I just saw a report that the Dream is having a hard time getting into Castaway Cay. Apparently, they've got some high winds and the captain has backed off to try again in a half hour or so.
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Tough time at Castaway Cay
- Thread starter ChuckElias
- Start date
wdwstateofmind
Well-Known Member
Doesn't surprise me...it's been really windy in Florida all week and whatever cold front moved in up north yesterday only made it worse...the temp took a nose dive from mid-70s with high humidity to 61 and dry when I got out of the Yanks/Rays game last night and REALLY windy (hard to stay in lane driving back over the bay kind of winds)...I know the Bahamas is subject to the same whether we are, so I can only imagine the gusts they are encountering being tiny islands over water and not a peninsula like the Tampa area...
mammaminnie
Well-Known Member
Definitely a bummer for those aboard if they were unable to dock. It's such a highlight of cruises for many passengers that it's always sad when it gets cancelled due to weather conditions etc.
DrewmanS
Well-Known Member
If the weather was bad, they might require two tugs. You would not believe how expensive tugs can cost (especially if they have to travel from another port). This is why cruise ships are fitted with bow thrusters and prefer ports where they can maneuver without tugs.
Besides, if the weather is too bad to dock, it's probably not a great day to be on the Cay.
Tonka's Skipper
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately it would take more then 1 tug and a lot of lead time, Freeport is a bit far away.
This is assuming any were available. Tugs don't make any money hanging around waiting for a call, they are usually on charter. Most ships of the size that would use tugs for docking and undocking, would have thrusters, EI Cruise Ships.
Tonka's Skipper
Well-Known Member
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VoiceGuy07
Active Member
Happened to us on one of our Dream cruises. We woke up and expected to be docked at Castaway Cay but instead were sailing along the length of the island with a pretty strong current (water was pretty choppy and it was very windy) above the slip and past the slip. Captain tried to slow us down with thrusters but the current was too strong.
A couple of good tries and then we wept openly as there was no choice but to opt for another day at sea. We just watched as the island got smaller, and smaller, and smaller as we sailed away. We talked to our awesome servers that night and they said it happens more often than you think and that it's not worth damage to the ship. Makes sense, but we showed them! We booked another cruise and got on the island the next year!!
A couple of good tries and then we wept openly as there was no choice but to opt for another day at sea. We just watched as the island got smaller, and smaller, and smaller as we sailed away. We talked to our awesome servers that night and they said it happens more often than you think and that it's not worth damage to the ship. Makes sense, but we showed them! We booked another cruise and got on the island the next year!!
joanna71985
Well-Known Member
On my last cruise in Jan, the Day At Sea/Castaway days had to be swapped due to rough seas
EOD K9
Well-Known Member
I'm glad to know they will do that so it may not be a total wash.
joanna71985
Well-Known Member
Well, I definitely preferred that way over missing it altogether (like we did on the Hurricane Sandy cruise in 2012)
PolynesianPrincess
Well-Known Member
that would be such a bummer to miss Castaway but understandable if they can't dock. Better to be safe and not risk damaging the ship.
Was that trip a "double dip"? If not, how did they know ahead of time that they wouldn't be able to dock at Castaway Cay? CC is almost always the last full day of the cruise. Was this not the case for you guys?
mickeysshoes
Well-Known Member
We were on that same cruise.
PolynesianPrincess
Well-Known Member
I know on the 2 4 night Dream cruises we've done it's been Nassau, CC, at sea. So they would be able to flip flop CC and at sea. As long as another ship wasn't scheduled at CC the next day. I know not all the cruises have an at sea day at the end though to allow that option.
Really interesting! I don't usually do the shorter itineraries, and the "normal" 7-night itineraries always have CC as the final day. Looking at the 4-night itineraries, there are a very few that have CC as the final day. Almost every sailing has a sea day before arriving back at Port Canaveral. Great info. Thanks for sharing!!!
sweetpee_1993
Well-Known Member
I've heard of the captains swapping out "days" or ports on the fly to try to make each port doable. I don't know particulars but I would assume the decisions to swap out days to increase likelihood for successful docking are done by considering weather, currents, & tidal forecasts. The captains have the experience to look at forecasts and know if chances of high swells, wind, or strong currents are likely to keep them from getting into a port. If they look ahead when there's still days to shuffle with differing forecasts it's possible they could make the call to do a swap. At least that's the way it works in my mixed-up mind. LOL!