Anyone on BA in Winter Storm Grayson off Carolinas?

[SailBreakaway]

Can one of you confirm who the Captain was/is? I think I know but if you could confirm I’d appreciate it. Thanks.

 

 

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[asubaru]

I thought passengers were to board 8-10PM, no?

 

Terminal is an absolute hell zone. People were still disembarking at 630 even though the ships been docked since 2. There's no where to sit in the terminal. It's 7 PM and still no boarding announcement. Hindsight I would have waited until tomorrow at 2 to board.

[peggy1]

I thought passengers were to board 8-10PM, no?

NCL website said 6 to 10 PM however a Robo call from NCL stated could award from 8 to 10 PM with no clarification as to which time was correct people were saying to go by the website . Further guidance to clarify the situation would have been very helpful

[asubaru]

Thanks, I had a friend that got a call saying 8-10 and neither of us could find anything on NCL's website.

 

NCL website said 6 to 10 PM however a Robo call from NCL stated could award from 8 to 10 PM with no clarification as to which time was correct people were saying to go by the website . Further guidance to clarify the situation would have been very helpful

[Nybluenblue2]

Can one of you confirm who the Captain was/is? I think I know but if you could confirm I’d appreciate it. Thanks.

 

 

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Just off the ship, cannot believe we are finally on land... and we are seasoned cruisers. This was a cruise from hell.

 

Matko Candrlic was was our captain. Stay as far away as possible from this ship for as long as he is in charge. How dare he knowingly takes us right into a cyclone, endangiring our lives!!! Families with crying children, scared disabled, sick passengers on the floor, tilted, jerking and rocking ship, broken windows and balconies, howling wind inside, water filling public spaces and cabins, passengers and staff injured, code ‘alpha’ in the middle of the night, no announcements until captain is pressed to make them, no ownership from the management, no attention to passengers... the list can go on and on. The worst decisions from the management from day 1 and all throuout the cruse.

 

And to all of you, self-appointed judges and ‘how bad can it be’ commentators - talk to the passengers before making your sarcastic remarks! Hope you never have to live through anything like this.

[SailBreakaway]

Just off the ship, cannot believe we are finally on land... and we are seasoned cruisers. This was a cruise from hell.

 

 

 

Matko Candrlic was was our captain. Stay as far away as possible from this ship for as long as he is in charge. How dare he knowingly takes us right into a cyclone, endangiring our lives!!! Families with crying children, scared disabled, sick passengers on the floor, tilted, jerking and rocking ship, broken windows and balconies, howling wind inside, water filling public spaces and cabins, passengers and staff injured, code ‘alpha’ in the middle of the night, no announcements until captain is pressed to make them, no ownership from the management, no attention to passengers... the list can go on and on. The worst decisions from the management from day 1 and all throuout the cruse.

 

 

 

And to all of you, self-appointed judges and ‘how bad can it be’ commentators - talk to the passengers before making your sarcastic remarks! Hope you never have to live through anything like this.

 

 

 

Thank you for that confirmation. The Captain and quality leadership I know professionally and personally was not in Command. I wish he had been for all of you. I’m certain the outcome would have been much better.

 

I created this thread. I was watching the weather channel (I live in NY Metro area) and it dawned on me that BA was probably leaving for NY. I assumed it would have delayed or diverted their course (Bermuda then NY would have worked out well) When I checked its Satellite position it was off the Carolina Coast, and so was the system. I then created this post knowing from experience what must be occurring on board.

 

The condition of the ship is a testament to her strength and design.

 

In aviation, when an airline Captain puts lives in harms way, he or she has the full power of the US Gov’t to answer to, to include loss of license, loss of career and even imprisonment if Investigation finds lack of competence or negligence. With the cruise industry there is not this level of accountability or oversight. The Cruise Line just moves on, because they can.

 

Glad you’re all home safe. When I saw the photos of the water rushing down the stairs it was pretty real for me. I’ve been on her many times and have a personal and professional connection to her. I again wish you had the benefit and safety of another Captain, who I thought had her this month.

