Hurricane Earl Advisory From HAL

[serendipity1499]

To Betty and all of those before her who wrote to "set me straight" about the lack of romantic aspects of a storm. I want to let you all know that I am not unfamiliar with storms as I have lived most of my life in tornado alley. I know what the wind and rain sound like when a tornado hits but I'm sure a hurricane is different because it lasts much longer. I also know first hand what it is to be a victim of such devastation...heart wrenching and very hard work.

 

I understand that I'm weird in that I don't get scared in storms. I find them fascinating and love watching them form and really get going. I might have been a storm chaser in another life. ;)

 

I'm not an insensitive moron because I find them exciting and romantic. I guess I'm turned on by a "different drummer" than others. Sorry I upset so many with my remarks.

 

Understand & sorry if I over-reacted..Also thank you for your reply..I too enjoy watching thunderstorms here at home, but as I grow older I worry more about tornado's & Hurricanes..

My DH is like you & never becomes concerned..He would never evacuate, & I sometimes wish I could be like that..

Cheers...Betty

[sapper1]

The news this evening is that the hurricane has changed its path a bit and is now expected to make landfall right here in Saint John at 9AM Saturday----during high tide. Nobody can remember a hurricane that has made a direct hit here before so it could get interesting. A lot of flooding and trees down for sure. We spent the evening gathering up anything loose around the yard and putting it away. The heat is still intense ahead of the storm. It was like a blast furnace outside today and extremely humid.

[mamaofami]

Sheila, I'll call you in the morning. My friend from St. Thomas returned home to no power, water, a/c etc. but the power came back on and they are OK. So sorry your grand daughter is so scared. All of us at CC are praying that you and Fred and your fur babies will be OK.

[sail7seas]

OK I am confused here can anyone help me understand.....I always thought that it was safer for a ship to be out at sea or attempt to out run the hurricane. So why is it better that the Maasdam arrives in Boston early right before the storms hits :confused: Would that not make it more dangerous for the ship??? Then if they are allowing passengers to say on board till Saturday, obviously with the terrible weather they will not be leaving the ship to go anywhere.

 

I am probably answering my own question here but I realize this storm is extremely large and wide and covering a lot of miles so I am guess they could not go out to sea far enough to get away from the storm so they feel riding it out in port is better :confused:

 

 

Not all guests remained aboard Maasdam.

 

DH and I arrived home at about 9:00 this evening after Maasdam's Officers/crew did a fabulous job arranging assistance for us with our luggage, one of HAL's best Shore Op's managers (Jo Ann who more often is seen at Port Everglades came north to help all of us at Maasdam) had taxis standing ready with trunks open to load luggage and everyone who wished to leave was assisted doing so. It's my understanding not many left tonight as Immigration and Customs did not begin until a little after 5:30 P.M. and the ship didn't clear until about 8:15 or so. Depending upon the forecasts in the morning, a number more guests plan to leave early tomorrow morning.

 

We live very near Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, were in the second part of a b-to-b, wanted to assure our home was prepared for what we were still hearing could be a category 3-4 hurricane and it was our choice to be in the first handful to debark.

 

We Cannot stress enough the professional, smooth, excellent job Captain, Hotel Manager and the entire crew and staff did given these very difficult circumstances.

 

I will definitely write more in praise of how well everything was handled IMO

 

We wholeheartedly agree this was the most logical, sensible and reasonable choice for where Maasdam should 'weather the storm'. Let all be safe and that is all that matters.

 

Our thoughts are with everyone on Maasdam and pray ship and all aboard remain safe. Maasdam is well prepared. It is a given the decision regarding safety of Veendam, Eurodam and Maasdam getting through this storm was made by the very able Captains on each of those ships, the maritime experts in Seattle Office, MassPort which is the agency that runs Boston's Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, U.S. Coast Guard and goodness know who else. I would not dream of second guessing a single one of them.... We were aboard and knew for sure safety of crew, guests and ship were the whole story.

