On Grandeur now..

[Donut23]

For the most part, the winches are steel, and will survive a fire quite well. There will be a need to clean out the burned grease from the bearings, and renew seals on the bearings, but for the most part, winch repair will not delay sailing. The problem will be getting carpet to match, and bulkhead and ceiling panels in the proper configuration and color, and things like the serving counters and bus stations fabricated in time. When a ship does a renovation in shipyard, this material has been ordered in advance, and is staged to the shipyard in advance. She may be ready in a week or so, but the decor may leave something to be desired.

 

 

 

 

That's what I was thinking.

 

Unless they can snitch matching soft goods from another ship entering refit, a big challenge may simply be getting carpeting, upholstery, drapes, etc. to match what was just installed.

 

Would the manufacturer have enough just lying around to replace what was damaged in aft guest spaces?

 

If not, I bet the factory is working Megga-overtime right now.

[sandy toes]

sometimes you have to read between the lines, especially when a thread goes on and on (check the number of posts for this thread). Cruise Critic DOES offer good advise. Just keep looking.

[stupendousman8]

By Friday, RCI is supposed to announce their decision on future cruises.

 

That's helpful news! Where did they announce this?

[mjldvlks]

. . . They had no lights to gather any belongings and in fact some passengers were pulled out of their rooms physically in boxers shorts. Add no lights and smoke. . . .

 

I think I will continue to keet "small LED flashlight" on my must pack list.

 

Thanks for keeping us informed. Have a safe flight and enjoy the rest of your modified vacation.

[WetToes]

Hi I'm new to the board and I'm new to cruising. My family and I are booked on Grandeur of the Seas out of Baltimore on July 5th. I came here to see if I could find out any information or advice or just some wisdom from folks who are familiar with cruising and when things go wrong (the fire). But every time someone posts something that could turn into a meaningful conversation - someone else goes and writes something completely ignorant and ridiculous. If anyone can guide me to a site where there is a productive discussion going on - I'd sure appreciate it. Thanks.

 

 

Your "ignorant and ridiculous" is someone else's "meaningful". ;)

[stupendousman8]

That's what I was thinking.

 

Unless they can snitch matching soft goods from another ship entering refit, a big challenge may simply be getting carpeting, upholstery, drapes, etc. to match what was just installed.

 

Would the manufacturer have enough just lying around to replace what was damaged in aft guest spaces?

 

If not, I bet the factory is working Megga-overtime right now.

 

They can always replacement temporarily with what they can get. I'm betting temporary carpet and drapes are cheaper than losing millions per cruise.

 

My bet is that all will depend on how extensive any damage to the MDR is. It would be tough to have a cruise with that part closed. Lounges or crew areas can be managed to other areas temporarily and let a cruise go on.

[mjldvlks]

That's what I was thinking.

 

Unless they can snitch matching soft goods from another ship entering refit, a big challenge may simply be getting carpeting, upholstery, drapes, etc. to match what was just installed.

 

Would the manufacturer have enough just lying around to replace what was damaged in aft guest spaces?

 

If not, I bet the factory is working Megga-overtime right now.

Actually, they routinely have some replacement soft goods, including some carpet, on board. Don't know how much though. But I will bet they have enough matching carpet somewhere to repair the affected area.

[webzila]

That's helpful news! Where did they announce this?

 

Their Twitter feed.

[broberts]

Passports are good for 10 years. You do the math:rolleyes: They are worth the money and you never know if you are out of country and need to fly home because of an emergency.

 

The math is, if one leaves the country once using the passport, cost for that trip is $135 more than traveling without the passport.

 

I'm not arguing either way. Personally, I always travel with my passport. However, the law & regulation permit people on close loop cruises to travel without a passport, using BC & government issued photo ID instead. Since the vast majority of Americans have both those documents the cost added to the cruise is $0.

 

With respect to emergencies, for the most part I agree. A passport makes things much simpler. However, an American citizen I believe will always be able to re-enter the United States. The only question is how much extra time and paperwork will be required should one not have a passport when arriving by air.

[sandy toes]

Dharma: Thank you so much for all the reports! We all appreciate you taking the time to keep us informed in such a factual way. Wish you (and all) a safe flight home and a wonderful time in OC. Happy Anniversary.

[stupendousman8]

Actually, they routinely have some replacement soft goods, including some carpet, on board. Don't know how much though. But I will bet they have enough matching carpet somewhere to repair the affected area.

 

It's my understanding that Freeport has pretty extensive ship repair departments. It wouldn't be unusual for them to already have on hand most of what would be needed to do all but the most custom repairs. They wouldn't have the right carpet for instance, but most everything else should be able to be sourced pretty quick. I can't imagine that Royal doesn't have backup somewhere or stuff stored for new ships not yet layed.

[wrp96]

We have decided to continue our vacation in OCMD and keep our toes in the sand and drinks in our hand.

 

May you have warm weather and cold drinks wherever you are.:) Can we get an OCMD trip report?;)

[webteach]

We were able to rebook for July 26 -same cabin 7650. Don't have the next cruise 50% cert yet but will apply when we do. Credit card looks scary right now but it will all work out.

