Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Live...mostly...from Anthem

KarinaGW

By KarinaGW,
in Royal Caribbean International

 Share

Recommended Posts

S.Jersey Adventure

S.Jersey Adventure

Posted
Posted

Lucky it was Anthem going through this storm

Anthem is the 3rd largest cruise ship in the world at 167,000 tons and can handle storms of this size and no problem cruising out of the northeast (there are more storms in the Caribbean).

If it was the Average size ship of 80,000 to 110,000 tons ships have been rocking much more.

I been through a couple big storms and a Big Snowstorm one of them on a smaller ship and one on a Larger ship and the big was rocking but the smaller was like riding a rollercoaster in bed all night long while sleeping with similar damage shown in the posted photos.

These Big ships can handle it :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jdfireman

Jdfireman

Posted
Posted
Couple of items..

 

Regardless of cosmetic or not, there will need to be a full inspection of the ship when docked, as well as engineering tests, etc, water tests, etc. I saw what looked like damaged guard rails, for example. This will affect the itinerary in some way. Elevators will need to be checked before reuse as well.

 

There's also going to be an extended cleanup in the galley and food storage areas, all food will need to be evaluated and probably some replaced.

 

If I had to guess, I would assume that RC will allow people to debark in Canaveral, regardless and get them back to NJ. Those wishing to stay on may be permitted to unless they find something significant. (Again, guessing only)

 

As far as the weather, I pulled a weather forecast from a paid service I can't repost legally, so feel free to take this as you want, but based on that, at the time the route would be set, it looks like projected winds along the course they ended up taking were to be around 30-40 mph with gusts to 75-90 and these would extend fairly far out to sea and was slightly worse out. There is nothing in the forecast that indicates what they got. Now, I have no idea what info the captain and the line had, but based only on the information I have seen my guess is when they left they thought they had manageable seas to deal with, and they didn't get what's expected. The example given above of airline turbulence is a great parallel.

 

I'm certain it was terrifying for many people on board (and some people thought it was fun - humans are funny like that), but the reality is that unless we find something else out during the day, the ship weathered pretty much a direct hit from a mid sized hurricane with what appears to be little if any structural damage, which is actually pretty reassuring, probable epic pile of barf bags aside.

 

Two other notes -

 

Emergency lighting can be manually triggered, goes on automatically in certain conditions (not sure what RCCL uses but would suspect mass watertight doors closing would be one), and in the event of power failures. All of these are possible given the circumstances.

 

The one photo of chairs and tables - That may have been deliberate to avoid them moving as much, its standard protocol to keep things from sliding. Note that the bar bottles are still there and haven't moved.

 

Thank you for your Expert Guessing

Link to comment
Share on other sites
YogiDog

YogiDog

Posted
Posted
Glad you are safe. It sounds like a very scary experience. It did not come out of nowhere though, that storm has been forecasted for a week.

 

P.S. Isn't it funny how the casino is always one of the first things up and running after something like this...

 

 

Yes it was forecasted but it took a turn for the worse and no one had knowledge that it would be this bad.

 

I am happy to have casino open - anything for a distraction - I would have been in it last night had it been open!!!! Sure, RCCL makes money off of it but as a passenger I welcome the distraction after such an exhausting night!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tbill

tbill

Posted
Posted
Yes. You are entitled to your opinion. Even if it is incorrect. There have actually been very little contradictions posted from us onboard...differences, yes..we have our own POVs dependent on our ship location and circumstances. There has been one person who has been posting alarmist unconfirmed comments throughout who is nominally on the ship.

 

Hon, I was defending all of you that are actually on the ship. As I read through here there are many that are not even on this cruise contradicting what you all are saying. What did I say wrong?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tbill

tbill

Posted
Posted
Yes it was forecasted but it took a turn for the worse and no one had knowledge that it would be this bad.

 

I am happy to have casino open - anything for a distraction - I would have been in it last night had it been open!!!! Sure, RCCL makes money off of it but as a passenger I welcome the distraction after such an exhausting night!

 

Oh, I hear ya! I would too, but they always manage go get it up and running very quickly!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MaritimeR&R

MaritimeR&R

Posted
Posted
Here is a link to News Story and eyewitness video from onboard.

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/anthem-seas-watch-passengers-terror-7330379

 

When I sailed both the Quantum and the Anthem, I noticed how much each ship rocked in (relatively calm seas) comparison to the Explorer and was fairly sure that the Anthem would have problems dealing with the seas and winds that Nor'easters. The Quantum class ships are long and narrow -- and the stabilizers they are equipped with didn't seem to be smoothing out the ride. I don't think this is the last time we will see this kind of news item about the Anthem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
YogiDog

YogiDog

Posted
Posted
I'm glad it seems it's all cosmetic and that they are getting the ship back in order. I hope everyone is ok and the cruise can continue on to all of the planned ports.

 

Karina - your pics are amazing.

 

Anyone know how GiGi the Giraffe is after the storm?

 

 

LOL! During the storm I saw Gigi on the itinerary cam and told her to hang in there! They shut down the outside cams in the evening (other than the main pool). The last alternative cam I saw was of the Royal Explanade and it showed the crew unbalanced and running around trying to prevent damage... so I think to calm the passengers down they shut it off...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
VikingCrown555

VikingCrown555

Posted
Posted (edited)
When I sailed both the Quantum and the Anthem, I noticed how much each ship rocked in (relatively calm seas) comparison to the Explorer and was fairly sure that the Anthem would have problems dealing with the seas and winds that Nor'easters. The Quantum class ships are long and narrow -- and the stabilizers they are equipped with didn't seem to be smoothing out the ride. I don't think this is the last time we will see this kind of news item about the Anthem.

