Is sewer smell a common problem?

Hi

I would really like to book on the millennium for the far east cruise on 8th march 17.

I am all ready to book outside cabin which gets the drinks package included free.

I am holding back because I have seen quite a lot of reviews that complain of a constant sewer smell in their cabin :eek:

Is this common?

Would I be able to insist on a cabin move?

Thanks

Not a problem we've ever had. You could "insist" on a cabin move, but you may not get one.

Hi

 

I would really like to book on the millennium for the far east cruise on 8th march 17.

 

I am all ready to book outside cabin which gets the drinks package included free.

 

I am holding back because I have seen quite a lot of reviews that complain of a constant sewer smell in their cabin :eek:

 

Is this common?

Would I be able to insist on a cabin move?

 

Thanks

I am glad you brought this up. We just got off a 2 week cruise on the Summit and the first 3 days of the first week there was a horrible sewer smell in our balcony cabin (9039). After a couple of days it was so bad we mentioned it to the cabin steward but at that point it was not not a consistent smell and of course he had trouble identifying it (although he told us to call him again no matter when if we smelled it again). We left from Newark and thought once we were in open sea it would be better but not so. Finally in the middle of that week it did go away - only to come back once we were in San Juan for the turnaround - again it lasted about 2 days.

We also had a terrible time on Summit with sewer odor. We were on deck 6, aft.

We could sort of smell it while at sea. While in Bermuda, just slightly. But when we left Bermuda the smell was so strong we could not even sit outside. They said that after the refurb they have had problems. A big problem if you ask me (and we don't usually complain to anyone about problems unless they are massive-like this one was PHEW!).

We have been on four different Celebrity ships, some more than once. We have NEVER had any sewer smells and we have sensitive noses.

We have been on four different Celebrity ships, some more than once. We have NEVER had any sewer smells and we have sensitive noses.

I NEVER smelled sewer smells either. Until 7/2016.

I am glad you brought this up. We just got off a 2 week cruise on the Summit and the first 3 days of the first week there was a horrible sewer smell in our balcony cabin (9039). After a couple of days it was so bad we mentioned it to the cabin steward but at that point it was not not a consistent smell and of course he had trouble identifying it (although he told us to call him again no matter when if we smelled it again). We left from Newark and thought once we were in open sea it would be better but not so. Finally in the middle of that week it did go away - only to come back once we were in San Juan for the turnaround - again it lasted about 2 days.

Ack! Upsetting to hear this as we are in a balcony just below you for our cruise in 2 weeks.

Sorry to say but we experienced sewer smells on deck 6 Fwd on the Millenium in January. We've done loads of cruises on almost every ship and not had this before. Fortunately we couldn't smell it in the cabin. This has been mentioned before and Celebrity must be aware so we can only assume there is nothing they can do about it ?

Sorry to say but we experienced sewer smells on deck 6 Fwd on the Millenium in January. We've done loads of cruises on almost every ship and not had this before. Fortunately we couldn't smell it in the cabin. This has been mentioned before and Celebrity must be aware so we can only assume there is nothing they can do about it ?

I guess Celebrity just crosses their fingers that nobody will notice or complain.:rolleyes:

We couldn't smell it in the cabin either, thankfully.

But my husband lives for that balcony, such a disappointment.

We have cruised on Celebrity for many years on all class of ships. We have not had problems with the sewer smell on the Solstice class ship but have had the problem occasionally on the older ships. The smell would come up out of the drain in the bathroom. We learned that you can ask your room attendant to put something in the drain to "sweeten" it. It does work.

We did Japan and China on Millennium last October/Nov and did not notice any sewer odors. We did an Alaska cruise on the NCL Sun and there were many reviews on cc complaining about sewer odors in the aft stairwell. I was concerned since we had booked an aft balcony. I called before the cruise and was told that the problem was repaired in a recent refit. We did the cruise and didn't notice any odors.

Call X and ask them about it.

We were just on the Summit re-positioning cruise. There was never a bad smell, anywhere.

