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ESCAPE - September 9th Bermuda - TS/H Florence


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It's a no win situation for the cruise lines. Whatever they decide, they will be berated by some for exercising caution and berated by others for being indifferent to safety. Having sailed through a hurricane, if there is an error, I prefer the decision to be on the side of caution.
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... I have total faith that the Captain will keep everyone safe .

Marion

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Weather forecasts, including hurricane & storm tracking, is NOT an exact science against mother nature ... The latest predictions, about 36 hours from landfall, somewhere - likely in the NC - continued to change - a million faced with mandatory evacuation orders yesterday, then it's up to 1.5 million in the path of this monster Cat-4 hurricane, estimated up to 5 million at risk from in-land flooding & storm surge, etc. - not all of them have the choice or option to go.

 

Would anyone on the cruise wish to trade places with them, I don't think so.

 

As a # of seasoned CC'ers noted, again & again - this isn't the first time nor will ever be the last time - cruising anytime of the year, anywhere in the big ocean, even in Hawaii, are at the "mercy" of mother nature - there are no absolute guarantees about changes in ports, itinerary and weather. A good travel/trip insurance policy is always advisable or less, one is fully self-insured to accept all the given risks.

 

Cruiselines, whether it's NCL, RCL or CCL, etc. - will get blamed for sailing into the storm, staying too close/behind the storm, chasing too closely with the storm, and "missing" the weather "predictions" (????) and putting passengers at risks by tendering, etc. etc.

 

You got my company, I join the standby alongside to get bashed and get beaten ... and, for cheerleading, as mother nature always win.

 

But, several millions now running for their lives with landfall in 48 hours from this monster Florence hurricane - IMHO - would trade places in a heartbeat for safe shelter in place onboard a cruise ship. First responders and health care providers are on full alert throughout the region to prepare for the worst - and, qualified disaster teams are being activated & mobilized to get ready for deployments ... extended ones.

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Weather forecasts, including hurricane & storm tracking, is NOT an exact science against mother nature ... The latest predictions, about 36 hours from landfall, somewhere - likely in the NC - continued to change - a million faced with mandatory evacuation orders yesterday, then it's up to 1.5 million in the path of this monster Cat-4 hurricane, estimated up to 5 million at risk from in-land flooding & storm surge, etc. - not all of them have the choice or option to go.

 

Would anyone on the cruise wish to trade places with them, I don't think so.

 

As a # of seasoned CC'ers noted, again & again - this isn't the first time nor will ever be the last time - cruising anytime of the year, anywhere in the big ocean, even in Hawaii, are at the "mercy" of mother nature - there are no absolute guarantees about changes in ports, itinerary and weather. A good travel/trip insurance policy is always advisable or less, one is fully self-insured to accept all the given risks.

 

Cruiselines, whether it's NCL, RCL or CCL, etc. - will get blamed for sailing into the storm, staying too close/behind the storm, chasing too closely with the storm, and "missing" the weather "predictions" (????) and putting passengers at risks by tendering, etc. etc.

 

You got my company, I join the standby alongside to get bashed and get beaten ... and, for cheerleading, as mother nature always win.

 

But, several millions now running for their lives with landfall in 48 hours from this monster Florence hurricane - IMHO - would trade places in a heartbeat for safe shelter in place onboard a cruise ship. First responders and health care providers are on full alert throughout the region to prepare for the worst - and, qualified disaster teams are being activated & mobilized to get ready for deployments ... extended ones.

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Yep 👍🏻

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Where are they going? Coming back? Or canaveral perhaps? Miami?

They are trying to get back to New York. But, the hurricane will stall off the the coast for a day, getting in the way of the Escape's return. The Weather Channel reports "According to the National Hurricane Center, wave heights up to 83 feet were measured Wednesday morning to the northeast of Florence's eye. "

 

The RCI Grandeur of the Sea (rerouted from Bermuda to Nassau) made an unscheduled stop in Port Canaveral today and will be there until Friday. The September 13 Grandeur cruise from Baltimore is now delayed to September 17.

Edited by BirdTravels
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Per AIS data shown, Escape is heading east 102 degrees, further into the Atlantic, with 3+ days to get back, when it can usually do that in 2+ days.

 

Looking at the wind charts & flow, looked like they will sail toward Bermuda's direction, a big go-around to go behind Florence and above, before tuning West for. NY. It's not going to be calm seas and smooth sailing, but well within what these mega ships can do.

 

She sailed south flying at 21 to 22 knots, near her top speed and if she catch a good tailwind, should be okay and safe ... those on the higher AFT and FWD decks will surely feel the rocking & rolling. Make the best out of it all.

 

6cb26adcae298bea2393b2cd229f67c1.jpgc92ddf7c5379f4332ea9eb18e17ba40d.jpg

 

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Where are they going? Coming back? Or canaveral perhaps? Miami?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

I agree, that gives Escape extra time to sail, so a wider arc out to sea behind Florence and then back home - perhaps on time.

