Container Ship Struck Key Bridge in Baltimore, Bridge has Collapsed

[toad455]

Channel 4 out of Washington,DC just said Carnival was moving their operations to Norfolk, Virginia. That is all they said.

[Mr. Click]

4 hours ago, toad455 said:

 

 

Bayonne has three ships from May through September. 2 Royal and 1 Celebrity.

The last Celebrity sailing this year out of Bayonne is August 4 when the Eclipse leaves for Iceland and then on to Boston to do New England and Canada fall sailings.

[toad455]

3 minutes ago, Mr. Click said:

The last Celebrity sailing this year out of Bayonne is August 4 when the Eclipse leaves for Iceland and then on to Boston to do New England and Canada fall sailings.

 

The Carnival Legend/Pride are being moved to Norfolk, VA. I wonder if it's more feasible to move the Vision to Norfolk as well after its drydock.

[Sunshine3601]

4 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

Not an issue. No other cruise ships are scheduled at Bayonne on any of Vision’s turnaround days in 2024.

Parking would be a big problem for Cape Liberty.    It's already a problem when 2 royal ships sail out NJ during summer months.

 

Disregard.  I posted this before reading all posts.

Edited March 26 by Sunshine3601

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

If they are not outright cancelled I definitely see them sailing from Bayonne as the leading option.  If that is the route they take then I see guests being given the option of a full refund plus FCC or they sail with a FCC of some amount.

Truly a shame that royal has to incur the expense.

 

Light humor:

I hope they have travel insurance😆

[nelblu]

1 hour ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

As @gumshoe958 stated: "might need to compromise" during this unique situation.

 

Everyone must make their own decisions and yours might be based on parking fees. I get it because Bayonne is not my favorite cruise parking terminal if you are not in their covered garage parking. For most of the year, it is reserved for handicap parking.

 

You are then left to the great outdoors. It is a "Wild World" (Cat Stevens, 1970) out there.

 

😬

I've parked outside lot many times and never had a problem.  I'm sure there's security there as there is for the covered lot.  The only problem which we encountered the last time in October is that they changed the way parking payments was handled.  You prepaid at the entrance and their little portable charge gadget was so slow (print receipt) that it created a huge back log.  Previously, you paid at the kiosk upon debarking and exited upon presentation of receipt.  When I sailed on February 9th since there was only Anthem, payment was at the kiosk.

[Ourusualbeach]

24 minutes ago, toad455 said:

 

The Carnival Legend/Pride are being moved to Norfolk, VA. I wonder if it's more feasible to move the Vision to Norfolk as well after its drydock.

There is a very good possibility that in a few months, after her drydock moving her won't be required as the bridge should be cleared.  It will be a long time before any construction of a new bridge impacts ant ships

[Engineroom Snipe]

I do not need to call Royal about what they might do.

 

Just throw it out on CC and I have all of the possibilities.

 

Just have to wait for Royal's official decisions.

 

Patience is a virtue which I have been forced to learn.

[dmwnc1959]

Don’t know if this has already been posted, on how Carnival Cruise Line is going to handle this
 

https://www.facebook.com/100064505177528/posts/pfbid0FFBBMpSHQv66qpKJNaTAKp6pyes5hANgfWWycTtn17dGNSmudsZJLoEcvvo83ZCXl/

 

 

[Earthworm Jim]

6 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Don’t know if this has already been posted, on how Carnival Cruise Line is going to handle this
 

https://www.facebook.com/100064505177528/posts/pfbid0FFBBMpSHQv66qpKJNaTAKp6pyes5hANgfWWycTtn17dGNSmudsZJLoEcvvo83ZCXl/

 

 

 That's about a 4 hour ride. Good thing there's never any traffic on I-95 between DC and Richmond.

[dmwnc1959]

1 minute ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 That's about a 4 hour ride. Good thing there's never any traffic on I-95 between DC and Richmond.

Definitely not the best outcome for a lot of people, but better than canceling the Cruises outright. 

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 minute ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 That's about a 4 hour ride. Good thing there's never any traffic on I-95 between DC and Richmond.

 

This is one of those times of being "Between a rock and a hard place."

 

What ever the bus ride is, I am not driving. I am not being left in the wilderness trying to figure out how I am getting to my car.

 

If the bus ride takes seven hours, I can sleep, wake up, and drive home after a cruise vacation.

 

Except for chartering a helicopter to the Baltimore port, what more can be expected from Carnival?

 

Call my lawyer about it? Ridiculous as the cruise line has nothing to do with the accident and is trying their best to make me whole.

 

This is reasonable under the extraordinary circumstances of the situation that has reared its ugly head.

[toad455]

The lone issue with going to Norfolk is getting staff there. Norfolk hasn't been used since last summer.

[KmomChicago]

26 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

 

This is one of those times of being "Between a rock and a hard place."

 

What ever the bus ride is, I am not driving. I am not being left in the wilderness trying to figure out how I am getting to my car.

 

If the bus ride takes seven hours, I can sleep, wake up, and drive home after a cruise vacation.

 

Except for chartering a helicopter to the Baltimore port, what more can be expected from Carnival?

 

Call my lawyer about it? Ridiculous as the cruise line has nothing to do with the accident and is trying their best to make me whole.

 

This is reasonable under the extraordinary circumstances of the situation that has reared its ugly head.