I NEVER smelled sewer smells either. Until 7/2016.

Well that was because July, 2016 was National Sewer Smell Month and Celebrity decided to celebrate on all their ships. We sailed on Solstice in Sep. 2016 and no sewer smell.

We've had the problem in the past on several ships. Someone mentioned that the smell usually comes up from the bathroom drains. We read a couple of tips on CC years ago that really seemed to help. 1) Keep the drains in the tub and sink closed when not being used. 2) Get one of those little rubber flat drain covers from a hardware store and place it over the open floor drain. They're about 5" in diameter, cost and weigh almost nothing, and have solved the problem for us.

We were just on the Summit re-positioning cruise. There was never a bad smell, anywhere.

We were on that one as well but we absolutely had a sewer oder in our cabin. As I mentioned it was for about 3 days then went away - it was so bad one night we opened the balcony door to let some fresh air in.

The second week of our b2b we had same cabin - which was right by the elevators - and one day as soon as we got off the elevators we smelled the sewer odor.

Seems that we are not the only ones experiencing this and wonder why Celebrity doesn't address it.

I have only been on 2 cruises, one with Carnival when the Magic was new, and once on the Grand Princess and I noticed the sewer smells in the bathrooms, like it was coming out of the drain. Your drain plug idea is genius, I'll be doing this for my upcoming cruise on the Summit.

Yes...it happens on ALL ships...all cruise lines. It's some sort of plumbing defect in the design of ship's waste lines. At home, waste is drawn down by gravity. On a ship, you need vacuums and such...they don't always work great, and folks clog up the works by putting stuff down the toilet that doesn't belong...like tampons, diapers, tissues, wet-wipes, etc....they should go in the TRASH CAN...not the toilet!

Will it happen to you? Who knows! It's happened on almost EVERY cruise we've been on ...not always in our cabin, but somewhere on the ship.

Well that was because July, 2016 was National Sewer Smell Month and Celebrity decided to celebrate on all their ships. We sailed on Solstice in Sep. 2016 and no sewer smell.

:):)

Our odor was outside. And disgusting. Inside was fine. PS Summit.:D

Yes...it happens on ALL ships...all cruise lines. It's some sort of plumbing defect in the design of ship's waste lines.

Actually no. I am captain of my own deep water vessel. I have no sewer smells aboard, although many private yachts do. It is easy to design a sewage system that does not smell. It is not an inexpensive system, but it can be done. ALL cruise ships utilize the expensive solution.

and folks clog up the works by putting stuff down the toilet that doesn't belong...like tampons, diapers, tissues, wet-wipes, etc....they should go in the TRASH CAN...not the toilet!

And therein lies the problem! When one of my guests flushes something down the toilet that hasn't passed through their digestive system first, I require that they stand by my side and hand me tools while I unplug the head, and I pass the tampon to a rather embarrassed guest and say, "I believe this is yours." Disgusting! I can assure you it never happens again with that particular guest!!!!!!

So why do I cruise with Celebrity rather than my own vessel? Because I don't like to stand watch at 0 dark thirty, I can eat gourmet meals prepared by someone else, I don't have to deal with onerous and officious functionaries in foreign ports, AND I don't have to fix a plugged head! ;)

We were on the Summit for the repo cruise in October 2015 in stateroom 7160. We noticed sewer gas odors one day. Two crew members did some maintenance work in the hallway, and the odor was gone later that day.

We were on the Summit for the repo cruise in October 2015 in stateroom 7160. We noticed sewer gas odors one day. Two crew members did some maintenance work in the hallway, and the odor was gone later that day.

Access to the plumbing in stateroom 7160 is in the hallway via removable panels. ALL stateroom plumbing is accessible from the hallway. I am happy they were able to clear the blockage from your stateroom or in the line from above your stateroom.

Have not had that problem on the times we've sailed on the Millie.

Have smelled it on various ships...Often this is caused by some passenger putting stuff down the sewer that shouldn't be put down and stopping up the normal flow. That can happen on any ship.

