More damage photos, and a great place for eyewitness updates

[CruiseMark]

Here are the latest photos:

 

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2004/JPG00581.JPG

 

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2004/JPG00582.JPG

 

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2004/JPG00580.JPG

 

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2004/JPG00579.JPG

 

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2004/JPG00574.JPG

 

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2004/JPG00575.JPG

 

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2004/JPG00573.JPG

 

Current updates from eyewitnesses and relatives here:

http://www.stormcarib.com/reports/2004/cayman.shtml

 

PLEASE follow that boards rules. It's primarily being used as an information source for relatives and friends as well as residents.

[CruiseMark]

More photos here (more than 200 at last count): http://www.davidolson.com/Cayman/nfpicturepro/index.php

[Coolcruise02]

Thanks for the photos. I'm so sorry we will miss this beautiful island in October! My prayers go out to them.

[mii]

Also thanks for the photo's. We were just there last Feb and the caymans are just beautiful. Best wishes and prayers for those people.

 

Marilyn

[mrsjoey]

Hey, Coolcruiser02 or anyone that can help me........Could you tell me how to get the count down clock. Since they changed the website I have not been able to figure out how to make it work. I really enjoy watching the clock count down the days til we get to sail. Have a great week. :)

[cusyl]

http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm

[Kathie44]

The photos are so heart-wrenching, especially when I've been to Grand Cayman and know how beautiful it was. I feel for the residents who lost homes and loved ones. It's also a disaster for the tourist business, which is probably the main source of income.

We are planning to take Brilliance to the Panama Canal next Feb. which is supposed to stop at George Town and I'm wondering how much damage there was to the port and when it will re-open. Has anyone heard anything about that? I saw last week that current cruises were being re-routed. It's hard to believe the enormous number of hurricanes that have cropped up just since August.

 

Explorer E. Carib. 1/12/02

Explorer W. Carib. 1/18/03

Summit Alaska cruise/tour 8/3/03

Adventure S. Carib. 2/8/04

Brilliance Panama Canal 2/4/05--booking soon

[Island Marketing Cayman]

Hi this will be a short one for a change :) ,

 

The ability for Grand Cayman to accept cruise liners is unknown at this time but can say this:

 

Grand Cayman does not have a “true cruise ship Port”, we all call it “the Port” but it is truly a tendering facility. Ships do not dock in Grand Cayman as they do in Costa Maya, Cozumel etc. tenders are used in order to take passengers from the Ship to Shore (and back of course) the tender’s arrival area in Grand Cayman is undamaged and tenders could operate right now if Ships were to visit Cayman today.

 

 

What will determine if Ships can once again visit?

 

 

The infrastructure will have to be back to normal, power and water will have to be restored to George Town and 7 Mile Beach areas. Bars, Restaurants & Shops will have to be opened and their buildings repaired or rebuilt in a few cases. (All buildings on the waterfront by the tender’s arrival area are fine and most could be re-opened tomorrow if there was business to be had.)

Beach Bars, Restaurants & Hotels in the 7 Mile Beach areas will have to be reopened in order to once again accept clients.

Last but not least the ability for Cruise Liners to run excursions will play a big part on Cruise Ship arrivals into Grand Cayman. Cruise Liners use specific operators capable of handling hundreds of passengers at one time in order to operate excursions. (Most Cruise Liners have 1,500 passengers on-board, if 30% of Passengers would like to go to Stingray City the Cruise Liner need an Operator capable of taking 450 people to Stingray City in 7 hours or less, most Operators cannot handle the volume considering we usually have 4 Ships in Port and their specific Operators capabilities are aslo unknown at this time) The excursion busses will need to be operational, excursion vessels will need to be operational and so on. No excursion capabilities on behalf of the Cruise Liners will surely cause Ships to cancel the Port, after all, the reasons people do cruise, not necessarily in this order are:

#1 The Ship & activities onboard.

#2 The beautiful Ports & Itineraries the Ship will visit.

#3 Fun & exciting Excursions in each Port.

 

 

Visiting an Island whose services are not yet back in order would not be in the best interest of Passengers, Cruise Liners not being able to offer excursion alternatives to their passengers will not be in the best interest of Cruise Liners or Passengers and showing off our Island in the conditions it is today would not be in the best interest of Passengers, Cruise Liners or our Island. That being the reason many people such as us are positive on Cruise Liners returning late Fall & Winter. Once the major attractions are back in order and Operators are fully functional the Cruise Liners will be back to play in Grand Cayman and that should not take long.

 

I hope this makes sense,

 

Matteo

[hisfirstm8]

Matteo,

Are you thinking possibley late November early December, or more likely January for the repairs to be made?

Barbara

[verwirrt]

Yes, that does make sense. Thanks for your post and keeping us updated.

[Antiguan]

http://blueoceanart.com/ivan/