 

 

 

 

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[jentroubles]

I won't go as far as the previous poster, but I have to agree that I would never sail with this captain again if given the choice. As mentioned before I am a veteran cruiser, have sailed at this time of year and expected/ don't' mind some rocking. I have tried to offer balanced information and avoided trying to provide misinformation or hysterical commentary.

 

As I stated before-- my lack of confidence started with the debacle at GSC. It was a poor decision to even try the island when all other lines visiting had already canceled. Anyone with a weather channel app or who was at least outside could see the building clouds, the wind picking up and rain in the distance. We decided at 8:30 not to go to the island and were glad we did not. Those on the last tender (approximately 11:30 or 12ish) had horrible rides, and staff and guests came back soaking wet and upset. (I spoke with a veteran staff member who related this to me as she was on the last tender.)

 

I agree with the lack of communication and the poor communication skills of the captain. He offered canned statements and no real information when people craved it. The channel 21 scroll was inaccurate and appeared to be stuck when reporting wind speed and wave height. I will not get hysterical about medical emergency announcements-- I sent a prayer to whoever was hurt or injured that night. I will agree though..I knew in the back of my head we would be fine but was still more frightened than I felt I should be-- I didn't trust that this captain would back off-- and it was clear that we would keep steaming ahead.

 

The front line crew and other officers did their best and should be commended. Anything we asked for during those days was taken care of by waiters, waitresses, and guest services. Like many, we went to areas where we felt most comfortable. No one was forced to sleep anywhere they did not want to. (I cannot speak to those with major room damage) I know that people had problems with minor wind damage, it happens. Our balcony door also whistled from the wind during the height of the storm--midnight to 3am-- and we had condensation and some water like many. With the winds, to be expected. The listing of the ship was prominent and continued up to this morning. We needed to pack the shower with towels and clean up the small flood after showering. A minor inconvenience given the storm.

 

I will also agree with the judgemental attitude of many on here. If you were not onboard, honestly, you have no idea what it is like. It is very easy to Monday morning quarterback. Frankly, this is why I stopped participating regularly on these boards. For those snarking at those who were onboard, I do hope that you never have such an experience.

 

In sum, yes, I expected bad weather. I did not expect to be actively trailing a low-pressure system that closely. Given how proactive NCL generally is in hurricane season, I was disappointed in the communication and felt that we were a bit too aggressive in trying to keep on schedule, despite the weather. Knowing the capabilities of the Breakaway and the ability to get from Port Canaveral to NYC in a little over a day-- it might have been more prudent to lag back and not try to 'ride it out' for two days.

Edited January 6, 2018 by jentroubles

[Momof3gurlz]

Peggy1 - unfortunately, "guidance" and "clarification" are not terms NCL understands. I too just returned today from this cruise and plan to eventually do a full review. For now I want to completely agree that the fiasco of the last few days falls directly on the Captain (is there a nautical equivalent to "quack"???). Why in Gods name they wasted the day attempting GSC, when according it's quite often missed due to choppy seas, is a COMPLETE mystery and very poor decision, IMHO. We did tender to the island and while the trip over wasn't bad, the return trip 45 minutes later was frightening - I guess it was a sign of what was to come over the next few days! On GSC it was very windy and quite chilly. The skies were overcast and gray from the get go. So the reason for stopping here was??????? I'm baffled by that as well as the decision to sail us into that storm. I also agree that each & every announcement the captain made sounded canned. My husband and I felt there was quite a bit of "CYA" in his announcements. For example repeatedly saying the storm was affecting the entire east coast ( so what) and that it had even caused snow in Florida (and why would I care about that?). You cannot tell me that all their sophisticated weather & radar equipment didn't show the track & severity of the storm. Anyway, rant over for now. Just glad to be home.

[Nybluenblue2]

Thank you for that confirmation. The Captain and quality leadership I know professionally and personally was not in Command. I wish he had been for all of you. I’m certain the outcome would have been much better.

