LIVE FROM THE STAR! We TILTED!

[cruiselife4me]

The Star had a tilt in '03 if I remember correctly.

[DocJohnB]

A passenger told me he'd heard (lot's of hear-say) that the tilt was abound 23-25 degrees. He also said that it was caused because one of the engines quit abruptly. Who knows.....

 

Take a look at the aircraft carrier above. That is about a 15 degree "tilt". Also look at the wake behind her (to the left of the bow). She has come about almost 270 degrees in a relatively short space at high speed.

 

I just don't think star listed/tilted 23-25 degrees.

[JediAmy]

From Cruise News Daily:

 

* From the Line That Brought You Automatic Tipping

Oct 29 - Whale spotting is a popular activity among passengers sailing along the coast of Baja California at this time of year, but when the crew of Norwegian Star spotted one last Thursday afternoon about 40 miles off the coast, it gave passengers an experience they never expected.

To avoid colliding with the whale, the bridge turned the ship, but of course, when the ship turns, it also rolls to one side, and the faster it is going, the more it leans. According to NCL, the evasive action to avoid the whale caused Norwegian Star to roll to a maximum of ten degrees to the port and then five degrees to the starboard.

[chewap]

I was on the Star when it tilted. felt the engines go in reverse and then the sudden tilt. Our room was on the 11th floor fwd and within 10 minutes, they turned off the power and came on 2 hours latter after they checked out the electical Water came through the ceiling and our room had a strong musty smell throughout the cruise. The halls on 11 and 12 where the wall of water ran had musty smells also. No appoligies or adjustments from NCL about the condition of the room. The cruise was sold out so they couldn't move the affected cabins that had salt water damage. Talked to several people that had injuries. The 14 people in the pool were thrown out. 1000's of booze bottles were broken.

[Toothfairy754]

Hi Toothfairy,

 

I was 10 at the time and it was a wonderful adventure. We left SF in fog and rain, and once out past the bridge things got choppy. This ship was just 20 something grt and with a deep hull so lots of rocking.

 

Back then guests could come on board before the ship left (all ashore who's going ashore!). So, the safty drill was done the next morning at sea - in those tossing seas. Also, I can still remember sitting in a lounge watching a movie and hearing all the glass wear and bottles fall and break as we hit a particularly big wave.

 

 

14 months later we did it again (in calmer weather) coming back on the Mariposa, her somewhat newer, but not much bigger, sister ship.

 

 

That must have been a wonderful adventure! I wish my folks had taken me for the tour... maybe I would have started sailing at an earlier age! My grandmother came from New Zealand by boat in 1911. She then took the family back in 1917 and returned to the US in 1918.I imagine it was much like the Titanic without the iceberg.:confused:

[GTVCRUISER]

I was on board the Carnival Jubliee 1999 , the ship tilted all of a sudden.I was in one of the ships stores at the time, everything fell off the shelfs. We saw a few whales in the area just before this happened.The Captain never told us what happened.

[JediAmy]

Does anyone have any pictures of the tilting or the aftermath on the Star?

[lacurtis]

We were on the Star in the small kid's pool with the blue slide when we "tilted". All of a sudden we noticed the water pouring over the side and shoes and chairs heading towars the port side of the ship. The ship tilted slightly back starboard and we kept going. In the pool, we were sitting and it was fine (actually kind of fun), but all the people on deck were scrambling to gather the loose deck items- mostly shoes.

 

We had a great view aft and you could see the dramatic turn the ship took. The engines also slowed down after this and it was quite awhile before we noticed we were going full speed again.

 

This does explain why the fans were on everyday near the theater and the library on Deck 12...

[trigger7]

I hope everyone had as great a time as we did on the

NCL Star. What a beauty she truly is and the crew has

to be one of the best of the NCL fleet. Everyone was

warm, smiling, welcoming and accommodating.

 

Even though we had the "incident" of a compassionate

captain and bridge crew who titled us a bit to avoid

killing a whale, his explanation was quick and the

next day he apologized for any inconvenience it may have

caused any cruising guests. Had he not done what he

did to avoid hitting the whale and probably killed the

whale, animal rights groups and the media would have

been all over Norwegian Cruise Lines. I didn't hear of any

passengers getting hurt or any other claims of damages

other that what was reported here on this website. I am

not saying that it didn't happen. I wasn't all over the

ship, it's possible there was some damage and passengers hurt. I do know it would have been the talk

of the ship and it wasn't.

