Just returned from a crazy Alaskan cruise on the Sun Oct 2-11!

[duck_keeper]

13 minutes ago, julig22 said:

If you want to hear from those on your cruise, I suggest you look to your rollcall

NCL SUN Roll Call October 2 - October 11 - Norwegian Sun Roll Calls - Cruise Critic Community

 

I checked there for any comments but nothing new in the last day or so. That is why I started a topic.

 

I don't understand why we left dock in Juneau after announcing that we are not going to Icy Straight because of bad conditions there. If they knew seas were going to be rough then why not stay put in a safe spot - we still had another sea day to get to Victoria from Icy Straight. Was it because NCL didn't want to pay the extra port fees to then put people and the ship in harms way? It's not because another ship needed the spot as most other lines have stopped their Alaska trips.

 

[laudergayle]

6 minutes ago, duck_keeper said:

don't understand why we left dock in Juneau after announcing that we are not going to Icy Straight because of bad conditions there. If they knew seas were going to be rough then why not stay put in a safe spot - we still had another sea day to get to Victoria from Icy Straight. Was it because NCL didn't want to pay the extra port fees to then put people and the ship in harms way? It's not because another ship needed the spot as most other lines have stopped their Alaska trips.

Do you honestly believe the ships captain would endanger a ship full of passengers, the crew and staff, and themself for port fees?  I sincerely doubt it.  Even today the radar in the area shows rough weather all around Icy Straight, Juneau, down to Ketchikan. It was likely a no win situation, and allowing enough time to navigate the rough seas was likely the best choice.  Or would you rather had an extra day of rough weather.?

[julig22]

1 minute ago, duck_keeper said:

I checked there for any comments but nothing new in the last day or so. That is why I started a topic.

 

I don't understand why we left dock in Juneau after announcing that we are not going to Icy Straight because of bad conditions there. If they knew seas were going to be rough then why not stay put in a safe spot - we still had another sea day to get to Victoria from Icy Straight. Was it because NCL didn't want to pay the extra port fees to then put people and the ship in harms way? It's not because another ship needed the spot as most other lines have stopped their Alaska trips.

 

LOL I was suggesting that YOU post to your roll call.  Anybody that's joined would be notified that someone had commented.

 

As to Juneau, had a similar situation last year, only we stayed overnight in Juneau, skipped Skagway.  Another NCL ship (Bliss) was due to dock but they stayed out at sea I believe. 

As to another ship, yes, there was another ship scheduled in Juneau, it's possible you were at "their" dock guessing you were docked in town, as you were the only ship scheduled on the day you were there.

As to leaving, sometimes based on weather the captain will choose to take a wide path around the storm which would mean a longer route and/or slower speed to help mitigate the effects of the rough water. So staying put could easily mean you don't get back to Seattle on time.

 

Years ago I was on a ship during a hurricane.  We skipped our first port in Mexico and went way out to sea in order to avoid as much as possible.  Ship had to keep moving in order to make our other ports.  In Italy we knew we couldn't dock because of weather - the captain negotiated a new location and we were able to resurrect, more or less, the lost port.  So no, it's not because they don't want to pay port fees.

[yakcruiser]

16 minutes ago, duck_keeper said:

I checked there for any comments but nothing new in the last day or so. That is why I started a topic.

 

I don't understand why we left dock in Juneau after announcing that we are not going to Icy Straight because of bad conditions there. If they knew seas were going to be rough then why not stay put in a safe spot - we still had another sea day to get to Victoria from Icy Straight. Was it because NCL didn't want to pay the extra port fees to then put people and the ship in harms way? It's not because another ship needed the spot as most other lines have stopped their Alaska trips.

 

This storm is lasting multiple days. I would bet the captain made the choice to get out of the area before the weather got even worse. And that is the reason they skipped Icy Point. Would you have been happy if you had to stay in Juneau 4 or 5 days?

[Homosassa]

LOL - me work for NCL and defending them!!!!!

 

NCL is not a top choice for me to cruise on.

 

However, I am an experienced cruisier (the stories I could tell on rough weather and other cruise ship mishaps!) 

