Live from the Brilliance - at 3:45 am all H*** broke loose!

[Shanafan]

And how would this be a black eye for RCI?:rolleyes:

I was wondering the same thing.

[Cruising89143]

I think RCCL is trying to compete with Carnival for the most damage/unhappy passengers.

 

This post makes no sense at all. Do you really think that RCI created the storm?:rolleyes: Why start a Carnival verses RCI thread over on the Carnival board over something like this?

[Cruising89143]

I was wondering the same thing.

 

Go back and read their previous posts and all will be explained.

[ChoosinCruisin]

I wasn't going to comment on this thread - I was just reading it for information, as I don't happen to know anyone on this cruise. But this post really rubbed me the wrong way.

 

I get SERIOUSLY tired of people like Jetdriver who seem to want to attack anyone who has a bad thing happen to them, because their "bad thing" apparently doesn't measure up to what our glorious soldiers fighting for freedom are dealing with. That seems to be the theme: how dare you complain, and how DARE anyone offer you their good wishes, because hey, look at what our soldiers are going through!

 

This just came up in another cruise-related scenario: I had a friend on that Carnival ship that floated off the Mexican coast for several days. Our local paper did a story on my friends, bringing to light how they were making lemons out of lemonade during that trying ordeal. Well, the comments thread after that article was filled with people calling them "spoiled whiners" because they were disappointed their vacation was ruined. Here's an example of the types of comments:

 

 

 

Comparing either situation to our armed forces is simply illogical and moronic. It reminds me of jerks who think they can make someone feel better about their misfortune by reminding them that others have it worse.

 

“I feel awful, I’ve got the flu.” “Yeah, well, you should be grateful. You could have cancer.”

“I’ve got Cancer.” “Quit complaining – some people get leprosy.”

“My mom just died.” “I know someone whose baby died.”

“My baby just died.” “Well I know someone whose whole family died.”

“My whole family just died.” “Yeah, well, too bad – what about the people in Africa whose entire villages were murdered?”

 

See how stupid that is?

 

And the whole concept that we should "save our thoughts and prayers" only for our armed forces is also stupid. Are we really not allowed to feel bad for people whose vacation was ruined, just because some people in other parts of the world have it worse? Is there a threshold at which point someone deserves good thoughts, prayers and empathy? Perhaps Jetdriver has a limit on the number of thoughts and prayers he/she has. Well, I don't. My ability to feel empathy, and send good thoughts and prayers out to people in difficult circumstances, is unlimited.

 

By the way, I have a son in the Army. I send LOTS of thoughts and prayers his way. Doesn't keep me from sending thoughts and prayers to the passengers who went through this nightmare.

 

I wish the best of luck to all of you passengers on that hellish cruise, and I hope you are all able to make it back to Egypt. I'm booked on a cruise next October with an overnight stay in Alexandria. I'm taking my Mom, who is in her 70's and is becoming increasingly medically fragile. This will probably be our last trip together, and certainly her only chance to see the pyramids - the last big place on her bucket list. If this had happened to us, we would be heartbroken.

 

This is the most well thought out post I have ever seen online. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone thought long and hard about what they say and the ripple effect their words may have.

 

My deep appreciation to this poster.

[Rala]

I'll second that appreciation! I pray for our troops around the world every night and I don't have family in the military. That being said, it doesn't preclude me from sending thoughts and prayers to those on the Brilliance cruise being discussed. I hope they all continue to make lemonade!!!! Bravo!

[spingal]

This is my first post on the RCL boards and this may already have been posted....

 

USA Today reports that RCL will provide a full refund to passengers on the cruise.

 

I am so sorry to hear that this happened. Must have been terrifying.

[MaggieKate]

Y'all are on Katie Couric. And I think CruisinCyndi's comment was a little joke...unless there's a really strange cult I'm unaware of.

[Leejnd4]

This is the most well thought out post I have ever seen online. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone thought long and hard about what they say and the ripple effect their words may have.

 

My deep appreciation to this poster.

 

GARSH! :o Thanks!