And we can see Escape sailed east from GSC.

Edited by PelicanBill
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We were on the Boston to Bermuda cruise that "split" Matthew and Nicole 2 years ago. They got us around Matthew (I got some amazing storm wall shots of Matthew) and into Bermuda early on Monday. They then had to pull us out of Bermuda early on Wednesday (around 8am) as Nicole was right behind us. It was a VERY rough ride out of there and through that entire day and Bermuda took a direct hit from Nicole. Personally, I would have preferred it if they got us out of there on Tuesday night, but no one but the Captain can really say for sure why we stayed as long as we did. We got out fine... though I saw a few people with stitches on that Thursday! We spent an additional day at sea instead and it was fine. As luck would have it (or not have it!) we too are on the cruise leaving out of NY for Bermuda this coming Sunday the 9th. *Sigh* Hoping for better results this time around. ;)

We were on this cruise also. We got in early unsay and left Tuesday morning. The ride out was extremely rough. We did have two great weather days in Bermuda though. The surf at horseshoe bay on Sunday was so incredible . Loved riding those waves. Tuesday was rough but the rest of the cruise back Was great weather. Better than going to Canada like we thought we might have to.

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From the ship's live webcam, an hour apart this morning, they got bright sunshine, fairly calm seas and those clouds looked fine to me ... a big go-around. Not seeing white caps, waters aren't rough at all - maybe 5' to 8' seas & swells as Florence.

 

Not having a choice on the matter, Bermuda always win over Bahamas - but, I think we would take GSC for a few hours over Nassau, everyone has their own preference.

 

Perhaps, we will get an update from those onboard later on. Wishing all those a safe passage coming back to NY.

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Edited by mking8288
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Per AIS data shown, Escape is heading east 102 degrees, further into the Atlantic, with 3+ days to get back, when it can usually do that in 2+ days.

 

Looking at the wind charts & flow, looked like they will sail toward Bermuda's direction, a big go-around to go behind Florence and above, before tuning West for. NY. It's not going to be calm seas and smooth sailing, but well within what these mega ships can do.

 

She sailed south flying at 21 to 22 knots, near her top speed and if she catch a good tailwind, should be okay and safe ... those on the higher AFT and FWD decks will surely feel the rocking & rolling. Make the best out of it all.

 

6cb26adcae298bea2393b2cd229f67c1.jpgc92ddf7c5379f4332ea9eb18e17ba40d.jpg

 

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You pretty much anticipated what the Captain just stated at the 10AM update. (y)

 

We're heading East (it is amazing that so many people we asking what direction we're sailing when observing the suns location gives you a pretty good idea). :o

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You pretty much anticipated what the Captain just stated at the 10AM update. (y)

 

We're heading East (it is amazing that so many people we asking what direction we're sailing when observing the suns location gives you a pretty good idea). :o

 

Well we need a new silly question since we no longer can ask "when is the midnight buffet?"

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You pretty much anticipated what the Captain just stated at the 10AM update. (y)

 

 

 

We're heading East (it is amazing that so many people we asking what direction we're sailing when observing the suns location gives you a pretty good idea). :o

 

 

 

Also many have a Compass app on their phone that comes with the phone. I use the Compass app on my iPhone all the time on cruises. It even works in Airplane mode.

 

 

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... We're heading East (it is amazing that so many people we asking what direction we're sailing when observing the suns location gives you a pretty good idea). :o

Great to hear from someone onboard - trust you are making the best out of this modified itinerary.

 

Bingo ... easy tipoff, shadow of the sun against the ship ... old fashion sun-dial. Looked more of a northerly heading on course for NY, maybe still eastward. I see some white caps in the water, but considering it's the Atlantic, I call that quite calming (maybe 7' to 10' seas ... )

 

From stateroom TV's Channel 21 or 22, ususally give you basic navigational data like speed, headings and air temperature - we find the mid-size ships like the Gem, Dawn & Jewel yielding/sharing more precise info, including (used to ??) pool temperature & even barometric pressure. Newer ships like the Breakaway, not so much. Distance to next port (NYC) should come up - easy calculation based on ship's actual speed, for a very close approximation of ETA.

e694a79eb5b3cb73c6c4cd8644d05c23.jpg

 

We're on a Bahamas sailing many, many years ago (on the Dawn out of NYC) when we had to sail toward Bermuda to avoid a hurricane, we skipped GSC & left Nassau early ... somewhat similar to this one, and, the sea days were actually quite nice.

 

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Edited by mking8288
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Well we need a new silly question since we no longer can ask "when is the midnight buffet?"

 

 

 

My favorite question to crew member overheard when moving at sea last year, day SEVEN, floor to ceiling windows “Which way is forward?” Hmmmmmm

 

 

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We had sailed on the Breakaway four years ago and were enroute to Bermuda. Unfortunately, there was a tropical storm or hurricane on it's way (don't remember which), so we were rerouted to FL/Bahamas. There was quite a bit of complaining around us, but my husband and I, and our friends, just shrugged our shoulders. What can you do? Throwing a tantrum wasn't going to change the situation. Writing a letter to NCL wasn't going to do anything. Weather is weather, and if you're sailing during hurricane season, it's a risk you take. We just figured we'd make the best of it, enjoy ourselves and simply felt, "at least we're not at work."

