Here's the posting from the rec.travel.cruises newsgroup.
Date: 2001-05-20 15:08:10 PST I just got home and couldn't wait to read the posting about the "incident" just to find out what the heck happened. I was there and still don't know what happened.
Just to clarify, the two different versions of what happened:
1) One of the two rudders malfunctioned
2) We were dodging fishing boats
After the incident, the Capt. announced on the PA system that it was a rudder malfunction. I don't know where the fishing boat story started. However I first heard it from a crew member who phoned home (Seattle) and was told by her parents that they had heard it on TV news. But like I say, who knows where they (the tv people) heard it from.
I never heard from anyone on the ship how many were injured, but one of the people who had been in the hospital (broken leg) told me that it was filled and there were about 40 people with minor injuries waiting outside the hospital to be examimed.
When we arrived in Victoria, there were two ambulances and a small SUV with the word ambulance on the side, waiting for us. By the time the Gangway was in position, there were 9 ambulances, the SUV and a fire truck. The fire truck had me concerned, as I have no idea why it was there.
Several of the injured were in the swimming pool when the ship made an abrupt turn to port. They were thrown from the pool with much of the water (remember the laws of inertia, the water wanted to continue in a straight line. Also, the starboard side of the pool dropped). They slide to the railing and anything not bolted down came after them, (including people in wheelchairs). I was not on the pool deck at the time of the incident, but got the above info from one of the waitresses that was working there at that time. She also told me that one lady fell from her chair, hit here head on the deck, knocking her out. She then slid to the starboard railing and her head was under water. The waitress pulled her out and she seemed to be OK except for a possible concussion.
Now, I'll tell you what I saw.
We were in the 4 Seasons restaurant having lunch (Deck 5 midship). My wife & I were seated in the rear of the restraurant on the Port side. It was about 5 or 10 minutes after 2 PM. I was actually looking out the window when we made a sharp left turn and I saw that the Port side of the ship was rising. I didn't think a lot of it until it kept getting higher and higher and then I could no longer see the water (while looking out the window). I looked to the other side of the dining room and all I could see out of the windows on the right side was water (at least it was the Top of Water). The ship did seem to settle for a couple seconds and then it started again. On the second rising, still higher & higher, everything slid off of the tables, chairs started moving and everyone moved to the port (left) side of the ship after one of the waiters started yelling for them to do so. I wish I had his name as this seems to have been the correct move to try to avoid being hit by more of the objects heading for the right side of the ship.
I honestly thought that the ship was going over, and my concerns were with my kids (twins age 12) rather than my wife & I. They were not with us & I had no idea where they were. Well eventually the ship settled back to a normal keel and the engines were shut off. I'm not positive, but I think the engines may have shut off prior to the ship returning to a normal float.
Before the ship had completely righted itself, both my wife & I headed out to search to ship for our children. Ever try to run on a slightly listing deck that is covered in all manner of food? I saw a couple of people slip and fall, and if anyone is familiar with the Sky, the model of the ship (must be about 6 ft long) that is at the entrance, was on the floor and the glass case it was in shattered. It must have fallen when the ship righted itself as it was on the starboard side of the entrance.
We went to our cabin (also on deck 5) to check for kids (not there) and then we went to the pool deck to search, as the boys like the buffet up there. No kids there either, run thru the pool area (our kids not there either). It was at this time that calls started on the PA system for "Code A to the pool" "Code A to the casino" "Code A to the atrium" etc. I figured that Code A is NCL speak for medical aide. Eventually they started simply stating things like "Stretcher needed in the Video Arcade". We went back to our cabin hoping the kids had come back. Still not in the cabin so we headed for the kids club on deck 7. Not there so we headed back to toward the atrium area and found one of the boys there, and uninjured. We took him back to the cabin and he told us that he didn't know where his brother was now but that just before the listing started he had headed to deck 6 to jog.
Now Deck 6 is the lifeboat deck and outside so we started to somewhat panic. He's not a big kid and could easily slide under the railing. Got there, Mom headed one direction on the track and me the other. We met about half way around without him. I did notice as I ran past the stern that the engines were running.
Well to make and end to this story we finally found him and he was also OK. He had been just getting ready to exit onto the track near the photo sales area when the ship begin to rock and roll. He had the good sense not to open the door. And the reason we couldn't find him was because he had gone into the library to help pick up books. And believe me, a library is the last place I would have ever looked for him. We took him back to our cabin and his brother had is life jacket on. I must admit that I was so relieved at finding son #2 that I lost it.
On my dash thru the Atrium. I noticed a man at the top of the stairs on deck 7 down and being assisted (from the way he held his hip I would guess he was the fractured pelvis).
There had been about 7 kids who regularly attended the teen program (including my 2). And of the 7, 3 were injured to one degree or another. One had a broken leg (suffered on the pool deck), another had what was thought to be a broken leg (turned out at the hospital in Victoria it was badly sprained). Another had been in the Video Arcade and was pinned down by a machine that fell on him (I was told that they immobilized him including a neck brace). I never found out what the extent of his injuries were.
I really don't know how many degrees the ship listed, but was told by a crewmen that we came within a foot or two of having water enter the portholes on deck 2. He also said that the bridge had indeed been concerned that we were going over (please let me emphasize that this was not a bridge crewman or even engineering/so who knows if it's true). I will not reveal their names or positions in case NCL sees this.
Another injury that I can confirm was to a woman that we had lunch with the previous day. She has a fractured shoulder.
I was also told by a person who was in the casino that the roulette table overturned (started to slide, then the legs grabbed on the carpet, then over she went). I did see that almost all the bottles and glasses in the bars had shattered (the ones set up for use). However it didn't take long to get the bars restocked. ;-)
They closed the casino, so I couldn't see in there. I did peak into the gift stores - WHAT A MESS. However within about 1.5 hrs they had the small gift shop on deck 6 reopened. The other duty free shops remained closed.
I didn't think to grab my digital camera until just before everything was cleaned up so I only have a couple of pics (this was about the only time on the cruise I didn't have my camera with me). However I did exchange my email address with someone who was in the casino during the list and hopefully I'll have some photos soon. I'll post whatever I can when I find a place to send them. Sorry, I don't have a web page set up.
Maybe I missed it, but in all of the announcements made from the bridge, I don't recall hearing the words "I'm sorry for---". However as I was running around the ship, looking for my boys, I was about ready to knock out the next crew member who made the statement to me "nothing to worry about. Everything is normal".
I didn't sleep well last night as my senses were on edge and everytime the ship
wold roll at all I was wide awake.
I'm still not sure we have heard the real cause of this problem and hope to read the Coast Guard report whenever it comes out.
Other than thinking that my entire family was going to die, this was a pleasant cruise.
Would I cruise again with NCL? Depends on what the CG determines. Would I cruise again on the SKY (NCLs newest ship)? Probably not. I'm wondering how qualified their engineering staff is. I did find it ironic that one of the people seated with us for lunch, was commenting how unsafe Carnival and Royal Caribbean are (the only other 2 cruise lines I've sailed) and how safe NCL is, at the exact moment the listing started.
-Monte