Irene - Veendam NYC Arrival/Departure 8/28

[Sagedeb]

Wondering if anyone on the 8/21 Veendam Bermuda sailing is checking in - curious what HAL is saying re: arriving in NYC in the heart of the storm on Sunday 8/28 per all forecasts at this point. I am booked to head out that day!!

[mllewis48]

We are also booked on that trip and are watching the weather closely. Our flight leaves Ohio at 11:00AM and arrives in New York at 12:45PM. I have spoke with our Cruise Consultant and she says HAL is not concerned and all appears okay at this point. I will continue to watch the weather as it appears that the front edge, at least for now, will not quite be to NYC until late Sunday. Hopefully it will veer more to the east which will lessen the effect. Anyway you look at it it's going to be raining when and if we leave on time.

[baggal]

We are also booked on that trip and are watching the weather closely. Our flight leaves Ohio at 11:00AM and arrives in New York at 12:45PM. I have spoke with our Cruise Consultant and she says HAL is not concerned and all appears okay at this point. I will continue to watch the weather as it appears that the front edge, at least for now, will not quite be to NYC until late Sunday. Hopefully it will veer more to the east which will lessen the effect. Anyway you look at it it's going to be raining when and if we leave on time.

 

The front edge of this very large storm is expected to reach NYC late Saturday afternoon. I would call my airline immediately and see if you can switch your flight to at least a day earlier. You certainly don't want to be sitting in Ohio waiting for the storm to clear so your flight can land in NYC. The HAL cruise consultant is sitting in Seattle and really isn't paying that much attention to weather in NYC. I would be very proactive NOW.

[sail7seas]

HAL will post travel advisories, after they make decisions, here:

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/news/Main.action?tabName=Travel+Advisories

[EGG]

We are also booked on that trip and are watching the weather closely. Our flight leaves Ohio at 11:00AM and arrives in New York at 12:45PM. I have spoke with our Cruise Consultant and she says HAL is not concerned and all appears okay at this point. I will continue to watch the weather as it appears that the front edge, at least for now, will not quite be to NYC until late Sunday. Hopefully it will veer more to the east which will lessen the effect. Anyway you look at it it's going to be raining when and if we leave on time.

 

I agree with previous poster. I would change my flight to a day earlier. They are talking right now of this being the worst storm that has ever hit NY.

 

Tons of great indoor things to do in NY if you get here a day or 2 early.

 

I understand some cruise lines only charge $50 if you change within 24 hours of the flight, but by then all the flights may be booked.

[mudscraper]

What Holland America decides to do with this cruise will have no bearing on what the airlines decide to do with their flights. I would wager that Sat. and Sun. flights will be cancelled to NYC if Irene continues on it`s trajectory. Hopefully all cruise passengers planning to fly into NYC this weekend will be given enough lead time info. to reach NYC by car,bus or train. Good luck.

[SailorNYC]

The latest is that Irene will make landfall in NC on Sat evening. It's not expected in the NYC area until Sun evening/Mon morning. Maybe the Veendam cruisers will be able to get in and out in time.

 

http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/article/tropical-depression-nine-storm-hurricane-irene_2011-08-20

[peaches from georgia]

The Cruise Consultant really said "HAL is not concerned and all appears ok"? How is it possible for anyone to speak those words to a customer and have any credibility from here on out? 2 ships to dock with thousands of pax debarking and embarking in 2 cities about to be hit by the largest and most dangerous hurricane to hit the northeast in years and the best the cruiseline can think to say is they're "not concerned"? How are people supposed to make new travel plans to get to NYC or Boston

without realistic information immediately.

[kent4489]

The front edge of this very large storm is expected to reach NYC late Saturday afternoon. I would call my airline immediately and see if you can switch your flight to at least a day earlier. You certainly don't want to be sitting in Ohio waiting for the storm to clear so your flight can land in NYC. The HAL cruise consultant is sitting in Seattle and really isn't paying that much attention to weather in NYC. I would be very proactive NOW.

 

I agree... NOW! (By that I mean start being proactive and find out your optins. Still early and things can change, but you will need to be ready to make a call.)

[sail7seas]

We are also booked on that trip and are watching the weather closely. Our flight leaves Ohio at 11:00AM and arrives in New York at 12:45PM. I have spoke with our Cruise Consultant and she says HAL is not concerned and all appears okay at this point. I will continue to watch the weather as it appears that the front edge, at least for now, will not quite be to NYC until late Sunday. Hopefully it will veer more to the east which will lessen the effect. Anyway you look at it it's going to be raining when and if we leave on time.

 

 

What a ridiculous comment for her to make. She clearly is so far out of the loop....... :rolleyes:

[VermeulT]

The latest is that Irene will make landfall in NC on Sat evening. It's not expected in the NYC area until Sun evening/Mon morning. Maybe the Veendam cruisers will be able to get in and out in time.

 

http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/article/tropical-depression-nine-storm-hurricane-irene_2011-08-20

 

Here's from weather.com as of 9:45pm Wednesday.

Timing: Heavy rain may arrive ahead of Irene's center Saturday morning along the Delmarva Peninsula, later Saturday in New Jersey and Long Island, and early Sunday morning in New England. Heavy rain may continue through Sunday afternoon in Long Island and NYC metro, and through Sunday night or early Monday morning in parts of New England.

 

And they're saying it might be a category 2 (100mph winds) when it gets to this area.