 

I, and others on this thread, are merely trying to talk you down from your  "harrowing experience" drama ledge and let you know that your experience is not rare or unexpected.

 

You never did say the location of your cabin? I am willing to bet you had a combination of high deck, and maybe forward or aft of midships.

[schmoopie17]

3 hours ago, duck_keeper said:

 

I thought maybe a little more communication? An apology for the rough weather and asking passengers if they are OK?.

 

NCL has to apologize for rough weather? Seems to me, the apology should be coming from Mother Nature.

[IAcruising]

7 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

NCL has to apologize for rough weather? Seems to me, the apology should be coming from Mother Nature.

 

Mother Nature apologizes to no one. Sometimes, she'll let us forecast what she's going to do, sometimes not. One thing she never does is call up cruise ship captains to announce her plans. 🙃

 

[duck_keeper]

I guess I have been told to run along because the adults are talking.

You guys are real peaches.

There were lots of scared passengers at the end of this voyage. We're any of you on this ship? So you have no idea how it felt. Do you know how big a 10 meter wave is... that is 32 ft. You tell me how it feels to be lifted and slammed down from 32 feet.

And yes I was on an Aft stateroom...I didn't choose the location because it was less than a month out and it was a balcony guarantee and was assigned later.

 

Once again I ask if others that were on the same trip to speak up.

The others of you who have been less than helpful go away because you have made yourselves more than clear that your opinion is superior because your so well traveled.

Some of us don't get to travel that often and it is quite expensive for us and want to get the best trip for our dollars.

 

[schmoopie17]

2 minutes ago, duck_keeper said:

 

You guys are real peaches.

Welcome to CC. 

[IAcruising]

14 minutes ago, duck_keeper said:

 

go away

 

LOL. Says the guy throwing crap at the fan on a public message board.

 

Good luck with that.

 

[cruiseny4life]

7 minutes ago, IAcruising said:

 

LOL. Says the guy throwing crap at the fan on a public message board.

 

Good luck with that.

 

With the exception of saying homosassa works for NCL, I haven't really seen Mr. Duck "throwing crap." I have seen a lot of long time posters ignore his fairly polite request to not chime in. Granted, as you say, it is a public message board, ergo anyone can post. Generally, the OP can sometimes request folks only respond with relevant information: in this case, those who were on the cruise. 

 

Anyway, Duck Man! I'm sorry you had such rough seas. I would have switched places with you in a heartbeat! I absolutely love rough seas. My husband wouldn't have been quite so happy, but hey at least one of us has to be. Right? Hah! 

 

You should post on your roll call (and other places) to find folks that were actually on your sailing. You'll probably find a more amenable crowd. 

[duck_keeper]

1 minute ago, cruiseny4life said:

With the exception of saying homosassa works for NCL, I haven't really seen Mr. Duck "throwing crap." I have seen a lot of long time posters ignore his fairly polite request to not chime in. Granted, as you say, it is a public message board, ergo anyone can post. Generally, the OP can sometimes request folks only respond with relevant information: in this case, those who were on the cruise. 

 

Anyway, Duck Man! I'm sorry you had such rough seas. I would have switched places with you in a heartbeat! I absolutely love rough seas. My husband wouldn't have been quite so happy, but hey at least one of us has to be. Right? Hah! 

 

You should post on your roll call (and other places) to find folks that were actually on your sailing. You'll probably find a more amenable crowd. 

Thanks for the courteous post.

It's Duck Lady BTW LOL!  Maybe that is why the cruise was pretty hairy for me?

If I could close comments I would. I have pretty thick skin but this reaction to my OP was a bit surprising. I would think we would all try to get along and help each other out to have the best experience on our trip. And also let other cruisers know about the rough patches with grace.

 

I see people recommend calling about all sorts of things (like a bad excursion or to get a cabin upgrade) so I wondered if a polite call to see if they would offer an OBC or FCC for the rough weather. I'm guessing I barked up the wrong tree in this forum.

 

[laudergayle]

7 minutes ago, duck_keeper said:

If I could close comments I would

You can hit the three dots in the upper right corner of your post.  Select Report and ask the moderator to turn off comments.  
 

