Galveston weather concerns

[CRUISEFAN0001]

There are two of these threads. The other is in the CCL forum. There are posters in both attacking people who don't go along with the "total destruction" and "trapped at sea for days" theories. Looking at the Galveston webcams there are cars on the road and all the street lights are working.

 

That same group of people is arm chair quarterbacking and second guessing how RCI and CCL are managing a difficult situation. Between the two cruise lines you're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars in capital (the ships) and thousands of lives (us passengers) at risk based on the decisions they make or don't make.

Bravo....telling it like it is.

[knittinggirl]

Having done over 40 cruises, many exotic, we have also now done too many out of Galveston with the last one being on October 1 if it happens :)

 

That will be our last cruise out of Galveston and we may not even get off the ship in the ports. Yes, we can leave the house in San Antonio and sometimes be on the ship by noon. No airfare needed..cheap parking. We have often done back to backs when the consecutive itineraries were different.

But we are tired of the ports that can be reached from Galveston. We will now only cruise from other departure ports unless new options open from Galveston.

 

The cruise lines need to offer longer cruises from Galveston such as partial Panama Canal, long cruises down to South America, perhaps longer cruises to the deep Southern Caribbean. As long as they can fill ships every 7 days I guess they have no incentive for much variety in their offerings.

We have a Disney booked out of Galveston because it goes to the Bahamas instead.

[tugboat]

If anyone is planning on driving to Houston in the coming days check out your route here;

 

https://traffic.houstontranstar.org/cctv/transtar/by_roadway.aspx?mnu=freeway&rd=IH-45_Gulfhere;

[Cindy]

The news just announced a ground stop at IAH...not sure about Hobby.[emoji853]

 

 

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[Cuizer2]

The point is that the current models seem to show that the car may not be coming our way.

 

Also: Living in Boston means that everyone absolutely does just cross and assume the car will stop for them :p

 

And in California, where the pedestrians have the right of way, we stay on the sidewalk until it is safe to cross the street.

 

Today is Saturday. Based on the many webcams in Galveston, it is windy and rainy at the moment and there are no cruise ships in port. We will see what the webcams have to say tomorrow. I assume the webcam don't lie.

[BecciBoo]

No one said that. What was said is that anyone who cruises during that time period and thinks that nothing will ever happen on their scheduled cruises as a result of severe weather-related problems (ignoring the risks)is indeed lacking intelligence. That was the point...wrongly mis-stated within your retort.

We all have empathy for anyone going through those experiences...but the fact is that they are a result of conscious bad choices which many others would not make based upon historical facts.

 

So any other opinion but yours is the intelligent way to think, right.....OMG. You're very impressed with your grey matter aren't you?

 

We have made these decisions on numerous occasions where Hurricane season is concerned, weighing carefully and considerately all our choices, and never once regretted cruising. Love those reduced fares and trust RCCL to take care of us. After 22 cruises with them, they have always done right by us. Sometimes life gives you lemons, you just get out the blender...being delayed, canceled or having a shorter cruise is not a life altering consequence. By your definition, I must be one of the dumbest persons in Texas...and I assure you I am not. I just see life vastly different from you.

 

No harm, no foul.:mad:

[ducklite]

We have cruised this time of year for 23 years as have a lot of other people. The only two times in all those years we had weather issues were not in August but on June 4 sailings coincidentally. Does that make anyone who cruises from June to September an idiot?

 

I am sure that none of us are as smart as you though. We do appreciate your pointing out our stupidity for us. Especially since you have absolutely nothing at stake here.

 

Actually Hurricane season runs June through November. ;p

[CRUISEFAN0001]

So any other opinion but yours is the intelligent way to think, right.....OMG.

Nice insult. Not my opinion...common sense/common knowledge. Others' mileage may vary.

[Coopdog08]

You know I was trying to be positive, but wonder what that is going to look like after another 24 hours of rain. I am still trying to juggle flights, hotel, etc "just in case" but truthfully had they offered the chance to re-book or cancel with refund I would have done it. If I knew I was getting compensation I could have tried to book something else for now instead of weeks from now. I also know from experience that there are often tornado spin offs from the feeder bands which is already happening in the Houston area. May or may not affect us, but all things considered I am not thrilled about the prospect of flying into that area later today. Some sort of resolution one way or the other would be welcomed. I will still toast you with the boat drink if I make it that far. :)

Good luck today EB. Are you flying out of RDU or Charlotte? Keep us updated.

[EBFURR]

Nice insult. Not my opinion...common sense/common knowledge. Others' mileage may vary.

 

Right, that is why all the ships are mothballed or sailing empty during hurricane season. I guess your level of genius is just beyond the scope of mere mortals.

[BecciBoo]

If anyone is planning on driving to Houston in the coming days check out your route here;

 

https://traffic.houstontranstar.org/cctv/transtar/by_roadway.aspx?mnu=freeway&rd=IH-45_Gulfhere;

 

Hey Tug, you game for a quick short cruise...looks like Liberty will be half empty next week???

 

Not making light of anything BTW, but think about it.

[Gloworm2]

As long as you are on the ship why don't you ask at Guest Services what they are going to do. I would guess that they have plans in place for such happenings.

 

J.

 

 

 

Exactly. There is paperwork to complete for this onboard. You can disembark early. Plus this is a great advertisement for having a passport and not cruising on your birth certificate!

 

 

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[css5]

What's much more amazing is how people book a cruise in the middle of hurricane season...and then when one shows up...they're all upset at the airlines and cruise companies.

