Let's hope that RCI got it right with Oasis

[Cruising89143]

Seems that Carnival didn't bother to double check to see if their new ship would actually "fit" in San Juan. They had to cancel the call today. At least RCI knows that the Oasis will not fit without actually going to the port.

 

Can't wait to see how John Heald spins this one on his blog. :rolleyes:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1102262

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

That is simply amazing. It seems that no one had the piers measured to ensure that the pier fits where the ship needs it to fit. Was this the first visit of Carnival Dream San Juan?

[Cruising89143]

That is simply amazing. It seems that no one had the piers measured to ensure that the pier fits where the ship needs it to fit. Was this the first visit of Carnival Dream San Juan?

 

Yes and it's my understanding that it was not to be a regular stop.

[Borat]

thats laughable..but honestly..not surprising..i worked on carnival from Jan - April this year..they mess up a LOT of things. Princess was a lot more efficient.

[GMoney]

oh...

...my...

...gawd:eek:

[CanuckMO4]

Seems that Carnival didn't bother to double check to see if their new ship would actually "fit" in San Juan. They had to cancel the call today. At least RCI knows that the Oasis will not fit without actually going to the port.

 

Can't wait to see how John Heald spins this one on his blog. :rolleyes:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1102262

What a scream,dosnt surpize me but I do feel bad for the passangers.

[The Grumpus]

Can't wait to see how John Heald spins this one on his blog. :rolleyes:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1102262

Funny you should ask...

 

 

However this morning things did not go well. We arrived to San Juan and headed to our assigned pier which was designated as Pier 3 West. However, even though plans and simulations had been made, Captain Queirolo realized that the steel cable that was part of the canopy on the pier would cause damage to and possibly puncture the lifeboats and life rafts. We then tried the other piers but due to our length and draft we were unable to dock.

 

I helped the Captain and Todd with the announcement which we made at 8:10am………..this is what the Captain told the guests over the PA system.

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is your Captain speaking form the Navigational bridge.

We regret to inform you that we have been forced to cancel our scheduled call today in San Juan. Our Assigned Pier 3West has overhanging wires and metal canopy structures alongside the pier that will have caused damage to the ship by piercing the ships lifeboats and safety rafts. This is because of the size of the Carnival Dream and the location of the terminal structure and technology.

We have also tried two alternative piers with no success as they in some form would have put in jeopardy the safety of the ship and that of our guests and crew.

We do apologize for the inconvenience this has caused in your cruising experience!

We are currently putting together an alternative schedule for a Fun Day At Sea.

All excursions for today will automatically be refunded to your sail and sign accounts and there is no need to stop by the guests services in regards to shore excursion refunds.

Ladies and gentlemen the most important thing is always the safety of our guests, Crew Members and ship. As today proved to be an unsafe environment for all three, we have made a decision to cancel our call in San Juan.

We are proceeding to our next port of Grand Turk where instead of an arrival time of 11 am tomorrow we will be alongside at 7 am tomorrow morning.

Once again we apologize for any inconvenience caused and we will do our best to make sure the staff and crew onboard do their best to provide you with a fantastic fun day at sea.

Thank you for your understanding and your support.

www.johnhealdsblog.com

 

Courtesy of Host Mach

[The Grumpus]

Funny that the Captain would say that the ship was too large when we know there are much larger ships than Carnival Dream docking there. It's the Lanai, hot tubs & lifeboat overhang that is the probable cause of the problem this morning.

[The Grumpus]

That is simply amazing. It seems that no one had the piers measured to ensure that the pier fits where the ship needs it to fit. Was this the first visit of Carnival Dream San Juan?

First and only so far. It was to be a one time stop on a 9-night itinerary. For the next year it's doing alternating East/West Caribbean 7-night itineraries which do not include San Juan.

[GXmanDC]

I don't understand how they did not know before hand. It isn't like they just decided to head to San Juan on a whim. Didn't they have an issue "fitting" the pier in NY also. Someone needs to pay more attention at corporate.

