Anyone on a cruise on 9/11/2001?

[ctjon]

We were getting off a cruise ship in Dublin on 9/11 - supposed to fly home to the US the next day.  We had checked into our hotel in Dublin and went to a museum and then I didn't feel well (a ripple in the force) so went back to hotel and turned on the TV to see second plane hit World Trade - thought it was a remake of the Towering Inferno for a bit.  We didn't get home for 5 days - flew to London and waited.  People in Europe were ultra nice.  We flew into Halifax just after the people stuck there had finally left - couldn't ask for nicer people or nicer treatment. Ferry to US when immigration/customs barely looked at passports and luggage. Then drove home.

Wonder if anyone was on a Ship on 9/11 and what were there experiences on the ship?  Did shipboard life change for a day or so or what?

 

Thanks

 

[rafinmd]

I was not but will give my reaction anyway.  On 9/11 Crystal Harmony was in the midst of her New England-Canada season and was on the way from Montreal to New York.  She was obviously not able to land in New York and instead diverted to Baltimore.  I was so tempted to book a Crystal Cruise out of my home city (would have been my second) but unfortunately I had a Chinese River cruise in late October and my passport was out of my possession for Visa Processing.  I don't know if then Crystal required a passport for North American cruises but in any case I was not willing to travel at that time without a passport.

 

Roy

[dolittle]

Our first cruise  was 9\10 out of Vancouver to Alaska for our 25th anniversary . It all went great got on the Holland America Volendam and left Vancouver .We loved the ship the and everything that went with it. Wake up the next day turn on the tv. and see all hell breaking loose back home. I have found it hard in the past to write about our experience it seems kind of frivolous when 3 thousand people were murdered. The strange thing was the long time it took for people to find out ,we went to buffet for breakfast and I could tell no one knew. It felt strange like this was not real(I knew it was)As we were walking out a women saw it in my face and said ''none of these people know do they'' I shook my head no .I stayed in the room and watched C.N.N, (only channel the ship had back then) my wife went around the ship and came back to the room every 10 minutes with every wild rumor .Only one turned out to be true they told everyone to go to there cabin and stay while the officers searched each cabin .The cruise went on with all the stops it was hard but we had to make the best of it. What was your experience I know we rode with two other ships all the way back.

[donaldsc]

Not cruise exactly but we had plans to visit friends in  Germany about a week after 9/11.  They called us and asked if we were coming.  We told them that if they were flying we were coming.  It was interesting at the airport.  It was interesting on the flight.  it was interesting  on our travrels in Germany.

 

DON

[mafig]

We were home when the planes hit.  We had a cruise booked on 9/22 (our second ever...on Explorer of the Seas).  I remember saying to DH good thing it's 11 days from now, things should have quieted down by then.  Boy, was I wrong!

Our cruise was nearly empty.  They were begging people to stay on an additional week, paying only a minimum amount (I believe port fees and taxes).

It doesn't seem like 20 years ago.  I still get chocked up thinking of all those lives lost.  I'll never forget.

[rkacruiser]

The morning of 9/11, I was having breakfast at a Comfort Inn along I-64 in Western Virginia, on my way home from a pleasant stay at Virginia Beach.  Watched in disbelief as the second plane hit the WTC.  Had my car radio tuned to news channels all the way to Dayton.

 

My Retirement Celebration Cruise on the Volendam was sailing from Vancouver in a couple of weeks.  Arriving at DAY for check-in was a "different" experience as how we fly began to change.  I was the unlucky one when I checked in to have my luggage thoroughly inspected before I could even check in.  Each bag had to be opened and my carefully packed clothes were much disturbed by the searching.  

 

My return home from FLL was another eye-opening experience.  By then, security had been more enhanced with National Guard soldiers at the security screening areas.  The sight of a young soldier with a gun that was nearly as long as he was tall at that area caused me think:  Are we becoming a banana republic?  (The same thought that I had on 1/6/21.)  

 

I don't recall anything particularly unusual about the security arrangements on the Volendam nor in the ports we visited enroute to Fort Lauderdale.  Probably much was taking place behind the scenes in order to "not upset the guests".  

 

Having dined at Windows Of The World, I can't imagine what those people must have felt when they realized that they were trapped in that area.  God Rest Their Souls!  

[BoozinCroozin]

A friend worked on one. Said they were sent to port for an extra 12 days. All the people onboard were not going to be able to get off nor a way to get home. With flights down, the port closed in NY, and the logistics of porting somewhere else. I think he said they ported back in Miami and had to arrange travel for everyone.

[Luckiestmanonearth]

Not on a cruise but was supposed to fly that day at 4:30pm to San Antonio for a company meeting/golf event.

 

Needless to say the event was quickly cancelled and we never made the flight.

[Lois R]

25 minutes ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

Not on a cruise but was supposed to fly that day at 4:30pm to San Antonio for a company meeting/golf event.

 

Needless to say the event was quickly cancelled and we never made the flight.

Hi, I was supposed to fly that week......was going to see friends in Louisville, KY. If I recall my flight was supposed to be on Thursday or Friday. I ended up driving up to NC to stay with other friends and then we drove together to KY.

[zekekelso]

Sort of... I was working in Manhattan. You kinda forget it’s an island until all the bridges and tunnels are closed. 
 

A rag tag fleet of ships was organized to pick people up and take them off the island. Tug boats, ferries, fishing charters... if it could float and carry people it got recruited. Including cruise ships. I was on a ship that typically does dinner cruises or one night gambling cruises to nowhere. But that day it made trip after trip getting people off the island to New Jersey. 

Edited September 12, 2021 by zekekelso

[PurpleHays]

We went on our first cruise six weeks later, so nothing to compare it to.

 

We were, however, on the Emerald for the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013 (my 50th birthday). I remember standing in a bar trying to figure out what was going on and the sadness that overcame a lot of the passengers. It was difficult to get back to the real world with so much sorrow.

[dkjretired]

We were on an NCL ship during the Boston bombing. There were loads of people from New England and a couple hundred college students from UCONN. Quite gloomy after the bombing.

[chengkp75]

I was working on a tanker on 9/11, and felt utterly helpless as one of my boys was in college in midtown Manhattan.  Was also working when the Boston Marathon bombing happened, with two of my boys in attendance.

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

I was working on a tanker on 9/11, and felt utterly helpless as one of my boys was in college in midtown Manhattan.  Was also working when the Boston Marathon bombing happened, with two of my boys in attendance.

I'm sure there were a lot of prayers by you, really the only thing you could do at those times. Since you did not mention anything negative happening to them personally, I really hope they ended up with nothing happening to them.

[chengkp75]

45 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I'm sure there were a lot of prayers by you, really the only thing you could do at those times. Since you did not mention anything negative happening to them personally, I really hope they ended up with nothing happening to them.

Thank you.  9/11 did affect my one son in a sort of intangible way, his whole view of life changed, we're still not sure whether there are any bad consequences still to surface.

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Thank you.  9/11 did affect my one son in a sort of intangible way, his whole view of life changed, we're still not sure whether there are any bad consequences still to surface.

One of my brothers-in-law was there when it happened. He was a carpenter working in the area. I know he said he got out of there as quick as he could. Not sure how much it affected him as he is the strong, silent type.