Is the Dream unsinkable?

[Bear3412]

As a Fantasy Sandy survivor, I can tell you Meyer Werft builds a tough ship. Trust me.

Nothing like a tough German built cruise ship. Especially with an open DCL wallet.

Pax aboard the Fantasy performed the true sea trials, late October 2012.

Dream Class can handle huge seas like a true lady. (25 -30)

Although she dislikes massive rogue slaps. (50-60)

JME

IOW, it would take 60 foot seas with 80 foot rogues to even begin to put her in peril.
Trust me. And I'll bet she would ride those out like a tough lady too.

But DCL will never put her there with pax again.

No worries.

Enjoy

PS; I concur, Everything that floats is sinkable BTW.

 

[Rogillio]

That's quite a resume. Which of those stands out most, and why?

C'mon, that is like asking which one of our children do you like the best?

Each adventure was special in its own way but one holds a special place in my heart....the Baltic Cruise.....but not for what you might think. This was my Corvette. Ever since I was a kid I've wanted a Corvette. I almost bought a Corvette one time....but instead I booked us on a Baltic Cruise and continued to drive my old pick-up. Best decision I ever made! Kids are grown now and there is no going back. Some day I might get my Corvette....but the memories of that adventure are priceless to me.

 

[b0m5jgr]

Just a note! I didn't ask about it a ship could sink, I know they can. All I did was respond to someone who would like to be either in a storm while cruising or some other kind of disaster, which I think is crazy. Thanks

 

[Rogillio]

Just a note! I didn't ask about it a ship could sink, I know they can. All I did was respond to someone who would like to be either in a storm while cruising or some other kind of disaster, which I think is crazy. Thanks

You may be right....I may be crazy.....I even ride my motorcycle in the rain....

 

[Spize]

I think the bigger concern is, in what kind of shape will Nassau and Castaway Cay be a week from now? Seems Nassau is poised for a direct hit, and Castaway being at the north side of the storm is also very, very bad.

Not to mention, if Port Canaveral takes a direct hit, there may not be a way for the ships to get back in there by the 15th. The Dream has cancelled two upcoming sailings, as has the Fantasy. My guess is they will head far away from port and all the storm paths after they disembark all passengers today.

If Jose is threatening the area, your sailing on the 15th will either be cancelled or modified.

But, yes, the Dream can sink. ALL ships can sink under the right conditions (although, "rogue waves" are not something that you will find in the shallow waters around the Bahamas, for the most part).

There's not much to Castaway Cay really. A few retail buildings, a couple kitchens, and living quarters for onnIslamd staff.

The biggest worry for Castaway Cay is the dock channel filling with sand in a big storm like this.

Honestly, even if CC was obliterated, it wouldn't take much time to get it running. Maybe not full and efficient like now, but able to be used (even if the dock was down they could tender)

 

[monica9]

I wasn't on the Fantasy when it happened. There are plenty of people on this board who were. Check out youtube for videos of what it was like. My understanding is the captain thought he could safely stay ahead of the storm and make it back to PC. The storm shifted and they ended up in the middle of it. Other cruise ships in the area had decided not to risk it and sent their ships out of the way of the storm. It's seen as a horrible lapse of judgment on the part of the captain and the higher ups that the Fantasy didn't do what the other ships did.

Which means they will not be making that mistake again.

 

[Spize]

Just a note! I didn't ask about it a ship could sink, I know they can. All I did was respond to someone who would like to be either in a storm while cruising or some other kind of disaster, which I think is crazy. Thanks

If I had to make the choice, Id rather be on the Dream in a hurricane than on land.

We were on one of the early sailing of Fantasy and one of the engineers that designed Dream/Fantasy was showing me videos of Dream's sea trial... essentially they find the roughest seas they can and try to sink the ship, do everything wrong, and see how it handles it. They they turn on the safety systems and do it again to make sure they systems do what they are supposed to do to keep it out of those situations.

