2013 -1 - "The O'Brien Cruise"

Celebrity Reflection Leaving Port of Miami
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

BY 2010 I had made trips to Virginia, New Mexico, Vermont, Maine,Texas, Chicago and Canada - either as family outings or photography - dedicated trips. My view of travel put cruising somewhere in a long list of different ways to travel and things to do. I knew I would do a cruise (or two) someday, but a regular "diet" of it wasn't really in my mind.

I was lukewarm, for a number of reasons. But game

ONE TRIP was to California to visit my daughter, who lived in San Francisco at the time. During our week there, we spent an overnight up in Napa, doing a couple private vineyard tours. One of them was at The O'Brien Estate Vineyard, where we ultimately became a "wine club" member. We have also become friends with the vintners, Bart and Barb O'Brien and have traveled with them a couple times on their club trips. Their first wine club trip was in 2013, and was a Caribbean Cruise. You can see where this is going.

Celebrity Reflection
Copyright Andy Richards 2022 - All Rights Reserved

WHILE WE had thoroughly enjoyed our Ruby Princess Caribbean Cruise, as I mentioned in my final post on the topic, I had a kind of "one and done" attitude about the Caribbean Cruises. I liked both cruises we had done and had no doubt that we would do it again. Someday. But in the summer of 2012 (when we recieved the invitation to join the O'Brien Wine Club on a cruise) I really didn't have that on my mental horizon. Partly, I underestimated my wife's enthusiasm for cruising. I knew she liked it too, but I didn't really appreciate how much. I was still kneck deep in my working career and being an owner in a small business, found I had all I could do sometimes to keep it it. As members of the club, we got quarterly shipments of wine and along with them, a nice newsletter from the O'Briens. This one announced the inaugural O'Brien Estate Wine Club Trip. On Celebrity Cruises. Not only would this be the first club trip, but also Bart and Barb's first cruise. I had always figured we would continue to cruise exclusively on Princess. Looking at the cruise - scheduled for early February of 2013, my wife thought the deal looked like a pretty good one and she signed us up. I have to admit, I was lukewarm, for a number of reasons. But game.

Celebrity Reflection - San Juan, Puerto Rico - O'Brien Cruise
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

LITTLE DID I know at the time, but "game" would become "game-changer." I was - at first - prepared to not like Celebrity as much as Princess. I had already come to enjoy the Princess ships and experience a lot. At the same time, I kept an open mind. Both of our previous cruises had involved family. Indeed the majority of our travel to that point had involved either family visits or travel with close friends and/or family. This would be different. We did not know a soul aboard the Celebrity Ship. We had never participated in any wine club event. It was going to be an adventure. There is a rather fun story behind the choice of the cruise line and ship: the Celebrity Reflection. Rather than re-tell it here, I will link to my post about it: Event Cruising: Tales of A Vineyard Voyage.

THIS TIME cruising out of Miami, we were much more organized, pre-cruise. We arrived in Miami a day before the cruise and stayed at a hotel, not far from the cruise terminal. We wanted to have a true Cuban meal, so we found a restaurant in (or near) Miami's "Little Havana," and "scratched that itch."  It was good, by the way. But as an interesting aside, just last February, during our Caribbean Cruise on the Celebrity Beyond, we met some new friends from Canada. They had made a land-based, weeklong trip to Cuba. They said they will never go back. Their biggest gripe: the food was essentially inedible. Much of that may have been related to the food supply, and they were not at a resort or eating in the high-end Havana hotels. Interesting. The next morning we took the hotel shuttle to the cruise terminal and boarded our ship.

"Game" would become "Game Changer"

THE BOARDING process was probably as quick and efficient as we had experienced (and in my view Celebrity continues to have this process well in hand). Like all ships on boarding days, there was "organized chaos" once on board. Like always, we had dropped our primary luggage off with the porters outside the ship and had small carry on stuff only with us. It was mid-day and the primary place to get something to eat was going to be the buffet. That is always the suggestion when boarding. Back in those days, you would wait on board (usually in a bar or the buffet) for an announcement that your stateroom was ready. You were given your keycard as part of the boarding process, but asked not to go to your stateroom until it was annouced as ready (usually a block of rooms). For those who haven't currently cruised, that has all changed these days. At least it has for Celebrity and Princess. Getting on one of the elevators to get up to the buffet was obviously going to be a challenge. As we stood waiting for a break in the crowd, we overheard some folks talking about a restaurant on Deck 5 called "Bistro on 5" that was open. We were close and went directly there and were immediately seated. In 2013, the bistro served essentially only crepes: savory and sweet. For a $15 upcharge (we thought that was pretty reasonable) you chose a savory and then for desert a sweet choice of crepes. They were very good and our table by the window was nice as we could watch the continued boarding process. We liked Bistro on 5 so much that we were back there again during the week. There is still a Bistro on 5 on most Celebrity Ships, but they now have a wider menu. I don't know whether they have crepes or not these days.

THE SHIP was clean and modern and our stateroom was quite nice. The Princess ships are kind of traditional cruise ship nautical. The bathrooms in the balcony staterooms are about the same size, but the Princess ships all have full bathtubs. The Celebrity Ships have showers instead. But they are generous sized (and I prefer them anyway). The stateroom decor is decidely more modern. The Reflection was pretty new at that time (it is the newest/last in line of the Solstice Class of 5 ships) and had some pretty cool amenities.

