Just spent e terrifying night on The Fantasy

[lewiskids004]

I am glad that everyone on the ship made it to land and are now safe.

I cannot imagine being on a ship in a hurricane. It is even more horrifying to think of my children enduring that situation. I have always been assured that sailing during hurricane season was perfectly safe because the ship will sail to calm waters and avoid the storm. Now I know that is NOT true. I see this decision by the captain and the company as a choice of revenue over safety and this will affect my decision to sail on DCL again.

My feelings exactally!! I have always defended cruising during hurricane season to people because I THOUGHT that they would obviously avoid any hurricane or poor weather conditions since they have such great equipment to tract weather conditions.

After what we experienced on Friday thru Saturday am, I will now hessitate booking during this season again. I have cruised 18 times with various lines, and this was by far the most horrific. When you are in bed and the ship tips enough for you and everything to roll out of bed and off shelves, I felt like we were on watch for putting out fires that kept happening just in our small stateroom. After throwing a towel on one mess, the other side of the room something else shatters and a door bangs open then closed-watch your hands and feet and any other body part that may get flung in the way.

Hope everyone is safe at home. While at the airport, I heard a supervisor tell one of the desk people to change any other peoples flights from the cruise for monday or Tuesday. So I pray that everyone was able to get home in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[DMMarla07860]

Everyone that was on the ship that had posted kind of reminds me of me when we hit turbulence when flying lol. I always think damn this plane is going to drop down fast and I usually say I am never flying again unless it Disney related lol

 

[kathleena]

I was on the Magic during a hurricane in Sept '08. After sailing around the Strait of Florida for one of the days, the Captain attemped to go to Castaway Cay. Woke up in the middle of the night with doors banging, the ship tipped to 45 degrees, alarms going off, announcements from the captain etc The ship was not rocking much at all however, the stabilizer bars were doing their job. I went back to sleep figuring the crew knew best what they were doing...............

Later in the morning, we turned away from CC as it was too rough to dock. The stabilizer bars came in and we rocked and rolled our way away in 20ft seas. I walked around the decks, including up on the pool deck where I took pics of "wave" pools and some broken doors and yes, even items tipped over in the stores..................

I considered this to be a part of deciding to go sailing in hurricane season. At no point in time did I feel endangered.

While no one can know the state of the ship or the storm as viewed from the bridge, I believe that the DISNEY captains DO put safety first ALWAYS and if a mistake is made, then that is part of the risk of putting yourself in their hands. If you don't want to take that risk, then don't sail. Or at least don't sail during hurricane season.

That said, I am very sorry for everyone who had a rough cruise!

 

[hammymcgee]

Some of the gift shop stuff is in baskets like they purposely put them there(esp the pictures of the alcohol).

That's because they had already begun cleaning it up. I started taking pictures an hour or so after the initial listing of the ship. I didn't have my iphone with me when it first happened.

 

[justmestace]

DCL has always been cautious in the past, as we can see by how they have handled other storm situations, which makes some of us pretty sure that they didn't realize how bad it was going to be, based on those other situations.

Yeah, those of you who were not on that ship.

I absolutely agree, Raspberry. If the other cruise lines had enough information to stay out of the way of the hurricane, then so did the Fantasy.
There ARE reports of injuries, so it isn't a "no harm, no foul" thing. There are NUMEROUS reports of mental anguish. And it's just darn lucky that there weren't more serious injuries. If it had happened during the daytime, when everyone was still out and about, you can be guaranteed there would have been plenty of serious injuries. Because it was so late at night is the ONLY reason there weren't more injuries.

I see NO EXCUSE whatsoever for Captain Tom to have taken this chance with people's lives. My personal opinion of him (yes, I've talked with him many times, twice privately on the bridge even) is that he's arrogant. Because he's spent so much time at sea, and because he thinks of himself as DCL's #1 Captain, I think he lost sight of his duty to his passengers. And it's because of his experience that I am so disapppointed in his decision to go forward.

It makes me sick to read some of the posts here, people who weren't on the ship, minimizing the feelings of those who were. I've seen over and over again, on the DIS, how people will defend Disney to the death....but never so much as in this thread.
If it were another cruise line that had decided to sail on through a hurricane, the defenders on this Board would have been all over it like white on rice.

