Summit Sept 5....DELAYED

[JEDIKNIGHT]

I've sent people on a Summit Cruise.

 

They are at port, I just got a text that the ship isn't going to arrive until 5pm.

 

Probably too late but in case anyone reads this before getting to port, it might help you plan, or pack a snack.

 

 

Anyone encountered this before?

 

If the ship doesn't get in till 5, doesn't that mean that cabins won't be ready till 9pm? Isn't that kind of like the 1st day of the cruise being kind of shot/wasted?

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Yep, there's an advisory on X's website.

 

Live and learn, I guess.

 

I NEVER thought about a delay for a cruise ship whereas with airlines, I check ahead of time and even assume it'll be delayed.

 

But a ship is just another mode of transportation so it can be delayed too.

 

From now on I'll check the X website on the day of the cruise.

 

Such a basic thing to do, never dawned on me.

 

Oh well, my guys are sitting at port with the other cattle. Luckily it's a pleasant weather day.

 

I wonder, if the ship doesn't fully board until 6:30pm, does that mean that the safety drill and all that has to happen, and that means they skip dinner tonight??

[bellybutton530]

Probably rough seas due to Earl and Danielle.

 

Happens all of the time. Shouldn't be a big deal.

[mbw1024]

this happened to us back a few years now. we were sailing Zenith to Bermuda but the ship was delayed getting out of Bermuda and therefore delayed in getting back to NYC. we had no idea until we got to the pier. they took our luggage and then shuttled us to a hotel in midtown where they provided food in a large ball room. it was a pretty bad way to start a vacation! I think we sailed about midnight that night. no dinner but the buffet was open when we boarded. we ended up getting some sort of on board credit for the delay.

[mahdnc]

Yes that day is going to be "wasted" but that is the best day to be sacrificed and your friends will not have their time in Bermuda compromised in any way.

 

On the other hand, imagine those passengers disembarking today that had planes to catch.........

[smeyer418]

...

I wonder, if the ship doesn't fully board until 6:30pm, does that mean that the safety drill and all that has to happen, and that means they skip dinner tonight??

 

The technical rule is the safety drill has to be conducted within 24 hours of sailing so it can be held tomorrow am. They don't generally hold them after dark.

 

They will serve dinner...even if its late...

 

Don't worry they know that a missed meal is a cause for passenger mutiny.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

LOL@MUTINY, thanks.

 

It's just that the people I've sent, the "he" of the couple works for me and is such a loyal, hardworking guy and early on, he got into trouble on a home mortgage. Instead of just "walking away from it" and blaming "big banks", he did the hard thing and kept paying thru the nose. Then his kids started college. Long and short, they've not had a real "vacation" in 8 years. They are right out of a Norman Rockwell painting these people.

 

I just want them to get the best experience possible. Luckily the weather was nice, so waiting at port could've been a lot worse.

 

Hopefully Summit won't let me down.

[C 2 C]

I've sent people on a Summit Cruise.

 

They are at port, I just got a text that the ship isn't going to arrive until 5pm.

 

 

Yesterday's post said boarding not arrival at 5

Celebrity Summit Late Arrival - (September 04, 2010 - 3:00 p.m E.S.T) - While sailing back to New Jersey, Celebrity Summit encountered strong winds and high seas, which significantly slowed its sailing speed. Because of this, Celebrity Summit's arrival to Cape Liberty has been delayed, and will now arrive in Bayonne, New Jersey on Sunday, September 5 later than originally scheduled.

 

We ask that guests who are scheduled to sail on Celebrity Summit on Sunday, September 5 not arrive at the port before 4:00 p.m., but no later than 6:00 p.m. Boarding will begin at 5:00 p.m.

 

The delayed departure is not expected to have an impact on the scheduled itinerary.

[boscobeans]

FWIW

The Summit was passing the Brooklyn beaches at 10:45 this morning.

 

bosco

[reklawr]

I suspect there will be some kind of compensation for the delay and the lost of a full day.

[loum140]

We arrived in Bayonne at noon. Other than a few self disenbarking, most off by 2:30. Ship sailing is delayed by a few hours, We wish the new passengers a safe and enjobale voyage.

