Port of Galveston?

[Snoozeman]

Wow....I'm amazed.....and well I'm just speechless. Do you honestly believe ....I mean you can't really think that with things the way they are now......

 

NO he's not referring to NOW. Someone commented that Galveston couldn't handle two ships (in good conditions).

[arf2005]

And finally, I do not think it is fair or kind to belittle someone's loss of a car just because a house is bigger. A loss is a loss.

:)

 

I wasn't belittling(sp?) anyone's loss (I tried to make that clear in the original post). It's hard to lose any of your possessions. But let's be real here. A car vs. your home? No brainer.

[lady_cruiser]

I can only pray that the Port of Galveston can recover from this storm. The Port of New Orleans still have not recovered financially. Carnival Cruise Lines pulled The Conquest from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and never returned her to us. I can only hope that the same thing does not happen to the fine people of Galveston.

 

God speed for a quick recovery, not only to Galveston and the surrounding area.

[Denton_Geek]

If you look at the ship traching page at: http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=H3GR

 

It looks to me that Ecstacy hugged the coast all day and night and made a sudden turn straight for New Orleans.

[spleenstomper]

I agree, Richard... looks like it is headed to NOLA.

 

I do give Carnival this: they had to sort the Texas stuff out and then make contact with NOLA who then had to assemble workers, etc... these things take time.

 

I do think it is ludicrous though they they kept saying they wanted to make it back to Galveston. Hey, I want a 3 carat diamond Asscher cut ring.. but that ain't going to happen either....

[KRUISE KING]

NO he's not referring to NOW. Someone commented that Galveston couldn't handle two ships (in good conditions).

 

Thank you. The statement this person made said the terminal couldn't handle two ships at the same time they did not mention after the hurricane Ike!

[EBoedeker]

Hey all,

My parents are on the Carnival Ecstacy right now, en route to ??? - I called Carnival because their website hasn't been updated in a whileand I was told that they are currently looking for new ports to send both Conquest and Ecstacy for disembarking. That the announcement will be made by 5pm central.

 

http://www.chron.com has some pictures posted of the Strand in Galveston which is walking distance from the terminal itself. If you go there, you can see how much water is up at the shops, let alone the terminal itself.

 

also, if you google search "habor house webcam" you can see a direct web cast of teh terminal itself with pictures of the restaraunts on the water front. - However it hasn't been updated as often (similar to Carnival website)-

 

Reports of the terminal do say that there is water in the terminal and the parking lot itself is flooded. - I'm quickly looking to see how much water that is, but not having any luck.

 

My parents have been calling me (compliments of sprint at sea $$$) and I'm trying to keep them posted. I'll be happy to update if I find out from them or Carnival themselves as to where the ships will be early this week.

[EBoedeker]

I think given the circumstances that this has the potential to be a logistics nightmare.

 

First you have several thousand guests departing from two ships into Galveston, many of which will require special assistance with travel arrangements. And those that have a car will have to see if it's even possible to get their car off the parking lot.

 

Then you will have several thousand more guests arriving, many of which will be trying to find a place to park.

 

Then you have to get the ships provisions stocked, and we currently don't know the condition of the storage warehouses around the port.

 

And then what about those that evacuated and haven't returned? Will there even be enough port staff to get this operation executed in time?

 

Too many questions right now and I truly hope it works out for everyone. Regardless, I hope many of the guests are understanding and patient.

 

- I also agree that there are WAY too many questions to really know anything at this point. I do however, hope the best for the cruisers that were planning on sailing Monday... even though an extension for the cruisers on board right now, could be nice if their schedules allow it!

[PennyAgain]

The Texas Highway Department has announced that the bridges going to Galveston have to be inspected before any non-emergency traffic can be allowed to use them.

 

That means the port in Galveston cannot open to cruise passengers until the bridges pass inspection and all debris is cleared.

 

This won't happen fast.

[EBoedeker]

9\11 Ecstacy sailing - now headed to Mobile?

I just received a message from my parents on board the Carnival Ecstacy.

 

The scheduled arrival back into Galveston on Monday, has changed course to MOBILE. I'm not aware if passengers scheduled to sail from Galveston on the 15th have options to meet up there or not, but that is the information I have received from the ship itself. I hope everyone's plans work out!

 

If I get different information I will post ASAP-

[PennyAgain]

and the cars they left in Galveston? This is a mess.

[Denton_Geek]

The Ecstacy 9/15 cruise has been canceled.

[Nuttycruisegirl]

Carnival website has been updated...Both cruises cancelled. :(

[satman]

From Carnivals site:

 

 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2008 – 2:00 PM

 

We are closely monitoring the situation in Galveston and the impact from Hurricane Ike. We do not currently have a lot of information about the status of the shipping channel, cruise terminal or the port access infrastructure. Local communication has been very challenging and there are restrictions against incoming traffic into the Galveston area.

