Galveston weather concerns

[tankerat]

As we live between Houston and Galveston, we paid close attention to the predicted path of Harvey during the several days it was known to be heading to Texas. The National Weather Service forecast showed from the beginning that the storm would likely stay stalled near the Houston/Galveston area for several days with high rainfall totals. Nothing has "evolved and changed" from that forecast.

 

 

We were told in advance to expect 20-30 inches of rain and (at our house) have received 24 inches so far.

 

What Royal did wrong was to insist that passengers for Sunday's scheduled cruise get to the port before airports and flights and roads would be affected or lose their entire cruise fare.

 

Furthermore the Port of Galveston had already held a news conference and a Port Spokesman had already stated that the Port was closed and would be closed at least through Tuesday. Was that too complex for RCL?? Apparently..as they conjured up the Magic Window that was never going to happen.

 

And events unfolded just as forecast by all weather sources and any passenger debarking Monday could have never gotten very far out of the port area and passengers coming to the port for embarkation could not have made it due to flooded roads. Everyone seemed to understand this except ...RCL.

 

I saw a Facebook exchange between a concerned RCL customer and Guest relations which is available on this thread where the RCL agent said ..

 

"To clarify-the port will be open, safe, and accessable Monday."

 

Wow! That is pathetic... bordering on criminal.

Edited August 28, 2017 by tankerat
Additional information.

[reallyitsmema]

I first posted on here days ago, as my large family group was trying to decide if we would keep our flights from Portland, OR and Seattle, WA on Saturday morning. We had over $14,000 tied up to Royal Caribbean for the cruise, plus about $3500 in airfare. No trip insurance. Fast forward to now, 5 of the group got stuck in Los Angeles when their flight was canceled from there to IAH. Two got canceled from the get go and luckily never got on an airplane. My family of 4, consisting of my husband, myself and two young daughters, have been stranded in a hotel near IAH since 9pm Saturday night. By the time RC had said they would not board until Monday, our flight was already in route to Salt Lake City. No change in status when our flight boarded in SLC headed to IAH Saturday evening. Shortly after we landed RC was still saying Monday boarding. Sunday morning, around 9:30am, is the first time RC offered a voucher if you couldn't make it. By that time we already knew Houston was in trouble and we tried to get out. But all car rental places were shut by the time we tried to get one to drive to Dallas to go home. Soon after that the roads flooded and we could not have driven even if we had a car. We are grateful we have a dry, safe place to sleep. I have contacted the various companies we had things booked with and gotten most, but not all our money back for canceled hotels, shuttles, rental cars, excursions, etc. But our travel expenses starting Sunday, when we should have been on the ship, obviously grows every day with food and hotel. We were charged money to originally rebook one of our flights due to a fare change. We have now rebooked 3 times, as it is unlikely the airport will be open before Friday at the earliest. My husband is out of his vacation time. We are out the money spent to have someone take care of our dog at home. We are out our airfare to get somewhere for another vacation in the future. But the money is just one part of this. The mental and emotional toll this is taking on my family is really challenging. I am not a drama queen. I am not a shrinking violet. I am not a "fly by the seat of your pants" type person. I am an 11 year stage IV cancer survivor. I got married and had two beautiful kids after being told I had a less than 15% chance of living past a year of diagnosis. I bought a house two years ago with my husband, only to find out the sellers lied on the disclosure. Which lead to a year long lawsuit to seek compensation to do repairs on the house. I never give up. If we didn't get on our plane Saturday we risked losing all our money. We figured if the flights were going, and RC was saying they were docking, we would be okay despite the news so we risked it. I now get to live with the guilt of putting my family at risk and hopefully get home sometime before school starts for the kids next week. We are lucky though- our home is still intact in Oregon, and for now our hotel is dry and safe. This has just been a horrible situation all around since last Thursday. This was our first experience with RC. It is also our last.

 

Stay safe, lilred. I hope your family is able to get back home soon.

[Cuizer2]

Help!!! I've been confined to my cabin and RCI has taken all my electonic devices and removed my phone from my room! They won't let me talk to other passengers either.

