Star - Please post accurate information about the azipod problem

There are a lot of rumors floating around about the NCL Star and its azipod problems. I am cruising on the Star from Copenhagen in a little over a month, so I am getting a bit nervous.

This is what is true so far: The April 12 Panama Canal cruise has been cancelled. So far, the April 27 trans-Atlantic cruise is scheduled to leave as planned.

Does anyone know where the ship will be repaired? Does anyone have any concrete information about the extent of the problem?

Please don't post jokes about the service charge for breakfast, etc. I feel so bad for the April 12 cruisers. They had their cruise cancelled with less than a week to go.

Did you call NCL about the issue?

I feel bad for the April 12 cruisers as well, but I also think NCL is doing the right thing. If a problem arises, its not like they have had a great deal of time to plan for it, but only react to it.

Something must be really off with the azipods for the them to cancel a whole cruise.

I can't imagine being stuck on a cruise ship without the ability of it to move.

It seems like with the cancelation of a Panama Canal cruise there should be plenty of time to remedy the situation.

I sail the Star in December and I am glad NCL is taking care of this issue now. I don't want to be stuck on a cruise ship in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.

Have fun on your cruise. I have a feeling everything should be fine by then. :)

I am on the Jewel now and our concierge says only one cruise is canceled. I will try to get more details from him when I see him in the morning.

We are on the 5/11 sailing from Copenhagen and are also looking for more info on the azipod problems.

It looks like the Star has been able to complete her 4 Mexican Riviera sailings with the mechanical issue. The Star is due back to San Pedro/LA Sunday morning. I don't think there is time to go back to Portland where the dry dock was done. Seems like the azipod work would be under warranty and that the work would be done in LA or San Diego asap after the 4/12 disembark. The trip to Miami from So. Calif would be a decent non passenger sea trial, so I would imagine NCL will only cancel the TA if something is still not right. I sure hope this repair is spot on.

If I was any trip in the next month I would be looking at alternative just in case.

If my trip was effected could I jump to something different.

The 12th cruiser had very limited time to pick up an alternative and any places got taken quickly on the closest compatible trips.

Mind you NCL are upselling on the Sun Panama trip while star cruisers scramble to find something.

This is not a conspiracy against NCL and the general cruising public.

This issue will cost millions to repair as the ship needs to be dry docked.

Every hour a ship is out of service is a huge financial loss for the cruise line.

ABB (the manufacturer of this Azipod) will pay for the repair. But lost revenue will be covered under the corporate insurance policy. And typically is up to 30%

Of historical data. And adjusted for inflation of the USD.

Lloyds regestry is the issuer of most maritime surplus lines insurance policies.

So in the end, it will still be a loss for NCL.

So, I highly doubt they are not holding out on info.

I don't think this is a conspiracy. I am sure cancelling a cruise is the last thing that NCL wants to do. I am sure the problem will be fixed soon and all will be well. However, if the news is bad, I want to know now so I can make other plans. Until I know for sure, I can't book anything else because at this point, full payment will be due.

I heard from a staff member on The Star the plan is: (1) off load passengers, (2) take on some provisions including fuel, (3) head for a dry dock in the Bahamas.

Why dry dock in the Bahamas? Probably it space and staff available. Dry docks are usually booked many months in advance.

He did not say what the nature of the problem was.

Thanks so much for this thread, We are on the TA 4/27 and are very nervous, and if this is not going to be fixed in time we need to know asap, so we can find an alternative. It is frustrating not knowing anything, so Please post any and all info anyone can find out. Thanks so much!

Our Star cruise is not until June 12, so I am not worried - yet....

But I still appreciate any updated facts regarding the problem and the dry dock.

Thanks so much for this thread, We are on the TA 4/27 and are very nervous, and if this is not going to be fixed in time we need to know asap, so we can find an alternative. It is frustrating not knowing anything, so Please post any and all info anyone can find out. Thanks so much!

I did ask NCL on Facebook if the transatlantic was affected, and they said it wasn't

https://www.facebook.com/Norwegiancruiseline/posts/10153329401516414

I heard from a staff member on The Star the plan is: (1) off load passengers, (2) take on some provisions including fuel, (3) head for a dry dock in the Bahamas.

 

Why dry dock in the Bahamas? Probably it space and staff available. Dry docks are usually booked many months in advance.

 

He did not say what the nature of the problem was.

Canal slot could be a problem if they missed the booked one.

Probably much cheaper with no pax.

Even with propulsion problems the transit is slow.

I can't comment on this particular problem, but I sailed on the Pearl a few years ago with a non-functioning azipod. It slowed us down sufficiently that we really never stopped in Vancouver on the Alaska Inside Passage cruise. Actually, we stopped long enough to clear customs (or whatever) but were not allowed to disembark.

We were the last scheduled cruise in September. Immediately after our cruise, the ship went to dry dock for repair. My understanding is that emergency dry dock locations are scarce and the ship will go wherever it has to go to be repaired.

....

ABB (the manufacturer of this Azipod) will pay for the repair. But lost revenue MAY be covered under the corporate insurance policy. .

The ship was built in 2001. I doubt that the warranty is that long. Whether the insurance covers is also another issue. Wear and tear is normally excepted.

Most of these insurance policies have a high deductible(a million or more).

Unless you know what went wrong, I don't know whether is a covered expense.

The ship was built in 2001. I doubt that the warranty is that long. Whether the insurance covers is also another issue. Wear and tear is normally excepted.