I was one who posted a few times, just trying to get you to see the rationalization of why the captain chose to sail.  Please don’t think I was minimizing your experience.  I am sure it was harrowing.  Again, glad you’re home safe.

 

p.s.  Give corporate a call…you never know what they might do.  But I wouldn’t blame the captain…focus on the $$$ you paid to be have the begeezes scared out of you.  Who knows.

Edited October 12, 2023 by laudergayle

[BunnyHutt]

7 hours ago, durberville said:

😳 I’ve been on ships in really rough seas and I actually love to be rocked to sleep,  but I’ve never been slammed out of my bed! Yikes! That would have shaken me up also!

 

Leaving on the Encore to Alaska this weekend. Now I’m nervous. 😬 

You may want to keep an eye on the weather forecasts… there’s a major storm brewing. 😬

 

We were on Encore 4 weeks ago and hit some rough seas after Seattle while in the open Atlantic. Bad enough that my dreams Sunday night included sensations of getting lifted completely out of bed - can’t say that actually happened as I was semi-conscious. But a good chunk of the ship was not feeling well on Monday… enough that the staff kept commenting, but also mentioned that it was the beginning of the winter season. Things improved greatly by 4 or 5pm Monday. 

[IAcruising]

30 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

With the exception of saying homosassa works for NCL, I haven't really seen Mr. Duck "throwing crap."

 

Well, let's recap a bit.

 

He questions if he should call corporate and complain about rough seas. He insinuated that staff would get in trouble for saying anything. He wants an apology for the rough weather.

 

He claims the ship was damaged and taking on water. He questions the captain’s decision to leave port and insinuates that NCL just wanted to avoid port fees. He wants anyone who doesn't empathize with him to "go away".

 

Sorry, but that's going to get some feedback.

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by IAcruising

[laudergayle]

11 minutes ago, IAcruising said:

 

Well, let's recap a bit.

 

He questions if he should call corporate and complain about rough seas. He insinuated that staff would get in trouble for saying anything. He wants an apology for the rough weather.

 

He claims the ship was damaged and taking on water. He questions the captain’s decision to leave port and insinuates that NCL just wanted to avoid port fees. He wants anyone who doesn't empathize with him to "go away".

 

Sorry, but that's going to get some feedback.

 

“HE” didn’t say anything. For someone who was so precise in pointing out what OP said…you failed to recognize the HE is a SHE.  Just sayin.

Edited October 12, 2023 by laudergayle

[BunnyHutt]

2 hours ago, duck_keeper said:

Was it because NCL didn't want to pay the extra port fees to then put people and the ship in harms way? 

 

Yeah… no. A Captain is not going to make a decision because of money. That ship and its passengers are *their* responsibility and they are not about to put their career or their life on the line if they feel that something is dangerous. Period. 
 

No, I don’t work for NCL. But I am married to a captain for a major airline and, at the end of the day, he makes the final decisions regardless of what operations or the number crunchers say. 

[IAcruising]

16 minutes ago, laudergayle said:

“HE” didn’t say anything. For someone who was so precise in pointing out what OP said…you failed to recognize the HE is a SHE.  Just sayin.

 

Fair enough. I pay no attention to the gender of the poster. I have no idea if you're a guy or gal, or cruiseny, Bunny, julig or anyone else. Makes no difference to me.

 

So, I assume that is all you have to say regarding my recap?

 

[paradyne64]

Was on the 24 Sept Encore sailing.  Seas were so rough the first morning at sea, the hot tubs on deck 19 were spilling over the sides.  Staff placed barf bags at all stair wells.  Saw more than once stairs roped off from people getting sick. Seas calmed down for rest of cruise.  Was told on previous cruise seas were very rough 3 of the 7 days and Skagway port call was cancelled.

[Smitheroo]

14 hours ago, julig22 said:

And you know for sure that they didn't?  They aren't going to make an in-cabin announcement in the middle of the night unless it's an emergency. Wake you up to tell you what is already obvious.  And unless you are in the hallway or have your TV on the communication channel, with the volume up, it's very easy to miss announcements. If they were expecting rough seas, they also might have mentioned it during the daily captain's update.