 

Just kidding. ;)

 

The interview went well although I looked like a gargoyle on Skype. As emotionally charged as everyone is about all this there's one thing to keep in mind. There are people in the Houston area that have lost everything and can't find or get in touch with loved ones. People have died. Compered to that what RCI did or didn't do falls under the category of "first world problems."

 

That said my emphasis in the intrview was on two things. The first is how outstanding everyone has been onboard. That can't be overstated. This was a left hand curve thrown at the onboard staff and they are doing everything they can to accomodate us. They made a Paella on deck today for entertainment which was cool and a thoughtful touch. Second, and my opinion hasn't changed, RCI made some really poor decisions that made a bad situation worse. What WAFB uses and what gets cut is up to them.

 

Shortly after (but unrelated) I got a call from RCI's executive offices. Without saying so they acknowledged things could have been handled better. They said my communication made them reflect and was used internally as a reference because of some of the points I made. It's easy sometimes in business to dehumanize a major problem; I've done it myself. Hopefully that reflection will help others if a situation like this reoccurs.

 

They confirmed New Orleans wasn't ever an option physically but infered diverting earlier should have been considered. They certainly weren't going to tell me they screwed up nor was that what I expected or pushing for.

 

They spoke of the 24/7 work rerouting has entailed for the folks in Miami and that a huge contingent was meeting our arrival. The person I spoke to is going to try and find me in the throng tomorrow. It was a very pleasant conversation with depth and caring evident on RCI's side. Perhaps even a little remorse.

 

I'm still pissed at RCI but think better of them now. They mentioned service recovery which is a code word for compensation but that's not what I'm looking for. I'm thinking once we get to Miami RCI is going to do something to "recover" what we've all been through. That would be appropriate.

 

So there you have it. I've decided to sail back with the ship because logistically I have to get my car out of Galveston somehow. Flying to Baton Rouge on Wednesday only means I have to drive roundtrip to Galveston over the weekend. So four more nights to go.

 

Interesting - thank you.

[Cuizer2]

I first posted on here days ago, as my large family group was trying to decide if we would keep our flights from Portland, OR and Seattle, WA on Saturday morning. We had over $14,000 tied up to Royal Caribbean for the cruise, plus about $3500 in airfare. No trip insurance. Fast forward to now, 5 of the group got stuck in Los Angeles when their flight was canceled from there to IAH. Two got canceled from the get go and luckily never got on an airplane. My family of 4, consisting of my husband, myself and two young daughters, have been stranded in a hotel near IAH since 9pm Saturday night. By the time RC had said they would not board until Monday, our flight was already in route to Salt Lake City. No change in status when our flight boarded in SLC headed to IAH Saturday evening. Shortly after we landed RC was still saying Monday boarding. Sunday morning, around 9:30am, is the first time RC offered a voucher if you couldn't make it. By that time we already knew Houston was in trouble and we tried to get out. But all car rental places were shut by the time we tried to get one to drive to Dallas to go home. Soon after that the roads flooded and we could not have driven even if we had a car. We are grateful we have a dry, safe place to sleep. I have contacted the various companies we had things booked with and gotten most, but not all our money back for canceled hotels, shuttles, rental cars, excursions, etc. But our travel expenses starting Sunday, when we should have been on the ship, obviously grows every day with food and hotel. We were charged money to originally rebook one of our flights due to a fare change. We have now rebooked 3 times, as it is unlikely the airport will be open before Friday at the earliest. My husband is out of his vacation time. We are out the money spent to have someone take care of our dog at home. We are out our airfare to get somewhere for another vacation in the future. But the money is just one part of this. The mental and emotional toll this is taking on my family is really challenging. I am not a drama queen. I am not a shrinking violet. I am not a "fly by the seat of your pants" type person. I am an 11 year stage IV cancer survivor. I got married and had two beautiful kids after being told I had a less than 15% chance of living past a year of diagnosis. I bought a house two years ago with my husband, only to find out the sellers lied on the disclosure. Which lead to a year long lawsuit to seek compensation to do repairs on the house. I never give up. If we didn't get on our plane Saturday we risked losing all our money. We figured if the flights were going, and RC was saying they were docking, we would be okay despite the news so we risked it. I now get to live with the guilt of putting my family at risk and hopefully get home sometime before school starts for the kids next week. We are lucky though- our home is still intact in Oregon, and for now our hotel is dry and safe. This has just been a horrible situation all around since last Thursday. This was our first experience with RC. It is also our last.

