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Norwegian Spirit Rough Seas

Log42

By Log42,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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foilman2002

foilman2002

Posted
Posted

Mjasp,

 

The waters were rocky right out of Tortola, as soon as we passed all of the adjacent islands. The winds picked up immediately and the ship started rocking from stem to stern.

 

But the heavy seas were in the area north of North Carolina. The ship's rocking changed from front to back to side to side, and the seas kept getting higher and higher. The decks were all closed so we couldn't go outside, but you could hear the wind howling and see the rain. I had taken a lot of video, but I don't know if the howling can be heard on it. Originally the captain said the ship would pass through it between 9 and 10 pm that night. We didn't, it kept going passed that, and passed midnight, and calmed down sometime after that.

 

Larry

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Mjasp

Mjasp

Posted
Posted

Larry...Thanks for the response, and glad you all got home safely. So it was in the cool Atlantic waters where the wave hit. I have 2 friends, one won't sail out of NY because of the rough waters and one won't sail out of Florida because she is afraid to fly. Go figure, everyone has their own thing going on.

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Seago2

Seago2

Posted
Posted
Larry...Thanks for the response, and glad you all got home safely. So it was in the cool Atlantic waters where the wave hit. I have 2 friends, one won't sail out of NY because of the rough waters and one won't sail out of Florida because she is afraid to fly. Go figure, everyone has their own thing going on.

 

Don't forget the PIRATES....:eek:

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blong2200

blong2200

Posted
Posted

Really now! IT wasn't that bad and I was on deck 5, not far from the damage when it hit.

 

Yes, I was sea sick from the rocking and rolling, but no one was walking around dazed. Everyone made the best of the situation. NCL should not be blamed for any of this, as they have no control over the weather.

 

Metal plates were also put on our window around 10:00 P.M. and other than being darker than usual in our room, I was glad that NCL did this to protect us from any other damage!

 

Glad everyone home safely. We all had a ball!

 

Beth in Georgia.

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i80545

i80545

Posted
Posted

We were on the Spirit (Deck 11 balcony-Starboard) and had a fabulous time. Yes, the weather was rough yesterday, but it did not ruin our cruise. Some passengers didn't even know there had been an "incident" until they were told several hours later. We attended the talent show, dinner, and went to the casino after this "disaster" (as one woman on the ship called it???) and loved every minute of it. I am sure the folks involved were frightened and I hope they are fine. I just don't want anyone to think that passengers in general were in a state of panic. Not so.

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SRUTKO1226

SRUTKO1226

Posted
Posted

Many of us on this forum love to travel, especially cruise.

 

Just think about it for a minute.

 

Every day we are bombarded with risk. There is no safe place. We may put our best effort forward and try to protect those we love. It's beyond our control.

 

Every day that we wake.

 

Is the best day of our lives!

 

We can't ever hide from our destiny.

 

So let's spend the time we have here thinking there maybe the truth is out there.

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electricron

electricron

Posted
Posted

Now we know why lower deck cabins get port holes instead of large picture windows. Glass will break under pressure.

 

Even ocean liners from the past have port holes on lower decks. Even the Queen Mary 2 has port holes on its lower decks. It's the weakness of the glass, not the thickness of the steel in the hull that caused this incident.

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Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan

Posted
Posted
Many of us on this forum love to travel, especially cruise.

 

Just think about it for a minute.

 

Every day we are bombarded with risk. There is no safe place. We may put our best effort forward and try to protect those we love. It's beyond our control.

 

Every day that we wake.

 

Is the best day of our lives!

 

We can't ever hide from our destiny.

 

So let's spend the time we have here thinking there maybe the truth is out there.

 

SRUTKO1226 ~ Well said...

 

We witnessed MANY falling trees up here in the mountains yesterday...wishing we were instead sailing the Dawn, Jewel, Spirit;)

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Globaliser

Globaliser

Posted
Posted

Very dangerous, these Caribbean waters. NCL should stop cruising there immediately.

 

In fact, with all the waves that you can find over the world, cruise ships really ought to play safe and stay out of the oceans altogether.

 

I particularly liked this attitude: "People were walking around kind of dazed and looking forward to the next cocktail." :D

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MrPete

MrPete

Posted
Posted

The story so far.....

 

Big wave...

 

Couldn't happen...

 

Didn't happen...

 

Can't find any links...proves it didn't happen.....

 

Waves....what do you expect?.....