 

I guess that post really hit a nerve. It just seems like we're not allowed to feel bad about anything that happens to us anymore, because OMG our TROOPS are suffering, so we shouldn't complain. As a military Mom, I know exactly how much they are suffering...and if I pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a cruise that ends up getting ruined through no fault of my own, I'm going to be unhappy, and I would appreciate it if people would be allowed to empathize without being accused of not having perspective, or not caring about our troops. :rolleyes:

[Merion_Mom]

First of all, I apologize right now if I am repeating something or otherwise being annoying, as I have only made it from page one to page 6 of this thread, since I just returned from the Majesty. I promise to go read pages seven through eleven now.

 

Thanks, Laura. After being up for about 40 hours now (couldn't hardly sleep with the swells last night), I am not sure if it was percent or degrees. But as you said - who needs a math lesson right now? We had the scariest experience of our lives which I wouldn't wish on anybody.:rolleyes:

 

The Captain was great with keeping us informed; coming on the intercom about 4 times in the hour immediately after the event, and having his announcements translated into several languages each time.

 

The staff have been going non-stop to clear the areas. The amount of work they have done to keep us all fed is amazing. The Windjammer was a disaster area this morning. That it was open for limited dinner service was incredible.

 

We have been given $200 obc per cabin. There are people right here in the computer area writing a letter to RCI saying it's not enough. They had to line up for breakfast and lunch. Whatever. I will not comment on the compensation. But I give credit where credit is due.

 

The staff have gone without sleep to clean the ship and keep us fed. Venues are being reopened. The Casino is up, and everyone was in the Schooner Bar tonight having a good time. I am trying to make lemonade out of lemons here. Between the weather in England connecting there, to strikes in Spain, to the storm in the Med - this has been a cruise to remember. But, I am still having a good time, and enjoying meeting my fellow cruisers. We are all safe; no one was seriously injured. I'm not going to write a letter of complaint because I had to line up for breakfast.

 

Carol, are you getting the feeling that there is just *something* about Carols and ships that list over?!?!?!?!?!?

 

We were just told by a bartender that the ship will go into drydock for 2 weeks upon return to Barcelona and that the Dec. 17 cruise will be canceled. We're not surprised. Obviously RCCL is downplaying the "incident" but there is extensive damage to the interior including the salon, spa, dining rooms and many other common areas, including shattered glass elevator doors, holes in the wall, etc. An estimated 25 percent of cabin TVs flew from their cabinets and were destroyed. Many cabins are without electricity. More than 100 chairs and several tables were shattered in the main dining room, and regular dining service has not been re-established as of noon ship time on Monday, Dec. 13. RCCL has offered guests $200 shipboard credit. At least one guest letter circulating criticizes this "nominal" amount. As an 18-time cruiser who has experienced the wide range of "normal" rough sea activity, this incident was nothing of the sort. At approximately 3 a.m., the ship listed side to side about 30 degrees at least 4 times. The 7 x 4 feet closet door in our balcony cabin ripped from its hinges and flew across the room. The king bed slid across the cabin as if on wheels. The minibar contents smashed against the front door, along with the glasses, leaving broken glass all over the floor. The bed ended up perpendicular to where it started. The entire contents of the medicine cabinet were all over the bathroom, including shattered cologne bottles. Both nightstands, made of heavy wood, ended up across the room, as did the wood cocktail table. My wife narrowly missed being hit by the airborne closet door, which weighs 50+ pounds and easily could have killed her had it struck her head. Repeated "booms" against the side of the ship were later reported to be deck chairs from several stories above hitting the lifeboats below. The captain admitted in his first address within 30 minutes of the incident that a "mistake" had been made by slowing down in harbor traffic, causing the stabilizers to disengage. It is incredible -- if not miraculous -- that no one was killed by this error. Likely the captain was not at the controls at the time, given the hour. Before the captain's first PA announcement, my wife and I crawled in the darkness into the bathroom, dressed, donned our lifejackets and prepared for the worst. To say we thought the ship could conceivably capsize is not an overstatement. We remained huddled in the bathroom for 3 hours, until daylight. Two days later, we continue to endure 50+ knot winds and choppy sea en route to Malta, but the ship's movement is minimal contrasted to that nightware we awakened to. The mood aboard the ship is somber but thankful given that the injuries were mostly minor. (Word is the piano player has a broken nose, and you see the occasional stitches and splints.) We consider ourselves to be very reasonable travelers and don't blame RCCL or any other line for acts of nature. But by his own admission, the captain described the incident as a "mistake" more than once. The crew has been largely tireless in cleaning/repairing, but more than a few admit they have never experienced anything like this and that they "wish this cruise would just be over." We remain thankful, but shocked, that no one lost their life. We also are saddened that we won't be seeing Egypt, which was the highlight of this itinerary, and feel that a substantial discount on a future cruise would be reasonable. This terrifying experience won't scare us from future cruises, but we have a newfound respect for the power of the sea -- and for the engineering marvels of modern shipbuilding, including ship stabilizers, which if they aren't engaged can make grown men feel like rag dolls flung to and fro by an angry Mother Nature.

