartsick for all those near the coast. I used to live in Florida and used to live through this feeling pretty regularly, yet we never took a direct hit, despite all the near misses. Those folks are going to be feeling the effects of Harvey for quite some time.

 

Separately, someone posted on another thread that the garages in Galveston are in an area prone to flooding. If they get flooded it will be quite some time before parking is available, since they'll need to tow all the flooded cars out.

 

As for me personally, as I mentioned before, I'm in northwest Austin, pretty high ground and not expecting strong winds/tornedos/flooding or other destructive issues, just lots of rain. Stay safe yourself, Bury Me At Sea! You could be facing more weather than I will.

 

Worst I am expecting is possible power outages. I think the cranky cat and I will be ok.

 

I always use Galveston Park and Cruise. It's covered, but - and here's a shocker - it's within a few feet of sea level.

 

When current cruisers finally disembark I shudder to think of what they may find.

 

Three weeks from now I hope this will all be a memory, and that you will have a great cruise.

[Loonbeam]

Weather channel is saying 50-60+ winds with gusts into the 80s thru Saturday and still heavy into Sunday. Does that still count as moderate?

 

Outbound traffic always has priority in Houston/Galveston. They have to get the outbound (empty tankers) away from the docks to enable the full ships to come to a dock. If the storm is not coming directly over the port, it is not always safer to be at sea, it all depends on the port, the dock, and the weather direction, etc. Galveston is only looking at moderate winds but significant rain, which will not noticeably affect port operations.

[JayDeeJay]

With the predicted flooding in the area, I bet Tuesday turn around is not in the cards. Cars in the parking lot? Roads flooded for miles, water damaged infrastructure, our prayers are certainly with Texas!!!

[Gallivanting Souls]

The response from Carnival seems much better than the one I got when I was to be sailing when Hurricane Katrina was about to hit in 2005. It would have been our family's first cruise, and we did have insurance. Knowing how big Katrina was projected to be, I called Carnival the night before and then again the day we were leaving (day prior to cruise). Was told on the phone cruise was not canceled, still have to come. Won't get any money back unless we try to get to cruise. So me, DH, and four sons fly to DEN where we have a connection to MSY. We are told Frontier can get us on a a flight into PNS. Our cruise was on the Holiday out of Mobile. :eek: No way we are going any further than DEN. That hurricane is hitting land now and if the plane did land, we would end up being evacuated. Such a waste of a day. Did get reimbursed for flights and money back from Carnival, but never got a do-over. It took a lot of jumping through hoops just to get money back from Carnival in a timely manner. With the terrible customer service they provided, I wasn't sure that I would ever try them again.

[luckybecky]

The Port of Galveston posted this statement yesterday afternoon:

 

"Port Police has been patrolling the official Port of Galveston parking lots and they have once again confirmed NO FLOODING."

 

So that's a bit of good news! Of course many cruisers park in privately owned lots, and this statement does not say anything about them. But with the devastation we are seeing all along the gulf coast and in Houston, every bit of good news is welcome!