Sailing out of NYC

[YankeeCruiser]

My aunt asked me a question regarding HAL ships sailing out of NYC - when you sail past Lower Manhattan, is there any kind of 9/11 observation - moment of silence, anything like that? She's sailed NCL a number of times out of NYC, and they do not do any such thing; she was wondering if any other lines do.

 

Thanks...

[kryos]

My aunt asked me a question regarding HAL ships sailing out of NYC - when you sail past Lower Manhattan, is there any kind of 9/11 observation - moment of silence, anything like that? She's sailed NCL a number of times out of NYC, and they do not do any such thing; she was wondering if any other lines do.

Unless it were the anniversary of the tragedy, I would doubt it. People are on a cruise. They are there to have a good time and probably don't want to be reminded of one of the worst tragedies to befall our country. It's understandable the cruise lines would not want to kick off a cruise by focusing on it.

 

If you'd like to pay a special rembrance, though, you could always arrive early for your cruise and visit the site of the twin towers.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[RuthC]

I've sailed out of NYC several times since 9/11---including a year and a day after---and there has never been any official note taken of the place or event.

There will be several people out on deck, though, who are remembering in their own way. As you pass it's quite apparent that people are paying particular attention.

[bepsf]

Flights in & out of Laguardia, Newark, Boston and JFK don't have any remembrances, yet flights from there were directly involved and the site is oftentimes directly viewable (esp into Laguardia & Newark).

Nobody comes over the ship's PA to announce "We're right over the spot where Titanic/Andrea Doria/Lusitania/Empress of Ireland/Morro Castle/Britannic sank/burned and lots of people died" either...

:cool:

[NYreadytogo]

Also, I think a lot of people sailing out of NY are New Yorkers or from the area. Although that made the events a lot more personal (almost everyone I know either knew someone who died or else were present nearby or otherwise affected- my firm's offices were evacuated for a long time), it also means that they have been exposed to it enough not to need or desire a special memorial every time they pass the site. In fact, for work I had to live for 3 months in a hotel right next to the hole (which now just looks like a very large construction site), and looked down at the hole every day. But as the other posters said, you can honor the memory yourself if you are so inclined (though I must say that I was put off and upset by the quantities of tourists that flooded the area every day, snapping pictures, buying souvenirs, and treating the place as just another empire state building type of attraction).

[RuthC]

Nobody comes over the ship's PA to announce "We're right over the spot where Titanic/Andrea Doria/Lusitania/Empress of Ireland/Morro Castle/Britannic sank/burned and lots of people died" either...

:cool:

On the '03 trans-Atlantic round trip out of NYC there was an observance when the ship passed the resting place of the Titanic. It was early in the morning so I wasn't there, but it was published in the Daily Program and many passengers did attend.

I was on the Veendam off Nova Scotia in '98 when flight 111 went down there. Our ship was pressed into search and rescue, later recovery. When we were released there was a simple ceremony before we sailed on. There were prayers and a floral wreath was thrown to the sea.

It helped.

[kaleighsgram]

Was on the Zenith, normally out of New York, on the Saturday after 9-11. We were picked up in Philly instead. There wasn't a rememberance then, either. On the bus trip down out of Connecticut, people cried and prayed. I remember being at the front of the bus and when I turned around, people were on their knees in the aisle as we drove through the smoke from the buildings. On the Noordam in April, nothing was said.

[YankeeCruiser]

Thank you for the information. Please understand, I wasn't trying to push anything or raise any issues - I was just asking the question. My entire family is from the city, including my aunt, who wanted to know. I myself live in D.C. and knew some of the victims on the flight that hit the Pentagon, so it's a personal thing for me too. I happen to agree that there isn't a need for a specific "memorial" service on every ship or flight that passes the site - it is for each person to remember in their own way.