Hurricane Irma Watch

[Aquahound]

Yikes!! I came onto this thread to learn a bit more about the hurricane and how people are re-arranging their plans or making the best of the situation. I didn't expect it to be so damn nasty.

 

It might be sad to say that unfortunately, I did expect this thread to be that way. Par for the course around here, especially when I see certain screen names included. :(

 

I just spent the last week helping with rescues/recoveries in the Houston area. It's been 12 years since I saw anything like that and like I was back then, I'm completely humbled right now. I kinda wish some others on this thread would have seen it because it's a kick in the gut about what's really important in life.

 

This is a cruise forum, so I don't begrudge those concerned about their cruises and how the cruise companies are responding. It's some of the individual attitudes that could use a little adjustment.

[Biker19]

. I think you could get transportation from Falmouth to Kingstown and be able to fly out from there.

 

 

More likely out of Montevideo Bay - a few from Oasis did that yesterday.

 

 

 

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[reallyitsmema]

It might be sad to say that unfortunately, I did expect this thread to be that way. Par for the course around here, especially when I see certain screen names included. :(

 

I just spent the last week helping with rescues/recoveries in the Houston area. It's been 12 years since I saw anything like that and like I was back then, I'm completely humbled right now. I kinda wish some others on this thread would have seen it because it's a kick in the gut about what's really important in life.

 

This is a cruise forum, so I don't begrudge those concerned about their cruises and how the cruise companies are responding. It's some of the individual attitudes that could use a little adjustment.

 

TS Kennedy left Mass Maritime yesterday to head down to that area to house FEMA employees like they did with Hurricane Sandy in NJ. They had put them on alert right after the storm but it didn't sail until yesterday. Supposedly going to take four days to arrive but with Irma and Jose in the way, not sure of the timing of deployment.

[gkdk24]

Has anyone heard how Puerto Rico has fared? I'm not seeing much other than there's about 1M people without power. Maybe no news is "good" news?

[bUU]

Has anyone heard how Puerto Rico has fared? I'm not seeing much other than there's about 1M people without power. Maybe no news is "good" news?

Or at least no news is perhaps "not horrendously terrible" news. I would not be surprised if the news is avoiding focusing on Puerto Rico because there's not as much to sensationalize.

 

The biggest problem in Puerto Rico is that they were already having problems with infrastructure; this surely won't help.

[ResearchObsessed]

Just got this for AOS 9/9:

 

Royal Caribbean Update: Due to the impact of Hurricane Irma in St Maarten, we had to replace this port of call with an overnight stay in Aruba. We look forward to welcoming you onboard Saturday. Please visit royalcaribbean.com for full details.

[Clarea]

Has anyone heard how Puerto Rico has fared? I'm not seeing much other than there's about 1M people without power. Maybe no news is "good" news?

I read one report that said the SJU airport was open.

[Coopdog08]

How can you make these predictions when you just saw how quickly Galveston is back after Harvey? You don't know anything for sure and your notion St. Thomas will take a year to have ships in is ludicrous. Ike was a direct hit back in 2008 and Galveston was back in 3 months.

Slow down becciboo...I referenced St Maarten taking up to a year and in reality it may be more. I said St. Thomas not sure how long. You said Ike three months, Irma is more powerful. As already noted by other poster our resources and economy compared to the islands is vastly different. Ike three months so a year or more for Irma is very realistic. Irma hits Miami and FFL it very well could be months and this is just the port. Keep in mind there are many other things that would effect cruising minus the port such as places to stay. Yes, I stand by my post that the cruising world may in fact be turned upside down come Monday. Obviously we all hope for the best.

[dreadpirate3]

11 AM Update

 

[caribill]

How can you make these predictions when you just saw how quickly Galveston is back after Harvey? You don't know anything for sure and your notion St. Thomas will take a year to have ships in is ludicrous. Ike was a direct hit back in 2008 and Galveston was back in 3 months.

 

Galveston did not have hurricane level winds. Zero wind damage at all.

 

 

And devastation in the Islands so far is more than catastrophic. Per one report "The Category 5 storm battered the tiny island of Barbuda and left thousands homeless on the island territories of St. Bart and St. Martin, where local officials said about 95 percent of the island was completely demolished after Wednesday's thrashing." It this is anything close to reality, initial efforts will not be on making the islands nice for tourists.

