Why wasn't Explorer at Labadee last Thursday?

[marykdan]

I was on Indy last week, and on the day we visited Labadee (Thursday, March 7), Explorer was scheduled to be there, too. In fact, it was supposed to arrive two hours before us.

 

Imagine my surprise when Labadee came into view and I realized that there was no other ship at the dock! First I thought that we had beaten them (so we'd have a better selection of places to sit), but they never showed up.

 

I asked a couple of crew on board about it. One head waiter told me that a bad storm had hit her and broken a few windows; another officer just said that due to bad weather, they got behind and had to skip Labadee to make up time.

 

Does anybody know what happened?

[Merion_Mom]

There was VERY bad weather on the way down, and that delayed the Explorer.

 

They had to skip Labadee and go straight to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

 

The upside is that they were able to be there longer than usually scheduled.

[JMG]

You can look for a thread called Where is Explorer. This was discussed on that thread by a relative of someone onboard the ship.

[Ocean Boy]

I had heard while we were aboard Indy that Explorer been slowed down because of weather and could not get to Haiti.

[edjny]

There was VERY bad weather on the way down, and that delayed the Explorer.

 

They had to skip Labadee and go straight to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

 

The upside is that they were able to be there longer than usually scheduled.

 

That must have been a really bad storm.... :eek: We were on Explorer when it went thrrough Hurricane Sandy and we arrived at Bermuda only one hour late.

[southstaffs3]

I had heard while we were aboard Indy that Explorer been slowed down because of weather and could not get to Haiti.

its a shame explorer did not make it, but if it had labadee would have been a nightmare !!

[Merion_Mom]

its a shame explorer did not make it, but if it had labadee would have been a nightmare !!

 

Labadee can handle two ships.

[Ocean Boy]

Labadee can handle two ships.

 

Actually many areas including the swimming beach, Columbus Cove area, were very crowded. Another 3200 people on Labadee would not have been pretty. They market this stop as a relaxing day not as another day like Phillipsburg, St. Maarten with 6 ships in port.

[Maraprince]

its a shame explorer did not make it, but if it had labadee would have been a nightmare !!

 

 

We were in Labadee last November with a second ship as well. It can be done. Not everyone stays the full time. Some only come for the buffet lunch and leave. Others come in early to shop and then go back to the ship.

 

You can find a quiet area if you take the tram almost all the way opposite from where you enter Labadee. The water here is calm and you can see the bottom very clearly. Very easy to find shelter under a palm tree and just relax and enjoy the peacfulness near the water's edge.

 

MARAPRINCE

[mo&fran]

I am the one who started the “where is the explorer” thread. I went back to update it later, but could not find it. DW is on that cruise and I think the weather was bad all along the coast. We were on cruises earlier this year and while we got slowed down by weather off of the NC coast, It did not impact us much. This time the weather was bad all of the way down, and it got to be too late to stop at Labadee, and they just continued on to San Juan.

We had already been to Labadee twice this year, and both times there was a second ship in port with us. This time DW was with a friend that she usually does a winter cruise with. I guess the weather was pretty good towards the end. They are on the way back now. Hopefully the weather will not be a factor.

[gardnerna]

mo&fran

 

Ask your wife what happened Sunday night while they

were leaving St Thomas. I'm living on STT right now and

I could see the ship stopped for 2 1/2 hours just outside

Nazareth Bay. Then it went on to St Martin.

I wondered if it was a medical emergency or something.

 

Thanks

[mo&fran]

I just received a facebook message, and she did not say anything about stopping. I did check AIS after they left and did not see anything.

She did say that there are large swells and the pools have been drained. Anybody see any reports on the weather on the way back. I am going to see if weather channel has anything.

[southstaffs3]

Actually many areas including the swimming beach, Columbus Cove area, were very crowded. Another 3200 people on Labadee would not have been pretty. They market this stop as a relaxing day not as another day like Phillipsburg, St. Maarten with 6 ships in port.

 

Hear hear :)

[DevonianCruiser]

I am the one who started the “where is the explorer” thread. I went back to update it later, but could not find it. DW is on that cruise and I think the weather was bad all along the coast. We were on cruises earlier this year and while we got slowed down by weather off of the NC coast, It did not impact us much. This time the weather was bad all of the way down, and it got to be too late to stop at Labadee, and they just continued on to San Juan.

We had already been to Labadee twice this year, and both times there was a second ship in port with us. This time DW was with a friend that she usually does a winter cruise with. I guess the weather was pretty good towards the end. They are on the way back now. Hopefully the weather will not be a factor.

 

Well I hope all is well on Explorer now as we're on her on Friday.

[BND]

I just received a facebook message, and she did not say anything about stopping. I did check AIS after they left and did not see anything.

She did say that there are large swells and the pools have been drained. Anybody see any reports on the weather on the way back. I am going to see if weather channel has anything.

 

Pools were drained on our way back in Nov too due to swells and water not wanting to stay in them. While it wasn't very rough onboard, the fear was people would be hurt in the pools with all that water moving around.

 

I think the issue today is the cold front that is moving through the east coast.

 

I was watching when the ship left St Thomas, they didnt' stop, but they did slow down to about 1.5 knots for over a couple of hours. I think part of it is the distance between St Thomas and St Martin isn't that far so I think they were just hanging out rather than burn fuel going in circles.

[grneyes]

M Mom Labadee is nicer with 1 ship!

But......I felt bad for the people on the EX THEY MISSED A GREAT STOP.

[sha88]

Depends on weather. I guess. We missed Labadee in 2007 due to hurricane. Oh, well, one day!