[smeyer418]

We arrived in Bayonne at noon. Other than a few self disenbarking, most off by 2:30. Ship sailing is delayed by a few hours, We wish the new passengers a safe and enjobale voyage.

 

You're back :)

[esther e]

Probably rough seas due to Earl and Danielle.

 

Happens all of the time. Shouldn't be a big deal.

 

You have absolutely no idea how big a deal this was. People were injured from falls; TVs smashed from falling off shelves. In our suite we were woken to the crashing of vases, glass fruit bowls and plates and saucers. This was a horrific storm and one I hope never to experience again. It was worse than the Drake Passage.

 

The crew was awake at 4:00 AM because they knew they had a hell of a day ahead of them. It was impossible to deliver room service because it was impossible to carry a tray.

 

Thank God it ended, but not soon enough.

[billie5]

I am sure the "big deal" referred to the passenger delay, and not the passage through the storm. Belly was addressing the concerns expressed by soon-to-be embarking passengers. There were no posts written by arriving passengers!

 

Bill

[rjg41]

We are just off Summit. We did encounter some rough seas and it was an interesting day from early Saturday morning until late afternoon. Of course there are some who were excessively concerned about the situation and what happened. We heard comments like 70 foot waves, a tsunami, I am going to sleep with my life preserver, I'll never take another cruise again, etc. These types of occurrences are rare. It wasn't that bad and the Captain and the crew did a great job. These ships are designed to take a lot more that we encountered and we were never in danger.

 

Here are the facts:

 

1) On Wednesday, we were notified St. John, NB was canceled and that we would visit Halifax on Thursday instead of St. John and then head out to sea to get around Earl. Friday and Saturday would be sea days. The Captain kept the passengers fully informed and warned us that there would be rough seas late Friday into Saturday. The Cruise Director moved the Broadway style show to Thursday night since he was concerned about the potential rough seas Friday night might not be safe for the dancers.

 

2) The seas began to increase late Friday. At about 4 AM Saturday we encountered the roughest seas. Most of the damage was done in that period. The contents of the mini-bar fell out and the ice water tray went to the floor breaking glass. We were told by many others this happened to them as well. The areas of the dining room that were set for the next day all wound up on the floor with much breakage. I don't believe that any TV's wound up on the floor. I asked the First Officer on Saturday at the CC gathering how high the seas got. He said the highest were 35-37 feet and winds were 50 mph. At the closest were were about 350 miles from the eye of Earl. While I suspect that some people had fallen, we were not aware of any such cases. People did get sea sick. Based on input from the Captain, the seas dropped to about 30 feet by 7 AM and to 20-25 feet by 10 AM. They were running about 20 feet into the afternoon and slowly subsided through the rest of the day. We awoke Sunday morning to pretty calm seas.

 

Compliments to the Captain as he manged the ships speed and direction during the highest seas to do his best to minimize the effect on passengers on the ensure the safety of the ship. We were told by a staff member that the Captain and all the senior officers were up all night on the bridge and did not get any sleep until Saturday afternoon.

 

3) We found it disappointing that some passengers complained that they should have served cookies during the disembarkation wait. I want to say "Give me a break", but I won't. The crew had been working since the wee hours of the morning and were busy doing their best to get the ship turned around for the next cruise. The Cruise Director even scheduled a bunch of activities on board that morning to provide diversions for the passengers. They even ran a movie in the cinema. The buffet remained open until 11 AM. People told us the the Guest Relations Desk provided them free phone calls while at sea Saturday to change air reservations. More than most cruise lines would provide but maybe the others provide cookies.

 

We know that it was frightening for some and others got sick and others fell. Again, rough seas like this are rare and we were never in danger. Things happen. People have car accidents or near misses and yet they drive again. These rough seas would seem not to be a reason not to cruise again.

 

Overall, it was a great cruise.

[C 2 C]

We are just off Summit. We did encounter some rough seas and it was an interesting day from early Saturday morning until late afternoon.

 

Overall, it was a great cruise.

 

You have just experienced a cruise that will be part of your memories forever. You have a great attitude towards "interesting" events and thank you for sharing your experience.