[Pratique]

Slow down becciboo...I referenced St Maarten taking up to a year and in reality it may be more. I said St. Thomas not sure how long. You said Ike three months, Irma is more powerful. As already noted by other poster our resources and economy compared to the islands is vastly different. Ike three months so a year or more for Irma is very realistic. Irma hits Miami and FFL it very well could be months and this is just the port. Keep in mind there are many other things that would effect cruising minus the port such as places to stay. Yes, I stand by my post that the cruising world may in fact be turned upside down come Monday. Obviously we all hope for the best.

 

becciboo had to eat her words after she insisted that she had cruised out of Galveston in worse rainstorms than Harvey, including one of those silly "keep calm and carry on" memes. I'm not sure why she is trying so hard to convince others not to be so concerned. I lived through Charlie (the eye passed within 10 miles of my house), Frances and Jeanne, and I would not want to be anywhere near Irma if I still lived in Florida. The cruise destinations will recover eventually but when and in what form it's way too early to speculate. What is certain from the damage seen so far is that the cleanup will take lots of time and resources. Hope for the best and expect the worst.

[The Grumpus]

Me neither. I talked to a fellow passenger this morning and she tried to get off here in Cozumel and it was going to be a very long and complicated process. It would take about 4 to 5 hours to leave the ship get a ferry and get themselves to Cancun to fly out. I think the people on Jamaica have it a little bit easier. I think you could get transportation from Falmouth to Kingstown and be able to fly out from there.

My brother-in-law did this back in June. He had to make a conference in Minneapolis and returned to the ship in Cozumel. I believe it cost $60 inside the port area for a nice van ride w/AC, or around $40 from any number of drivers w/a car outside of the gate. He chose the Van with AC.

[Coopdog08]

Just saw a video of Tortola. Unfortunately it is in the same condition as St Maarten and Barbuda. The person shooting video summed it up by saying the entire island is now homeless.

[SIMS01]

I have been looking at SJU airport in San Juan. We are scheduled to fly in on Saturday, then board the Adventure of the Seas. It appears that many flights have been cancelled but the airport is up and running. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can fly in from Tampa on Saturday morning.

[alfaeric]

One thing is for certain. The islands will look a lot different than we are used to seeing them whenever we go back. I was in Cozumel about 10 months after Wilma and you could still see the effects of it. A lot of downed trees. Many of the beaches didn't have much sand because it washed away during the storm. But it was still a good time and we made sure to spend some money there. So whenever they do open, I hope people get off the ship and still visit the shops and take tours...the locals will really need it.

 

The time that it takes places to recover isn't nearly as long as most people think. We've been to Puerto Rico after more than one major hurricane, and even after 4 months, you can see the recovery is happening quickly. Heck, my in-laws had a tree fall down, and it was back up and producing avocados within a year. Pretty amazing recovery.

 

For sure, it will be different- as you will see plants that are largely dormant due to the normal cover- they grow up fast, take up space, and live well. Slowly, the other plants recover, and then block out those plants who just wait for the next hurricane to give them a chance to see the sun.

 

I've also see the recovery of Yellowstone after it's fires- that also was very fast.

 

The slower parts will be the buildings. But more because of lack of material vs. lack of trying. Between Harvey and Irma, and whatever is next- much of the next years's building materials will be already spoken for. I would not doubt that the building codes will also shift- so in places like Barbuda, you may see more concrete- as in roof structures. The 100% re-enforced concrete homes are common in Puerto Rico- and most of the damage is superficial. I would also bet that the comment that was made a few pages ago from St. Thomas, where venting was not there to help equalize the pressures will be changed in the codes, too.

 

Certainly sucks. But it's also not the first time. And the only reason this is the first Cat 5 Atlantic Hurricane is that there wasn't a measure 100 years ago. This kind of damage is terrible, but it will also be corrected for the next time.

[Canadianmama3]

This is so terrible. My heart goes out to all those effected. And yeah i feel guilty even wondering how my march cruise will be impacted.

 

To those of you in Florida please please please go north. Your homes can be replaced, you can't.

 

And I'm glad some people were able to get off at places like Jamaica and get home. This is yet another example of why everyone should have passports even if your told you don't need one.

 

 

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[caribill]

/

It's NOT Royal Caribbean's responsibility to reimburse YOU for the record-breaking act of nature.

Do you seriously think you DESERVE some reimbursement from a company because you purchased a weather-dependant product?

 

 

Yes, because the company did not deliver the product that was purchased. Why it could not deliver does not matter.

 

If you had paid in advance for a hotel that is now closed because of the storm, you would get a 100% refund. They would not say you should not have booked with them during hurricane season.

[alfaeric]

Has anyone heard how Puerto Rico has fared? I'm not seeing much other than there's about 1M people without power. Maybe no news is "good" news?

