Live and limping on the Dawn

[amy417]

How about a poll?

How many of you would have stayed on the ship back to New York and how many of you would have gotten off in Charleston and drivien home.

[calee]

Heck........I would have demanded that they allow me to stay another week !!!!:D

[JuniorCruiser]

My thoughts and prayers go out to all involved. It must have been a very scary thing for all of you to go through. All who were injured get well quickly. To all the 4/17 passengers i'm sorry for the delay to your vacation. I knew NCL would come up to the plate and take care of it's passengers. I give the Captain and Crew a lot of credit too for keeping things under control. God Bless!!!!

 

 

~~Debbie~~

[morningglorymish]

Thank god you are all ok.

Seems like NCL crew are truly professionals and as good as can be. Apparently you couldn't have been on a safer ship. Seems like there should have been more damage considering the size of that wave. Getting hit broadside. What would that have done to one of the ships half her size??Makes me want to only travel on the Dawn.

We traveled on the Dawn March 20th sailing with our children.Which makes my head start spinning with questions.How did the situation go down with the children? I know my children were often separated clear across the ship from us.Or even sleeping in the cabin.Thank you for all the information so far and good luck with your return.

Am also interested if the capt came on the sytem immediately to explain situation. Must have thought you were sinking with all that water on the ship. Did they do a passenger count to make sure everyone was accounted for and not missing? I would imagine people may have been out on deck and could easily have been washed overboard.Please forgive me for being so blunt , but everyone is so lucky. This could hve been much worse. Dawn is a good and lucky ship.

Will be interesting to get rest of CCer's take on this as well.

[Earthworm Jim]

The ship encountered a "rogue" wave... there is no way to predict them. Thankfully, they are rare.

 

They are rare, but not that rare. They are more common than was once thought to be the case. The link mshe posted says the Goma oil field in the North Sea recorded 466 rogue waves over a 4 year period. That's an average of about 40 a year in that location alone.

 

But some places are more prone to rogue waves than others, and maybe this spot in the North Sea is one of those places. And just because a rogue wave occurs doesn't mean a ship will be in that place at that time to get hit by it. It would be awfully unlucky to get hit by one, and it sounds like the Dawn was just awfully unlucky.

[MrPete]

These are not fun!

 

http://63.217.28.3/images/other2/GLwave1.WMV

 

Em, isn't the date of the Titanic sinking around here somewhere? 14th?

[LovesCruisin]

What a horrible thing to go through!! My heart and prayers go out to everyone who experienced this freak of mother nature..... at least everyone is now getting home safe.

[Host Caroline]

I am so relieved to hear that there were no serious injuries. It must have been very frightening. I cannot even imagine. If you don't mind answering I had some specific questions about how the crew and passengers reacted during the occurrence.

 

-were there any passengers that completely lost it? what about kids ??

-did you hear from higher-ups during the incident? how were you kept abreast of developments-was it crew members going about the ship, a pa system...?

 

 

For those more knowledgable about cruising, is this something they could have forecasted/predicted?

General questions

What do you suppose this means for NCL and the Dawn, in terms of reputation and financially?

.

 

First off, safe travels home to those of you on the Dawn.. you have certainly been through it! Weather Channel showed the storm on radar Friday eve off NC coast and it was pretty impressive.

 

Re: what it means for NCL: Cunard vessels and others have experience rogue waves at sea over the years. When QM2 was on early crossing waves were as high as one of the upper deck bars albeit in the north Atlantic. NCL will certainly have have financial aspects to this "freakof nature" but since it's impossible to predict a wave of this magnitude -- and not all are associated with close storms -- I would think impact to reputation should not be hampered esp. since they seem to be doing a good job onboard of doing best they can for passengers and compensating. Unfortunatly Charleston is relatively small in terms of airport, car rentals in comparison to Miami, NYC etc. and on a weekend it would be difficult to make "on the spot" arrangements.

 

Thanks for great posts and updates Eileen!

[TrinaLC]

I can report that it was the forward facing balcony cabins that took the brunt of the wave as we were booked in cabin 9502 and our trip has been cancelled.

 

NCL cancelled our reservation and we are soooo sad. I am glad there were no serious injuries and it is just circumstance, but we are already in NYC, ready to go, the dog is in the kennel, etc. We are just disappointed!!!

 

Cruiznuz

 

Cruiznuz - I am so sorry for you!!

 

Ironically, we are due to sail in that exact cabin, 9502, in July. I am so looking forward to it but it just shows that you know what can happen. Thank god nobody was hurt.

