Galveston weather concerns

[cruiselvr04]

So both carnival ships will refuel and reload on food at NOLA tomorrow, which will allow for them to stay at Sea for days if necessary. So then what happens if Liberty couldn't make their window on Sunday? Wouldn't they run put of food and fuel?

 

Pretty sure they have extra for a couple of days. They might run out of certain things or some alcohol but I'm sure they won't starve. I wouldn't mind being on Liberty right now but I'd be more concerned about my car or home if it was in the path of the storm. A day or two extra of vacation would be okay but it would be a hassle to reschedule flights etc.

 

I'd have zero concern about being in a storm on Liberty. They are going to stay far away.

 

Praying for safety for those in the areas of the storm.

[agp_mzk]

From the Mayor at 12:10 PM: "20" rain anticipated between now and Wednesday, 2-4 ft. storm surge, no high winds. This is not Ike, but exercise caution and use common sense"

 

This is not the worst storm in a decade - Ike was with a 20' storm surge that 85% of the Island. This is not even close in comparison. Harvey is rain over multiple days.

 

 

You are grossly and dangerously underestimating the impact of 20" of rain in a single event. In May 2010, Nashville received roughly that amount of rain over 36 hours. The result was DEVASTATING flooding over nearly 2/3 of the state of Tennessee. It was the worst natural disaster in state history. An entire building floated away down I-24 on live television. It took weeks for the metro areas to get back to normal and YEARS for some of the more rural roads to be fully repaired. Nashville sits at a significantly higher elevation than the Texas coast, with many natural waterways for the rainwater to run into, and wasn't looking at a storm surge event on top of that amount of moisture.

 

I wish all the best to residents and visitors to the southeast Texas area. But it would be the height of foolishness to travel into this storm.

[BecciBoo]

This ain't Tennessee:halo:

[scrotser]

20" over 5-6 days is very different than 20" over a day and a half. It's still a lot of rain, but not "close the city for weeks" kind of flooding.

[Deptacon]

Eh not in this case as the storm wasn't in home port (NYC/NJ) area. They hit the storm off the coast of South Carolina on their way to the Carribean. And it was well forecasted ahead of time. The captain cant go around it, so he decides to go through it. So in this case it had nothing to do with protecting the ship.

 

Every decision a Captain makes has to do with protecting the ship. Kind of....their job.

[Jzx1103]

http://abc13.com/travel/20000-cruise-ship-passengers-stranded-in-gulf/2341493/

[tankerat]

Updated 8 mins ago

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) --

Four Galveston-bound cruise ships with a combined 20,000 passengers on board are forced to remain in the Gulf of Mexico as they await Harvey's passage, according to port officials.

 

The ships likely won't be able to make their next attempt to enter the port, which is completely closed to ship traffic, until Tuesday, according to Roger R. Quiroga with the port authority.

 

Three of the ships involved are Carnival cruise ships, the fourth is a Royal Caribbean.

 

Carnival spokesperson Christine de la Huerta said the Carnival Freedom and Valor will stop in New Orleans on Saturday to replenish food and supplies, at which point passengers can choose to disembark and travel back to Galveston on their own or re-board for the journey by sea back to Texas.

 

Carnival Breeze is currently docked in Cozumel and will remain there overnight, added de la Huerta. It will depart for Galveston on Saturday.

 

If a passenger has a medical emergency on board, emergency officials will still be able to access the ship with a medical helicopter.

 

Quiroga expressed concern during a Friday news conference about the "thousands of cars" parked in the port, as torrential rain is expected to bring flash flooding to the region.

 

Report a typo to the ABC13 staff

......................................................

Hope Liberty has plenty of food and fuel to last until Tuesday. That's the day the Galveston Port Spokesman thinks would be the 1st day for the port to reopen.

Edited August 25, 2017 by tankerat
additional comment:

[Galveston Cruiser]

You are grossly and dangerously underestimating the impact of 20" of rain in a single event.

 

I wish all the best to residents and visitors to the southeast Texas area. But it would be the height of foolishness to travel into this storm.

 

20" is over 5-7 days! I said "Between now and Wednesday"

 

As we live here on the island and are very attuned to what occurs in our City and the topography, I am not "grossly underestimating" anything. It is not unusual to have 4-6" with an afternoon thunder storm.

 

Galveston is not your typical barrier island as we have a 17' seawall which protects the City, with the grade raising dropping a foot every 1200' to the north side of the island (port side).

 

West End, that is not protected by the seawall, does have road flooding.

[perditax]

According to a weather forum I'm on, at least one tornado has been sighted by the public in Galveston, and there are new tornado warnings up.

[EBFURR]

This ain't Tennessee:halo:

 

Thanks for making this stressful day a little less so. As of now we are going. We have a flight, we have a hotel, we have a rental car (they confirmed that they will be there :rolleyes:) and we have a notice from RCI saying "Don't worry, be happy. We will get into and out of Galveston." Of course, all of this is subject to change without notice. By the way, Monday is our 35th wedding anniversary. Hoping we are somewhere nice at least.

