A POD problem festers on the East Coast ..

[AAAAmerican]

The Cruise Line which lost the $Million Dollars by not coming back into the NYC Piers where I leave from in again in a few hours.. just was back early to its Home Port (Manhattan, NYC, NY) with a POD problem..well more than a POD problem too.

 

The Police were called and summoned and had to board the ship to quell the disturbances.....result below:::

 

*YIKES* Is it a new story ..11/25/2006 AD

This happened on Thanksgiving now...!:mad:

 

Mutiny at DAWN another POD problem...

 

 

Here is what one Cruiser has said:

 

We arrived at noon on Sunday and were among the first to board the ship. Everything was fantastic - we were on vacation. The first sign that something was wrong was when we stopped dead in the water about a mile out from the Verazanno Bridge. Since this is our 4th trip on the Dawn, we knew something was not right. Approximately an hour later, we resumed our trip without any information given about why we had stopped.

 

The first official announcement was lunchtime on Monday when the Captain told us about the Azipod failure and the bad weather report. Now, we realize that nothing can be done about the weather and we knew the weather was going to be unpleasant (and I packed accordingly unlike some folk). But having a problem on the way out of port signaled to me that the Captain knew there was something not right with the ship.

 

Knowing this and also being well aware that we were heading into quite a storm, would it not have been advisable to turn around and immediately head back to NY. I think NCL was willing to take a chance on sailing on in hopes the Dawn could make it through the weather even with a damaged engine. When it became apparent that She couldn't, that's when the decision to stay docked in VA was made.

 

 

But, the Captain was extremely negligent in keeping a very worried boat load of people informed with what was happening. Also, when announcements were finally made, they were later found out to be inaccurate or completely untrue - trust me, no exaggeration here.

 

We attended the Latitudes party and the Captain did say that he would not sail us into harm's way and I was very grateful for that statement. But later on in the day I had to wonder if he was sincere since the ship had experienced a problem only an hour or two after sailing yet we continued on. I have come to believe that NCL knew we had a bad Azipod and they knew the weather was going to be a problem. We should have returned to port and none of this would have happened.

 

And yes, we did have security come on board. We saw police stationed at the front desk and heard that arrests were made but we did not witness that. After seeing the security, we headed for our cabin and spent most of two days there.

 

*YIKES*

 

So far I have heard over THIRTY ARRESTS were actuated...

 

Do we all get POD Insurance now?:eek:

 

Can ya spare a POD Buddy?

[joie1016]

Why are you bringing this up on the Holland America boards?????

[Krazy Kruizers]

Very interesting story.

 

Just shows you that profit is #1 and passengers are #2.

 

Thanks for the post.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Very interesting story.

 

Just shows you that profit is #1 and passengers are #2.

 

Thanks for the post.

[Copper10-8]

Some more info on this as reported on CBS4.com on

Nov 21, 2006 10:48 am US/Eastern

Miami-Bound Cruise Ship Makes Unexpected Stop

 

(CBS4) NORFOLK, VA Passengers aboard a Miami-bound cruise ship made an unexpected stop on their trip Monday night.

 

The Norwegian Dawn, owned by Norwegian Cruise Line of Miami, stopped in Norfolk, Virginia, because of a problem with its propulsion system.

 

Poor weather off North Carolina also blocked the ship's route from New York to Florida.

 

The ship and its 24-hundred passengers are expected to resume their trip about 5 p.m. Tuesday.

 

The ship sailed Sunday from New York on a seven-day cruise to Florida and the Bahamas.

 

The unplanned stop in Norfolk means the Dawn will spend less time in the Bahamas.

 

To compensate, Norwegian is offering the passengers a $100 per cabin on-board credit and 25 percent discount on a future cruise, said Norwegian spokeswoman AnneMarie Mathews.

 

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

[Copper10-8]

And:Cruise ship makes unexpected stop in Norfolk

 

 

04:06 PM EST on Tuesday, November 21, 2006

 

By 13News

More than 2,000 cruise ship passengers are stuck in Norfolk until Wednesday night.

The Norwegian Dawn had mechanical problems and pulled into downtown Monday night.

Poor weather off North Carolina also blocked the ship’s route from New York to Florida.

 

Also Online Norwegian Dawn Webcam

 

 

So, the City of Norfolk has set up two tours for the passengers – one to Williamsburg and the other of sites in Norfolk.

The ship was initially expected to leave at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, but the cruise line said repairs and the weather will force them to stay here another day.

The cruise line says it's extended a full refund for all guests in addition to the $100 per stateroom on-board credit and the 25% future cruise credit of the current trip to be used on any Norwegian Cruise Line ship between now and December, 2007

[Baseball Lover]

I think it is a fascinating story also. I hadn't heard it anywhere else so I appreciate you posting it. But I'm not sure I understand why the arrests were made. :confused:

[ocngypz]

Dawn's affected passengers are receiving refunds in full for this sailing.