 

I created this thread. I was watching the weather channel (I live in NY Metro area) and it dawned on me that BA was probably leaving for NY. I assumed it would have delayed or diverted their course (Bermuda then NY would have worked out well) When I checked its Satellite position it was off the Carolina Coast, and so was the system. I then created this post knowing from experience what must be occurring on board.

 

The condition of the ship is a testament to her strength and design.

 

In aviation, when an airline Captain puts lives in harms way, he or she has the full power of the US Gov’t to answer to, to include loss of license, loss of career and even imprisonment if Investigation finds lack of competence or negligence. With the cruise industry there is not this level of accountability or oversight. The Cruise Line just moves on, because they can.

 

Glad you’re all home safe. When I saw the photos of the water rushing down the stairs it was pretty real for me. I’ve been on her many times and have a personal and professional connection to her. I again wish you had the benefit and safety of another Captain, who I thought had her this month.

 

 

 

 

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Thank you for sharing your knowledge, and for your compassion, well-wishes, and for proactively creating this post.

 

And thank you to all the posters who take time and effort to selflessly share useful information - your comments are much appreciated!

[uneamie]

Wow...now I am concerned about our cruise in 2 weeks. Will we be cruising with this same Captain??? I think in light of all this NCL should put another Captain in charge. I am going to be very nervous.

[BirdTravels]

Thank you for that confirmation. The Captain and quality leadership I know professionally and personally was not in Command. I wish he had been for all of you. I’m certain the outcome would have been much better.

 

I created this thread. I was watching the weather channel (I live in NY Metro area) and it dawned on me that BA was probably leaving for NY. I assumed it would have delayed or diverted their course (Bermuda then NY would have worked out well) When I checked its Satellite position it was off the Carolina Coast, and so was the system. I then created this post knowing from experience what must be occurring on board.

 

The condition of the ship is a testament to her strength and design.

 

In aviation, when an airline Captain puts lives in harms way, he or she has the full power of the US Gov’t to answer to, to include loss of license, loss of career and even imprisonment if Investigation finds lack of competence or negligence. With the cruise industry there is not this level of accountability or oversight. The Cruise Line just moves on, because they can.

 

Glad you’re all home safe. When I saw the photos of the water rushing down the stairs it was pretty real for me. I’ve been on her many times and have a personal and professional connection to her. I again wish you had the benefit and safety of another Captain, who I thought had her this month.

 

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If you were looking at the storm, you know that it was large, stretching the entire east coast. Not something a small ship can run and hide from.

[Gershep]

I feel bad for those who just got off and I hope those sailing tomorrow have better weather. We all know the risks of cruising during the winter or hurricane season but I think most people don't want to cruise through a storm.

[SailBreakaway]

If you were looking at the storm, you know that it was large, stretching the entire east coast. Not something a small ship can run and hide from.

 

 

 

Completely Disagree. At time of departure the storm was forecasted to impact the direct route to NY. The rapid intensification was already forecasted. The system already began impacting the Southeast. A proactive plan to delay departure to run up the route behind the storm could easily have avoided and mitigated the safety risk. A route north/northeast toward Bermuda and then a turn Northwest behind the system was also a choice. Finally, when conditions became as bad as they did while in the low pressure system a diversion to safe harbor is always an option. Charleston, Baltimore, Cape Canaveral, and more.

 

While I agree once in a system, a 21 knot vessel can not easily escape a significant storm, my point is, it never should have been there to begin with. That’s good decision making with safety as a number one priority. When other priorities like schedule and revenue interfere for number one priority, things go very wrong.

 

Again, glad everyone is home safe.

 

I stand by my screen name. She did good with what she was handed. She got you all home safe. Someone give her a kiss for me!

 

For those leaving tomorrow, please enjoy. You have a great itinerary ahead.

 

 

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[NYcruzzer]

If you were looking at the storm, you know that it was large, stretching the entire east coast. Not something a small ship can run and hide from.

