Was anyone at sea during the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster?

[flashdog_1]

I was reading another thread about wanting a second news channel on X ships, and so many people said they didn't even watch the one that the ship had.

 

Just wondered if an announcement was made, or if the information spread by word of mouth, or if you found out while on a shore excursion etc.

 

Since, just like the time of Kennedy's assasination, we all remember where we were and who we were with at the time, I wondered what your experiences were re 9/11.

Thanks

[chessbriar]

My personal experiece was I was driving from Ft Lauderdale to Vero Beach. Got in the car at 9;00 and put in a CD and didn't stop listening until I got to Vero to meet family at a restaurant. Saw the TV in the restaurant and was absolutely floored. Three hours away from the media and I missed so much. I was shocked. It also explained, why we saw so many accidents on 95 up to Vero and I'm talking 3 flipped tractor trailers.

 

We have friends who work on the ships. They said the cruiselines did not make annoucements, but word spread quickly. A lot of people stayed in their rooms and watched the new. The days activities were not well attended. It's understandable. A lot of people made their way to the internet cafe to contact family and check on news.

[charlielinda]

My husband and I were on the Voyager of the Sea for our very first cruise on 9/11. We woke up early and had a nice breakfast and then I went back to the room for a few minutes before my facial. My husband had told me that he was heading for the spa to make an appointment and we would meet up after my appointment and take the tender into Labadee. Whenever I walk into a cabin my habit is to turn on CNN which I did and discovered that the first plane had hit the World Trade Center -- as I sat there in disbelief the second plane hit. I immediately knew something terrible was happening and headed to the spa to find my husband and amazing as it sounds I found him. I took him aside and quietly told him "that the US was under attack" and what had happened. Another woman overhead me and asked what was going on. I told her what I "thought" I had seen but didn't want to start a panic. As wierd as I sounds I went ahead with my facial (and prayed the entire time) and went directly back to the cabin. I found my husband in front of the TV telling me that Washington (where we live) had been attacked and showed the Pentagon (where we have lots of friends) in flames and then we watched the towers fall. We were in total shock but a few hours later did take the tender into Labadee after a few hours but didn't speak to anyone. We knew lots of people didn't know what had happened and didn't want to be the ones to tell anyone. Looking back at pictures of that day you can see the tension in our faces.

When we arrived back on the ship the captain did make an announcement that terriorist activity had occurred and that they were waiting for instructions from headquarters. Many times there were coded announcements for the crew. Daily the captain kept us informed about what Royal Carribean was doing. Many passengers were from the NY area and I understand they were allowed off the ship at our next port (as I recall it was Ohio Rios) though I don't know how they got back to the United States since all ports and airports were closed. The cruise lines did let anyone from the New York or Washington areas make unlimited calls back to the States at no charge.

Many people on the ship were in a panic and were trying to make alternate plans to get home when the ship docked back in Miami -- train and car rental reservations -- even though we had no clue when we would be allowed back into the Port of Miami or when airports would reopen.

As it turned out we were able to dock in Miami in the early afternoon the day we were due back. Airports had reopened and some flights were running but we were hours late for our flight but just headed to the airport. I have no clue what airline we were flying but the staff at the airport was wonderful -- they kept everyone calm, reticketed everyone and generally tried to get you to your destination as quickly as possible.

This was our first cruise and I have to admit I really don't remember anything from it except watching CNN over and over again. When we arrived home I couldn't get enough news and I did go into a depression about a week afterwards -- our emotions were about a week behind everyone elses.

I did feel that the captain on the Voyager of Seas gave us as much information he had. Obviously rumors were all over the ship but I felt the captain and the cruiseline managed the situtation as well as they could.

Wow -- reliving this wasn't fun. We have been lucky enough to cruise many times now and been lucky enough to have dinner with the hotel captain from the Summit -- he has an incredible story about his September 11 when we brought the Summit to Boston that morning with a skelton crew.

Let's pray we never have another day like September 11.

[hajekfam]

Our cruise was a few weeks after 9/11 - a transatlantic from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale.

We were in the middle of the Atlantic when the US announced that they were going after Bin Laden and sending troops. Unfortunately we did not get good satellite reception. Celebrity put up a board and posted the news releases as they received them.

We did have a bit of a scare pre-cruise in Barcelona (this was after the US asked Spain to let our planes base there) - we were walking around Las Ramblas and the Gothic area after viewing the Sat. evening folk dancing outside the Cathedral when we heard more music and went to see what was going on. We walked into this big square and it was filled with people. Police with machine guns were lining the edges of the square. My husband was taking pictures when I noticed one of the signs in Spanish said "Bush = devil". I pointed it out and we decided that we better go. As we were leaving, one of the policemen followed us. As we started walking on the street we looked back and the policeman tipped his hat to us. When we looked at the pictures my husband took, we also saw a sign in Spanish "Bin Laden = devil". It was a peace rally to protest the US using Spain as a base for the planes.

