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Away from the scene for a while. Then it was the eclipse and now the hurricane to get me thinking since Glaveston was my next port I wanted to try. Thought there might be a few posts on this already. I understand why RC and CARN would wait to the very last minute to even think of a cancellation out of Galveston. I've since learned two new marnier terms - Yankee and Zulu when a port decides to shut operations. Galveston went to Zulu this AM. If the lines cancel they are on the hook financially. Would they have insurance to cover losses like this? What a mess this could turn out to be. How do they staff the port? Houston floods with just a few inches of steady rain. Fuel and food are going to get deliveries disrupted. Lawyers who go after cruise lines are going to love this disaster.

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The path and duration of exposure for the Galveston areas by Harvey is unusual.  If RCI cancels, I assume that they would have to refund all passengers which might possible slightly reduce profits this year, but by a small amount.  Not sure I understand what maritime lawyers have to do with the situation.  These cruise contracts exclude acts of God and a cat 3 hurricane that forms from a cluster of thunderstorms in 36 hrs would certainly be classified as such.

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Interesting in that the RCCL website is pretty vague about the effect of the storm on Sunday's Liberty scheduled turn.  Liberty is currently docked in Cozumel as scheduled.

Carnival, on the other hand, has much more detail on their website.  It states that the port of Galveston is closed and will remain closed until the storm has passed and the port inspected.  They also have already stated that itinerary changes will result in adjustments to charges for packages on board.  They also asked this weekend's new passengers to not proceed to the port until instructed by Carnival.  They have two ships (Freedom and Valor) scheduled for Saturday and one (Breeze) scheduled for Sunday.

Maybe RCCL is being more cautious having not put more information up than they have, but it's interesting to me to see the difference.  I guess at this point, there is no chance the Saturday trips happen on time and maybe a 5% chance the Sunday trips go out on time.  Currently, two of the ships are docked in Cozumel and two are hanging out just off the Yucatan Peninsula.  Based on the distance, the two ships in Cozumel would have to leave by late tonight to make Galveston by Sunday morning.  The two on the North side of the Yucatan could leave by early tomorrow.  If the storm proceeds as the forecast calls, it will be Tuesday or Wednesday before the storm has cleared Galveston.  Then comes the port inspection and any needed repairs are completed.

I have friends who cruise in the fall because it's so cheap.  We have never done it because of hurricane season, although we did once do a land based trip to Cayman in October that was interrupted by a storm.  The people cruising this week will get a bonus.  The people scheduled to embark this weekend are going to be disappointed.  I'm sure there are some folks with the trip of a lifetime scheduled to start this weekend.  I feel bad for them.

It will be interesting to see how it comes out.

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It seems from the information from RCI that was recently posted on the blog, their strategy seems to be to wait until the last minute to make a call.  The upside of this is that forecasting stalled storms is very difficult and it is possible that a wobble to the south will open an opportunity to dock on Sunday.  If so, no interruption to the weekly scheduling.  The downside is that this approach forces next weeks passengers to travel into a storm with no guarantee that they'll actually be able to get there, and if they do won't be stranded there if Liberty cannot reach Galveston.  By choosing not to make the trip to Galveston, are these passengers forfeiting their cruise if a window does open Sunday?  Seems to be a catch-22.

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6 minutes ago, DDemuth said:

It seems from the information from RCI that was recently posted on the blog, their strategy seems to be to wait until the last minute to make a call.  The upside of this is that forecasting stalled storms is very difficult and it is possible that a wobble to the south will open an opportunity to dock on Sunday.  If so, no interruption to the weekly scheduling.  The downside is that this approach forces next weeks passengers to travel into a storm with no guarantee that they'll actually be able to get there, and if they do won't be stranded there if Liberty cannot reach Galveston.  By choosing not to make the trip to Galveston, are these passengers forfeiting their cruise if a window does open Sunday?  Seems to be a catch-22.

Yeah, it makes for tough decision making.  If the port wasn't closed, it may be possible for Carnival to get their two ships in and back out by tomorrow afternoon.  

The Liberty would need to leave Cozumel by about 7 AM tomorrow to make the roughly 500 mile journey for Sunday morning in Galveston.  If they don't make the call by then, it will be made for them.

