Vibration on Nieuw Amsterdam

My extended family (9 of us) took an Alaskan cruise (Vancouver/Vancouver, Inside Passage) in the middle of July and noticed a vibration in the ship at various times. There are some other threads about this here on CC, but I just wanted to say it is still there. A few bullets:

• We had cabins on decks 6 midship suite, 8 and 10 (a bit more forward) verandah and felt the vibration in all cabins.
  
• The vibration happened predominantly in the evenings and overnight. Imagine waking up to a "magic fingers" vibrating bed...that's basically what it is like.
  
• The vibration happened as the skip of the speed eclipsed 21 knots (note: the ship has a channel on the TV which shows where the ship is at and the speed). I think THIS is the primary tie in to the vibration. The faster the boat went, the stronger the vibration.
  

It really feels like a vibration isolation issue (i.e. engine or other reciprocating parts not adequately isolated from the rest of the ship) or something is out of balance.

The issue was hardly catastrophic and we still had a great time (indeed, I would sail this ship again), but ideally they would get this addressed (especially since it appears to have been going on for a while now).

We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in February and July. We had 2 different cabin, on both sides and on two different decks, with family members in other cabins. We also had a Lido Cabana we spent a lot of time in. We were also on her in November 2016. We have never felt any vibrations while on the ship.

We experienced the same issue onboard the Eurodam in Alaska this summer. I spoke with a member of crew who said it was due to cavitation (air bubbles being generated off the propellers) and was not something they could fix. Essentially, once the propeller has been installed, the remedies are fairly limited. The vibration was especially noticeable in the main dining room. It was enough vibration that I chose to dine in other venues (including the buffet) instead of sit at a vibrating table in the MDR.

I am on the NA now and have not felt anything like you describe at all.

We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in February and July. We had 2 different cabin, on both sides and on two different decks, with family members in other cabins. We also had a Lido Cabana we spent a lot of time in. We were also on her in November 2016. We have never felt any vibrations while on the ship.

Have cruised 3 times before on this ship and never felt anything. Heading back to this ship in Nov.

I think I’ve felt slight vibrations at odd times on every ship I’ve been on. I didn’t know it was a “thing”. It , for me, was a non issue

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People posted about this before we sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam, but we never noticed anything usual. We were midship on deck 6. We were all over the ship and spent a fair amount of time up in a Retreat Cabana.

It definitely seems more noticeable on lower decks, but isn't limited to them. It is also more apparent when you are sitting still / laying down. If you are a light sleeper you may notice it more.

Since it was definitely speed related, I wonder if it is common practice to run the ship faster at night when people are sleeping and many just might sleep right through it.

On one port departure on the NA, we heard and felt a very loud slapping sound for a short period of time.

This was later explained to be some sort of temporary action of waves slapping against the new design "duck-tail" aft portion of the ship - under unique combination of circumstances. It was pretty loud and noticeable for that short period of time, but eveyrone went on business as usual.

I was on another smaller, recently purchased ship on another cruise line that had a similar loud vibration sound - like the sound of an unbalanced load in a washing machine - only much louder - perhaps a unintended design characteristic. When this loud noise later reported, there was a sigh from the front office - oh, those cabins are noisy too? We assumed it was the engine misfiring too - or we were near the ship's laundry, but the deck plan showed nothing like that was near by. It too was temporary.

It definitely seems more noticeable on lower decks, but isn't limited to them. It is also more apparent when you are sitting still / laying down. If you are a light sleeper you may notice it more.

Since it was definitely speed related, I wonder if it is common practice to run the ship faster at night when people are sleeping and many just might sleep right through it.

I can only speak from my experience & information from officers - but yes, they do pick up the speed at night when people are sleeping often.

Chuckling because I remember well the former Nieuw Amsterdam. Serious vibration - had to hold onto a drink in the Crows Nest.

I was on the NA in March 2014 and certainly noticed a vibration in the dining room each night, it was very noticeable, we all commented on what the heck is wrong with this ship. Asked about it was told it was one of the propeller's was bent..................guess it wasn't............

I was on the Eurodam in March 2017 and never noticed any vibration..........I have never noticed any type of vibration on any other HAL ships in the past......

