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Why did MSC elect to not come to PC to disembark on time like other lines

ghrider

By ghrider,
in MSC Cruises

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ghrider

ghrider

Posted
Posted

We are scheduled to depart MSC SEASHORE from Port Canaveral tomorrow 12/17/23 during this Gulf low pressure that is impacting the Florida area with strong winds and a significant weather threat. This is our first time on MSC having sailed RCCL, Celebrity, Carnival, and NCL in the past.

I am surprised MSC made the call to hold the Seashore south.
The winds on Saturday were clearly forecast to be easterly (directly in line with the PC channel which would make moving into and out of the channel much less dangerous).
This would have the ship in port on time for Sunday disembark and embark.
Other cruise lines all left PC on Saturday while winds where lined up correctly.
Was it the correct call by other cruise lines to regularly depart Saturday and bring their Sunday arrival ships (both NCL and RCCL) back tonight to get into port for tomorrow? If so, why did MSC make the opposite call? They kept the Seashore on its itinerary and thus not come back to PC until Sunday, but by then the winds are going to be from the south and that seems to be more dangerous to get into the channel. Likely a mess with disembark and embark being much later... and I am predicting a missed day at Ocean Cay to boot. We're going to have to eat this in the name of safety, but was it really the right call by MSC?  

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ghrider

ghrider

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The RCCL Wonder just pulled into Port Canaveral tonight (12/16/23) at 10:10PM... wish that would have been the MSC Seashore... NCL Epic is already docked for tomorrow.  What skills or forecasting help did the NCL and RCCL Captains have that MSC did not? This just does not seem like this was a Captain's call... 

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ptuder

ptuder

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Interesting. We are on Seashore now. It has been very windy and rainy at times since we left Cozumel yesterday. Sitting in our cabin now listening to the wind howling outside. The ship has handled the wind very well in our opinion. I wonder how the ride was for the other 2 ships. They did hang barf bags from the stairwells last night and we’ve heard that some folks weren’t well. Fortunately we have not felt any ill effects from the weather. 

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CruisingWalter Great Review Rare

CruisingWalter

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8 hours ago, ghrider said:

Was it the correct call by other cruise lines to regularly depart Saturday and bring their Sunday arrival ships (both NCL and RCCL) back tonight to get into port for tomorrow? If so, why did MSC make the opposite call?

 

I'm on the MSC Seashore now as we're passing by West Palm Beach.

 

The decision by MSC and the Port Authority of Port Canaveral was simple. It's geography. Wonder came back from the Bahamas. Disney came back from the Bahamas. NCL was coming over from Europe, already on the eastern side. MSC Seashore is coming back from Cozumel in the Gulf of Mexico, south and west of Florida. Take a look on the map at the distance required to cover that. IT takes a full day and night to get to Port Canaveral, not just a few hours like the Bahamas. 

 

If we proceeded as planned, at top speed, from Cozumel, we would have arrived at Port Canaveral in time for the 40 knot winds and a closed Port Canaveral. Those winds make it too unsafe for the ship to proceed into the channel, not to mention the Pilot to come out to the ship. Go back and read up on the NCL Escape running aground in the DR due to high winds pushing the ship out of the channel. Then read up on the Japanese Pilot who died earlier this year trying to step from the pilot boat onto a container ship in rough seas.

 

Thus the right decision was made to keep the ship south of the weather in the interest of safety and we will be coming in at 3pm. That decision is made in coordination with the pilots and the Port Canaveral Port Authority.  We could have arrived a little earlier, but not early enough to miss the 40 knot predicted winds. 

 

8 hours ago, ghrider said:

We're going to have to eat this in the name of safety, but was it really the right call by MSC?  

What an interesting thing to say. Safety is the ONLY right call. Would you prefer MSC tried to come in at 4am and ran the ship aground instead? I really don't understand how people can question the operation of a cruise ship when it comes to the safety of the ship, the passengers and the Pilots who have to jump onboard. 

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CruisingWalter Great Review Rare

CruisingWalter

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44 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

We are currently slowly passing Carnival Sunshine on our port side. The seas look a bit disgruntled. 

 

That was actually an interesting move by the Sunshine. She cut across in front of us and then turn to proceed north alongside of us. We had the Scarlet Lady off our Starboard and the Viking Mars off our Port most of the day yesterday. That was some wicked weather yesterday but I'm absolutely gobsmacked at how well this ship is handling the seas. Incredibly smooth with barely a hint of rocking, even in the worst of it. Easily the smoothest ship we've been on in a while.

 

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ptuder

ptuder

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35 minutes ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

That was actually an interesting move by the Sunshine. She cut across in front of us and then turn to proceed north alongside of us. We had the Scarlet Lady off our Starboard and the Viking Mars off our Port most of the day yesterday. That was some wicked weather yesterday but I'm absolutely gobsmacked at how well this ship is handling the seas. Incredibly smooth with barely a hint of rocking, even in the worst of it. Easily the smoothest ship we've been on in a while.

 

Agreed. We are very surprised and impressed by how smooth things have felt considering the conditions. 

