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ROYAL PRINCESS ISSUES ?????


c-legs
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Hi,

Anybody aware of Royal P experiencing ''issues'' ?? She has skipped Juneau already today and appears to be heading to''Cape Spencer''

according to Marine Traffic....which means she will also skip Skagway and Glacier Bay.....Once at Cape Spencer ( SEAPA pilots drop

off point ) , would she be heading straight to Whittier ?  or heading South back to Vancouver early ?  Intriguing....Recently, she did shortcut

her Ketchikan southbound call by 1 1/4 hours...and had a Vancouver arrival almost 1 hour early.....and a departure back north about 45 minutes

earlier than prior weeks...

claude

 

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1 hour ago, c-legs said:

Hi,

Anybody aware of Royal P experiencing ''issues'' ?? She has skipped Juneau already today and appears to be heading to''Cape Spencer''

according to Marine Traffic....which means she will also skip Skagway and Glacier Bay.....Once at Cape Spencer ( SEAPA pilots drop

off point ) , would she be heading straight to Whittier ?  or heading South back to Vancouver early ?  Intriguing....Recently, she did shortcut

her Ketchikan southbound call by 1 1/4 hours...and had a Vancouver arrival almost 1 hour early.....and a departure back north about 45 minutes

earlier than prior weeks...

claude

 

From other comments on this board I believe the early arrival in and departures from Vancouver are due to the tide levels and Royal's need to slip in under the Lion's Gate Bridge at low tide.

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The reason the Royal left early week or so ago from Ketchikan was due to the tides in Vancouver. I was on the 10-17th sailing- we had to leave Ketchikan early (3:30) to hit the right tide to clear Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver on the 17th at some crazy early hour (3:30am I believe it was). We ended up going faster than scheduled from Juneau, and were able to get off in Ketchikan a little early (about 30 minutes or so). 

 

I read on facebook that Juneau was skipped today due to high winds. It was not safe to make it there (other smaller ships made it in earlier but they had issues). 

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23 minutes ago, thegoaliegirl said:

The reason the Royal left early week or so ago from Ketchikan was due to the tides in Vancouver. I was on the 10-17th sailing- we had to leave Ketchikan early (3:30) to hit the right tide to clear Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver on the 17th at some crazy early hour (3:30am I believe it was). We ended up going faster than scheduled from Juneau, and were able to get off in Ketchikan a little early (about 30 minutes or so). 

 

I read on facebook that Juneau was skipped today due to high winds. It was not safe to make it there (other smaller ships made it in earlier but they had issues). 

Thanks for confirming.

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38 minutes ago, thegoaliegirl said:

The reason the Royal left early week or so ago from Ketchikan was due to the tides in Vancouver. I was on the 10-17th sailing- we had to leave Ketchikan early (3:30) to hit the right tide to clear Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver on the 17th at some crazy early hour (3:30am I believe it was). We ended up going faster than scheduled from Juneau, and were able to get off in Ketchikan a little early (about 30 minutes or so). 

 

I read on facebook that Juneau was skipped today due to high winds. It was not safe to make it there (other smaller ships made it in earlier but they had issues). 

I beg to disagree....Two ships her size made it OK in Juneau=NCL Joy a bit before 7;00am   and Bliss, right on time at 1;30Alaska time. Also, her track shows she sailed straight up Stephens passage ,didn't even get close to Gastineau channel and continued straight on to IcyStrait and Cape Spencer...and in the Pacific where she was tracked 10 minutes ago in a W/SW  direction, approx 10+/- km off the coast. That means no Skagway and no Glacier Bay .

C

 

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4 minutes ago, c-legs said:

I beg to disagree....Two ships her size made it OK in Juneau=NCL Joy a bit before 7;00am   and Bliss, right on time at 1;30Alaska time. Also, her track shows she sailed straight up Stephens passage ,didn't even get close to Gastineau channel and continued straight on to IcyStrait and Cape Spencer...and in the Pacific where she was tracked 10 minutes ago in a W/SW  direction, approx 10+/- km off the coast. That means no Skagway and no Glacier Bay .