[FLACRUISER99]

That's helpful news! Where did they announce this?

https://twitter.com/RoyalCaribPR

[stupendousman8]

https://twitter.com/royalcaribpr

 

thanks!!!!

[broberts]

I agree. The press uses words like panic, nightmare to make it seem horrendous. I am sure it was scarey but all reports here on CC indicate things were handled well.

 

CNN this morning said among other things ". . . as passengers were ripped out of their beds and crammed into . . .".

 

I suppose dispassionate reporting doesn't bring in the ratings. Tabloid journalism seems to be what works.

[texast518]

To join in with the amateur fire investigators, my biggest question in guesstimating Grandeur's return to service would be when the cruise line will be released to begin repairs -- i.e. when will the investigators be finished.

 

And in my purely amateur status [i haven't stayed in a Holiday Inn Express in recent memory, but I have watched Backdraft, and we had a get together around our neighbor's fire pit Friday night], it looks to me like it was a smoky fire, but not necessarily that major or even that hot. To me that makes sense given that some of the combustibles in the area would be ropes in various states of dry-ness. It would also explain why it took a relatively long time to extinguish.

 

Great journalistic reporting!

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

We were able to rebook for July 26 -same cabin 7650. Don't have the next cruise 50% cert yet but will apply when we do. Credit card looks scary right now but it will all work out.

 

It will work out....and now you have something to look forward to again!!

[Maryscooking]

CNN this morning said among other things ". . . as passengers were ripped out of their beds and crammed into . . .".

 

I suppose dispassionate reporting doesn't bring in the ratings. Tabloid journalism seems to be what works.

 

I don't disagree about tabloid journalism, but given Dharma's latest report of what passengers closest to the fire experienced, it actually sounds about accurate for some of the guests:

 

 

It seems that other passengers that were closer to the fire had a much more harrowing experience such as our tablemates who were on deck 3 after very near where the fire started. They had no power in their cabin...barely heard the captain awaking us at 2:50am and had their stateroom attendent banging at the door and screaming to leave. They had no lights to gather any belongings and in fact some passengers were pulled out of their rooms physically in boxers shorts. Add no lights and smoke. We luckily had no real idea what was going on just a few staterooms down.

[rabin1]

I am in the advertising business not journalism. Unfortunetly there is a saying in the media. "if it bleeds it leads". Meaning if there is ANY type of nasty issue that people would be interested in it is first in ANY form of media. It is wrong. I think ALOT of people should call not only their local media but CNN and tell them how we all feel about the way RCCL handled this issue...............awesome.

 

Also and this is a question wasn;t that ship that had the aft fire out of Miami started in the laundry room which is located in the aft I THINK? I do agree however we should ALL wait for the experts to tell us how the fire started

 

Have a wonderful day

Kathy

[Piepkorn]

CNN this morning said among other things ". . . as passengers were ripped out of their beds and crammed into . . .".

 

I suppose dispassionate reporting doesn't bring in the ratings. Tabloid journalism seems to be what works.

 

Probably missed by most - in the CNN video it was also said: "For the 3rd time this year mechanical problems caused a major cruise ship to upend a Caribbean vacation for thousands of passengers." Mechanical problems?....if she is that knowledgeable, maybe she could have given us the details. :eek:

[shields791]

Apparently the flights back to Baltimore are not going as swiftly as possible, hopefully the flights get back on track.

 

http://www.wbal.com/article/100130/2/template-story/Passengers-On-Fire-Damaged-Cruise-Ship-Wait-On-Flights-Home

 

Really interesting audio interview with a passenger on board on the bottom right of the article commending the crew and giving more firsthand details.

 

Also mentions that people who do not fly are being ferried by RCI to the mainland.

[Boatdrill]

Why would it be "alarming" if the CEO showed up in the Bahamas in casual attire?

 

Not alarming, but certainly unprofessional.

 

What seemed alarming to me was a perceived trend among management (especially at another cruiseline) to dress very casually while at work. Nice to see RCI in business attire, even in the Bahamas.

 

ps. The managers at the other line have been weeded out and no longer work for the company.

[cruzintee]

We are on the July 12 cruise. Unusual for us, we are booked in an ocean view on three aft. We prefer to be up higher and usually book a balcony or jr suite. I am a little concerned after reading some of the threads here that they may just bandaid the damage before our cruise. The flip side of this is that we may just be in a fully renovated room. I don't know whether to try to switch or not.

[Candleonwater]

This is not an attempt to continue the passport vs no passport debate, but I am curious about what the process is for those traveling on DL/BC. We always travel on passports, but never thought about whether or not we would be grabbing them in case of a middle of the night muster... in that case, say our cabin was no longer accessible... we could potentially be trying to get home without ANY id?

 

The math is, if one leaves the country once using the passport, cost for that trip is $135 more than traveling without the passport.

 

I'm not arguing either way. Personally, I always travel with my passport. However, the law & regulation permit people on close loop cruises to travel without a passport, using BC & government issued photo ID instead. Since the vast majority of Americans have both those documents the cost added to the cruise is $0.

 

With respect to emergencies, for the most part I agree. A passport makes things much simpler. However, an American citizen I believe will always be able to re-enter the United States. The only question is how much extra time and paperwork will be required should one not have a passport when arriving by air.