 

Then there's the posts from people that were on the ship. :eek:

 

We left Tortola last July and hit a storm that threw wife off toilet. She was scared. I was a rockin and a rolling. We were in a corner aft cabin. By know means did we hit 40 ft to 90 foot waves (thank God), but when you're in a storm, your mind plays tricks. And you get scared.

 

Hope no one was hurt, and glad everyone is safe!

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mel31

mel31

Posted
Posted

Now, I was thinking......:confused:

 

During my up-coming Alaska cruise, is it possible that I might come into contact with dangerous animals? Big whales? Falling glaciers? That volcano thingie I've read about lately? Wow, what was I thinking?:(

 

I simply must cancel! And where's that number for truth in advertising?

 

Cruising is just too dangerous for me too!;)

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Steamboatin

Steamboatin

Posted
Posted

What about earthquakes, tsunamis and forest fires to think about also happening on your up coming cruise. Now that would make for a cruise to remember.

 

Oh, forgot how about a cruise ship on fire at sea or a collision with another vessel in the dark of night. You know those waters are cold up there.

 

And what about those missing people who ended up over board.

 

Now do not start thinking about what can happen on the airline flight to and from home and the vessel.

 

Gee isn't it fun to think about things to be scared of on an enjoyable cruise.

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smeyer418

smeyer418

Posted
Posted
The problem is the route it is too unpredictable to sail from NY in the winter. It's only a matter of time before one these cruise ships capsizes.

(IMHO)

 

I dont know the diferences between an ocean liner and a cruise ship but I do recall somebody on these boards saying the cruise ships were not build for these rough sailings

 

 

Sorry this is nonsense. No ship will capsize. None of the ships has been in danger of anything. Even a 100 broken windows won't affect the stability of a modern cruise ship. Ships have been traveling the North Atlantic in winter for two hundred years. Yes some of them did capsize-mostly sailing ships but some inherently unstable ships did sink(the Monitor for instance) but not in my lifetime and not in the 20th century. The difference between a cruise ship and an ocean liner is words only. All of them are capable of heavy seas. This was a fairly severe winter storm. Ships sway side by side when they are not headed directly into the wind/wave direction. More likely the captain turned directly into the wind. The worse thing he could do was to turn directly opposite the wind. The bow is meant to cut through rough seas no so the aft section of the ship. That being said these bigger ships may be more vunerable to these type of waves because of the boxier design. But any ocean is potentionally dangerous. Including the Carribean.

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Johnsy81

Johnsy81

Posted
Posted

There are structural differences. Ocean liners (such as QE2 and QM2) have triple steel riveted hulls. They also have longer drafts to provide stability and speed. Ocean liners are usually single layer steel hulls that are welded. Also, windows on ocean liners are riveted to the outside of the ship whereas windows on cruise ships are riveted to the inside. The difference here is that a wave cannot push a window in on an ocean liner but it can push the window in on a cruise ship. Keep in mind that an ocean liner is designed as transportation from one port to another with a set timetable (e.g., the QM2 does the Southampton/NY crossing in 6 days with speeds of about 30 miles per hour). Her hull (as is the QE2s) is designed to cut through waves and she has a deep draft (about 30 feet). Her hull design allow for a quick, stable ride in all kinds of seas. Cruise ships have on average 24 feet of draft and usually need to slow down in rough seas which leads to delays. Also, the slower a ship goes the more movement there is. Ocean liners need to be on time and follow a set route (cruise ships change course and bypass certain areas if the weather is unfavorable). I don't know if it's possible for a cruise ship to capsize (I suppose it could but I doubt it). As mentioned many times on the various boards, the North Atlantic is unpredictable esp. in the winter.

 

PS: I live in New York and we had a terrible storm here on Wednesday. An 80 foot pine tree fell on my home (no one was hurt, thank God) but my house sustained major damage. So, I'm not surprised that the seas were equally brutal and am sorry that the Spirit and her passengers had such a horrible time at sea. Fortunately, everyone is OK...and that's what counts. No cruise line can control the weather and all ships will rock and all cruise ships will rock and roll when the seas are rough.

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ria926

ria926

Posted
Posted
SInce we were on the Dawn last year when it was hit with the rogue wave and are now scheduled to sail on the Spirit in April, I am quite interested in this story. I live in the NYC area and have NOT heard any news stories on this. Please post if anyone finds any.

 

Hi, I'm sailing on the Dawn, 2/12/06. I sailed on this same ship 02/04. The trip was beautiful, smooth sailing. The water in the carribbean was more rough then the water in the atlantic. Just depends on the weather. I think winter travel is better then hurricane season. Have fun

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