 

[StitchBride]

We're on the Fantasy in 6 weeks, well outside of hurricane season, and as a Florida girl, I get it. It sucks for everyone who just got off the Fantasy, seriously, that's awful. It sucks for the Dream people too. I have to think that DCL thought it wasn't that bad (and as someone here in So FL, we weren't thinking it was too bad, even though we had winds & rain Thurs & Friday, schools closed but that's mainly due to buses & high winds being a bad combo) and maybe getting people home was the most important. I mean with that many people with plans for Sunday, flights home, land portions, who knows what, it would have been a logistical nightmare...not that it should trump safety but I have to assume that Capt. Tom knew what was going on and that it would be ok, maybe not pleasant but ok. Maybe the other cruise lines that stuck around the islands have less of a logistical nightmare?

We've done a couple cruises, some with Disney, and in some rough seas, and it just sucks. And sucks more to spend the money to do it. I know its not Disney's fault for the weather, but seeing as how they seemed a little ill prepared, I would love to see something back to the people on board, a discount on future cruise is sucky. Our first DCL, 10 years ago, was rough and we couldn't dock at Castaway Cay and spent the day viewing the island but unable to get off and listening to the tv go on and on about the virtues of the island was infuriating and Disney was ill prepared for an extra day at sea, there was virtually no entertainment beyond the movies scheduled and there was no refund & promotion. But hey, we did a Norwegian cruise through Hawaii 5 years ago that had no power, no ac in 1/2 the ship (in June, in hawaii!) and they were offering $200 onboard credit at the last minute of the night so people were in a flurry buying jewelry in the stores & stuff, just to get something. I think that would have been a good choice for Disney, credit towards what you already bought.

It sucks & I'm sorry for ya'll having to deal with it. It also sucks when we hold Disney to that gold standard they may have set in the past & they fall so far short of it. Wish you guys had a better trip & I hope a few days further out that you can remember the good parts and forget the crap!

 

[lugnut33]

Why didn't people just sleep through it?

Just kidding. I would have been one of those people curled up in a corner sucking on my thumb. I don't like the ocean to begin with and I would have been terrified to be in a boat rocking like that.

Sorry any passengers had to go through that.

 

[disney1990]

I had an opposite experience. I think the Captain and the crew did a fantastic job. The storm stalled and slowed down, there was no way to predict that. He apologized several times and DCL did not have to offer the discount.

It was a fantastic cruise and I am sad it is over.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

We were on the ship also and I agree.

We're on the Fantasy in 6 weeks, well outside of hurricane season, and as a Florida girl, I get it.

Hurricane Season ends November 30, so you are "just" out of season.

 

[FJS961]

Hurricane season is from early June through November with the peak number of named storms occurring around September 1st.

Aug, Sept and Oct are probably the 'worst' statistically. We took a chance sailing the Fantasy Aug 25th and luckily just missed Issac.

I truly feel for the folks that had such a horrible experience this past weekend. Shame on those with the "tough luck" attitudes. It is reasonable to expect DCL (or any cruise line) to AVOID the storms as much as possible. Its speculation why the Fantasy went through the storm to get back to PC while the other lines judged the situation differently. In hindsight it looks like it was a bad idea though.

 

[ilovetexas]

I absolutely agree, Raspberry. If the other cruise lines had enough information to stay out of the way of the hurricane, then so did the Fantasy.

[snip]

It makes me sick to read some of the posts here, people who weren't on the ship, minimizing the feelings of those who were. I've seen over and over again, on the DIS, how people will defend Disney to the death....but never so much as in this thread.
If it were another cruise line that had decided to sail on through a hurricane, the defenders on this Board would have been all over it like white on rice.

^^^^ This!!!

I just edited my signature to remove my DCL Fantasy cruise next March. I cancelled it about an hour ago. I almost did it when DCL changed everyone's cruises out of Galveston to an itinerary they didn't choose or pay for. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. If it had been unavoidable, ALL the cruise lines would have sailed through it. Then you would just have to chalk it up to cruising during hurricane season. It wasn't, they didn't, DCL just didn't want to get off schedule.

I'm not sure why I'm surprised at all the DCL apologists, but I am. These passengers were put through a night of hell just so DCL could remain on schedule. Your Disney "Magic" is looking more than just a little tarnished in the light of day.

 

[jlemieu1]

Does anyone know what Cat the cabin is in the CNN IReport video?

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-865019

 

[FJS961]

Does anyone know what Cat the cabin is in the CNN IReport video?