[bububr]

left out on the 10th.....while sitting at he hotel buffet someone said a plane hit the towers, having lived in New York, there have been instances where small planes hit big buildings in err so it didn't concern me. However when I went back to my room to check out the TV we actually saw the second plane hit. then the tower collapsed and we completely lost all reception.

 

It was a terrible day for the US.

 

I lost many friends and business aquaintances. :(

 

We were unable to leave Aruba for an additional 4 days past our trip.:D

 

The Aruban government was the best. They provided FREE internet access, a number of FREE phone calls home, set up information stations with large screen tvs so everyone could see what was happening...

 

THe hotels gave at least one free night and the others were at half price. The residents actually offered to take people in if they couldn't afford the reduced rates, cook food for those that couldn't afford to dine.

 

It was the most wonderful experience during the worst time .:)

 

I love Aruba, and will always go back.

 

Oh why was I in Aruba.....My commitment ceremony/wedding was on 9/8...It was my so called 'honeymoon'.

 

Dave:eek:

[BRUCENLYNN]

We were driving to Miami to catch a Swiss Air Flight to link us up in Venice to a Swarovski Crystal Sponsored Cruise in the Med. We had been booked for a year and were finally going to meet all the crystal collectors around the world we had become friends with via the internet over the years. Needless to say, no US or Canadians made that cruise. All aircraft were shut down. And since the cruise did go (although minus a bunch of paid passengers) they would not refund our $$. At first the trip insurance refused also due to it being a "terrorist act". After a few months though they finally decided to pay. We finally made that Med cruise with X two years ago and it was absolutely wonderful!

[ACJV]

We were on the Galaxy in the Baltic Sea on 9/11. We had started our cruise on the Saturday before. We were going to a lecture on St. Petersburg in the showroom and I ran into a woman I had met earlier. She said that she had seen a news report on CNN that a plane had hit one of the twin towers. She mentioned that it was most likely a small plane and that was all she said. We attended the lecture and when we came out there were people in the hallways watching TV monitor. Our daughter came running up to us and said that both of the towers were collapsing. We were stunned and frightened. The captain sent a letter to all of the cabins stating that he was so saddened about the events in the U.S.

[templed]

I was in my car... waiting to get into the Lincoln Tunnel... I watched it all happen.

 

 

 

horrific day.

[patnjohn]

We returned to NY on 9/9 on the original Pacific Princess (The Love Boat), from Bermuda. I am curious also about the ships that left after us. We developed our pics on 9/10 & on 9/11 the twin towers where gone. We got some nice pics of them. Very very sad. I was at work & heard on the radio that a plane hit the tower. I called my husband at home, thinking it was a small plane. He put on the TV & the rest is sad sad history.

[lovetheocean21]

I was on the Horizon to Bermuda then - We were in a taxi going to the beach in Bermuda when we heard it on the radio in the taxi - The ship kept us informed all the time and free phone calls were made. I lost many friends as I worked in the WTC. It was very sad and I felt helpless.

Our ship did not come back to NYC - We went to PA. We did not know when we were going to leave Bermuda and where we were going to go as NYC ports were closed. It was a very sad cruise - They also gave us 50% off a future cruise which I thought was very nice of them since it had nothing to do with them. We used it for the INFINITY to the southern carib. It was very strange seeing the WTC leaving and then knowing it was gone two days later. Still not over it.

 

Dave

 

A day at sea is always a good day

[wags]

On 9/11 we were in the lounge at Newark Airport waiting to board our flight to London to board the Marco Polo for a Med. cruise. When the second plane hit an announcement was made that all US flights were cancelled and all airports were closed. Our luggage was on the plane. All the terminals were closed and everyone was sent out into the street where the elderly, mothers with infants, and everyone else were left dragging luggage and packages without any explanation as to what they were supposed to do.. The police arrived with rifles and closed the roads so no taxis,cars or buses could enter to pick-up people. We could see the Towers burning in the distance. The Marriott Hotel at the airport opened their large conference room and provided snacks and drinks for the stranded passengers. Fortunately for us, we live 20 minutes from the airport so after 5 hours traffic was allowed back in and we were able to get a taxi to take us home. I don't know how long those who had to fly to other parts of the country had to wait. We were able to go back for our luggage three days later. Orient Lines let us book the same cruise the following year at a large discount

[Jeano222]

We were on the Infinity sailing Alaska's Inside Passage. The Captain came on the public address system while we were eating breakfast to announce it. The crew of the ship literally disappeared. We found out later they had to produce travel documents, visas etc. From that moment on, the phone lines were open free of charge to people who had family or financial interests in New York. There was a gray cloud over the ship for the balance of the cruise, but I can tell you the crew from the Captain on down were fantastic. After arrival back to Vancouver, the Infinity as well as a Holland America ship were turned into hotels, to handle passengers who did make it to port but the ships weren't going to cruise for lack of passengers. Those passengers were also offered the chance to go on the Carnival Spirit which was not fully booked. So you had three cruiselines merging onto one Carnival ship, sailing the Inside Passage. We were impressed to say the least.

