My one safety warning regarding Breakaway

[DGP1111]

. . . My eyes are not the best but it is super obvious that there can't be any height difference between the last blue piece and the start of the brown carpet . . .

 

I'm actually very pleased to read that those few stairs onboard would not offer a momentary challenge to all, such as yourself. No one deserves to become injured during their vacation.

 

I do have to readily admit that I missed the 'super obvious' not only that one time I went down to my knees on embarkation day, but that I did stumble again later in the sailing :o

 

I felt less personally clumsy after watching one of the Rock Of Ages actors (Richard), who'd been onboard for more than a week, nearly biff it on that Deck 7 stair while heading to his rehearsal.

 

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[MCAT48]

I honestly cannot remember having a problem walking down the stairs on the breakaway but I can see how it could be a problem for some. It may be obvious but your eyes do play tricks on your mind and if you are not paying attention when walking down the stairs it could mean tripping on a stair that isn't even there. I've done this before not on the breakaway but in the real world. My parents house has stairs that play mind tricks and I always walk down them one stair at a time because I always think I'm going to miss a step!

[DGP1111]

I honestly cannot remember having a problem walking down the stairs on the breakaway but I can see how it could be a problem for some.

 

Luckily it's only on a few landings, and not all decks.

 

I also think it only affects the forward stairs, and not the aft stairs.

 

It's not meant to be a global "beware the ship is dangerous" warning . . . just a message to please be careful so that you don't stun/embarrass yourself like I and others did.

 

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[che5904]

Luckily it's only on a few landings, and not all decks.

 

I also think it only affects the forward stairs, and not the aft stairs.

 

It's not meant to be a global "beware the ship is dangerous" warning . . . just a message to please be careful so that you don't stun/embarrass yourself like I and others did.

 

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Since the Breakaway is a ship we are looking at possibly taking in the future. I, for one, appreciate the heads up.

[MCAT48]

Luckily it's only on a few landings, and not all decks.

 

I also think it only affects the forward stairs, and not the aft stairs.

 

It's not meant to be a global "beware the ship is dangerous" warning . . . just a message to please be careful so that you don't stun/embarrass yourself like I and others did.

 

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I completely understand and I think it's a great thing to post! I'm just completely drawing a blank when thinking about walking down the stairs :'/.

 

Ncl should really look into this.

[sprint180]

Wow thanks for the heads up. Very deceiving to the eye.

[mariana31]

Thanks for the heads up, Don! I am one who would stumble over something like this - completely sober!

[halos]

Well, that's just stupid, Don! And definitely dangerous.

Seriously!!!!!!!!!

 

Don, I don't know if I'm more appallled at this utter stupidity in design or the fact that your conversation with NCL about this is un-postable!

Edited January 12, 2014 by halos

[BeagleOne]

My eyes are just fine, and it is NOT perfectly obvious where the stairs end. The railing appears to curve around in between the false step and the carpet, and of course the blue false step appears to be a real step, both from the front and from above. If I were NCL I'd be seriously concerned about someone's falling and seriously injuring themselves, and then suing. A plaintiff's attorney would have a field day with photos like this.

[GUEST080219]

My eyes are just fine, and it is NOT perfectly obvious where the stairs end. The railing appears to curve around in between the false step and the carpet, and of course the blue false step appears to be a real step, both from the front and from above. If I were NCL I'd be seriously concerned about someone's falling and seriously injuring themselves, and then suing. A plaintiff's attorney would have a field day with photos like this.

 

Yep that is what makes me so sad about threads like this. That is the same reason why we have plastic bags where a warning is printed on them that putting them over your head can be life threatening...

[antsnanny]

I know exactly what you mean! I didn't fall which is a big surprise to me because I am pretty clumsy but they did throw me off too. Thanks for the reminder and the visual is even a better reminder etched in my brain. Were sailing again on the Breakaway in Feb. so you may have saved me! I will be careful when I have a drink in my hand to take the elevators also... Guess I won't be using the steps in that case..

[happy cruzin]

oooo I could see me being the one that trips at the bottom with something that looked like that.

 

I agree very poor design, quite deceiving really.

 

Umm...I did it - TWICE - once while walking with Don! :o

Didn't have anything to do with drinking either. Never fell - but was busy chatting away and BAM...there I was walking and expecting one more step that didn't exist. It is just a REALLY dumb design....that I hope they have addressed in the Getaway! :cool:

Edited January 12, 2014 by happy cruzin

[happy cruzin]

Seriously!!!!!!!!!