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-865019

thats a T (one bedroom suite)

 

[mlayton14]

I cancelled my DCL for January and never felt better about a decision !

 

[DMMarla07860]

^^^^ This!!!

I just edited my signature to remove my DCL Fantasy cruise next March. I cancelled it about an hour ago. I almost did it when DCL changed everyone's cruises out of Galveston to an itinerary they didn't choose or pay for. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. If it had been unavoidable, ALL the cruise lines would have sailed through it. Then you would just have to chalk it up to cruising during hurricane season. It wasn't, they didn't, DCL just didn't want to get off schedule.

I'm not sure why I'm surprised at all the DCL apologists, but I am. These passengers were put through a night of hell just so DCL could remain on schedule. Your Disney "Magic" is looking more than just a little tarnished in the light of day.

Were you on the ship? I know I wasn't so can't comment on how bad it was, but I will say I can relate to both people on the ship and the Captain and DCL. I hope most of the people that were cruising can get over this scary experience they had and cruise again. I find it just like flying and having a scary experience(I've had one). I can also see why the captain and DCL went through the storm. I have read the Captain did say he didn't think it would be that bad, so can't blame the captain if that's the case.

 

[3riverscruiser]

I have a little bit of perspective to add to this discussion. My first "cruise" was in 1989 on the defunct Windjammer Barefoot line's M/V Fantome, a beautiful 282 foot, four masted steel-hulled schooner. The Fantome was lost October 27, 1998, off the coast of Hondurus during category 5 Hurricane Mitch. All passengers and non-essential crew were dropped off in Belize City and survived. The Fantome tried to outrun Mitch. Every move the Fantome made was seemingly copied by Mitch, almost as if the storm were hunting the ship. Google "Fantome" and "Hurricane Mitch" and read about it. There is a great book about the Fantome as well, titled "The Ship and the Storm." Thirty-one crew were lost with the Fantome, because of bad decisions made by "management."

I sailed through the edge of Hurricane Hilary on the Magic EBPC in 2005 and that was a truly HORRIBLE experience. The Magic had a lot of open water in which to maneuver. The Fantome, seven years earlier, did not have that luxury, as it was boxed in by the Yucatan and Central America to the north, west and south and Mitch to the east. The Fantasy, likewise, was hemmed in between the coast of Florida and the storm. At the time, Sandy was a HUGE category 1 and there was little room to maneuver.

Predicting the track of a hurricane is not an exact science, and the ships rely on the National Hurricane Center's forecasts. You can track the progression of Sandy's wind swath at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2012/graphics/al18/loop_S.shtml. It looks like the wind swath of the storm enlarged unexpectedly Friday night into Saturday morning. It does not appear, however, that the Fantasy was ever in sustained hurricane force winds.

It seems that passengers were frightened, many terrified. I probably would have been as well. I am not trying to diminish what the passengers on the Fantasy, and Dream, experienced, especially Friday night. But both ships made it back to Port Canaveral safe and sound with some minor property damage, but no loss of life. The same cannot be said for the Fantome or her crew. When we cruise, we forget that we are in a tiny metal box floating in a big, big sea. The sea can be beautiful and placid. It can also be angry and cruel. October is a particularly angry month in which to cruise in the Caribbean.

 

[justmestace]

Were you on the ship? I know I wasn't so can't comment on how bad it was, but I will say I can relate to both people on the ship and the Captain and DCL. I hope most of the people that were cruising can get over this scary experience they had and cruise again. I find it just like flying and having a scary experience(I've had one). I can also see why the captain and DCL went through the storm. I have read the Captain did say he didn't think it would be that bad, so can't blame the captain if that's the case.

If you've never been onboard during a really bad storm, you CAN'T relate.

The analogy of a turbulent air flight doesn't come close, either. When a plane is up in the air, there really isn't anywhere else for them to go. They can try to get above the turbulance, but they can only go so high. They can fly through as quickly as possible, or go around.....but there's only so much leeway.
In the case of the Fantasy, they had ample opportunity to stay away from the hurricane. ALL of the other ships out there did. Disney is the ONLY one who didn't.
The captain has the most sophisticated weather equipment available. Saying he "didn't know" is a load of garbage. HE made the (bad) decision to sail directly into a hurricane.....and I happen to think it's his own arrogance that made him do it.
If it had been daytime, imagine the people who would have been seriously hurt or injured. Can you imagine little kids being bounced around like rubber balls????
I can't believe the people on here who will defend Disney to the death.
Imagine if it had been a Carnival ship that was the ONLY one who sailed right into a hurricane! Everyone here would be going crazy talking about how horrible Carnival is.