 

Yes, weather does happen, however, when you skip a port or miss something like Egypt on a Med cruise, one would hope that maybe you could get a discount on a future cruise or something like that. I know for us, we are scheduled on the next cruise and Egypt is one of the highlights and we would/will be extrememly disappointed if we miss it. I know that RCCL is not in control of the weather, and I agree that it looks like they did all they could and were very attentive to customers, I am just looking at it from the sheer disappointment of missing a major port due to weather. I am glad everyone on the ship is OK though.

 

Merely stating a couple of facts:

 

I was on the Crown Princess in July 2006 when she listed over, which a Coast Guard investigation determined was 24 degrees.

 

This list occurred on Day 7 of a 9 night cruise.

 

Within a couple of hours, it was announced that ALL PASSENGERS would receive their ENTIRE cruise fare back, all expenses to get home would be covered, and some people (and this part was done very badly) got 25% off certificates for a future cruise.

 

[RadioRay]

In this case, and another one that made the video rounds, we see lots of things sliding from security cameras. Including grand pianos. Does anyone know of a law, rule, specification, suggestion about the size, weight of something before it needs to be attached to the ship? I wouldn't mind a chair coming my way during a hard list, but a grand piano? If the bars and counters are attached, it would seem like many other things should be also. Just wondering if there's a line and what it is.

 

Ray

[J & G]

Another Black Eye for Royal Caribbean.

 

I agree....RC should have taken control of the weather and prevented this from happening! What were they thinking? :rolleyes:

[bluegirlum]

 

I was just thinking about how Brilliance seems to have a way of making the news every once in a while.:o

 

I was going to say "cursed"...:eek:

[klingoncruiser]

I saw this on the news yesterday. Glad to find out more about it.

[MaggieKate]

I agree....RC should have taken control of the weather and prevented this from happening! What were they thinking? :rolleyes:

 

I blame Sal Alosi. Tripping poor innocent ships.... :-(

[Taxguy77]

I am very glad no serious injuries have been reported. This is truly amazing to me after viewing the pictures and reading the descriptions of the damage. It certainly must have been terrifying.

 

However, I do have somewhat of a concern regarding overall safety. Perhaps it is because being trapped in an overturned vessel, a la Poseidon adventure, is my greatest nightmare... on our recent Allure sailing , the muster station was in the gym, where life jackets would be distributed. From the description of mangled equipment, this doesn't really sound like a totally safe place. Like Lifelong cruiser, I think DH and I would be in our cabin, with our life jackets ON!, not wanting to wait to have them given us. I am not really a fraidy cat, having celebrated my 50th birthday by skydiving, but when Nature is on a rampage, we humans are really at her mercy, and I think I would really like my life jacket at hand, and a straightforward route to the life boats, not a circuitous, many stairwell trip to a muster point that may not be safe, and thence another trip to the life boat. Any thoughts?

 

You Georgia girls really have good answers. I'll be with you!

[bluegirlum]

I blame Sal Alosi. Tripping poor innocent ships.... :-(

 

HA!

 

Maybe he should pay for everyone's cruise. ;)

[Jetdriver787]

Well perhaps you are right! It is never a good idea to post threads with an emotive angle. I am currently in a hotel in West africa (Senegal) and had been following this thread with interest since its inception. On Sunday I received news that a friends two sons (age 17 and 19) had been killed in a vehicle accident back home in the Uk on Saturday. Obviously these things happen all over the world on a daily basis, nobody would be any the wiser and nor should they be, but I was feeling a little incensed at the the shallowness of the perspective.

