FREEPORT, BAHAMAS - Pier Collapse

[wmunley]

Just speaking to my friend whose brother was on Voyager 6/18 - 9 night to the Caribbean.

Apparently the pier in Freeport collapsed and the passengers were not allowed to get off the ship in Freeport.

Not too happy about htis since I will be sailing on July 2 but I hope it is fixed by then or that another port is substituted.

I am not sure if they were given another sea day (and maybe some free drinks?) or if another port was substituted.

Details are still sketchy right now because I am talking to my friend over email and dont have all the info yet... will let you know more when I find out.

[wmunley]

[size=2]as sent to me by my friend... this is his exact response to my question on what they did with the passengers on the Freeport Day...

"extra day at sea, and open bar for an hour ... 10 deep at the bar, and he got 2 drinks in that time.. he is livid."


Thats not good at all... hopefully the pier is fixed for the next sailing or another port is substituted, i thnk 4 sea days is enough... I mean I love the sea days but I also like to visit the ports.
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[grod19]

HAHA....not to lugh at your misfortune but i was on the 6/4 voyager trip and one of the guys i travelled with said something along the lines of "this pier looks like its about to collapse"

I hope they fix it before your cruise

[wmunley]

I hope so too...

Does ANYONE have anymore info on this problem??? I think I am going to call RC now to see what they say. Maybe they will have an answer. If I hear anything I will report back for everyone.

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And I am guessing this is the infamous GRod from Stevens? If it is, pay attention to my username if you read this thread again... you will know who I am.

[wmunley]

Just got off the phone with "Emmie" from RC and told her of the occurence... After putting me on hold for about 2 minutes she came back with a response that the ship WILL be calling at Freeport. Hope this is the case. Apparently she checked with other sources while I was on hold rather than just looking up the itinerary. So I am going to take that answer as reputable.

[grod19]

yeah i knew who you were right away. You can thank rooney i think he was the one that made the this place is gonna fall apart comment or maybe it was jake. Either way have fun on the cruise, we had a blast

[dougp26364]

An open bar for an hour? Whooooopppppppeeeeee. That's just great for those of us who don't drink. In my case I'd be trading a couple of cokes for a day in port. I'd be so thrilled.

I'm sure that the pier collapse wasn't RCI's fault but maybe they need to hold these ports a little more accountable? The cruise ships bring in a LOT of tourist to these ports. You'd think they would have some pull about docking facilities or they'd pull out for better locations.

[Family of 14]

I am sorry that some of you MAY miss Freeport, but just think about the tragedy that was avoided. Had passengers been on the dock when it collapsed...:eek: !!!

[FinelyCruising]

I think for the most part all the cruise lines are do a pretty good job and making sure traffic paths are accident free, and I agree with the other poster who said good news no one was injured as a result.

Hopefully this repair will be made in good order by this weekend's trip for you.

[yarlenna]

Please remember that RCI is under NO OBLIGATION to compensate in any way for any missed ports. The 2 drinks is all bonus! It is actually harder for THEM when a port is missed. All of a sudden they must find a way to amuse a couple of thousand irrate tourists who missed an anticipated port call. In addition, they must reschedule any interior maintainence they had scheduled for the day. The ship must then use additional fuel as it cruises to noplace and additional people have to man the front desk to handle all the complaints. It was no picnic for anyone.
In addition, I believe that the Freeport dock's demise was hastened by the recent temporary increase in traffic while Labadee was closed as a port. Now the port lost the traffic PLUS they have to repair the infrastructure to support the traffic they still do have.
Yes, it is regrettable that you missed your port call. It was a bad day for everyone.

[P&DinDE2]

Hello All,
I am sailing 7/18/04 out of Baltimore, Md on Grandeur.
Our first port is Freeport. How do I find out if we will be able to go there or whats going on?
Thanks!

[grod19]

collapse wasnt anyones fault and they are very hard to detect. the dock was made out of concrete so if the cracks started internally there might not have been any signs at all that there was a problem. I havent seen any pictures so i wouldnt know.