[Nancyquilts]

We were on a transatlantic just east of Iceland, so the time difference put it in the early afternoon. I came back to the cabin for a shower, turned on the TV and thought I must have a movie showing. Unfortunately, no. The people of Iceland were very gracious the next day, as we were all pretty numb and helpless from that distance. Several days later we pulled into St. John, Newfoundland, and found out that the people of this area had really pulled together to help many large planes that had landed at Gander and their local airport since US airports were closed. The planes had just left after 4-5 days there. The people of Canada are wonderful - they shared what they had and made the experience bearable for all. Nancy

[RickandAnne]

Phyllis, just reading this thread is very emotional. What a question to pose!

I watched it from a refinery in New Jersey where we could look out the windows and see the WTC. When they fell...one by one....we were in shock...like everybody else, only closer than most.

[mahdnc]

 

Since, just like the time of Kennedy's assasination, we all remember where we were and who we were with at the time, I wondered what your experiences were re 9/11.

Thanks

 

I happen to be cut off from civilization--backpacking on the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada mountains--when 9/11 occurred so I don't have the classic "where I was" memory like that. Our hiking party didn't hear about it until 2 days after 9/11 while on the trail and that was word of mouth from a backpacker who heard it from a backcountry ranger who got a radio report so the information was sketchy at best. All we had was our imagination as to what the real story was and what might have been going on out there as we stared at our tent walls at night before going to sleep. We didn't hike out to civilization for another 2 days on top of that before we finally could make telephone calls to family, watch the news, etc etc.

[ocngypz]

I was at the tender pier in Newport waiting for a group of folks from the Royal Princess.

 

Needless to say, their thoughts were not on sightseeing.

 

I think the most poignant days were the following Sat and Sun as ships were being diverted to Boston from New York. Especially those folks coming off their transatlantics. All debarkations were delayed.. and folks onboard were just standing at the rails staring into blank space awaiting to be called.

 

It was eerily quiet during debarkation. None of the hurried goodbyes between new friends....just quietly collecting their luggage, turning over their customs tags and heading out the doors to the unknown. The unknown being when they were going to get home.

 

Originally Summit's Inaugural festivities were to take place that weekend in Boston. They were cancelled. That Sunday, debarkations were complicated by a bomb scare in Boston Harbor... forcing the QE2 to remain anchored outside of the harbor until dive teams could check her hull. I had 300 Cunard passengers to shift from one ship to another (QE2 to Caronia and vice versa).. with a Boston City tour.. and lunch at Jimmies Harborside. The Fed's would not let them leave the terminal.. so lunch and tours were cancelled.

 

Two of the longest days of my life.

[Germancruiser]

Hi,

interessting but sad thread. I was on board the Brilliance of the Seas, middle of the Atlantic( Transatlantic westbound) exactly one year later. I will never forget the memorial serivce held in the ships theater. It´s still gives me shivers down my spine when I think of it. Compliments to RCI how they handled that day. They had minute of silence in the hour when the first plane hit the tower a year before. I still remember the songs during the service. An unforgetable expierence. The CD, Clodagh O´Connor was great.

Michael

[bauerdogs]

We remember it well. We were on the Norwegian Majesty out of "Boston" where it all began. It happen just before we got to Bermuda. I had just went to the room to get something, and I saw it on the T.V. Went back up and told my wife that some airplane hit one of the towers. Some people overherd me and wanted to know more. At first everyone thought it was a plane that took off from N.Y. City and lost control.