 

Of course this was a frightening event for the passengers involved, but fortunetaly nobody was killed and the damage can be repaired. Internet forums seem to be fertile territory for people sending "prayers" etc, to people they clearly don't know. It stuck me as odd that people who had experienced a very unpleasant storm and had their vacation plans disrupted by a missed port of call and seemed very sanguine and level headed about the whole episode, were being responded to as if some major tragedy had occurred.

 

It is my fault for posting personal feelings on a forum such as this and to those that saw the irony, thank you! To those that didn't or were offended, I apologise. Clearly $200 to spend in the up and running casino is an outrageous gesture and of course "thoughts and prayers" should be directed to those so affected. I am deeply sorry for my shallowness and lack of perspective and balance.

[dwelsh]

With a list like that at must have felt like The Poseidon!!

 

As more and more cruise ships, with larger and larger capacities, take to the high seas, IMHO it is just a matter of time till there is a real tragedy at sea.

 

Mother Nature is creating bigger and bigger storms challenging the floating cities, you know who is going to win!

 

Thank goodness this latest problem was handled by the liner.

[goinmobile68]

Looking at the pictures, I have to ask-is this ship identical to the Radiance?

[Merion_Mom]

Full refund!

 

The captain just announced a full refund for all guests as a result of the "unfortunate incident" of 2 days ago.

 

He did not repeat his word -- "mistake" -- that punctuated his first message after the ship "rolled" (listed) 4 times at 3 a.m. early Saturday morning -- but everyone was cheering too loudly to notice.

 

I'm toasting the captain and RCI with Dirtgirl in the Schooner Bar and just gave the first bartender I saw a $25 tip. All the staff deserve that and more. Eva, one waitress, lost her TV and DVD player in the incident so we'll make sure she gets new ones.

 

Personally, I think RCI went overboard (no pun intended) by offering a full refund, obviously reacting to press reports about the incident, but who am I to complain.

 

Another drink, barkeep!

 

Dirtgirl says hi and she hopes hubby is taking care of the kids.

 

Ok, so I should have read to at least page 9. ;) :D

 

Just want to clarify that a boat or ship listing to one side or the other is a matter of degrees . If any of you have an old protractor from school you can set it in front of you and easily understand the degree of list that was experienced . 10 to 15 degrees back and forth would be a tremendous amount of list for one of these modern floating hotel barges .

From the damage noted it might very well have been more , maybe 20 degrees at one point.

 

Navy veterans of WW2 have told me that they routinely saw listing of 30 - 45 degrees on destroyers . But , of course those ships had no disco , not even a lot of glass.

When a ship lists that severely it has more hull surface on the water than when it stands straight up and the more it lists to one side the more it wants to upright itself . This unfortunately is what tosses stuff around but the ship is in no danger.

They all survived although sometimes a little bruised and seasick.

The RC crew and passengers were lucky no one was more seriously injured.

 

 

We were told that cruise ships are specifically tested to "withstand", i.e., not capsize, a list of 45 degrees.

 

By the way, Carol - and all others who have commented about some of the snarky, critical and downright MEAN posters on this thread - I went through the same thing when I posted *live* from the Crown Princess list, and continuing afterward.

 

It's the worst of human nature coming out on the Anonymous Internet Message Board - a 21st century disease.:rolleyes: :(

 

Looking at the pictures, I have to ask-is this ship identical to the Radiance?

Pretty much.

[Taxguy77]

Just want to clarify that a boat or ship listing to one side or the other is a matter of degrees . If any of you have an old protractor from school you can set it in front of you and easily understand the degree of list that was experienced . 10 to 15 degrees back and forth would be a tremendous amount of list for one of these modern floating hotel barges .

From the damage noted it might very well have been more , maybe 20 degrees at one point.

 

Navy veterans of WW2 have told me that they routinely saw listing of 30 - 45 degrees on destroyers . But , of course those ships had no disco , not even a lot of glass.

When a ship lists that severely it has more hull surface on the water than when it stands straight up and the more it lists to one side the more it wants to upright itself . This unfortunately is what tosses stuff around but the ship is in no danger.