[Cruising89143]

Funny you should ask...

 

 

However this morning things did not go well. We arrived to San Juan and headed to our assigned pier which was designated as Pier 3 West. However, even though plans and simulations had been made, Captain Queirolo realized that the steel cable that was part of the canopy on the pier would cause damage to and possibly puncture the lifeboats and life rafts. We then tried the other piers but due to our length and draft we were unable to dock.

 

I helped the Captain and Todd with the announcement which we made at 8:10am………..this is what the Captain told the guests over the PA system.

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is your Captain speaking form the Navigational bridge.

We regret to inform you that we have been forced to cancel our scheduled call today in San Juan. Our Assigned Pier 3West has overhanging wires and metal canopy structures alongside the pier that will have caused damage to the ship by piercing the ships lifeboats and safety rafts. This is because of the size of the Carnival Dream and the location of the terminal structure and technology.

We have also tried two alternative piers with no success as they in some form would have put in jeopardy the safety of the ship and that of our guests and crew.

We do apologize for the inconvenience this has caused in your cruising experience!

We are currently putting together an alternative schedule for a Fun Day At Sea.

All excursions for today will automatically be refunded to your sail and sign accounts and there is no need to stop by the guests services in regards to shore excursion refunds.

Ladies and gentlemen the most important thing is always the safety of our guests, Crew Members and ship. As today proved to be an unsafe environment for all three, we have made a decision to cancel our call in San Juan.

We are proceeding to our next port of Grand Turk where instead of an arrival time of 11 am tomorrow we will be alongside at 7 am tomorrow morning.

Once again we apologize for any inconvenience caused and we will do our best to make sure the staff and crew onboard do their best to provide you with a fantastic fun day at sea.

Thank you for your understanding and your support.

 

www.johnhealdsblog.com

 

 

Blah, blah, blah, blah. More of the same from Mr. "Hot Air". Why didn't he just say that "we screwed up"?

 

Funny that the Captain would say that the ship was too large when we know there are much larger ships than Carnival Dream docking there. It's the Lanai, hot tubs & lifeboat overhang that is the probable cause of the problem this morning.

 

True that larger ships dock there including the Freedom class but as you stated, it is the design of the Dream. Someone at Carnival should have caught this. Had to laugh at the one poster on the Carnival board that states the Dream can dock in San Juan but it was RCI's poor design of the pier that caused the issue. He doesn't have a clue. LMAO.

 

I don't understand how they did not know before hand. It isn't like they just decided to head to San Juan on a whim. Didn't they have an issue "fitting" the pier in NY also. Someone needs to pay more attention at corporate.

I have read more negative reviews on this ship since it entered service. I can understand missing a port due to weather but not stupidity.

[ottawapuppy]

Can't wait to see how John Heald spins this one on his blog. :rolleyes:

 

My thought exactly! He's sure to turn it into a nasty comment about another line.

 

Mike

[The Grumpus]

Blah, blah, blah, blah. More of the same from Mr. "Hot Air". Why didn't he just say that "we screwed up"?

Looks like I might get the honor of meeting him for the first time in a few weeks (you too, Mike:p)... anything you'd like me to tell him???;)

 

 

True that larger ships dock there including the Freedom class but as you stated, it is the design of the Dream. Someone at Carnival should have caught this. Had to laugh at the one poster on the Carnival board that states the Dream can dock in San Juan but it was RCI's poor design of the pier that caused the issue. He doesn't have a clue. LMAO.

Yeah, I know the post(s) you are talking about. I tried & tried using logic & fact that the pier is normally use by RCI ships larger than Dream and the reason Dream cannot dock there is not the piers fault but the ships design. But it's like debating with a wall... there's no hope with that one.

[G'ma]

Seems that Carnival didn't bother to double check to see if their new ship would actually "fit" in San Juan. They had to cancel the call today. At least RCI knows that the Oasis will not fit without actually going to the port.

