Bermuda tourism chief regrets RCI storm diversions, seeks meeting

[Philly Steve]

Bermuda's "Royal Gazette" reports Bermuda Tourism Minister Dr. Ewart Brown applauded NCL for sticking to its schedule despite Hurricane Florence, but said he would seek meetings with RCI over the storm related diversion of Empress of the Seas which was bound for the Bahamas.

 

http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/NEWS/109130220

[TPKeller]

I don't feel particularly inclined to do the research, but it would be interesting to compare the reviews of the pertinent NCL sailings to that of the Empress with respect to comfort and overall experience.

 

The reports from Grandeur's cruise to nowhere (which was just off the coast) told of widespread seasickness on the ship. I can only think that going closer to the remnants of Florence was worse, but of course only actual accounts would confirm or deny my suspicion.

 

Theron

[negc]

Bermuda's "Royal Gazette" reports Bermuda Tourism Minister Dr. Ewart Brown applauded NCL for sticking to its schedule despite Hurricane Florence, but said he would seek meetings with RCI over the storm related diversion of Empress of the Seas which was bound for the Bahamas.

 

http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060913/NEWS/109130220

 

I seem to recall reading excerpts from the Royal Gazette that were posted on the CC boards last week which mentioned the hundreds of hotel guests who were scrambling for flights out of Bermuda in advance of the approaching storm, so while hindsight is always 20/20, I wouldn't find much fault with a cruiseline that was concerned enough about the safety and well-being of its passengers that it altered its itinerary to avoid the possible path of a tropical storm. We were in Bermuda last year when Wilma passed by and while Bermuda was not in the direct path of the storm, the port was closed by Bermudan authorities and our ship was held there for several hours, until they deemed it safe to depart.

[superjerryw]

The comments seem a little silly to me. This guy says:

 

"...Hailing the decision by Norwegian Cruise Line, Dr. Brown stated: “This is an important step by this cruise caller because it demonstrates that they have confidence in Bermuda’s tourism product and believe that we have the right ingredients to offer their visitors a first-class vacation experience...”

 

The decision by RCI not to stop in Bermuda was based on weather forecasts, not Bremuda's ability to provide a first class experience. What is he going to tell RCI in the upcoming talks, that they must sail to Bermuda even if the weather threatens the safety of the passengers. What's really funny is that if you look at the link to the newspaper provided by the OP, there are links to several other news articles. One talks about the Bermuda power company restoring power to those that had lost it because of the storm, one talks about a small boat sinking due the storm and another talks about hurricane related burglaries. It sounds like there were plenty of problems in Bermuda during the storm so RCI should be priased for not stopping there. Instead, this minister is critical of the their decision to skip Bermuda.

[Schplinky]

I had a friend on the NCL cruise. Her husband was sick for 24 hours due to the 20 foot swells in the sea. It was horrible, things were constantly falling in the cabin while they slept.

[Schplinky]

This quote is from someone else just off the Crown:

 

<<Florence made our trip interesting to sat the least.The ship was scheduled to dock in Bermuda on Tuesday. We figured out that there was no way we would get there on Tuesday but Captain Speaking from the bridge said we would keep our schedule..right..On Monday the ship started rocking and by the the afternoon things were starting to get interesting. We were getting 20 foot swells and items were starting to fly. At dinner plates were falling off the service stations, people were falling and keeping you balance was a full time job. In our cabin our refrigerator fell out of the cabinet and tipped over. After the second time I just left it on the floor and propped the door closed...The good news is that the free liquor made through the storm just fine...... >>

[Philly Steve]

This quote is from someone else just off the Crown:

 

<<Florence made our trip interesting to sat the least.The ship was scheduled to dock in Bermuda on Tuesday. We figured out that there was no way we would get there on Tuesday but Captain Speaking from the bridge said we would keep our schedule..right..On Monday the ship started rocking and by the the afternoon things were starting to get interesting. We were getting 20 foot swells and items were starting to fly. At dinner plates were falling off the service stations, people were falling and keeping you balance was a full time job. In our cabin our refrigerator fell out of the cabinet and tipped over. After the second time I just left it on the floor and propped the door closed...The good news is that the free liquor made through the storm just fine...... >>

 

Judging from that, it sure sounds like RCI made the right decision to cruise into calmer waters. Bermudans are never happy to lose tourist dollars to the Bahamas.

[Cruising89143]

The bottom line in this situation is that the ships belong to RCI and it is up to them on doing what they think is best for their passengers and crew. For this guy to make the comments that he did was totally out of line.