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35 minutes ago, DDemuth said:

It seems from the information from RCI that was recently posted on the blog, their strategy seems to be to wait until the last minute to make a call.  The upside of this is that forecasting stalled storms is very difficult and it is possible that a wobble to the south will open an opportunity to dock on Sunday.  If so, no interruption to the weekly scheduling.  The downside is that this approach forces next weeks passengers to travel into a storm with no guarantee that they'll actually be able to get there, and if they do won't be stranded there if Liberty cannot reach Galveston.  By choosing not to make the trip to Galveston, are these passengers forfeiting their cruise if a window does open Sunday?  Seems to be a catch-22.

It's a no-win situation for RC.

If they cancel, people will be upset because it ruined their vacation.  If the storm's direction/intensity changes, then you really get upset people.

Clearly they have people upset with their current strategy too.

I think the issue for RC is the fact it's forecast to hang around the coast, instead of moving inland and/or away from Galveston. If Harvey were to continue moving inland, it would be well-clear of Galveston by Sunday morning.

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I was just in Houston for business, got out this morning, it's going to get ugly down there, 24-30 inches of rain? Like the person says above, I've seen Houston street flood with 2-3 inches of rain. Even if the ship can dock through a clearing in the weather, the cruisers are going to be screwed trying to get away from the port, even if you drive your own car, I just cruised out of Galveston in June and a freak shower dumped a couple of inches of rain on the port and the frontage road to the port was flooding when I finely go in my car and got away.

So like Matt says, it's a no win situation for RC.

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We are on Liberty now and Captain James and James Van Fleet are keeping us informed. The situation is not good but we understand it is too early to make a call on what the ship will do over the next 48 hours. We just want to be safe!

Already made a rental car reservation in anticipation of our flight home be cancelled from Hobby. 

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So let's say they can't figure out a final call until after 7 AM cutoff for leaving Cozumel, and only then they work out that Harvey is going to hammer the port and making docking on Sunday impossible. What do they do as far as keeping everyone safe but still getting back to the US? Do they shore up in Cozumel for an extra day so they have supplies handy to keep everyone fed and watered? Do they reroute to one of the Florida ports instead?

Having watched that documentary that showed how the cruise lines have the amount of food on board calculated to just barely get them through the trip, I can't imagine they can just sail around for an extra sea day while waiting for the storm to pass, especially since they're already at the tail end of the trip.

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Friend of mine said Carnival is in the same situation and yes, they are going to hang out in Cozumel and try and time it to arrive on Tuesday instead of Sunday. But Like I said, I was just down there, and this storm may not go away by Tuesday, it might hang around all week and dump inches of rain.

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Regarding the comment about food:. During our excellent Behind the Scenes Tour on Liberty earlier this week,  we learned from the Provisions officer that they always load a minimum of 8 days of food for each voyage.  He did not say how creative they have to get with menus on that 8th day or what happens if we go to day nine........

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Cruising in hurricane season. A textbook example today of worst case scenario. Forgot about the Act of God small print no one ever reads. So I guess RC could cancel and be in the clear. On the other side if they just don't outright cancel the sailing today they force those passengers not already at the port to travel into an oncoming tropical storm/hurricane. Galveston must have a huge portion of guests that come from a days drive away.  Fly ins probably come in weds to friday. I wonder if trip cancellation insurance would generally cover this situation? They must also have the Acts of God exclusions too. A definite no win.for anybody.

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Did RCL have any ships affected by Matthew last year?  That would be a good source to try to figure out the options they will take this time around. 

I wasn't on this board then but I was on a DCL one, they had two ships already at sea that had to be delayed in returning to Canaveral.  They sailed together slowly through the Gulf and supplies were brought in by boat so the buffet and dinner remained more or less the same.  Luckily there was minimal damage to Port Canaveral so they were able to dock after the storm passed and only a day late.  Meanwhile another ship due out of NYC for Florida and Nassau was rerouted to a Canadian cruise with additional OBC offered and full refunds for those uninterested in the itinerary.  I think they ended up only cancelling one cruise and reducing another by a day.