My worst "sewer" experience was on Legend of the Seas. Not only was there a big leak on our hall that maintenance constantly cleaned up but the constant smell in our bathroom was awful. Turned out that smell was NOT the sewer but the water that came out of the tap!! Yuk!

Yes...it happens on ALL ships...all cruise lines. It's some sort of plumbing defect in the design of ship's waste lines. At home, waste is drawn down by gravity. On a ship, you need vacuums and such...they don't always work great, and folks clog up the works by putting stuff down the toilet that doesn't belong...like tampons, diapers, tissues, wet-wipes, etc....they should go in the TRASH CAN...not the toilet!

 

Will it happen to you? Who knows! It's happened on almost EVERY cruise we've been on ...not always in our cabin, but somewhere on the ship.

As usual, cb is positing wrong information like crazy. First off, there are two completely separate sewage systems on ships, one for "black water" from the toilets (which is a vacuum system), and one for "gray" water (from sinks, showers, deck drains, galleys, laundries, etc.) that is a gravity system.

The common "sewage" odor many find in their cabins is not a "defect in the design of ship's waste lines". All gray water drains on ships, just like all drains in your home have a "trap" in the line, where a pocket of water stays (that S-shaped piping under the sink) that prevents odors and gases from returning up the drain line. Drains that regularly see water introduced to the trap, like sinks and showers, do not have problems with odors. However, the cabin bathrooms will also have a deck drain (outside the shower), that is usually either a round drain tucked under the toilet, or a gutter type drain at the door threshold. These drains do not see a lot of water, nor get water frequently, (unless you flood the bathroom), so the dry air of the ship's A/C evaporates the water from the trap, and you now have an open route for odors to enter the cabin. A simple remedy (that doesn't cost anything, unlike the rubber stoppers), is to pour a glass of water down these drains daily. Voila, no odors.

Sewage odors outside are a different problem. The tanks that hold the hundreds of tons of waste water a ship generates has to be vented somewhere, and this is typically up in the funnel area. However, on any given day, wind eddies and downdrafts caused by the ship's motion can cause the odors from these vents to be noticed in certain areas of the ship. There isn't anything that can be done in these situations.

Have not had that problem on the times we've sailed on the Millie.

Have smelled it on various ships...Often this is caused by some passenger putting stuff down the sewer that shouldn't be put down and stopping up the normal flow. That can happen on any ship.

My worst "sewer" experience was on Legend of the Seas. Not only was there a big leak on our hall that maintenance constantly cleaned up but the constant smell in our bathroom was awful. Turned out that smell was NOT the sewer but the water that came out of the tap!! Yuk!

One thing I didn't make clear in my previous post is that the "black" water system, or the vacuum toilet system, does not in fact produce the sewer smells when clogged up, unless you happen to be in the area where the engineers are actually opening the clean out to clear the blockage, and that odor dissipates almost immediately upon completion of the job. Because of the vacuum in the system, the piping is separated from your toilet by a valve until you actually flush, so no odors can come past this valve.

I would be very, very surprised if the tap water smelled like sewage. The potable water systems are not allowed to be connected to any other system without the use of a backflow preventer (which stops all flow from things like dishwashers, laundry machines, and even every shower head on the ship) from flowing back to possibly contaminate the drinking water. Your water may have been discolored, yellow to brown, but I believe you had a drain odor problem. The discolored water happens because the calcium carbonate used to control the Ph of water produced onboard (this is the same antacid used in Tums) tends to form a scale on the inside of the water pipes. As long as water is flowing in the pipe, the scale remains. When the piping is drained for repair, the scale dries out and falls off. When water is restored, this scale now flows to "dead end" pipes like your sink faucet and shower, and this causes the discoloration. Running the water for a minute or two will generally clear up the discoloration.

Tanks you very much for all your responses.

I do feel a lot more confident about this issue.

Flights have gone up £40 overnight :mad:

Now just need to consider the well publicised lack of daytime entertainment on the Millennium.:D