RCL Anthem in rough storm yesterday

[Tonka's Skipper]

Couldn't the ship have found safe harbor along the east coast? There is some place, maybe not a lot.

Sure they would have missed ports, but that would have been better then the outcome!

Richard in massive storms like this one, the ships are often better off at sea. Hopefully, they can maneuver around the worse of rhe weather, out run it or slow down and let is slip by. Look at the one map I have seen , This one however was massive and not alot of options.

In a port , you need to find a strong berth, and put out all the lines and cross your fingers you don't get blown off the dock.

Now if you could find a nice large bay or sound, you can stay under way and keep mauve ring your bow into the waves and wind and juSt ride it out , but you need alot of room .


I was 2nd Mate on Sabine Red River back in the late seventies or early 80's and Fredrick chased us up the Gulf of Mexico into Gulf port. We were the last ship the Pilots brought in and we tied up to shell oil and ballasted her deep down into the mud

We comfortablely road the Storm out and never moved a inch.

In fack the refinery lost power and we had most of the workers still in the refinery, onboard with us. We were the only place that had lights.

AKK

 

[mcd2745]

Couldn't the ship have found safe harbor along the east coast? There is some place, maybe not a lot.

Sure they would have missed ports, but that would have been better then the outcome!

If you mean pulling into a port along the east cost until it passed...the problem is that with these new mega-ships, there are very few ports that can accommodate these ships. So, they couldn't have gone to a place like Baltimore or Charleston to ride it out.

 

[DisUniversal]

Interesting article...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/02/09/royal-caribbean-anthem-cruise-storm/80051782/

 

[Uncleromulus]

It is.
Clearly RCCL wanted to get those 6,000 passengers to the destination and did not want to cancel or postpone the cruise.

So they ignored a # of weather forecasts and sailed directly into the storm.

 

[JJsmama]

Just got off the Dream where we ended up docking at midnight of our Castaway Cay day - several hours early - because of this storm system. We were lucky I believe to have just caught the back edge of it. We were not allowed to go on the island until after lunch, and then only to walk - everything but one bar and an ice cream station was closed. The wind and waves were still crazy strong and delayed our departure until 7pm. Needless to say the ride back to PC was a bit wild. I got a screen shot of the bridge report showing 57 mph headwinds as we left CC. And we were behind the system at this time. Can't imagine what it was like in it. I'm sure the DCL captain would have warned any other captain about the conditions, if that sort of info is shared in the industry??

I'm glad you guys had a better time of it than RCCL, although still not a great day for you. I know I would have been really glad to know that Castaway Cay (any land actually) was right outside the window if we really needed to get off. Of course, they always say the safest place for a SHIP in a storm is at sea, but I wouldn't want to be ON it and I am glad the captain made that decision for you all.

 

[AquaDame]

I'm glad you guys had a better time of it than RCCL, although still not a great day for you. I know I would have been really glad to know that Castaway Cay (any land actually) was right outside the window if we really needed to get off. Of course, they always say the safest place for a SHIP in a storm is at sea, but I wouldn't want to be ON it and I am glad the captain made that decision for you all.

As a land lubber I am having a hard time wrapping my head around that..! But I will take your word for it.

 

[vinotinto]

Aren't really large storms / blizzards fairly common off the east coast in the winter? I now live in Atlanta, but I lived more than 10 years in NYC and Philly, and if I recall correctly it was not unusual to have some mammoth storms in the winter that covered the entire eastern seaboard. I guess it's convenient to many metro areas to sail out of NJ, but it doesn't take a weather expert to realize that sailing out of FL or Caribbean would be better weather-wise during the winter and provide more choices to maneuver out of the way of the storms.

 

[DHSbutcher]

Aren't really large storms / blizzards fairly common off the east coast in the winter? I now live in Atlanta, but I lived more than 10 years in NYC and Philly, and if I recall correctly it was not unusual to have some mammoth storms in the winter that covered the entire eastern seaboard. I guess it's convenient to many metro areas to sail out of NJ, but it doesn't take a weather expert to realize that sailing out of FL or Caribbean would be better weather-wise during the winter and provide more choices to maneuver out of the way of the storms.

I completely agree. Even the itinerary of the Anthem, sail to port canaveral, and then bahamas, then back to new jersey just seems like such an odd itinerary when there are cruises that leave from port canaveral, such as the dream and many others, that go to the bahamas and beyond and make things much simpler especially in this case with what the dream had to do. Perhaps in the summer the atlantic might be easier to sail in, but when I read about the Anthem, I was shocked to see them actually doing trips from the north in the winter. Wonder if this might impact any future winter cruise itineraries.