 

[Silver Queen]

I've been reading all 31 pages of this thread with great interest and sympathy for the passengers who were on board the Fantasy. As a mother and grandmother I know that I would have been very frightened if I were on that cruise. We just returned from a trip to Virginia and I suspect that the captain's decision to head for Port Canaveral was compromised when the hurricane stalled and was set back by 12 hours. We were following the weather forecast and based on the earlier predictions we were making plans to leave a day early and travel home on Saturday the 27th. During the day on Friday we heard that the hurricane had stalled by 12 hours and so we reverted back to our originally plan of traveling on Saturday. This worked out very well for us, but obviously not for the Fantasy. I firmly that if the "stalling" had been predicted the captain would have made a different decision. No one would have wanted the passenger to experience what they did or face the criticism and bad publicity that is now occurring.

 

[Wendy&Grumpy]

Does anyone know what Cat the cabin is in the CNN IReport video?

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-865019

It's a T - a Concierge one bedroom suite.

That's what we had as well, and there was no way we could find to keep the doors latched other than closing and locking them which we did not want to do because I didn't want my kids out of my sight and I was terrified if I locked the doors they'd get stuck shut!

Through the worst of it, we were curled up on the bed while my younger DS curled up on the sofa bed and my other three kids curled up in the bed & sofa bed in the connecting V.

The Murphy bed that we were unable to secure (which is located opposite the doors shown sliding open & closed) flew up and down, slamming alternately into the wall and the floor.

 

[mmouse37]

If you've never been onboard during a really bad storm, you CAN'T relate.

The analogy of a turbulent air flight doesn't come close, either. When a plane is up in the air, there really isn't anywhere else for them to go. They can try to get above the turbulance, but they can only go so high. They can fly through as quickly as possible, or go around.....but there's only so much leeway.
In the case of the Fantasy, they had ample opportunity to stay away from the hurricane. ALL of the other ships out there did. Disney is the ONLY one who didn't.
The captain has the most sophisticated weather equipment available. Saying he "didn't know" is a load of garbage. HE made the (bad) decision to sail directly into a hurricane.....and I happen to think it's his own arrogance that made him do it.
If it had been daytime, imagine the people who would have been seriously hurt or injured. Can you imagine little kids being bounced around like rubber balls????
I can't believe the people on here who will defend Disney to the death.
Imagine if it had been a Carnival ship that was the ONLY one who sailed right into a hurricane! Everyone here would be going crazy talking about how horrible Carnival is.

Ok..it is obvious you are very upset about this but ALL sides need to keep calm and not lash out at others. Just as you have your opinions and experiences others have their opinions. Please let's all stay CALM and not lash out on either side. You have repeatedly said how upset you are with DCL. It is understood you and others feel DCL dropped the ball.

MJ

MJ

 

[DMMarla07860]

If you've never been onboard during a really bad storm, you CAN'T relate.

The analogy of a turbulent air flight doesn't come close, either. When a plane is up in the air, there really isn't anywhere else for them to go. They can try to get above the turbulance, but they can only go so high. They can fly through as quickly as possible, or go around.....but there's only so much leeway.
In the case of the Fantasy, they had ample opportunity to stay away from the hurricane. ALL of the other ships out there did. Disney is the ONLY one who didn't.
The captain has the most sophisticated weather equipment available. Saying he "didn't know" is a load of garbage. HE made the (bad) decision to sail directly into a hurricane.....and I happen to think it's his own arrogance that made him do it.
If it had been daytime, imagine the people who would have been seriously hurt or injured. Can you imagine little kids being bounced around like rubber balls????
I can't believe the people on here who will defend Disney to the death.
Imagine if it had been a Carnival ship that was the ONLY one who sailed right into a hurricane! Everyone here would be going crazy talking about how horrible Carnival is.

Haha the scary thing wasn't turbulent air, it was more a engine going out and some sparks, thank god I didn't see those or I wouldn't be flying lol. Then as we were going back to Newark we start going down and then they start going up and then find out there was another plane on runway. And I wasn't on the ship so can't blame the captain, what's done is done. So can only say sorry that people went through that and hopefully they are like me and will laugh about it in two weeks when they realize they weren't in any danger.