Delays in Miami this morning!! June 25

[omahabob]

5 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

...Gossip and rumors probably spread around quickly....

 

 

Probably? Have you ever seen social media? Gossip and rumor are multi-million dollar cash cows!

Edited June 26, 2023 by omahabob

[Viajera7]

32 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

I don't think NCL handled this "poorly".  An unexpected situation on an otherwise regular travel day weather wise.  Had it happened later in the day, the ships would have been in port, and the disruptions would only have been on the outgoing schedules. 

 

Glad to see you managed to get home eventually.

 

I agree with you. I think NCL handled it well considering the situation. We knew from the beginning that there was an accident involving a small vessel and the captain and the cruise director gave us updates every 30 minutes. They also told us that once we were allowed to dock at the port, Customs was going to take about 2 hours to do the inspection. That way people could calculate if they needed to change their travel arrangements.

[mertziek]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

 

just to clarify... you personally are not going to use NCL because of the miami situation described in this thread? or something else?

No the person complaining said that they were annoyed and never sailing NCL again.  We were not on the Escape.  But even if we had been, we find NCL to be a good fit for us and would sail with them again.

[Viajera7]

2 hours ago, Liljo22 said:

MSC and Carnival also had ships anchored offshore.  

Yes but people were mentioning here about 3 cruise lines NCL, Carnival and MSC. NCL had the Escape, Carnival the Celebration and MSC at least one ship but which line had a second ship to make it 4 ships.

[www3traveler]

7 minutes ago, Viajera7 said:

Yes but people were mentioning here about 3 cruise lines NCL, Carnival and MSC. NCL had the Escape, Carnival the Celebration and MSC at least one ship but which line had a second ship to make it 4 ships.

According to the Port of Miami schedule only 3 ships were scheduled to dock yesterday: The Escape, The Celebration and The Seaside (MSC).  Pictures taken from the Port of Miami only showed 3 ships docking.  There was at least one cargo ship docking on the other side of Dodge Island.

[Viajera7]

1 minute ago, www3traveler said:

According to the Port of Miami schedule only 3 ships were scheduled to dock yesterday: The Escape, The Celebration and The Seaside (MSC).  Pictures taken from the Port of Miami only showed 3 ships docking.  There was at least one cargo ship docking on the other side of Dodge Island.

I wish I had taken a picture because there were 3 ships behind the Escape. The Sky was too gray so I didn’t take one. 

[hallux]

1 hour ago, Viajera7 said:

I wish I had taken a picture because there were 3 ships behind the Escape. The Sky was too gray so I didn’t take one. 

There were only 3 cruise ships, I watched them sail in on the camera.

[purpleally]

2 hours ago, Viajera7 said:

I wish I had taken a picture because there were 3 ships behind the Escape. The Sky was too gray so I didn’t take one. 

Stop. There were only three ships

[BermudaBound2014]

8 hours ago, cruisinmeme said:

Also read they got a 25.00 pp OBC.  So guess carnival wasn’t the hero of the day after all.

 

CCL was the 'hero' of the day (as you put it). No question about it. Here's why:

 

And keep in mind, I'm not suggesting that NCL or MSC handled anything poorly, but I stand firm that CCL was superior in both communication and compensation.

 

Did NCL offer those embarking a refund on the yesterdays internet? alcohol? Gratuities? I believe CCL was the only one to offer that compensation, but I've been away from the news today so I could be wrong.

 

From the outside, CCL definitely blew away the others with communication. They immediately set up a group text. Their responses were more detailed (including where dinner would be served, approximate departure time, how to handle the muster drill, etc...). NCL's text's and emails were posted online for all to read, and in comparison they were much more vague. MSC was pretty dismal.

 

In terms of those debarking, I believe everyone from all 3 ships were able to use their rooms. CCL allowed the drink package to extend and opened bars around the ship. Did NCL? I'm asking because someone said NCL offered cans of soda. Maybe they did this along with opening the bar?

 

Again, I'm not saying NCL was bad. Just that yesterday CCL was better. There have been (and will continue to be) areas where NCL excels over CCL. I can be impressed with CCL's efforts yesterday and still love NCL. 

 

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[Viajera7]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

There were only 3 cruise ships, I watched them sail in on the camera.

 

5 minutes ago, purpleally said:

Stop. There were only three ships

I figured it out. Check the Miami Herald photo with the big 3 ships  and. a fourth smaller ship docked at the port. It could have been one of the ships used on the investigation or something else.

[www3traveler]

With the reports I have read today, it sounds like charges may be made against the survivor.