 

I can only imagine how tough this must be for you. I have talked several people into going on cruises with me and after this I kept wondering, what if this happened, would my friend blame me?

 

At any rate I'm glad that at least you are dry and safe. Hopefully in a couple of years you'll have a great story to tell about your 2017 cruise. That said, I'm glad to here from someone who followed Royal Caribbean's advise. This is what happens when a company puts its profit ahead of its customers.

[spleenstomper]

Thanks to BarryH and lilred for posting updates.

[Milwaukee Eight]

Help!!! I've been confined to my cabin and RCI has taken all my electonic devices and removed my phone from my room! They won't let me talk to other passengers either.

 

Just kidding. ;)

 

The interview went well although I looked like a gargoyle on Skype. As emotionally charged as everyone is about all this there's one thing to keep in mind. There are people in the Houston area that have lost everything and can't find or get in touch with loved ones. People have died. Compered to that what RCI did or didn't do falls under the category of "first world problems."

 

That said my emphasis in the intrview was on two things. The first is how outstanding everyone has been onboard. That can't be overstated. This was a left hand curve thrown at the onboard staff and they are doing everything they can to accomodate us. They made a Paella on deck today for entertainment which was cool and a thoughtful touch. Second, and my opinion hasn't changed, RCI made some really poor decisions that made a bad situation worse. What WAFB uses and what gets cut is up to them.

 

Shortly after (but unrelated) I got a call from RCI's executive offices. Without saying so they acknowledged things could have been handled better. They said my communication made them reflect and was used internally as a reference because of some of the points I made. It's easy sometimes in business to dehumanize a major problem; I've done it myself. Hopefully that reflection will help others if a situation like this reoccurs.

 

They confirmed New Orleans wasn't ever an option physically but infered diverting earlier should have been considered. They certainly weren't going to tell me they screwed up nor was that what I expected or pushing for.

 

They spoke of the 24/7 work rerouting has entailed for the folks in Miami and that a huge contingent was meeting our arrival. The person I spoke to is going to try and find me in the throng tomorrow. It was a very pleasant conversation with depth and caring evident on RCI's side. Perhaps even a little remorse.

 

I'm still pissed at RCI but think better of them now. They mentioned service recovery which is a code word for compensation but that's not what I'm looking for. I'm thinking once we get to Miami RCI is going to do something to "recover" what we've all been through. That would be appropriate.

 

So there you have it. I've decided to sail back with the ship because logistically I have to get my car out of Galveston somehow. Flying to Baton Rouge on Wednesday only means I have to drive roundtrip to Galveston over the weekend. So four more nights to go.

 

 

 

So, if NOLA was not an option, and your sailing back to Galveston, and as you have said, the port is still closed, how did Royal harm those on the ship. Not a cheerleader as they certainly harmed those trying to get to Galveston for a cruise that didn't happen. Those people are stranded.

 

What I have learned. Pack plenty of required medications.

 

 

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[nealstuber]

They were telling people to come to the port or lose their cruise fare, well after the area was under flood, storm surge, tornado and hurricane warnings. Period.

 

No offense, but your handle makes it kinda clear you can't think about this in an unbiased way.

 

 

 

How is this different than what Carnival was telling their Valor and Freedom passengers on Thursday? Absolutely, Breeze Pax had more time than LOTS Pax, but part of Carnival's thinking there might have had something to do with how many ships could port in Galveston (3) on Sunday if the Saturday ships got pushed to Sunday.

 

The way things worked out in may look like Carnival's intent was to provide more lead time to Breeze Pax out of Safety concerns, but it seems highly likely that both lines were thinking the big problems were going to be Saturday and that Freedom, Valor and LOTs would port Sunday with Breeze pushed to Monday due to port constraints. So Carnival thought Friday that all three of its ships would be running shortened itineraries this week and that's why they allowed customers to cancel sooner as that's the customary thing to do when itineraries are shortened. I don't think either company thought that this storm would be what it became - at least a week long emergency. On Friday, I think both lines expected this to be over by Sunday and that we're going to be three ships there, two of them leaving on shortened itineraries, one leaving as scheduled.

