WHATS THE ABSOLUTE WORST WEATHER YOU EVER SAILED INTO?

Hurricane Sandy on Carnival Glory

For me, it was tropical storms, but they weren't too bad. It was just a little bit of rough seas, nothing major.

Hurricane Sandy - Carnival Glory. Made one quick stop in Nassau then did circles in the swells for the next 3 days. Returned to Norfolk early - everyone cheered.

Last January, on Empress of the Seas, we experienced 65mph winds, and 10-15ft seas between Key West and Costa Maya. Anyone who has been on Empress can tell you 5-9ft seas are alot for her...

On my Carnival Cruise during Hurricane Season we were trying to avoid the storms. This was the only time that I got seasick. I would try to walk in a straight line, but was unable to the ship was rocking so bad.

Rough seas going in to Cabo, on Carnival Miracle, wind blowing like a hurricane, ship pitching, water going over the bow, captain said hang in there, we will be out of it in 30 minutes, nice 30 minute ride, as I was in a typhoon on a fram 2 Navy destroyer, where as we had to tie each other in our rack. Seas were so rough, we was thinking of applying for submarine duty, as big green waves were constantly going over the bow and you felt the ship shudder everytime it came out of a big wave. The ships expansion joints were getting a workout. So these little cruise ship storms arent nothing, in fact it was fun watching everyone turning green.

For some things, there are just no appropriate words. Freak waves DO occur, along with design flaws, and an assortment of other things that can cause a disaster. But, IMHO, nothing approaches what can happen when that 4-striper screws the pooch. Ships crews, even non-Navy, obey orders from the bridge. Maybe they don't salute, but they obey just the same. If the man (or woman) screws it up, well......even cruise ships aren't immune....showing off to his girlfriend ashore eh?

To put a little emphasis on what Yankee has just said, here is an example of what happens when the four striper on the bridge screws up and disregards his/her obligations. This accident hit a little close to home, not that it occurred in Alaska, it was in the Bahamas, but the ship, El Faro, had once been the "Northern Lights" and served Alaska from Seattle for many years. Matter of fact, the parent company of Tote Services Inc. also owns the air freight air carrier my son and son-in-law work for up here, so this tragedy was a real downer and demoralizer for all concerned. If you want the hair to stand up on the back of your neck, read the NTSB report, particularly the tail end of the voice recorder on the bridge:

"On Thursday, October 1, 2015, the SS El Faro, a 40-year-old cargo ship owned by TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico and operated by TOTE Services, Inc., was on a regular route from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it foundered and sank in the Atlantic Ocean about 40 nautical miles northeast of Acklins and Crooked Island, Bahamas. The ship had sailed directly into the path of Hurricane Joaquin, carrying a crew of 33, including 5 Polish contract repair workers. All those aboard perished in the sinking. The VDR was pulled from 15,250 feet below the ocean surface in August 2016 during the third undersea mission and yielded more than 26 hours of parametric data and audio files. The NTSB’s accident investigation identified the following safety issues: captain’s actions, use of noncurrent weather information, late decision to muster the crew, ineffective bridge resource management, inadequate company oversight, company’s safety management system, flooding in cargo holds, loss of propulsion, downflooding through ventilation closures, need for damage control plan, and lack of appropriate survival craft. -----

https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/accidentreports/reports/mar1701.pdf

KENN....got a notification you responded to at least a piece of mine re "the Captain"...unfortunately its not here...that's a shame, I look forward to reading your stuff. Nother glitch.

Can't say we've ever been in a flat out hurricane, but over the years we've managed to get caught in what a dirt expert like me would call rough. The bridge info on tv would report wave heights, sea conditions, real and apparent wind over the deck etc. Im not afflicted by seasickness, and fortunately neither is she. Hard to enjoy much of anything when your gills are green. Depending on the ship, we usually wind up in a lounge with a good view of the ocean.

Having said that, modern technology has made the weather quite predictable. Not perfect, but close enough, especially at sea. The difference there is whatever the Captain thinks is the right balance between passenger comfort and maintaining a schedule, especially coming home. Passengers have flight connections, or get back to work, and I'd bet real money THAT would cheese them off more than missing a port during the cruise. Everything I read (or see on TV) tells me the Captain is responsible for EVERYTHING, including fuel consumption. If the Captain makes a mistake, and puts passengers actual safety at risk, that's a different story. And just how is anyone going to actually challenge his decision to sail one way and not another. The cruise line may refund some or all of your $$ as an apology, but that's about all you'll ever know.

Poor meal service, nickel and diming etc is one thing. But from the time you pay for the cruise, and agree to the conditions in the small print, what you're REALLY doing is putting your life (and your traveling companions lives) in the hands of that person up on the bridge, and automatically assume he knows what he's doing. From the minute you step on board until you disembark, whether you actually think about it or not.