 

Don, I don't know if I'm more appallled at this utter stupidity in design or the fact that your conversation with NCL about this is un-postable!

 

Exactly.... :o

[GUEST080219]

Exactly.... :o

 

We still don't know how the NCL staff responded...

 

Gesendet von meinem XT890 mit Tapatalk

[happy cruzin]

We still don't know how the NCL staff responded...

 

Gesendet von meinem XT890 mit Tapatalk

 

FACT...we do know that Don considered it to be "unpostable" - and if that's how he feels you won't! ;)

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

< Step > . < Step > . < Step > . < Step >

 

I'm on vacaaaation! :)

 

< Step > . < Step > . < Step > . < Step >

 

Ahh, this drink is so deelicious!

 

< Step > . < Step > . < Step > . < Step >

 

I don't have to work tomorrow!

 

< Step > . < Step > . < OOOF! > . < SPLASH > . < OUCH! >

 

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What The F%@!!!??? :eek:

 

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Fellow passenger nearby: "Oh, you did it too."

 

Too?? . What do you mean "too"?? . What just happened!??

 

Oh, those stairs are tricky. My husband fell, and a lady ahead of us also did.

 

Fast forward to muster drill . . .

 

Large mass of people heading down to their station, when suddenly one person falls at the bottom of the stairs causing two more to go down as well.

 

After the drill I'm getting ready to head to the cabin of good friends to watch sailaway. At the bottom of the nearby stairs is a small lady sitting on the floor and her friend assisting her up. She laughs off the fall and continues on. I mention the situation to my friends as we're enjoying sailaway, so that they'll be careful as well.

 

For those first two days I observed a large number of people either stumble or fall on a select few flights of stairs that are designed differently from the rest.

 

This is why . . .

Some doofus in the design/decorating phase thought it would be an attractive idea to add a "faux stair" at the bottom of the flight. The stairs are blue, and carpet on the main deck landing is a brown pattern.

Within the brown carpet is a strip of blue the exact dimensions of the stair, and completely even with the brown pattern.

That clearly makes it look likes there's one additional step.

 

Not cool. :(

 

Anyhoo . . . . for those of you boarding this ship in the future, please "watch your step on the step". It can be a total doozy early in the week.

 

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This was brought to the attention of onboard management. Me discussing the process/result of those conversations would start controversy, so I'll just omit that part.

 

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I am so glad you posted this. My husband tripped every time, and almost fell a few times, due to those stairs.

[Clay Clayton]

Not disagreeing with anyone that this is a situation that needs to be fixed but I suspect the designer ( I am one) probably specified the blue carpet because not only does it look nice but because it is solid, it is easier and cheaper to replace. Since it is at the bottom of the steps, it gets "hit" harder than the rest of the carpet and will I expect have to be replaced much sooner. On a recent theatre project with a "grand stairs" the area right at the bottom of the stairs looked awful after about a tear and a half of use as opposed to the rest of the lobby that still looks brand new. We thought it was a manufacturing issue at first until we realized it was just compacted carpet. While it now looks fine again, I did learn that in the future the areas at the bottom of the stair should either not be carpet or be something that is easily replaceable.

 

If it was me, I'd replace the blue faux stair with a solid (cheaper and easier to replace than the brown and beige patterned) carpet that matches the brown in the carpet. Of course to make it look really better, they should have that Same solid used as a border from the stair lobby into the corridors and/or add a faux threshold at the elevators.

[DGP1111]

Clay: Thanks SO much for that input. :) It absolutely does add some design logic.

If that is the case (and I suspect you are probably right), I'll assume that it was only done that way on a select few landings, because those had the highest passenger traffic . . . and those landings absolutely do.

 

The other landings used the pattern carpet instead of the solid blue.

 

I like your suggestion of a resolve. The one I offered was to use a solid tile that somehow could 'co-exist' with the brown pattern . . . but I don't know how well tile works for a "hit" zone, as you called it.

 

Thanks, again! Greatly appreciated the expert feedback.

 

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[happy cruzin]

Clay: Thanks SO much for that input. :) It absolutely does add some design logic.

If that is the case (and I suspect you are probably right), I'll assume that it was only done that way on a select few landings, because those had the highest passenger traffic . . . and those landings absolutely do.

 

The other landings used the pattern carpet instead of the solid blue.

 

I like your suggestion of a resolve. The one I offered was to use a solid tile that somehow could 'co-exist' with the brown pattern . . . but I don't know how well tile works for a "hit" zone, as you called it.

 

Thanks, again! Greatly appreciated the expert feedback.

 

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AGREED.....thanks Clay!!