Still wonder why they were in the Channel at that hour of the morning.  How do you miss a well lighted 159 foot ferry?

[hallux]

5 hours ago, omahabob said:

So he went directly into the cruise ship channel from Government Cut and drove straight into a large vessel lit up like a Christmas tree.

Actually, the incident boat was cruising East, toward Government Cut through the cruise ship channel.  He then collided with the ferry that was moving South to North across the entrance to the cruise ship channel from Government Cut (which is the sea channel and entrance to the PoM).

[omahabob]

Yeah, Palm on the left. Still doesn't explain how he missed seeing that light show. Something else I heard on the marine radio traffic later. He was a small yacht. So he probably came out of Island Gardens, which would explain why he was in the cruise ship channel. I'm guessing he'd be more likely to use the autopilot going outbound too. We'll probably never know, of course. But it's interesting to think about.

[BermudaBound2014]

Here is a link. There are a interviews and photos from guests who were onboard Escape. This is a photo of the boat involved the collision.

 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/you-gotta-watch-out-for-them-more-details-on-deadly-boat-crash-near-miami-s-port/ar-AA1d4IV6

 

 

[bonbonlynn]

On 6/25/2023 at 8:26 AM, hallux said:

For those on the Escape today - it seems there was an incident in Government Cut this morning.  Several cruise ships, including the Escape, are waiting offshore to enter the port.  BLC Streams live cam for the port is showing the ships off-shore and has said the incident was recorded on their NVR (Network Video Recorder).  They did not indicate there was a timetable for the ships to dock.

 

Check your email and texts for messages from NCL about your embarkation!!!

 

UPDATED: a vessel collided with a Fisher Island ferry, one fatality on the sunken vessel.  Incident happened around 3:30 AM.

 

[mycalpal]

On 6/25/2023 at 7:07 PM, JoeTec said:

Any word on what they are doing for the people still on board?  

MSC did not handle it well, either in terms of food or passenger comfort. A passenger reported to our Royal group as she is booked with Royal and wondered how they might respond.  A passenger from Carnival said they were well fed and needs anticipated.  

[www3traveler]

1 hour ago, mycalpal said:

MSC did not handle it well, either in terms of food or passenger comfort. A passenger reported to our Royal group as she is booked with Royal and wondered how they might respond.  A passenger from Carnival said they were well fed and needs anticipated.  

Sounded like those on The Escape did very well.  Those coming to the terminal early, not so much.

[Liljo22]

BTW...Escape is in Puerto Plata today.  They just switched DR and GSC.  

[david_sobe]

On 6/26/2023 at 12:51 PM, graphicguy said:

And….narcissists strike again.

 

Ship is late dis/embarking……”GIMME SOMETHING!”

 

It was because the harbor was shut down due to a wreckage and loss of life…”don’t care….GIMME SOMETHING”

 

They sent pizzas, cookies and sodas….”don’t care….GIMME MORE!”

 

They offered $25 OBC…”don’t care….GIMME MORE!”

 

SMH!

Sometimes it works though.  The other thread about the closed Observation Lounge had everyone fired up.  Sure enough the poster had an about face when NCL provided some sort of compensation.  I think the difference is the closure of the lounge was a NCL decision which they fell on the sword and indirectly admitted how foolish they were.  This accident had nothing to do with NCL although I saw all the people on the news yelling "The cruise lines are not doing anything." I am not sure what they could do since the Coast Guard had them shut down.  It would be a miserable experience but only the reckless boat people to blame. I live in Miami and drunken boaters racing in in the pre-dawn hours crashing on the rocks or into other boats is fairly common here.  If you recall the Marlins star pitcher was killed at the same location a few years ago.   They were all drunk racing into the channel and crashed on the rocks.   How anyone does not see a car ferry is beyond me.  I suspect alcohol could have played a role since it usually does with boat accidents at this location.  

Edited June 30, 2023 by david_sobe

[BunnyHutt]

On 6/26/2023 at 7:26 PM, www3traveler said:

With the reports I have read today, it sounds like charges may be made against the survivor.

Still wonder why they were in the Channel at that hour of the morning.  How do you miss a well lighted 159 foot ferry?

My immediate assumption is that the boaters were drunk/high/both. 

[omahabob]

According to the people they had met up with on a yacht, they appeared sober. But, who knows? I'm sure there was a toxicology test. I think they had the boat on autopilot and/or just weren't paying attention. I've seen that happen quite a few times, but usually the consequences are relatively minor.