The Lawn Bocce Court - Celebrity Reflection
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

THE SOLSTICE class ships added a feature that was a first at sea, on the top deck at their stern, known as "The Lawn." This was a broad area across the back of the ship that had actual natural grass (cut like a lawn). That area extended around the aft stack on both sides and is used for croquet and bocce. Very cool. There is seating on both sides of the ship, and then at the back the Sunset Bar and more seating. It is aptly named and we have watched many a sunset from there. 

the Celebrity buffet not only had a better variety, but the food was better

ONE BIG difference was the setup of the buffet - always a large and central feature of a cruise ship. Princess (and we learned years later, Holland America as well) have a kind of traditional design where the kitchen area is in the middle and the buffet serving areas line the outside of that on both sides of the ship - almost cafeteria style. Celebrity's design is much more open and "modular" feeling with the middle area housing different "stations." I think that from an efficiency standpoint, it actually works better because people can move around all sides of a particular station that has food they want. I still preferred the Princess buffet from my memory, not so much because of the layout but because of the variety of food offerings. But my view was myopic. I mostly ate in the buffet for breakfast, preferring to dine in the dining room for dinner, and either the buffet or the grill for lunch when we were on board during the day. for many of our cruises in the future, we were off the ship at lunch time. I felt that the breakfast offereings were better on Princess. What I later learned was that you could get all the same things on Celebrity by going to one of the made to order stations. I also learned over time that for lunches and dinners, the Celebrity buffet not only had a better variety, but the food was better. By a magnitude.

Celebrity Reflection - "Opus" Main Dining Room
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

IN 2013, the mainstream cruise lines (with the notable exception of Norwegian - who probably pioneered the concept of "flexible" or "any time" dining), were still primarily doing "set times" and assigned seating. The O'Brien group had a few reserved tables and we were assigned an 8-top for the week. Our tablemates would be the same - just as in the other cruises we had been on (in Alaska, we had an 8-top - on the Ruby Princess in the Caribbean, however, for whatever reason, we were just the 4 of us traveling together at our own 4-top).

THE O'BRIEN cruise had a few scheduled events - primarily during at sea days and when we were onboard. For port days, we were more or less on our own. On the first evening there was a "welcoming" reception featuring some light hors d'oeuvres, and (of course) O'Brien wines. We stopped and said hello to Bart and Barb, but it seemed like there were groups traveling together and we felt a bit disconnected, so we left. Later, in the dining room, we met our table mates. I always like to introduce some levity here in the form of a funny ancecdote when one fits the narrative. We were the first to arrive at our table and were seated, when 4 of our eight arrived: Penny, her mom and her boyfriend, and another friend of Penny's. They introduced themselves and Penny apologized for her husband, Lou and their other friend who would be along later. It seems they didn't believe the dress code, showed up at the dining room in shorts, and were immediately turned away. Sent to the principal's office, so to speak. I wondered what we were getting ourselved into.

Lou and Penny - O'Brien Cruise - Celebrity Reflection

THE UPSHOT of all that is that Lou and Penny have become wonderful friends, who have visited us at our Florida home a couple times and with whom we have traveled back to the O'Brien Vineyard and stayed together in a VRBO in Napa for some additional wine tasting on our own. We keep in regular touch and I am sure will continue to see each other - and maybe travel together again soon. We spent some fun dinners with them and Penny's mom and boyfriend (their friends were mostly "MIA" during the dinners due to other events coinciding with that time period, so we never really go to know them).

Martini Bar - Celebrity Reflection
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

CELEBRITY SHIPS, as we have grown to know them, all have certain consistent features. One of the central and primary such features is their "Martini Bar." Although changes over time have benn slightly controversial among some cruisers, they certainly remain the "entertainment - central" feature of celebrity ships. Celebrity currently maintains 3 classes of ships, the oldest "Millenium" class, the "Solstice" class and the currently newest "Edge" class. On the Millenium and Solstice Class ships, the bar has been set in its own space, to one side of the ship with a large, somewhat intimate seating area forward of the bar and a small alcove area with feature gins and vodka on ice to the rear. The bar itself was traditionally an ice-toped elongated oval with bar stools all around. At times - usually before and immediately after dinner hour, it is a very popular (and hence, crowded) spot. But havving seating all around the bar made the space seem large, and conducive to a crowded situation. The drinks are good. But the real show is probably the bartenders who juggle bottles and go through an eloborate and amazing to watch preparation of "flights" of martinis sometimes number as high as 15 all at once. We have found it a great spot to gather for a before dinner cocktail. The Edge class ships brought some major changes to the Martini Bar, but it remains a very popular spot on the ship. I will talk more about that as we travel forward in time.

Martini Bar - Celebrity Reflection
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

AS POPULAR as the Martini Bar is, my personal favorite is the Sunset Bar. I have personally spent the majority of my on board time there over the years, especially on Solstice and Edge ships. On the Millennium ships, the sunset bar was almost an afterthought on the back of the buffet. It was still a nice place to watch a sunset and relatively popular. But the Solstice and her sister ships brought a complete new design and with it "feel" to the Sunset Bar. Placed a deck above the old Millennium location, it was away from the buffet deck and on its own. They are flanked by those "lawn" areas I spoke about earlier. On the port side is a smoking area. Importantly - for me - really the only place on the ship where cigar smoking is allowed.

The Sunset Bar - Celebrity Reflection
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

ONE OF the reasons the O'Briens selected Celebrity was the connection with the name "Reflection" (see the link above). Hand in hand with that, though, at that time Celebrity held itself out as a very wine-centric cruise line. The main dining room (MDR), on all he Solstice ships feature a 2-story wine tower. At one time (still in 2013) that was a central feature of the dining room and the line received awards for its wine offerings. In addition, there was a dedicated spot on the ships called Cellar Masters, which had a sommelier and an excellent selection of wines. For whatever reasons that focus seems to have dimmed in recent years, with Cellar Masters being replaced on the some of the ships with their "Craft Social" bar and/or gastropub offering. The wine offerings on board today are generally limited and somewhat "pedestrian" - at least for the connoisseur. But in 2013, they were still full-bore wine-centric. One of the things we signed up for on board was a Reidel glass tasting. Before I did it I would have said it was pure "B.S." But the key isn't the brand of the glass. There is some real science to the shapes and sizes of glassware in directing the tastes and aromas to the right places. I have found this to be the case with whiskey tasting also. The Reidel tasting was kind of cool. We each receive a coupon for 4 Riedel glasses as well as the tasting itself. The glasses were shipped to us at home. I still have them. We also got a tour of the wine tower which was kind of cool.

