Aboard ms Ryndam:
Course Correction
Hurricane Paula, or being diverted on your
cruise(s)
October 2010
by Karen Segboer
I was sitting in the Pinnacle Grill
on HAL’s RYNDAM last week, right in the middle of my lobster dinner,
when Captain Smit came on the public address system and announced
that, because of a quickly forming tropical storm, our cruise would
be re-routed in the extreme opposite direction. We were supposed to
sail from Tampa (our embarkation port) to Key West, which we did
that day, but mounting evidence that evening indicated it would
become a very bad idea to head straight into an area of the
Caribbean where a hurricane was developing. There was a quick change
of plans and course to the far eastern Caribbean and the Bahamas and
Grand Turk.
This came as a surprise to me, since I had no idea this storm, which
came to be known as Hurricane Paula, was even out there. I usually
watch weather and current events happenings, especially in the
Caribbean or other places I might be sailing - the North Atlantic,
the route to Bermuda, for example. Paula came at us from almost out
of nowhere.
On every cruise document you will read, if you don’t know this
already, is a disclaimer about the cruise line changing the
itinerary and ports of call on any given cruise for reasons of
safety. Many Bermuda cruises have been diverted to New England and
the Canadian Maritimes area for just this reason. It’s disappointing
if you really wanted to see Bermuda, had never been to Bermuda
before, or had an event to attend once you got to Bermuda by ship.
The cruise line just wants to keep you safe and happy (i.e. not sea
sick). They also want to protect their crew and staff ... and their
ship ... all a big investment, plus maintain the trust of their
passengers that they will do the right thing.
I had the opportunity to talk with Captain Smit on our last full sea
day and heard that he got a lot of flack from
RYNDAM passengers for making that decision. He indicated
during his initial public address announcement that he had conferred
with his crew, with the main office back in Seattle and with weather
forecasters before making his decision to re-route all of us away
from our original destinations. I think he made the wise choice that
evening and throughout the cruise, and I maintain that it remained
the best choice under what had to be difficult circumstances.
I’d done a Central American itinerary close to what this one was
supposed to be back in 2000 on the now-gone Premier SEA BREEZE, nee
FEDERICO C., a small but much-beloved former Costa ship. We’d sailed
to Belize and to the jungles of lost Mayan civilizations, we
snorkeled off Roatan in the country of Honduras and we stopped at
Carlos n’ Charlies on Cozumel. Key West, curiously, was also on that
itinerary, too, but we never made it there because of rough seas
prohibiting us from docking or tendering. Kismet had us stop at Key
West on our cruise last week before we got displaced by Paula. I
very much wanted to see this part of the world again, to explore the
ancient Mayan civilizations beyond the ports, to do some snorkeling
in the beautiful waters off Honduras, which is why we chose this
cruise. Was I disappointed? Yes, but I didn’t want to ride into a
hurricane, either. I’ve done many rough crossings across the North
Atlantic during winter months; in fact, many times I look for such
trips and dates, and I particularly used to love the QE2 for such
crossings. I’m not afraid of a little rocking and rolling while
onboard, but I do not want to be in Harm’s Way, I don’t want my
fellow passengers to be uncomfortable - what pleasure is it to get
dressed up for formal night and enter a near-empty dining room
because three quarters of the ship is back in their cabins or lined
up at the infirmary for seasickness shots? That’s not fun, for me or
my fellow passengers.
Also, the truth of the matter was that our western Caribbean ports
of call might have suffered damage due to Hurricane Paula. We might
not have been allowed to dock or tender in had we actually reached
the ports in Belize, Honduras, and Costa Maya, and our tour
operators might not have been able to service the ship’s passengers
because of this. We might have literally weathered a hurricane to
get someplace we couldn’t actually go to and enjoy anyway.
Yes, the Captain made the right decision last week and so did
Holland America Line. Even though it was not what I expected - an
adventurous week full of Mayan ruins and out-of-the-everyday
excitement, it was a super vacation. I got to enjoy a wonderful
cabin with a spacious balcony plus all the amenities that come with
a suite. We were treated royally by HAL. The ship was great, the
food wonderful, and the pampering splendid. The weather was
beautiful on our new route east with only an hour or two of rain as
we passed north and out of the Bahama Straits as Paula turned south
and into the north coast of Cuba. Our seas were like a pond, smooth
and silky. All along the way, the RYNDAM crew kept us up-to-date on
the location and track of the hurricane we were trying to avoid and
did so successfully with the aid of an experienced crew. Imagine if
we had gone about our pre-appointed route? Poor Captain Smit was
damed if he did and damed if he didn’t, poor guy. I was sorry to
hear that the cruise line, the Captain, and the folks who made a
very wise decision had to take so much flack.
Related:
See Karen's October 2010
Ryndam Cruise Review
here on CruiseDiva.com.
Holland America Line
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Holland America
Line - Cruise Line Profile
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