Just off sunshine tug boat pushed us in

We lost power during the night and the ship couldn’t steer us into port.... so we were pushed in by two tug boats

Review coming soon.....

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Interesting. We had to get tugged part of the way back from Nassau 8 years ago when she was still the Destiny. It delayed our arrival by 8 hours and completely messed up everybody's departure plans. Propulsion issues were notorious but were supposed to have been rectified during the re-fit and re-birth as the Sunshine.

Interesting. We had to get tugged part of the way back from Nassau 8 years ago when she was still the Destiny. It delayed our arrival by 8 hours and completely messed up everybody's departure plans. Propulsion issues were notorious but were supposed to have been rectified during the re-fit and re-birth as the Sunshine.

Good thing we were close then. We got off by 8:30 ... I’m wondering about the next cruise, if they need to fix it

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We lost power during the night and the ship couldn’t steer us into port.... so we were pushed in by two tug boats

Review coming soon.....

 

 

 

 

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We sailed this boat in January and was also late coming back. The Captain and Cruise Director said it was too windy and the sea was too rough to dock although it seemed calm to me. Our shuttle driver said it had been late every week due to engine problems for the last month. We were delayed about 4 hours.

Isn't it amazing that 2 tug boats could push the ship into port.

Was the entire ship without power, or just something relating to the engines? That would be a bummer if there was no food or entertainment on the last day of the cruise.

Isn't it amazing that 2 tug boats could push the ship into port.

I am going to guess (and I hope that maybe chengkp75 - aka Chief - can join this thread and enlighten us) that it was the side thrusters that were not working thus the need for tugs to properly maneuver the ship. Just a guess. :D

I checked a ship tracker a little while ago and it looked like Sunshine has departed for the next cruise. Hopefully it's nothing serious. Happy cruising and safe travels to Sunshine's passengers.

Isn't it amazing that 2 tug boats could push the ship into port.

Since the major amount of horsepower that a ship uses is to produce the top end of the speed, it doesn't use very much (< 40%) power to move the ship while maneuvering in port. And tugs have a greater amount of power per size than any ship.

I am going to guess (and I hope that maybe chengkp75 - aka Chief - can join this thread and enlighten us) that it was the side thrusters that were not working thus the need for tugs to properly maneuver the ship. Just a guess. :D

I'm still waiting to determine whether the reported "loss of power" was a blackout or a loss of propulsion, as this can change the scenario. My guess is not that the thrusters weren't working (there are multiple units, so unless they lost all of them, it wouldn't matter that much, and more power than normally needed), but that there was a problem with the steering. If a twin rudder ship loses steering on one rudder, the USCG will require a tug escort all the way from the sea buoy to the dock, and the harbor master or pilot would probably require tugs for docking.

Since the major amount of horsepower that a ship uses is to produce the top end of the speed, it doesn't use very much (<30%) power to move the ship while maneuvering in port. And tugs have a greater amount of power per size than any ship.

 

 

 

I'm still waiting to determine whether the reported "loss of power" was a blackout or a loss of propulsion, as this can change the scenario. My guess is not that the thrusters weren't working (there are multiple units, so unless they lost all of them, it wouldn't matter that much, and more power than normally needed), but that there was a problem with the steering. If a twin rudder ship loses steering on one rudder, the USCG will require a tug escort all the way from the sea buoy to the dock, and the harbor master or pilot would probably require tugs for docking.

Thanks Chief. I'm sure you will update us once (or if) you can get more information.

Thanks Chief. I'm sure you will update us once (or if) you can get more information.

Not sure why the heart showed up, but I edited it. Right now, just guessing.

And, I don't believe the tugs were "pushing" the ship in, they were just tied up alongside to keep position, and to aid in steering. The one shown from straight above is showing virtually no wake, so it is not putting out any power, therefore not pushing.

Not sure why the heart showed up, but I edited it. Right now, just guessing.

Maybe the heart icon was some sort of subliminal thing on your part?? ;)

I just got home after our trip on the Sunshine. I was in an aft cabin. Couple of things - 1. It was only a partial loss of power. There were times when the emergency light was on in the cabin but also other lights were working. And this was around 5:15 to 5:30 when alarm was going off. 2. I stepped out on the balcony and the engines appeared to be working as we were putting out the normal wake. The announcement (around 5:30) from cruise director was that the ship lost partial power. They never mentioned how much of the ship was without power or what specific ship functions were effected.

By the way those times are "AM". Most everything was closed then. Before that everything seemed fine.

I was awake at 4 am and it went completely dark. Engines also, then after a half hr or so the power came on and went off again....by this time we had the emergency lights in the hallway and the ship was moving...actually in a circle!

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No emergency lights the first outage...I know because I spent some time trying to feel around for my cell phone to use the flashlight....

