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Live...mostly...from Anthem

KarinaGW

By KarinaGW,
in Royal Caribbean International

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loubetti

loubetti

Posted
Posted

Thankfully things seem to be calming down a bit. For those on board, you were experiencing conditions OFF the Beaufort scale, which ends at force 12. You were / are in hurricane wind conditions, which is where the scale leaves off.

 

All that a huge ship like Anthem can do is to hang on. Her huge size is meaningless, as most of it is out of the water, and that portion of the hull and superstructure acts like a huge sail with the wind. No surprise judging by wind direction that the captain could not get her into the wind. The ship is not powerful enough to overcome that force.

 

I've always said it at CC before: These mega cruise ships cannot deal well with the worst mother nature can dish up. Yes, they can hang on, but not much more.

 

As to blaming the captain, and thinking this could have been avoided or minimized, have a talk with him personally, and give him your thoughts! :cool:

 

The ONLY ship that could have truly dealt with this, is a true ocean liner. And last time I checked, Anthem does not have the nick name "Queen Mary 2".

 

In fact, even QM2 would have found these conditions to be a challenge, but she at least has the power and the design to go up against this stuff. I think QM2 would maneuver much better, and given the appropriate conditions can make 29 knots to get out of "Dodge"

 

Just be happy you did not get hit with a 100' rogue wave, as QM2's predecessor QE2 did in 1995. QE2 took the wave like a champ and sailed on with minor damage. If Anthem, I would dread what the consequences would be.

 

Thus, never think that these mega cruise ships are immune from the really bad stuff. In fact, their size / construction makes them more vulnerable when mother nature unleashes her wrath.

 

I wish all on board well, and welcome to the Force 12+ club!:D

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Setting sail for fun

Setting sail for fun

Posted
Posted

My prayers are with all of you on board! I am glad it seems to be getting better now.

 

I am sure they will have to have the ship inspected as soon as they can. Explorer's last cruise from NJ was very bad, as well, and had to be inspected after. Your situation seems even worse.

 

Hope you will have much better weather very soon and can enjoy some of your vacation.

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Royalpair

Royalpair

Posted
Posted

I may be naïve, but I find it hard to believe Royal and the Captain would knowingly put the ship and its passengers in harms way! With all the technology they have, and other sources such as the Coast Guard, I have to believe the storm suddenly shifted (like our lake effect storms have been known to do). I hope the damage is minor and everyone can begin to enjoy their vacation. I know I'll be better prepared for our trip in March!

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morningtroll

morningtroll

Posted
Posted

I can't even imagine what you are all going through. I got off her yesterday.

You are all in my thoughts.

 

And commenting on the avoidability of this storm is idiotoc. Two weeks ago people were commenting they should have stayed the course. There is NO WAY that the captain or Miami would ever put 5,000 plus lives at stake or put their billion dollar asset in harm's way.

 

And yes, if anyone ever wants to complain about a missed port or itinerary, think of the real horror and risk of safety and property faced today.

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Reader0108598

Reader0108598

Posted
Posted
Thankfully things seem to be calming down a bit. For those on board, you were experiencing conditions OFF the Beaufort scale, which ends at force 12. You were / are in hurricane wind conditions, which is where the scale leaves off.

 

All that a huge ship like Anthem can do is to hang on. Her huge size is meaningless, as most of it is out of the water, and that portion of the hull and superstructure acts like a huge sail with the wind. No surprise judging by wind direction that the captain could not get her into the wind. The ship is not powerful enough to overcome that force.

 

I've always said it at CC before: These mega cruise ships cannot deal well with the worst mother nature can dish up. Yes, they can hang on, but not much more.

 

As to blaming the captain, and thinking this could have been avoided or minimized, have a talk with him personally, and give him your thoughts! :cool:

 

The ONLY ship that could have truly dealt with this, is a true ocean liner. And last time I checked, Anthem does not have the nick name "Queen Mary 2".

