Jmccaffrey

I believe this is due to the fact these are not US companies and the ships are flagged in other counties. Congress misses the fact of how many US jobs this shut down is impacting. 

First Iceland and now St. Vincent.  Apparently mother nature isn't finished creating land.  

No surprise really.  Cruise lines are usually pretty quick to render aid in response to natural disasters.

I see Serenade en route but shows its destination as Barbados (even though it's headed towards St Vincent). I don't see any others that look like they're headed that way.

I love this Itinerary, stay in beautiful Bermuda before cruise, stay after cruise, lots of sea days and CocoCay!  Bonus is 2 hour flight from East Coast!
 

Lost in all the excitement of a Royal ship actually sailing in North America again is the fact they are planning to do overnight stays in Coco Cay!!
How awesome is that!!

Tide tables and notices of dam closures along the Ems River point to Odyssey of the Seas making the trip down the river towards the sea on the 27th of February.
Shipbuilder Meyers Werft has been busy making preparations including testing all lifeboats.  Odyssey has been outside at the shipyard secured to a pier next to the construction hall where she was assembled.  Odyssey was floated out of the construction hall in November.  In the video below Odyssey has been moved away the pier so that all lifeboats can be lowered and tested.
Meyers Werft has been keeping the conveyance quiet to avoid large crowds gathering along the route given the pandemic.  The shipyard is well inland away from the sea requiring the river conveyance once ships are nearing completion in preparation for the handover to the company that ordered the ship.  Meyers Werft builds ships of varying sizes at the shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.  Quantum class and similar ships from other cruise lines push the limits for the size of the ship that can be floated or conveyed down the Ems River.
Work remains to be completed before the handover to Royal Caribbean.  The conveyance down the Ems River towards the sea is safest during the highest monthly tide cycle.  Closing dams in certain places along the river in coordination with tidal swings can further increase safety buffers and the depth of water below the hull.  These factors limit the date of the conveyance relative to the handover to the cruise line but the conveyance has historically been a good indication that the handover will occur soon after.  Final work, finishing touches and mandatory sea trials in the North Sea need to be completed before the handover to Royal Caribbean.
For a preview of what to expect check out these blog posts from the conveyance of Ovation of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas down the Ems River:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/03/11/royal-caribbeans-ovation-of-the-seas-begins-conveyance
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/03/12/all-about-ovation-of-the-seas-conveyance-one-infographic
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/03/14/beautiful-views-ovation-of-the-seas-conveyance
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2019/03/26/video-spectrum-of-the-seas-conveyance
 

Over the years, I have seen many former British warships dragged up this same slipway by their own anchor chains. When I see it happening, I remember them not as hulks being cut to shreds and trucked away to be melted down, but as the glorious ships they once were, the pride of those who served aboard them. Sadly, the lot of a ship, whether it be a sleek grey messenger of Freedom, or a luxurious passenger ship, is set from the date of its creation. Sooner or later, it will meet the scrapper and the cutting torch (unless it is sunk as a reef, used as a target, or preserved as a memorial).
For those of us who spent our lives maintaining our homes of the sea around us, it is one of the most tragic sights ever. However, we all take heart that although the steel of the ship may now be in different forms, the ships are alive, and can never be taken from us. They live on, in thoughts, in memories, in photographs. It is in this way they not only pass into history, but they become "immortal"
 

What sort of public administration retirement plan oversight committee would allow this kind of a corporate investment anyways?   Where does the fiduciary responsibility of the plan administrator kick in?

Literally the first thing said in any earnings call is a warning that forward thinking discussion is subject to change and not indicative of what will absolutely happen. Stocks are always risky. I don't see how this suit sees the light of day.

Sure hope this gets thrown out of court. That's the stock market for crying out loud! If you can't afford the risk find a less risky investment or diversify. 

https://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSL1N2GZ1IZ
 
Even though there is a deadly virus spreading across the world forcing countries to lockdown some people buy shares in a cruise company and then when stock value falls they feel they have the right to sue for not realising, understanding or being given the correct information about how bad this virus is going to be.
Absolute bloody joke !!!!!!
 
 

I think it's about time @Matt locks this thread. This tit-for-tat baseless comments and claims is giving me a headache.

There has been no indication what to expect for that scenario yet.

