Jim Van Fleet out at Royal, 1 down and 2 more need to go.

[Ourusualbeach]

41 minutes ago, PWP-001 said:

 

Typically, when there's a large insurance claim, either the insurance company requires or the company making the claim does some changes/improvements to show "good faith" and help to avoid a repeat incident.  As I researched this, it turns out the hurricane was the second weather event and not as damaging as a February 2016 incident.

Royal doesn't claim for any of these events.  They have insurance for catastrophic loss only.

[TexasRon]

1 hour ago, not-enough-cruising said:

not to mention every airline in the world that relies on the weather reports available to us all.  The position of "staff meteorologist" was always just a public facing window dressing type of post anyway

I googled two large organizations with lots of planes and both seem to have staff meteorologists.  Small sample, but it does show that not everyone relies on weather reports available to all of us. While we all know the weather is unpredictable even with all the computers and forecasters out there (and makes good fodder for jokes about them, but even many of those misinterpret what a forecast prediction actually  means), staff meteorologists can help companies of all types make decisions as weather issues develop.  
 

They may have hired a service to do the job instead of having meteorologists on staff but it would surprise me if they don’t have some source of weather information that is more sophisticated than the general reports all of us can find.

Edited May 18, 2023 by TexasRon

[Goodtime Cruizin]

6 hours ago, outtoseacruise said:

Royal has started to drain their swamp of useless positions & waste. 1 down and 2 (possibly 3) more to go. https://twitter.com/JamesVanFleet/status/1659161312776056832?s=20

 

Great. Now can I get my bed turned down at night again?

[PWP-001]

19 minutes ago, Goodtime Cruizin said:

 

Great. Now can I get my bed turned down at night again?

Nope:  Royal is still swamped with debt that's draining their cash.

[NateUpNorth]

1 minute ago, PWP-001 said:

Nope:  Royal is still swamped with debt that's draining their cash.

The level of direct cost cutting and other expense reducing moves is starting to appear like an "all hands on deck" and "we might be in trouble here" situation. Just IMO. Queue the "sailing full" at "high prices" posts......

[not-enough-cruising]

53 minutes ago, NateUpNorth said:

The level of direct cost cutting and other expense reducing moves is starting to appear like an "all hands on deck" and "we might be in trouble here" situation. Just IMO. Queue the "sailing full" at "high prices" posts......

Regardless you can't deny the "sailing full at high fares" posts, it is a reality.

 

Is it enough?  That's a horse of a different color.

[PWP-001]

1 hour ago, Goodtime Cruizin said:

 

Great. Now can I get my bed turned down at night again?

Nope:  According to their financial statements, Royal is still swamped with debt that's draining their cash.  Cutting the staff meteorologist only save a few coins.

Edited May 18, 2023 by PWP-001

[little britain]

RCI stock just hit $80… 

[Goodtime Cruizin]

1 hour ago, PWP-001 said:

Nope:  According to their financial statements, Royal is still swamped with debt that's draining their cash.  Cutting the staff meteorologist only save a few coins.

 

OK, I call Dibbs! Mine first.

Edited May 18, 2023 by Goodtime Cruizin

[bucfan2]

3 hours ago, Goodtime Cruizin said:

 

Great. Now can I get my bed turned down at night again?

Great to hear from ya again on here.  You've either been quiet, or I spent too much time in timeout from the pc/narc police lately....possibly both.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

48 minutes ago, bucfan2 said:

Great to hear from ya again on here.  You've either been quiet, or I spent too much time in timeout from the pc/narc police lately....possibly both.

 

A little of both. I was released from Covid Prison about 6 months ago and then just chilled and lurked. Hope all is good on your end. 

Edited May 18, 2023 by Goodtime Cruizin

[smokeybandit]

5 hours ago, TexasRon said:

I googled two large organizations with lots of planes and both seem to have staff meteorologists.  Small sample, but it does show that not everyone relies on weather reports available to all of us. While we all know the weather is unpredictable even with all the computers and forecasters out there (and makes good fodder for jokes about them, but even many of those misinterpret what a forecast prediction actually  means), staff meteorologists can help companies of all types make decisions as weather issues develop.  
 

They may have hired a service to do the job instead of having meteorologists on staff but it would surprise me if they don’t have some source of weather information that is more sophisticated than the general reports all of us can find.

Weather for an airline is a much different beast than weather for a cruise ship.  It makes much more sense for an airline to have in house mets than a cruise line.

[Ret MP]

Is a corporate/in-house weatherman really necessary?  Can the position be outsourced to a 3rd party at huge savings?  I bet "Weatherbug", et al, can provide everything RCCL et al, needs to safely operate in international waters, weatherwise.  

