Breakaway not docking at Roatan (again)….

[chrisdar1]

I think that this is three out of the last four weeks that the Breakaway is not docking.

 

Captain just announced it is too windy…

[applequeen]

We were sunblocked and ready to go. I had a feeling we weren’t going to make it based on the forecast (and how rough the water was during the night) but was hoping it was wrong. When we saw the turn on the navigation channel we knew it wasn’t happening. 😞

 

Does anyone know if there are plans to build a pier since this seems to be an ongoing issue?

 

[1025cruise]

There are actually 2 piers in Roatan. One is used solely for carnival Corp ships. 

[Laszlo]

3 hours ago, chrisdar1 said:

I think that this is three out of the last four weeks that the Breakaway is not docking.

 

Captain just announced it is too windy…

 

That sucks, I guess they don't want to chance taking out the pier

[applequeen]

Does NCL use the pier? I thought this was a tender port for us. 

[Laszlo]

2 hours ago, applequeen said:

We were sunblocked and ready to go. I had a feeling we weren’t going to make it based on the forecast (and how rough the water was during the night) but was hoping it was wrong. When we saw the turn on the navigation channel we knew it wasn’t happening. 😞

 

Does anyone know if there are plans to build a pier since this seems to be an ongoing issue?

 

They have a pier..... it was too windy to dock. What they need to do is build a pier at GSC

[CPRayVA]

We were on the Dawn, March 29 - April 3 and docked in Roatan, but that is a smaller ship.  Believe me you are not missing a thing.  We had a breakdown and did not get to dock at Costa Maya the next day.

 

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by CPRayVA

[applequeen]

I heard someone explaining why the smaller ships can dock despite winds but the larger ships (like Breakaway) can’t. It made it easier to understand why we could see others docking but we couldn’t make it. I guess it’s a “pro” in favor of smaller ships. 
 

it’s been a gorgeous day onboard. 

[hallux]

8 hours ago, chrisdar1 said:

I think that this is three out of the last four weeks that the Breakaway is not docking.

But wasn't one of those because of poor positioning of a competing cruise line's ship resulting in not enough room to safely dock?

[dogg1322]

 I was on the Breakaway last week when we didn't port in Roatan.  Huge Disappointment.  I would love to know the number of times in 2022 that this port has been skipped. 

 

On our cruise, we woke up, you could see Roatan on the port side of the ship and mainland Honduras on the starboard.  As we approached the island, all of the sudden we turned around.  The captain came on and said due to the winds, he could not safely port and we would have a sea day.  A huge bummer, as we had a full day of snorkeling ahead of us.  To make matters worse, as we sail away, a RCL ship (I believe the Allure, which is bigger than Breakaway), goes right into the port.  I attended the Q&A with the Captain a few days later and the first question asked was about Roatan.  He said, when the Breakaway docks in Roatan, the positioning of the dock is such that the winds hit it broadside.  If the winds are over 33 knots, he cannot hold the ship. He said the RCL Ships dock at a different pier in the same port where they are not positioned broadside into the wind.   From what I've read online (taken with a grain of salt), RCL invested in infrastructure in Roatan and built (or funded) the pier they dock at so that they can get ships (even bigger than the Breakaway) into the port.  NCL has not done this.  I would not sail an NCL itinerary with Roatan included until they fix this problem.

[KarlChilders]

Just a note, we have sailed itineraries twice on Getaway which included Roatan and docked both times. These cruises were both in December, so maybe it is just prone to higher winds in the spring. And to whoever said you aren't missing anything, I would have to disagree, one of our favorite ports, great snorkeling right from the beach in West Bay.

[dogg1322]

I'm not a seafaring person, but there is maybe a 45 degree difference in the way the two piers line up from what I can see on google maps?  See the attachment.  You can see an Oasis class ship tied up to the right (or East) and a different ship (not sure which one, but not Breakaway) on the western pier.

 

  I'm not saying you are incorrect in that the Breakaway captain chickened out, but it looks like there is a difference and I have no idea of the direction of the wind at that time, all the technical details etc.   Are you saying that the RCL docked at the actual pier we were supposed to or at the one they normally dock at?  Really bummed we missed that port.  We had chartered a boat to take us snorkeling!

Roatan port.pdf

[hallux]

I was on the Joy in March, we docked without a problem, at the pier not occupied by the Oasis-class ship in the PDF shared earlier.  I don't think it was particularly windy that day though.

[Laszlo]

Their is no way any Captain will chance docking. If it goes sideways they can easily damage the ship along with damaging the pier. If the pier is damaged it could be closed for weeks if not months to be repaired

[SimplyAlbert]

We sailed this itinerary on the Breakaway in February and we docked without any issues.

[Laszlo]

This is from 2018.... https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/dock-damage-creates-uncertainty-for-roatan-cruise-calls

 

 

 

[Oxo]

12 minutes ago, romalley99 said:

 

It is not "100% clear a Captain's issue". The Captain of the Breakaway has been at sea for MANY years. I can promise you, he is not "afraid" -- however, it is about safety, and there is no room for error when it comes to thousands of souls.

 

And, if you haven't gotten port taxes back (which usually automatically go back to your onboard account) I would inquire with NCL about getting them back, because you should have for missing a port. 

How can anyone say if it is or isn't the Captain? Why doesn't NCL explain the reason?

NCL is leaving itself wide open to this issue.

[Laszlo]

9 minutes ago, Oxo said:

How can anyone say if it is or isn't the Captain? Why doesn't NCL explain the reason?

NCL is leaving itself wide open to this issue.