He was in the ship when they did it... said basically it would be aweful if you're a vacationer trying to enjoy yourself, but for a ships crew, nothing they couldn't handle.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Join the Navy.

Too old now.

 

[GoofyDisneyDaddy]

Which means they will not be making that mistake again.

I was on the Sandy cruise - it seems Disney did, indeed, learn their lesson. Keep the ships far away from hurricanes. The Fantasy following so close behind Sandy was a dumb move, and then when Sandy stalled in the middle of the night, the Fantasy caught up to the fringes of the storm.

As far as sinking, get a large enough hole or big enough list, and the ship will sink. Cruise ships cannot come back from a severe enough list, but I think I saw on an old documentary for a cruise ship that at least the ship that was on the documentary was designed to handle a 45 degree list before capsizing. Without taking on water from something like a breach in the hull, the amount of winds and waves it would take to tilt a ship that much would be pretty incredible. If I had to guess, the Fantasy probably listed around maybe 10-12 degrees at the worst during Sandy (which is huge). Here's what that looks like:

 

[lklgoodman]

Is the captain who was on the Fantasy during Sandy still with Disney?

 

[Cackyschmackers]

I was on the Sandy cruise - it seems Disney did, indeed, learn their lesson. Keep the ships far away from hurricanes. The Fantasy following so close behind Sandy was a dumb move, and then when Sandy stalled in the middle of the night, the Fantasy caught up to the fringes of the storm.

As far as sinking, get a large enough hole or big enough list, and the ship will sink. Cruise ships cannot come back from a severe enough list, but I think I saw on an old documentary for a cruise ship that at least the ship that was on the documentary was designed to handle a 45 degree list before capsizing. Without taking on water from something like a breach in the hull, the amount of winds and waves it would take to tilt a ship that much would be pretty incredible. If I had to guess, the Fantasy probably listed around maybe 10-12 degrees at the worst during Sandy (which is huge). Here's what that looks like:

Aw, H-E-L-L, no, thank you! Is that water from the pools?

 

[taggie4]

As a Fantasy Sandy survivor, I can tell you Meyer Werft builds a tough ship. Trust me.

Nothing like a tough German built cruise ship. Especially with an open DCL wallet.

Pax aboard the Fantasy performed the true sea trials, late October 2012.

Dream Class can handle huge seas like a true lady. (25 -30)

Although she dislikes massive rogue slaps. (50-60)

JME

IOW, it would take 60 foot seas with 80 foot rogues to even begin to put her in peril.
Trust me. And I'll bet she would ride those out like a tough lady too.

But DCL will never put her there with pax again.

No worries.

Enjoy

PS; I concur, Everything that floats is sinkable BTW.

Watching these videos is shocking! How was it to be on the ship during that? How long did the terror last? I had no idea even after 2 Disney cruises that this occurred. Was there any compensation for this insanity?

 

[GoofyDisneyDaddy]

Watching these videos is shocking! How was it to be on the ship during that? How long did the terror last? I had no idea even after 2 Disney cruises that this occurred. Was there any compensation for this insanity?

Things got really bad after about 8pm and lasted until maybe 2am. Before that we were definitely rocking, but during those six hours, it felt more akin to turbulence you'd feel on a plane -- very jarring, quick, and erratic. We were offered I believe a 25% discount on future cruises, though I may be off on the exact percent. My whole issue with how Disney handled Sandy is that it was completely unnecessary. We were south of the storm and charged up into it. Just dumb. In fairness, the storm stalled, and so we caught it faster than they thought, but still.

Below is a good time lapse of Sandy -- you can see from about the one minute mark the storm just sorta stalls, resets, and grows. That is when the Fantasy caught up to it instead of following behind it.

