Oasis incident at Freeport Shipyard

[ptf2009]

Yes, it's  wait and see time. We are booked on the May 12 sailing and I figure we won't know "for sure" until the end of April, beginning of May. I'm sure of one thing: RC is doing EVERTHING possible to get us cruisers on board safely. This is costing them soooo much money!!!

[aruss]

14 minutes ago, mousefan73 said:

Hi,

Concerned June Oasis Passenger here. I was just playing around with Plan B options. I found some options. Actually really nice ones...  But cannot risk booking another trip and then the Oasis is ready and then I am stuck with 2 paid trips for the same time period.

 

Has anyone contacted RCI and asked to cancel and be refunded any summer cruises  now even if PIF and non-refundable and showing a planned sailing?

 

would it be safe to say that once the ship is at Cadiz, RCI can make an assessment end of April and if there are known, knowns... they inform future customers on any impacted sailings and cancel/refund asap?

 

This uncertainty is killing me.

 

 

It's killing this over-planner too! 

 

Our sailing is June 2nd.  I can't imagine if I was on one of the May sailings.

 

 Fortunately we have trip insurance, so I think we'll be ok, and I don't mind going on a different cruise or a land vacation, but it's the only week we can go so if we aren't on the Oasis I really need to start planning something different.

[fsjosh]

17 minutes ago, mousefan73 said:

Hi,

Concerned June Oasis Passenger here. I was just playing around with Plan B options. I found some options. Actually really nice ones...  But cannot risk booking another trip and then the Oasis is ready and then I am stuck with 2 paid trips for the same time period.

 

Has anyone contacted RCI and asked to cancel and be refunded any summer cruises  now even if PIF and non-refundable and showing a planned sailing?

 

would it be safe to say that once the ship is at Cadiz, RCI can make an assessment end of April and if there are known, knowns... they inform future customers on any impacted sailings and cancel/refund asap?

 

This uncertainty is killing me.

 

 

 

This is an unprecedented situation. The only answers you'll get on what RCI will do will be guesses. There's nothing safe to say other than that the cruises cancelled are cancelled. We can make educated guesses when Oasis leaves Freeport, but those will still be guesses. The closest you'll get to a real answer would be to call RCI directly, and, even then, 10 calls may get you 10 different answers. If it really is that concerning, you might want to call and see if they will let you switch to another cruise. It may cost you $100 per person, but thats up to you to decide if the peace of mind is worth it. Otherwise its wait till the next RCI announcement come out. That probably won't be for 2-3 weeks though. 

[twangster]

19 minutes ago, mousefan73 said:

Hi,

Concerned June Oasis Passenger here. I was just playing around with Plan B options. I found some options. Actually really nice ones...  But cannot risk booking another trip and then the Oasis is ready and then I am stuck with 2 paid trips for the same time period.

 

...

 

This uncertainty is killing me.

 

 

 

I feel for you.  However Royal is not going to make premature decisions.  

 

With the ship now free of the dry dock divers have been able to make better assessment of the situation below the water line.  On top they've been able to fully assess the damage and begin to place orders for material.  As each day progresses the final date for full resolution becomes clearer.  

 

It's possible the ship will be ready earlier but since the canceled transatlantic was 14 nights they have no choice but have an empty ship for a few days.  It's possible that it may run over initial estimates by a few days.  

 

My uneducated and uniformed opinion is that by June this will be long behind us and she will be operating normally.  i have no basis to make that claim, it's just my opinion.  

 

As nerve racking as it may be, this will require some patience and understanding.

Edited April 5, 2019 by twangster

[ptf2009]

1 minute ago, fsjosh said:

 

This is an unprecedented situation. The only answers you'll get on what RCI will do will be guesses. There's nothing safe to say other than that the cruises cancelled are cancelled. We can make educated guesses when Oasis leaves Freeport, but those will still be guesses. The closest you'll get to a real answer would be to call RCI directly, and, even then, 10 calls may get you 10 different answers. If it really is that concerning, you might want to call and see if they will let you switch to another cruise. It may cost you $100 per person, but thats up to you to decide if the peace of mind is worth it. Otherwise its wait till the next RCI announcement come out. That probably won't be for 2-3 weeks though. 

