Infinity big wave Feb 1st

[Cruise Arizona]

Our Merc cruise was back in November.

 

Quite frankly it was a bit of motion, but I really didn't find it all that rough, abut the same as we experiences on our trans pacific Hawaii cruise.

 

I even danced in the Talent show with my daughter during the rough seas, but they were still warning every one to be cautions.

[Arizona Art]

Hi Two Rabbits

...yes the communication (or lack thereof) is my only issue. I am sure that the ship was never in real danger, but it would have been nice to hear that from the Captain. If you read the threads from the Holland American Ship during that same storm, those folks were told what was happening and what to do to stay safe? Our only communication was from the waiter and head waiter, who were just as concerned as we were, and could only say "I don't know, this has never happened before". As I said, the lack of response from Celebrity, even now is perhaps an indication that the learned nothing from the incident.

Art

[Lobbylin]

Sorry to hear you had a bad time, and I genuinely 100% agree that some level of reassurance should have been forthcoming much earlier than the 36hrs you experienced, so I acknowledge the point that you were making.

 

Sadly, the reality is that rough seas are an unfortunate trait of cruising and sometimes it is out of control of the captain.

 

Would it put me off cruising? No, but it would make me pay a lot more attention at lifeboat drill.;)

 

You may think I am being a bit flippant here, but I have been on a cruise in the Mediterranean where after a "rough" night we awoke to find the carpet of our deck 10 balcony cabin drenched with sea water.

 

Have I sailed again? Yes, many times and never once have I ever felt that it would ever stop me cruising. I see more accidents on the roads than I hear of cruise ships sinking.

 

Please don't let this experience put you off cruising, as it is a wonderful thing that conveniently opens the whole world up for exploration.

[salty dingo]

I don't know why the captain would need to reassure people, though. There was nothing wrong with the ship. He can't control the weather. Things happen. What would he have said. "A big wave hit us and tossed us around and made a big mess?" That is stating the obvious.

 

I don't think an announcement on the PA would have made the situation any more clear. By looking at the bridge cam pictures, it was obvious to everyone there that the ship was bobbing around in rough seas. Maybe cruise passengers are not accustomed to the hazards of sailing, but they exist!

[Arizona Art]

Interesting perspective salty dingo. So as we are sitting on the floor covered with what was on the table, you don't think that the Captain should have told us to "stay put".."go to our cabins"..."we are 10 minutes away from calmer waters", no need to be concerned? Bridge cam is not available in the dining room, at least as far as I can gather. Plus it does not to an untrained eye say what is ahead, only what is there at the moment.

[Tenngal]

I'll be on the Infinity at the end of November, on that same itenerary! I think I'll keep my life jacket close by during that segment of the cruise.

The same sort of incident occurred during a pre-Christmas 2004 (or 2003?--I can't keep track of them all!) cruise on Carnival Conquest--but we were on the Mississippi River!! Apparently, the ship made a too-tight turn, or hit one of the ever-shifing sandbars on that river, causing it to go way over to one side, and made several people, including my friend's elderly mother, to be pitched out of her dining chair. Food and drink were tossed all over the dining room. I'd say the ship listed a good 30 degrees. Fortunately, no word of anyone hurt, though.

As we left the dining room, we saw that all of the bars along the Promenade had people sweeping up broken glass.

And yet...never any announcement from the captain to explain what happened.

[salty dingo]

Interesting perspective salty dingo. So as we are sitting on the floor covered with what was on the table, you don't think that the Captain should have told us to "stay put".."go to our cabins"..."we are 10 minutes away from calmer waters", no need to be concerned? Bridge cam is not available in the dining room, at least as far as I can gather. Plus it does not to an untrained eye say what is ahead, only what is there at the moment.

 

Airline pilots do a good job of informing passengers of turblence coming up, but I have yet to hear a pilot discuss past turbulence. I doubt the captain knew when or if the wave would hit or precisely when it would be more calm.

 

I am truly sorry the passengers had to experience that, but it serves as a reminder to all of us who go to sea that the sea is the boss.