Most of these insurance policies have a high deductible(a million or more).

Unless you know what went wrong, I don't know whether is a covered expense.

The azipods had a hydraulic upgrade during the dry dock. Obviously one has developed a problem. Whilst the ship could sail with a defunct Azipod (look at What Allure did). Heading out trans Atlantic would not be advisable if the other Azipod developed a problem.. So they are doing the right thing. The dry dock is booked 21-26th so Bahamas would make sense and fit that time frame heading to Miami on 27th to pick up the TA passengers..

Right, she is only a few weeks post dry dock in PDX. She is still on the west coast and is doing her last scheduled Mexican Riviera cruise - currently heading to LA.

Perhaps there is some kind of warranty on the upgrades done then. If there is space in the dock, she is only three days away from PDX - and several days away from the Bahamas.

It just does not make any sense to cancel one leg of a much longer cruise and run the ship empty - why not offer an abbreviated Panama Canal cruise - run to Miami with minimal stops (just enough for the PVSA) and then to the Bahamas for repairs and then back to Miami for the rest of the journey. I am sure they would have had a few takers.

How many days does it take to go from LA to the Bahamas?

How long to fix the pods?

How many days from the dock to Miami?

I guess if the total is less than 15 days it makes sense.

Can they fix it in LA and then make a run for Miami?

Right, she is only a few weeks post dry dock in PDX. She is still on the west coast and is doing her last scheduled Mexican Riviera cruise - currently heading to LA.

 

Perhaps there is some kind of warranty on the upgrades done then. If there is space in the dock, she is only three days away from PDX - and several days away from the Bahamas.

 

It just does not make any sense to cancel one leg of a much longer cruise and run the ship empty - why not offer an abbreviated Panama Canal cruise - run to Miami with minimal stops (just enough for the PVSA) and then to the Bahamas for repairs and then back to Miami for the rest of the journey. I am sure they would have had a few takers.

 

How many days does it take to go from LA to the Bahamas?

How long to fix the pods?

How many days from the dock to Miami?

I guess if the total is less than 15 days it makes sense.

 

Can they fix it in LA and then make a run for Miami?

We were on the 3/29 - 4/5 cruise and it was the smoothest we have experienced on the Star. Crew member said they tested the propulsion and it worked fine coming from Portland to LA as high as a little over 25 knots. The failure must have occurred within the last ten days or so, and that would be very short time to book a cruise. Also, not many people would be interested in a cruise without any ports.

The crew can use the time without guests to do some deep cleaning, painting, and other things that they can't normally do with people onboard.

The ship must be drydocked to repair the Azipods, so NCL has to take it where space is available at drydocks.

This is not all the info you asked for, but it may help you understand why they will run empty to the Bahamas if indeed that is where drydock space is available.

Right, she is only a few weeks post dry dock in PDX. She is still on the west coast and is doing her last scheduled Mexican Riviera cruise - currently heading to LA.

 

Perhaps there is some kind of warranty on the upgrades done then. If there is space in the dock, she is only three days away from PDX - and several days away from the Bahamas.

 

It just does not make any sense to cancel one leg of a much longer cruise and run the ship empty - why not offer an abbreviated Panama Canal cruise - run to Miami with minimal stops (just enough for the PVSA) and then to the Bahamas for repairs and then back to Miami for the rest of the journey. I am sure they would have had a few takers.

 

How many days does it take to go from LA to the Bahamas?

How long to fix the pods?

How many days from the dock to Miami?

I guess if the total is less than 15 days it makes sense.

 

Can they fix it in LA and then make a run for Miami?

(1) With only staff and not having to make port stops, it should not take long to get to The Bahamas.

(2) How long to fix- depends on what the issue is and what the fix is.

(3)If they are going to Freeport, Bahamas, I think that is about 14 hours to Miami. Nassau, Bahamas is a little over 12 hours from Miami.

Wouldn't want any cruise passenger on board a ship with major mechanical issues. Just imagine the bad PR, negligent lawsuit and liability claims from those passengers if something goes horribly wrong during the voyage.

I did ask NCL on Facebook if the transatlantic was affected, and they said it wasn't

https://www.facebook.com/Norwegiancruiseline/posts/10153329401516414

Good idea. Thank you! At least we have some official word.

Those of you who are getting off the Star today: What have you heard? Did you notice any problems with the Azipod system?

We were off the Star one week ago today. I have absolutely no technical knowledge about this, but we noticed that when we were looking off the back of the ship, the volume/churn of the water pushed back from the ship (propeller?) was much larger on the starboard side than on the port side. Again, this may be normal and have nothing to do with the azipod. It was something we noticed and wondered about.

Glad to see NCL Corporate in Miami listened to Captain Konstantinos Fafalios when he said something was not right with the azipod. Safety over revenue is the right priority in the industry. This event will cost the corporate bottom line millions of dollars. No wonder alternative revenue streams are being developed.

For those you of you wondering, 'what is an AZIPOD?'...

Underneath the NCL Epic

I am sitting on the star right now waiting to disembark. An officer at the meet and greet said there was an issue with the azipods that needed fixing before the TA. Whatever the issue was it didn't affect our cruise at all that I could tell. He said it was not an issue of concern for our cruise

I am sitting on the star right now waiting to disembark. An officer at the meet and greet said there was an issue with the azipods that needed fixing before the TA. Whatever the issue was it didn't affect our cruise at all that I could tell. He said it was not an issue of concern for our cruise

Have fun! Can you take pictures? Would love to see the changes.