It’s an excellent solution. And honestly for the immediate situation it’s really the only solution. After the current cruise, the drivers will just park in Norfolk so perhaps half the buses or perhaps far fewer taking people to the airports. 
 

I feel like Baltimore is likely a driving heavy and flying light port anyway.

[Engineroom Snipe]

16 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

It’s an excellent solution. And honestly for the immediate situation it’s really the only solution. After the current cruise, the drivers will just park in Norfolk so perhaps half the buses or perhaps far fewer taking people to the airports. 
 

I feel like Baltimore is likely a driving heavy and flying light port anyway.

 

My point being: Does anyone really think that a Carnival or Royal executive wanted to wake up to this catastrophe this morning?

 

This situation is truly extraordinary.

 

I buy trip insurance for the extraordinary.  This unique situation might cause me to miss my flight and would be covered under that insurance. This unique situation might cause me to have to wait one or two days in a hotel waiting for the next available seat on a plane going home. Maybe I need to contract a ride for my family independently, covered.

 

If Carnival or Royal offers me a future cruise credit or an additional cruise credit for making me go to a different port, that is my decision. At least they are trying some type of accommodation and not just saying "Tough luck, you are on your own, not our fault that a random freighter destroyed a bridge that we had no control over."

 

Your want your cruise, bend like a willow and compromise.

 

The only other alternative is to take a full refund and "Go Your Own Way" (Rumours , Fleetwood Mac, 1977).

[KmomChicago]

2 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

 

My point being: Does anyone really think that a Carnival or Royal executive wanted to wake up to this catastrophe this morning?

 

This situation is truly extraordinary.

 

I buy trip insurance for the extraordinary.  This unique situation might cause me to miss my flight and would be covered under that insurance. This unique situation might cause me to have to wait one or two days in a hotel waiting for the next available seat on a plane going home. Maybe I need to contract a ride for my family independently, covered.

 

If Carnival or Royal offers me a future cruise credit or an additional cruise credit for making me go to a different port, that is my decision. At least they are trying some type of accommodation and not just saying "Tough luck, you are on your own, not our fault that a random freighter destroyed a bridge that we had no control over."

 

Your want your cruise, bend like a willow and compromise.

 

The only other alternative is to take a full refund and "Go Your Own Way" (Rumours , Fleetwood Mac, 1977).

Totally agree!! But some old grumpos will complain anyway.

[toad455]

Hopefully, both Carnival & RCCL can accommodate guests' flights into Baltimore. Maybe some will be lucky to change their flights. Either way, Carnival now has to bus guests from Baltimore to Norfolk until the harbor reopens. Assuming the Vision uses Bayonne, they have the same situation.

[Jimbo]

33 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

It’s an excellent solution. And honestly for the immediate situation it’s really the only solution. After the current cruise, the drivers will just park in Norfolk so perhaps half the buses or perhaps far fewer taking people to the airports. 
 

I feel like Baltimore is likely a driving heavy and flying light port anyway.

You can always take an Amtrak Train from Norfolk, Va to Baltimore Penn Station, it's about a 5  and half hour train ride, then 5 mile Uber ride to the Port in Baltimore. 

 

On our last cruise we took an 8 hour train Ride from Roanoke, Va. to Newark Penn Station,NJ.  It was a fun way to get to a cruise without dealing with freaking airports.

Edited March 27 by Jimbo

[Engineroom Snipe]

4 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

Totally agree!! But some old grumpos will complain anyway.

I am an old "grumpo". Age just tended to refine my rough edges.

 

🤣

[dmwnc1959]

33 minutes ago, toad455 said:

The lone issue with going to Norfolk is getting staff there. Norfolk hasn't been used since last summer.

I’m sure they are mustering an army at this point. They have four days.

[dmwnc1959]

5 minutes ago, toad455 said:

Hopefully, both Carnival & RCCL can accommodate guests' flights into Baltimore. Maybe some will be lucky to change their flights. Either way, Carnival now has to bus guests from Baltimore to Norfolk until the harbor reopens. Assuming the Vision uses Bayonne, they have the same situation.

I think the one BIG thing on their side is getting people from Baltimore to the ship in Norfolk in the same amount of time that it would’ve taken a ship to transit the entire Chesapeake Bay down towards the bridge-tunnel. 

[KmomChicago]

2 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

I’m sure they are mustering an army at this point. They have four days.

Right, call everyone who was working previously and then fill in by bussing down Baltimore workers for the rest.

[dmwnc1959]

Just now, KmomChicago said:

Right, call everyone who was working previously and then fill in by bussing down Baltimore workers for the rest.

Whatever it takes. Carnival and their employees know that there are no other options at this point.

[toad455]

2 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

I think the one BIG thing on their side is getting people from Baltimore to the ship in Norfolk in the same amount of time that it would’ve taken a ship to transit the entire Chesapeake Bay down towards the bridge-tunnel. 

 

I'd bet a later departure time from Norfolk and (maybe) a modified itinerary.

[dmwnc1959]

8 minutes ago, toad455 said:

 

I'd bet a later departure time from Norfolk and (maybe) a modified itinerary.

They could easily drop Port Canaveral, spend a little extra time at sea getting to the Bahamas. 
 

 

Edited March 27 by dmwnc1959