I love the vibrations, when I feel them. Along with the rocking, alcohol related or not :(, it reminds me I'm on a ship and going somewhere.

They definitely do pick up speed late at night sometimes. We researched this by staying up late drinking in the Crow's Nest. The speed change is more noticeable higher up. It's not that we wanted to be in a bar after midnight, but... Science.

They definitely do pick up speed late at night sometimes. We researched this by staying up late drinking in the Crow's Nest. The speed change is more noticeable higher up. It's not that we wanted to be in a bar after midnight, but... Science.

It's a long haul between Vancouver/Seattle and the first and last Alaskan ports of call. HAL has

three alternatives: sail fast enough to get cavitation, drop a port, or take more than a week.

Last May Eurodam was delayed leaving Ketchikan and we had the worst of both worlds:

Cavitation vibration like driving a "washboard" road, plus a 45-minute-late arrival for our 5 hour

Vancouver stop.

Other cruise lines build for higher speed before cavitation sets in. Food for thought if the vibration

bothers you that much.

It's a long haul between Vancouver/Seattle and the first and last Alaskan ports of call. HAL has

three alternatives: sail fast enough to get cavitation, drop a port, or take more than a week.

 

Last May Eurodam was delayed leaving Ketchikan and we had the worst of both worlds:

Cavitation vibration like driving a "washboard" road, plus a 45-minute-late arrival for our 5 hour

Vancouver stop.

 

Other cruise lines build for higher speed before cavitation sets in. Food for thought if the vibration

bothers you that much.

Cavitation - yes, that is how it was explained when we were on the NA. Can you tell us more how and why this happens?

How does it designed in or out of ships? Can it be remedied or mitigated later in dry dock.

Cavitation explained on submarines - factor of propeller design and speed:

Cavitation and propeller surface texture: http://e-marineeducation.com/en/cavitation-of-ship-propellers/

****Very Good** Cavitation for Beginners: https://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2012/aug/17/cavitation-beginners-building-fastest-ship-world-video

Basically, the production of bursting "boiling" water bubbles by propeller rotation.

They definitely do pick up speed late at night sometimes. We researched this by staying up late drinking in the Crow's Nest. The speed change is more noticeable higher up. It's not that we wanted to be in a bar after midnight, but... Science.

The sacrifices you make in the name of science and on our behalf are appreciated! :');p

The sacrifices you make in the name of science and on our behalf are appreciated! :');p

Or did things just appear more tipsy at that speed, hour and location ......:cool:

I had an aft facing cabin and never felt any vibration.

Cavitation vibration like driving a "washboard" road, .

We did an Alaska cruise on the Celebrity 'Mercury' in 2006 and the vibrations felt in the main dining room in the evenings were very noticeable. It was in the back of the boat, so this might have been the cause. I had read about the MDR vibrations here on CC before we took the cruise, and people thought it was from the engines below. Perhaps not. That boat was definitely moving to get to the next scheduled ports by morning, so may have been this cavitation.

Somebody mentioned cavitation, but that would not normally cause vibration amidships. DW and I are weird cruisers because we generally prefer cabins located in the bow quarter of a vessel (near the front). The major mechanical components of a ship (Engines) are arrayed around the center of gravity which is amidships. On some vessels you can get mechanical vibrations as the engines run at certain speeds..or run at all. Towards the rear you can get vibrations (sometimes severe) from cavitation and the motors. But up towards the bow the only issues are the bow thrusters (which are great alarm clocks as you near a berthing) and the ship motion (which rocks us asleep).

Regarding cavitation, we once met (and had a few meals) with a famous marine engineer/designer (knighted by the Queen for some of his work) while on a ship he had designed. He told us that cavitation was an issue that cost him a lot of sleep :). He explained that despite running all kinds of tests in large tanks, and utilizing various mathematical formulas intended to reduce the risk of cavitation, it still would happen on some vessels as certain speeds.

Hank

I was on NA in May~Deck 7 Aftwrap Balcony and I felt vibrations. This was my first cruise and while I was never sick it was certainly noticeable to me. This might be something that affects some more than others.

If I cruise again I may choose a different location for my cabin.