C

 

Now I'm curious as to what actually happens tomorrow. I got my info about the winds from someone posting from the Royal on facebook and as of a minute ago, they had not been notified about any further changes in plans, other than an extra sea day today instead of Juneau.

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34 minutes ago, c-legs said:

I beg to disagree....Two ships her size made it OK in Juneau=NCL Joy a bit before 7;00am   and Bliss, right on time at 1;30Alaska time. Also, her track shows she sailed straight up Stephens passage ,didn't even get close to Gastineau channel and continued straight on to IcyStrait and Cape Spencer...and in the Pacific where she was tracked 10 minutes ago in a W/SW  direction, approx 10+/- km off the coast. That means no Skagway and no Glacier Bay .

C

 

 

Have you told the captain??

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I maintain my view from my experience as a former Royal Princess guest without little knowledge of navigation issues that the Bridge Team may have, Royal Princess has no business being placed in an Alaskan itinerary.

 

President Jan Schwarz and the Carnival Corporation itinerary "experts" now have an excess of "hardware" for Princess Cruises.  Where can they be profitability employed, yet provide the best guest experience possible?

 

 

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Based on other ships I’ve been on that haven’t been able to dock for whatever reason, I would expect Royal Princess to head out off the coast, meander to kill time, then head back towards Skagway for an on time arrival tomorrow. 

Edited by idahospud
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27 minutes ago, idahospud said:

Based on other ships I’ve been on that haven’t been able to dock for whatever reason, I would expect Royal Princess to head out off the coast, meander to kill time, then head back towards Skagway for an on time arrival tomorrow. 

Reality backs you up on that,it seems. At least,it is the most ''reassuring'' outcome. Still, I suggest it's a lot of miles to sail to kill time...

 

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3 hours ago, PCWalton1 said:

Royal Princess has standard propulsion (props) whereas the others have azipods which make it easier to maneuver at slow speed when windy.  This article explains it.

 

https://wtop.com/travel/2019/04/alaska-marine-pilots-concerned-about-royal-princess-megaship/

Excellent point. I recall reading this SEAPA presentation and found it quite sound, balanced....and ''to the point''. Ouir local Coast guard folks in BC agree whoeheartedly. Royal P  has been  assigned a two tugs escort,in and out,here in Vancouver....no debate.The fact BLISS and JOY appear to have had no ''wind''issue today certainly backs up the SEAPA's concern and the difference betwee pods and conventional propulsion .Thanks for quoting it.

 

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

I maintain my view from my experience as a former Royal Princess guest without little knowledge of navigation issues that the Bridge Team may have, Royal Princess has no business being placed in an Alaskan itinerary.

 

President Jan Schwarz and the Carnival Corporation itinerary "experts" now have an excess of "hardware" for Princess Cruises.  Where can they be profitability employed, yet provide the best guest experience possible?

 

Thta's been the general thinking up here for Vancouver folks......Royal is a bit ''big'' for this type of itineraries...Next year, they're going at both ends of the scale== Royal...and Pacific Princess...on the same route...!!!

 

 

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

I maintain my view from my experience as a former Royal Princess guest without little knowledge of navigation issues that the Bridge Team may have, Royal Princess has no business being placed in an Alaskan itinerary.

 

President Jan Schwarz and the Carnival Corporation itinerary "experts" now have an excess of "hardware" for Princess Cruises.  Where can they be profitability employed, yet provide the best guest experience possible?

 

 

 

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43 minutes ago, antsp said:

They Royal has no business to be in Alaska, I couldn’t think of a worse ship to sail to Alaska on in the Princess fleet. Why anyone would choose it I would love to know. 

 

I finished a week on the Royal in Alaska last Saturday and would do it again in a heartbeat. I don't know what you are on about. I spoke to many cruisers that had done this itinerary on other Princess ships and all said the Royal was as good.