[bellybutton530]

I am sure the "big deal" referred to the passenger delay, and not the passage through the storm. Bellybutton was addressing the concerns expressed by soon-to-be embarking passengers. There were no posts written by arriving passengers!

 

Bill

 

Any passenger that sails in the Atlantic and Caribbean during hurricane season (June 1st thru Nov 30th) does so with the knowledge that there is a possibility that a storm could alter their voyage.

 

It does happen all of the time.

 

Passengers need to know that a Captain is not going to endanger his vessel, and the lives of the people on it, because someone wanted to visit a specific port. And if the ships' arrival is delayed, so be it.

 

People complain about insignificant things all of the time. Sometimes events happen that are beyond ones' control.

 

As "X" said, this event will end up being the highlight of the cruise for those who were on board the ship.

 

To those who were delayed, it just wasn't your time. Would you have been complaining had you been on the other end of the stick? Just asking you to think about it.

[Freecall]

We are just off Summit. We did encounter some rough seas and it was an interesting day from early Saturday morning until late afternoon. Of course there are some who were excessively concerned about the situation and what happened. We heard comments like 70 foot waves, a tsunami, I am going to sleep with my life preserver, I'll never take another cruise again, etc. These types of occurrences are rare. It wasn't that bad and the Captain and the crew did a great job. These ships are designed to take a lot more that we encountered and we were never in danger.

 

Here are the facts:

 

1) On Wednesday, we were notified St. John, NB was canceled and that we would visit Halifax on Thursday instead of St. John and then head out to sea to get around Earl. Friday and Saturday would be sea days. The Captain kept the passengers fully informed and warned us that there would be rough seas late Friday into Saturday. The Cruise Director moved the Broadway style show to Thursday night since he was concerned about the potential rough seas Friday night might not be safe for the dancers.

 

2) The seas began to increase late Friday. At about 4 AM Saturday we encountered the roughest seas. Most of the damage was done in that period. The contents of the mini-bar fell out and the ice water tray went to the floor breaking glass. We were told by many others this happened to them as well. The areas of the dining room that were set for the next day all wound up on the floor with much breakage. I don't believe that any TV's wound up on the floor. I asked the First Officer on Saturday at the CC gathering how high the seas got. He said the highest were 35-37 feet and winds were 50 mph. At the closest were were about 350 miles from the eye of Earl. While I suspect that some people had fallen, we were not aware of any such cases. People did get sea sick. Based on input from the Captain, the seas dropped to about 30 feet by 7 AM and to 20-25 feet by 10 AM. They were running about 20 feet into the afternoon and slowly subsided through the rest of the day. We awoke Sunday morning to pretty calm seas.

 

Compliments to the Captain as he manged the ships speed and direction during the highest seas to do his best to minimize the effect on passengers on the ensure the safety of the ship. We were told by a staff member that the Captain and all the senior officers were up all night on the bridge and did not get any sleep until Saturday afternoon.

 

3) We found it disappointing that some passengers complained that they should have served cookies during the disembarkation wait. I want to say "Give me a break", but I won't. The crew had been working since the wee hours of the morning and were busy doing their best to get the ship turned around for the next cruise. The Cruise Director even scheduled a bunch of activities on board that morning to provide diversions for the passengers. They even ran a movie in the cinema. The buffet remained open until 11 AM. People told us the the Guest Relations Desk provided them free phone calls while at sea Saturday to change air reservations. More than most cruise lines would provide but maybe the others provide cookies.

 

We know that it was frightening for some and others got sick and others fell. Again, rough seas like this are rare and we were never in danger. Things happen. People have car accidents or near misses and yet they drive again. These rough seas would seem not to be a reason not to cruise again.

 

Overall, it was a great cruise.

 

 

Thanks for that, it's nice to get the facts.

 

.

[JoanSharon]

Quote:

 

We found it disappointing that some passengers complained that they should have served cookies during the disembarkation wait. I want to say "Give me a break", but I won't.

 

Well they should have at least served water!

 

I saw many pax in wheelchairs waiting for as long as 4 hours with nothing to eat or drink.

