Hurricane irma....ugh

[gkbiiii]

So Carnival, what is a European line, such as MSC doing for its Divina passengers in Florida:

 

MSC Cruises

 

September 6 at 10:29am ·

Hurricane Irma has now been elevated to Category 5 and is strongly affecting ship operations across the entire Caribbean region. The state of emergency has been called across all of Florida and a number of islands in the area.

Due to these extraordinary circumstances, as the safety of our guests and crew is our number one priority, MSC Divina will now head directly to Miami where she will arrive in the morning of Thursday, September 7, ahead of the Port’s likely closure on Friday, to allow guests who wish to disembark to go home. As soon as the disembarkation is completed, the ship will sail to Cozumel (Mexico), beyond Irma’s reach, allowing those guests that wish to remain on board to continue their cruise. She will then stay alongside there until it is safe for her to return to Miami.

Guests who disembark on Thursday will receive a refund for the two days shortening of their cruise vacation and, in addition, will also get a voucher for a 25% discount on the price of a future MSC Cruises vacation. Guests who will continue the cruise after Thursday’s call to Miami will also receive the same voucher.

Due to the timing of Irma’s likely arrival to the South Florida coast, it will be impossible to complete the turnaround operation scheduled for Saturday, September 9. For this reason, we have taken the difficult decision of canceling MSC Divina’s next cruise originally scheduled to sail on that day. Guests scheduled to depart on this cruise will have the option to either be reprotected on another MSC Cruises vacation or receive a full refund as well as a 25% discount voucher on the price of a future cruise.

Please visit our website for most up-to-date information: https://goo.gl/iotC4Y

Should you have any other questions, please contact our call center at 1-877-665-4655.

[Cruisin_gator]

Question for those of you who may have been given future cruise credits in the past...

 

Must the cruise credit be used for only one cruise, or may it never applies to multiple cruises? For example, if the cruise I'm receiving the credit for cost $1500 and the replacement cruise I select costs $1200, would I be able to apply the remaining $300 to another cruise, or would I forfeit the $300.

 

Of course, I will call Carnival with this question at a later date, but it's not urgent for me to call now while they are likely dealing with much more important calls.

[cruizinrican]

I have two friends sailing this week but they have both been cancelled. So sad.

 

Sent from my Z981 using Forums mobile app

[capriccio]

 

It looks like Tampa will be getting a direct hit. [emoji26]

 

Sent from Middle Earth.

 

About six weeks ago the Washington Post ran an article that now seems unhappily prescient: Tampa Bay's Coming Storm (https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...=.637464a3d7b5). "The area is due for a major hurricane and it is not prepared. If a big one scores a direct hit, the damage would likely surpass Katrina."

[USNUZULOOSE]

Just north of the Hurricane Watch area. I put a red circle:

Thank you so much! I appreciate it

[evandbob]

So Carnival, what is a European line, such as MSC doing for its Divina passengers in Florida:

 

MSC Cruises

 

September 6 at 10:29am ·

 

Hurricane Irma has now been elevated to Category 5 and is strongly affecting ship operations across the entire Caribbean region. The state of emergency has been called across all of Florida and a number of islands in the area.

Due to these extraordinary circumstances, as the safety of our guests and crew is our number one priority, MSC Divina will now head directly to Miami where she will arrive in the morning of Thursday, September 7, ahead of the Port’s likely closure on Friday, to allow guests who wish to disembark to go home. As soon as the disembarkation is completed, the ship will sail to Cozumel (Mexico), beyond Irma’s reach, allowing those guests that wish to remain on board to continue their cruise. She will then stay alongside there until it is safe for her to return to Miami.

Guests who disembark on Thursday will receive a refund for the two days shortening of their cruise vacation and, in addition, will also get a voucher for a 25% discount on the price of a future MSC Cruises vacation. Guests who will continue the cruise after Thursday’s call to Miami will also receive the same voucher.

Due to the timing of Irma’s likely arrival to the South Florida coast, it will be impossible to complete the turnaround operation scheduled for Saturday, September 9. For this reason, we have taken the difficult decision of canceling MSC Divina’s next cruise originally scheduled to sail on that day. Guests scheduled to depart on this cruise will have the option to either be reprotected on another MSC Cruises vacation or receive a full refund as well as a 25% discount voucher on the price of a future cruise.

Please visit our website for most up-to-date information: https://goo.gl/iotC4Y

Should you have any other questions, please contact our call center at 1-877-665-4655.

