Pacific Dawn delayed Mon 11 Oct 2010

[Australian family]

We were just discussing how the Pacific Dawn couldn't cruise in, but container ships have come in. Has it got something to do with the tide, and the PD not been able to get under the Gateway?

[Skyrules]

We were just discussing how the Pacific Dawn couldn't cruise in, but container ships have come in. Has it got something to do with the tide, and the PD not been able to get under the Gateway?

 

It's not neccessarily the bridge that's the problem, it's the wind... High winds make navigation up the river tricky, particularly if the wind is side on to the ship. Also, Captain Paoleti mentioned at one of the talks he gave that because Pacific Dawn (and Pacific Jewel) are single rudder ships, they manouver better at speed, the lower the speed, the less manouvarble she is - especially if "urgent" action is required. Of course low speed is necessary in the river, so they have to be extra careful.

 

Since most of the container ships don't have to navigate the river up to Hamilton, they've probably been allowed in to Fisherman Island.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Sailing up the river as I post..

Local time Tuesday morning 8am NZ ,

so guess thats 6am Aust time,

or 5am Queensland.

 

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

Sailing up the river as I post..

Local time Tuesday morning 8am NZ ,

so guess thats 6am Aust time,

or 5am Queensland.

 

 

 

You're on daylight saving I think, that makes it 3 hours difference it's currently 0523 here. Don't know why I'm awake so early but thought I'd have a look to see what is happening with DP. Still windy here.

 

Jillybean:)

[thied]

Well I'm BACK :D

I have just read this thread and I just had to loltoff( work it out).

I can see why so many stories get around cruise ships by reading this thread lol.

one person commented on us looking for a ship lol and some others have siad things so far away from what happened.

 

All ?s if asked I will kindly answer.

I will post a report in time and photo's as I do know people like to see Photo's:D and some just can work out how to posted them:rolleyes:

 

By the way 99.8% of us had a great cruise.

[Australian family]

Well I'm BACK :D

I have just read this thread and I just had to loltoff( work it out).

I can see why so many stories get around cruise ships by reading this thread lol.

one person commented on us looking for a ship lol and some others have siad things so far away from what happened.

 

All ?s if asked I will kindly answer.

I will post a report in time and photo's as I do know people like to see Photo's:D and some just can work out how to posted them:rolleyes:

 

By the way 99.8% of us had a great cruise.

 

Welcome back.

 

So what happened that you didn't get into Brissy yesterday? How did fellow passengers react to having to stay onboard for another night?

[thied]

Welcome back.

 

So what happened that you didn't get into Brissy yesterday? How did fellow passengers react to having to stay onboard for another night?

 

We could not enter the Brisbane because the Harbour master closed the port to all ships because a high winds. and the way the winds are today I would suprized if todays cruise leaves on time, if not very late tonight,

[thied]

Welcome back.

 

So what happened that you didn't get into Brissy yesterday? How did fellow passengers react to having to stay onboard for another night?

 

Yes there were a lot of upset people on board.

People having change there flights up to six time due in the day.

People with small children the are bottle feed and nappies were finding it very hard, as they only packed to enough for them to get off and go home with, as all there extra nappies and food were packed and in the holding bay for disembarking, P&O staff would not bring there bags back up for then even after we told after 12 hrs that we could go back to our cabins.

We put our hand luggage back in our cabins early on in the morning as our cabins (WE told as many people as we could about doing this and the cabins staff did not like it mmm bad luck I say) which turned out to be the best thing to do, as it lets people move around the ship easier. And kids clubs were open as well.

 

 

Staff: the only staff that was seen by passengers were bar staff, The pursers, and some miner staff to help the elderly and this was only because we complained around how the elderly were just left in wheels chairs around the ship with no help. All other staff were not seen, the only entertainment was in the shop lounge to watch movie’s.

There was a repeat of motor town put on last night and low a behold the casino was open last night, who said they can not open while in Australian waters.

 

The cruise director and staff were given the day off this became evident about 7.30 pm as three were asked by security to leave the public area’s as they were very very drunk.

 

At 5.30 PM we were told that we could all use our cabins as we were docking till 6 am 12/ oct (today). No many people got there coffee fix today as there was no milk left.

 

( WE were ok with it all as we didn’t have flights and our disembarking area was the show lounge and thank you P&O for kids club and I think that comes from every one with children able to go to kids club)

[rkmw]

the main thing you are back home and safe...once the PD gets going they can cut out a port and make up time....the passengers wont be happy but not much they can do

[thied]

the main thing you are back home and safe...once the PD gets going they can cut out a port and make up time....the passengers wont be happy but not much they can do

 

yes true please dont get me wrong we hade a great cruise and we paid for a 9 night cruise and ended up with a 10 night cruise. great I think buy 9 and get 10:D

[thied]

They're just waiting for the 'thied' to come in.:D

you are so funny:D

[chrisb74]

yes true please dont get me wrong we hade a great cruise and we paid for a 9 night cruise and ended up with a 10 night cruise. great I think buy 9 and get 10:D

 

Watch out or the Buy 12 and get 11 people will come looking for you :)

 

The new pax seem to be boarding now: http://twitpic.com/2wv931

 

The shipping movements site seems to indicate a 4pm departure.

[thied]

Oh Dear it has been an eventful cruise - searching for another ship and now severe weather.

 

David what does the black ball mean ?

How wrong can you be it was not a ship, it was a 6 mtr boat. and a very sad day on the ship as well.

[thied]

Watch out or the Buy 12 and get 11 people will come looking for you :)

 

The new pax seem to be boarding now: http://twitpic.com/2wv931

 

The shipping movements site seems to indicate a 4pm departure.