[alfaeric]

In *theory* it's a day to Port Everglades or Miami- so the Liberty could at least head over there.

 

Some of the passengers *could* go home from there, but that probably is a minority of the cruisers.

 

Lots of hope that there's minimal damage.

[cooperbrown1981]

Very interesting post. I just saw the update on Carnival and Royal Caribbean has yet to inform their guest. I am currently on the Liberty and ran into the Captain at 2pm and asked him if there was an update and he still seemed very optimistic and stated we would proceed back but they were keeping an eye on it-

 

I assume he was just giving the standard wait and see answer because they don't want to change the itinerary unless absolutely necessary

[Cindy]

Pretty sure they have extra for a couple of days. They might run out of certain things or some alcohol but I'm sure they won't starve. I wouldn't mind being on Liberty right now but I'd be more concerned about my car or home if it was in the path of the storm. A day or two extra of vacation would be okay but it would be a hassle to reschedule flights etc.

 

 

 

I'd have zero concern about being in a storm on Liberty. They are going to stay far away.

 

 

 

Praying for safety for those in the areas of the storm.

 

 

 

I've taken several behind the scenes tours...ships are well provisioned for just this kind of situation. They may run out of some specific things like a wine or some fresh produce, but they carry more than enough to make sure they can sustain meal service for several extra days until they can reach a port for provisioning.

 

I question the validity of the reports stating that two Carnival ships will make the long six-hour sail up the Mississippi for a 2 hour reprovisioning stop. That would only be practical (in my opinion) if they are blocked from the Port of Galveston for several days. The last report I saw (directly from CCL) had the Saturday ship (Valor?) cruising safely out of harm's way awaiting the reopening of the port, and the Breeze remaining in Cozumel until tomorrow afternoon when it will begin cruising towards Galveston.

 

I think RCI will do everything in their power to get the ship in on Sunday as long as they determine it's safe. My concern is not so much for the ship itself because I know they won't put it or the passengers in jeopardy. I am not sure that conditions will be such that they can actually conduct a turn-around even if they make port. In addition to people trying to get to/from the ship in driving rain and possible flooding, I think there could be some provisioning problems. Many of the cruisers leaving this Sunday are going to have a great deal of difficulty as some flights have already been cancelled. It's just an unfortunate situation and I feel for those aboard and those still at home waiting for their vacation. The decision making in the face of so much uncertainty has to be difficult to deal with.

 

 

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[perditax]

I question the validity of the reports stating that two Carnival ships will make the long six-hour sail up the Mississippi for a 2 hour reprovisioning stop.

 

Do you mean New Orleans? That came directly from a Carnival rep, unless you mean you think the Galveston ABC news affiliate didn't source the story properly.

 

Carnival spokesperson Christine de la Huerta said the Carnival Freedom and Valor will stop in New Orleans on Saturday to replenish food and supplies, at which point passengers can choose to disembark and travel back to Galveston on their own or re-board for the journey by sea back to Texas.

http://abc13.com/travel/20000-cruise-ship-passengers-stranded-in-gulf/2341493/

 

Also, here's this:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=53890438&postcount=13

[Jzx1103]

People onboard Carnival Valor and Freedom also confirmed they're headed to New Orleans to resupply. So it's not fake news.

[Cindy]

Do you mean New Orleans? That came directly from a Carnival rep, unless you mean you think the Galveston ABC news affiliate didn't source the story properly.

 

http://abc13.com/travel/20000-cruise-ship-passengers-stranded-in-gulf/2341493/

 

 

 

I believe that's what the Conquest did after Ike, when it became apparent nobody was docking in Galveston for quite some time. They reprovisioned, bussed those who wished to be bussed, and the rest sailed to Bayport for disembarkation.

 

I wonder if NO was brought up because that's what ended up happening in 2008. The 12 hour round trip just doesn't seem to make sense unless they have a major food supply problem or Galveston is closed for an extended period.

 

This is the Carnival update I saw:

 

Here is the latest news on Galveston.

 

HURRICANE HARVEY

 

Weather Update #3 – 08/25/17 – 1:00 PM (EST)

 

Carnival Valor and Carnival Freedom are currently keeping a safe distance from the storm as they make their way back to Galveston.

 

Carnival Breeze is currently docked in Cozumel and will now overnight there. The ship will depart for Galveston tomorrow afternoon to be in position to debark guests when the port reopens.

 

The Port of Galveston is closed to all marine traffic. It is expected to remain closed until the storm has passed and a port assessment has been completed. Please do not proceed to the cruise terminal until you have heard from us.