 

 

To the OP - I'd seriously look into other plans/arrangements - I'd bet noone will be flying on Sunday - and I'd also bet the ship isn't leaving Sunday either.

I'm sorry your vacation is affected.

[SailorNYC]

While I agree it's better to be safe than sorry, and certainly move flights to Fri or Sat if possible...all news so far says Irene may hit NYC Sunday night at the earliest.

 

Of course, this could change if the hurricane speeds up, but it might also slow down, dissipate, move further east, etc. Right now, NYC is planning for the worst case scenario... there is no guarantee the worst case will occur.

 

Everything they are saying now is conjecture... it can all change.

[dansmom5]

I received an email from my daughter who is currently on the Veendam. She said the ship is scheduled to arrive in NYC on Saturday at 12 noon. It is not clear whether they will be able to disembark at that time or have to wait until Sunday. Just hoping they arrive safely in NYC.

[Sagedeb]

Thanks kczizik would appreciate any additional updates. Weather is supposed to be fine here in NYC on Saturday especially earlier in the day.

[English_in_Spain]

HAL will post travel advisories, after they make decisions, here:

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/news/Main.action?tabName=Travel+Advisories

 

I can't believe that this is the latest page to find travel advisories. It doesn't appear to have been used since June 2009. I can't believe they have had nothing to report for over 2 years :confused:

[hypercafe]

The storm is timed to be here from Sat night to Sun Night Monday morning. I am sure they will close the airports and the ship will not be in port. There is a story here how the port officials in San Juan closed the port making two ships leave early and stranding 500+ pass.

[peaches from georgia]

Hopefully everyone boarding has all their travel arrangements to NYC confirmed by now if flying for Friday/early Sat. arrival in NYC and hotel reservations for Fri/Sat and Sunday nights. It doesn't seem possible that the Veendam will be debarking on Sunday afternoon even though HAL has not posted any announcement yet. I'd rather have a hotel booked and cancel than have nothing lined up for Sunday night at this point.

 

It may already be difficult to even get air and hotel reservations this late.

[jtl513]

I can't believe that this is the latest page to find travel advisories. It doesn't appear to have been used since June 2009. I can't believe they have had nothing to report for over 2 years :confused:

That is where DutchByAssociation said to look for advisories. Temporary situations must come and go, but there hasn't been any change in the fuel supplement policy.

[3rdGenCunarder]

While I agree it's better to be safe than sorry, and certainly move flights to Fri or Sat if possible...all news so far says Irene may hit NYC Sunday night at the earliest.

 

Of course, this could change if the hurricane speeds up, but it might also slow down, dissipate, move further east, etc. Right now, NYC is planning for the worst case scenario... there is no guarantee the worst case will occur.

 

Everything they are saying now is conjecture... it can all change.

 

Probably won't change much. The computer models for this have been pretty consistent for a few days now. when you hear reports about where the hurricane will be, they're usually talking about the center of the storm. But the storm is huge, and as someone else said, there is rain well ahead of the center.

 

It is going to be ugly in the NYC area on Sunday. I suspect they'll do with Veendam what they did with Maasdam last year in Boston. Get to NYC early, and allow pax to stay on board until their scheduled debarkation time. Maybe let locals go home on Saturday. The next round of pax can board more or less on time on Sunday, and the ship will stay later in NYC. Maybe just until midnight (when overnight fees kick in) or longer if necessary.

 

I've heard comments about this being the worst storm to hit New England since Bob 20 years ago. I was on the Cape during Bob. It was quite a storm--power out everywhere, trees down, incredible winds. The HAL rep who said it's all OK was sooooo wrong.

[Salt air hair]

also, take into consideration the roadways, they could very well be impassible in some areas so even if your not flying into NY and are driving, Sunday will be treacherous. Not an alarmist, just a realist.

[knitlady037]

Right now I am listening to Mayor Bloomberg's news conference advising people to be ready for the worst storm to hit NY in 20 years. If you can, get to the city early or if possible change the date of your cruise. The West Side Hwy. Floods with normal rainfall and the airports are usually delayed 2-3 hours during regular rain storms. This would be too much stress for me to go through. The OEM here is on full alert. My husband works for DEP and they expect it tobe very bad. Evacuation stations on Staten Island and in Queens have already been opened.

[knitlady037]

Anyone that needs updated info about NY and what is going on here can log into NYC.gov. They have a lot of info available.

[catl331]

It is not clear whether they will be able to disembark at that time or have to wait until Sunday.

They're not prisoners! The question is probably whether they will be allowed to stay on board Sat night if they choose.

[peaches from georgia]

They're not prisoners! The question is probably whether they will be allowed to stay on board Sat night if they choose.

They may chose to if allowed. It will be impossible to get out of NYC on Sat night, IMHO, and hotels are probably already full.

[3rdGenCunarder]

They're not prisoners! The question is probably whether they will be allowed to stay on board Sat night if they choose.

 

Well, yeah, they are, sort of. In order to disembark pax, the line has to arrange for luggage removal and customs agents to be on the pier. They won't pay for that service as an ongoing thing. I think there would be a set time for disembarking pax early.

 

IIRC from what happened to Maasdam, pax were allowed to stay on board in Boston for the remainder of their booked time. On of the regular HALposters (I think Sail7Seas?) was on that cruise. Maybe she can explain what they did in Boston.