Welcome to the blog. No one knows, it´s all conjecture. Inside cabins, old people, people with preexisting conditions. Only RCG knows or think they know and are waiting for approvals. They will tell us as soon as they know. 

Have. Personal. Responsibility. And. Realize. Crap. Happens. Sometimes. It. Isn’t. Always. Someone’s. Fault. 

There are thousands of malpractice lawsuits against health care practitioners in process across America today.  It still amazes me how you add the word "cruise" to one of those and it becomes newsworthy.   

Again, this is one side of the story and may, or may not, be accurate.

There is ONE important thing you are constantly avoiding to see which is that cruise lines are NOT governed in any by the United States, but have different standards and requirements outlined below:
Ships from the main cruise lines all will have at least one doctor and two nurses onboard. Many larger ships sail with two doctors and three or four nurses. Ships must have medical staff on call 24 hours. Medical personnel (both physicians and registered nurses) must have at least three (3) years of postgraduate experience in general and emergency medicine or board certification in emergency medicine, family medicine or internal medicine.
To get an idea of the staff's credentials, most cruise lines requires that its physicians be registered in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, a European Union country or any other country approved by the fleet medical director. Medical personnel must also have completed the required number of years of training in a recognized school of medicine.
Staff must be able to perform advanced life support practices, emergency cardiovascular care and minor surgical procedures. They are expected to stabilize seriously ill patients, perform reasonable diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, and help evacuate seriously sick or injured patients. Doctors and nurses also are required to be fluent in the predominant language of the ship.
Cruise ship medical facilities must adhere to the standards set by the American College of Emergency Physicians. The ACEP guidelines dictate that the infirmary must contain the proper equipment to handle a range of treatments and diagnostics. Among its equipment, the facility should have wheelchairs, a stretcher, back board for spine immobilization, lab capabilities for tests, oxygen, EKG capability, two defibrillators, cardiac monitors and other equipment to gauge vital signs.
The Cruise Line International Association, the world's largest cruise industry trade organization, also sets standards of care for its member cruise lines.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says ship infirmary capabilities vary depending on size, length of sailing and passenger demographics. The CDC compares shipboard facilities to ambulatory care centers.
As it stands now, their are stories floating around of what really was done. In my 30+ years in the Medical Malpractice field, I've seen and heard alot of stories and I've learned not to jump to conclusions as we have not seen the videos, transcripts, meds, etc. in order to come to a FINAL conclusion as to who is at fault, but, what I've seen so far is that this child had meningitis before boarding the cruise and RCG did the best it could. No doubt this is a child who will have a rough road ahead of them. My prayers will remain with the family who is going through this whole ordeal. Let's all keep calm and be rational thinkers as we cannot be put in the same shoes as this family or this child.

You are right, we should all huddle up at home and wait for someone else to care for and make decisions for us. 
 
BTW, The article states the child was given antibiotics, and sought treatment in St Maarten once docked. For the life of me I can’t imagine what more could have been done from the ship side perspective. Arranging an airlift as you mentioned above almost never happens for a multitude of reasons.  I am curious what you feel could have been done differently. 

Lets not loose sight of the fact there is a child who is now a triple amputee at the heart of this story as we post.
As mentioned the child would have been infected before arriving on the ship.
Meningitis can often be misdiagnosed as the flu, especially in children. Not being in the consulting room I have no idea of the symptoms being exhibited at the time. Saying that most doctors, no mater if it was your GP or hospital (or ships dodctor), would want to rule meningitis out due to how quickly a patient, especially youth, can deteriorate. If the child was exhibiting flu like symptoms and the doctor didn't go through the process of eliminating meningitis then i would consider this abnormal. 

However.... again, we weren't in the consulting room. Maybe the doctor did check for symptoms (Fever, vomiting, nausea, stiff neck (both hard to determine in kids that can't communicate), light sensitivity etc) but there were non present. 
The sad thing is of course due to either a misdiagnoses (be it one that should have been made or one that wasn't made because symptoms weren't apparent and thus no fault) a child is now a triple amputee and my heart goes out to them and their family.

Hope this helps RC to start sailing again!!!!!!

As funny as this is, it truly is a sign of the times. 

NAILED! IT!

Their lawyer is rumoured to be considering a case against the virus since it diminished his potential income from this and the many other cases he claims to have against Royal.