Anthem keeps docking us around

[Setting sail for fun]

Just got back to Europe after being on this cruise. I spoke to the captain as he wondered the decks on the last day at sea. Annoying I know but here are some facts:

 

Max wind speed encountered on the bridge was 170kts, or 196mph :eek:

Max list angle was 22°. The ship is certified to around 45°.

 

To those who say a bit of roll is normal the bit that wasn't normal was when the captain was trying to turn the ship 180° as bow to the wind wasn't working. That was when we were ordered back to staterooms and the ship took up that 22° list and stayed like that (in one direction) for about an hour. We were on deck 12, on the low starboard side, and when it didn't right itself quickly that was the only time I was a little concerned. After we righted it was fairly standard rock n roll!

 

The only really annoying things were having to change flights multiple times and them not refilling the pools. The couple of (slow) days at sea were pretty dull!

 

Very interesting information and thanks for sharing. I am sorry you had a such a rough trip after coming so far to sail!

[20pluscruises]

There is a second undamaged one (which I show in other pictures). Human nature, I guess to focus on the nekkid one. Since I don't know what they're supposed to look like I have no idea of it's entirety, but, it feels complete. Here's a clearer, I think, pic of the hardware...although, at this point, it's all moot. (The optics on the iPad are not anywhere as good as on my phone which I didn't have with me or this would be razor sharp.)

 

 

May I ask if you booked directly through Royal? Thanks.

[KarinaGW]

May I ask if you booked directly through Royal? Thanks.

 

Yup. Always do. If something gets screwed up , I want it to be my fault.

[20pluscruises]

Yup. Always do. If something gets screwed up , I want it to be my fault.

 

I am finding that you and I are not the first to have fraud on our cards when booking directly through the line. We came back to a very large amount spent on our card while we were at sea. I don't blame the cruise line as I believe they use an outside company for their bookings.

[Aquahound]

I don't know what weather information they had available to them or what went into the decision making process. I was just surprised to hear about the second big storm you were supposed to be heading into, because it wasn't in the forecast. Someone posted that the storm system was supposed to be forming in the Gulf of Mexico. However, that would have impacted Tampa or Panama City Beach as it came across, and they didn’t have storms either. Historic Tampa weather:

 

I don't know how relevant this is, but Sunday morning in the Keys, we had a nasty storm blow through with 40mph winds and horizontal rain. The winds were out of the NNW, so that suggests to me that we were in the western portion of a low pressure system. Again....relevant or not, I do not know.

[tkportersat]

I have never had any issues when booking direct....are you reporting travel plans to your credit card company before you travel?

 

I am finding that you and I are not the first to have fraud on our cards when booking directly through the line. We came back to a very large amount spent on our card while we were at sea. I don't blame the cruise line as I believe they use an outside company for their bookings.

[KarinaGW]

I am finding that you and I are not the first to have fraud on our cards when booking directly through the line. We came back to a very large amount spent on our card while we were at sea. I don't blame the cruise line as I believe they use an outside company for their bookings.

 

Sadly, I wish I could blame them..well, no actually that would be awful.

 

I just tend to shop at places hackers like to hack (looking at you, target). This will be my 4th card in 18 months. I cannot wait for the new chip cards to get here.

[POA1]

I don't know how relevant this is, but Sunday morning in the Keys, we had a nasty storm blow through with 40mph winds and horizontal rain. The winds were out of the NNW, so that suggests to me that we were in the western portion of a low pressure system. Again....relevant or not, I do not know.

It must have stayed pretty far south. It didn't make it to Fort Lauderdale. I kinda doubt that's the system they were talking about, because people on the ship said it was forming in the Gulf and heading towards Jacksonville. Based on what was posted above (196 mph) the winds would have exceeded Hurricane Andrew's 165 mph by more than 30 mph. That's some serious wind

[Aquahound]

(196 mph)

 

Holy crap!! :eek:

[20pluscruises]

I have never had any issues when booking direct....are you reporting travel plans to your credit card company before you travel?

 

We do now. :) Credit freeze, purchase alerts, etc.

[KarinaGW]

It must have stayed pretty far south. It didn't make it to Fort Lauderdale. I kinda doubt that's the system they were talking about, because people on the ship said it was forming in the Gulf and heading towards Jacksonville. Based on what was posted above (196 mph) the winds would have exceeded Hurricane Andrew's 165 mph by more than 30 mph. That's some serious wind

 

I don't remember anyone saying it was forming in the Gulf. The captain said it it was a low pressure system forming off of Jacksonville. I don't know how far. I don't know if your links which are forecasts for land would show marine forecasts. It just feels like a silly lie to have told especially as he told us later the weather was developing there as predicted. He didn't seem like a silly man.