 

I was on the cruise as well. You are correct. No ship can outrun a storm of this magnitude.. Tuesday when the low off the coast of Florida formed we were anchored off GSC. All weather predictions were that this low would move north, gather strength and had a great chance of becoming a N'or Easter. I knew we were in for one hellava ride home. Wed. night what I can only describe as a freight train was this powerful low passing us. For several hours winds were pounding the ship. Once the low past us and headed northeast I knew we were safe as long as the captain kept us a safe distance behind the storm. Unfortunately waves kept building and winds increased on Thursday. Hadn't had such a bumpy ride since my Anthem of the Seas cruise several years ago. That Captain was criticized for trying to outrun an extremely powerful storm.. I only assume that decisions to sail or divert come from home office in Miami, not the Captain.. Please correct me if I'm entirely wrong..

[Nybluenblue2]

Isn’t it captain’s responsibility to, first and foremost, have the passengers’ and crew’s safety in mind, no matter where the decision is coming from? And also to make informative announcements and make passengers as comfortable as possible? Passengers were frightened and had no idea of what to expect.

 

Only after I spoke with Vuk Malobabic, the hotel director, who came down to the guest service desk located by the atrium where passengers were taking cover, around 3:30 am Thursday morning, and asked him to start making announcements, the first semi-informative announcement was made from the bridge. From 10am Tuesday, the start of the storm, until 4am on Thursday, when we were in the eye of the cyclone - no word from the bridge!!!

[BreakawayHell]

Had 5 cabins on this ship, with all my kids and grandkids. It was pure hell for two and a half days. People vomiting all over the place. Leaks and floods all over. Most elevators not working. People sleeping in common areas because their cabins were flooded; parts of the ship looked like a war zone. Spoke to several people who literally rolled out of their beds on Wednesday night, which was the worst time. My daughter slept with her clothes and shoes on, clutching her families' passports, kids shoes lined up by the door, ready to run fast if evacuation was called. My other daughter and her husband were awake all night trying to calm their terrified little children. And I lay in bed wondering how to find them if we evacuated, as my room was a little apart from theirs'. Absolutely terrifying. Agree with others about the captains announcementa being canned, uninformative, uncaring and dismissive. My biggest concern is that, as others have mentioned, they did not decide to abort GSC and turn around immediately to get out in front of the storm, or to add a day and follow after it, and get passengers on to safe land wither in NY or anywhere else. They took a gamble with our lives to achieve their own ends. I am SERIOUSLY thinking about pursuing legal action, which could result in a class action lawsuit. Let me know if you have an interest in joining me. Meanwhile, be safe on your further travels.

[Nybluenblue2]

Had 5 cabins on this ship, with all my kids and grandkids. It was pure hell for two and a half days. People vomiting all over the place. Leaks and floods all over. Most elevators not working. People sleeping in common areas because their cabins were flooded; parts of the ship looked like a war zone. Spoke to several people who literally rolled out of their beds on Wednesday night, which was the worst time. My daughter slept with her clothes and shoes on, clutching her families' passports, kids shoes lined up by the door, ready to run fast if evacuation was called. My other daughter and her husband were awake all night trying to calm their terrified little children. And I lay in bed wondering how to find them if we evacuated, as my room was a little apart from theirs'. Absolutely terrifying. Agree with others about the captains announcementa being canned, uninformative, uncaring and dismissive. My biggest concern is that, as others have mentioned, they did not decide to abort GSC and turn around immediately to get out in front of the storm, or to add a day and follow after it, and get passengers on to safe land wither in NY or anywhere else. They took a gamble with our lives to achieve their own ends. I am SERIOUSLY thinking about pursuing legal action, which could result in a class action lawsuit. Let me know if you have an interest in joining me. Meanwhile, be safe on your further travels.

 

Count me in. And, if you have FB and Twitter accounts, you might find many others interested in joining.

 

FYI...I emailed the link to this forum to CBS local news

Edited January 6, 2018 by Nybluenblue2

[Enavigo]

Count me in

 

 

 

First, let me start with the obvious, I am so sorry you all had to go through what you did the past few days. I can't imagine what that must have been like and I'm sure I would have been concerned for my safety as well.