They all survived although sometimes a little bruised and seasick.

The RC crew and passengers were lucky no one was more seriously injured.

 

In college I spent a few hours coming back fron a field trip between 2 WWII Navy vets. One had been a mechanic on a carrier (Shot up badly, then sent back to another carrier) and the other on a DE. A list that might sink the carrier was the point at which the DE no longer got hot meals! They jus braced themselves and ate sandwiches in major storms (when they weren't working!).

[bluegirlum]

Well perhaps you are right! It is never a good idea to post threads with an emotive angle. I am currently in a hotel in West africa (Senegal) and had been following this thread with interest since its inception. On Sunday I received news that a friends two sons (age 17 and 19) had been killed in a vehicle accident back home in the Uk on Saturday. Obviously these things happen all over the world on a daily basis, nobody would be any the wiser and nor should they be, but I was feeling a little incensed at the the shallowness of the perspective.

 

Of course this was a frightening event for the passengers involved, but fortunetaly nobody was killed and the damage can be repaired. Internet forums seem to be fertile territory for people sending "prayers" etc, to people they clearly don't know. It stuck me as odd that people who had experienced a very unpleasant storm and had their vacation plans disrupted by a missed port of call and seemed very sanguin about the whole episode were being responded to as if some major tragedy had occurred.

 

It is my fault for posting personal feelings on a forum such as this and to those that saw the irony, thank you! To those that didn't or were offended, I apologise. Clearly $200 to spend in the up and running casino is an outrageous gesture and of course "thoughts and prayers" should be directed to those so affected. I am deeply sorry for my shallowness and lack of perspective and balance.

 

Jetdriver, I'm sorry about your two young friends. That is a horrible loss.

 

I'm not really a religious person, but I think the people who are sending their thoughts and prayers to those on the ship are genuine in their sentiments and hope that everyone on board is safe. The reason people come to CC is because of a mutual love of cruising, and this incident on Brilliance is so out of the ordinary that it is of interest to a lot of people. When I come here, I come to get away from the world, and just talk about cruising. I don't think anyone that comes here forgets the rest of the happenings in the world, but we just come here to talk about cruising.

 

Sounds like the events on Brilliance were really scary and I appreciate hearing about them. I am just glad that everyone is ok. It doesn't make me any less concerned about the troops in Iraq, or the events in Sweden yesterday; it just makes me hope that the folks on a ship that I've actually been on are ok. I think that's ok, right?

[Captain Jake]

Seems like sailing the Med in NOV/DEC can be an adventure something I'm learning to avoid.Thank the Lord that everyone made it off the ship safely.

:cj

[mek]

And how would this be a black eye for RCI?:rolleyes:

 

I believe after the Century fiasco in the fall, which was handled terribly, RCI didn't want any more bad press and so offered a generous compensation to the passengers. Smart move IMHO>

[dirtgirl]

I love your positive spirit Carol. Looking on the bright side is the best way to make the most of a scary experience. I think the complainers are networking to get the most perks from this bad experience, like maybe... another free cruise, which explains the mentality of "cruise fanatics. "Where can I go on my next cruise." :D --not that there's anything wrong with it. lol

But you hit the mark when you said that the crew is working non-stop do get things back to normal asap so kudos to the crew and I hope they get compensated well by passengers for their hard work.

I hope you and Laura have a safe and enjoyabe journey for the rest of the cruise. And Laura, I hope your motion sickness goes away. Just imagine how acclimated you'll be for the rest of your cruises. ;)

 

 

Thanks, Susie. What a mood change! Once the announcement was made, people stopped complaining and started having fun once again. I'm sad the nightclub is not going to be opened - the DJ booth is gone - so no dancing. But, oh well. I will survive! The 70s party was tonight in the Centrum, and we all had a great time with the YMCA guys. :D The gym is going to open tomorrow! Yay! And they are bringing on provisions in Malta. Much food was spoiled by rolling around on the floor.

 

Internet is no longer free, so it's hard to keep up with these posts! I tried to multi-quote, but it's not working for me. So to all my cruise buddies out there - thank you for your kind words. I miss you all, and hope to cruise with you again sometime. And you know darn well this won't stop me from cruising!!!;)