 

[momof2n2]

I completely agree. Even the itinerary of the Anthem, sail to port canaveral, and then bahamas, then back to new jersey just seems like such an odd itinerary when there are cruises that leave from port canaveral, such as the dream and many others, that go to the bahamas and beyond and make things much simpler especially in this case with what the dream had to do. Perhaps in the summer the atlantic might be easier to sail in, but when I read about the Anthem, I was shocked to see them actually doing trips from the north in the winter. Wonder if this might impact any future winter cruise itineraries.

If you can drive to port and are mostly excited about food, bars, casino & shows, maybe I can see this.

I'm more interested in beaches and sunshine...

 

[asmit4]

I don't understand the mechanics here on this, but let me share my experience with rough seas. We were on the Disney Magic in Early Dec 2007, when we sailed near TS Olga on our way to St Martin. We were told we had Gale Force winds, and 40 foot seas. The pools were closed, the shows were closed, the exterior decks were closed (no getting outside on the upper decks or deck 4). The ship rocked and creaked and groaned and it was difficult to walk at times. But there wasn't damage like shown here - what's the difference? This RCCL ship is what - 2 times as large as the Magic? The waves were smaller, the winds were probably the same.

I know the waves were 30 feet in this case----but the winds were over 100mph.....I think perhaps that was the big difference. Perhaps the winds that were sustained on the magic during Olga was only 60mph......I don't know though for sure.

 

[edith76]

I completely agree. Even the itinerary of the Anthem, sail to port canaveral, and then bahamas, then back to new jersey just seems like such an odd itinerary when there are cruises that leave from port canaveral, such as the dream and many others, that go to the bahamas and beyond and make things much simpler especially in this case with what the dream had to do. Perhaps in the summer the atlantic might be easier to sail in, but when I read about the Anthem, I was shocked to see them actually doing trips from the north in the winter. Wonder if this might impact any future winter cruise itineraries.

The itinerary sounds odd but I've done it twice (on NCL) and really enjoyed it. Living close to the NY port makes it just too easy to sail from there whenever the mood strikes. The first time, 2 years ago. after shoveling snow 4 times in a week and a sale email from NCL - I booked. DH and I laughed about the itinerary .... after sailing from PC 30+ times it really didn't seem like much of a stop. We ended up having the best time there doing one of those airboat/alligator farm excursions. So you never know. Many ships sail out of NJ/NY year round so I doubt that this will change.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Detroit Free Press 20 hours ago

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Royal Caribbean should have known better. The 168,666-ton vessel should not have sailed southward from New York into the path of the growing weather system, which eventually packed winds of up to 100 mph and created waves higher than 20 to 30 feet, WeatherBell meteorologist Ryan Maue told USA TODAY. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Ocean Prediction Center issued its first alert at 1 p.m. Friday for hurricane-force winds Sunday in the Atlantic, according to NOAA spokeswoman Susan Buchanan. Another climate watcher, Southeast Regional Climate Center climatologist Jordan McLeod, suggested that, at the very least, Royal Caribbean is guilty of poor weather analysis. ...
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Incredible photos, videos from Royal Caribbean ship during storm; damage, injuries reported
FOX2now.com Mon, Feb 8 11:01 AM PST

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The Anthem of the Seas has turned around and headed back to its original port after a severe storm injured four people and forced passengers into their staterooms for safety reasons, Royal Caribbean International said Monday. Royal Caribbean said Anthem of the Seas encountered rough seas off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, while sailing Sunday to Port Canaveral, Florida, in what was intended originally to be a seven-day voyage to the Bahamas. It said the ship suffered damage to some public areas and cabins but “remains seaworthy.” None of the injuries was serious, the cruise line said. Royal Caribbean decided Monday afternoon the ship would return to Cape Liberty, New Jersey. “We appreciate our ...
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Seems it is quite clear now the massive storm and wind speeds were forecast in advance, which to my mind explains RCCL offering such generous compensation.

The Master has been reported to have intended to cut in close to Hatteras and then along the south east US coast and slip by the storm, but this storm beat him to the punch. I will not second guess him as to if this was a good idea or not as I do not have all the details. I will repeat, the Storm was massive and with the coastal USA sitting there, he did not have many or any options. While the pictures we have seen so far, look impressive, they are really minor damage and I have to say the Master appears to have handled the ship well to keep the damage to a minimum.

AKK

 

[WIFamily]

I know the waves were 30 feet in this case----but the winds were over 100mph.....I think perhaps that was the big difference. Perhaps the winds that were sustained on the magic during Olga was only 60mph......I don't know though for sure.