 

Vision, Radiance and Soveriegn class would all have issues then because they are narrow(Panamax) and they don't have serious issues in regards to handling rough seas. At the moment I disagree with you :) I am no engineer or expert so I will gladly listen to deeper logistics.

Edited by VikingCrown555
Link to comment
Share on other sites
robmtx

robmtx

Posted
Posted

Onboard the Anthem. Captain has said they are monitoring another low pressure system near Jacksonville. We're only moving at about 12 kts and headed toward Canaveral. He said we'd reach port tomorrow morning.

 

Last night was rough, but manageable. The crew has been fantastic!

 

As of 11am, they have announced free WiFi for all, so I'm assuming my speeds are about to get really slow! Lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Loonbeam

Loonbeam

Posted
Posted

Adding some notes about listing versus oscillation versus flexing versus sheer and how they affect damage ..

 

Listing is when the ship rolls from one side to another. Based on some photos I have seen from people onboard, I'd say 15-20 degrees might be a good guess for the amount, and yes, that can be terrifying. Remember it will seem like more on the upper decks as well. Listing will result in damage like the flowerpots we have seen as heavier objects start to slide and pick up momentum as well as some of the galley damage.

 

Then you have oscillation. The ship is not just listing to one side in most cases, it usually goes back up vertical, then to the other side, repeat. From this you get things swinging, like wardrobe doors and such which put strain on hinges, causing things to break. This is when you also need to empty the pools to avoid wave action and someone taking a bath will flood a cabin.

 

All of the oscillation results in flexing of materials as different forces act on the superstructure. This is where you will see a lot of broken glass panels as they are actually twisted, and things like the ceiling damage on deck 14 we have observed.

 

Finally you have wind shear. 150 mph winds are bad enough, but when the ship is listing, they are hitting the ship decks at angles and velocities not accounted for in normal design. This can turn awnings, etc into projectiles, breaking them free of mountings (think

 

Of all of these, flexing is the most insidious and why there will need to be a full inspection of the ship at some point, as this puts the most strain on the physical structure of the ship.

 

I'm oversimplifying, of course, but the key takeaway is ships are designed to handle all of these forces even in truly adverse conditions, as we have seen. It's the decor and the people who aren't so designed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
libertybelle41

libertybelle41

Posted
Posted
You Monday morning Quarterback's should stick to second guessing the Panther's playcalling.

 

You have no idea what information the ship had on this system.

 

Believe it or not- some storms are unavoidable. Also, sometimes conditions change. Sometimes it is for the better, and sometimes they deteriorate. If they were given information about the storm and it predicted 50 knot winds and they intensified, that is not the fault of the Captain.

 

Sure- you may be D+members or whatever but you're not a master mariner with YEARS at sea nor do you have the same information they had.

 

Before you call for the Captain to walk the plank perhaps you should know all the facts.

 

I completely agree......

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Clarea

Clarea

Posted
Posted
Onboard the Anthem. Captain has said they are monitoring another low pressure system near Jacksonville. We're only moving at about 12 kts and headed toward Canaveral. He said we'd reach port tomorrow morning.

 

Last night was rough, but manageable. The crew has been fantastic!

 

As of 11am, they have announced free WiFi for all, so I'm assuming my speeds are about to get really slow! Lol

That will be a great test of bandwidth for the system. Please report back later and let us know if you have noticed any degradation in internet speed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SportsFanatic

SportsFanatic

Posted
Posted
You're wasting your breath. tbill has been complaining about her upcoming Anthem cruise and Royal on every thread possible. One day it was a rant that included her intent to share a drink package to coming back the next day with a claim that they've been upgraded to a suite.

 

Then she should stay home since she is so miserable. People like that drive me crazy

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Theredofshaw

Theredofshaw

Posted
Posted
For the sake of keeping this live thread as a time capsule of the event. It may be necessary for a Mod to lock it before it's taken any further and closed and deleted with comments like this.

 

One could hope. I wish they'd come in and clean up some of the rude and unnecessary posts. People are extremely rude throughout this forum and that is why many run off after only one or two posts. Other than hitting the little triangle button in the corner and reporting them, it doesn't seem to be getting much better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MommaBear55

MommaBear55

Posted
Posted
Information without bias:

 

The Captain has not given any updated ETAs re: Port Canaveral arrival. Conferencing between ship and home office is happening.

Most *visible* damage appears to be cosmetic to a lesser or greater degree.

Weather is nice, but chilly.

Seas are okay.

Most of the food venues are now open. Although Cafe Promenade (being the only place open for a couple of hours is wiped out last I looked.

Lines are pretty much non-existant at Guest Services which indicates to me that people are being remarkably understanding.

Some of the bars are open.

 

Here are some pix I took around the ship. I think the FB link will work:

https://www.facebook.com/karinagw/media_set?set=a.785573522938.1073741885.73700961&type=3&pnref=story

 

Thank you for this factual report. I, like so many others, have followed this story closely and have wondered how things are going. As one who was out in part of Sandy, I know what big waves and wind can feel like, but we only experienced it briefly in daylight.

 

And for all of you who "know" what the meteorologists said and what the captain was thinking, I call shenanigans. What I know is that Coast Guard will investigate this, they will inspect the ship and if they discover there is probable cause, there will be a formal inquiry. Then, and only then, will we know what really happened. Until then, pure speculation as to who knew what and why certain decisions were made.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...