Wine Tower - Celebrity Reflection
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

BY THE time we disembarked in Miami at the end of the cruise, I had become a convert. As time went on I grew to believe that although I still liked Princess, Celebrity was just a bit above and beyond it. My next cruise - a Princess Cruise - would cement that feeling. But not to get the cart in front of the horse. The next few posts will cover the rest of our Celebrity Reflection cruise. I will say, though, that we have cruised on The Reflection several more (5 total) times and it is my own personal favorite cruise ship.

Turks and Caicos

Grand Turk Cruise Port - Turks and Caicos
Copyright Andy Richards 2012

THE TURKS and Caicos are a collection of islands - much like The Bahamas - that are technically not in the Caribbean. Just off the Greater Antilles and northeast of Cuba and north of Haiti and The Dominican Republic in the Atlantic, they are, neverthless, popular as a tropical paradise. Particularly on the southern side of the larger islands, there are beautiful, white, sandy beaches.

Grand Turk Cruise Port is one of the shallowest Caribbean Ports - part of the reason it is so conducive to salt collection
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

A BRITISH commonwealth "automonomous territory," the Turks and Caicos were, like all of the "Caribbean" lands, once inhabited by "indigenous" tribes (in this case the Lucayan and Taino people, of Arawak origin), were presumably discovered by Columbus during his 1492 exploration voyage (the information I was able to find on this is conflicting, with one account saying Colombus landed there in 1492, and others saying the first European sighting of the islands didn't come until 1512). The islands were alternately claimed by various European nations, but eventually came within the control of the British Empire. Originally ruled from the Bahamas, they became an autonomous British Territory when the Bahamas gained their own independence in 1973. Prior to European control, the indigenous people were known to be peaceful, and lived by farming, fishing, and salt raking.

From our Ruby Princess Ship you could see the salt retention ponds
Grand Turk -  Turks and Caicos
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

TURKS AND Caicos, some time in the second half of the 16th century, became known (and exploited) by their substantial salt deposits.  There are still large salt lagoons just onshore in Grand Turk. They can be seen from the cruise ship and are also very close to the village of Grand Turk. for a hundred or more years, the Bermudians and Bahamians fought over the rights (to exploit) the salt deposits in Turks and Caicos. Eventually, the islands have shifted away from salt production and toward tourism. The history of all of these Caribbean Islands is fascinating and well beyond the scope of these blogs. If you are interested in the history of the Turks and Caicos, I link here to the Wikipedia page as a good start. For an engaging and historically accurate fictional account, I highly recommend reading "Caribbean" by James Michener.

Memorial of the "John Glenn Friendship 7" Capsule
Grand Turk - Turks and Caicos
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

THERE IS one other historical facet, though, of Turks and Caicos, which should be of interest to American readers. From 1950 to 1981, the United States had a missile tracking station on Grand Turk. In the early days of the American space program, NASA used the station, also. The first man to orbit the earth in a spacecraft, John Glenn, left his print on Grand Turk, when following his three earth orbits in 1962, his spacecraft, Friendship 7, successfully spashed down in the Atlantic nearby and was brought back ashore to Grand Turk Island. While the actual spacecraft resides in Washington, D.C., there is a nice memorial to the event just outside Grand Turk, near the JAGS McCartney International Airport. We had an opportunity to visit it.

Governor's Beach - Grand Turk - Turks and Caicos
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

THE GOVERNOR'S mansion, pictured here just behind Governor's Beach (thought to be the nicest beach on Grand Turk) is the official residence of the Governor of Turks and Caicos. As you can see, it is flying the Turks and Caicos flag.

did I mention that in the shops area there were at least two swarthy, bearded, camo-dressed military-looking guys with military rifles?

I HAVE promised to, from time to time, publish a humorous anecdote here on the blog. This one is - in my view - one of the most memorably humorous to me (though it could very well be one of those "you had to be there" stories 😆). Remember that we were relatively new to cruising at this time. This was our second cruise. We were not the "experienced cruisers" that we think we are today, with our drink packages, "status," and other things we now take for granted. We had been surprised (though not shocked) at our bar bill at the end of the Alaska Cruise. Like many service industries, cruise ships make a substantial amount of their profits on beverage sales and they are pretty expensive. Of course, you are not allowed to BYOB aboard (except for some very limited quantities of wine). Our "needs" were fairly simple at that time. We drank gin and the occasional bourbon. On line, my wife found some some bladders that purportedly "tricked" the scanning systems (they worked) coming aboard the ship, and we brought our own, which we mixed in our stateroom and often enough - drank on our balcony. NOTE: I am neither advocating nor recommending this practice and today, we wouldn't even think of it. Even back then, the magnitude of savings was probably negligible. These days? We just put our heads down and buy the drink package.

BIG bottles at the Grand Turk Duty Free Store
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

ANYWAY, BACK to the humorous anecdote. By the time we reached Turks and Caicos, we had depleted our "private" supply of spirits. We knew that there was a large, duty free shop right at the cruise terminal and we determined to re-stock. So when we disembarked the ship, we took two of the bladders with us in separate backpacks. We bought a bottle of gin and walked out of the store, away from the cruise terminal, into a large area with shops. We had already determined that we couldn't fit a single bottle into just one of the bladders, so my wife went first - into the ladies room to "fill her bladder." 😕 A couple minutes later, she came out and we - as surreptitiously as possible, moved the bottle to my backpack, and I headed into the mens room to complete the job - disposing of the "evidence" as I came back out. Here we were, a couple in their 50's sneaking booze onto a cruise ship. Now, there is nothing inherently illegal about transferring the contents of a bottle into the bladders. But did I mention that in the shops area there were at least two swarthy, bearded, camo-dressed military-looking guys with military rifles? The probably didn't even notice us, but we were sure we were being surveilled and would find ourselves in a hot, sweaty, interrogation room! I felt like a nervous high school kid sneaking a cigarette (or worse) in the woods behind the school. Like I said, maybe you had to be there. 😅 I have since, always marveled at those huge bottle of spirits in those stores. We walked back through the duty free store, and back onto the ship to put our "contraband" away.