[sea-cruise]

I've told my story on another cc board....but this is an example of my "keep on cruising" attitude:

1. Many years back, aboard the Regent Sea out of NYC, the bottles were falling off the bars, and items off the shops' shelves. I fell over and onto a man's lap in the lounge. His wife gave me a nasty look....(I certainly didn't want him...just happened to land on him).:o

2. While aboard the original "Love Boat" in the eighties, a slot machine fell over and all the stools in the casino fell down as well. :eek:

3. While aboard the Homeric, my friend and I were sitting poolside before dinner, waiting for our husbands to meet us. We had our hair done, make up applied, and pretty sundresses on. We thought we looked very chic and classy. A rogue wave hit and we both crashed into the pool. We came up out of the water choking, nose to nose, clawing at each other. We didn't think we were so hot anymore. :cool:

4. We skirted a hurricane once and the spray was coming up over the top of the ship (small ship way back when). We found out how handy those rails are along the cabin's hallways.;)

 

We keep on cruising and keep on loving it....Bad weather and rough seas don't happen that often. Those incidents were only 4 out of 25 years of cruising. Have fun!:D

[Cruise Arizona]

Darn delayed double post.

[tak2]

I was there. Specifically on deck 4 , main floor dining room centre section.

Yes, there was numerous tumblings of passengers on the floor, but to my knowledge only two sustained lacerations that required the doctor's attention. Apparently one of them even had the humour to say when suggested to go to medical centre that he wasn't about to leave as his soup had not arrived yet!

Although there was a certain level of anxiety when the two waves hit within about a minute of each other, the dining room crowd was amazingly controlled despite what had happened. The wait staff quickly swept up the broken glasses, replaced the utensils, and within minutes the next dishes were served. It was really quite an experience.

Of course, there was damage to certain furniture in cabins, loss of liquor and other glasswear, but the key thing was very little injury, especially when compared with Prinsendam. The captain did announce earlier on at around 4 pm that he had to alter the course of the ship in view of 30 ft seas, but that we should be fine once we get into Strait of Magellen by 7:30pm, and indeed we did. Perhaps that's why no further announcement was necessary as he knew we would be in safe waters soon. Afterall, the waves didn't hit deck 10 like the NCL ? Dawn( or sister ship) on its way to New York. I guess for the captain and officers, those two waves were unusual but not to the point of alarming the passengers.

We all talked about the incident, but at the same time we counted ourselves very lucky compared to Prinsendam.

[tak2]

I was there. Specifically on deck 4 , main floor dining room centre section.

Yes, there was numerous tumblings of passengers on the floor, but to my knowledge only two sustained lacerations that required the doctor's attention. Apparently one of them even had the humour to say when suggested to go to medical centre that he wasn't about to leave as his soup had not arrived yet!

Although there was a certain level of anxiety when the two waves hit within about a minute of each other, the dining room crowd was amazingly controlled despite what had happened. The wait staff quickly swept up the broken glasses, replaced the utensils, and within minutes the next dishes were served. It was really quite an experience.

Of course, there was damage to certain furniture in cabins, loss of liquor and other glasswear, but the key thing was very little injury, especially when compared with Prinsendam. The captain did announce earlier on at around 4 pm that he had to alter the course of the ship in view of 30 ft seas, but that we should be fine once we get into Strait of Magellen by 7:30pm, and indeed we did. Perhaps that's why no further announcement was necessary as he knew we would be in safe waters soon. Afterall, the waves didn't hit deck 10 like the NCL ? Dawn( or sister ship) on its way to New York. I guess for the captain and officers, those two waves were unusual but not to the point of alarming the passengers.

We all talked about the incident, but at the same time we counted ourselves very lucky compared to Prinsendam.

[magmagee]

Wow, Ijust went to the web cam. Looks pretty scary. Hope you were able to enyoy the rest of your cruise. I am disappointed that Celebrity did not address the issue right of way. I am sailing soon on Zenith and I would hope that if something like that happened they would not keep the passengers in the dark. Glad you are ok.

[tak2]

The two waves came a minute apart.