 

Yes, totally agree with you and to be honest we have already mentally prepared ourselves that we may not be going. I'm so glad we decided to book the air with RC (which we have never done before) AND purchased travel insurance, but not with RC. We do feel so badly for those who have already been affected by their cruises being cancelled. They didn't have the time like we do to absorb this situation:(

[rafinmd]

If somebody catches Oasis moving in front of Pride's webcam, please post a screen shot.

 

Roy

[orville99]

6 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

If somebody catches Oasis moving in front of Pride's webcam, please post a screen shot.

 

Roy

Doubtful. Pride is there on a port call, and Oasis won't move again until they're cleared to make the journey to Cadiz (probably not until sometime this weekend or early next week).

[fsjosh]

3 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

If somebody catches Oasis moving in front of Pride's webcam, please post a screen shot.

 

Roy

 

Theres no tugs around Oasis right now, so it's not likely going anywhere today. 

 

6 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

I feel for you.  However Royal is not going to make premature decisions.  

 

With the ship now free of the dry dock divers have been able to make better assessment of the situation below the water line.  On top they've been able to fully assess the damage and begin to place orders for material.  As each day progresses the final date for full resolution becomes clearer.  

 

It's possible the ship will be ready earlier but since the canceled transatlantic was 14 nights they have no choice but have an empty ship for a few days.  It's possible that it may run over initial estimates by a few days.  

 

My uneducated and uniformed opinion is that by June this will be long behind us and she will be operating normally.  i have no basis to make that claim, it's just my opinion.  

 

As nerve racking as it may be, this will require some patience and understanding.

 

Based on what's been posted here, Oasis cannot even get into the drydock at Cadiz until after the 18th. That gives them about two weeks till her next cruise. IMO it depends on what azipod or hull damage there is whether or not she makes that. If it's minor, she's probably good. If they have to replace azipods, who knows how long that could take. Everything above the water level is probably either fixable or can be put off till later. 

[chengkp75]

3 minutes ago, fsjosh said:

 

Theres no tugs around Oasis right now, so it's not likely going anywhere today. 

 

 

Based on what's been posted here, Oasis cannot even get into the drydock at Cadiz until after the 18th. That gives them about two weeks till her next cruise. IMO it depends on what azipod or hull damage there is whether or not she makes that. If it's minor, she's probably good. If they have to replace azipods, who knows how long that could take. Everything above the water level is probably either fixable or can be put off till later. 

Basically, what they were planning on doing in Freeport was "replacing" azipods, swapping out shaft cartridges with spare ones, and this could be done in less than a week, once she is in the dock.  "Hull damage" (dents and bent frames) are frequently not addressed until the next scheduled dry dock, or if below the waterline, maybe never.  It all depends on the severity of the damage, as to whether or not it affects the structural strength of the hull.

 

Even if they don't push the Sunrise out of dock early, two weeks would be a "normal" drydock, and they can get quite a bit of hull replacement and the azipods done in that time.

[fsjosh]

12 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Basically, what they were planning on doing in Freeport was "replacing" azipods, swapping out shaft cartridges with spare ones, and this could be done in less than a week, once she is in the dock.  "Hull damage" (dents and bent frames) are frequently not addressed until the next scheduled dry dock, or if below the waterline, maybe never.  It all depends on the severity of the damage, as to whether or not it affects the structural strength of the hull.

 

Even if they don't push the Sunrise out of dock early, two weeks would be a "normal" drydock, and they can get quite a bit of hull replacement and the azipods done in that time.

 

Yeah, I wasn't real sure what all was involved with azipods and their repair/replacement. I was assuming that if this was a "worst case" and when the dock went down the azipod was smashed against the coffer dam and/or floor of the dock, it would be more involved than the repairs they were there for in the first place. Is that even a possibility? If the ship got sat down on an azipod could it bend the hull or shear the pod off completely? I'm just asking from a curiosity standpoint. Not specifically about oasis in this case. 

[John&LaLa]

48 minutes ago, ptf2009 said:

Yes, it's  wait and see time. We are booked on the May 12 sailing and I figure we won't know "for sure" until the end of April, beginning of May. I'm sure of one thing: RC is doing EVERTHING possible to get us cruisers on board safely. This is costing them soooo much money!!!

