Fort Lauderdale - Best of Times, Worst of Times

[idahonurse]

Thank you NJ Fred. Still brings tears to my eyes today. Will be at FLL boarding the Regal in 4 weeks.

 

 

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[Once Upon A Time]

Thank You! So many lives affected Friday..

[rentlady]

Fred, you did a great job putting our thoughts into your posting. saying a prayer for those passengers and families involved.

Edited January 8, 2017 by rentlady
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[Dreamer68]

NJFred, your words hit home and hit hard. You are one gifted man, to have crafted such a beautiful tribute that makes me feel like we can all be the phoenix, rising from the ashes.... despite all the muck (and there has been an awful lot of muck recently), the human spirit can rise and WILL rise above it. Reading your words did my heart and spirit good today as I sort through the daily news. Thank you. Best regards to all from Canada.

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[queenofcruise]

Thank you !

 

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[Steelers36]

Kudos to the OP for a heartfelt open letter.

 

I know this tragedy made me pay attention and it had cross-border implications. I know T2 @ FLL having been in and out several times. Air Canada uses it as well as Delta. So immediately I wondered if any Canadians were caught up in the firing, but it seems none were so perhaps the baggage belts for those flights were far enough away (we have only had carry-on for years, so just breeze by those carousels for the exit).

 

Some folks didn't make it to Florida yesterday because some flights were outright cancelled.

 

Something needs to be done to get guns out of hands of mentally unstable individuals. The shooter appears to be a victim of PTSD and presented himself to the FBI at one point.

[Lucky TGO]

Fred, Great tribute WELL DONE !!!!!

Tony

[jimbri]

Beautifully written. Thank you.

[Grego]

Well done Fred. You captured the spirit and emotion of the situation.

 

We had just disembarked from the Caribbean Princess that morning and had just arrived home from driving from the port when we saw the news. I'm sure there were folks that we had met on the voyage that had issues flying out and more importantly, there were those hoping the join the ship that will never join a ship again.

[janetz]

Again, I cant tell you enough how heart moving your post was.

I just read it to my husband and had to stop a few times.

Yours is a post that will not be forgotten. :)

[deborahjo]

NJ Fred thank you your words say it all.

 

 

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[Lois R]

Fred, beautifully, well written.........thank you.

Edited January 8, 2017 by Lois R

[MaisonRose]

I know we all offer our prayers and sympathies to the victims of yesterday's insanity at Fort Lauderdale Airport.

 

Yesterday, the cruise industry endured a logistical challenge. They met it head-on and overcame.

 

And we give a loud and well-deserved BRAVO to those many anonymous faces who worked their bottoms off to help the sun break through the clouds.

 

For the role the cruise industry played in giving its paying customers comfort, please join with me in saying:

 

Well Done!

 

Thank you for your eloquent elegy, Fred. Well put. We are all left stunned once again.

[oskidunker]

Did princess just bus those withPrincess transfers??

 

 

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[cazzi]

Very touching Fred

 

Thank u

[Missymo]

I know we all offer our prayers and sympathies to the victims of yesterday's insanity at Fort Lauderdale Airport. A fellow cruiser, ticketed to sail on HA's Nieuw Amsterdam was among those whose lives were stolen from them.

 

 

 

Such is the worst of times. You leave home, board a commercial flight for a routine trip and, without warning, your world is upside down.

 

 

 

Godspeed.

 

 

 

Them there is the antithesis. The unstoppable human spirit. From the gallantry of our Police and other emergency personnel to the airport staff; all of whom heard the call of duty and did humanity proud by responding thinking only of those they were charged with protecting.

 

 

 

May Almighty God bless them all.

 

 

 

Most of us who read and contribute to this forum do so in a free and open exchnage of perspectives. A salute to the crew. A brickbat to the company for one reason or another.

 

 

 

May we always enjoy the freedom to do that.

 

 

 

Yesterday, the cruise industry endured a logistical challenge. They met it head-on and overcame.

