Anthem keeps docking us around

[karatemom2]

How late was she disembarking pax at LA? How much did it delay departure for the next cruise?

 

The ship was 12 hours late in disembarking passengers and it delayed the departure for the next cruise by an entire day as they did not leave until the following morning. Might not seem like much, but keep in mind this was only a 4 day cruise, so basically these passengers all lost 25% of their vacation. Many of the embarking and debarking passengers also experienced additional cost due to having to make alternate travel arrangements -change flights, extra hotel charges, transportation rebooking, etc.

 

Princess also ended up issuing a refund for the lost day as well.

[karatemom2]

It might be good to know but it had no bearing on what they did. Princess made the choice that passenger/crew safety was more important than schedule or money. Was it the proper call? We'll never know but it was nice to see the passenger/crew safety be their number one focus.

 

Thank you! Exactly my point in trying to illustrate how not every line would not necessarily make the same decisions.

Edited February 15, 2016 by karatemom2

[Cindy]

The location of the storm, the size it became, and the direction it moved pretty much precluded reaching any ports to the south or east without going through it. The alternative might have been to travel north to Canadian ports.

Judy

 

Absolutely or in other words.......It's Damned if you Do and Damned if you don't!!:p

 

Sailing out of the northeast in winter, the options are extremely limited, especially on a 7-night sailing. A cruise to nowhere (that sets out that way on purpose) isn't allowed by law, and the only other option from NJ is to head north...to New England and Canada...in the winter.:confused:

 

The outrage and venomous tirades from cruisers rerouted north has been deafening in the past, and that's been in much warmer weather. I can't even imagine the outcry if the Anthem had headed north on the 6th to sail an altered itinerary.

 

If nothing else, maybe this incident will serve to make people think twice before they pitch a fit and demand compensation when they miss a port or have an itinerary changed. I can't help but think, at least in part, the reaction of passengers on the previous sailing (delayed and altered by Jonas) played a role in wanting to deliver the itinerary that people booked.

 

That's probably asking too much, but I really do think people need to learn to engage their brains and common sense before they put their mouth in gear on CC, FB, Twitter, and the nearest media source.

[Merion_Mom]

.................and on a seven night cruise to the Bahamas, once you wait two days or three days..........you're not goin' anywhere!

[Biker19]

Even if the storm never exploded like it did I really don't want to be sailing in the lesser forecasted storm.

 

Ah, and there's the rub. While the cruise lines will try to give you as comfortable a sailing as possible, they do head out in iffy weather all the time (otherwise they'd be cancelling a lot of sailings). If you don't want that, never cruise again.

[kearney]

Check the back of your card. Most will have not only a domestic customer service number, but also a number to call if you are abroad. Put those numbers someplace where you'll have them if your card were to be stolen/lost.

 

I should have said that the banks can be costly to call from the ship... especially at $8/minute. Notifying them in advance can really save you a lot of grief if something happens to your card.

[kearney]

Thank you all for the various posts. It helps demonstrate how tough a decision it is to make. If you sail out of Florida they have a lot of options during a storm, in terms of ports. The problem with sailing south from so far north is that there are few places you can realistically stop... for lots of reasons, regulations, whether or not the port is set up for a large cruise ship etc. Bermuda is usually not an option either, too far out and often storms are passing in between.

 

The Captain and company had to make a tough call. I am sure if they knew how bad it was going to be they would have made another choice, but stuff happens. When it does you need to look at how well they managed. Frankly, I have a lot more confidence in these super huge ships now that I have seen how well Anthem handled it.

 

Now I get car sick, so odds are I would have been hugging the toilet.

 

I am glad I did not have to make that decision.

[cpufrost]

I know I'm the exception not the rule and my input to the press would probably stay in the editing room because I LOVE rocky trips and severe weather!

 

If it ain't raining, we ain't training! :D

 

OTOH, I hate to see others suffer too. I know it's ruining their experience and a lot of first timers will never step foot on a ship again after such an experience.

 

I've flown to ports and driven to them. Never cared for flying. Not anything against aviation but the check in process, limits on bags, hassle of losing, etc.

 

I don't mind the fact that weather can interrupt a trip or cause issues on departure and arrival. It's the nature of the beast.

 

I'm also a glass is half full kind of guy and make the best of a situation. I'd much rather be on a ship that can still provide hospitality than be at a resort hunkering down in a hurricane with no power, fresh water, etc.

 

It does little to complain about things you have no control over, that energy is better spent focusing on how you cope with it instead!