We do not expect the Port of Galveston to be open on Monday and there is tremendous uncertainty about when the port will be available to us next week. Due to this situation, we will now cancel the following cruises:

• Carnival Conquest September 14, 2008 departure that was re-scheduled to a 6 day cruise departing on Monday, September 15.

• Carnival Ecstasy September 15, 2008 departure

Guests will receive a full refund of cruise fare and we will process these refunds within three weeks.

We sincerely apologize to our guests that are impacted by these cancelled cruises. Unfortunately, we did not have any viable options available to provide an alternative cruise option.

We hope that all of those that reside in the areas impacted by Hurricane Ike were able to remain safe. We also wish a speedy recovery to those that may have sustained damage homes or businesses.

[Snoozeman]

That's terrible for the folks who were canceled. Happened to me once as well. I got over it, but there is disappointment. Hopefully they can make alternative plans. It's a shame.

 

I'm sure Carnival is doing what they think is best for the 'long run' and I'm sure things will be back to normal soon.

[zqvol]

If you look at the ship traching page at: http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=H3GR

 

It looks to me that Ecstacy hugged the coast all day and night and made a sudden turn straight for New Orleans.

 

Don't pay any attention to the tracker. it shows Legend near Cuba, but it si docked in Tampa.

[EBoedeker]

and the cars they left in Galveston? This is a mess.

- I'm not positive what the car situation is going to be either. Most of them are underwater I've read-

 

**Ecstacy will have an announcement around 5:00pm as to where they will dock.**

- I'm searching for a decent rental car rate from Mobile - Houston if that is in fact where they are headed, cheapest I found so far was $317 from Tuesday the 16th-17th @ Dollar rental : still waiting for the confirmation before booking.

[spleenstomper]

If you know how Priceline works, I'd try them for a rental car.

[satman]

• Carnival Conquest September 7, 2008 Departure

The Carnival Conquest cruise that departed on September 7 will return to New Orleans on Monday, September 15. Guests will be able to debark on Monday or Tuesday. Guests will also be able to remain onboard and sail back to Galveston with the ship. However, we are uncertain about when the Port of Galveston will re-open.

 

• Carnival Ecstasy September 11, 2008 Departure

 

The Carnival Ecstasy cruise that departed on September 11, 2008 will return to New Orleans on Tuesday, September 16 (2:00 PM arrival). Guests will be able to debark on Tuesday or Wednesday. Guests will also be able to remain onboard and sail back to Galveston with the ship. However, we are uncertain about when the Port of Galveston will re-open.

[Cracker Ken]

From everything I've seen on TV today, especially there in Galveston, I have to wonder if the cruise terminal is even there anymore. If the building survived, it's probably demolished No electricity, maybe for weeks. It would surprise me if a cruise ship sales to/from Galveston within a month, or longer.

 

God only knows what happened to the cruisers cars left behind. If the water was high enough, it will float cars, and storm surge currents could move them around too. Any car with salt water flooding is an automatic total loss.

 

So far, I've seen lots of coverage of the W side of Galveston Island - bad, really bad. The E side could possibly be a lot worse.

 

I'm thinking that New Orleans might get the Conquest back after all.

[EBoedeker]

From everything I've seen on TV today, especially there in Galveston, I have to wonder if the cruise terminal is even there anymore. If the building survived, it's probably demolished No electricity, maybe for weeks. It would surprise me if a cruise ship sales to/from Galveston within a month, or longer.

 

God only knows what happened to the cruisers cars left behind. If the water was high enough, it will float cars, and storm surge currents could move them around too. Any car with salt water flooding is an automatic total loss.

 

So far, I've seen lots of coverage of the W side of Galveston Island - bad, really bad. The E side could possibly be a lot worse.

 

I'm thinking that New Orleans might get the Conquest back after all.

 

I haven't heard of substantial damage but just water. But I agree- seeing the Strand in such ruins, doesn't leave much hope that the terminal handled it well...

[LHP]

Both ships are unloading in New Orleans.

 

At least they do have a good size airport for those who flew in.

 

My heart goes out to those who drove and now have cars still in Galveston.

[LHP]

 

I'm thinking that New Orleans might get the Conquest back after all.

 

I am thinking that Carnival is hoping the new Houston Cruise terminal will be up and running by next week.

[spleenstomper]

Yeah, I think that is what they are wishing for. HOWEVER, all the support services need to be up and running as well: hotels, cabs, porters, all ship supports...

 

When Gustav hit, the city of Alexandria, La was closed for 3 days. Gas and Grocery were the only places open. And they didn't get hit even a fraction of what the Houston area took. My kids were out of school for 5 days. Some places in La STILL don't have power from Gustav! In Houston, between 2 and 4 million people still dont' have power (I've read both numbers). And they are still doing search and rescue in some places.

 

I think next week is truly wishful thinking.

[Linda Lu]

I hate the cruises have been cancelled. Have cruised twelve times and always so excited when my time comes. Let's all think about and pray for the thousands of people who cannot get back to their homes. We are lucky to be able to cruise and look forward to our vacations. Many are not. God Bless..........