Norwegian Dawn damaged by wave

[mommasita]

Let's see, we left 4 pm Sunday, and the storm started 9 am Friday, so I would count that as 4.5 days of cruising prior to the storm. And no one's fault? Are you crazy? Cruise Ships AVOID serious weather systems, they don't go right into them! Unless they paid $1,000,000 to NBC in advertising fees to be on THE APPRENTICE, and pressured the Capitan to get to port on time! So, it wasn't an act of GOD, it was an act of stupidity by NCL. Additionally, I paid for a cruise that stopped in Nassau Bahamas. Changing my itinerary to accommodate a TV schedule is offensive, don't you think? I guess you would feel differently had this happened to you.
And no one was hurt??? Who is your source? The man in the room on the 10th floor had 21 stitches to his head, that sounds pretty painful to me! Educate yourself about the topic before chiming in!

Wow..That sounds like it was a real nightmare..I do agree however, it is hard to judge when you are not there...People certainly had a lot to say about whatever discount was given for the hurricane cruises...Each cruise was different...So..I think you had to live through it...

I certainly hope that the Captain did not have orders to continue through a storm that was known....We should all wait to pass judgement on that until the final verdict is in..

Glad you are home, safe and sound. Hope everyone else is also..

 

[LakeAriel]

Why am I entitled to an opinion? Well if you need to ask the answer would be wasted on you. This was undoubtedly a horrible experience and some people had some cuts and bruises. By no injuries I meant injuries that actually required hospitalization because with a 70 story wave that certainly was a possiblity. Those with stitches and the like will probably receive additional compensation.
You are being given a 50% refund and I am sure anyone who's cabin was flooded will have their belongings replaced. You learned of the itinerary change prior to cruising right? I hope you and your family enjoyed yourselves from Sunday to Friday and again I repeat thank God no one was hurt. Those handful of passangers with cuts and bruises the exception.

 

[sailorgirl]

Well, Lakeariel, the itinerary was changed three days prior, Thursday, I tried to cancel our trip for a refund, and NCL wouldn't do it. Also, it wouldn't have been fair to my kids to say, hey, we aren't going anywhere. It would be very hard to make plans with only 1.5 business days before departure. And you might be one of those people who think emotional pain isn't any pain. I guess I would have to be bleeding to death, in your mind, to show any "hurt", but I am still having trouble sleeping at night because of this incident. And, frankly, from Sunday to THURSDAY (remember, Friday we were in a storm, or are you still not informed about the events??"??), the cruise was not very enjoyable. There were very long waits for disembarkation as a result of the itinerary change (again, do you KNOW what you are talking about), and other service problems throughout the cruise. I am not mean spirited, so I won't wish any harm on you in your future trevails, BUT, you have no right to think 50% compensation is appropriate or fair, YOU WEREN'T THERE.....and it seems you don't have your facts straight. As for the man with 21 stitches to his head, I wonder if that is really no big deal to him? Since I am not him, I would really not be able to comment.

Obviously, since the NTSB is investigating, there may be some cause for suspect. If you doubt my claim, go to the NTSB web site, it's right there.....AND, did you know there was also a broken window in the Bridge??? NTSB is reporting it....right on their website.....

Finally, what you seem to not understand, is that this issue isn't about a so-called rogue wave....it's about 30 hours of terror at sea in a huge storm system. So, I don't care if a 70 foot wave hit us...it's not the point. And next time your Cruise capitan says "I have notified the US Coast Guard of our duress and position", let's see how you would feel with your two small children on board!!! That is an exact quote from our capitan, at 1:30 am Saturday! You have nerve chiming in!

 

[LakeAriel]

All I know is that the cruise I went on a month before (Disney) clearly stated that they could change the itinerary at any given moment.
That said I would have been scared to death if it was me on your ship! No doubt I understand it was a terrible ordeal. I apologize if you think I don't sympathize with all the passengers. I watched many interviewed when they you got back and there were a number of different opinions. Also if it turns out that anyone's life was jeopardized for financial gain they should indeed give you 100% refund plus a free vacation to the vacation of your choice and more! The investigation continues but the initail report is that it was an unavoidable storm with a roque wave. If it turns out you're correct and the Captain made a terrible judgement call I'll be the first to apologize!
Feel better!
PS You're new to these boards. Everyone here is entitled to an opinion!

 

[sailorgirl]

Thank you for being understanding....and it is correct that everyone is entitled to an opinion...it's just hard to hear people say that 50% is a justified compensation when they didn't experience what I went thru with my family. I am completely aware of NCL's right to change the itinerary, which is why we were not offered a refund prior to the cruise....I guess I just feel that the itinerary changes should be resuluting from unforseen problems ie: weather, mechanical, emergencies, etc....I think that NCL abused that clause by using it to accomodate a TV shot.....I feel 2200 passengers were robbed of their time in Nassau (The Atlantis was the MAIN selling point for me) to accomodate the needs of NCL.....It's extremely frustrating and underhanded of them.

Obviously, I will not partake in the 50% off future cruise from them. It's a low end cruise line, and believe me, you get what you paid for. I am looking forward to Holland America and Carnival, who are both building terminals in New Jersey, to embark on a similar trip, where I won't have to fly to get to my cruise.

Thanks for the group hug, I need it ;-)

 

[LakeAriel]

I did the "Atlantis Beach Day" and thought it was a waste of money and said so on other threads.The resort itself is gorgeous and I would love to stay there but the walk to the little inlet beach was horrible. Trust me we have much nicer beaches at the Jersey Shore or LI! I am sure you would have liked the opportunity to see it yourself though. I too am looking for a cruise out of NY or NJ next time. This past Easter I went to Disney then did the cruise with DVC points. Next time I want to leave from near home. I hear Celebrity has the best food. I am researching for the best prices for cruises leaving the NE myself. From what I can see early booking is good but last minute is the best. If you can go at any time the last minute cruises are a bargain! Hope your next trip is better! Some people say the water is too rough leaving NY before May. I don't know if that is true in general but I'll be researching!.