Grand Turk Cruise Port - Ruby Princess and Carnival Glory
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights 

AS THIS was our first Caribbean adventure, and only our second ever cruise, we really didn't know much about many of the stops we made. My brother-in-law and his girlfriend were interested in snorkeling and similar excursions. We really weren't. On Grand Turk - other than our "deal," we didn't have much of a plan, so we walked off the ship and through the port area and hired a "taxi" (a golf cart - type arrangement) to take us "into town." In later years, I have gotten much better at researching (before and after our trips) the areas we have visited, learning at least a small amount about their history, geography and cultures, and my wife has become expert at finding excursions. The only "town" on the island where we docked is Cockburn Town. In 2012, it was tiny, and mostly older, local tourist - oriented establishments. In a way, it may have been the most "authentic" place we ever visited in the Caribbean. The little shops (there were only a very small handful of them) I photographed here are the sum of what there was for shops.

Tourist Shops in Cockburn Town - Grand Turk
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

AT THE same time, there was obviously a (however small) residential population. As we drove toward the town center, cows, goats and chickens wandered across the road and all around the town. As rural as I have ever experienced. But the is a Masonic Temple there! Interesting.

Tourist Shops - Cockburn Town - Grand Turk
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

THE TOWN (indeed the whole lsland) showed some signs of wear and tear - and poverty, almost as soon as you got away from the commercial cruise port and governer's beach/mansion area. There is little doubt that the relentless sun and hard weather takes its toll on dwellings and buildings in the Caribbean. Cockburn Town, in addition to being very small, was a pretty good case for that. That was 2012 and there was some ongoing construction of what looked to be the beginnings of a nice resort type hotel. Looking on-line today almost 15 years hence, you can see that it is substantially more developed than it was then, which retaining its essential, "Caribbean rustic" look. There appear to be numerous food and drink establishments along the waterfront, and many more shops. I like that it isn't "modern" with all the EFFY and jewelry shops (though they are certainly there back at the cruise port.

Cockburn Town - Grand Turk
Copyright Andy Richards 20121 - All Rights Reserved

AT THE same time, there was evidence of commercial growth beginning to happen. I later learned that the Grand Turk cruise terminal is solely operated by Carnival Cruise Lines - which means in all probability only Carnival, Princess, and Holland America regularly stop there (though Carnival also owns Cunard, P&O, and Aida - so perhaps they have some traffic there, too). We have not cruised on a Princess ship in the Caribbean since, which may explain why we haven't been back to Grand Turk. But a little bit of internet research makes it clear that other cruise lines (MSC, Celebrity) also stop there from time to time. What really strikes me, though, is that Grand Turk is a tiny fraction of the Turks and Caicos. It is really solely a beach, bars, and related activities destination. Yet Turks and Caicos is known to be a very popular vacation spot over on its main islands where there are several all - inclusive resorts and high - end hotel chains. We didn't know that. Nor did we see any of it. No cruise ships port there.

Masonic Temple - Cockburn Town - Grand Turk
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

IT WAS a nice, quiet, afternoon though. We bought some conch fritters (Turks and Caicos are also known for conch - having until only very recently, the only organized "conch farm" in the Caribbean), walked around a bit, and eventually headed back for the ship. This was our final destination stop on this cruise, though we would still have one more "at sea" day before arriving back in the Fort Lauderdale cruise terminal. We came in very early in the morning, and I was up and watching as we moved toward our berth. I tried to make some handheld photos of the area, without much success - but I did make a couple of them into painting-like images, to hide the lack of sharp focus. 😊 As we disembarked and headed toward the Ft. Lauderdale airport, in my mind I thought we probably got that Caribbean cruise under our belt and probably wouldn't be repeating it. Fun. Now lets move on to the next thing. Surprising how wrong I turned out to be, as the very next year, we had another - completely different - opportunity to cruise in the Caribbean once again. And this "cruising thing" began to "get some legs with us."

Next up: The O'Brien Cruise.

St. Kitts and Nevis

Basseterre, St. Kitts
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

I DIDN'T know about Nevis at the time. In fact, I think the cruise line simply designated this port of call as "St. Kitts" on their itinerary (which is accurate, because the cruise ships always dock on the island of St. Kitts). The tiny, independent, island nation consists of the two islands and is officially designated The Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis. Everybody knows it as St. Kitts, however. As of this writing, we have visited the St. Kitts cruise port 5 times (and still going, with a 6th and 7th visit planned for 2026 and 2027). The commercial - touristy part of the port has grown since our first visit there in 2012. Our first visit may have been our most educational and eventful. Since then, I bought a watch and a t-shirt. 😑

St. Kitts Cruise Port - Basseterre, St. Kitts
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

NEVIS IS perhaps best known as the birthplace of American Colonial "Founding Father," Alexander Hamilton. But the tiny nation has more history than that. Situated in the West Indies, it is one of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. It was the first place that was colonized by Europeans and the place of the first British and French colonies in the Caribbean. It is widely thought that Columbus first sighted one of the islands in 1493 and named it St. Christopher (hence, St. Kitts). The smallest nation in the western hemisphere (just over 50,000), it is today a part of the British Commonwealth - currently under King Charles III. It gained its independence as a sovereign nation in 1983, and is currently administered by a Prime Minister.

I bought a watch and a T-shirt 😀

FOR OUR first visit, my amateur travel agent - wife found us an island tour with a small vehicle around the capital city of Basseterre, where we learned about the seat of government, the local currency (the Eastern Caribbean Dollar - currently equal to about $0.07 American), and the primary industry of the country other than tourism (light manufacturing of electronics and, offshore banking).

