Wow! Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas cruise from Cape Liberty, New Jersey to the Bahamas was (to say the least) a less-than-stellar experience thanks to an Atlantic storm.
But, was it the sensationalized “disaster” the media (commercial and social) has reported it to be? Well, perhaps it depends on your point of reference. “RCL knew the storm was out there – they should never have sailed” is the cry! Well, truth be known “ship happens” in the Atlantic this time of year. The captain and crew were well aware of the weather at sailing. Passengers were advised in advance of the storm and that the ship would be attempting to “sail around it.”
Well, guess what. The storm turned out to be more than could be “sailed around”, the Captain did the only reasonable thing – he hit it head-on! Seasoned cruisers know that was the wise and safest alternative - to “turn around” (as some arm-chair quarterbacks have suggested) could have led to a true disaster – such a maneuver would have exposed all 1142 feet of her length to a direct broadside hit! Hullo? Can anyone spell “capsize?”
But, while the cruise line and the weather forecasters argue about the prediction specifics, we’re reading (and hearing) reports from actual passengers. While many praise the captain and crew for their performance in keeping them advised and safe, others are ripping them apart reporting that the entire time they were confined to cabins they never heard even one announcement. Perhaps the speaker controls in their cabins were in the “off” position?
One passenger reported that he was so “in fear of his life” – that he “had to hold on to the balcony railing to keep from being blown over by the wind.” Why, pray tell if he was so “terrorized,” was he on the balcony filming with his phone? Some complained about the “scarcity of food.” Did they really expect the chef would have been busily preparing prime rib?
Personally, Lorraine believes that even if there was mixed communication regarding the storm size and intensity – (we’ll let the “talking heads” thrash that out) – the captain acted the ultimate professional in getting the ship, its passengers, and crew safely back to port. Isn’t that the “bottom line?”
As Lorraine’s friend, the flight attendant, always says “any landing you can walk away from is a good landing.”