 

NCL also offered free bus transportation back to NYC for those who wished to not stay on the ship. Only about 100 pax took them up on the offer.

 

It was anticipated that the low pressure system which caused gale force winds and heavy rains would move to the Northeast more quickly than it did and Dawn could proceed south to the Bahamas. Despite all our modern forecast technology, no forecast is ever 100% accurate.

[Copper10-8]

Bahamas-bound cruise ship stranded for another day

 

By GREGORY RICHARDS AND MATTHEW ROY, The Virginian-Pilot

© November 22, 2006 | Last updated 11:39 PM Nov. 21

 

NORFOLK - Marooned beside Nauticus during Thanksgiving week might not quite be the Bahamas, but at least it's free lodging.

The 2,400 passengers who set sail on the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship Sunday from New York expected to be in the Bahamas today, about halfway through a seven-day cruise that would also have taken them to Florida. But mechanical problems and poor weather conditions off North Carolina waylaid the ship in Norfolk on Monday evening.

Tuesday's expected 5 p.m. departure was delayed to at least late afternoon today because the trouble with the Dawn's propulsion system was not resolved and stormy conditions off the East Coast persisted.

 

"We're watching the situation very closely," said AnneMarie Mathews, spokeswoman for the Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line, the ship's owner.

 

As would be expected, not everybody on board was overjoyed despite efforts by local tourist officials to roll out the red carpet.

"The whole thing stinks," said Mike Phillips of Toms River, N.J., who was on a cruise with 17 people celebrating his wife's parents' 50th wedding anniversary. "We figured we'd have a good week. It's a shame, really."

All guests on board will be given a full refund, in addition to a $100 per stateroom on-board credit and a discount on a future cruise equal to 25 percent of what they paid for this cruise, according to Norwegian. Stateroom prices started at $599 per person.

The cruise line also offered passengers wishing to leave the Dawn a free bus ride back to New York on Tuesday evening. About 38 people took that trip, said Stephen E. Kirkland, the city's cruise operations and marketing manager.

 

 

"Apparently everyone is very happy with the offer," Mathews said.On Tuesday, about 300 passengers took part in one of two specially arranged tours, said Anne Phillips, co-owner of Phillips Tours of Norfolk. One of the trips went to Williamsburg, while the other wound through Norfolk, hitting such sites as Ghent and Norfolk Naval Station.

Phillips and city officials scrambled Monday on several hours' notice to accommodate the cruise ship, which arrived at about 6:45 p.m. Besides coordinating the tours, construction equipment had to be moved off the pier, security arranged for the ship and visitors' guides handed out.

"We haven't been all that inconvenienced," Fernando Ruiz of West Paterson, N.J., said upon returning from Williamsburg. "I think they made the best of an unpredictable situation."

"We can't complain," said his fiancee, Carolyn Altieri. "But there were a lot of unhappy campers."

Some passengers confronted crew members Monday night. Kirkland said that on-site security - local police officers - went aboard and provided an "extra presence" for 20 or so minutes. Nobody was arrested, he said.

For those staying on board, the remainder of the ship's itinerary is up in the air, Mathews said Tuesday.

Norwegian Cruise Line only occasionally brings its ships to Norfolk. In June 2005, its Pride of America stopped in Norfolk as part of a tour to broadcast the "Live with Regis and Kelly" show on ABC.

Kirkland said he met with Norwegian officials a few weeks ago to discuss the possibility of the cruise line starting regular sailings from Norfolk, particularly with the city's new $36 million cruise terminal set to open in March.

On Tuesday, many of the stranded cruisers braved the windy, rainy weather to flock to nearby MacArthur Center, where customer service representatives handed out store directories and other information, said Karen Winters, marketing director for the downtown shopping mall.

At H&M, a fashion retailer, crew members scooped up hats and scarves, jewelry and dresses.

Passengers particularly picked out coats, Winters said, "because it's cold and they expected to be somewhere warm."

[Copper10-8]

And:

After a side trip to Norfolk, cruise passengers to sail back to N.Y.

 

The Virginian-Pilot

© November 23, 2006 | Last updated 9:17 PM Nov. 22

 

NORFOLK - The Norwegian Dawn cruise ship, which unexpectedly docked Monday evening at the Norfolk cruise terminal, was expected to depart at 6 a.m. Thursday, according to Norwegian Cruise Line, the ship's owner.

It will head directly back to New York, from where it sailed Sunday to take 2,400 passengers on a seven-day cruise to Florida and the Bahamas.

Norwegian spokeswoman AnneMarie Mathews said Wednesday that the ship is dropping the remainder of its itinerary because the problems that caused it to divert to Norfolk remain: a faulty propulsion system and poor weather off North Carolina.

 

Once back in New York, passengers can either leave or stay on board until Sunday, when the cruise was supposed to end.

About 100 people took a free bus ride Tuesday back to New York, she said.

The cruise line said it is refunding all passenger fares.