 

 

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[Milwaukee Eight]

I first posted on here days ago, as my large family group was trying to decide if we would keep our flights from Portland, OR and Seattle, WA on Saturday morning. We had over $14,000 tied up to Royal Caribbean for the cruise, plus about $3500 in airfare. No trip insurance. Fast forward to now, 5 of the group got stuck in Los Angeles when their flight was canceled from there to IAH. Two got canceled from the get go and luckily never got on an airplane. My family of 4, consisting of my husband, myself and two young daughters, have been stranded in a hotel near IAH since 9pm Saturday night. By the time RC had said they would not board until Monday, our flight was already in route to Salt Lake City. No change in status when our flight boarded in SLC headed to IAH Saturday evening. Shortly after we landed RC was still saying Monday boarding. Sunday morning, around 9:30am, is the first time RC offered a voucher if you couldn't make it. By that time we already knew Houston was in trouble and we tried to get out. But all car rental places were shut by the time we tried to get one to drive to Dallas to go home. Soon after that the roads flooded and we could not have driven even if we had a car. We are grateful we have a dry, safe place to sleep. I have contacted the various companies we had things booked with and gotten most, but not all our money back for canceled hotels, shuttles, rental cars, excursions, etc. But our travel expenses starting Sunday, when we should have been on the ship, obviously grows every day with food and hotel. We were charged money to originally rebook one of our flights due to a fare change. We have now rebooked 3 times, as it is unlikely the airport will be open before Friday at the earliest. My husband is out of his vacation time. We are out the money spent to have someone take care of our dog at home. We are out our airfare to get somewhere for another vacation in the future. But the money is just one part of this. The mental and emotional toll this is taking on my family is really challenging. I am not a drama queen. I am not a shrinking violet. I am not a "fly by the seat of your pants" type person. I am an 11 year stage IV cancer survivor. I got married and had two beautiful kids after being told I had a less than 15% chance of living past a year of diagnosis. I bought a house two years ago with my husband, only to find out the sellers lied on the disclosure. Which lead to a year long lawsuit to seek compensation to do repairs on the house. I never give up. If we didn't get on our plane Saturday we risked losing all our money. We figured if the flights were going, and RC was saying they were docking, we would be okay despite the news so we risked it. I now get to live with the guilt of putting my family at risk and hopefully get home sometime before school starts for the kids next week. We are lucky though- our home is still intact in Oregon, and for now our hotel is dry and safe. This has just been a horrible situation all around since last Thursday. This was our first experience with RC. It is also our last.

 

 

 

Now this is the problem Royal needs to deal with. So sorry for your situation.

 

 

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[kendracruises]

Carnival is cancelling the upcoming Valor cruise scheduled to depart on Thursday

From CCL:

it has now become necessary to cancel the August 31st sailing of Carnival Valor, which was scheduled to depart this Thursday. A full refund will be automatically processed, including any pre-purchased Carnival Adventures, Fun Shop purchases and beverage packages. The refund will be processed to the original form of payment within three weeks. Additionally, a 25% future cruise credit will be applied to their next reservation with Carnival, if booked within the next 60 days.

As the airports will not reopen till Thursday at the earliest and Galveston remains closed till this weekend sometime cruises going out on August 31, Sept 1, or Sept 2 might not go.

[caribill]

Before Friday the storm wasn't nearly the monster it ultimately became. As soon as it became apparent that it was going to be devastation, Carnival made the announcement. The Devil is in the details.

 

It was quite apparent by Wednesday that the storm would be affecting the Houston/Galveston area for days after it made landfall in Texas.

 

Living in that area, by Wednesday afternoon our cars were fueled and enough groceries bought to last at least a week.

 

 

How much devastation there would be was not known then, but what was known is that a giant storm was heading to an area that has a problem when giant storms arrive. An area where a number of freeways go under water when there is just a heavy rainstorm.