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Oh no we board Sunshine Saturday 5/26. I hope the have the problem fixes then.

I was awake at 4 am and it went completely dark. Engines also, then after a half hr or so the power came on and went off again....by this time we had the emergency lights in the hallway and the ship was moving...actually in a circle!

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The circle makes sense. I went out on our aft (suite) balcony around 5:20 am and saw the lights from Melborne, Fl directly behind us, which means the ship was pointed East, like we were leaving FLA.

I was awake at 4 am and it went completely dark. Engines also, then after a half hr or so the power came on and went off again....by this time we had the emergency lights in the hallway and the ship was moving...actually in a circle!

 

 

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Due to the proximity of the port, and if the crew had not repaired the fault yet, or hadn't figured out the root cause by the time the ship was picking up the pilot, USCG probably had the tugs standing by in case of another black out.

What if this has happened out in the middle of the ocean? These maintenance issues need to get taken care of, and if that costs $25 more per cruise, so be it.

What if this has happened out in the middle of the ocean? These maintenance issues need to get taken care of, and if that costs $25 more per cruise, so be it.

Whether it was in the middle of the ocean, or close to Florida ports, the power was restored in a few minutes, and the ship proceeded. There was no danger lasting from the blackout, and therefore no problem if the incident had happened at sea. The tugs are a precaution required by the USCG to prevent possible damage to the port, not the ship.

Can you tell me what "maintenance issue" you are referring to? Things break down, even with the best possible and most costly maintenance program. Have you ever had a car where you have followed the manufacturer's maintenance schedule, and yet something broke? Same thing here. I have condemned Carnival and other lines when facts show that they are at fault, but mere supposition that this is some deferred "maintenance issue" doesn't reach my level of professional of where I will castigate them over this.

Can you tell me what "maintenance issue" you are referring to? Things break down, even with the best possible and most costly maintenance program. Have you ever had a car where you have followed the manufacturer's maintenance schedule, and yet something broke? Same thing here.

I completely disagree with your analogy.

On a personal level, you're correct, I address car repairs when something breaks down, "if it ain't broke why fix it?", following the local Maker's dealership schedule. However, if I hauled passengers out of town in a shuttle van, I would do my best to address repairs BEFORE they broke down. Living in a town 3 hours from a major airport, our shuttle vans services go above and beyond normal maintenance recommendations, to avoid anyone being stranded, or missing flights.

Things break down under a cheap or expensive maintenance program... true. I'll still take the latter.

I completely disagree with your analogy.

 

On a personal level, you're correct, I address car repairs when something breaks down, "if it ain't broke why fix it?", following the local Maker's dealership schedule. However, if I hauled passengers out of town in a shuttle van, I would do my best to address repairs BEFORE they broke down. Living in a town 3 hours from a major airport, our shuttle vans services go above and beyond normal maintenance recommendations, to avoid anyone being stranded, or missing flights.

And I'll bet that those shuttle vans, even going well above the recommended maintenance have had break downs on occasion. Just like airplanes that must meet not only manufacturer's maintenance but government mandated maintenance as well, will experience breakdowns requiring shuffling aircraft, and some times cancelled flights.

So, you would prefer an expensive maintenance program. Can you tell me Carnival's maintenance budget, and whether they go above what the manufacturer requires, or what the classification society requires? Can you tell me whether Carnival's maintenance is cheap or expensive?

 

So, you would prefer an expensive maintenance program. Can you tell me Carnival's maintenance budget, and whether they go above what the manufacturer requires, or what the classification society requires? Can you tell me whether Carnival's maintenance is cheap or expensive?

Not off hand, but feel free to share the link comparing, otherwise you don't know either. Maybe it's just bad luck, but it seems like every time I come onto this forum there's some problem trending, last time it was pipes bursting, and sanitation issues, or crew slapping cameras out of people's hands.

On our last cruise, there was a stabilizer problem, a gangway down, yellow water, our friend's AC didn't work, mold on the vents, and an engine room fire 10 days after we disembarked. You're not selling me on the high budget here.

Not off hand, but feel free to share the link comparing, otherwise you don't know either. Maybe it's just bad luck, but it seems like every time I come onto this forum there's some problem trending, last time it was pipes bursting, and sanitation issues, or crew slapping cameras out of people's hands.

 

On our last cruise, there was a stabilizer problem, a gangway down, yellow water, our friend's AC didn't work, mold on the vents, and an engine room fire 10 days after we disembarked. You're not selling me on the high budget here.

You're right, I don't, but then again I don't make assumptions that breakdowns are based on poor maintenance. But, based on 43 years as a ship's engineer, I know that the class societies don't allow poor maintenance for systems like power generation and propulsion, since they are certifying that the ships are seaworthy, and can be held liable like any insurance underwriter. I also know how much it costs to maintain a ship like a cruise ship.