Noordam delayed coming in to NY..PLEASE READ!!

[canadagal]

Hi, I'm on the Noordam right now........our first Hal cruise. In spite of the delay leaving New York the crew has done all they could to make us comfortable and I am very impressed with the service. We had an emergency medical evacuation yesterday too so we understandably had to head closer to the coast of Virginia so the coast guard could reach the ship. This has put us behind schedule but of course trying to save a pax life is much more important then us being on time. I hope they are going to be alright and make a full recovery. Then last night the seas became really rough and the captain had to slow us down to 13 knots and we lost more time and are now missing our first port of call Tortola and are heading straight for St. Thomas. We are currently experiencing swells from 3 storms and can not go full speed. Captain reported that last night we reached hurricane force winds of 100 miles per hour. Hopefully by tomorrow the sea conditions will even out and it will be much more pleasant for some pax that are not feeling very well today. The Noordam crew is wonderful!

Pat

[innlady1]

Hello Pat,

 

I hope things improve soon for all of you on the Noordam now. I'm sure once you get into warmer weather, they will. Sorry to hear about Tortola.

 

The medical evacuation happened while we were on the Princess last year. We had left St. Maarten and were headed for Princess Cays. We had to go in close to shore (one of the islands...can't remember offhand which) so that the passenger could be picked up by medical people. We had a report sometime later that the passenger was flown to Miami and was doing OK. In St. Thomas and in St. Maarten, an ambulance came and took people off the ship just before we left at the end of the day. I hate to see someone's cruise end that way.

 

Sheila

[bepsf]

I know this is probably a stupid question, but can the seas really cause that much of a delay??? I can understand reducing speed, but would there be any other factors that caused the delay? Reading about the Oosterdam has made me a bit worried about the pods.

 

Have you ever tried walking into a headwind where you had to lean into the wind just to stay upright, much less move forward? Now imagine if you did this in snow up to your knees - that would be pretty rough going, huh?

Now if it took you 15 minutes to get to your mailbox because of the wind and weather when it normally takes 2 minutes, does that mean your feet are broken? No, it just means that the weather is affecting your ability to get around.

Same difference here: Noordam was headed straight into the wind & the weather and waves made it difficult to move forward - if the propulsion were faulty, you'd have the ship being blown back south - not headed north.

[jhannah]

Great analogy, Brian! Sometimes Mother Nature deals a tough trump card.

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

I believe it's also a lot easier on the passengers if the ship slows down. The ship won't be tossed as much.

[sail7seas]

GREAT, Brian!! Wonderful explanation.

 

As long as all remain safe, that is paramount.

Missing a port is varying degrees of disappointment but in this circumstance to be expected.

 

No one......No anyone can control the wind/seas/weather.

 

[Copper10-8]

I know this is probably a stupid question, but can the seas really cause that much of a delay??? I can understand reducing speed, but would there be any other factors that caused the delay? Reading about the Oosterdam has made me a bit worried about the pods.

 

It's not a stupid question and, yes, they (the sea/wind) can! Brian gave a great analogy! We had a similar trip back up (northbound) to San Diego a few weeks ago on Oosterdam (storm front/high winds/waves/swells, etc.). Capt. Mercer made the desicion to slow her down in order to provide a more comfortable ride for his pax however lots of folks still got sick from the pitching and roling. It had nothing to do with her ailing port-side pod which was operating at about 60%.

BTW, Noordam's pods are both working fine. The consensus by the powers to be on Oosterdam was/is that when they open up that pod up in drydock in Victoria, BC in April they will find a wrench, screwdriver, etc. left in there by mistake back in September last year as the cause of her propulsion problems.

[Copper10-8]

WSOD

[obriendan]

I believe it's also a lot easier on the passengers if the ship slows down. The ship won't be tossed as much.

 

I don’t feel that people who haven’t seen it can appreciate the power of the ocean during rough weather. If a ship the size of the Noordam has to slow down in rough weather, it is not only to make it easier on the passengers, but it also may be necessary for the safety of the ship.

 

Many years ago I was on a destroyer, small compared to the Noordam at 2250 tons, in rough weather in the North Atlantic. The bridge of the destroyer, at 45 feet above the water, was much more like an aquarium because we spent so much time under the water:D . The carrier we were with, with a flight deck about 100 feet above the water, was taking water over the flight deck. Going into these rough seas we had to slow to about 12 knots because we were popping rivets, i.e. were in danger of coming apart!

 

The purpose of this story is to demonstrate the when the Noordam slowed down, in all likelihood the captain was thinking of the safety of the ship and his passengers!

[Grumpy1]

On the bow of the Prinsendam, not far below the deck line, there is a pretty good sized dent in the hull. when asked about it, Captain Gundersen said that another captain had decided that he didn't need to slow down in 40 ft seas and the dent was the result of slamming into a wave.

[hammybee]

Great analogy, Brian! Sometimes Mother Nature deals a tough trump card.