[TexasRon]

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

Weather for an airline is a much different beast than weather for a cruise ship.  It makes much more sense for an airline to have in house mets than a cruise line.

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

Weather for an airline is a much different beast than weather for a cruise ship.  It makes much more sense for an airline to have in house mets than a cruise line.

 

My point remains that they have someone more sophisticated than Weatherbug or AccuWeather apps giving them localized weather information for ports and areas of travel. It does not have to be in house; it could be farmed out to an organization that does custom work for folks that need that level of service.
 

Yes, airlines have a different need.  

They still aren’t watching Channel 2 for their forecasts…

Edited May 19, 2023 by TexasRon

[smokeybandit]

3 minutes ago, TexasRon said:

My point remains that they have someone more sophisticated than Weatherbug or AccuWeather apps giving them localized weather information for ports and areas of travel. It does not have to be in house; it could be farmed out to an organization that does custom work for folks that need that level of service.
 

Yes, airlines have a different need.  

They still aren’t watching Channel 2 for their forecasts…

 

There are plenty of weather outsourcing companies that they'll use and probably every other cruise line already uses. 

[TexasRon]

18 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

 

There are plenty of weather outsourcing companies that they'll use and probably every other cruise line already uses. 

My original post was in response to someone saying that they use the same forecasts we all have available to us.

 

They don’t.

 

That is it.  I am not arguing over who it should be—staff or outsourced—but there is someone doing specialized forecasting for them. 
 

Many organizations have staff meteorologists and many others have outsourced the work.

 

[smokeybandit]

42 minutes ago, TexasRon said:

My original post was in response to someone saying that they use the same forecasts we all have available to us.

 

They don’t.

Agreed. They're paying big bucks for tailored forecasts specific to their industries.

[Tree_skier]

I'm applying for the job...  I've got a premium subscription to weather.com paid up until April 30 2024.  If the gig works out I'll re-up my subscription for another year. 

[Ourusualbeach]

Royal did just fine without a Chief Meteorologist until 2016, I am sure they will do just fine without one now.

[livingonthebeach]

They hired Van Fleet soon after Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida called for a National Transportation Safety Board investigation after Anthem sailed right into a hurricane in 2016.

“The thing about this storm was that it was forecast for days. So why in the world would a cruise ship with thousands of passengers go sailing right into it?” Nelson said from the Senate floor Monday. “I want the (NTSB) to come up with answers very quickly and make an admonition to mariners: When the storm is brewing, you don’t go out of port.”

 

I don't believe Carnival or NCL have sailed into hurricanes, and they don't have a staff meteorologists. 

[VegasVic14]

2 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Royal did just fine without a Chief Meteorologist until 2016, I am sure they will do just fine without one now.

There's more weather now than pre-2016. 🤪

[Ret MP]

I'd be willing to bet, again, that a 3rd party contracted forecasting company (something like Weatherbug or many others) can provide much more resources to the cruise industry than a person in Corp., HQ with a laptop <(that is obviously an understatement) can provide and provide it cheaper than the in-house guy plus his/her benefits and retirement.  It is my opinion that a cruise company's in-house weather forecaster is whitewash/a false sense of security anyway.  I've never got on a cruise ship and said to myself, "Boy O Boy, I'm glad Jim Van Fleet is in his office, back in Miami, checking the weather and keeping us safe".  JMHO

Edited May 19, 2023 by Ret MP

[notscb]

14 hours ago, TexasRon said:

That is it.  I am not arguing over who it should be—staff or outsourced—but there is someone doing specialized forecasting for them. 

100% correct. I work in events management and we have a company that will give us down to the minute forecasts and other pertinent information. Everyone is acting as if this guy was just making things up and collecting a paycheck when he was likely responsible for interpreting many data points to try to protect the company's assets the best that he can.

[notscb]

4 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

I've never got on a cruise ship and said to myself, "Boy O Boy, I'm glad Jim Van Fleet is in his office, back in Miami, checking the weather and keeping us safe"

You could say the same for many of the corporate positions. The reality is, those folks likely have had some impact on your cruise and your safety but had little to no knowledge that they were involved.

[smokeybandit]

5 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

I've never got on a cruise ship and said to myself, "Boy O Boy, I'm glad Jim Van Fleet is in his office, back in Miami, checking the weather and keeping us safe".  JMHO

 

True, but when your cruise is going to be affected by a hurricane, it's good to have RC putting out some guidance on what could happen with your cruise.

It doesn't take a meteorologist to do that, but there are plenty of people paranoid about cruise ship weather.