St. Kitts Cruise Port - Bassetere, St. Kitts
Copyright Andy Richards 2024

WE WOULD return to St. Kitts the very next year. Those first couple stops in St. Kitts will be always etched in my memory. At that time, other than some trips through Canada on the way somewhere else, I had never been out of the U.S. So this was my own first touch of new parts of the world. In a short time, we would ramp this travel up significantly, traveling numerous times to Europe, the Mediterranean, and parts of Asia, and those adventures would out do these. But for then, it was something of a new and different adventure. In the coming years, we would visit the Caribbean multiple times and I would develop a comfortable, but relaxed, malaise about Caribbean Cruises.

St. Kitts Abandoned Sugar Planation
Copyright Andy Richards 2013 - All Rights Reserved

OMG - NCL Does it Again!

WHAT A week. Last week, in three separate incidents involving three different cruise lines, in three different places, mooring lines failed, causing docked cruise ships to move away from the dock. In all instances, the movement resulted in the gangway(s) falling into the water. In two of the cases there were people on the gangways at the time (who fell into the water)! That is shocking enough news.

BUT WHAT about Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL)? Once again, they have demonstrated their total lack of awareness. As I read about this incident, I couldn't help but have a sense of deju vu. Readers he may remember my less than complimentary coverage of another NCL incident in South Africa just over a year ago, in "Somebody Missed The Boat." In that case, I reported on an incident where a group of cruise passengers missed the deadline to be back at the port for re-boarding after a port day. We all realize that it is on the passenger to get back on time unless they are with an official cruise-line operated excursion. They weren't. But they also didn't really "miss" the boat. A tender port, the passengers arrived while the ship was still at anchor in the port, and had been shuttled back out to the boat by port authorities.,In a rather heavy-handed response by the crew, they were refused boarding. I acknowledged in my blog post that there could have been legitimate reason for that action, but there was never any indication by any NCL officials that that was the case (I say in the post why I don't think there was any legitimate reason for NCL's actions). It makes and interesting read and you might want to go back and read it before reading on here.

THIS TIME, in an even more eggregious circumstance, NCL has apparently upped their (horrible) game, though there are certainly some inconsistent reports about the incident. At 1:00 p.m., on May 30, the NCL Epic was moored in Catania, Sicily for its penultimate stop, scheduled to depart that afternoon for their final stop the next day in Naples. It has been reported that a "sudden and unexpected" 60 mile and hour wind gust caused all 4 mooring lines to snap, pushing the boat rapidly away from the pier. Return time for passengers was to be 5:30 p.m. There were passengers returning to the ship and reboarding at the time of the incident (and on woman actually went into the water - presumably as a result of the gangway being pulled off the pier and going into the water herself. The report states that her husband immediately jumped into the water after her. The really, really good news here is that it appears also that any injuries were not serious and though taken to a local hospital, the two returned to the ship before it ultimately left the port.

WHILE REPORTS are not completely consistent, it is - once again - the conduct of NCL in response to this incident (based on the reports of passengers, and the "official" response of the cruise line) that blows my mind. The incident lasted from 1:00 p.m. until about 7:00 p.m. before passengers were allowed to reboard. The Epic has a passenger capacity of about 4,100 and a crew of 1,700. Since it was well before boarding time, we can be sure that the passengers (and off duty crew) that were off the ship at the time numbered in the 1,000s. Reports of the incident indicate that there was essentially zero communication from the ship to its 4,000 plus passengers during the entire ordeal. There may have been some employees on shore directing passengers that they could not re-board at that time. But otherwise, no useful communication from the ship. You can only imagine the small boarding area at the port filled with all these people and no information or plan.

Imagine being on shore, knowing you were hours away from all aboard time, and seeing your ship pulling out of the port!

LETS TRY to break this down:

The Incident

I FIRST saw this on one of the many cruise You-Tube video sites. This one is one that I give some credibility to, though in my view they all have succumbed at least partly to the news media approach of sensational headlines to hook viewers. When I first watched, I had a visceral reaction, remembering the incident in South Africa (and later Alaska) last year. But then I took a breath. And realized that I was going to have to dig into a number of sources if I was going to have even a chance of getting the straight up facts. Sure enough, I learned that my original source hadn't reported the full story, and had engaged in just enough hyperbole to make it a "racy" episode. Other sources were reporting different information.

THE FACTS I have been able to glean follow. It was a windy day (and as people don't always appreciate, these very large, very tall cruise ships act as a huge sail in windy conditions). I have read reports of maximum wind gusts (one source quoted Accuweather as 45 mph) of anywhere from 45 - 60 miles per hour. In this case, it was not the actual mooring lines that failed, but the concrete bollards in the pier that apparently snapped off. From the cruise website, Cruise Hive: “All of a sudden, we heard this loud bang. One by one, the concrete nubs in the ground that hold the ropes were pulling out of the ground and went flying into the ship,” said one passenger. There are always multiple mooring lines on these ships at angles that are designed to keep the boat from moving away from the pier, but also from moving forward or backward along the pier. Once one of these gives way, it allows unintended movement of the ship, which in turn, puts additional stresses in play. It appears that multiple bollards failed.

I HAVE little doubt that the incident caught the powers that be by surprise. But as I read about the other incidents - within days of each other, I began to wonder why these failures were happening. In other cases, the actual mooring lines failed and snapped. And I began to wonder about the standards for mooring line tensile strength, the inspection and testing process as the lines aged, and what other "failsafe" measure are taken for this important part of the cruise experience. It also surprised me that it seems to have taken the ship crew and the cruise line so much by surprise. Surely if you are in the business of boats and secure moorings, you know that wind, waves, weather and deterioration all play a significant role. Yet they appear to have had no clue, and no contingency plan for the passenger disruption aspect of things.

FOLLOWING THE incident, it was determined by (or perhaps jointly) the shore personnel that the ship could not remain safely moored in the harbor and the harbormaster ordered the ship out to sea - to remain there until the winds died down. USA Today quoted NCL officials with saying: “After this incident, the Harbor Master ordered us to leave the port to wait offshore until the wind had calmed down.” Imagine being on shore, knowing you were hours away from all aboard time, and seeing your ship pulling out of the port!

