The Anthem of the Seas Storm: An Interview

As you may have heard, Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas decided to leave port late last week, despite the fact that 30ft seas and gale force winds were predicted.  The results have been all over the news.

Now what you might not know – My in-laws were on that ship.  It was their wedding anniversary.  To put it mildly, they will not forget this anniversary.

Below are some of their comments.  They sent us updates via Google Hangouts, since RC gave everyone free wifi during their torturous journey.

 

CMDTA - When did you first realize something was wrong?

The seas were rough, but we didn’t think much of it.  Then on Sunday afternoon we were told to go to our staterooms and not leave until we were told otherwise.  That was around 4pm.  Another announcement came to let us know that we could eat and drink anything in our mini-fridges at no cost.  Things escalated quickly.  The seas went from bad to awful.

CMDTA – One of you was in the Navy.   Did this compare to anything experienced there?

It’s hard to compare.  This was possibly the worst storm I’ve ever been through, but the ship was a lot larger.   It doesn’t matter if this storm didn’t have a name.  It packed winds of 120 miles an hour and the seas were crashing almost halfway up the ship.   This was a hurricane.   It was so bad, we were afraid that the furniture on our balcony was going to shatter the glass from getting tossed around so much.  We were too afraid to open the door to bring it inside.  It was that bad outside.

CMDTA – How long were you stuck in your stateroom?

From about 4pm Sunday evening to nearly Noon the next day.   All we had for food and drink was what you could find in the mini-fridge.  That amounted to a lot of sugar, junk food, alcohol, and a small amount of water.  At least we didn’t want to eat or drink much.  If you did open a drink, you could not put it down.  The ship was pitching so bad it would have tipped right over.

CMDTA – What happened after the storm?

They finally let us out of our staterooms, but only one dining room was open.  The ship was a total mess.  The ceiling was collapse in some place, there was broken glass everywhere, and furniture was scattered everywhere.  It looked like a warzone.   To try and appease everyone, they opened on bar for one hour and gave free drinks.

CMDTA – There were over 4,000 guests on board.  They opened ONE bar for ONE hour?

Yes.  That was it.  Most people were too sick and tired from not sleeping to even think about leaving their staterooms.

CMDTA – When did they tell you that your cruise was canceled?

You found out hours and hours before we did.   They told us nothing.  We noticed that the sun was setting on the wrong side of the ship.  That scared us a little.  We thought something was wrong with the ship.  Finally, hours later they told us that they were heading back because of the forecast.  We had a good laugh over that.

CMDTA – So you went back and got off right away?

No.  We sat out at sea off the coast of Rhode Island.  They couldn’t get permission to dock right away.  It took them a while to get it ironed out.

CMDTA – When did you hear about compensation?

When you told us.  They said NOTHING.  You found out long before we did.  That was the theme.  They never told us anything.  We were kept in the dark most of the time. 

There you have it.  A firsthand account of what it was like to be stuck on the Anthem in a hurricane.  There is one thing I’d like to point out.  I want to drag RC on the carpet for their “returning due to the forecast” claim. 

I DECLARE SHENANIGANS!

That is a bold faced LIE.  The FORECAST didn’t stop you from sailing directly into a hurricane.  Anyone who steps back and looks at things realizes why you headed back early.  You had a ship full of people you had to refund.  On top of that, you offered them a 50% credit on a future cruise.  You had to find a way to cut your losses.  Your brand new ship was so banged up, you could not sail again it its current state.  By your own admission, it sustained cosmetic damage.  From the photos coming off that ship, it was some severe cosmetic damage.  You wanted to get back to port and fix it up before you had to cancel ANOTHER cruise.  Limping back to port and kicking all the people you tortured  off, gave you a shot to be ready for the following week.

Stepping back – you screwed up bad, but I can’t help but think that Carnival or NCL wouldn’t have offered as much in compensation.   It still doesn’t make it right.  Next time bite the bullet and make the right call up front.

When You're Ten Days Out

Ten days to go is an important mark when you are waiting for any vacation. When you hit ten days you can start to check the weather. Most people would check the weather at their destination. However, for anyone who lives in New England, the destination comes second. During the winter you always check the local weather first.

Why would you check the local weather first? Because booking any airfare in the winter is a gamble. You cross your fingers and hope a storm doesn't hit the day you fly out. Thankfully I've never had a storm hit the day I've had to fly out. My wife however has.

What do you do if a big storm is going to hit the day you are trying to fly out? You gamble. To put it simply you book another flight for the day before and book a cheap hotel at your destination. This is a gamble because if the weather isn't bad enought to cancel you get stuck paying for two flights. Granted you only do this for slam dunk storms. Normal storms you keep your fingers crossed and hang out at the airport.

You might wonder why you wouldn't just buy travel insurance. I do buy travel insurance but I'd rather enjoy my vacation than get reimbursed for lost days. That's an awful way to start your vacation.

Awful Weather Predicted for the First Week in March

Although months away many meteorologists are predicting a massive storm to hit the Orland are starting around March 4^th 2010. The storm is expected to last a specific period of time.

“Based on historical data we are almost 100% sure a major storm will hit the area. The historical data being the fact that bad weather follows Mike Scopa around. It seems like every time he shows up a major storm hits the area. We also the storm will end when Mr. Scopa leaves the area,” stated head forecaster for Disney World, Mayor of Main Street USA.

“We also have some other concerns. In first week of December 2008 a massive ice storm hit the New England area. In the first week of December 2007 a snow storm hit the New England area. In both cases the Cousin Mickey Doesn’t Talk About was on vacation. This is a major concern because he’ll be in Disney World the first week of March 2010,” the mayor continued.

Both New England and Orlando are warned to prepare for the worst. The first week in March could be historic for the entire east coast.

However some feel that there is reason to hope everything will be ok. Professor Bunsen Honeydew explained “Both Mr. Scopa and The Cousin Mickey Doesn’t Talk About live in NH. The awful weather seems to hit when only one of them leaves the area. When both are leaving and heading to the same destination within a week of each other I feel the weather will remain stable. I have nothing to base this on but I’m a professor so I must be right.”

An unnamed weather expert explained why he feels Professor Honeydew is sorely mistaken. “Yes they both live in NH but you have to remember what NH is known for. It’s called the granite state. All that Granite neutralizes the affect of those two men. If there was no granite NH would implode. By allowing both of them to go to Orlando at the same time you are allowing Orlando to be destroyed!”

Weather you agree with Professor Honeydew or the crazy weather guy you’d best be prepared for anything to happen the first week of March in Disney World. The neutral forecasters are saying the weather will be between 45 and 85 with a 50% chance of clouds and a 50% chance of rain everyday.