 

[Lewisc]

A port was dropped, the passengers were forced to leave the boat in Miami to clear customs and the ship traveled through a storm that was known in advance so that the trip could be shortened in order for the ship to appear on a tv show. Yes everyone is entitled to an opinion BUT YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE facts before making statements.

I wasn't on the ship but everyone should get a full refund.

All I know is that the cruise I went on a month before (Disney) clearly stated that they could change the itinerary at any given moment.
That said I would have been scared to death if it was me on your ship! No doubt I understand it was a terrible ordeal. I apologize if you think I don't sympathize with all the passengers. I watched many interviewed when they you got back and there were a number of different opinions. Also if it turns out that anyone's life was jeopardized for financial gain they should indeed give you 100% refund plus a free vacation to the vacation of your choice and more! The investigation continues but the initail report is that it was an unavoidable storm with a roque wave. If it turns out you're correct and the Captain made a terrible judgement call I'll be the first to apologize!
Feel better!
PS You're new to these boards. Everyone here is entitled to an opinion!

 

[sailorgirl]

Amen Lewis, you got it right!

 

[invaderzim]

I was going to stay out of this, but I feel something needs to be said about the terrible tone this thread has taken. Sailorgirl, you are very new to these boards and should not take these postings so personal -- or be so defensive. I am sure we all understand how frightening this must have been and that you feel angry and bitter about what may turn out to be an error on NCL's part, but the point of these boards is for everyone to have a chance to "chime in" as you put it. Yes, everyone does have the right to their opinion here -- whether you agree with it or not. From reading through this whole thread, I don't see a single example of any vicious or disparaging remarks -- just opinions. And LewisC, with over 4,000 postings, you of all people should know the purpose of these boards.

In all the time I've been posting here, I've never seen anyone deliberately come on board with their comments or opinions with the intention of hurting someone.

As for "knowing all the facts" -- we all are awaiting the final word on that, and so should you.

This is nothing like your experience, sandygirl, but we were on the Disney Cruise Line in August during Hurricane Frances. We hit 36-hours of very rough waters and some pretty uncomfortable swells, all the while the Captain was trying to get us away from it. We were diverted and lost a port (Key West), plus were "stuck" out at sea for three extra days because Port Canaveral was closed. While DCL was not hurrying back to film a commercial (as is alleged here), we still did not blame them for the weather, the lost port or the loss of three-days of wages and school time that we had not planned on, not to mention extra parking fees, kennel fees and travel time to get home. They did absolutely everything in their power to get our flights changed and get us home as soon as possible, but it was a confusing mess and we were all disoriented because we had to dock at Port Everglades instead of Port Canaveral, but we had to go with the flow.

In your case, just from my own experience cruising through storms, it appears that whether or not the NCL Captain was rushing back to NYC for a commercial or not, you would have hit some bad weather -- it was unavoidable.

My point being -- please don't be so upset, take all of our comments and opinions with a grain of salt and thank God your family was safe.

Now, that's my story and I'm stickin' with it.......

 

[tink&cinderella]

Very well said - couldn't have said it better then that myself. The tone of this thread certainly seemed very defensive and harsh - however, I am wondering if this was due to the rawness, newness of the new poster's recent experience on that ship - scapegoating - no excuse however for "rude" like posting.

We too were in the same storm system on Friday evening with the Magic - and the seas were indeed rough- lots of swaying, cracking etc - i was thankful to get into port at around 5:10 a.m. - I think the NCL was hit by the wave around 7:00 a.m. or so. It must have been scary.


I certainly would continue cruising -even with the rough seas we experienced that friday. That's just us we enjoyed the entire experience -then again we were not on the DCL.

Just my two cents worth.

 

[allshookup]

Just wanted to say that I just returned from the "6" day cruise on the Dawn. Yes we were upset that we lost a day due to the damage sustained by the storm, but we were also very concerned about those on board. I am glad everyone survived the experience & I cannot imagine how frightening it must've been. While we were boarding we noticed a few railings missing from the front of the ship. By the time we disembarked, they were all fixed. This was our second time on the Dawn & we love her (almost as much as DCL)! The captain has always seemed very professional with the passengers safety his number one concern. This past week he informed us that we were sailing closer to shore than normal to avoid rough waves further out. I am NOT saying that I know all the facts about why the captain was sailing through such an awful storm, but I find it hard to believe that NCL would risk the passengers safety in anyway. It just doesn't make sense to invite such bad publicity. I certainly hope that it isn't true that the captain would rush through a storm to film something for the Apprentice. I will be interested in hearing the outcome of any investigation.

 

[joanb]

We saw the Dawn in port-Nassau on Friday 4/22.

 

[LakeAriel]

I think sailorgirl was a Troll.

 

[summerrluvv]

I think sailorgirl was a Troll.

I don't think she was a troll, I think she was scared off by people telling her how she should feel when they weren't in her situation. She expressed how the cruise affected her and her family and everyone seemed to disagree with her and slammed her after that.

 

[LakeAriel]

You could be right, but she had never posted before and never did again. Only posts were to bash Disney competition.

 

[mmouse37]

I read her posts on the cruisecritic board...she was not a troll here but just stating what happened to her. I guess she prefers the cruisecritic board...I think she just wanted people to know her first hand experience.