The NCL Response

WHILE I have criticised some of the online reports as engaging in everything from hyperbole to downright misinformation, one thing seems to be consistent to me in everything I have read or watched. The response by NCL was (not shocking to  me) awful.

IN SPITE of NCL "official" comments, I base my conclusion on the remarks of many of the passengers that contradict the official response. Obviously, passenger and bystander safety is first and foremost  and in the aftermath, it appears that NCL took swift action to get the ship under control and to deal with the safety aspects of getting the ship out of the mooring until the wind died down. It also appears that they took quick action to assist with the passengers who went into the water, including transport to (and presumably back from - though I don't have any information on that. Nor do I have any information regarding who paid for the emergency medical care). The are to be commended for these actions.

RATHER, I  take issue (once again) with the company's customer relations stance. From my (perhaps biased) point of view, they seem incapable of just owning up to the part they play in the problem. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying they are at fault for the incident itself. Indeed it was pretty obviously a mix of bad weather, and bad maintenance (or engineering, though that one seems difficult, given that they have been mooring cruise ships there for years and this cannot be the first time they faced strong winds). But common sense tells us that at least some of the responsibility falls squarely on NCL. It seems like they should have some process in place for judgements on the safety of mooring in certain windy conditions, and perhaps even inspecting the facilities where they moor their multi-million dollar, 4,000 plus passenger ships. And interestingly, there is some precedent for this issue, making their "caught with our pants down" reaction more perplexing. In 2023, an even larger, newer, NCL ship (The NCL Norwegian Prima), broke free of her moorings in Zeebrugge, Belgium. I saw some video footage of that one. It was clearly the mooring lines breaking and snapping that was the issue there, rather than problems with the infrastructure of the pier. That's 2 years, NCL, to think about that, and to put a plan in place to handle that. And maybe to come up with a backup or failsafe mooring solution?

ONCE MORE, I am not trying to lay all the blame for the occurrence on NCL. Nor am I unappreciative of the fact that somebody has to pay for all the engineering and maintenance. And they do pay port charges - maybe those charges have to be increased or an assessment made for safety and maintenance issues like this (I am also fully aware that such costs would be passed on to us as consumers - but I guess I am willing to entertain that for my own safety). No. My complaint still goes back to the NCL response to their customer.

EVEN THOUGH the official rejoinder by NCL continued to be:  “During this interruption, our crew were actively attending to our guests until they were able to re-embark the ship," the overwhelming commentary of observers and passengers was 180 degrees the opposite. They nearly uniformly reported that they were more of less ignored while NCL dealt with the ship and the harbor master issues. Fropm a passenger interviewed by USA Today: "Everyone is stuck at the port, very little information from NCL, some of us have been waiting here since noon. Very little water, older folks are hot, there is not enough water or seats,” shared one guest. Many passengers expressed astonishment that there was no announcement or communication of any nature on the NCL app (encouraged to be used by the cruise line and freely downloadable by all passengers). One NCL source told ABC News: "The disembarkation and embarkation process was paused until weather conditions improved and the ship was able to safely dock again." Information that was apparently never passed along to the several thousand NCL passengers stranded on shore. At best, they were given word of mouth information by somebody on shore that the area was closed and would be for a period of time. No signage. No set time. In other words, a huge, out of control mess.

WHEN THE ship finally returned to the berth around 7:30 p.m. (now 2 hours beyond original all-aboard time), by all accounts, it was a disorganized mess. I saw a brief video on FB showing all those people pressing to get back on the ship. Another USA Today quote:  “And when they got permission to open the gates, it was just a free-for-all, . . . People were just pushing and shoving.” If the next comment is true (though I only heard it from one internet source who cited unidentified passengers of the Epic), it is perhaps the most eggregious of all of NCL's lack of sensibility when it comes to customer relations. There was some commentary suggesting that when they finally opened the gangways for boarding, there were NCL employees at the front holding signs saying first boarding only for Haven Guests! For those who may not know, "The Haven" is NCL's exclusive, elite luxury package on board the ship. Anyone who has been reading her for a while, probably has a feel for my personal view of those "premium" cruise "packages" (see, Are Those Exclusive - Ship Within a Ship - Luxury Areas Worth It?). Keep in mind that at this point most of the passengers had been standing and waiting for hours for the ship to re-open for boarding. If true, one has to wonder what self-absorbed, officiant had that idea? The folks need to figure out that creating an exclusive, extra cost experience can be done withouth the need to treat the non-participant poorly. Oh well. From what I read, I don't think it was successful.

AS EXPERIENCED cruisers know, most of the time cruise ship are at sea at night and stop in ports during the day, when possible. Obviously, it depends on the distance between ports. Having been in these port on several occasions, I know that if they leave in the early evening from Sicily, they can get to Naples by the next morning. That was the plan. Folks had excursions. Having made many stops in the Mediterranean, I would say the of all ports, Naples is not one you want to miss. It is the gateway to some of the best sights there are, including the ancient ruins of Pompei and Herculineum, The Amalfi Coast, and the Isle of Capri. Not to mention that Naples itself is a great city to visit. While I assume many of the seasoned cruisers knew this, it is my understanding that they were not informed that Naples would have to be skipped until the next day, shortly before they would have docked. In short, a customer - relations nightmare.

THROUGH ALL of this, the official response from NCL was, saying it nicely, "lukewarm." They responded to inquiries by news sources repeatedly  with "our crew were actively attending to our guests ...." What does that even mean? Then, in the aftermath, their official statement was that it was "An Act of God." That tidal wave that rolled the Ocean Liner in the fictional Poseidon Adventure? That was an act of God.😏 This was a combination of bad maintenance and bad judgement and not wholly unanticipated high winds.