 

yes they are boarding very well and at this stage 4pm as we have freinds on this cruise. we got a text from them last night saying can please get off the ship so they can get on.:D

[Kiwi Kruzer]

How wrong can you be it was not a ship, it was a 6 mtr boat. and a very sad day on the ship as well.

 

Hi Steve, and welcome home from your eventful cruise.

Never did hear the outcome from the search.

Did they find the find the boat?

[thied]

Hi Steve, and welcome home from your eventful cruise.

Never did hear the outcome from the search.

Did they find the find the boat?

as far as we know they did not find the boat, there was 10 adults and two children on board the boat, as far as we know they only found 9 people, and do not know who. what we do know is they a staff member on board the dawn had 4 members of their family on the boat and went off the ship in vila to go home.(I wont say what job they did on the ship) and there was so many people on decks looking for the boat, the seach area was Tanna island and the islands around it.

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

Welcome home Thied....

 

Did you experience rough weather on your cruise? The weather hasn't been good here for quite some time.

 

Jillybean:)

[PolarPeak]

I was on this cruise too and managed to get back home today at 4pm. My issue is not with being delayed, that can't be helped. My issue was in being treated like cattle - herded into the Dome or Lounges and left there for 12 hours, unable to get back into our cabins. I really think they need a contingency plan for when this sort of thing happens.

To top off a not so great end to our cruise, they even managed to lose our bags Portside :( 4 missed flights later we did get home safely though and I'm going back for my next cruise in December :D

[sherri3802]

Makes my blood run cold to read all this as we were on the cruise before this and it all ran exactly like clockwork, but it just goes to show how easily things can go wrong.

We enjoyed our cruise but one thing I did notice in a small way was that on Pacific Dawn, the comfort of the passenger sometimes wasn't first priority. Noticed that in the safety drill the first afternoon, when a huge group of us was ushered into the bar, standing room only, and left to wait and wait, while the drill was delayed at least 30 minutes before starting. It wasn't helped by the young attendant saying, every 10 minutes or so 'Just make yourselves comfortable whie you're waiting." How?

My feet were swollen and I was actually acutely uncomfortable!!:mad:

 

But that is nothing against what some of the latest passengers went through. I assume lunch and dinner would have gone ahead as normal because they would have been preparing meals for the incoming passengers anyway. I wouldn't have expected much in the way of entertainment to be provided and I can understand the quandary of the staff because I guess they assumed the shop could dock at any time and they needed rooms to be ready.

But to refuse to help out those who were without supplies or formula for babies is a bit rugged, unless they were prepared to maybe give out some supplies from the shops to tide people over. Yes they need a contingency plan and it probably needs to swing into effect after a 6 hour delay, especially for the elderly or those with very young children.

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

I was on this cruise too and managed to get back home today at 4pm. My issue is not with being delayed, that can't be helped. My issue was in being treated like cattle - herded into the Dome or Lounges and left there for 12 hours, unable to get back into our cabins. I really think they need a contingency plan for when this sort of thing happens.

To top off a not so great end to our cruise, they even managed to lose our bags Portside :( 4 missed flights later we did get home safely though and I'm going back for my next cruise in December :D

 

 

12 hours in the Dome? Wasn't anyone allowed to wander around the ship freely? I hope they shouted you all a drink during all that time in there?

 

Jillybean

[yatchet]

you are so funny:D

Oh well, welcome back and all safe.:)

[PolarPeak]

12 hours in the Dome? Wasn't anyone allowed to wander around the ship freely? I hope they shouted you all a drink during all that time in there?

 

Yes you could wander around but you have to understand that there were people everywhere! Sleeping in the hallways and sitting on the floors. If we got up and wandered around we wouldn't have had a seat to come back to. Made me think about how many people must actually spend their time in their cabins in 'normal' times. Everyone was eating in shifts so we could have someone else mind our seats. And no, no free drinks.

[thied]

I was on this cruise too and managed to get back home today at 4pm. My issue is not with being delayed, that can't be helped. My issue was in being treated like cattle - herded into the Dome or Lounges and left there for 12 hours, unable to get back into our cabins. I really think they need a contingency plan for when this sort of thing happens.

To top off a not so great end to our cruise, they even managed to lose our bags Portside :( 4 missed flights later we did get home safely though and I'm going back for my next cruise in December :D

 

yes as you said (My issue is not with being delayed, that can't be helped. My issue was in being treated like cattle ) that is what We and most people, if not all felt, when they said we could go back to our cabins deck seven looks like a rubbish tip after every one had gone, trays of half eaten food and drink cans and I think people had enough and just walked though the rubbsh and just kicked the rubbish aside on their way back to the cabins.

[thied]

Welcome home Thied....

 

Did you experience rough weather on your cruise? The weather hasn't been good here for quite some time.

 

Jillybean:)

the cruise was way better then the cruise we did in june this yr no rain on port days except when we leaving mystery island, from our point of veiw no rough weather all good The only bad part of the cruise was the way they P&O treated every one when we could not get into brisbane port side, other then that we had a ball.

[Australian family]

the cruise was way better then the cruise we did in june this yr no rain on port days except when we leaving mystery island, from our point of veiw no rough weather all good The only bad part of the cruise was the way they P&O treated every one when we could not get into brisbane port side, other then that we had a ball.

 

Seems like they didn't leave a very nice lasting impression in people's minds. Not good for public relations when people leave with that sort of an experience.

 

P&O obviously are not happy, as they will no doubt have to credit the passengers for the next cruise for the first night that they missed.