Of course, the board was full of "experts" who felt the situation was being handled wrong by Disney and all the cruises should have been cancelled and returned early, etc, etc.  I guess being an entrepreneur where I get people who hire me but then second guess me at every turn has made me very sympathetic to the cruise lines in these situations.  I don't know what is going to happen with this storm so I trust the captain first and the cruise line second to figure out the safest options.  Obviously I'm more concerned with the people living in these areas right this moment than the people who might lose a cruise, but just as I hope the people living there got out and have good insurance, I hope the people who are booked on this weekends cruise have insurance that covers this.

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Here is a statement from RC 

Looks like they are keeping liberty for now!!

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ITINERARY UPDATES

 
August 25, 2017 

We are still actively monitoring path and progression of Hurricane Harvey. At this time, Liberty of the Seas will keep her original schedule for Sunday’s turnaround in Galveston, Texas. Should we make any changes to Liberty of the Sea’s itinerary, we will make sure to inform our guests. 

We will post another update on Saturday, August 26, 2017 by 12:00 PM CT. 
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15 hours ago, Matt said:

It's a no-win situation for RC.

 

Certainly.  It's a no-win situation for everyone involved. Given that this morning, NHS forecasts that Harvey will still be in the immediate area around Galveston until Thursday, there will likely be no outcome that will be ideal.

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16 hours ago, tiny260 said:

I was just in Houston for business, got out this morning, it's going to get ugly down there, 24-30 inches of rain? Like the person says above, I've seen Houston street flood with 2-3 inches of rain. Even if the ship can dock through a clearing in the weather, the cruisers are going to be screwed trying to get away from the port, even if you drive your own car, I just cruised out of Galveston in June and a freak shower dumped a couple of inches of rain on the port and the frontage road to the port was flooding when I finely go in my car and got away.

So like Matt says, it's a no win situation for RC.

Glad to hear you were able to get out and back home ok. :27_sunglasses:

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1 hour ago, rjac said:

Glad to hear you were able to get out and back home ok. :27_sunglasses:

Appreciate that, it was ugly at the airport early yesterday morning but then calmed down. I listened to all of the news stations talking about how bad the airport lines were going to be and got there plenty early, but I have TSA Pre, plus was in 1st Class so had priority boarding, needless to say I'm glad I had a good book to read.

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50 minutes ago, FManke said:

I don't know if there are more stressful things with traveling than uncertain weather. It's one of those things that you truly have no control over. 

 

And hence, not something to worry about...:10_wink:

 

I know, I know,... easier said than done.  :14_relaxed:

 

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Carnival is porting in New Orleans to take on fuel and supplies with plans to return the ships and passengers to Galveston once the storm clears. They are asking passengers to not disembark, but I also think that they're not willing to stop anyone who wants to get off before the ship returns.

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1 hour ago, DocLC said:

Carnival is porting in New Orleans to take on fuel and supplies with plans to return the ships and passengers to Galveston once the storm clears. They are asking passengers to not disembark, but I also think that they're not willing to stop anyone who wants to get off before the ship returns.

I guess I'm unclear, is Carnival asking the guests to not end their cruise in New Orleans, or are they asking guests to not get off in New Orleans for the day?  Seems a strange request if they are not wanting them to use New Orleans as a port of call.

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1 hour ago, RCVoyager said:

I guess I'm unclear, is Carnival asking the guests to not end their cruise in New Orleans, or are they asking guests to not get off in New Orleans for the day?  Seems a strange request if they are not wanting them to use New Orleans as a port of call.

I think what DocLC is saying Carnival asking guest not to end their cruise in New Orleans.

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From onboard Liberty:

Update from captain just now. We are going on in to Galveston but the port remains closed. We will stop short of there in a safe place and wait for port to open. Port Authority is to assess status at 9 am in the morning. Intention is to go on in and disembark around noon but the situation "is fluid".  Next cruise is delayed one day. 

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6 hours ago, RCVoyager said:

I guess I'm unclear, is Carnival asking the guests to not end their cruise in New Orleans, or are they asking guests to not get off in New Orleans for the day?  Seems a strange request if they are not wanting them to use New Orleans as a port of call.

They don't want passengers to disembark (end their cruise) in New Orleans. That may/could change depending on when they can get back into Galveston. 