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ghrider

ghrider

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CruisingWalter - Thanks for taking some time out of your vacation to provide input on possible reasons for the MSC decision. Winds are out of the south right now gusting at 37 knots sustained, but by 1-2PM I see them changing more westerly, which should realign with the port entry. One good thing is this system was oddly very predictable and the winds were forecast to be westerly off the back side of the low as it moved north by 3pm (might be why they elected that). So it is looking like an easy landfall if that pans out... Seems like that has been their locked in plan, and your arrival will not be significantly before 2:15PM.

 

COME ON WINDS!!!!  Entering port with a crosswind near gale is not what we all need right now. 

 

Just make sure all of you get off the ship in like 5 to 10 minutes if you don't mind!!!!!!

Easy as she goes.

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Homosassa

Homosassa

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Thanks to CruisingWalter for his succinct explanation of the right decision made by the Seashore captain to safely bring the ship back to the east side of Florida from the west side of the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Those of us that live in Florida (especially the west coast) and have been following the marine predictions about the low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico and track across Florida to the Atlantic realized that there would be problems for ships (and air flights).

 

Please read the thread by Essiesmom which is a live review of her trip on the Seashore over the past week.

 

It was obvious midweek  that some type of itinerary change was going to be needed by the Seashore to come back into Port Canaveral today.  

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Homosassa

Homosassa

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20 minutes ago, kelleherdl said:

I checked Cruise Mapper. Disney Fantasy overnighted in Port Canaveral. Yes, all the other scheduled cruise ship departures happened last night, but MSC is not the only cruise line to think safety and comfort of passengers first. 

For those ships that did leave ports on the east coast of Florida last night, it would be interesting to know their planned itineraries or changes in itineraries that would take them away from the storm's track or outer wave/wind effects after probably rough seas for some amount of time.

 

I am willing to bet (and I am not a gambler) that their itineraries did not take them north.

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quattrohead

quattrohead

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5 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

That was some wicked weather yesterday but I'm absolutely gobsmacked at how well this ship is handling the seas. Incredibly smooth with barely a hint of rocking, even in the worst of it. Easily the smoothest ship we've been on in a while.

MSC have the best ships by a mile. Divina, Meravaglia and Seaside have all been super smooth for us.

Divina especially was doing a fantastic job keeping up over 20knots with 40 knot sideways winds last time we sailed on her. It had a determined slight tremble about her but little rocking....working hard.

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DaKahuna Great Review Rare

DaKahuna

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21 hours ago, ghrider said:


. We're going to have to eat this in the name of safety, but was it really the right call by MSC?  

 

 I think you are going to find that every competent cruise ship captain will err on the side of safety for his passengers, crew, and ship.  I don't know what it is your are "going to have to eat" but I am pretty sure you will board the ship in a timely manner once everything is sorted out. 

 

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peder

peder

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The NCL Prima, a cousin of sorts of the Seashore, has had some issues with high winds, breaking free from its moorings one time in Belgium. Maybe something about the shape of the ships is more prone to issues with windy weather, or at least warrants extra caution.

 

And I had posted this on Facebook as well, but MSC wasn't the only line in Florida to make change; Holland America postponed Nieuw Amsterdam's arrival in Port Everglades.

 

https://cruiseradio.net/severe-weather-delays-cruise-ship-back-to-florida/

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CruisingWalter Great Review Rare

CruisingWalter

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9 hours ago, peder said:

Definitely not fair to say these were MSC-specific issues

 

The entire topic is ludicrous to be honest. The captain is the Master of the Vessel and whatever decision he or she makes is the decision. Oftentimes those decisions are in concert with the cruise line and the port authority. I was so frustrated with idiots on the ship yesterday "well it wasn't THAT windy, the Captain could have brought us in on time."  Unless you're a qualified cruise ship captain who has piloted that particular vessel in those wind conditions, you're wasting our time. 

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quattrohead

quattrohead

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2 hours ago, CruisingWalter said:

 

The entire topic is ludicrous to be honest. The captain is the Master of the Vessel and whatever decision he or she makes is the decision. Oftentimes those decisions are in concert with the cruise line and the port authority. I was so frustrated with idiots on the ship yesterday "well it wasn't THAT windy, the Captain could have brought us in on time."  Unless you're a qualified cruise ship captain who has piloted that particular vessel in those wind conditions, you're wasting our time. 

Ain't this the truth. Have they forgotten that we used to sail around the whole world using nothing more than the wind and a large flat object !!!!

Heck, even driving along Rt1 and A1A this past week has been interesting in a small vehicle.

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Brighton Line

Brighton Line

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The Master has an entire metrological staff at cruise headquarters, real weather geeks with PhDs and real time weather readings from the right on the ship backing him up compared to Joe Cruiser on the ship sticking his wet finger in the air. Those cruisers should bring the old Bermuda weather rock with them probably be a better forecast. 

 

I heard a Carnival ship had to have a two-tug assist to get into port, missed the ship name. Now that is an expense but safety first. 

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