[springtxbill]

Must be almost election time in Bermuda. Sounds like a politician trying to get more votes from the locals.

[Cruisin Kay D]

Those were totally ridiculous statements by that Bermudan official!!!! The article was absurd!! Doesn't that guy realize a storm like that is maybe over 100 miles wide and affects the seas beyond that???

 

So he wanted Empress to just hang out in the stormy conditions & come in later? First there the sea conditions problem with everyone getting seasick. Then one has to realize that prior to hurricane striking, NO ONE knows exactly where storm will do & how bad that island would be damaged by the storm -- to agree to come into a port only 1 or 2 days after the storm would be foolish & insensitive -- maybe the dock won't be there, maybe roads flooded & no taxis can get to port -- maybe the port workers, excursion vendors & staff need to deal with their own homes & families.

 

Yes in Bermuda's case they could take new tourists a day or 2 after the storm, but the day or 2 BEFORE the storm it appeared the eye would miss Bermuda by less than 15 miles -- that short distance could have provided alot of damage or flooding.....But who knew the day before or day of????

[MGoBlue2]

Empress also leaves a day earlier than the NCL ships and had to decide what to do sooner. Florence was also about directly west of Bermuda on Monday, the day Empress was scheduled to arrive and about 400 miles north on Tuesday when the NCL ships were.

[brn2crz]

This quote is from someone else just off the Crown:

 

<<Florence made our trip interesting to sat the least.The ship was scheduled to dock in Bermuda on Tuesday. We figured out that there was no way we would get there on Tuesday but Captain Speaking from the bridge said we would keep our schedule..right..On Monday the ship started rocking and by the the afternoon things were starting to get interesting. We were getting 20 foot swells and items were starting to fly. At dinner plates were falling off the service stations, people were falling and keeping you balance was a full time job. In our cabin our refrigerator fell out of the cabinet and tipped over. After the second time I just left it on the floor and propped the door closed...The good news is that the free liquor made through the storm just fine...... >>

 

ahhhh good ole Captain Speaking...How is he these days :D

[Fran Harp]

ahhhh good ole Captain Speaking...How is he these days :D

 

Haven't you signed up for roll call on the MOS? Captain Speaking should be reporting in fairly soon.....:D

 

Fran in Toronto

[DuncanLL]

We just returned on Sat. from our trip on Empress. We found out for sure when we arrived at the port that we were being diverted to Nassau and Freeport. We decided to go and figured we'd still have fun. The ship was about 2/3 full. There was some "motion in the ocean" as the Capt. put it - 12-15 ft. swells both ways up and down the coast. Weather and seas were beautiful in the Bahamas - a good decision by RCCL in my opinion. They took care of us well. We met lots of great people and had fun.

 

I feel bad for those on Norwegian Crown. I read this post from a couple who actually flew home from Bermuda because the seas were so bad. I know Bermuda fared well and suffered only minimal damage, but the Tourism Minister needs to understand that the cruise lines first priority is to provide as good and safe a cruise experience as possible.

 

Here's the post I referred to from the Norwegian Crown...

 

"This was our first cruise. We booked it over six months ago. We were looking forward to it as it was our 10 year anniversary trip. Unfortunatly, I had the same experience trying to get any information from NCL. We tried to see if we could rebook or cancel and we were told that we would have an alternate itineray if there were any problems. We live in NJ, so we decided to take the "mystery cruise" and felt the cruise line would not risk passengers safety.

 

Well, it started to get pretty rough the first night at sea. I was shaken awake several time. When we woke up it was bumpy, but we decide to go up the gym and go on the treadmill. My husband almost fell off during one swell.. At this point it was like a never ending roller coaster. After the gym, we went back to the cabin to get changed and go for breakfast. This is the point where my husband go motion sick and decided to go back to bed for a little while or until things calmed down.

 

Well, it didn't calm down it continued to get worse. People could not walk the hallways with out holding the rails. Everyone seemed drunk and staggering. At least one quarter of the people were sick...The NCL was generous though, they gave out saltines, green apples, and anti vert, to who ever wanted... And of course you could BUY ginger ale or water at full cost.

 

That night the swell were the worst, I went to the 7:30 show and one of the dancers fell, and my perrier bottle was thrown off the table. That night when my husband had to use the rest room a swell knocked him over right in to the bath tub, luckily he wasn't hurt. We were rocked awake and it really felt like we were standing on our head. Everything on our dresser came flying off. It was very scary the swells were up half of our window. We were on Deck 4 room 4044.