 

I hope you can find a silver lining - New York is going to be absolutely gorgeous this week. Also, it is spring break for the schools, so the city may be nice and quiet. Can you consider going on hotwire and booking a great hotel at a cheap price, and making this a NY odyssey?

[Samthebookitty]

Cruiznuz - I am so sorry for you!!

 

Ironically, we are due to sail in that exact cabin, 9502, in July. I am so looking forward to it but it just shows that you know what can happen. Thank god nobody was hurt.

 

I hope you can find a silver lining - New York is going to be absolutely gorgeous this week. Also, it is spring break for the schools, so the city may be nice and quiet. Can you consider going on hotwire and booking a great hotel at a cheap price, and making this a NY odyssey?

 

thought that I would add my 2 cents I am booked in 9502 in 2 weeks. I obtained a up grade for this room and was keeping as a secret from the Gf however with the news about the Dawn. I told her this morning. This is her second crusie and is looking to have a good time. She now has mixed feelings however she now believes that if the Dawn took that big of a hit and did not sink everything will be ok. Nothing in our newspapers about it I live in Albany, NY and she if Buffalo, NY and nothing in the NYC papers but since we get the early addtional will have to wait till tomorrow

[Preacher's Kid]

Since I was a small child on the Maine coastline, my mother has always warned me about rogue waves - particularly in one of my favorite places in the world, Pemaquid Point (with its lighthouse). I always loved to climb on the rocks down below the lighthouse and my mother has always been terrified that a rogue wave would come along and just sweep me away. It has happened on several occasions (to others, not to me). She has passed these warnings on to her grandchildren.

 

Now I live on the Northern California coastline. I imagine my phone will be ringing later today and I will hear yet another lecture about the rogue waves. And yes, this is the mother that will be taking an 11-day Mexican Riviera cruise with me in just 17 days. I hope she calms down before then. Maybe I can convince her that they are Atlantic Ocean phenomena, not Pacific Ocean.

 

I am glad that all aboard the Dawn were not injured seriously. As others have said, this will be a memorable vacation for them. I hope it doesn't kill their love of cruising nor prevent them from cruising again. And I am SO glad that the Dawn is such a safe, well-run ship.

 

Karenlynne

[TrinaLC]

thought that I would add my 2 cents I am booked in 9502 in 2 weeks. I obtained a up grade for this room and was keeping as a secret from the Gf however with the news about the Dawn. I told her this morning. This is her second crusie and is looking to have a good time. She now has mixed feelings however she now believes that if the Dawn took that big of a hit and did not sink everything will be ok. Nothing in our newspapers about it I live in Albany, NY and she if Buffalo, NY and nothing in the NYC papers but since we get the early addtional will have to wait till tomorrow

 

Sam - can you post a review of cabin 9502 when you get back? I'd love to see pics, especially of the balcony. Also, can you please let me know how windy it is on the balcony? We "live" on our balcony on cruises, and if it is too windy to sit out there when the ship is underway I may rethink this cabin selection. (If you do, please be so kind as to put 9502 in the title so I'm sure to see it!)

 

 

(Hopefully it will be fixed by your sail date - which I have to believe it will be, since it is likely only furniture, no structural issues.)

[sasi cruiser]

I have thought of nothing else since I heard the news. Please know you are all in my prayers. I can not comperhend what you all must have been going through. When Dawn was christen she must have been blessed. Safe trip home to all. Yes I was to sail on the 17th, so what, I can wait.

[tigerlilycruiser12]

I have to admitt that it was also on my mind all last night. Thank God that more people were not hurt. It could have been much worse. I am anxious to hear what people say when they return.

 

Marie

[bragstarr]

I too was on the Dawn in February. I kept picturing what must have been going on in my mind's eye as I've been reading the reports. Everyone must have been so frightened, I am also curious to find out how the crew reported the events to the cruisers and how all was handled. Given the professionalism of the crew I would imagine it was handled in a superb manner, but the first few minutes after the impact of the wave must have been chaos.

 

Thank goodness everyone is OK, there were only some slight injuries, and the damage is to the ship and can be repaired. It's a disappointment to those sailing this week, especially those whose cabins were damaged; I'd sure be upset, but all in all, it could have been a lot worse.

 

Robin

[Rotterdam]

My best wishes for all that were aboard NCL Dawn during this event.