 

[sail7seas]

I'm just now catching up on latest forecasts for where and how badly Earl is expected to hit. Hope all in her path (including us) remain safe, there is no substantial injury or damage........

 

[maxout]

I'm just now catching up on latest forecasts for where and how badly Earl is expected to hit. Hope all in her path (including us) remain safe, there is no substantial injury or damage........

 

 

Amen...

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Sail, I am glad you are home safe and yes I echo that I am wishing all that are in the path of this terrible storm that they make it thru with no injuries or damage.

[Copper10-8]

To Betty and all of those before her who wrote to "set me straight" about the lack of romantic aspects of a storm. I want to let you all know that I am not unfamiliar with storms as I have lived most of my life in tornado alley. I know what the wind and rain sound like when a tornado hits but I'm sure a hurricane is different because it lasts much longer. I also know first hand what it is to be a victim of such devastation...heart wrenching and very hard work.

 

I understand that I'm weird in that I don't get scared in storms. I find them fascinating and love watching them form and really get going. I might have been a storm chaser in another life. ;)

 

I'm not an insensitive moron because I find them exciting and romantic. I guess I'm turned on by a "different drummer" than others. Sorry I upset so many with my remarks.

 

No sweat, Di! Btw, ever experienced an earthquake?;)

[sapper1]

The morning paper says that the Carnival Glory, which was due to arrive here on Saturday AM, will arrive tonight before midnight to hunker down and ride out the storm in port.

[trouble1964]

I lived thru Katrina (in MS where the actual hurricane damage, not flooding like New Orleans, was the worst) and I don't care to EVER do it again. But I think I would rather have a hurricane than an earthquake......at least you have a notice of a hurricane and even most tornados. I have no desire to experience an earthquake!!!

[HeatherInFlorida]

Not sure how wise it is not to fear nature's fury, but to each his/her own. I still believe that anyone who has ever experienced a strong hurricane, tornado, or earthquake, has learned what fear is and that we often can be at the mercy of the wraths of nature.

 

Sheila, feel so badly about your granddaughter ... the little ones shouldn't have to worry about these things, but hopefully your daughter found something to take her mind off it. Very soon she'll know that Mimi and family are all fine!!!

 

And meantime, thank goodness Earl has weakened considerably and hopefully will weaken even more. Glad the Outer Banks were spared!

 

Earl was never predicted to hit the Cape and Islands as a Cat 3 or 4 and the good news is they now expect barely a Cat 1 with winds 75 to 85 (nothing to sneeze at but sooooo much better). Nantucket is still in his path, but all the charts I follow are showing it steering a bit further east which is a good thing!

 

Looks like anyone west of the outer Cape and Nantucket will get mostly rain and a bunch of wind. With any luck it will run out of steam, be just a rain and wind event, and everyone will waken to a glorious Labor Day weekend tomorrow:).

[peaches from georgia]

My concern this morning is with the people on the Cape who are sitting out there exposed to the storm with no protection, even if Earl has been lowered to a Cat 1 or TS. Barrier islands are always the worst hit, while they are protecting the mainland coast which should be fine.

 

We need to be thinking of those debarking whose travel arrangements are not so easily and quickly solved as it was for those who live close by. I'm sure Logan will be a mess today for those trying to fly out before Earl arrives. I imagine lots of travel plans are a mess today with everyone wanting to get out fast.

 

We lived in Wilmington NC/Wrightsville Beach barrier island for years and know what it is like from many hurricanes there to go through this.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I've had all my focus on Sheila and Nantucket, etc., and completely forgot until this minute about the Veendam!!! I know she's leaving Bermuda early today and the return Sunday into NY should be fine.

 

But what about the crossing? Won't she be moving through some pretty churned up waters where Earl has just been ... especially on the western side of the storm?

 

Or does it calm down quickly ... anyone know? This isn't my area of expertise, but I'm thinking that could be pretty rough for them.