 

We were in a suite and were instructed to come to the Normandie restaurant at 12:40 where coffee and pastries would be served. We arrived there about 12:30 and there were no pastries (maybe coffee, didn't check, but no juice, etc) and what was worse, there was no place to sit!

 

We didn't disembark until 3pm. Those who had breakfast at 7 or 8am, would have had to go without food or drink until about 4.....when they might have been able to find a fast-food place near the pier.

 

Our biggest disappointment was the extreme heat at all the ports we visited (not Celebrity's fault, of course), and missing Saint John.

 

But all in all it was a pretty good cruise. It was our first on Celebrity and we were impressed with many things, including the food in the MDR, the condition of the ship(not nearly as bad as expected from reading CC), and the decor.

 

And it is true that the "rogue waves", as I'm told they're called, did indeed send glasses and bowls crashing to the floor, contents of the mini-bar rolling all over the room, and considerable damage to the ship. Too bad, but at least there were no serious injuries, afaik.

 

Will write a proper review later.

 

JS

[cruiserking]

Quote:

 

And it is true that the "rogue waves", as I'm told they're called, did indeed send glasses and bowls crashing to the floor, contents of the mini-bar rolling all over the room, and considerable damage to the ship. Too bad, but at least there were no serious injuries, afaik.

 

Will write a proper review later.

 

JS

 

The waves that pounded the Summit were about 30 feet but, they were not Rogue Waves. Rogue Waves are gargantuan walls of water that appear at out of the clear blue and level cruise ships and super tankers.

 

Recently the Norwegian Dawn was hammered by a Rogue Wave and many of her upper decks and cabin decks flooded.

 

Captain Peppas did an outstanding job to steer us around Earl and limit us to only 12 hours of massive seas. It was like being strapped into a roller coaster for half a day, after a while you just wanted to be done with the ride. Later that afternoon when it was only rocky seas we'd all earned our storm sea legs and feeling the odd pitch here and there was no big deal.

 

Jonathan

[richsea]

Quote:

 

I saw many pax in wheelchairs waiting for as long as 4 hours with nothing to eat or drink.

 

JS

 

delete

[can'tcatchup]

Captain Peppas did an outstanding job to steer us around Earl and limit us to only 12 hours of massive seas. It was like being strapped into a roller coaster for half a day, after a while you just wanted to be done with the ride.

 

LOL, after being awake since 2:40 AM, I remember somewhere around 8 AM saying to the friend travelling with me, "I'm kind of getting tired of this!" (G) I agree Captain Peppas and the entire officer and crew staff were wonderful!

 

We had a few things fall and roll around, but nothing like TV's (I heard Rob, the cruise director say that his TV flew out into the room), glasses or fridge contents. Perhaps that was because we were down in "steerage" on deck 2. :) But I did lose my balance & fall (twice!) backwards into the shower around 7:30 or 8:00 AM. Second time was the bad one because I really injured my tailbone; I imagine it will take another week or two for it to be comfortable sitting at the computer. :o

 

Despite lack of communication about last minute changes to debarkation procedures (we'd been scheduled on a cancelled Statue of Liberty tour w/airport transfers) and no new luggage tags, we were fortunate to arrive at EWR at 3 PM in plenty of time for our 4:55 PM flight. We'd received the written communication the night before telling us to do everything as previously scheduled, only do it 4 hours later, plus we'd inquired with Guest Relations. Nobody said anything about a change of location for our meeting/waiting place, and nobody said anything about luggage tags Red 8 that went on our luggage the night before being wrong. Again, had I not called Guest Relations after we were chased out of the scheduled Alpha Meeting room that we were assigned to wait in, we'd have had no idea we were to debark with the Pink 7 group, and that the Red 8 luggage area would be non-existent in the terminal. Finally, we did literally stumble upon our luggage sitting up against a pillar in the terminal. :)

 

I think embarkation and debarkation could stand some improvements, but that's not all Celebrity's fault as the local port people at Cape Liberty share in that.

 

Despite those few things which in the end seem minor, it was a great cruise and the experience is one we can talk about for some time to come! (G)