In Room Speaker

[bepsf]

Where is the control in the room to adjust the speaker to hear/not hear the Captain's announcements in the stateroom? :confused:

In my 4 HAL cruises, I've never found it and have always had to open the door to hear announcements. Am I daft? (Wait - don't answer that one yet.....)
;)

[kryos]

Where is the control in the room to adjust the speaker to hear/not hear the Captain's announcements in the stateroom? :confused:

In my 4 HAL cruises, I've never found it and have always had to open the door to hear announcements. Am I daft? (Wait - don't answer that one yet.....)
;)
It's one of the settings on your radio dial ... on the headboard of the bed ... I believe it might be channel 5. However, you shouldn't be hearing those general announcements unless you have your radio tuned to that particular channel. Otherwise, you should only be hearing emergency type announcements that are piped into the room by default (i.e., the call for lifeboat drill, a "bright star" announcement, etc.).

Blue skies ...

--rita

[sail7seas]

Not on Vista ships. The headboard radio control is on all the ships Other than Vista....at least that is the case in the "S" Suites. You cannot control annoucements coming into your cabin. The bridge controls what is broadcast into the rooms whereas on other than Vista ships, you can opt to have all announcements.

[the2ofus]

I have never heard lifeboat drill or bright star or any other announcement in the cabin, that I can recall. Have always had to open the cabin door and listen that way.

Brian, that makes 2 who are daft. Or deaf?

[sail7seas]

On ships other than Vista, turn the radio setting (found on the headboard of the beds) to channel 5 and you will hear all announcements in your cabin without opening the door.

[MeOhMy]

On another thread, please don't ask me which one, a couple of people noted that the captain's announcements could be heard if you get the correct TV channel, usually the one showing the bridge live pictures. That would be worth a try.

You might also ask your RS. I bet he would know.

[Grumpy1]

Prinsendam may be different from the other ships, but the announcements could be heard on the TV when tuned to the channel that showed the navigation information. There is no headboard radio control on that ship. there is a speaker under the desk that could not be turned off or down. Emergency announcements and lifeboat drill announcements came through that speaker.

[K&RCurt]

On the Westerdam we were told a TV channel to tune to to hear the announcements. I don't recall if it was the "navigation" channel ot the Bridge Cam. The only problem was if you actually wanted to watch something on the TV AND hear the annoucements. In that case you were just "out of luck".

[Krazy Kruizers]

On our recent cruises on the Ryndam and Amsterdam the radio could no longer be used since they installed the new TV's. In order to hear the announcements, you had to tune into the correct channel on the TV which is listed in the cabin directory. We talked to Captain Consen on the Ryndam about it and he said that others have asked to have the old radios reconnected. Don't know if this has happened yet.

[kryos]

[B]Not on Vista ships. The headboard radio control is on all the ships Other than Vista....at least that is the case in the "S" Suites. You cannot control annoucements coming into your cabin. The bridge controls what is broadcast into the rooms whereas on other than Vista ships, you can opt to have all announcements.

Oops! Didn't realize the Vistas were different.

I discovered this radio dial thingy on my first cruise ... the Rotterdam ... when my cabinmate and I were lazy getting out of bed the morning we were going through the Panama Canal and switched the radio onto that channel in order to make sure we didn't miss any announcements from the bridge while we were getting dressed.

I thought the same was true of all the ships. I stand corrected.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[sail7seas]

No, it hasn't happened yet. We tried to hear the announcements on the radio in our cabin in April and we could not. We inquired (to be sure that it wasn't simply a problem in our particular cabin) and were told.......no announcements in the cabin.

[sail7seas]

Oops! Didn't realize the Vistas were different.

I discovered this radio dial thingy on my first cruise ... the Rotterdam ... when my cabinmate and I were lazy getting out of bed the morning we were going through the Panama Canal and switched the radio onto that channel in order to make sure we didn't miss any announcements from the bridge while we were getting dressed.

I thought the same was true of all the ships. I stand corrected.

Blue skies ...

--rita

It may be possible that it is no longer available on any of the ships that went through their SOE.......

No, I correct myself. Our radio announcement channel worked on Volendam during our January cruise and that was After her SOE upgrades. It might just be unavailable on Ryndam.

We'll find out in August when we are on Maasdam.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

In November 2004 2 sailings after the Ryndam went thru SOE the radios did in fact work and they had the new flat screens TVs. This was our first Non Vista class ship we had only been on the Zuirderdam and Oosterdam prior. Our cabin steward showed us how to operate the radio at the head board and to set it to channel 5 for the annoucements and showed us the volumn control.So I do not believe it has anything to do with SOE.

[popcruisers]

On our recent Westerdam cruise, announcements could be heard on channel 44 on the tv.

[Grumpy1]

If lifeboat drill announcements do not come through inside your cabin, it should be reported. I'm fairly sure that part of the "safety of life at sea" requires that emergency announcements be able to be heard in the cabin with no ability to turn it off. The muster drill announcement is essentially a test of that system.

All it takes is one idiot to find the speaker and clip the wires or short them out because he didn't want to be disturbed. clipping the wires would affect one cabin. Shorting them could affect several cabins.

We had a CD on RCCL that decided to use the Emergency system to make his bingo announcements, so no one would miss them. Idiots like that cause the other idiots to cut the wires.

[sail7seas]

In November 2004 2 sailings after the Ryndam went thru SOE the radios did in fact work and they had the new flat screens TVs. This was our first Non Vista class ship we had only been on the Zuirderdam and Oosterdam prior. Our cabin steward showed us how to operate the radio at the head board and to set it to channel 5 for the annoucements and showed us the volumn control.So I do not believe it has anything to do with SOE.

Thanks, Lisa......

Good to know we'll still be able to (hopefully) hear the announcements on Maasdam etc

[Randyk47]

It definitely was channel 5 on the radio on the Volendam in February this year, after her SOE drydock. I remember DW and I trying to hear an announcement and one of us remembered the "headboard" radio control. Switched it to channel 5 and the announcement came through the ceiling speakers in the cabin.

[arzz]

Last time we were on the Zaandam was after her SOE (March, 2005) and we had announcements and radio in the cabin at that time, just as before the SOE. Have not been on the Zaandam since then so I have no knowledge if that has been changed. My recent cruises on the Volendam and the Maasdam were both pre-SOE so I cannot comment about them.

I noticed the missing radio last summer on the Zuiderdam -- and I did miss it. I like to have the control to turn announcements on or off from a separate venue from the TV. We often keep the TV on the Navigation channel so that we can monitor temperature, sea conditions, etc. but we prefer to mute the volume so we do not have to listen to all that irritating music. For us, the TV would not be a satisfactory substitute to monitor announcements.

[calteacher]

I'm afraid that I am showing my ignorance, but, what is a "bright star" announcement? Thanks.

[arzz]

When someone falls ill or collapses, the code that is used over the intercom to rally emergency help to the location is "bright star" -- they usually announce "bright star" followed by the deck number and location on the deck where the emergency is located.

[Grumpy1]

"Bright Star" is the code for medical emergency on board. It will be Bright Star, followed by a location on the ship or a cabin number. Medical and security personnel will respond very quickly.

[Grumpy1]

Arzz, your fingers are a bit quicker than mine:)