[tkportersat]

That's good, hope it doesn't happen to you again.

 

We do now. :) Credit freeze, purchase alerts, etc.

[KarinaGW]

I have never had any issues when booking direct....are you reporting travel plans to your credit card company before you travel?

 

Ditto. And, that's how it was caught. USAA is very good at monitoring transactions and knowing my spending patterns.

[cpufrost]

Where is this 196mph figure coming from?!

 

IF the radome was folded by wind, yes I believe they have a wind survival rating of ~125mph, then yes there was some serious wind. A strike from debris, however could have compromised its integrity resulting in failure in much less condition.

 

And once the dome is gone, the equipment is unprotected and very vulnerable to damage.

 

Does anyone know what type of anemometer was used? Tricup rotaries are often known for overspeeding in volatile wind conditions.

 

A waterspout could certainly produce these kinds of wind and sporadic, severe damage. A straight line wind of > 100mph would impose a push well over a million pounds against a vessel this size. This can be easily calculated if you have the surface area and vector.

[chengkp75]

Thanks POA thats what I figured. There's an article posted saying RC notified the Coast Guard of the damaged Azipod. So they knowingly lied saying the damages were only cosmetic. Obviously there was no way we could make it to Bahamas and back traveling less than 10 knots, so that was a convenient way to end the trip.

 

Could you post a link to this article? I would be interested to learn where this information came from, and what the exact contents were, if known. This will answer a whole lot of who knew what, when, and the extent of the damage.

 

By the way, I'm not doubting the USCG was notified, I know they were, because the port pod is the redundant steering, and without this the USCG requires a tug escort into harbor, from Ambrose. I'm just curious how the information was obtained, and when it was transmitted, and if known, the details given in the notification, which are required.

Edited February 12, 2016 by chengkp75

[20pluscruises]

That's good, hope it doesn't happen to you again.

 

Thanks! It was a nightmare. We felt like the thieves...had the same card for 25 years, not one late payment, always paid off monthly, but had to prove our ability to pay the credit card company. Found this was not uncommon when some unknown idiot makes $45,000 in fraudulent charges on your card. Yes, $45,000. :eek::eek::eek:

[havebagswilltravel]

I don't remember anyone saying it was forming in the Gulf. The captain said it it was a low pressure system forming off of Jacksonville. I don't know how far. I don't know if your links which are forecasts for land would show marine forecasts. It just feels like a silly lie to have told especially as he told us later the weather was developing there as predicted. He didn't seem like a silly man.

Our news here in Central FL early that morning reported a low pressure system coming across the panhandle; toward Jax'vile - was paying VERY close attention as we were to meet our daughter and husband (aboard) at Port Canaveral for (later and later) lunch - and her reports throughout the experience also indicated that he certainly wasn't a silly man - btw, I liken "Mars" itself to Hurricane Charley which was to be a Category 1 going to Tampa - and on very short notice became Cat 4 and coming to Punta Gorda 100 miles south of original destination - HUGE difference - http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/hurricane-charley-10year-anniversary-florida/32135989 (lots to read and hear at this link -and quite a match for what happened here) - such as:

"Originally, the hurricane was predicted to hit Tampa, Florida, but instead it curved into Punta Gorda, Ft. Myers then tracked to Orlando, catching many off guard.

In addition to Charley's abrupt change in direction, the storm also intensified very rapidly. "It went from a weak Category 1 hurricane to a strong Category 4 hurricane within a few hours," Kottlowski said."

[RuthlessBoss]

:eek:

Our news here in Central FL early that morning reported a low pressure system coming across the panhandle; toward Jax'vile - was paying VERY close attention as we were to meet our daughter and husband (aboard) at Port Canaveral for (later and later) lunch - and her reports throughout the experience also indicated that he certainly wasn't a silly man - btw, I liken "Mars" itself to Hurricane Charley which was to be a Category 1 going to Tampa - and on very short notice became Cat 4 and coming to Punta Gorda 100 miles south of original destination - HUGE difference - http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/hurricane-charley-10year-anniversary-florida/32135989 (lots to read and hear at this link -and quite a match for what happened here) - such as:

"Originally, the hurricane was predicted to hit Tampa, Florida, but instead it curved into Punta Gorda, Ft. Myers then tracked to Orlando, catching many off guard.