 

Revenge of the Empress

[Radio]

2 hours ago, fsjosh said:

Is pride there with passengers? I wonder if someone on board could pay a cab to "get lost" and do a drive by. lol

I wish I was sailing Pride this week. . . I would go over to the yard and hang out. (and take some photos and vids)

 

Radio

 

[scottish67]

1 hour ago, mousefan73 said:

Hi,

Concerned June Oasis Passenger here. I was just playing around with Plan B options. I found some options. Actually really nice ones...  But cannot risk booking another trip and then the Oasis is ready and then I am stuck with 2 paid trips for the same time period.

 

Has anyone contacted RCI and asked to cancel and be refunded any summer cruises  now even if PIF and non-refundable and showing a planned sailing?

 

would it be safe to say that once the ship is at Cadiz, RCI can make an assessment end of April and if there are known, knowns... they inform future customers on any impacted sailings and cancel/refund asap?

 

This uncertainty is killing me.

 

 

 

I contacted RC yesterday and asked them if we could switch our May 19th sailing to a later date in June/July, understanding the uncertainty with Oasis. The response was that because the sailing is still scheduled, it's therefore not cancelled and if I wanted to make any changes, I'd be subject to the cancellation fees since our full payment has already been paid (was due back in February). I specifically asked if they could waive any fees due to situation and again, they replied that because it's still scheduled and they expect the sailing to happen, any cancellations I made would end up being very costly. 

 

I can't say I disagree with them because they last thing they want is a bunch of passengers...jumping ship... and then having the May dates be empty. I also tried to get some sort of time frame commitment as to when we'll know and the response was as soon as they know something, they'll email everyone. We're not tied to the May 19th sailing and could change if given advance noticed, however, if we're already en route to Barcelona (from Los Angeles) and it cancels at that late stage, we'd be very screwed. 

 

At this point, I think no news would be good news. RC most certainly doesn't want a repeat of the last week and if they know Oasis won't be ready, I'm sure they'll give everyone (especially the May sailings like me) as much notice as they can. 

[mbealer]

51 minutes ago, ptf2009 said:

RC is doing EVERTHING possible to get us cruisers on board safely. This is costing them soooo much money!!!

 

I'm sure they are pushing due to the financial implications, I'm just a little worried about what impacts there might be in their rush to get cruises going.  They could very well run the cruise and say that the aquatheater shows are closed.  Some people might get mad but it's unlikely to be a refundable event.

 

Their goal will be safety, as you say, but that might not mean a 100% back to normal ship.  Fingers crossed, we're on the 6/9 sailing and hoping things will be normal.

[scottish67]

27 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Basically, what they were planning on doing in Freeport was "replacing" azipods, swapping out shaft cartridges with spare ones, and this could be done in less than a week, once she is in the dock.  "Hull damage" (dents and bent frames) are frequently not addressed until the next scheduled dry dock, or if below the waterline, maybe never.  It all depends on the severity of the damage, as to whether or not it affects the structural strength of the hull.

 

Even if they don't push the Sunrise out of dock early, two weeks would be a "normal" drydock, and they can get quite a bit of hull replacement and the azipods done in that time.

 

I'd assume that if there was in fact azipod damage and they were planning to replace it anyway, they should already have the necessary parts to make that repair. Here's hoping Oasis starts the journey to Spain sometime soon, although I read earlier in this forum that the Spain port won't have room until April 18th, so it could be awhile before we see any movement. I'm sure RC is doing everything they possibly can to get this ship ready for May 5th. 

[scottish67]

 

3 minutes ago, mbealer said:

 

I'm sure they are pushing due to the financial implications, I'm just a little worried about what impacts there might be in their rush to get cruises going.  They could very well run the cruise and say that the aquatheater shows are closed.  Some people might get mad but it's unlikely to be a refundable event.

 

Honestly, I'd be fine with that. We're on May 19th and if we still get to cruise minus the aquatheater, I'd be perfectly fine since our cruise is port heavy anyway and we don't plan to spend that much time on the boat during the day. 