Carnival should be able to match MSC and NCL settlements of shortened cruises during this crisis. Instead they dumped cruise passengers off on Thursday, and if any were flying, they probably couldn't get a ticket and may have wound up in a shelter. At least Carnival could have offered to let those who had no way of getting out of Florida to remain on board for a CTN.

[dreadpirate3]

11 PM Update

 

 

Sent from Middle Earth.

[agp_mzk]

just a small comment - Katia will affect Mexico, north east section above the Yucatan and below Texas. No where near Central America which consists of Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize, Guatamala and Honduras.

 

Even more technical, Mexico is actually in North America, same as the USA and Canada. The eartquake was in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico's southwest coast, technically North America.

 

 

 

If that earthquake causes a tsunami and/or there are sizeable aftershocks, there's a good chance that more than Mexico would be affected. Mexico is part of the Gulf Coast, thus my inclusion of BOTH the Gulf Coast and Central America as areas that we shouldn't be wishing category 5 hurricanes on.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[evandbob]

If that earthquake causes a tsunami and/or there are sizeable aftershocks, there's a good chance that more than Mexico would be affected. Mexico is part of the Gulf Coast, thus my inclusion of BOTH the Gulf Coast and Central America as areas that we shouldn't be wishing category 5 hurricanes on.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

I don't wish Cat 5 hurricanes onanyone, anywhere. I just thought that your original post, as it was written, mixed up geographical areas, like including Mexico in Central America.. I'm sure you appreciated that clarification.

 

And there was only a foot tsumani wave that passed long before your post.

[dreadpirate3]

8AM update.

 

 

 

Sent from Middle Earth.

[bUU]

And there was only a foot tsumani wave that passed long before your post.

Was that all it was? Nice.

[Reva_Dearchi]

I live in Buffalo where we get blizzards all the time, and I HATE it. lol

 

Will be moving down South in about 5 years....

 

Again, stay safe!

 

I too live in Buffalo and am considering being a "snow bird" in about 5 years as well. :) I want the best of both weather worlds but I must say, I'll take a blizzard over a hurricane anytime. The impacts of our blizzards, and yes I've been through the worst of them, doesn't even come close to comparing to the total devastation of these hurricanes. I also pray everyone stays safe!

[CruisinCutie87]

I've been watching Irma closely because I'm supposed to go on my first Carnival Cruise on September 21st leaving from Miami. I know the risks of cruising in Hurricane season, but I've done it for the past 4 years with no issues. But anyone else under the impression that no matter how much scientists and these super computers try to predict Irma's path, nobody really knows where she is headed???

[capriccio]

I've been watching Irma closely because I'm supposed to go on my first Carnival Cruise on September 21st leaving from Miami. I know the risks of cruising in Hurricane season, but I've done it for the past 4 years with no issues. But anyone else under the impression that no matter how much scientists and these super computers try to predict Irma's path, nobody really knows where she is headed???

 

Prediction (and therefore preparation) is so much better than in the past when 100s of people died in hurricanes but it is not an exact science. They definitely know where Irma is headed and as the hurricane gets closer the weather impacting the storm's path is more predictable and the computer models start to merge.

[rtfnl]

AlchemyGirl, where in FL do you reside? I'm in the Sarasota/Bradenton area. We are doing the final preparations for the hurricane.

[dreadpirate3]

11 AM Update.

 

[Ashane]

So Carnival, what is a European line, such as MSC doing for its Divina passengers in Florida:

 

MSC Cruises

 

September 6 at 10:29am ·

 

Hurricane Irma has now been elevated to Category 5 and is strongly affecting ship operations across the entire Caribbean region. The state of emergency has been called across all of Florida and a number of islands in the area.

Due to these extraordinary circumstances, as the safety of our guests and crew is our number one priority, MSC Divina will now head directly to Miami where she will arrive in the morning of Thursday, September 7, ahead of the Port’s likely closure on Friday, to allow guests who wish to disembark to go home. As soon as the disembarkation is completed, the ship will sail to Cozumel (Mexico), beyond Irma’s reach, allowing those guests that wish to remain on board to continue their cruise. She will then stay alongside there until it is safe for her to return to Miami.

Guests who disembark on Thursday will receive a refund for the two days shortening of their cruise vacation and, in addition, will also get a voucher for a 25% discount on the price of a future MSC Cruises vacation. Guests who will continue the cruise after Thursday’s call to Miami will also receive the same voucher.