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This begs another question:  If the port does open, and the cruise line ends the current cruise, and boots everyone off the ship, what in the world will those people do?  Flights are all cancelled.  Are the interstates open to get out of Galveston?  How many cars are flooded in the massive parking lots there?  It seems to me both Carnival and RCCL should not force these people off the ship into potentially life threatening situations.

It's not my money, I know, but it seems, at this point, the prudent thing for Carnival and RCCL to do, is to cancel this week's cruises, issue refunds and free cruises, and keep the current passengers out of harm's way.  If they get in Wednesday or Thursday and the passengers can disburse safely, the cruise lines will get good press.  If, by forcing the issue, multiple people get hurt or killed, the cruise lines will face a  lot of negative press and possible litigation.

Again, I know it's not my money, but Carnival and RCCL are huge companies.  The money spent by going overboard to keep these passengers safe and happy is nothing more than a rounding error in each company's annual profit/loss.

Just my opinion. 

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13 minutes ago, RCVoyager said:

This begs another question:  If the port does open, and the cruise line ends the current cruise, and boots everyone off the ship, what in the world will those people do?  Flights are all cancelled.  Are the interstates open to get out of Galveston?  How many cars are flooded in the massive parking lots there?  It seems to me both Carnival and RCCL should not force these people off the ship into potentially life threatening situations.

It's not my money, I know, but it seems, at this point, the prudent thing for Carnival and RCCL to do, is to cancel this week's cruises, issue refunds and free cruises, and keep the current passengers out of harm's way.  If they get in Wednesday or Thursday and the passengers can disburse safely, the cruise lines will get good press.  If, by forcing the issue, multiple people get hurt or killed, the cruise lines will face a  lot of negative press and possible litigation.

Again, I know it's not my money, but Carnival and RCCL are huge companies.  The money spent by going overboard to keep these passengers safe and happy is nothing more than a rounding error in each company's annual profit/loss.

Just my opinion. 

A note I saw posted online says that currently, the next cruise is scheduled to start tomorrow and if guests do return to port and need to make additional arrangements they're welcome to stay on the ship docked in port overnight. I have a feeling that if things do not improve, they'll keep passengers on board an additional night and push things out another day. They aren't in then business of putting their passengers in harm's way, and I hope that those approaching Galveston for their upcoming cruise are using common sense in assessing their own safety situation to get there. 

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I see they had to reroute to Miami.  Best of luck to @Kansas Cruiser and everyone finding a way home from there.  What a nightmare this storm turned in to so quickly :43_slight_frown:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8028

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After waiting outside of Galveston all morning, Liberty of the Seas is now headed to Miami where it will debark passengers Tuesday or Wednesday. We are waiting word from Royal Caribbean about how the line will assist travelers in getting home, though a spokesperson said in an email to Cruise Critic, "We are doing all we can to help guests adjust their travel arrangements and appreciate their patience during a stressful time."

The August 27 departure of Liberty is canceled. Booked passengers will have their fares fully refunded and will receive a future cruise credit. Liberty of the Seas plans to return to Galveston on Friday, if conditions permit.

 

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I'm sure I don't know everything that's going on, but when RCCL said they would wait outside of Galveston and hope to pull into port by noon on Sunday, delaying the next cruise by one day, I was confused.  We in Texas have known since very early Saturday, when the hurricane hit, that it was going to move slowly and mostly just "sit" where it was - dumping 30 inches of rain in a 250-mile area for days.  There was no way the ship could have hoped to pull into port on Sunday.  The surrounding areas are all flooded.  The airport has been closed since last night (Saturday).

And they just left for Miami around noon today?  

 

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So now the next question:  When arriving in Miami, do they expect the passengers to leave the ship or are they allowed to stay on board (with on and off privileges each day), until a safe return to Galveston is possible?  Having sailed from Galveston twice, it seems that these whips are filled at least half with folks from TX, OK, and LA who parked at the terminal in Galveston.  Because of the 1 hour plus shuttle from Houston International, it is a driving destination for most.  

I have a feeling that upon return to Galveston, many of these folks will have flooded cars.  Those parking lots do not seem to be much above sea level, based upon memory.

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With marinetraffic.com, you have to teach yourself to take their listings and triangulate the actual position of ships when in open water.  With that in mind, the Carnival Valor and Dream could still be moving toward Galveston.  They were due in yesterday.  I assume they'll either turn around and go somewhere else, or they will pass the RCCL Liberty this evening.  