[kearney]

I know I'm the exception not the rule and my input to the press would probably stay in the editing room because I LOVE rocky trips and severe weather!

 

If it ain't raining, we ain't training! :D

 

OTOH, I hate to see others suffer too. I know it's ruining their experience and a lot of first timers will never step foot on a ship again after such an experience.

 

I've flown to ports and driven to them. Never cared for flying. Not anything against aviation but the check in process, limits on bags, hassle of losing, etc.

 

I don't mind the fact that weather can interrupt a trip or cause issues on departure and arrival. It's the nature of the beast.

 

I'm also a glass is half full kind of guy and make the best of a situation. I'd much rather be on a ship that can still provide hospitality than be at a resort hunkering down in a hurricane with no power, fresh water, etc.

 

It does little to complain about things you have no control over, that energy is better spent focusing on how you cope with it instead!

 

I have always been a half full person as well. I have often said that it are these tough events that can make for great stories. I vividly recall being chased by huriccane Dennis a number of years ago. At one point the navigation channel showed that we were traveling at a speed I thought exceeded the speed were were told the ship could do, so I commented to my husband that they must be throwing furniture off the ship to increase our speed. It was a bit of a rough ride.... but I remember that more than our smooth sailings. I have always had issues with motion sickness, but either I have changed or the ships have become so much more stable... that I actually miss some of the rolling action.... sick right? I am glad I was not on Anthem, but I would prefer to sail with a boat load of people who see the bright side than with those who feel the need to criticize particularly if they are not in a position to know either the capabilities of the ship or have the background information needed to make some of the decisions that the company had to make. Mistakes happen in every job and the key is what you do once the mistake has happened.

[shaun07]

So curious on the hypothetical here, had they stayed docked, not always possible with port scheduling, but assume that they could and waited to leave until the late Sunday early Monday. Then the storm turned into a non event, and now because you left late you will miss at least 1 of your regularly scheduled ports, with the possibility of many if you can't reach them on the day you were scheduled to dock.

 

Would you be ok with this, or be just as frustrated as you are now, because your trip had been radically altered for a storm that never happened? Personally to me the cruise lines are in a lose lose situation, no matter what they choose someone is going to be disappointed.

 

If somebody already asked this sorry for the duplicate question.

 

 

I do understand your point and it's a very good one. Personally ports don't matter to me but I see that for most people it does matter. So yes it would be disappointing for the majority.

 

My point is that when they weigh the lose lose situation I would rather they leaned towards the more cautious delay and skip a port route then the charge ahead into the storm. I get that hindsight is 20/20. We can argue all day about what's right and what's wrong. All I am asking is that in the future they err on the side of caution.

[John&LaLa]

Shaun, this week's voyage is worse than yours. Apparently children are allowed in the Solarium :eek:

Edited February 16, 2016 by John&LaLa

[MommaBear55]

Shaun, this week's voyage is worse than yours. Apparently children are allowed in the Solarium :eek:[/quote

 

Absolutely no comparison for sure, even though I was one who agreed it was awful they were letting kids in. I would certainly take pools with water and kids over empty pools filled with broken glass

[shaun07]

Shaun, this week's voyage is worse than yours. Apparently children are allowed in the Solarium :eek:

 

HAHAHA. I feel bad for anyone who like me booked anthem partially because of the adult solarium. it WAS such a nice peaceful place.

[robtulipe]

Where was Anthem to go as shown by this storm shot taken mid-day Monday.

 

 

Edited February 16, 2016 by robtulipe

[John&LaLa]

Shaun, this week's voyage is worse than yours. Apparently children are allowed in the Solarium :eek:[/quote

 

Absolutely no comparison for sure, even though I was one who agreed it was awful they were letting kids in. I would certainly take pools with water and kids over empty pools filled with broken glass

 

I agree, but the thread has an ominous tone.

[xpcdoojk]

I do understand your point and it's a very good one. Personally ports don't matter to me but I see that for most people it does matter. So yes it would be disappointing for the majority.

 

My point is that when they weigh the lose lose situation I would rather they leaned towards the more cautious delay and skip a port route then the charge ahead into the storm. I get that hindsight is 20/20. We can argue all day about what's right and what's wrong. All I am asking is that in the future they err on the side of caution.

 

I do not mean to be hateful...

 

Shaun, you could have looked at your IPhone and said, woah,... There is a big super storm out there, and gotten off before the ship sailed.

 

Ships sailing from NYC in the winter are going to face this situation every year. The ships are designed to survive the conditions, but they are not pleasant ones. If you don't like the risk, don't book these cruises.