I remember it so well because my Mother died on Sept. 14th as we were on our way home. The wake for her was at 5PM Sunday the 16th. We got back in Sunday at 8AM. We had to drive to Utica which was about a 5 hour drive from Boston--No problem if we were off around 10 AM. When 10 AM went by, we were wondering why we were not getting off. Come to find out, there was a bomb scare on the dock and we never got off til 1 PM. We drove right thru to Utica and got there at 5:30, only a half hour late. We were going to cancel the cruise, but my mother told us to go and enjoy, and she would see us when we got back. That is one week we will never forget. Ron

[janetz]

This thread really brings back sad memories. I know how that day effected our family and the depression that lasted weeks after. Those of you that were close to it, saw it, and lost family and friends, I know it was so much worse for you. Being out of the country and having no control and not really knowing what was going on. Pray we never have something happen like 9/11 again...:(

[2 Gypsies]

We were in the North Sea on the Galaxy. It was a day at sea and for some reason we were in a hurry to change for the Captain's reception and didn't turn on the TV. When we got to the reception the Captain's first remarks were of sympathy for the US and the recent events (with no specifics given). We obviously looked confused because a woman behind me tapped me on the back and said "a plane ran into the WTC". We left the reception as soon as possible and hurried back to the cabin where we watched the BBC coverage of the attacks, fires and subsequent collapse of the towers. Our ship did assist the family of one of the NYC firefighters, helping them leave the ship early so they could try to get home. As I recall the Galaxy also allowed free calls home for those passengers who had family in the affected areas.

 

Our very next port of call was St. Petersburg, Russia. As we docked a small Russian band in military uniform met the ship and played "The Stars and Stripes Forever". They may do this for every ship, but it was especially poignant at that time. Living through the Cold War I never expected to set foot in a "friendly" Russia and I certainly never expected to hear a Russian band play such a blatantly pro-USA piece.

[Lois R]

Reading all your stories, I am sitting here with a chill up my spine.

5 years later, it will affect us all forever.

 

I had not started my "cruising vacations" in 2001...I did have vacation

plans for a long weekend on 9-13 which were made at least 6

months before. I was supposed to fly up to Louisville, KY to meet

a group of friends. Well, of course there were still airlines not flying

then......not on full schedules anyway.

I ended up driving to North Carolina and staying with 2 friends

for a day and of course all we did was watch the news and then

the 3 of us drove together to KY.

It was very good to be with friends for that whole weekend.

 

And I was at work on 9-11 where the boss had a small tv and we

all watched it happen from his office:(

[flashdog_1]

It is a sad thread I started, isn't it? It was only begun because of all the people who said they didn't watch ship tv news, so I was reminded that thre ARE times when we do need a reliable news source on board.

 

Like Lois, I was at work, and everyone went to the boss' office to watch the tv. I thought it was Armageddon!

 

That Saturday we had reservations in New Orleans, which is a 6 hour drive from home, so we went by car. When we checked in we found out that our reserved room was not available since the people who were in it on 9/11 had not been able to fly out yet and were still in the room, so we were given another room.

 

The next year there was something called "Rolling Requiem" set up for choral societies throughout the states to have performances of Mozart's Requiem on 9/11. Singers who ordinarily don't sing with our group had joined just for this occasion. The requiem was for all who had died as a result of the terrorism on 9/11. Each singer wore a "necklace" with the name of one of the deceased so that we were praying for an individual as well as everyone who lost his/her life. There was standing room only. Everyone in our small town wanted to share in the memorial to show solidarity. Remember how everyone cooperated with everyone during that time?

 

Sometimes this board is filled with levity, showing only the fun side of life, anticipating cruises. This thread helped me to see you all in a more personal, serious, way. Thank you for sharing your heartfelt stories of a day we will never forget.

[Na2PtCl4]

We were on the Nordic Empress (A.KA. Empress of the Seas) repositioning cruise that left San Juan in April, 2002. We were one of the first passenger ships back into the Port of New York after 9/11. This was our fouth arrival in NY (The others being, 1971, 1993 and 1994). It was a cold, blustery, NY May morning as we went under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, passed the Statue of Libery and Ellis Island. I was on the deck above the bridge (as usual). It was eery as we passed the empty hole from whence the tallest buildings in NYC had stood. The Captain blew the whistle as we passed to salute all those souls whose lives had changed forever on that day.

 

The last port before NY was Bermuda. A group of US immigration officials boarded there and rode with us the rest of the way. The day before arriving in NY we all went through immigration - US citizens included. The plan was that each deck had a specific time to report, and it should only take about 15 minutes. But half of the immigration people were seasick - it took us about one hour.

 

After docking, I went back to the cabin, then to breakfast - Since we were Platinum C & A members - we went to the special demarkation lounge and waited (... and waited... and waited) to be called to leave the ship. After a while the Loyalty Ambassador went to check as to the delay - They were xraying every piece of luggage as it came off the ship.

[Cracker Ken]

In any instance, I wish "X" would get something besides that dreadfully boring CCN Internation news channel. It's awful.

 

Ken

[Smokeyham]

Thanks for starting this thread, and for everyone who shared their stories of your experiences while at sea during 9/11.

 

I have wondered how an event such as this would be dealt with, and all of your stories have given some insight as to what to expect in the event that a similiar, horrific, event should happen again.