Due to the timing of Irma’s likely arrival to the South Florida coast, it will be impossible to complete the turnaround operation scheduled for Saturday, September 9. For this reason, we have taken the difficult decision of canceling MSC Divina’s next cruise originally scheduled to sail on that day. Guests scheduled to depart on this cruise will have the option to either be reprotected on another MSC Cruises vacation or receive a full refund as well as a 25% discount voucher on the price of a future cruise.

Please visit our website for most up-to-date information: https://goo.gl/iotC4Y

Should you have any other questions, please contact our call center at 1-877-665-4655.

 

Wonder if Carnival will be matching that.

 

My wife was not extremely happy with our cruise to Key West/Cozumel due to all of this. We got cut well short in Cozumel and had to cancel our shore excursion, then the majority of events on the ship were canceled Thursday, leaving passengers not much to do other then get drunk and perhaps play Bingo. (Seriously, who goes on a cruise ship to play Bingo? For real?)

 

I'm going to call this afternoon and see if they will, but I have a nagging feeling it will be a no.

 

Another poster said Carnival should have let people stay on board.. they did so on the Victory. You had to prove you had a flight canceled and they offered to keep you on board until Tuesday when the ship would return to Miami.

[shof515]

Norwegian Cruise Line52 mins ·

Hurricane Irma

Update #5

September 9, 2017 12:30 PM

Norwegian Cruise Line is continuing to closely watch the forecasted path of major Hurricane Irma and respond as necessary to ensure the safety of our guests and crew. We have cancelled this week’s scheduled sailings aboard our two ships that depart from Miami, Norwegian Sky and Norwegian Escape and both ships are currently navigating a safe course around the path of Hurricane Irma. Norwegian Escape is sailing at full capacity with approximately 4,000 displaced guests from both ships that were unable to secure flights back home. The ship is currently alongside in Cozumel, Mexico and will remain there until 7 a.m. Sunday, September 10. Guests who have secured flights home may disembark the ship in Mexico if they wish. Due to the devastation in the Caribbean caused by Hurricane Irma, all of Norwegian Escape’s upcoming Eastern Caribbean sailings will be altered to a Western Caribbean itinerary until November. All guests scheduled to sail on any affected cruises will be notified of the change.

Acting as a responsible corporate citizen and supporting the destinations that our ships operate in is a core value of Norwegian Cruise Line. In the wake of this devastating storm, we will be deploying Norwegian Sky from her current position off the coast of Cancun to St. Thomas, USVI to retrieve approximately 2,000 travelers who were unable to evacuate the island prior to the storm. The ship is departing immediately and will arrive in St. Thomas in the late evening hours on Monday, September 11. Norwegian Cruise Line is working closely with the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association and the Governor of St. Thomas to execute this rescue mission. When all designated vacation guests have boarded the ship, Norwegian Sky will sail back to her homeport of Miami and is expected to arrive on Thursday, September 14.

 

 

i wonder if Carnival will do something similar

[Arzeena]

The 8PM Update

 

 

Walt Disney World has announced they are closing early tomorrow for the hurricane. They have only closed 5 times since they opened in Florida in 1971.

 

Where in central Florida are you residing?

I have close family there too, near Disney. I always look here to get updates when I cannot reach them. Thanks to everyone in Florida for posting.

[dreadpirate3]

Where in central Florida are you residing?

I have close family there too, near Disney. I always look here to get updates when I cannot reach them. Thanks to everyone in Florida for posting.

 

I live in Orlando. We're starting to get gusts in the 35 mph range.

[Homosassa]

Taking the Paradise out of Tampa on 9/11. Delta canceled our Sunday noon flight into

TPA. We changed it to JAX arriving at 11:20, then renting a car to drove to TPA (always like getting to port a day early).

 

I'm surprised how negative people are about how CCL is handling things. I see no problem with a Monday departure from TPA. Looking forward to our B2B2B on the Paradise!

 

Stay out of Florida!!!! You will be attempting to drive during the worst of the storm in central Florida. And then there is the storm surge that is expected during and after the passage of the storm

 

Parts of Tampa will be under water and the port will not be reachable.

 

And with the mass evacuations going on along the west coast, there is no hotel rooms to be had.

 

Rest areas on the interstates will be closed today and do not plan to reopen until sometime next week.

 

Again, YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE IN FLORIDA!!!!!!!!

[Arzeena]

I live in Orlando. We're starting to get gusts in the 35 mph range.

 

Stay safe!

[elliair]

Happening right now in Keys Florida!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tJZ3n7uH-U

[dreadpirate3]

2PM Advisory.

 

[Onkel_Ken]

Happening right now in Keys Florida!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tJZ3n7uH-U

 

Just incredible and so sad to watch.

My prayers for everyone.