The CC Board computer double posted my post exactly an hour apart.:eek:

[englishmum]

I was also on the Infinity during this episode of rough seas,and just like Tak2 said,I felt everything was done by the staff to ensure the passengers were alright.In fact I was on deck 5 at the very back of the dining room,and I was one of the unfortunate people that fell off their chairs and had half of the tables contents fall on me.Yes I suffered minor cuts and bruises,but all medical attention was given free.I was also given free laundry service for my top which got soiled during the fall.I was in the middle of a course of acupuncture and I was also given a free acupuncture session.The seas had been rough for a short while and just as Tak2 said the Captain announced that he was heading for sheltered waters and this would take about 1 hour.There is some debate whether the incident was caused by rogue waves or cross currents as we entered the Straight of Magellan.I live on an island and we get similiar situations as our ferry comes into port,as the stabilisers are off and just before entering our port the waters are notorious for cross currents.The whole situation lasted a minute or so and everyone in the dining room carried on as best they could,the waiters were marvellous,and our evening meal was served with big smiles.

When I visited the Medical Centre there were other casualties,but nothing I would class as life threatening.

Tak2 it was great meeting you and your charming wife.I am sure you will agree it was a fantastic cruise,both the ship and the staff were first class,we visited all the schedule ports,and the whole experience is something I will never forget.

[agabbymama]

What am I missing? I've looked at all the webcams, and I don't see a difference in any of the pics. The seas look a little rough, but I don't see any listing or huge waves.:(

[sms30519]

Look at the horizon in the webcam pictures and you should be able to see the "tilt".

[sea-cruise]

What am I missing? I've looked at all the webcams, and I don't see a difference in any of the pics. The seas look a little rough, but I don't see any listing or huge waves.:(

Once you get to the webcam site, you have to change the 'interval minutes' from 5 mins to 1 min. (See the little box on the left)....And you have to click on 6 p.m. After you do that you will see the waves.

[RLM77]

What am I missing? I've looked at all the webcams, and I don't see a difference in any of the pics. The seas look a little rough, but I don't see any listing or huge waves.:(

 

 

http://www.celebrityatsea.com/index.aspx?Value=8&Loc=CI2

 

In this set of archived pictures, you will see the horizon rising at 6:01 and 6:02, again rising dramatically at 6:11, again at 6:23 and then drastically falls at 6:25. The waves are coming in parallel to the ship, hitting her broadside. :eek:

 

Hope this helps.

[shoreless]

I guess for the captain and officers, those two waves were unusual but not to the point of alarming the passengers.

 

I think maybe some of the passengers were alarmed already. After the waves hit, a few words from the captain might have been very reassuring for inexperienced cruisers (of which I would have been one :) ).

[sea-cruise]

trying to post & getting white screen stalled..sorry

[sea-cruise]

Salty Dingo....How right you are about the sea being the boss. Take a look at the damage INSIDE this ship after going through tremendous waves....Yes, the Captain should have at least made SOME kind of announcement...That "We'll be okay, this happens once in a while, or whatever".

 

http://www.geocities.com/kp_diver/index111TheStorm.html

[attagirl1490]

I was on this ship and the captain did make an announcement that he was sailing an hour and a half away from the storm. I can't remember if he said he was going into or away from the Straits of Magellan; but that he was changing direction to move away from the waves. He did a great job, some smaller ships had quite a bit of damage (i.e. Prissidam, Marco Polo, "Something" Rose) I guess in the excitement, and that's what everyone I spoke to thought it was, this poster did not hear the annoucement.

[Joe Beach]

for those of you who know how to get there, go to the archives for the i-cafe at 1 min intervals, this is the 6:26 pic and with the 1 min increments you can see the before, during and after affects.

 

This shows the curtain away from the window and papers on the floor, compare to before and after.

 

[mii]

Arizona Art; I find it hard to believe that after making no announcement until 36 hours after the wave hit and then saying that "he did good" is a little presumptuous on the part of the Captain. I think that any Captain should keep passengers informed of what is going on when something like what happened on your cruise occurs. Please let us know what you have heard from Celebrity.

 

Read the post of Attagirl above. She was on the ship and the captain did make an announcement.

 

marilyn

[mii]

Arizona Art; I find it hard to believe that after making no announcement until 36 hours after the wave hit and then saying that "he did good" is a little presumptuous on the part of the Captain. I think that any Captain should keep passengers informed of what is going on when something like what happened on your cruise occurs. Please let us know what you have heard from Celebrity.

 

Read the post of Attagirl above. She was on the ship and the captain did make an announcement.

 

marilyn