 

 

On the 12th the day we were supposed to be in Bermuda, I was in the buffet when all the the plates and dishes near the carving station were knocked over and flew across the floor.

 

On this day NCL decided to be REALLY generous and give everyone $25 credit. I used mine at the internet cafe to book my air trip home... I could see that there might be more rough water on the return trip. At this point my husband had not enjoyed any of this cruise, and we decided to cut our losses.

 

We circled around Bermuda for a good 18 hours, before we were able to dock. I was not upset with Bermuda, I felt bad having to go there, while they were trying to get through their ordeals... I was mad at this point with NCL for not taking us somewhere else, like the bahamas where they have their own island...or evin offering us some thing to make up for this nightmare we were living.

 

When we got to Bermuda, the water was still rough and you really couldn't snorkel which is why we picked the island in the first place. The ants were terrible!

 

Anyway, I am happy I am home, even though I should still be on the trip that should have been a wonderful experience.

 

I felt the NCL was only driven by money. The cruise should have been changed or cancelled. They should have offered at the bare minimum, free sodas and water. They actually stopped us on our last morning after settling my account,because they thought I owed them $10 for water. Which had been on my final bill...Come on, I am out all the money from all the days that were miserable.

 

NCL should be ashamed of themselves.

 

I hope this helps you. Please let me know if you find anyway, that I can recoup any of my money. I would appreciated."

[MrPete]

I still think it's best to leave these decisions up to the experts.

 

I also think next time there's a storm brewing, they let the tourism minister go for a ride on a ship skirting a storm.

[Schplinky]

I agree. Also, the actual port was closed for a day or two. I guess the Minister expected ships just to wait around for the port to open.

[Cachecara]

We just returned Saturday from Zenith which was also destined for Bermuda during Florence, but were instead diverted to Bahamas.

This is what transpired from our perspective:

Friday morning Celebrity notified us that our cruise was most likely going to be diverted from Bermuda to Bahamas due to Florence. Celebrity indicated they would continue to monitor the weather situation closely and that if there were any way we could continue on with the original itinerary, we would. It offered anyone who wanted to cancel, to go ahead with a full refund. Others choosing to continue with the cruise would be getting $150 onboard ship credit per cabin--this ended up actually being a $240 shipboard credit due to crediting refunded port charges of Bermuda.

 

On embarkation: flyers were handed out to EACH passenger twice indicationg the new itinerary. AGAIN, it was stressed that if there was anyway Bermuda itinerary could be done it would. People were still allowed to cancel if they chose.

Saturday-Sunday: We were given frequent updates on weather conditions regarding Florence. Decision was made due to safety reasons to divert to Bahamas itinerary. Saturday through Monday we were at sea. Though it may have seemed bumpy to others, I was fully able to work out in the gym and the pools were both filled and people enjoying them. Sunday was a bit rockier I will admit. Monday we were already close to Florida if not there and the seas were nice.

Tues was Freeport: lots of seaweed in carribean from effects of Florence, which normally would not be there. Carribean pleasant as always, otherwise. Nice port day.

Wed was Nassau: again beautiful day weatherwise and again Carribean a seaweed soup due to Florence.

I can only imagine how stirred up the beaches and surrounding areas in Bermuda must have been since it made a mess of the Carribean.

Thursday: rocky rocky rocky with the sway of up and down. I could not utilize gym. LOL Still was able to enjoy pool on ship even with one being emptied due to the waves clearing the pool out.

Friday: cool and overcast--a day to enjoy indoor activities.

Overall impression: People enjoyed this cruise. Overall weather enjoyable and not effected too much by Florence. I did not hear too much complaining as most people seemed happy and busy enjoying themselves.

 

Note: We were told onboard (perhaps on Sunday), the Bermuda airport had been closed on Sunday and not reopened until Wednesday. The Bermuda Govt must not have thought it was safe enough to fly, but safe enough for the cruiselines to dock? Strange. I don't think the ports were even reopened until late midweek.

 

Another thought: I am so glad we did divert so we could enjoy Monday a beautiful seaday in every way and then have at least 2 full days in ports that could be enjoyed.

What did the Bermuda Govt expect us to do: float around in rough seas for days until we were given word (whenever that might be) that we could port or tender?? What if the damage had been severe? What if we would not have been allowed to port in Bermuda at all? Forget about the inconvenience and distress it would cause to a vacation, this doesn't even begin to address safety issues of passengers!!

I fully support Celebrity's decison to divert as much as I would have loved to cruise to Bermuda. They did the right thing.:)