[Stevesan]

And:

 

After a side trip to Norfolk, cruise passengers to sail back to N.Y.

 

Once back in New York, passengers can either leave or stay on board until Sunday, when the cruise was supposed to end.

The cruise line said it is refunding all passenger fares.

 

A pretty good ending. A full refund and free room and board in NYC till Sunday.

 

I'll take that!:p

[twinkletoes4445]

I saw this over on the NCL boards. What's really sad is how some of the posters are attacking people who were on this cruise. I'm always amazed when some posters take complaints so personally. Why would they? Unless they aren't really just regular posters...lol It's as if some posters only want the "good" news posted. There are always going to be people that aren't happy with things...and what bothers them may not be a blip on my radar.

 

That's one thing I love about the HAL board. You don't see much, if any of that here. :)

[bepsf]

I wonder if NCL will also have to pony up $300/person to USDOT?

[tomc]

(a) At first, I thought the thread was about pods of whales attacking cruise ships.

 

(b) If we're venting, we should start the subject line with "VENT: Bad trip on the (Name)," so people will cut the poster a little slack. We all need to spout off and it helps both sides to realize that it's just a vent and, after we cool down, things fall into place.

[twinkletoes4445]

If we're venting, we should start the subject line with "VENT: Bad trip on the (Name)," so people will cut the poster a little slack. We all need to spout off and it helps both sides to realize that it's just a vent and, after we cool down, things fall into place.

 

That's a good idea...and everyone needs to vent now and then, however, some boards you don't dare vent on...otherwise you'll be attacked.

[Grumpy1]

I wonder if NCL will also have to pony up $300/person to USDOT?

I would imagine that there are provisions for waiver of the Passenger Carriage Act violations when the violations are caused by mechanical problems and severe weather. Even most dunderhead bureaucrats would figure out that it would be better to limp into port rather than wallow at sea in a storm so they could class it as a cruise to nowhere.

[shortnsweet]

Arrived this morning to NYC on the Noordam. We had one heck of a night last night (Friday) with 12 ft waves and near gale force winds. I can't imagine a ship making that trip if it wasn't 100%. I applaude NCL and as others have said, having a few days in NYC with free room and board with a view not too shabby.

[Chivalrygirl]

(a) At first, I thought the thread was about pods of whales attacking cruise ships.

 

(b) If we're venting, we should start the subject line with "VENT: Bad trip on the (Name)," so people will cut the poster a little slack. We all need to spout off and it helps both sides to realize that it's just a vent and, after we cool down, things fall into place.

 

 

lol, tom, thats what I thought also. I only ever heard of pods of whales before. :D

[Tinknock50]

NCL certainly handled that well......their customers got a great deal!

[Navy_Chief]

Hmmmm.....a story with a happy ending so to speak. Tom you forgot the disclosure shipmate: "no whales were harmed in the making of this cruise detour":D (funny, I thought the POD washed up on Governer's Island :D :D ). Nice job by NCL though, very well handled. Not to mention, Norfolk is not a bad place to get "marooned" at.

 

 

Grumpy, isn't that act just for forein flagged vessles? NCL is US flagged (or so I thought).:confused:

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The Passenger Services Act is a piece of United States legislation which came into force in 1886 relating to cabotage. Essentially, it says:

 

No foreign vessels shall transport passengers between ports or places in the United States, either directly or by way of a foreign port, under a penalty of $300 for each passenger so transported and landed.

[Copper10-8]

Grumpy, isn't that act just for forein flagged vessles? NCL is US flagged (or so I thought).:confused:

 

Top of the morning to you, Chief! Only NCL America (their Hawaii operation) is U.S. flagged. NCL itself is not - take care and be safe!

[Navy_Chief]

Top of the morning to you, Chief! Only NCL America (their Hawaii operation) is U.S. flagged. NCL itself is not - take care and be safe!

 

Ahhh....thanks for clearing that up John, and to you as well, be safe on them thar "mean streets" shipmate!

[hammybee]

A pretty good ending. A full refund and free room and board in NYC till Sunday.

 

I'll take that!:p

 

It's a swell deal. I wish I were among them.

[whogo]

(b) If we're venting, we should start the subject line with "VENT: Bad trip on the (Name)," so people will cut the poster a little slack. We all need to spout off and it helps both sides to realize that it's just a vent and, after we cool down, things fall into place.

 

I thought the title "A Pod Problem Festers on the East Coast" combined with a thumbs down icon was a pretty good indication that someone was venting.

[torpeedo]

I am not really mechanically inclined but I have to wonder about the azipod propulsion systems. It seems to me there are constant problems about many ships with this type of system. I don't know anything about how it works but something seems break every now and then! The Osterdam had it's problems recently. Celebrity ships have been plagued as well. I am thinking of avoiding sailing on ships with Azipod propulsion systems in the future to avoid this type of problem. NCL did a great job with their passengers in my opinion. I am sure they were all very very dissapointed, but with all the cash back in the pocket, they can book another cruise!!