 

And there are such things as rogue waves that nobody sees coming, plus it's not like they can tell you to return to your seats and fasten your seatbelt which is why they warn you, if possible, on a plane.

 

I was on a Cunard voyage in January and one night there were very rough seas. I felt like I had to hold onto the side of my bed.  No announcement made but the Captain did apologize the next morning  during morning announcements.   

[Smitheroo]

3 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

NCL has to apologize for rough weather? Seems to me, the apology should be coming from Mother Nature.

as I posted in another second of this thread, I was on a Cunard voyage one January and the captain did apologize the next morning when making the morning announcements  I felt I had to hold on to the sides of the bed (probably not, but that's what it felt like) and I figured it out myself, "oh rough seas I guess"  So an apology would be a nice gesture. You know, one of those polite things you do even if it wasnt your fault?

[cruiser2015]

4 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

🤣🤣

I'm guessing somebody stepped out of bed into the water from their spilled water glass and, well, you know how some people just lose their minds!

 

It all sounds like a fun E ticket ride to me.  I love some rough seas and being able to pretend that I'm a real drunk pirate.  Argggh.😎

The one about the spilled water is cute.

 

The rest, not so funny when people are shaken up by an uncomfortable experience.

Sure, there are many more scary events that have happened.

But this seems like it was a bit more than a little bit of rocking the boat.

 

[julig22]

1 minute ago, Smitheroo said:

as I posted in another second of this thread, I was on a Cunard voyage one January and the captain did apologize the next morning when making the morning announcements  I felt I had to hold on to the sides of the bed (probably not, but that's what it felt like) and I figured it out myself, "oh rough seas I guess"  So an apology would be a nice gesture. You know, one of those polite things you do even if it wasnt your fault?

On every ship I've been on, the captain makes daily announcements. Those would be announcements that are often missed, as they can only be heard in the hallways or on the TV station.  Which is why I questioned whether or not there might have been announcements, just not heard by the OP.

[Smitheroo]

6 hours ago, duck_keeper said:

I guess I am just whining according to y'all.

I feel bad for the people who are first time cruisers that was on the ship because they will never cruise again I'm sure.

 

When we tried to go into Ketchikan the day before the wind was so bad that the boat was listing to one side and we had to go out and come back. So instead of getting in at 7am we weren't in until 1:30pm.

During the really bad weather I checked the scrolling details on the navigation channel as we were leaving Juneau and it said wind at 35kph and 18m swells for a bit and then it just stopped reporting anything...as if we were not moving.

As a visual think of sitting in the main dining area on the back of the ship and seeing all sky and then all ocean within a minute. That is what I saw.

 

I've been on the Bliss before in Sept and only had one rough sea day so I'm not a newbie to what it's like up there late in the season.

 

At this point it feels like a pile on to bring up anything negative about NCL since I'm being told what did I expect?

I thought maybe a little more communication? An apology for the rough weather and asking passengers if they are OK? I can't imagine there wasn't someone injured because I had to hold on to the bed/couch just to walk without falling down or slung into something.

 

I hope others will chime in, but doubt it now that I've be chastised about having a bad experience.

 

 

 

I am a newbie to NCL but have joined in on some of the criticisms but..... what happened as described here is what sometimes happens on the seas especially when you go at times of the year that are often not "smooth sailing".  My family has told stories of emigrating from England many years ago in February, calling the room steward in the middle of the night because the porthole flew open and water was washing into the cabin.  It happens.  As long as lives arent in danger, it is part of the experience of life on the sea.

[Smitheroo]

2 minutes ago, julig22 said:

On every ship I've been on, the captain makes daily announcements. Those would be announcements that are often missed, as they can only be heard in the hallways or on the TV station.  Which is why I questioned whether or not there might have been announcements, just not heard by the OP.

that is true. I wasnt really criticizing the captain for not apologizing or at least commenting but would be surprised he didnt.  Because that's just someone we all do even when we are not responsible for something that happened on our watch.