 

When the captain made the announcement, he did also mention that they were going to refund our port fees, etc... and extend a "good will gesture" of $75 onboard credit per passenger (could have been $50, or $100 - don't honestly remember).

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Great to hear from someone onboard - trust you are making the best out of this modified itinerary.

 

Bingo ... easy tipoff, shadow of the sun against the ship ... old fashion sun-dial. Looked more of a northerly heading on course for NY, maybe still eastward. I see some white caps in the water, but considering it's the Atlantic, I call that quite calming (maybe 7' to 10' seas ... )

 

From stateroom TV's Channel 21 or 22, ususally give you basic navigational data like speed, headings and air temperature - we find the mid-size ships like the Gem, Dawn & Jewel yielding/sharing more precise info, including (used to ??) pool temperature & even barometric pressure. Newer ships like the Breakaway, not so much. Distance to next port (NYC) should come up - easy calculation based on ship's actual speed, for a very close approximation of ETA.

e694a79eb5b3cb73c6c4cd8644d05c23.jpg

 

We're on a Bahamas sailing many, many years ago (on the Dawn out of NYC) when we had to sail toward Bermuda to avoid a hurricane, we skipped GSC & left Nassau early ... somewhat similar to this one, and, the sea days were actually quite nice.

 

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

 

Yep, it appears that during breakfast there was an accommodating adjustment (briefly). It is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL SUN AND HEAT AND NO REAL FEEL FOR THE WAVES. Escape just too big, and when underway, lot's of tech tools that smooth the ride.

 

We did miss Bermuda, but we also missed Florence. On top of that, we've have almost perfect weather after clearing NY.

 

We've actually HAD ENOUGH SUN in the limited time we do sit out. The pools and decks are FULL, lots of high atmosphere people having a blast. Fun to watch.

 

JUST MADE OUR FINAL PAYMENTS ON OUR B2B NCL BLISS CRUISES IN JANUARY.

 

Couple of cruise comments ~

 

Cagney's is still the same quality (IMO); other lines top Specialty Steakhouses have had major cost cutting declines (IMO).

 

Food Republic IS STILL A SECRET; 5 lunches or dinners so far. Haven't had the same thing twice. Haven't even had sushi yet. Unique.

 

Ship is clean, staff is friendly. Completely outpaces our RCCL Anthem cruise (a beautiful, cutting edge ship design) crew experience; shows that it takes a crew to make a ship.

 

Again, thoughts and hopes are for the landfall areas affected by Florence. When we get home, if you're really beat up, we'll all rally around to help you.

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Decent, 'relatively calm night at seas; not perfect, but relatively calm considering our path and the related storm activities. Yep, some movement, but we're in the Atlantic with a TS/H that just moved through.

 

Taking in the usual, daily morning urn of coffee at O'Sheehan's will wife get ready for walk and then breakfast. Laughing at the LARGE GROUP of really young passengers having a huge and boisterous breakfast AFTER HAVING NOT GONE TO BED YET.

 

Oh, to be young.

 

Got a real surprise at Bayamo's last night; actually a couple.

 

THE MENU IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN THE DOWNLOAD FROM THE SITE A MONTH OR SO AGO.

 

First, the reservation system and front desk for dining SAID IT WAS FULLY BOOKED ALL NIGHT. We walked in at 5:45, during our hour there, not more than 5-6 other tables occupied. The bar is always FULL as they have a mojito reputation that appears quite good.

 

Second, to our surprise (expectations were real low), it was GREAT. The Alaskan King Crab Legs appetizer would have been my entire dinner. About 10 legs sliced in half, cool arrangement, lemon bag and butter. It was surprising really good and the volume was nuts. Cancelled 2nd course and good thing. The 2nd from the top seafood combination of Lobster Tail, Red Snapper Fish Fillet (4 by 8 inch cut 3 inch thick) and fully shelled grilled Prawns/Shrimp. I ate the white fish, 1/3 of the HUGE half lobster tail and none of the shrimp. It was great. Wife had 5 ounce (off menu) fillet; as good as Cagney's. NICE SURPRISE.

 

Hoping all is well on the US coast dealing with Florence; checking on it now all the time.

 

We've been very lucky, the sun is already up and still another hot, bright day ahead. The SEAS were bigger yesterday afternoon, but it appears Captain made an adjustment for dinner and show time. THE SHIP WAS REALLY NOT CHALLENGED BY THE SWELLS AT ALL.

 

A great place to sit, relax, have a drink and watch the weather is the District Brewhouse. Wicked comfortable leather couches, nice environment and great views. Good beer too, as that is what it is known for, but also carries a FULL BAR.

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