In addition to Charley's abrupt change in direction, the storm also intensified very rapidly. "It went from a weak Category 1 hurricane to a strong Category 4 hurricane within a few hours," Kottlowski said."

 

Ah, yes, good old Charlie:eek: He was an unexpected beast. I got it just south of Orlando and it ripped my house apart.

[Rala]

Wait just a minute. Is this the same poster that accused rci of knowingly trying to kill 6000 people, yes you said that and most here followering will remember it. The post was still there late last night but I see this morning it has been removed along with around 16 of your other post. The tone changes in this thread are something:rolleyes:

 

I saw it and better yet the post said that RCCL did not even care that they could have killed 6,000 people! :eek::roll eyes: So ridiculous.

[POA1]

I don't remember anyone saying it was forming in the Gulf. The captain said it it was a low pressure system forming off of Jacksonville. I don't know how far. I don't know if your links which are forecasts for land would show marine forecasts. It just feels like a silly lie to have told especially as he told us later the weather was developing there as predicted. He didn't seem like a silly man.

 

Someone else posted the forming in the Gulf thing in another thread. There was a low off Jacksonville on Monday, but it was a weak front compared to the one you sailed back into. You can see both in my post above with the screen shots. The radar extends pretty far into the ocean and covers the shipping lanes.

 

The links to the previous two weeks weather are for the cities listed, and aren't maritime forecasts. You can get historic maritime forecasts from NOAA/National Weather Service, but I think there's a charge.

 

Whatever system was there on Sunday night had dissipated by Tuesday. That really wouldn't have mattered since you were headed north by then. At the time, I thought it was strange to be heading away from a the weather off the coast of Florida only to get back into the stronger system you had been through. That's all.

 

It makes sense in the context of the repairs that they need to make now.

 

I wanted to let you know how much much everyone appreciates your posts and the posts from others who were on the ship. If we had to rely on the news media, we would have missed much of the story.

[POA1]

Where is this 196mph figure coming from?!.

 

It's a few posts above from Robstiffer.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=49064386

[njbrandon]

Could you post a link to this article? I would be interested to learn where this information came from, and what the exact contents were, if known. This will answer a whole lot of who knew what, when, and the extent of the damage.

 

By the way, I'm not doubting the USCG was notified, I know they were, because the port pod is the redundant steering, and without this the USCG requires a tug escort into harbor, from Ambrose. I'm just curious how the information was obtained, and when it was transmitted, and if known, the details given in the notification, which are required.

 

Here's the link and the text saying the Ship told Coast Guard the azipod was not working. If you click on the link now the story is changed, but I have the text saved in an email I sent.

 

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2016/02/12/cruise-ship-storm/80279878/

 

Storm that damaged ship had damaged propulsion system

 

Bayonne, N.J. — The Coast Guard says the intense winter storm that battered a cruise ship and shortened its voyage also damaged part of the ship’s propulsion system.

 

Coast Guard spokesman Charles Rowe says the Anthem of the Seas’ left azipod was rendered inoperable during the storm, which packed hurricane-force winds and wave heights of 30 feet. An azipod is a propeller that’s mounted to a steerable pod that contains an electric motor.

 

Rowe says the Coast Guard was told about the problem before the 1,141-foot ship returned early to its homeport of Bayonne on Wednesday night with 4,500 passengers and 1,600 crew members.

 

The Coast Guard says the ship sustained largely cosmetic damage, including broken glass, china and balcony doors.

 

Rowe says the ship can safely maneuver with a single azipod.

[The Sunset Glow]

DUH! Aquahound is a detective. If you watch NCIS........and the lead....is the same level that Aquahound is with CGIS.

 

And yes, he is brilliant at what he does and his reports are spot on. He gives information, much more than feelings.

 

 

Rick

 

 

Yes, I knew that - that's why I used the word detective. I couldn't add the little smilie face with the tongue because I was on my phone app.

 

And I agree with your assessment of him - the thread where he found the owner of the camera he found washed up on the beach is worth the read. :)

[njbrandon]

So now that we know the coast guard was informed about the damaged azipod, why did they risk traveling back up the coast toward the storm? The captain talked about this small pocket of clear weather between the old storm and the new storm. Sounds like a risk trying to travel btw 2 storms with damaged propulsion when they could have just docked in Port Canaveral safely, which would of had larger financial implications having to fly people home. Luckily the decision worked out for him.

[beachnative]

I just listened to the interview posted on a newly created thread:

 

Exclusive Interview with Anthem Passenger (co-worker)

It is well worth hearing.