 

In fact, even QM2 would have found these conditions to be a challenge, but she at least has the power and the design to go up against this stuff. I think QM2 would maneuver much better, and given the appropriate conditions can make 29 knots to get out of "Dodge"

 

Just be happy you did not get hit with a 100' rogue wave, as QM2's predecessor QE2 did in 1995. QE2 took the wave like a champ and sailed on with minor damage. If Anthem, I would dread what the consequences would be.

 

Thus, never think that these mega cruise ships are immune from the really bad stuff. In fact, their size / construction makes them more vulnerable when mother nature unleashes her wrath.

 

I wish all on board well, and welcome to the Force 12+ club!:D

 

Thanks Lou this post was informative.

 

Reader

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Oshawapilot

Oshawapilot

Posted
Posted
After this, I think they need to take a pitstop at the nearest port to do a full check over the entire ship. There is no way there isn't any damage.

 

Doubt it. Ships are built strong. Cosmetic damage isn't unheard of in strong seas so unless there's major structual or mechanical issues they will carry on and fix things later.

 

We sailed through something similar 4 or 5 years ago on Explorer coming back from Labadee - 50-60Kt winds on the bow and 35+ foot waves - still remember it well. Swells were so strong ove the bow it was lifting the anchors out of their pockets and banging them into the hull over and over. Weightless periods, a lot of stuff spilled and sliding about..all sorts of fun...never confined to cabins but many people never left them regardless.

 

We were out and about doing our thing, making the best of it. Never felt in danger.

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ryano

ryano

Posted
Posted

This is why I hate the saying "a bad day on a cruise ship is better than a good day on land" :(. People that say that have never been on a cruise like this and I bet everyone on Anthem would disagree with that right now.

 

Hold on, stay safe and you all are in my thoughts. Hopes for calmer seas soon!

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loubetti

loubetti

Posted
Posted (edited)
Sad thing is it could have been avoided, Captain came on the intercom during breakfast before storm intensified and gave a 15 minute announcement about the coming weather, I've cruised on RC since 1987 and never heard a Captain give such a lengthy and detailed announcement about weather before it hit. Perhaps we should have turned the ship then instead of waiting until the winds were so strong (150 mph+) that the ship couldn't move forward against the winds.

 

So, you know meteorology better than the captain, and his years of experience?

 

As an aviator for 40+ years, I know weather / meteorology, and how quickly things can change. In a 200 knot plane, I can get out of the way quicker than in a 22.5 knot cruise ship.

 

My feeling is that what was "brewing" became far worse than expected, and he could not get out of the way. No captain in their right mind would knowingly sail into this mess.

Edited by loubetti
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IndyKid

IndyKid

Posted
Posted

I'm kinda at a loss as far as trying to understand how in this modern age that a cruise liner can get caught up in the teeth of a raging storm like this.

 

The NWS, using all of the technology available to it, gives ample warnings to all, including transportation companies, about these storms. These ships come equipped with radar, satellite receivers, etc. so it's hard to plead ignorance here....

 

I wonder if RCI employs any meteorologists, or if they just monitor the weather reports?

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A&L_Ont "Live from...." Rare

A&L_Ont

Posted
Posted
So, you know meteorology better than the captain, and his years of experience?

 

As an aviator for 40+ years, I know weather / meteorology, and how quickly things can change. In a 200 knot plane, I can get out of the way quicker than in a 22.5 knot cruise ship.

 

My feeling is that what was "brewing" became far worse than expected, and he could not get out of the way. No captain in their right mind would knowingly sail into this mess.

 

100% correct.

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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

Posted
Posted
Well the door that sepperates our balcony to next door has finally given up the fight after 2 hours of flapping free and disappeared towards the back of the ship with a huge bang. I hope it didn't cause any other damage.

 

Hope that doesn't deter from opening balcony doors between cabins in the future

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Oshawapilot

Oshawapilot

Posted
Posted
I'm kinda at a loss as far as trying to understand how in this modern age that a cruise liner can get caught up in the teeth of a raging storm like this.

 

Because weather can be unpredictable. Particularly weather on the Atlantic ocean.

 

Seems this was not predicted, and no equipment short of a crystal ball can predict anything and everything to do with ocean weather with 100% accuracy.

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