 

DITTO

[innlady1]

Have you ever tried walking into a headwind where you had to lean into the wind just to stay upright, much less move forward? Now imagine if you did this in snow up to your knees - that would be pretty rough going, huh?

 

Now if it took you 15 minutes to get to your mailbox because of the wind and weather when it normally takes 2 minutes, does that mean your feet are broken? No, it just means that the weather is affecting your ability to get around.

 

Same difference here: Noordam was headed straight into the wind & the weather and waves made it difficult to move forward - if the propulsion were faulty, you'd have the ship being blown back south - not headed north.

 

Some don't understand the complexity of the weather, I suppose, and this was a great explanation, Brian.

[kath816]

Thank you Canadagal for the update. My parents and two other couples are on the ship right now and I was hoping to see if there was any news about their departure or trip this far. I'm so sorry you're all missing Tortola, but best to keep safe.

 

I'd love to hear more about the trip.

[jeffs55]

That was a good analogy by Brian. On Friday morning every so often

the ship would hit a big wave and it felt like we stopped in our tracks.

That's a lot of weight holding the ship back.

[DENNAS]

YES, please keep us posted on the cruise.

My parents are on this cruise.... if you should run into Don and MaryAnn, tell them hi from their daughters. (kath816 is my sister !) Thanks for any updates you can pass along.

 

Let us know how the seas are down in the Caribbean !

[bepsf]

Some don't understand the complexity of the weather, I suppose, and this was a great explanation, Brian.

 

Thanks - I guess all those winters as a child in Upstate Michigan slogging through the snow to gradeschool taught me a thing or three.

;)

[sgttami]

Just to let you all know..

 

My sister and BIL got off in NY about 1:45 PM. My nephew was there to pick them up and they were home before 3:00. (They live in Westchester County, NY). It was a bit "crazy" but they said that HAL handled the coming and going quite well. They met some great people on the cruise who missed their flights because of the delay but everyone had a good attitude.

 

They loved their first HAL cruise...

 

Weather is something we have no control over. Sorry that the next cruise is missing Tortola especially for those who haven't seen it. It's a great little island..if you know where to go!

 

 

Pam

[innlady1]

Just to let you all know..

 

My sister and BIL got off in NY about 1:45 PM. My nephew was there to pick them up and they were home before 3:00. (They live in Westchester County, NY). It was a bit "crazy" but they said that HAL handled the coming and going quite well. They met some great people on the cruise who missed their flights because of the delay but everyone had a good attitude.

 

They loved their first HAL cruise...

 

Weather is something we have no control over. Sorry that the next cruise is missing Tortola especially for those who haven't seen it. It's a great little island..if you know where to go!

 

Pam

 

Glad your sister and BIL made it back safe and sound, Pam! We're on the Noordam next week, scheduled for Tortola as well. Where do you suggest going while there? On your own or with a shore excursion?

 

I hope we hear more from the folks on the Noordam now!

 

Sheila

[bepsf]

Glad your sister and BIL made it back safe and sound, Pam! We're on the Noordam next week, scheduled for Tortola as well. Where do you suggest going while there? On your own or with a shore excursion?

 

I hope we hear more from the folks on the Noordam now!

 

Sheila

 

Cane Garden Bay!

Just take an independent jitney over the hills to the beach - the driver will stop at a scenic spot on the way over for photos, etc. - $6 each way.

Bring beach towels and water from the ship - there are open air bars there on the beach where you can get a nice cool beer - the water & scenery is Excellent!

:)

[sgttami]

Glad your sister and BIL made it back safe and sound, Pam! We're on the Noordam next week, scheduled for Tortola as well. Where do you suggest going while there? On your own or with a shore excursion?

 

I hope we hear more from the folks on the Noordam now!

 

Sheila

 

If it's your first time to Tortola and you like the beach, Yes, (I agree with Brian) Cane Garden Bay is a must.

 

We are fortunate to have friends in the BVI's as well as St. John and St. Thomas so when we go on land trips, we take one of their powerboats and go to different little beaches (I don't even know the names after all these years!)

 

We've also gone to the baths at Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Soggy Dollar, Norman Island, Pussers...so many choices!!)

 

I've been to Tortola many times but never on a cruise where your time is limited so it would be hard for me to say what would be the best for you. When my sister was there last week, friends who have a house on Tortola picked them up and they did the beaches, saw their home and went to Cane Garden and Pussers. Road Town isn't all that exciting but it's OK for a quick "look/see".

 

I'm one of those people that will book a tour through the cruise line when I have no idea of where I am or where I'm going..(Alaska, Canada are good examples of when we booked tours through the ship)

 

I've traveled the Caribbean for over 30 years (especially Virgin Islands) and wouldn't book anything through the ship since we have friends and know our way around...and if we miss the ship, we have someplace to stay!!!

 

E-mail me if you want more info..sgttami@yahoo.com

 

Have a wonderful cruise!!!

 

Pam