[chengkp75]

2 minutes ago, scottish67 said:

 

I'd assume that if there was in fact azipod damage and they were planning to replace it anyway, they should already have the necessary parts to make that repair. Here's hoping Oasis starts the journey to Spain sometime soon, although I read earlier in this forum that the Spain port won't have room until April 18th, so it could be awhile before we see any movement. I'm sure RC is doing everything they possibly can to get this ship ready for May 5th. 

Yes, it depends on how much money RCI wants to throw at the yard in Cadiz.  If the Sunrise's below waterline work is done (paint would be the critical path item, typically) by now, and they are merely sitting in the dock because there is no other demand for it, they could push flooding the dock ahead a few days, and complete Sunrise at wet berth.

[orville99]

7 minutes ago, mbealer said:

Their goal will be safety, as you say, but that might not mean a 100% back to normal ship.  Fingers crossed, we're on the 6/9 sailing and hoping things will be normal.

Hopefully, she won't have the same ghosts that seemed to haunt the Monarch after she ran aground in St. Maartan

[mbealer]

3 minutes ago, scottish67 said:

Honestly, I'd be fine with that. We're on May 19th and if we still get to cruise minus the aquatheater, I'd be perfectly fine since our cruise is port heavy anyway and we don't plan to spend that much time on the boat during the day. 

 

Totally agree, the itinerary is so busy that I don't think we'll care too much about some impacts on the boat.  As long as it sails and there is a food we'll be happy!

[Paul in Phoenix]

2 hours ago, ptf2009 said:

Yes, it's  wait and see time. We are booked on the May 12 sailing and I figure we won't know "for sure" until the end of April, beginning of May. I'm sure of one thing: RC is doing EVERTHING possible to get us cruisers on board safely. This is costing them soooo much money!!!

We are on the May 12 trip as well. I think there is an 80% chance that we are cancelled. We are looking at options to fly / train around Italy and then grab a flight back to Barcelona in time for our flight home. We're just going to turn our lemons into lemonade. 

[CarnivalCruiser32]

4 minutes ago, Paul in Phoenix said:

We are on the May 12 trip as well. I think there is an 80% chance that we are cancelled. We are looking at options to fly / train around Italy and then grab a flight back to Barcelona in time for our flight home. We're just going to turn our lemons into lemonade. 

Why do you think 80%?

[Pratique]

This may be the best view we get from Pride.

 

 

[Ourusualbeach]

12 minutes ago, Paul in Phoenix said:

We are on the May 12 trip as well. I think there is an 80% chance that we are cancelled. We are looking at options to fly / train around Italy and then grab a flight back to Barcelona in time for our flight home. We're just going to turn our lemons into lemonade. 

I’m thinking that if the odds were that high Royal would not be selling cabins on that sailing.  Currently cabins are available for all cruises starting May 5th.  While something could happen and another couple sailings could be cancelled I think the odds are pretty low.  

Edited April 5, 2019 by Ourusualbeach

[marshaatn]

3 hours ago, mousefan73 said:

Hi,

Concerned June Oasis Passenger here. I was just playing around with Plan B options. I found some options. Actually really nice ones...  But cannot risk booking another trip and then the Oasis is ready and then I am stuck with 2 paid trips for the same time period.

 

Has anyone contacted RCI and asked to cancel and be refunded any summer cruises  now even if PIF and non-refundable and showing a planned sailing?

 

would it be safe to say that once the ship is at Cadiz, RCI can make an assessment end of April and if there are known, knowns... they inform future customers on any impacted sailings and cancel/refund asap?

 

This uncertainty is killing me.

 

 

Hi, we are also concerned June Oasis passengers. I have only minimally checked into alternative plans in hopes that the repairs will be finished. Did you find alternative cruise options? I would be interested to know. Thank you!

[Paul in Phoenix]

3 minutes ago, CarnivalCruiser32 said:

Why do you think 80%?

Just a guesstimate....  based off of:

 

Time to get to Cadiz? The trip is about 4,200 miles... at top speed, the ship would take 7 days to get there. At a slower speed, it would take 8 to 12 days to get there. Then I am guessing it will take a month in the dry dock, so that would move its availability to late May.  I hope I'm wrong!