[mamaofami]

Heather, check out Fiona which is due to make landfall in Bermuda on Saturday.Veendam leaves Bermuda today at 2pm, so I don't know what impact that will have. If they were to leave Bermuda early to be ahead of Fiona, they would only run into Earl.I think Veendam is in for a very rough ride.

[sail7seas]

Veendam well may have left Bermuda earlier than originally scheduled. It is highly likely it will be a rough ride one would imagine.

 

All thoughts going out to all aboard Veendam for safe return to New York with as comfortable a ride as possible.

 

As I mentioned in an earlier post, there is also Eurodam to consider. Anyone know for sure where she is? Isn't it time for her to begin her Canada/New England cruises on September 6?

 

 

 

 

[peaches from georgia]

.........Veendam leaves Bermuda today at 2pm, so I don't know what impact that will have. If they were to leave Bermuda early to be ahead of Fiona, they would only run into Earl.I think Veendam is in for a very rough ride.

Veendam was to leave Bermuda earlier than scheduled today, I presume anticipating a rough and slower journey, planning to get into NYC at the normal time. Posted on HAL website.

[mamaofami]

 

All thoughts going out to all aboard Veendam for safe return to New York with as comfortable a ride as possible.

 

I'll second that. Here in NY, we expect rain and winds this afternoon, but right now it's the calm before the storm. According to the NY Port Authority and Cruise Terminal who I just spoke to, Veendam is still arriving on Sunday, unless the agent is misinformed.

[sail7seas]

Carol,

Happy to hear NY will get only moderate rain and wind and the same is predicted for us in/near Boston. We were in NYC three weeks ago and had great time. Don't want to think of the area being pounded by a hurricane... don't want to think of anyone being in that danger.

 

Last evening, we felt like all the folks from South Florida feel when disembarking from ships in FLL/Miami. Very fortunate to live nearby. Travel plans will be very difficult for many people leaving Maasdam today and tomorrow. Many had already made hotel reservations. The folks who left their flights in place and didn't try to rebook in advance may have an easier time than expected. When asked at the open Q & A session with Captain and Hotel Manager, the HM said given the circumstances, he personally would make no changes to onward travel plans until and unless necessary at a later time. Hopefully, many listened and the airlines did not make too many too early knee jerk cancellations.

[innlady1]

Thanks everyone for thinking of us and for the good wishes...you're right, Heather...Earl has weakened overnight so it doesn't appear we'll be as hard hit. The worst would have been if it went over MV to the west of us, but it's shifted to the southeast of the Cape and the Islands so it shouldn't be as bad. 70 to 75 MPH winds instead of over 100 MPH. It's all relative, I guess!

 

We're still moving everything to our protected bike yard to ride out the storm (pots, window boxes, outdoor furniture, etc.).

 

Carol, I agree...I'll bet the Veendam is in for a very rough ride. Probably not unlike what you and we experienced on the Noordam in 02/08 from NYC to the Caribbean and back. :eek:

 

It's a shame they can't stay put until this all passes.

 

Ava's OK today...I called her first thing this morning and told her the hurricane wasn't going to be so bad after all! We'll see....

[HeatherInFlorida]

Sheila, good news about Ava. One wonderful thing about children is their recovery from total despair can pass quickly!!!:D And I'm so glad the predictions have eased for Nantucket. Nothing fun about 75 mph, but way better than over 100! As you say, it's all relative. Hope you keep your power like the Outer Banks did ... that goes a long way to a feeling of comfort:).

 

Sail, Eurodam also changed their schedule. HAL has posted all the changes to their schedule on their website. That's how we all knew what was going on with Maasdam. And, of course, CC posted those changes as well.

 

CarolP, Fiona will be no problem at all for Veendam or even Bermuda since it's fizzled so much (thank goodness). But I can't help but think that the Atlantic will be more than choppy as she makes her way to NY.

 

I was even able to post to Lisa on FB today that the good news (at least for now) is that Gaston has fizzled to nothing. But we're told it's possible it will re-emerge as it moves west.