Takeaway

SAFETY FIRST. Not for a nanosecond do I think any of this trumps over safety. This is a serious situation and it troubles me that I have learned of 5 such incidents over a less than 2-year period. Should somebody be paying attention to mooring equipment safety and maintenance? Should somebody be looking at backup/failsafe measures? I think so. Hopefully we don't let my "rant" above cloud the paramount importance of that.

THE CUSTOMER is always right. Look, I know that isn't really true. Sometimes they are wrong. Sometimes they are unreasonable. Sometimes they are unpleasant. That doesn't change the underlying meaning of that statement. We know it really means we need to take the approach that they are always right. Again, sometimes that just won't work. But mostly it will. I worked in a customer/client relationship business for my entire working career. I can count the number of times I did not follow that maxim on one hand and have the majority of fingers left over. Succesfull providers understand that the underlying reason they are in business is their customer. We all know this kind of behavior is really all about the money. "Act of God" is subterfuge (in this instance) for I found a way I don't have to take the blame and therefore don't have to pay. I think there is middle ground here. I think reasonable customers would agree the incident isn't entirely the fault of the Cruise line. But I also think stepping up and first, admitting we messed up, second, having pro-active and transparent communications with your passengers - in realtime, and giving the customers something of real value - hopefully successfully keeping them as customers - will win the day.

St. Thomas

Dawn as The Ruby Princess enters the tranquil harbor at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

OUR NEXT port was St. Thomas,USVI. The second largest of the 4 U.S. Virgin islands (USVI) it is roughly 1/2 the size of the larger St. Croix which is about 40 miles south. The 2 primary islands of St. Thomas, and St. John's, make up part of the chain of ring islands (more or less defining the Caribbean to their south) known as the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. The British Virgin Islands of Jost Van Dyke and Tortola and several much smaller islands make up the BVI. Charlotte Amalie, the capital of St. Thomas, is approximately 90 statute miles from the San Juan, Puerto Rico's Port of Old San Juan. Just over 3 miles further east is the third largest of the USVI, St. John's. 90 percent of St. John's is a U.S. National park, essentially uninhabited. But the western coastline is well-populated with resorts and famous destinations like Trunk Bay, Cruz Bay, Caneel Bay, Maho Bay, and Hawksnest and Honeymoon Beaches. Tortolla, BVI, just under 2 miles across the water to the east, is easily visible on a clear day and appears much closer. In 2024, we visited Tortolla and our guide took us to viewpoint where we could clearly see St. John's to the west. We would not see St. John's this trip but on our very next visit to St. Thomas we did.

A not so "tranquil" main drag in downtown Charlotte Amalie; St. Thomas, USVI
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

MUCH LIKE St. Maarten, we didn't really have a big plan for St. Thomas. My wife was on a mission to find a ring with a particular stone that was very popular back then: Blue Tanzanite. She did find one in St. Martin, but we still wanted to "window" shop and do comparisons. I am kind of a watch guy and found myself admiring a couple watches. I managed to escape temptation, but the main street of downtown Charlotte Amalie is packed with tourist attracting stores - the great majority of it being watches and jewelry. We learned much later, when re-entering the U.S. that it makes a lot of sense to purchase your "Caribbean trinkets" in St. Thomas, as they are then free from U.S. Customs duties. There was one other "mission" I was on. My wife had a co-worker and we had become friends with her and her husband, often getting together when we could. He was a cigar smoker and every time I saw him - no matter the circumstances - he always had a baggie with a few cigars in it for me. I wanted to get him some cigars while we were on the cruise. So we sought out a cigar shop. We did find one and I did get him a box of Monte Cristos. Because it is U.S. territory, however, St. Thomas is not allowed to sell Cuban cigars. Oh. Well. I have long since learned a couple lessons (though it has taken me a while) about buying cigars and the Caribbean. Short story: just don't do it. I have yet to find a good deal, or a decently made and/or conditioned cigar. Just saying.

A much quieter back street in Charlotte Amalie (where we found our restaurant
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

. . . about buying cigars and the Caribbean. Short story: just don't do it.

WE BASICALLY shopped, walked around a bit, and then decide to have lunch. I asked one of the people in one of the jewelry stores we spent some time in if there was a "local" restaurant that the locals would frequent. She was hesitant to send us much off the beaten path, but ultimately identified on that was just a block off the main drag. We went there and had some very good food. I am pretty sure we were the only tourists in the restaurant. We never felt unsafe or uncomfortable, and the staff could not have been more polite and helpful. Once again, we didn't know it at the time, but we would be back in St. Thomas in the near future. And we would see a lot more of what St. Thomas is known for around the world.

We Did it Again!

Ruby Princess - Princess Cay - Eleuthera, Bahamas
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

I HAVE recently begun a series of posts going back to the beginning of cruising for us. It all started in Alaska in 2010. It has been quite a ride (er . . . cruise). We didn't know if we would like it (or maybe the proverbial "we" should be just me - pretty sure my wife not only loved it from the get-go but already knew she was going to). I covered all that in the first post if you didn't see that. For me, it was just a matter of time. A pretty short time, actually.

The Ruby Princess - Caribbean 2012
A very different "vibe" than Alaska - complete with "Bob Marley/Jimmy Buffet style music around the pool
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

AS IN the Alaska trip, my brother-in-law was also involved with our second cruise and its planning. He had been on a couple prior cruises over the years. They had all been in the Caribbean. He was definitely in for the Caribbean. On the first go-round, I had insisted that I would go, but only if I could choose the cruise. They were good with that and I chose Alaska. We all had a great time. But this time? Well they say "what goes around comes around." This time: his turn to choose. He made a short exercise of it. We were going to the Caribbean.

Ruby Princess - Caribbean 2012
There was no sunbathing or pool parties in Alaska
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

WE HAD thoroughly enjoyed our experience with Princess, and we were both already accumulating "status." So it was an easy choice to go on Princess again. The itinerary and timing that fit best for us meant our cruise would be on The Ruby Princess. Two years newer (2008) than our Alaska ship, The Diamond Princess (2006). Both are in Princess' Grand Class and thus essentially similar. The Ruby Princess does have one additional deck, however.