 

I can relate - in 1996 I sailed on Celebrity cruises Bermuda with my family. A few days before sailing a hurricane was forming, then a second & finally a third. I called Celebrity many times & was assured we were ok & if necessary the ship would be diverted.

 

Sailing day comes & as the ship approaches the Verrazano Bridge I see the Song of America coming back to NYC a day early (from Bermuda) & later would find out the QE2(also headed to Bermuda) was kept in NYC harbor an extra day due to these storms.

 

We sailed Saturday - on Sunday morning the seas were rough, by lunch you had to hold onto rails & the outside decks were closed off. By dinner time (evening activities were cancelled) it was horrible. The smashing of falling china was heard throughout the dining room & I remember holding onto the table at times. Also not many people made it to dinner.

 

After dinner a rogue wave hit the ship broadside...as the wave hit, the ship listed. We were in a lounge - everything & everyone was violently tossed(if they weren't holding onto a poll) along with band equipment, large speakers furniture. Even the cocktail tables that are screwed to the deck were ripped out as people grabbed onto them. The entire contents of the bar were smashed & thrown all around. Then it got really bad when the ship righted itself & everything & everyone was tossed in the opposite direction. There were literally bodies & furniture rolling around the floor.

 

THe displays in the gift shops were smashed against walls, the casino had several machines & tables dislodged(it was used as a hospital area thereafter). People were in lifejackets all over the public areas & all the stairwells - I had to get 2 crew members to help get my family down teh stairs just to get to the cabins(which had broken glass & mirrors).

 

The crew were told to come up from the lower decks.

 

Then then the storm continued - all nite - 2 windows broke on the deck we were on(aft area) the water coming in was all the way midships where our cabins were located. The crew came in & put up the big heavey metal shield for the windows.

 

Passengers & crew were hysterical....and yet the officers were oblivious & made no announcements. There were many people with broken bones & cuts. The front of the ship was so badly battered the bow was indented(you could plainly see it with the naked eye).

 

When we sailed into Hamilton 24 hours late many people left the ship & flew home - I did not blame them.

 

So you might ask what did Celebrity do.....nothing! The officers were horrrendous in calming or keeping passengers (& crew) notified about our situation & safety. I know teh storm & our ship were written up in teh NY newspapers.

 

There were several lawsuits & Celebrity settled with a $50 cruise credit. I heard that the Captain was fired. Years later I could still see the dents in the bow. I haven't been back to Celebrity since. Believe me when you see bodies being tossed around like we did that nite you have a different perspective.

 

BTW - all was well with the QE2 & Song Of America. The only other ship to sail that saturday to Bermuda was an NCL ship that had the same experience as we did.

[buzbom]

I'm a resident of Charleston, SC. We noticed the Coast Guard helicopter hovering even a litlle ways inland yesterday (Saturday) morning, maybe in relation to the develoment to the NCL situation. As we arrived at our harborview home Sat. afternoon we caught sight of a Norweigan hip coming into the harbor, and I thought it looked bigger than the Majesty which is in and out all winter. We decided to go downtown to eata and when going over the bride noticed 2 ships on the other side of teh penninsula. Being "big boat" enthusiasts, we had to check it out. We had dinner at a nice little restauarnt adjacent to the passenger terminal, and got wind of the rumor that the ship had hit rough water incurring damage and injuries. This was around 4-5pm. There wasn't any large amount of activity going on though, we didn't see anyone being removed from the ship, or an outpouring of passengers into the city. I don't know what hotel availablility would have been like on a Saturday night in April, but with the Fmaily Circle Tennis Cup going on , and just genreal spring tourism, it probably was difficult for displaced passengers to find rooms. But if they had been able, they would have been in for a treat, because Charleston definitely is worth a stop on a cruise. the dowtown area is charming and reminds me of the Caribbean, so much that I moved here from Virginia for the weather and atmosphere 7 years ago.

 

From our vantage point in the restaurant we couldn't see the damage to the front of the ship, and the rest of her looked fine. I had never seen her before and wasn't aware how new she was. NCL is actually the only Cruise line I have been on and I was pretty happy with them. We are going on CArnival Destiny 5/01 out of San Juan. After seeing the Dawn yesteday, I'm wishing we had her instead!:)

[smeyer418]

My best wishes for all that were aboard NCL Dawn during this event.

 

I can relate - in 1996 I sailed on Celebrity cruises Bermuda with my family. A few days before sailing a hurricane was forming, then a second & finally a third. I called Celebrity many times & was assured we were ok & if necessary the ship would be diverted.

