Fear in poor weather can be lessened with knowledge

[Peachypooh]

So I have been reading the accounts of the Breakaway and also saw some video online of the ocean. I can see where people were scared. I do know that we sailed a couple of times through a thunder and lightning storm but since I knew that it was perfectly safe to do so I was not scared. A friend of mine I found out was laying on her bed in another cabin with her lifejacket next to her clutching her overnight bag and wearing her coat! If only I had thought to call her. Same with listing. We were on a cruise to Bermuda on a smaller ship many years ago and the stabilizers were not functioning. Most passengers I would venture to say were somewhat seasick but they were not scared. The reason is that the Captain announced what was happening and that things would be fixed as soon as possible. That said, I know that in a serious situation the Captain has to attend to the ship and probably put getting some information out on a low priority until he could get to it. As for water intrusion it doesn't mean the ship is sinking especially if you are on an upper deck but if someone is scared and hadn't slept they might jump to that conclusion. I think if I had finally set foot in the Manhattan terminal I would probably be overcome with tears, somewhat disappointed I hadn't been given more info during the event but ultimately so grateful we came through it fine. I saw someone panic once in perfectly calm seas because he stepped onto a cruise ship elevator and you know that little "jump" elevators make sometimes? I think he thought the ship was going down because he was in a state of high anxiety.

[Lacaena]

We were on the Breakaway in January two years ago and we hit a bad storm on the way back. We are both seasoned cruisers, my husband was fine but I admit I was a bit freaked out. We had 37' seas and 65mph winds. I had to wait to walk across the cabin to the bathroom until it was "down hill" because "up hill" was difficult. Anyway, the captain was GREAT. He came on every couple hours with an update and assured us that everything was safe and when he expected things to improve. That made all the difference. I think radio silence would not help the situation. I haven't read many accounts of this most recent BA cruise but sounds similar.

 

Before our BA trip in Jan '16 I took to the boards and asked what it was like out of the northeast in January. People said hit or miss. One guy said he had seen seas like glass an also very bad storms, bottom line is that it is the northeast in January... I guess that's the best approach to take.

[Two Wheels Only]

Everyone knows that cruise ships are top heavy and any 8-10 foot wave can knock the ship over just like "The Poseidon Adventure". Just look at any megaship and you're looking at a disaster waiting to happen. All it takes is one rock and you have Costa Concordia. One iceberg and you have Titanic. One wave and it's....

...(just to keep the worrywarts away from cruising);)