That looks about right, I don't remember the announced wind speeds, but historical records show sustained winds of 60MPH at the heart of TS Olga. I've now seen some video of the Anthem event, and the waves seem a little more violent than I remember on the Magic. I also think the newer cruise ships seem to have a lot more exposed areas on the top decks than the Magic did in 2007. We were on the Carnival Dream in 2010, and I remember thinking about some of the upper deck areas being more open to damage in strong winds / storms.

 

[Funky Chicken]

Aren't really large storms / blizzards fairly common off the east coast in the winter? I now live in Atlanta, but I lived more than 10 years in NYC and Philly, and if I recall correctly it was not unusual to have some mammoth storms in the winter that covered the entire eastern seaboard. I guess it's convenient to many metro areas to sail out of NJ, but it doesn't take a weather expert to realize that sailing out of FL or Caribbean would be better weather-wise during the winter and provide more choices to maneuver out of the way of the storms.

A lot of people up in metro NY look at driving to FL as taking too long. They also could be afraid of flying. There is a big market for RCCL sailing out of Bayonne.

I suspect that those people will be glad to get on an airplane the next time the go on vacation.

I could never see sailing out of NY in the winter. We will always sail out of Florida or San Juan and January/February are off the table for us.

 

[dreadpiraterose]

Seems this could get even more interesting, as Senator Bill Nelson has called for some kind of inquiry into why the ship sailed into the storm. On the radio this morning, they were pondering potential charges for the captain.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Seems this could get even more interesting, as Senator Bill Nelson has called for some kind of inquiry into why the ship sailed into the storm. On the radio this morning, they were pondering potential charges for the captain.

Nothing legal to talk about....that is a politician looking for votes......

There is nothing to indicate the vessel was not sea worthy and he obliviously handled her well in the storm and she survived and is returning to port.

Now their maybe a civil issue ......but that is also unlikely to be directed to the captain directly they would be looking to deep pockets........RCCL...........

All in my opinion.

AKK

 

[Dallas_Lady]

This is why we only sail Disney. The Disney Magic includes complete control of the weather

 

[vvv]

I can see why cruises out of the NE are popular if you have a short drive to get to the port. Travel time and cost is a HUGE deal to many of us that don't live near the coast.

It would be a 29 hour drive one way for us to take a car to Miami. Flights to Florida are reasonable in price for us if you shop around but then we still have to drive 3.5 hours to get to the Airport.

We sailed on the Wonder out of San Juan a couple of weeks ago and we spent $600 per person on airfare for a cruise that cost us $738 per person.

 

[dreadpiraterose]

Nothing legal to talk about....that is a politician looking for votes......

There is nothing to indicate the vessel was not sea worthy and he obliviously handled her well in the storm and she survived and is returning to port.

Now their maybe a civil issue ......but that is also unlikely to be directed to the captain directly they would be looking to deep pockets........RCCL...........

All in my opinion.

AKK

Even Al Roker lost his you-know-what on TV when RCCL made the claim that the storm came up "quickly" and the winds were worse than predicted. It seems every major outlet had been issuing warnings for days before, and the NTSB could very well need to be involved if RCCL knowingly endangered those passengers and crew. What does Bill Nelson have to gain here really? He's not up for re-election and he's been a Florida senator forever (he won with 60% of the vote in 2012), and if anything he'd want to keep the cruise lines happy in their relationship to the sunshine state. Nelson is a good guy. I don't see him doing this just to get votes - that just doesn't make any sense here.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Even Al Roker lost his you-know-what on TV when RCCL made the claim that the storm came up "quickly" and the winds were worse than predicted. It seems every major outlet had been issuing warnings for days before, and the NTSB could very well need to be involved if RCCL knowingly endangered those passengers and crew. What does Bill Nelson have to gain here really? He's not up for re-election and he's been a Florida senator forever (he won with 60% of the vote in 2012), and if anything he'd want to keep the cruise lines happy in their relationship to the sunshine state. Nelson is a good guy. I don't see him doing this just to get votes - that just doesn't make any sense here.

I agree, the storm was massive and wind force has been forecast, but just because its a mad storm and they sailed, does not make dangerous or a legal case. I think RCCL made a big mistake trying to say the storm size and force was worse then expected. NTSB will not have anything on this one, however you can bet the USCG will be at the gangway waiting for her to dock.

AS to the Senator, I know nothing about him and I don't trust anyone in Washington. However Florida is the leading cruise state in the country, he has to speak up and make some noise. Remember lines don't vote and they need docking rights and money put into ports, especially as it would be hard for them to move to other, less attractive states/ports. People vote, especially scared people. They won't vote for a Senator they may think is supporting the cruise lines over the people. Once in a while everyone in Washington has to wave the flag for the home folks.


Just my opinions

AKK