[Milwaukee Eight]

Carnival is cancelling the upcoming Valor cruise scheduled to depart on Thursday

From CCL:

it has now become necessary to cancel the August 31st sailing of Carnival Valor, which was scheduled to depart this Thursday. A full refund will be automatically processed, including any pre-purchased Carnival Adventures, Fun Shop purchases and beverage packages. The refund will be processed to the original form of payment within three weeks. Additionally, a 25% future cruise credit will be applied to their next reservation with Carnival, if booked within the next 60 days.

As the airports will not reopen till Thursday at the earliest and Galveston remains closed till this weekend sometime cruises going out on August 31, Sept 1, or Sept 2 might not go.

 

 

 

Good move of CCL's part. But don't expect Royal to do same for at least 3 days prior to Liberty next sail date.

 

 

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[perditax]

It was quite apparent by Wednesday that the storm would be affecting the Houston/Galveston area for days after it made landfall in Texas.

 

Living in that area, by Wednesday afternoon our cars were fueled and enough groceries bought to last at least a week.

 

How much devastation there would be was not known then, but what was known is that a giant storm was heading to an area that has a problem when giant storms arrive. An area where a number of freeways go under water when there is just a heavy rainstorm.

 

As an outsider, this is what caught my attention--the weather forums I hang out on were remarking early on that it would be bad because Houston has fundamental flooding problems.

[caribill]

FWIW, Galveston was only under a hurricane watch, not a warning, so the two companies that have specific hurricane "coverage" would not have covered cancelation due to Hurricane Harvey. Trip delay, yes. Interruption, probably. But not cancelation by the pax.

 

 

Reminds me of what happened several years ago when an earthquake affected passengers traveling to Chile to board a cruise ship.

a) The airport did not close.

b) The cruise ship did sail

 

but

 

No airline was flying to the open airport and no road was open from the airport city to the port city. Because the airport was not closed and the cruise did occur, insurance would not pay.

[BarryH]

So, if NOLA was not an option, and your sailing back to Galveston, and as you have said, the port is still closed, how did Royal harm those on the ship. Not a cheerleader as they certainly harmed those trying to get to Galveston for a cruise that didn't happen. Those people are stranded.

 

What I have learned. Pack plenty of required medications.

 

I'd be home yesterday or today if we diverted to Miami instead of making a futile attempt at docking in Galveston. I would have flown back for four or five days at home. It doesn't make sense for two. I'm traveling with my 75 year old in-laws which also makes logistics more complicated.

 

I have dogs that will have been boarded for 13 days now. I could have gotten them today or yesterday and made the BR>Galveston>BR trip to get my car in a day on Saturday or Sunday.

 

It breaks my heart when I talk to those onboard worried about their flooded homes or children left in the care of others. Those people would have flown to an airport as close to their homes as possible yesterday or today also.

 

Our Galveston docking escapade took those options away or made them far less beneficial. Those were options CCL passengers were given that we weren't regardless of where we docked

 

The hypothetical being banted about here is much simpler than the reality those of us impacted are dealing with. I was called insensitive and told I lacked empathy earlier in this thread. Some posts on here make me look like Glenda the Good Witch.

[setsail]

Now this is the problem Royal needs to deal with. So sorry for your situation.

 

 

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Isn't the cruise fare refunded and ti would have covered the rest or at least some. The logistics are a nightmare

[time4u2go]

BarryH, are they giving you all onboard free internet?

[BarryH]

Carnival is cancelling the upcoming Valor cruise scheduled to depart on Thursday

 

If CCL is canceling Thurday that doesn't bode well for us arriving Friday. The person I was speaking to at RCI mentioned Harvey's a tropical storm again and potentially moving East or back in to the gulf.

 

Maybe Miami will be the end of the line for us on the Liberty. RCI certainly isn't going to risk another failed attempt at docking Galveston.

[Milwaukee Eight]

I'd be home yesterday or today if we diverted to Miami instead of making a futile attempt at docking in Galveston. I would have flown back for four or five days at home. It doesn't make sense for two. I'm traveling with my 75 year old in-laws which also makes logistics more complicated.