 

Our intention is to dock in Galveston as soon as port officials have reopened the port. The duration of your cruise will have to be shortened and the itinerary modified. Cruise details will be finalized once we have confirmed our arrival into Galveston. Guests who sail will receive a pro-rated refund of their cruise fare for missed days and refund of any pre-purchased Carnival Adventures for canceled ports. Additionally, guests who pre-purchased any of our beverage packages will receive a pro-rated refund. Gratuities will also be adjusted to reflect the shortened duration.

 

We certainly understand the impact Hurricane Harvey is having on your cruise plans. Should you wish to cancel and receive a future cruise credit, please call 1-800-CARNIVAL, contact your Personal Vacation Planner at 1-800-819-3902, or your travel agent,

 

We continue to actively monitor the storm and will update you tomorrow at 3:00PM CDT. To stay up to date, please sign up for text alerts by texting the codes below to CRUISE (278473).

 

Carnival Freedom 08/26/17 - CCL1

Carnival Valor 08/26/17 - CCL2

Carnival Breeze 08/27/17 - CCL3

 

If you have any questions or concerns please post below and I will make sure the right people see them. Let's hope everyone is safe and we can get the ships into port and on the way to another fun cruise soon. Stay safe everybody!

 

 

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[Cindy]

People onboard Carnival Valor and Freedom also confirmed they're headed to New Orleans to resupply. So it's not fake news.

 

 

 

OK...I stand corrected. That's not what was in the Carnival update earlier this afternoon.

 

 

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[OSUZorba]

So both carnival ships will refuel and reload on food at NOLA tomorrow, which will allow for them to stay at Sea for days if necessary. So then what happens if Liberty couldn't make their window on Sunday? Wouldn't they run put of food and fuel?

 

In the Captain's Corner they say they provision food/drinks for at least 10 days, and always have a spare week of fuel in reserve. Water the make on the ship.

 

 

So they should be good for a few days, at least.

[Ocean Dancer]

Thanks for making this stressful day a little less so. As of now we are going. We have a flight, we have a hotel, we have a rental car (they confirmed that they will be there :rolleyes:) and we have a notice from RCI saying "Don't worry, be happy. We will get into and out of Galveston." Of course, all of this is subject to change without notice. By the way, Monday is our 35th wedding anniversary. Hoping we are somewhere nice at least.

Cancel your plans, you are NOT going to Galveston. The port is closed until at least Tuesday. So sorry about your anniversary:loudcry:

[NatsFanOnBoard]

Thanks for making this stressful day a little less so. As of now we are going. We have a flight, we have a hotel, we have a rental car (they confirmed that they will be there :rolleyes:) and we have a notice from RCI saying "Don't worry, be happy. We will get into and out of Galveston." Of course, all of this is subject to change without notice. By the way, Monday is our 35th wedding anniversary. Hoping we are somewhere nice at least.

Congrats on your anniversary and your very positive attitude! Even if you end up spending your anniversary in an airport hotel somewhere halfway between North Carolina and Texas, it will be one that you will talk about for years to come! I love your attitude. :)

[tankerat]

Cindy, please read up above a few posts. Two Carnival ships ARE going to New Orleans to re-provision and the Galveston Port Spokesperson stated he doesn't expect the port to reopen before Tuesday and he also expressed concern about the "thousands of cars parked in the lots" in Galveston. These are facts and not fake news.

 

RCL is apparently hoping for a "window" no one else expects to open which could get interesting as they still insist they want to merely proceed to a port that is officially closed, a port expected to be closed at least until Tuesday, and they apparently haven't yet announced anything other than that.

[Big_G]

Cancel your plans, you are NOT going to Galveston. The port is closed until at least Tuesday. So sorry about your anniversary:loudcry:

 

Kind of easy for you to say but their cruise hasn't been cancelled yet.

[Cindy]

Cindy, please read up above a few posts. Two Carnival ships ARE going to New Orleans to re-provision and the Galveston Port Spokesperson stated he doesn't expect the port to reopen before Tuesday and he also expressed concern about the "thousands of cars parked in the lots" in Galveston. These are facts and not fake news.

 

RCL is apparently hoping for a "window" no one else expects to open which could get interesting as they still insist they want to merely proceed to a port that is officially closed, a port expected to be closed at least until Tuesday, and they apparently haven't yet announced anything other than that.

 

 

 

See a few posts above.

 

 

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[Ocean Dancer]

Kind of easy for you to say but their cruise hasn't been cancelled yet.

Actually I would NOT cancel the cruise so I could get a cheaper one with OBC. The cruise IS canceled, Royal just hasn't opened their eyes yet. The port is closed to at least Tues. No one is going to Galveston but the Red Cross and HELP.

I feel her pain.:loudcry:

Edited August 25, 2017 by Ocean Dancer

[rkd1]

Sitting in the diamond lounge and at this very minute there are two refrigerated trucks unloading. Looks like produce and milk items.