 

Even when disembarking the ship we had a long wait as

everyone who was getting off of the ship knows because

customs computer were not cooperating there was still

no talk of the "tilting incident".

 

Everyone was talking about how they had a wonderful

time. How clean the ship was. How great the entertainment and cruise director (Ricky Matthews) was.

They couldn't stop talking about the food and the variety

of places to eat. I heard nothing but good things even

on the way to the airport in the shuttle. One gentlemen

was talking about buying property in one of the ports.

 

Overall my husband and I think this was one of our

best cruises. We look forward to cruising on the Star

again and I hope you all enjoyed your cruise just as

much.

 

"My favorite cruise is my next cruise."

-Author Krystall©

 

The ship listed due to a ballast problem. Yes, the Captain did come on about 20 minutes later and you could hear a bit of concern in his voice. I don't know if the ship could actually roll over if all the water ballast pumped to one side or if there are safety triggers. We were on deck 12 in the buffet area having some fruit and the only thing that happened is the bar cart rolled into the handrail next to the buffet and a bottle of wine fell off and broke. We did walk into the pool area afterward and noticed that they were squeegeeing off the deck.

 

We talked to Shawn and he said that wouldn't be re-upping because of what has already been said about not being able to associate with the crew. He is a really good person and I hope he finds success elsewhere.

[greywillow]

We were having dinner on Celebrity's Galaxy when she "tilted" just as described by the OP. Wine glasses went flying everywhere. Never got a specific explanation of the cause. Shook up the wait staff as well as the pax.

[Hobbsey]

So sorry, I just saw your post from earlier in the month.

 

Yes, quite an adventure for a 10 year old boy. As big an adventure was when we returned from Hawaii 14 months later on Mariposa (Lurline's little sister). I was nearly 12 by then and now a "man of the world". I had my first kiss on that cruise. Adventure indeed.

 

It was also awesome to come under the Golden Gate as the sun was just climbing and warming the Bay. It was one of those clear blue days in San Francisco (in April). Later that day I had my frist trip up to Muir Woods.

 

Without the iceberg I bet those old steamers from the turn of the last century were wonderful to behold and exciting to ride. At small tonnage, with Narrow V hulls and deep drafts they rolled nicely I bet. Coming over in the south Pacific there must have been table wear moving nearly every night!

[misslou0403]

well now i'm concerned. I leave Sunday for 8 days on the Star. Sounds like nobody is really giving any concrete info as to what happened. That is just horrible service.

[LAURAMC]

well now i'm concerned. I leave Sunday for 8 days on the Star. Sounds like nobody is really giving any concrete info as to what happened. That is just horrible service.

 

 

RELAX !! if you do tip at least you will be in warm water and yu wont freeze to death. !!! worst thing that will happen is that the sharks will eat you :-). ENJOY your trip dobnt let the little things bother you. it would bother me more if they dry docked the ship

[Hobbsey]

Sounds like you are having an over-reaction. Buses turn over, planes crash and cars collide. Pedestrians get run over. Storms knock down houses and earthquakes knock down buildings. Wild fires run out of control and eat up whole neighborhoods.

 

None of that has caused you to stop living your life, going to the market, driving your car, etc... (I hope)

 

There are no gaurantees that you will always be kept safe. (Didn't Americans learn that on 9/1//01?).

 

As to the ship and this event. It seems clear from many of the responses that this event is rare but that it happens, and has happened on ships from various cruise lines. It also seems clear that the ship attempted a manuver to avoicd hitting a whale and that the person at the helm over compensated causing the ship to rock and list. All ships carry ballast to keep them heavy to the sea so they won't bob and flop over. In a manuver like this the ballast will move helping at first to cause the over correction and then to more quickly right the ship so it doesn't turn over, as it finds it's center of gravity.

 

This ship was never in that kind of danger (turning over). However, the pax on board were, due to the reaction of all those items on board not nailed down to the deck (including the pax themselves).

 

This very rare incident should not cause anyone to have a second thought about cruising in general or on this ship in particular.

[suzeyQ]

Well said, Hobbsey.

[DAGVBSB]

well now i'm concerned. I leave Sunday for 8 days on the Star. Sounds like nobody is really giving any concrete info as to what happened. That is just horrible service.

 

Like Hobbsey said, you never know what is going to happen anytime.

 

For a long time I had a fear of flying because I was afraid the plane would crash. I have overcame that fear simply because I realized that there are just as many dangerous situations that we face everyday including driving anyplace that we go.