 

That said, I would encourage you all to take a deep breath and take some time to gather your thoughts. After you do, please take a brief look at your contract of carriage. I will offer you this free legal advice ... you have only one option: file for binding arbitration in Miami. That is it. Nothing else. No class action, no suit or actions filed outside of FL.

 

Multitudes of courts (at both the state and federal level) have adjudicated the enforceability of these provisions and the law is settled. These are invariably enforced by their terms. If you can somehow show fraud in the inducement, then perhaps you could void the whole contract (including the arbitration clause), but that is so highly unlikely it almost does not even bear mention.

 

Again, I can only imagine what you have gone through and it would certainly have me wondering if cruising (or cruising with NCL) was for me, but understand that you agreed to the terms of carriage the moment you walked on the ship.

 

 

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[Nybluenblue2]

First, let me start with the obvious, I am so sorry you all had to go through what you did the past few days. I can't imagine what that must have been like and I'm sure I would have been concerned for my safety as well.

 

That said, I would encourage you all to take a deep breath and take some time to gather your thoughts. After you do, please take a brief look at your contract of carriage. I will offer you this free legal advice ... you have only one option: file for binding arbitration in Miami. That is it. Nothing else. No class action, no suit or actions filed outside of FL.

 

Multitudes of courts (at both the state and federal level) have adjudicated the enforceability of these provisions and the law is settled. These are invariably enforced by their terms. If you can somehow show fraud in the inducement, then perhaps you could void the whole contract (including the arbitration clause), but that is so highly unlikely it almost does not even bear mention.

 

Again, I can only imagine what you have gone through and it would certainly have me wondering if cruising (or cruising with NCL) was for me, but understand that you agreed to the terms of carriage the moment you walked on the ship.

 

 

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Thanks for you help here, Enavigo. Can you please clarify the meaning of ‘you have only one option: file for binding arbitration in Miami. That is it. Nothing else. No class action, no suit or actions filed outside of FL.

 

Multitudes of courts (at both the state and federal level) have adjudicated the enforceability of these provisions and the law is settled. These are invariably enforced by their terms.’ ?

[Enavigo]

Thanks for you help here, Enavigo. Can you please clarify the meaning of ‘you have only one option: file for binding arbitration in Miami. That is it. Nothing else. No class action, no suit or actions filed outside of FL.

 

 

 

Multitudes of courts (at both the state and federal level) have adjudicated the enforceability of these provisions and the law is settled. These are invariably enforced by their terms.’ ?

 

 

 

Sure. Section 10(b) of your guest ticket contract covers lawsuits or other actions (other than those resulting in injury or death). I won't go into all the legal specifics, but essentially it says by traveling on the ship, you agree to wave all your rights and seek recovery solely through binding arbitration in Miami-Dade county. Subsection © of that same section goes on to say you expressly waive your right to file any class action.

 

I should add, you do retain the option to file an action in a small claims court of your choosing, but as you may know, those courts have limited ability to grant remedies (usually varies by jurisdiction, but usually maximum recoveries under $5K).

 

 

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[Nybluenblue2]

Sure. Section 10(b) of your guest ticket contract covers lawsuits or other actions (other than those resulting in injury or death). I won't go into all the legal specifics, but essentially it says by traveling on the ship, you agree to wave all your rights and seek recovery solely through binding arbitration in Miami-Dade county. Subsection © of that same section goes on to say you expressly waive your right to file any class action.

 

I should add, you do retain the option to file an action in a small claims court of your choosing, but as you may know, those courts have limited ability to grant remedies (usually varies by jurisdiction, but usually maximum recoveries under $5K).

 

 

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Thanks so much, Anavigo!

[bob brown]

After reading some of the accounts from the passenger's on board, and seeing the television interviews....I must apologize if any of my previous comments came across as 'judgmental'....you are correct...you had to have been there...

 

I am particularly disturbed by the action's, or lack of, by the Captain....from what I read, his performance stands in direct contrast to my recent December cruise experience, on the Anthem of the Seas...