 

Can't wait to see how John Heald spins this one on his blog. :rolleyes:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1102262

 

There is no spin. Here it is.

 

John Heald reported this on his blog:

 

However this morning things did not go well. We arrived to San Juan and headed to our assigned pier which was designated as Pier 3 West. However, even though plans and simulations had been made, Captain Queirolo realized that the steel cable that was part of the canopy on the pier would cause damage to and possibly puncture the lifeboats and life rafts. We then tried the other piers but due to our length and draft we were unable to dock.

 

I helped the Captain and Todd with the announcement which we made at 8:10am………..this is what the Captain told the guests over the PA system.

Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is your Captain speaking form the Navigational bridge.

We regret to inform you that we have been forced to cancel our scheduled call today in San Juan. Our Assigned Pier 3West has overhanging wires and metal canopy structures alongside the pier that will have caused damage to the ship by piercing the ships lifeboats and safety rafts. This is because of the size of the Carnival Dream and the location of the terminal structure and technology.

We have also tried two alternative piers with no success as they in some form would have put in jeopardy the safety of the ship and that of our guests and crew.

We do apologize for the inconvenience this has caused in your cruising experience!

We are currently putting together an alternative schedule for a Fun Day At Sea.

All excursions for today will automatically be refunded to your sail and sign accounts and there is no need to stop by the guests services in regards to shore excursion refunds.

Ladies and gentlemen the most important thing is always the safety of our guests, Crew Members and ship. As today proved to be an unsafe environment for all three, we have made a decision to cancel our call in San Juan.

We are proceeding to our next port of Grand Turk where instead of an arrival time of 11 am tomorrow we will be alongside at 7 am tomorrow morning.

Once again we apologize for any inconvenience caused and we will do our best to make sure the staff and crew onboard do their best to provide you with a fantastic fun day at sea.

Thank you for your understanding and your support.

www.johnhealdsblog.com

So, there you have it...

[G'ma]

Funny that the Captain would say that the ship was too large when we know there are much larger ships than Carnival Dream docking there. It's the Lanai, hot tubs & lifeboat overhang that is the probable cause of the problem this morning.

 

There are other piers....and they are different sizes. Another Carnival ship was already docked in the conventional pier. Dream was trying for the Dove pier which it could not fit in.....

 

No big deal...passengers taking it in stride.

 

Puerto Rico isn't a normal stop for Dream anyway.

[The Grumpus]

There are other piers....and they are different sizes. Another Carnival ship was already docked in the conventional pier. Dream was trying for the Dove pier which it could not fit in.....

 

No big deal...passengers taking it in stride.

 

Puerto Rico isn't a normal stop for Dream anyway.

Actually, the Dream tried a couple different piers in SJ today; had problems with all of them & could not dock at any of them for one reason or another. Piers where every other cruise ship in the world can dock at without a problem with maybe the exception of Oasis. And to just write it off as no big deal; a nothing one time stop really belittles the importance of the port to the passengers that may have wanted to visit that port today. I guess these kinds of disappointments are normal for some but I would be a little disappointed if I took a cruise to San Juan only to find out the ship could not even dock there. Storms & political unrest & things like that are one thing but to hear that the designers of the ship I'm going to sail on didn't think to check and see if the ship would fit at the dock is pretty sad no matter how you try to spin it. It comes down to poor planning.

[FireIce0010]

There are other piers....and they are different sizes. Another Carnival ship was already docked in the conventional pier. Dream was trying for the Dove pier which it could not fit in.....

 

No big deal...passengers taking it in stride.

 

Puerto Rico isn't a normal stop for Dream anyway.

 

Aren't you the poster that was making all the snide comments about the Oasis not being able to dock at certain ports and it would be a fiasco? LOL. Looks like it was the other way around. I also just read the information and Carnival tried more than one pier in San Juan and none worked. If I were a passenger on board and missed a port due to an error on Carnival's part, I would not take it in stride. Take off the rose colored Carnival glasses.