NCL doesn't have to say anything. The can sail around in circles all week. See your cruise contract. Their is a go no go procedure based on the speed and direction of the wind. Each ship is different, ship A might be fine docking in 25mph winds, ship B might only be able to comfortably handle 20mph. 

Edited April 18, 2022 by Laszlo

[dogg1322]

2 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

NCL doesn't have to say anything. The can sail around in circles all week. See your cruise contract. Their is a go no go procedure based on the speed and direction of the wind. Each ship is different, ship A might be fine docking in 25mph winds, ship B might only be able to comfortably handle 20mph. 

At the Q&A with the captain and the chief engineer, the chief engineer said there is nothing technical that the Breakaway is missing compared to the Allure in porting in Roatan (i.e. thrusters, maneuverability, etc).  The captain then said it was purely the wind and the angle of the breakaway pier compared to the angle of the RCL pier.  I'm not questioning the decision of the captain, I am just more frustrated that NCL hasn't invested in upgrading or creating a new pier that would provide their passengers with an opportunity to see Roatan b/c it seems clear based on the number of times they have missed the island lately, that this pier is a problem.

[Laszlo]

If you think missing Roatan is a problem you just see how many times they miss GSC because of wind Lol

[chrisdar1]

34 minutes ago, romalley99 said:

 

It is not "100% clear a Captain's issue". The Captain of the Breakaway has been at sea for MANY years. I can promise you, he is not "afraid" -- however, it is about safety, and there is no room for error when it comes to thousands of souls.

 

And, if you haven't gotten port taxes back (which usually automatically go back to your onboard account) I would inquire with NCL about getting them back, because you should have for missing a port. 

 

Word on the ship (again take that for what it's worth) was that the entire crew was preparing to dock and at the last minute the captain changed the plan.  The wind and waves were consistent all morning, it wasn't like there was a sudden swell...  

 

And there were no port fees returned because (as explained) the port didn't stop us from docking, the captain did.  In that case, the port doesn't need to return the fees.

[bigrednole]

Plus NCL has the option to tender at the port. They did it about 4-5 weeks ago. This is about a poor decision in this case. The announcement was made ~7:45AM about 15 minutes after turning away. Bar staff, wait staff, deck staff, cook staff, etc were not prepared for a sea day. Deck chairs were being put out quickly, bars weren't ready to serve customers, dining wasn't ready for 2000 people to remain onboard. O'Sheehan's is 24/7 and not prepared to serve until 11:30AM. 

 

If you talk with the crew, they all said the same thing: they aren't allowed to talk bad about the Captain. I am sure this is the same protocol everywhere. But the more you talked with them, the more you can read between the lines and understand the situation. 

 

Yes, everyone knows ports are not guaranteed. But a port that was easily accessed by everyone else makes you question it. Knowing they "anchored" and tendered in the other week is a completely viable option as well. The issue is just a massive failure on the ship and in that it all goes to the Captain.

[bigrednole]

1 hour ago, Laszlo said:

Their is no way any Captain will chance docking. If it goes sideways they can easily damage the ship along with damaging the pier. If the pier is damaged it could be closed for weeks if not months to be repaired

In the case of the Breakaway, I guess it doesn't matter. The captain doesn't dock there anyway.

[CruiseMH]

2 hours ago, bigrednole said:

When the Vista and Allure docked, it is a Captain issue. It is 100% clear it is a Captain issue because there are no refunds. The port was open and they kept the fees which means it is 100% a captain issue.

 

We can each have our own opinion, but  3 out of the last 4 weeks it has not docked there. If he is afraid of the pier, tender instead. It was done that way about 5 weeks ago. Because in all honesty, this 4 stop route really stinks without good weather in Cozumel and Roatan. Harvest Caye is insanely priced and Costa Maya is only a few hours. 

 

 

You should be able to 100% prove your daring thesis if you deny the captains ability to navigate a ship.

It is pretty cheeky to accuse the captain of cowardice or fear. the captain is responsible for thousands of people and if he is convinced that he cannot dock there safely it is his duty to not risk it.

 

Every single cruise ship has specific wind speeds and directions at which it cannot dock safely anymore.these data are mentioned in the computer and also the physical handbook.

And yes, even if a ship is bigger it might have a higher max. wind speed or another wind direction so it can dock safely whereas a smaller ship can`t. this has nothing to do with captains navigational abilities

The captains experience and knowledge are for sure way more helpful and correct than the assumptions  of 99 % of the cruisers

 

 

[mjkacmom]

40 minutes ago, bigrednole said:

Plus NCL has the option to tender at the port. They did it about 4-5 weeks ago. This is about a poor decision in this case. The announcement was made ~7:45AM about 15 minutes after turning away. Bar staff, wait staff, deck staff, cook staff, etc were not prepared for a sea day. Deck chairs were being put out quickly, bars weren't ready to serve customers, dining wasn't ready for 2000 people to remain onboard. O'Sheehan's is 24/7 and not prepared to serve until 11:30AM. 

 

If you talk with the crew, they all said the same thing: they aren't allowed to talk bad about the Captain. I am sure this is the same protocol everywhere. But the more you talked with them, the more you can read between the lines and understand the situation. 

 

Yes, everyone knows ports are not guaranteed. But a port that was easily accessed by everyone else makes you question it. Knowing they "anchored" and tendered in the other week is a completely viable option as well. The issue is just a massive failure on the ship and in that it all goes to the Captain.

Some weeks NCL ships drop anchor and tender to GSC, some weeks it’s not safe to tender.