 

[bumbershoot]

When/if you find a ship that promises to run 30+ foot seas let me know. Bigger the seas the better. Hubby & I will go with you. We WANT to be in extreme seas. I've actually spent time researching how to increase my chances (ie. paying to ride freighters certain routes at particular times of year). We want that ride. I hear my dad talking about seas so huge the ship (Navy vessels, mostly destroyers & cruisers) would stand on end riding up & back down. He talks about his first time, how he believed that was the end for him....being thrown from your bunk....and as years went by watching the youngsters lay in the floor crying for their mothers. Yeah. I WANT that. Crazy. I know. So if you ever find that boat with that ride, do let me know. I'm in.

Have you done the freighter thing yet?

Or perhaps an oil tanker in Alaska? DH worked on those and it got quite exciting.

Or those grey ships you see in ports like San Francisco that support military? FIL was still running one of those at 78 years old. They aren't military but they support military (hubby's family had a heads up on war about to be declared because FIL had to go). Those go everywhere the navy ships go, afterall.

This is ridiculous....Yes the Dream, Fantasy, Wonder and Magic are "sinkable".
On the other hand, the Captain, under most circumstances, will NEVER risk putting the ship (a mega million, if not billion capital investment) or the passengers in danger.
Period, end of story. The itinerary is really just a suggestion at that point. Western/Eastern...does not matter...the show must go on unless it is clear no other options exist. its all about ship and passenger safety.
The ship will NOT sail into the teeth of a storm just to satisfy an itinerary .
If you are allowed to get on, you have nothing to worry about. Well, unless, the Captain is Jack Sparrow.

Never...again, at least. As everyone keeps mentioning, they did do it with Sandy.

 

[Rogillio]

In fairness, the storm stalled, and so we caught it faster than they thought, but still.

This is kinda funny.....makes it sound like the car in front of me hit the brakes and I rear-ended the car and just kept pressing the gas. Ok, so the storm stalled......turn 90 degrees or 180 degrees and run!

I would be soooo sick! I'm a little bit queasy now after reading your post. ;-)

 

[Rabb it]

I believe the last ship making that claim was Titanic.

First thing that popped in my mind lol

 

[GoofyDisneyDaddy]

This is kinda funny.....makes it sound like the car in front of me hit the brakes and I rear-ended the car and just kept pressing the gas. Ok, so the storm stalled......turn 90 degrees or 180 degrees and run!

I would be soooo sick! I'm a little bit queasy now after reading your post. ;-)

That's a really good analogy, actually (and why I and others on the ship were pretty angry at Disney - not that it has stopped me from cruising again with them). Once we caught the storm, it was more dangerous to turn the ship around, as you want to keep the bow pointed at the waves. The ship probably could have handled it, but turning around exposes the broad side of the ship to the waves, which is the most dangerous thing you can do, so once we caught up, there was nothing left to do but stay pointed at it and let the storm move away.

And I applaud Disney for how they handled it this time with Irma, taking decisive action early, even if it may have saddened/angered some, and getting the ships far away from the danger.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Have you done the freighter thing yet?

Or perhaps an oil tanker in Alaska? DH worked on those and it got quite exciting.

Or those grey ships you see in ports like San Francisco that support military? FIL was still running one of those at 78 years old. They aren't military but they support military (hubby's family had a heads up on war about to be declared because FIL had to go). Those go everywhere the navy ships go, afterall.

Haven't done the freighter thing. The part that trips me up is the schedule variations. Must have muuuuch flexibility with time because of the ships' ever-changing schedules. We've been mulling it, tho.

 

[Neptune's Fork]

Haven't done the freighter thing. The part that trips me up is the schedule variations. Must have muuuuch flexibility with time because of the ships' ever-changing schedules. We've been mulling it, tho.

How does that work? You just contact a shipping line and ask if you can ride aboard?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

How does that work? You just contact a shipping line and ask if you can ride aboard?

There's are agents/services that specialize in dealing with these. It's like a TA but not. It's different. I forget where I found the info but I read a few blogs written by travelers.