We too faced a storm on the way back to Bayonne from St. Kitts, although it was nothing as bad as this one.

Fortunately, we were under the command of Capt. Henrik Sorensen, a true professional... He made periodic and detailed announcements every step of the way, telling us exactly what was going on, what steps he was taking to handle it, when we would feel the motion, when the worst of it would be, and when we would be out of it, reassuring us all the way. He also put on a special weather channel for us to see real time weather conditions, and he did a half hour program explaining the navigation charts, instruments, and capabilities the ship had.

He further diverted the ship from the direct course, to a much more westerly course, and then north along the coast, which in our case yielded the smoothest ride, and he also increased the speed to maximum, in order to still get us home on time, safe and sound. Which he did....

 

I too am sailing on the next Breakaway cruise, and hope to see a different captain on board...

[david_sobe]

I feel for the passengers who had to deal with the ship through the storm. Here in Miami they had an extensive story about this situation and showed video of people video blogging from the ship. I have seen much worse but from what I saw I can imagine how terrified many were. NCL refused to answer direct questions why the captain decided to sail through the storm but only said the safety of the passengers was their main concern. This is a tough call because there is going to be angry people on all sides. Lets be real too. If NCL diverted the ship the cancelled next cruise would have cost them dearly. I do trust the captain though. I don't understand why you would put your guests through such an expected storm. A few years ago a RCCL captain took heat from everyone including seasoned captains when he sailed through a major storm. The videos from that experience were way worse than this one on BA. But Royal took a bashing because its hard to explain why you would sail directly into a storm other than to keep a schedule. The route of the storm and the route of the ship really made things difficult. I am not sure where they could have gone. On the news there was a family that is demanding a refund of the 9 cabins they booked. Good luck with that. There is no way any money will be refunded. But maybe they will get $50 OBC for their next NCL cruise ;)

[pieshops]

Divert where? Where should the ship have gone? It was worse the more east you went and the storm covered most of the east coast.

 

Monday morning quarterbacking at its best or worst. The captain knows what the ship is capable of handling. There was no getting around this storm.

 

This was a damned if you do damped if you don’t situation, for those on the ship and for those on the next sailing, in the end some are going to be unhappy, the decision was probably made as to what is the way to make the fewest unhappy and still be safe.

[chengkp75]

 

In aviation, when an airline Captain puts lives in harms way, he or she has the full power of the US Gov’t to answer to, to include loss of license, loss of career and even imprisonment if Investigation finds lack of competence or negligence. With the cruise industry there is not this level of accountability or oversight. The Cruise Line just moves on, because they can.

 

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While I agree with nearly everything you've posted, I would disagree with this statement. I don't believe that the US government has jurisdiction to prosecute an airline Captain of a foreign airline, whose decision places passengers in harm's way, when not in US airspace. I believe that falls to the nation whose international airman certificate the pilot has.

 

Similarly, it is the flag state of the ship, and/or the nation who granted the license to the ship's Captain who have the authority to investigate and discipline said Captain. Now, whether that nation is as pro-active or thorough as the US in investigation and prosecution of the ship's Captain is a different story, and one that cruisers should understand when they take a cruise on a foreign flag ship. Just as when they decide to take a flight on some smaller nation's airlines (or larger ones like Aeroflot).

 

I believe you will agree with me that yes, the passengers on this cruise were inconvenienced, sick, frightened, and perhaps injured, but that their lives were never in danger, any more than any other time you venture on a ship in the ocean. I don't deal with customer service issues, so I won't do any comment on compensation, or the communication problems onboard, but I will say that there are Captains that are better at communicating with passengers, and those that are not, and that this skill is not part of the required professional knowledge and abilities required to be a ship's Captain.

 

If the Captain was found to be in contravention of the ship's and company's ISM (International Safety Management) code in his decision regarding any operation of the ship (timing, course, etc), then he should be fired. If he acted within the ISM, then NCL needs to look at, and revise, their ISM to better respond to storm decision making, as RCI did post the Anthem storm cruise.