 

The PASSENGERS took that risk of booking during this highly-risky time period. While some cruises remain...many cruise ships are deployed elsewhere around the world for that same reason. The airlines and cruise companies do their best to adjust to the bad conditions. POOR CHOICES are the fault of the people making the choices.

 

"Highly-risky time period"? Without having time to do serious research, since Hurricane Ike, probably over 1,000 cruises have been been able to sail into and out of Galveston. And even if I am wrong, and 10 cruises were cancelled, that is still only a 1 in 100 chance of your cruise being cancelled.

 

The reason ships are deployed elsewhere in the summer is to go to Alaska and Europe - nothing to do with "hurricane season". I put it in quotes, as if a storm can't happen at any other time of year - tell that to the Anthem passengers, Feb, 2016.

 

I am not making any comment on the cruise lines' responses. But they must be ready 24/7/365 for bad weather, and they know this.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

By your definition, I must be one of the dumbest persons in Texas...and I assure you I am not. I just see life vastly different from you.

 

No harm, no foul.:mad:

Agree - No harm, no foul. :)

 

Some people see a glass and say it's half full (a limited view)

Some people see a glass and say it's half empty (also a limited view)

We say a glass is completely full - half air and half water (a reality view)

[betty barnacle]

For those choosing to board the Liberty whenever it does dock, and who are driving like us, I hope you might find these links helpful in determining your route to Galveston. I will be keeping a close eye on them if we drive down we will alter our route as needed.

 

http://abc13.com/traffic/most-likely-roads-to-flood-in-and-around-houston/2342094/

 

http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/roadclosures/#highwater

Edited August 26, 2017 by betty barnacle

[Jzx1103]

I think in the end, one thing RCL should've done regardless of what they're planning to do with the next Liberty sailing was to allow passengers who wants to cancel or switch cruises do so and give cruise credits just like Carnival. I thought they really dropped the ball on that one. Especially after Carnival announced they would do this.

[BecciBoo]

Nice insult. Not my opinion...common sense/common knowledge. Others' mileage may vary.

 

Hello....you said it, I didn't...your insult wasn't nice at all.

 

BTW, I do like your idiom.

[Cuizer2]

I agree that it was handled horribly. But my experience with RCI is that horrible handling of anything is the status quo. I'm sure that there will be cheerleaders who try to convince you otherwise, I've never been able to figure out how people can continue to support an organization which has proven over and over that they obviously do not care at all about retaining customer loyalty.

 

Back in the day Royal Caribbean was a lot more customer focused. Then there was a change in senior management and it has gone downhill since. The cheerleaders remember the good old days and have a low opinion of Carnival. New customers and those of us who have experience with more than just Royal Caribbean are less enamored with Royal Caribbean.

[BecciBoo]

I have experience with CCL and others, nothing will alter my opinion of them.:cool:

 

 

RCCL is not perfect, but they get our money. Along with Celebrity. There are many things I dislike, especially lately with changes they have made, but they are still our #1. I have NCL booked, I'll let you know about them....

 

Wow, it just occurred to me how far off track this thread has gotten, train wreck! O.K. done.... back to the weather...

[EBFURR]

Good luck today EB. Are you flying out of RDU or Charlotte? Keep us updated.

 

CLT. We originally had a direct flight this morning at 5:45 (ugh!) but that was cancelled. We re-booked an 8:15 AM y way of Baltimore but since RCI postponed update until noon today (yesterday's noon update came at 2 PM) we rescheduled to a 4:15 by way of Chicago with a 9:30 PM arrival. Our concern with that is that we may get to Chicago and if things were to get worse we would then have to turn tail for home. We just go along and complain.

[EBFURR]

I have experience with CCL and others, nothing will alter my opinion of them.:cool:

 

Hey BB, are you on our sailing?

[torpeedo]

I just heard on the news that the port of Galveston has told RCI to stay away from Galveston... the port is closed and has been closed since at least yesterday.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

I think in the end, one thing RCL should've done regardless of what they're planning to do with the next Liberty sailing was to allow passengers who wants to cancel or switch cruises do so and give cruise credits just like Carnival. I thought they really dropped the ball on that one. Especially after Carnival announced they would do this.

With things changing rapid-fire since Wednesday...and the port of Galveston itself making Facebook updates (just checked) changing frequently during the last 48 hours...it's a fluid situation for sure. Agree that communications are very important during such events.

 

Cruise insurance might be a good idea for those who choose to book during the hurricane season. We get it regardless of cruise itinerary/destination....stuff happens...and we want to make sure we can safely adjust to changing conditions (or delayed baggage, or cancelled flights, or delayed port arrivals, or other things that could happen to disrupt a cruise trip).

[reallyitsmema]

CLT. We originally had a direct flight this morning at 5:45 (ugh!) but that was cancelled. We re-booked an 8:15 AM y way of Baltimore but since RCI postponed update until noon today (yesterday's noon update came at 2 PM) we rescheduled to a 4:15 by way of Chicago with a 9:30 PM arrival. Our concern with that is that we may get to Chicago and if things were to get worse we would then have to turn tail for home. We just go along and complain.

 

Not sure if you noticed, the update is scheduled for noon, central time. I know the update was late yesterday, hope they get one posted closer to the posted time today.:)

[reallyitsmema]

I just heard on the news that the port of Galveston has told RCI to stay away from Galveston... the port is closed and has been closed since at least yesterday.

 

Lots of ships are outside the harbor, RCI isn't the only one impatiently waiting.

 

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-89.4/centery:25.5/zoom:6