 

Sailing day comes & as the ship approaches the Verrazano Bridge I see the Song of America coming back to NYC a day early (from Bermuda) & later would find out the QE2(also headed to Bermuda) was kept in NYC harbor an extra day due to these storms.

 

We sailed Saturday - on Sunday morning the seas were rough, by lunch you had to hold onto rails & the outside decks were closed off. By dinner time (evening activities were cancelled) it was horrible. The smashing of falling china was heard throughout the dining room & I remember holding onto the table at times. Also not many people made it to dinner.

 

After dinner a rogue wave hit the ship broadside...as the wave hit, the ship listed. We were in a lounge - everything & everyone was violently tossed(if they weren't holding onto a poll) along with band equipment, large speakers furniture. Even the cocktail tables that are screwed to the deck were ripped out as people grabbed onto them. The entire contents of the bar were smashed & thrown all around. Then it got really bad when the ship righted itself & everything & everyone was tossed in the opposite direction. There were literally bodies & furniture rolling around the floor.

 

THe displays in the gift shops were smashed against walls, the casino had several machines & tables dislodged(it was used as a hospital area thereafter). People were in lifejackets all over the public areas & all the stairwells - I had to get 2 crew members to help get my family down teh stairs just to get to the cabins(which had broken glass & mirrors).

 

The crew were told to come up from the lower decks.

 

Then then the storm continued - all nite - 2 windows broke on the deck we were on(aft area) the water coming in was all the way midships where our cabins were located. The crew came in & put up the big heavey metal shield for the windows.

 

Passengers & crew were hysterical....and yet the officers were oblivious & made no announcements. There were many people with broken bones & cuts. The front of the ship was so badly battered the bow was indented(you could plainly see it with the naked eye).

 

When we sailed into Hamilton 24 hours late many people left the ship & flew home - I did not blame them.

 

So you might ask what did Celebrity do.....nothing! The officers were horrrendous in calming or keeping passengers (& crew) notified about our situation & safety. I know teh storm & our ship were written up in teh NY newspapers.

 

There were several lawsuits & Celebrity settled with a $50 cruise credit. I heard that the Captain was fired. Years later I could still see the dents in the bow. I haven't been back to Celebrity since. Believe me when you see bodies being tossed around like we did that nite you have a different perspective.

 

BTW - all was well with the QE2 & Song Of America. The only other ship to sail that saturday to Bermuda was an NCL ship that had the same experience as we did.

 

 

I am fairly sure this is the Zenith....although not named...

[roe2ship]

I can't imagine being there....how terrifying that must have been. Wish all of you on board a safe and sound return home. Sounds like the NCL crew did a great job handling the situation. Thumbs up for them.

[Rotterdam]

Yes it was the Zenith.

[Nliedel]

Thinking of all those on the Dawn bith currently on board and about to be or were supposed to be.

[shoreguy]

They are not as rare as many think. Here is a link to some of the research.

 

http://www.vanaqua.org/aquanew/fullnews.php?id=1510

[jetwet1]

I'm just wondering if it would be better to hit a large wave like that, head on, instead of having it hit you broadside or angled....:confused:

 

what you have to remember is that the QE2 was designed from the start as a trans-atlantic ship..look at her bow,it's far longer than "cruise"ships.

 

This helps with the large waves that can be encountered in the open sea.

 

getting hit head on is a far better situation than braodside..with a wave this big hitting broadside broaching is a possibility,though remote..the damage would have been far greater though.

 

As with everyone else im glad to hear there were no serious injuries (amazingly) and that NCL is taking care of it's pax.

[tallblonde]

just a note to say that my hubby - the cruise fanatic - usually goes to the Harbor Hilton across the harbor from Charleston's cruise terminal and watches the Majesty sail out on Saturdays - he called yesterday and said there was another ship in port - he thought the Dawn - and was tickled to see two NCL ships in port at one time. I got on the internet to see if it might be part of the itinerary for the Dawn - and it was there that I read the NCL news bulletin about the wave and subsequent damages.

 

Our thoughts are with everyone on the Dawn and send you best wishes and hopes that you have the opportunity to visit Charleston on a much happier occasion!

[debjo]

Thanks everyone for the information about "rogue waves", I guess I'm feeling a bit better with more understanding and knowledge.

 

Debjo (imagining the disappointment of those 4/17 cruisers who may have not heard "word" of the DAWN's delay and showed up at the NYC pier this morning!)