 

 

 

I have dogs that will have been boarded for 13 days now. I could have gotten them today or yesterday and made the BR>Galveston>BR trip to get my car in a day on Saturday or Sunday.

 

 

 

It breaks my heart when I talk to those onboard worried about their flooded homes or children left in the care of others. Those people would have flown to an airport as close to their homes as possible yesterday or today also.

 

 

 

Our Galveston docking escapade took those options away or made them far less beneficial. Those were options CCL passengers were given that we weren't regardless of where we docked

 

 

 

The hypothetical being banted about here is much simpler than the reality those of us impacted are dealing with. I was called insensitive and told I lacked empathy earlier in this thread. Some posts on here make me look like Glenda the Good Witch.

 

 

 

Where is home? I understand your car is in the port parking lot?? I didn't think people could leave Galveston?? I thought Harvey was soon to come back in over Galveston??

 

I take it you feel Royal wasted one day, trying to get you back into Galveston?? I take it you feel as if they should have left Cozumel and headed directly to Miami?? Why?? Bad luck to have a cruise with a hurricane.

 

I have learned to take at least a extra weeks worth of Meds with us.

 

 

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[BarryH]

BarryH, are they giving you all onboard free internet?

 

They are giving everyone onboard 30 minutes of "surf" for free each day which has slowed it to a crawl. They extended those of us (me) who had week-long packages for free. Drinks are half off as are the specialty restaurants and laundry. The folks and services onboard have been great.

[Milwaukee Eight]

Double post. Deleted

[BDevilCruiser]

If CCL is canceling Thurday that doesn't bode well for us arriving Friday. The person I was speaking to at RCI mentioned Harvey's a tropical storm again and potentially moving East or back in to the gulf.

 

Maybe Miami will be the end of the line for us on the Liberty. RCI certainly isn't going to risk another failed attempt at docking Galveston.

 

Watching the Weather Channel. They report that the center of the storm is back in the Gulf just off Freeport. The coast is under a tropical storm warning. Their forecast has it going back on land a bit east of Galveston Wednesday, west of Lake Charles. Lake Charles and Lafayette under flash flood warning. NOLA and Baton Rouge under a tornado watch. (The center of the remnants of the storm is expected to be around St. Louis on Saturday; very slow moving.)

Edited August 29, 2017 by BDevilCruiser
Put "east of Lake Charles" instead of west

[BarryH]

Where is home? I understand your car is in the port parking lot?? I didn't think people could leave Galveston?? I thought Harvey was soon to come back in over Galveston??

 

I take it you feel Royal wasted one day, trying to get you back into Galveston?? I take it you feel as if they should have left Cozumel and headed directly to Miami?? Why?? Bad luck to have a cruise with a hurricane.

 

I have learned to take at least a extra weeks worth of Meds with us.

 

You're right. The inconvenience I'm suffering is all a figment of my imagination. Ironically RCI was more sensitive to the plight of those onboard as a result of their actions than many in this thread.

 

Walk a mile in my shoes and see if your so incredlious..

[time4u2go]

They are giving everyone onboard 30 minutes of "surf" for free each day which has slowed it to a crawl. They extended those of us (me) who had week-long packages for free. Drinks are half off as are the specialty restaurants and laundry. The folks and services onboard have been great.

Thanks for the info. I was just curious.

 

Are they doing any show performances?

[ducklite]

Actually this is incorrect. They stated when they were going to attempt to dock, weather and port conditions permitting. Each of the updates I read specifically stated to stay away from the port until they advised to do so.

 

The Facebook postings seem to indicate that they were telling people to be at the port waiting for the ship or get proof that it was impossible or lose the full cruise fare.

[ducklite]

They are giving everyone onboard 30 minutes of "surf" for free each day which has slowed it to a crawl. They extended those of us (me) who had week-long packages for free. Drinks are half off as are the specialty restaurants and laundry. The folks and services onboard have been great.

 

So they have backtracked on things. Initially they were charging people to extend drink Packages, charging the more expensive onboard rates for Internet, no laundry deals, etc. Seems they realizes what a bunch of *******es they looked like and how badly they were being perceived.

 

Lipstick on a pig. THey showed their true colors in the Facebook posts. That's all anyone should need to know about RCI.