The Carnival Breeze was due in Galveston today.  On marinetraffic there is a fresh reading on it's position.  It claims to be heading to Galveston, but is on a perfect course for New Orleans.

Maybe too much information for some, but I find it fascinating.

The events in TX have become life and death for many.  I would imagine many of the assets normally used at the port have been temporarily reassigned to life saving rescues.

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Hurricane Harvey update from Liberty of the Seas Kansas Cruiser

Well it has been an eventful and stressful 36 hours on board the ship. It is early Monday morning and it is with mixed emotions that I sit in the Cafe Promenade instead of my office back home to begin the Rat Race once again.  I am very happy that I am not the person or committee who has called the shots for our ship during this devastating event.  They are making decisions that affect 5877 souls on board and the multi-million dollar impact this storm is having on their company.  Every passenger has their own story and I am thankful that ours does not involve property in Texas.  I do have a daughter in Houston and she appears to be in a safe area for now.  

Overall I believe Royal Caribbean has acted responsibly.  They can never make decisions that will be agreeable to all.  I do know that I was very disappointed Sunday morning to wake up and find that we were sitting just outside the port of Galveston.   All the data and information had been indicating this was the wrong place to be and had hoped we would change course while we were sleeping.  However, the decision had  been made and they then had to execute Plan B.   We were all surprised that Miami was our destination and not New Orleans or Tampa. Hubby ran into the Cruise Director at the bar last night who explained  during an impromptu and heated Q & A session that Liberty was too big to be docked in those two ports.   It will be interesting to confirm that information. 

So Plan B is to arrive at Miami sometime Tuesday and passengers will have the option to get off there and find their own transportation home. Or they can stay on Liberty and cruise with her back to Galveston - currently estimated to be an arrival of sometime Friday ( although in my opinion that doesn't look likely either).   They continue to house, feed and entertain us at no additional cost.  Since we do not have a car waiting for us in Galveston we plan to disembark in Miami and fly home to Kansas.  I was very frustrated yesterday trying to book that flight since we had no firm ETA yet and the wireless service on board was extremely spotty and slow.  We had a several hour delay leaving Galveston area due to reported medical emergencies involving 3 passengers. I'm sure due to HiPPA we may never know the specifics but I would not be surprised they involved heart attacks or serious anxiety attacks. A number of passengers were totally freaking out and a great more had very long faces most of Sunday. The rainy and cloudy day didn't help the mood any.

Attached below are the two letters we received on board Sunday and Monday mornings, along with our current location.

I'll try to update more later.  I'm going to try very hard and make today a true Vacation day and enjoy the free ride!  ( Trying to focus on the bright side!). Thoughts and prayers are with the people on land affected by the hurricane and their friends and family whom are my fellow passengers.  Many of them are starting to wake up and I want to post this much before I start competing for wireless. 

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Tampa is not a port that the Liberty could use.  The ship wouldnt be able to get under the Skyway bridge.  My guess on the New Orleans port would be that it might be already filled up with other cruise ships.  We sailed out of New Orleans on the Navigator years ago but it is still smaller that the LIberty.  I dont think the port in New Orleans can handle but a few ships.

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Been following this since Friday....feel sorry for the people in Texas and for ppl who are cruising and were supposed to cruise.

 

Only thing that surprises me is the fact that somehow they seemed to think they would be back in port Sunday....I think it was clear as of Friday this was a major event hitting the area and while no one knows for sure or can predict how bad it will be or exactly how it will affect an area.....this one seemed like it was going to pack a big punch.

 

I wouldn't mind be stuck on the cruise ship for a few extra days though to be honest as long as its safe....

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The largest ship I see scheduled for Port NOLA is the Carnival Triumph, which is about 2/3 the size of Liberty so it is probable the port can't accommodate the larger ship.  Miami probably is the closest US port capable of handling a Freedom class ship.

Have to admit, I chuckled that the paper you got pointed out that additional photos are not being taken.  As if this part of the trip is one anybody wants pictures of.  Glad to see the other discounts though, especially laundry.  Good luck and thank you so much for the updates, while I hate that it is happening to you (and everyone) we do appreciate getting the updates and hearing first hand how this is being handled.

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