 

Never a dull moment this time of year in the Atlantic!:)

[sail7seas]

Funny thing but we didn't spend a whole lot of time reading the HAL website while sailing a HAL ship. I am just now catching up on news after having spent 12 glorious days aboard the still very special Maasdam. :)

 

 

Now that I'm home without Internet minutes ticking away while on line chomping through our internet package, I can do all the reading to catch up. :D We found other things to do while aboard. ;)

 

[Max2003]

It is unfortunate that we haven't heard anything from anyone on the Veendam all week, even tho they were in port, especially after all the discussion prior to the cruise and the promises of reports.

 

We leave Sunday (5th) and I will make sure that I at least report on the state of the seas on the crossing and the possible effects of Fiona. I hope that all will have calmed by Sunday/Monday.

 

[mamaofami]

I don't want to leave the impression that all of the New York area is out of danger. Long Island is preparing for a direct hit and they've predicted strong winds and heavy rain for the eastern end of the island.

 

Sheila, we sailed through 16 foot waves on the Noordam. I expect Veendam will experience conditions that are much worse than that.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Never suggested anyone on any ship was reading the HAL site:D ... far from it. But a question was posed about the location of the Eurodam and I tried to be helpful by saying that a very long explanation is on the HAL site. My mistake.:(

 

CarolP, only the tip of Long Island is expected to get anything major, if that. Your area gets harder hit in some Northeasters than you will from tropical bands of wind and rain from this storm. From all accounts, the only real worry is th tip of LI, outer part of the Cape and Nantucket, possibly the Vineyard (also part of the RI shore) ... just what you would expect.

 

It really would be good to hear from someone on Veendam ...

[Jade13]

We just arrived home from Maasdam Canada New England Montreal to Boston 8/28, and unfortunately this was our worst/most disappointing cruise ever.

 

I do want to say that those we met from CC are all fantastic, and we agree with the Captains logical decision to send the ship directly from PEI to Boston based on the weather reports (although it was hot and sunny when we disembarked in Boston). Additionally I wanted to note that we felt the crew fabulous and none of our disappointment has anything to do with them. We also booked two future cruises while on-board, including back on Maasdam for "half" VOV next year. We truly expect a different experience.

 

Please understand that from our perspective we felt we had "half a cruise". The 7 night is 6 days and we had a day in Quebec City on Sunday, Sea Day Monday (unfortunately the one anticipated sea day was at the beginning of the itinerary), and the third day was in PEI where we went on a well organized half day HAL ShoreEx and than I had the best mussels I have ever eaten. I had arranged a private driver in Halifax to Lunenburg for a small group of CC members and had just called him from PEI to confirm we would be there. I had also been looking forward to sailing into Bar Harbor on Maasdam having been there in 2008 on one of the days when she came in and I had watched her depart in the rain.

 

After we had already left PEI the Captain announced that after careful consideration and discussions with Seattle the ship was heading directly to Boston. At that point we started packing. By the next morning he announced there was no chance of a deviation, so we packed all of our bags. He also stated the ship would arrive in Boston on Thursday but all were welcome to stay on-board until Saturday. Please note that the momentum and vibe of the cruise totally changed at this point. The second formal night was canceled (although I am in favor of them being discontinued I had brought two gowns), the pools and hot tubs were closed (today they are actually re-grouting the pool), and of course everything is closed while in port - so we left. For someone from overseas, they have a beautiful day in Boston today.

 

For those who asked, the ship isn't obligated to do anything for passengers but, besides a free Champagne at diner last night (which was announced but I had to ask for it), they gave everyone $50.00 OBC and also 25% of the base fare paid on this cruise towards a future cruise. We were told some passengers were not happy and removing the auto-tips but everyone we met were world travelers and realized this can happen while traveling.

 

I am sure I will have more to write later, but all in all it was a disappointing experience having planned to take this cruise in 2008.