Westerdam - July 15

It was not my intent to create a daily report but the events of 7/15 require that I do so.

We left Juneau last night in pea-soup fog and awoke today to the same. As we entered Glacier Bay around 8:00 AM, the fog broke and brilliant sunshine gave us a perfect day viewing glaciers.

I forgot to close the curtains and daylight filled the room a little after 4:00 AM....ugh.

As I sat on my Deck 6 verandah at 5:30 PM after exiting Glacier Bay, I noticed a tour boat approaching the Westerdam. The boats passengers were cheering and waving wildly. Capain Scott announced that these were passengers left behind in Juneau in the fog. The tour boat turned to come along side and I noticed it was the Saint Gregory from Allen Marine that I had taken for a whale-watching tour in Juneau just yesterday.

Fifteen minutes after the 43 passengers were passed from the Saint Gregory to the Westerdam, a lady shouted down from Deck 8, "Glad to be back home on the Westerdam." She related to those gathered on their balconies below that 60 passengers on Mendenhall Glacier and Taku Lodge had been trapped by the fog in Juneau and could not get back to their ships before the ships had to sail with the tide. Six on a helicopter tour to Mendenhall Glacier spent the night in a small emergency tent on the glacier. Eighteen (one from Westerdam-sponsored excursion, three from Zuiderdam-sponsored excursion, and 14 passengers on private excursions) returned to Juneau via dog sled. The four on the HAL-sponsored excursion passengers had their hotel and meals paid by HAL. There were 36 who spent the night at Taku Lodge. Since flights to the lodge were halted early afternoon, there was lots of food available and the lodge had plenty of beds so that all would be comfortable.

When the fog cleared this morning, HAL collected its HAL-sponsored excursion passengers (46), sent three via charter plane to Skagway to catch the Zuiderdam, and placed 43 on the chartered Saint Gregory from Auke Bay, Juneau, to catch the Westerdam as we exited Glacier Bay. The lady on Deck 8 said that HAL took really good care of its passengers while in Juneau.

Simple math shows 14 non-HAL excursion passengers were forced to use other means to catch their ships at the next port.

The above is only preliminary information but worth noting until more information is available.

I count the extra dollars for HAL sponsored excursions to be insurance.

I count the extra dollars for HAL sponsored excursions to be insurance.

I fully agree, and this is exactly why I only ever take ship-sponsored tours/excursions.

Thank you for the reports. I hope you are having a fantastic time!

Wow - that's all I can say. I guess those stranded for the night will have some wild cruise stories to tell when they get home!

Wow, what a story. Can't imagine being on Mendenhall over night. What an experience for those cruisers. Thanks Crew News for the update.

Yikes! :eek:

I wonder if any of them are CC members - maybe we can look forward to a full report of the event.:D Quite the adventure for them.

You really do have exciting things happen on your cruise.

Hope we hear some more stories about this.

I fully agree, and this is exactly why I only ever take ship-sponsored tours/excursions.

 

Thank you for the reports. I hope you are having a fantastic time!

I agree -- that is why 99% of our excursions are HAL sponsored.

WOW - what a great report. Thanks for telling us. We too only take HAL excursions and I agree the extra money would be worth it for such an emergency.

It doesn't happen often, but every once in a while the ship has to sail without several passengers. A good reminder that anyone who takes medication should always have a supply with them when they are leaving the ship.

Probably not a bad idea to have some I.D., a credit card, and a little cash, too.

Anyone else remember the time the Amsterdam had to leave passengers ashore in the Falklands overnight, as it was too dangerous to tender them back?

These things can and do happen.

It doesn't happen often, but every once in a while the ship has to sail without several passengers. A good reminder that anyone who takes medication should always have a supply with them when they are leaving the ship.

Probably not a bad idea to have some I.D., a credit card, and a little cash, too.

 

Anyone else remember the time the Amsterdam had to leave passengers ashore in the Falklands overnight, as it was too dangerous to tender them back?

These things can and do happen.

We were fortunate to have Melissa with us last week and the Falklands saga was a major point of conversation.

Thanks for the update.

Please let us know if you hear any stories from those stranded.

I hope tomorrow is filled with sunshine, not fog.

Thanks for the update.

Please let us know if you hear any stories from those stranded.

I hope tomorrow is filled with sunshine, not fog.

We were greeted this morning in Sitka with bright sunshine and clear blue skies. As I type this, it is now cloudy but temps in the 60's.

Interesting! Thanks for reporting!

Wishing you sunshine and hoping the only sprinkles you encounter are on your ice cream the rest of the way!

I fully agree, and this is exactly why I only ever take ship-sponsored tours/excursions.

That is the only way to go. It may cost a few more dollars, but it's money well spent.

I hope every one gets back ok. It doesn't change my opinion of HAL excursions, too expensive, too limiting and too cattle call like. I recognize this could happen to us one day but to me it would just be another part of the adventure. All the money we have saved on DIY will more than cover the cost of getting back to the ship. I know some feel differently but we had taken lots of independent excursions and never even come close to missing the ship.

Great post,

Thanks for sharing about this with us.

Hope you're having a great time. :)

I hope every one gets back ok. It doesn't change my opinion of HAL excursions, too expensive, too limiting and too cattle call like. I recognize this could happen to us one day but to me it would just be another part of the adventure. All the money we have saved on DIY will more than cover the cost of getting back to the ship. I know some feel differently but we had taken lots of independent excursions and never even come close to missing the ship.

It doesn't change mine either. We were once on an Alaska cruise where 60 HAL pax got stranded in Haines due to bad weather. We left without them, and later reports on this board claimed that they were not treated well - they were eventually flown to Vancouver 3 days later, with no emergency toiletries provided. I guess each incident has to be taken on its merits. I still prefer private excursions where possible.

Yikes! :eek: Good to know that HAL "took really good care of its passengers while in Juneau." Thanks for the report. :)

Thanks for the information.

Pleased that everyone is safe.

I hope every one gets back ok. It doesn't change my opinion of HAL excursions, too expensive, too limiting and too cattle call like. I recognize this could happen to us one day but to me it would just be another part of the adventure. All the money we have saved on DIY will more than cover the cost of getting back to the ship. I know some feel differently but we had taken lots of independent excursions and never even come close to missing the ship.

Very good point.

Life is full of chances, risks and decisions. We all make different ones.