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I am on the Royal now and if I had know there was a chance of missing a port that 

i really wanted to visit and experience after  traveling thousands of miles to get here because of a ship design issue , I would have chosen a different cruise line or ship. 

The seas were calm as can be this am by Juneau , not like the carribbean where rough seas cause port issues all the time. I never anticipated a loss of a port in Alaska.  

I wonder was this the first time this  happened this Alaska season ?  Is the royal the wrong ship to be in Alaska if it can’t make it into port.  That is a question for others to decide. But I wish I had known of the possibility before I booked. Let others beware. 

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13 hours ago, c-legs said:

Hi,

Anybody aware of Royal P experiencing ''issues'' ?? She has skipped Juneau already today and appears to be heading to''Cape Spencer''

according to Marine Traffic....which means she will also skip Skagway and Glacier Bay.....Once at Cape Spencer ( SEAPA pilots drop

off point ) , would she be heading straight to Whittier ?  or heading South back to Vancouver early ?  Intriguing....Recently, she did shortcut

her Ketchikan southbound call by 1 1/4 hours...and had a Vancouver arrival almost 1 hour early.....and a departure back north about 45 minutes

earlier than prior weeks...

claude

 

 

Engine problems?.

Edited by Kingofcool1947
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1 hour ago, antsp said:

They Royal has no business to be in Alaska, I couldn’t think of a worse ship to sail to Alaska on in the Princess fleet. Why anyone would choose it I would love to know. 

 

Because my cruise and Club Class Mimi Suite stateroom was comped?👍

 

Edited by Kingofcool1947
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10 hours ago, thegoaliegirl said:

The reason the Royal left early week or so ago from Ketchikan was due to the tides in Vancouver.

 

Tides are known years in advance.

 

Why does Princess wait until the day before a scheduled port to figure out what the tides will be?

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2 hours ago, leck57 said:

 

I finished a week on the Royal in Alaska last Saturday and would do it again in a heartbeat. I don't know what you are on about. I spoke to many cruisers that had done this itinerary on other Princess ships and all said the Royal was as good.

No forward viewing area, no promenade for viewing, small balconies, no covered pool. OK ship but a no no in Alaska. 

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13 hours ago, thegoaliegirl said:

Now I'm curious as to what actually happens tomorrow. I got my info about the winds from someone posting from the Royal on facebook and as of a minute ago, they had not been notified about any further changes in plans, other than an extra sea day today instead of Juneau.

 

It was a false alarm caused by an overactive imagination.  No problems.

Edited by bemis12
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6 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Tides are known years in advance.

 

Why does Princess wait until the day before a scheduled port to figure out what the tides will be?

Winds are impossible to predict far in advance.  These huge ships are vulnerable to winds blowing them where they do not want to be.  We once were unable to dock in Victory while aboard the Golden Princess due to winds making it difficult to approach the dock safely.  Another time on a Caribbean cruise we were unable to make the scheduled stop in Antigua because high winds made entering the narrow channel into the harbor too risky.  

I recall seeing some news article in the past about some Alaskan port having a dock damaged by a ship unable to adequately control the speed at which it approached the dock.

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19 minutes ago, nukesubsailor said:

Winds are impossible to predict far in advance.  These huge ships are vulnerable to winds blowing them where they do not want to be. 

 

The comment you replied to was about tides, not winds. While wind cannot be predicted far in advance, tides are known well out beyond the length of published cruise ship schedules. There is no excuse for last minute schedule changes due to tides.

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3 hours ago, lstone19 said:

 

The comment you replied to was about tides, not winds. While wind cannot be predicted far in advance, tides are known well out beyond the length of published cruise ship schedules. There is no excuse for last minute schedule changes due to tides.

So say you. The Captain of the ship has the final say so and he takes in effect the conditions at the time in the place he is at.  Conditions, including tide LEVELS, change daily due to various reasons.

Edited by Potstech
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