 

I was booked on the 1/15, it could have been me on a cruise from he double hockey sticks. I cancelled because my DW didn't want to take another trip to the Caribbean,. While I surfed the flowrider.

 

When weather hits the NY City area on turnaround day there are no options, make everyone mad for not sailing or make you made when it sails into a storm.

 

It is not a win win. The ship was never in danger of sinking. Period, that is without question.

 

So, it was going to be a lost cruise. The company is in business to make money not cruising is 100% loser. Tied up to a pier in a storm is no place a ship's captain ever wants to be. The ship is much safer at sea. So, it is a logical gamble to try to slip past the storm, a storm as forecast could easily be passed by with a rough day or two.

 

Give it a rest, buddy.

 

JC

Edited February 16, 2016 by xpcdoojk

[GEARADRIFT]

Ah, and there's the rub. While the cruise lines will try to give you as comfortable a sailing as possible, they do head out in iffy weather all the time (otherwise they'd be cancelling a lot of sailings). If you don't want that, never cruise again.

 

Exactly, you could have waited until Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and I guarantee you that the ride South would have been uncomfortable. It can take several days for the waters to settle down after a storm like that. And, in this case, there was a smaller one right behind it.

[IsanTom]

Haven't you arrived home yet?

Edited February 16, 2016 by IsanTom

[TravelerThom]

...Ships sailing from NYC in the winter are going to face this situation every year. The ships are designed to survive the conditions, but they are not pleasant ones. If you don't like the risk, don't book these cruises.

... Tied up to a pier in a storm is no place a ship's captain ever wants to be. The ship is much safer at sea. So, it is a logical gamble to try to slip past the storm, a storm as forecast could easily be passed by with a rough day or two.

Give it a rest, buddy.

Good point, your basically saying that Rccl put money ahead of their passengers safetry...

Shaun: You have not proposed a single viable option. The failure of RCI 's decision making process pales in light of two MAJOR errors on your part:

 

1) booking a cruise where you were not willing to take the known risks, and

 

2) continuing to beat your dead horse way past its expiration date.

 

Give it a rest.

[RuthlessBoss]

Shaun: You have not proposed a single viable option. The failure of RCI 's decision making process pales in light of two MAJOR errors on your part:

 

1) booking a cruise where you were not willing to take the known risks, and

 

2) continuing to beat your dead horse way past its expiration date.

 

Give it a rest.

 

In case he hasn't noticed, Anthem is sitting pretty in the sun at Port Canaveral. Arrived this morning.

[cpufrost]

 

Passenger safety was never really in danger, assuming you followed instructions and went to your cabin and laid down in bed and watched the super bowl.

 

 

I have no problem doing that without instruction! :D

[backsbanny]

The point is that most probably rcl is going to blame the captain for all this mess...for them as a big corporate is the easiest way to find someone to blame..they will say that after all its his responsibility to sail at this conditions...every big corporation would do the same...i am an airline captain and this would have surely happened to me on my airline or on any other airline for that matter...he is going to be the easy target for all of this...i wish him all the best since i know that a captain either ship or aircraft captain would NEVER want to get into a storm like this and be put into that situation...its always a loss loss for the captain and officers on board...So by saying this i can not believe that he deliberately put the ship on this storm...not one captain would do this..i just wish for him the best

[shaun07]

The point is that most probably rcl is going to blame the captain for all this mess...for them as a big corporate is the easiest way to find someone to blame..they will say that after all its his responsibility to sail at this conditions...every big corporation would do the same...i am an airline captain and this would have surely happened to me on my airline or on any other airline for that matter...he is going to be the easy target for all of this...i wish him all the best since i know that a captain either ship or aircraft captain would NEVER want to get into a storm like this and be put into that situation...its always a loss loss for the captain and officers on board...So by saying this i can not believe that he deliberately put the ship on this storm...not one captain would do this..i just wish for him the best

 

In the end he did got us home safe and he deserves the credit for that.

[setsail]

I have come to the conclusion that the thread title is perfect except for the first word. It's not anthem that keeps docking us around:rolleyes:

Edited February 16, 2016 by setsail

[papaflamingo]

This is just so ignorant. The presiding judges of future jury trials of this incident weren't on the bridge; neither were the members of various juries who will be delivering the verdicts in court.

 

It sure looks like there are already MASSIVE number of expert witnesses lining up, currently working pro bono, to testify against RCL.

 

 

It's not "ignorant," it's sarcastic.

 

 

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