[mafig]

I had to go over to the Carnival board to read the thread.

 

They are trying to make it Royal Caribbean's fault because they built the pier. Unbelievable. They should be embarrassed!:(

[Tyron]

I had to go over to the Carnival board to read the thread.

 

They are trying to make it Royal Caribbean's fault because they built the pier. Unbelievable. They should be embarrassed!:(

 

 

Uhh, that pier was built for RCI & Celebrity and RCI/Celebrity ships have no problems docking there.... LOL:D

[hvyhttr]

It is absolutely not RCCL's fault. They helped pay for that pier's renovations in 2006 i believe...when did the Carnival Dream start the building process? And it really does not matter...RCCL split the bill on renovations, it is still San Juan's responsibility to make sure that whatever they do to that pier does not impede any ship currently visiting that port. If it was there before Carnival started building Dream, it is 100% Carnival's oversight. Just a bit of information...San Juan is dismantling, at a cost of $2M, the "structure" that prevented the arrival of the Nightmare, I mean Dream.

[FireIce0010]

It is absolutely not RCCL's fault. They helped pay for that pier's renovations in 2006 i believe...when did the Carnival Dream start the building process? And it really does not matter...RCCL split the bill on renovations, it is still San Juan's responsibility to make sure that whatever they do to that pier does not impede any ship currently visiting that port. If it was there before Carnival started building Dream, it is 100% Carnival's oversight. Just a bit of information...San Juan is dismantling, at a cost of $2M, the "structure" that prevented the arrival of the Nightmare, I mean Dream.

 

Just another excuse for them to have a "fun" day at sea. So famous with the party barges.

[nycruise]

Believe me San Juan needs Carnival and it's subsidiaries alot more than Carnival needs San Juan.:p

 

"The problem seems to be that a gigantic sculpture built several years ago, partially funded by rival line Royal Caribbean, prevented the ship from docking. The dove-shaped sculpture, located at the entrance to the pier actually blocks the docking of newer, larger ships.

 

This is bad news for San Juan, actively trying to increase their cruise business, a major source of revenue for the island."

[The Grumpus]

Believe me San Juan needs Carnival and it's subsidiaries alot more than Carnival needs San Juan.:p

 

"The problem seems to be that a gigantic sculpture built several years ago, partially funded by rival line Royal Caribbean, prevented the ship from docking. The dove-shaped sculpture, located at the entrance to the pier actually blocks the docking of newer, larger ships.

 

This is bad news for San Juan, actively trying to increase their cruise business, a major source of revenue for the island."

What other ships are being prevented from docking there due to the Dove sculpture?

[nycruise]

What other ships are being prevented from docking there due to the Dove sculpture?

 

Today the Oasis and the Dream, next year the NCL Epic and the Allure, in 2011 the Magic, in 2012 the yet to be named sister ship to the Dream and the Magic plus probably other ships of Carnival's sister lines.

 

A BIG problem of lost business for San Juan, which can easily be replaced by other ports than can accomodate those ships.:rolleyes:

[The Grumpus]

Today the Oasis and the Dream, next year the NCL Epic and the Allure, in 2011 the Magic, in 2012 the yet to be named sister ship to the Dream and the Magic plus probably other ships of Carnival's sister lines.

 

A BIG problem of lost business for San Juan, which can easily be replaced by other ports than can accomodate those ships.:rolleyes:

Except for the Magic, I don't think it's been proven that those other ships can't dock there because of the sculpture, have they? It is not that the Dream is too large; larger ships than Dream dock there almost every day, it was the overhanging lifeboats and/or the lanai hot tubs of Dream that seem to be the problem. But you are right; the San Juan Port Authority isn't wasting anytime announcing that there tearing down the thing ASAP. And the fact that they'll be spending 2 mil to do it shows how nervious they are of losing potential stops by those ships in the future.