From family- the south didn't get any damage.

 

And in addition to the ~1M w/o power, there are about 500k without water. I'd bet the two are related.

 

*Probably* most of those are in the San Juan area- so the access should be pretty good to repair it. The more remote areas with damage will take longer.

 

But with that slightly northern shift from the VI's, Puerto Rico made it through quite well.

[TLCOhio]

From the London/UK Daily Mail this morning, they have many pictures and details from what has hit St-Barts, plus the Dutch colony of Saint Maarten in the Caribbean. Enjoyed visiting both of these scenic locations for the first time in early 2015. Plus, having three days in San Juan during that trip. Below are four of their visuals from St-Barts and Saint Maarten.

 

Their latest story has this headline: “Staring into oblivion: Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Turks and Caicos brace for impact” with these highlights: “The category 5 storm - the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic - howled past Puerto Rico with 185mph winds after reducing the tiny tropical islands of Barbuda and St Martin to rubble. They suffered the storm's full fury with 95 per cent of properties destroyed on both islands. Officials said at least eight people died on the French part of St Martin - a pristine resort known for its vibrant nightlife.”

 

Full story at:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4860396/Irma-hits-Puerto-Rico-damaging-Barbuda-St-Martin.html

 

Panama Canal? Completed Feb. 28-Mar. 15, 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through the Panama Canal with our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Lots of fun, interesting pictures!! Those visuals start on the second page, post #26. See more at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

 

From the Daily Mail, here is one visual from St-Barts. We walked right by this one historic building. Remember this location and these sights very well in St-Barts!! Next are three of their visuals from Saint Maarten that give examples of the major damages there.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger!)

 

 

 

[Biker19]

No change on Oasis with the noon announcement by the Captain (Tuesday morning return - stay in Cozumel overnight).

 

 

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[Coopdog08]

The time that it takes places to recover isn't nearly as long as most people think. We've been to Puerto Rico after more than one major hurricane, and even after 4 months, you can see the recovery is happening quickly. Heck, my in-laws had a tree fall down, and it was back up and producing avocados within a year. Pretty amazing recovery.

 

For sure, it will be different- as you will see plants that are largely dormant due to the normal cover- they grow up fast, take up space, and live well. Slowly, the other plants recover, and then block out those plants who just wait for the next hurricane to give them a chance to see the sun.

 

I've also see the recovery of Yellowstone after it's fires- that also was very fast.

 

The slower parts will be the buildings. But more because of lack of material vs. lack of trying. Between Harvey and Irma, and whatever is next- much of the next years's building materials will be already spoken for. I would not doubt that the building codes will also shift- so in places like Barbuda, you may see more concrete- as in roof structures. The 100% re-enforced concrete homes are common in Puerto Rico- and most of the damage is superficial. I would also bet that the comment that was made a few pages ago from St. Thomas, where venting was not there to help equalize the pressures will be changed in the codes, too.

 

Certainly sucks. But it's also not the first time. And the only reason this is the first Cat 5 Atlantic Hurricane is that there wasn't a measure 100 years ago. This kind of damage is terrible, but it will also be corrected for the next time.

Respectfully disagree on time to recover for these islands. As mentioned before you can't compare island to island. Purteo Rico has many more resources than St Maarten, Barbuda and Tortola. St Maarten has more than Barbuda and Tortola. It will take years not months to rebuild. Yes they have done it before but no were close to the magnitude that they must right now. You need to understand these people have no airport, no port thus no way to get supplies needed. Those must be rebuilt first. In addition while this happens people are homeless there is no money going into there economy at all as there are no business Open. It's a very dire situation for these islanders. May all our thoughts be with them while they get thru this.

[Rafaelpinto]

I'm on board of Allure of the seas

 

Captain has announced right now that we are going to Cozumel again next Monday.

 

We are in Falmouth today. Great weather here

 

Haiti has been cancelled and we will go to Costa Maya on Saturday

[Biker19]

 

 

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[broberts]

Yes, because the company did not deliver the product that was purchased. Why it could not deliver does not matter.

 

If you had paid in advance for a hotel that is now closed because of the storm, you would get a 100% refund. They would not say you should not have booked with them during hurricane season.

 

It might be instructive to read the terms & conditions of purchase under which the cruise was purchased. All of the ones I have read allow the company to alter the "product" purchased in whatever manner it sees fit.

 

I distinctly recall reading one of these contracts and concluding the company would satisfy the terms by having passengers step into a rowboat and immediately step off.

[Clarea]

No extra gratuities charges, nice!:)