 

It is far more likely that you will be injured in a vehicle crash near your own home than it is that something will happen to you on your cruise. A wise person told me, "you can't let the fear of dying run your life, or else you might as well be dead because you will have no real life...."

[theshireshihtzu]

well now i'm concerned. I leave Sunday for 8 days on the Star. Sounds like nobody is really giving any concrete info as to what happened. That is just horrible service.

 

 

Give me your tickets....I will take your concerns away!

We had a blast. It was NO BIG DEAL!

[mbisson]

well now i'm concerned. I leave Sunday for 8 days on the Star. Sounds like nobody is really giving any concrete info as to what happened. That is just horrible service.

 

I'm guessing nothing will be said until after the CG releases their findings (at least I think it's the CG who investigates these type of things). And if it's like the investigation that followed the list on the Sky when I was there, that will be several months. I agree with theshireshihtzu though and am willing to relieve anyone of that burden ;)

 

Have fun

[Cosmopolitan]

well now i'm concerned. I leave Sunday for 8 days on the Star. Sounds like nobody is really giving any concrete info as to what happened. That is just horrible service.

 

Relax and enjoy your cruise...you will love it:)

[Aca_Port Dude]

I just found this thread and the truth is that the ship did an evasive manuever to avoid hitting a whale, I got it from a source on the ship I can't mention due to a confidentiallity clause we have with them.

 

All I can say it came from an officer that was on the bridge at moment of the incident

 

They have never hit a whale, but, I have heard from other vessels that have.

 

These vessels can do hard turns with out tilting over even going at full speed ahead, since they have a computer governed Izipod it will never allow it to go completely 90° as it would when they are berthing to "Parallel Park"

[MrMate]

A passenger told me he'd heard (lot's of hear-say) that the tilt was abound 23-25 degrees. He also said that it was caused because one of the engines quit abruptly. Who knows.....

 

 

LOL!

Do you have any idea at all how a 25 degree list feels like?? I don't think so. I've been at sea for 12 years, 3 of them as a first officer with NCL and I can tell you if the ship listed 25 degrees you would have a LOT more serious situation than you had. For information, when the Sky listed in 2001 the max list was somewhere between 12 and 18 degrees.

 

To try to avoid a whale when cruising at 25 knots come close to one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. It's indeed a human error if the oow puts the rudder (or in this situation the pods) hard over at that speed.

 

I had the same situation on the Majesty once and when you see a whale at that short distance there's nothing you can do. "My" whale was so close I was not sure if I hit it or not. So I sent one of my men down to the forecastle to see. Fortunatele there were no sign of impact.

 

To the other remark on this tread regarding ballast:

It's practically impossible to capsize a ship by filling the tanks on one side.

Before delivery a ship goes through all kind of sea trials and stability tests.

 

The reason why cruise ships tilt when turning at high speeds is where the centre of gravity is located and also the shape of the ship. When turning a big tanker the same way does not give you any tilt, just a considerable speed reduction.

 

And to comment the frase "it will never happen again.." : As long as there are human beings running ships it will happen again.

[Hobbsey]

Thanks for the info. Are you still working at sea?

[mbisson]

LOL!

Do you have any idea at all how a 25 degree list feels like?? I don't think so. I've been at sea for 12 years, 3 of them as a first officer with NCL and I can tell you if the ship listed 25 degrees you would have a LOT more serious situation than you had. For information, when the Sky listed in 2001 the max list was somewhere between 12 and 18 degrees.

 

.

 

 

And let me tell you-when the Sky did that the stories were unbelievable. Some said the list was as much as 90 degrees! When the cruise ended I saw an interview on a seattle TV station with some kid who said that he was in an outside cabin (I believe he said deck 6) and he looked out the window and it was underwater. 12 to 18 degrees was plenty enough for me! Too many injuries to want to experience it again! (but it was sort of an adventure that we still talk about-hey stuff happens). For comparison, if you live in hilly country, and they put out the signs along the road and you see one that says "Caution 10 degree grade" just see how steep that is! It's amazing

[MrMate]

Thanks for the info. Are you still working at sea?

 

Hi,

 

No I left NCl in 2003 and worked three years on norwegian tankers before I found work ashore last year. But my greatest time at sea and at work un general I had with NCL :)

[Hobbsey]

You know, I've been on many cruises and a good selection of the major cruise lines. Despite some short comings (and who doesn't have those) I find NCLs on board experience very very good. The staff normally seems happy, the officers are approachable and the ships are comfortable.

 

I wish they could get their Customer Service reps better trained and I wish they'd somewhow rationalize the pricing and promotional policies.