 

 

 

We had just dropped our son and his lady at Port Everglades when all hell broke loose at FLL. Our drive out of the terminal was serenaded with the unstopping wail of sirens. The sky in the technicolor of red and blue strobe lights. Highways turned into virtual speedways as emergency vehicles floored their motors to get to where they were needed.

 

 

 

In the background, two vessels were moored. Caribbean Princess and Nieuw Amsterdam. Both with a remaining three hours till anchors aweigh.

 

 

 

As we drove onto I-595, I remarked to my wife that many passengers would probably miss their sailings. She concurred.

 

 

 

Our son kept us posted. First, CP's shove-off was pushed back to 6pm. 6 became 7. 7 became 9. True cast-off was roughly 9:20pm.

 

 

 

CP's Captain kept everyone on the ship timely advised. By this juncture, the FLL incident was known to all on the ship. Prayers and silent reflection were everywhere.

 

 

 

The Captain said, at about 4:25, that more than 100 passengers had yet to board. Planes were being rerouted to Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa and outside of Florida. I can only imagine what was going on at Air Traffic Control.

 

 

 

And this is where the excellence of the cruise lines and the port authorities kicked in. Strategies were mapped out, buses were hired. Cruise line personnel hit the ground running. Travel agents burned after-hours oil answering questions from stranded travelers and their worried families.

 

 

 

Somehow, they made it work. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel arranged police escorts for buses carrying intendeing passengers whose flights had been diverted. The Florida Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies and airline people giving priority to incoming cruise passengers.

 

 

 

It is what we do when adversity hits. It is the spirit that resides deep in all of us that does what has to be done - there is no instruction manual. Somehow, some way - - we just do it and move ahead. We shed our tears as we walk. We gather to deal with our frustration and grief.

 

 

 

And we give a loud and well-deserved BRAVO to those many anonymous faces who worked their bottoms off to help the sun break through the clouds.

 

 

 

For the role the cruise industry played in giving its paying customers comfort, please join with me in saying:

 

 

 

Well Done!

 

 

This is the most sincere tribute I have ever read. Brings tears to my eyes as I reflect on the carnage of the past days. The first responders , the cruise personnel seem to always go beyond the call of duty. Thank you for sharing your heartfelt feeling with us . . .

 

 

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Edited January 8, 2017 by Missymo

[TLCOhio]

Appreciate this wonderful summary by NJ Fred that so well reflects on outstanding leadership by the Princess staff. Very caring and organized by the Princess people. We are scheduled to arrive Feb. 27 at the Fort Lauderdale airport for our Island Princess Panama Canal cruise departing the next day that finishes in San Francisco. This is a "LIGHT" of promise and positive from an unfortunate situation.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 166,050 views for this posting.

[Colo Cruiser]

...

Edited January 8, 2017 by Colo Cruiser

[sheals]

NJ Fred, Thank you so very much for your wonderful tribute. Our prayers are being sent from Canada.

Sheila

[Loucat]

NJ Fred-As a Jersey Shore resident for most of my life, I thank you for your insight and wisdom relating to this event. I now live in Florida but miss the NJ shore every day!

This event makes each of us realize that at any day, any time, this could be one of us.

We all enjoy travel to and (not so much) travel from the ports. We have such anticipation and excitement having planned this event for days/months/years.

I grieve for those lost, hope only good things for those who were impacted and celebrate as you do all of those who made this experience better.

Thanks to all FLL airport staff, county and federal authorities, EMS personnel and the staff of Princess and HAL who focused on bringing booked passengers onboard. I hope their cruise experiences are kthe best possible.

Let us be aware as we go forward, that we need to insist on greater security measures in all venues.

[disneydiane61]

Another heart touched by your words. Thanks.

[suncrab]

Thank you Fred, very touching. the "World" seems to be losing it in a big way.

[cruise47]

To the OP your kind words are so true. Thank you.