Just found this on that other cruise forum.""Adventure" on board Prinsendam last night
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Received a note from a friend who's aboard the Prinsendam:
"Seems that the high winds that kept us from anchoring at Portree, Isle of Skye and Scrabster had a few more surprises in store for us last night.
Things started getting a little rough during the 7 PM cocktail hour but really not too bad. Dinner was another story entirely. Gale force winds stated to buffet the ship at about 8:15 PM. We were seated at a table for 4 towards the back of the Pinnacle Grill. Next thing you know, we were holding on to the glassware and the table for dear life.
The large window next to my seat made a sound like a shotgun and shattered but didn’t break as it is safety glass. It scared the hell out of us. We could hear all hell breaking loose in the kitchen. I shudder to think of what happened to all of that lovely Bulgari china.
The Captain came on to the P.A. system to tell all passengers to remain seated, if possible, or to get down on the floor as we were in for some really rough seas. What an understatement. A window was blown out in the showroom and water started pouring in there during the entertainment.
One of my table-mates was the Event Manager for the Prinsendam. She had to leave and see to passenger safety and help move people out of harm’s way. We sat and held on to our wine and water glasses and ate bread. Best way to avoid mal de mer is to keep something on your stomach. All around us we could hear pots, pans, dishes, glassware flying in the kitchen while the staff was trying to secure all flying objects. One waiter was stationed at a marble topped cart to keep it from sliding all over the dining room.
The worst part of the rocking and rolling went on for about 1.5 hours. As all of the craziness was going on the staff of the Prinsendam remained calm and did an outstanding job of protecting the passengers and securing the ship. I can’t say enough about their skill and calm demeanor throughout this unexpected event.
The Captain kept us all informed of what to expect and was a calming and professional voice. The Pinnacle staff was superb. Picking up where they left off as if this was just a little glitch in an otherwise normal day.
When we got back to our cabin, we found that anything that wasn’t secured was on the floor. Good thing we’re neat. It didn’t take too long to put things back in order. One of our neighbors couldn’t get back into their cabin until the winds died down as their balcony door had opened and the wind kept them from opening their cabin door."
And later:
"Update to the adventure. It turns out we unexpectedly hit a force 12 storm. That's hurricane force. We lost about 50 windows and there is a dent in the prow of the ship. What a 'fun' ride."
Tim - I am sure the ship will be in shipshape condition when you board in November in Athens. Have a great trip.
Diane