A CARIBBEAN cruise is almost everything opposite of an Alaska cruise. Instead of cool, overcast conditions, it is warm and sunny. Instead of a more "cultural" approach, it is beach party time (that is not to say that there are no cultural opportunities in the Caribbean - as we would later learn). For northerners (we lived in Michigan at the time and my brother-in-law lived in Virginia - still a cold weather climate during the winter months), the Caribbean in winter time is a little slice of heaven. Albeit short-lived, we began to look forward to our southern trips as a time to thaw out, get some color from the sun, drink the "boat drinks" Jimmy Buffet sang about, and just recharge the batteries. As you can see from the photo above, there is one huge difference between our first and second cruises. The Caribbean means sun and warm temperatures. I can assure you there were no sun-worshippers in bathing suits lounging around the pool aboard the Diamond Princess in Alaska. 😆

Princess Cay; Eleuthera, Bahamas
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

PRINCESS PIONEERED the idea of owning its own slice of paradise in the form of a day-visit tropical beach owned by the cruise line. In 1981 the cruise line acquired a beach property on Palm Island in the Grenadines and began calling there for day stops on its Caribbean itineraries. In 1986, Palm Island was replaced by "Princess Bay," at Saline Bay on the Caribbean island of Mayreau (part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines). Then, in 1991, the company acquired a large part of the northern tip of the island of Eleuthera, Bahamas., and opened its current (and only) exclusive beach destination: Princess Cay. Owned by Carnival Holding, Inc., it is shared by sister lines: Holland America and Carnival. I think that the location (technically The Bahamas are not part of "the Caribbean") was a major consideration, being much closer to all three cruise lines' U.S. ports. We stopped there on our second day (first was "at sea") out of Ft. Lauderdale and enjoyed a beautiful day on the white sandy beach. The opening image showing our Ruby Princess anchored out (the Cay is a "tendered" stop) in crystal blue waters. The cruise ship puts on a major "barbeque" style food setup. We rented one of the colorful little "cabana cabins" (ours is pictured) for the day, giving us a place to change and to get out of the sun (or rain, if necessary). Pretty nice beach day.

St. Maarten - On our first visit I counted 7 cruise ships in the port
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

THEN THE cruise began "in earnest." Our next stop was the island nation of Sint Maarten / St. Martin. The island is basically bisected north and south, with the southern part being Dutch territory and the northern part, French. The cruise ships all dock in Phillipsburg on the Dutch side because there is a deepwater port there which can accomodate multiple ships. For a number of reasons, we did not do a very good job of planning this cruise. We are not generally beach-goers, or water-adventure (like snorkeling) seekers. 2012 had also been a turbulent year for us (more for my wife and her brother than me). My mother-in-law, a formerly independent and self-sufficient single woman, had taken a turn in her health. No longer able to live independently, they shared the responsibility of caring for her. That year, they decided that it would be best for all to move her from her familiar Virginia, to Michigan, where my wife and I lived. Her brother was in the process of changing jobs and would eventually move to Florida. Only a day or two before we were scheduled to fly to Ft. Lauderdale and board our ship, she took a turn for the worse, and was hospitalized. Then on the day of our sceduled flight, she passed. Tumultous. My brother-in-law and his girlfriend were already at the hotel we were going to meet at in Ft. Lauderdale. I remember speaking to him that night by phone as he was walking on the beach, reflecting on things. The first thought every one of us had was that we would abandon the cruise. But we quickly realized there was no jonger any urgency. They were her only children. She wasn't at "home," so a service wasn't imminently necessary. There was time to plan. We had both paid for the cruise and were beyond any normal cancellation deadline. And we knew in our hearts that she would have wanted us to go. We did and I think all were glad we did. Packing was a blur, as was getting to the port on time for the sail-away. But we made it.

The center of Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten - Courthouse in the background
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

WE GOT off the ship in St. Maarten, bought some jewelry, and then rode the water taxi across the bay to the middle of Phillipsburg. My brother in law had booked some kind of excursion for them, so my wife and I walked around the "downtown" area of Phillipsburg and did some "window shopping." The first thing we learned about the Caribbean is that it mostly has a very laid back vibe contrasted with the "hard sell" approach the tourist vendors take in most cases). Just off the ship the water taxi that took you across the bay to the main dock in the downtown section of Philipsburg. It was maybe a 5 minute ride. But in that time, We were warmly greeted, offered a (very reasonably priced) beer, and whisked across the gorgeous bay to the dock.

St. Maarten Water Taxi
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

I LEARNED that in Phillipsburg you may walk around the town (and the beaches) with an open alcoholic container. "No worries, mon." 😁 So, once in town, I did just that. We window shopped and successfuly avoided buying the proverbial T-shirt. Evenually, we found our way to a shady little spot on a very small beach adjacent to a small marina where it looks like some local fishermen beached their boats, found a sandwich and a beer, and just relaxed. It was a fun and memorable day. Aside from Canada, this was my first time in a foreign country and my first time south of Orlando. It was a memorable day.

A quiet corner of the beach - St. Maarten, Dutch West Indies
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

SOON ENOUGH it was time to head back for the ship. It was nice to head back, get cleaned up, and have a cocktail before dinner at our assigned table for 4. I didn't know it at the time, but we would be back to St. Maarten several times over the next few years. I always enjoy it and have often though it would be my first choice of a place to stay for an extended period in the Caribbean.

These colorful "welcome" signs are seen today at most Caribbean Cruise Ports. This one was serendipitous, but in later years I have begun to make it a point to photograph them when the opportunity presents
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved

OUR SHIP had a later departure that day and we were able to observe a gorgeous sunset as we watched a "ghost of our future," the brand new Celebrity Reflection leave port and sail off into the sunset. Stay tuned, as it is coming up soon.

The Celebrity Reflection - St. Maarten, Dutch West Indies
Copyright Andy Richards 2012 - All Rights Reserved