Star's Dry Dock in Portland, Oregon

[cruisemainiac]

A little bondo, some sanding, fresh paint and your good to go. I'm sure there's a couple of body shop guys up there that can straighten this out, no problem. Getting the ship into the paint booth, well...

 

One more question. "Sir, will you be claiming this on your insurance or paying cash?"

[Cruise_More_Often]

I hate to admit I don't know what happened to the Star . . . but, what happened to the Star?

 

And, calex, GO DUCKS!

[daffodiliaz]

Disappointed there was no mention of an interior refresh. Sounds like the Star could use it from reading some of the reviews in the CC review section. Oh well, we know she's old.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

As I live in Portland, I will do my best to stalk the Star and see if I can get some photos once the work commences. And just because there's no mention in the article concerning interior upgrades, the Norwegian Next information argues that Star will be getting the Moderno/Cagney's conversion expected for most of the fleet.

[calex]

I hate to admit I don't know what happened to the Star . . . but, what happened to the Star?

 

And, calex, GO DUCKS!

 

On September 14, 2012, while docked at King's Wharf in Bermuda, the aft mooring line broke during a storm and the Star bumped into the Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas causing minor damage to both ships. On our last cruise, the Staff Captain Marin Dobrila explained it took a few minutes to power up the Star's engines to regain control of the ship when it drifted. With the power restored, they were able to re-dock the ship at the wharf.

 

Here is a good link about the incident: http://www.examiner.com/article/norwegian-star-crashes-into-royal-caribbean-explorer-of-the-seas

[calex]

Disappointed there was no mention of an interior refresh. Sounds like the Star could use it from reading some of the reviews in the CC review section. Oh well, we know she's old.

 

The interior upgrades will be done by the Star's crew on board and contractors. All crew members on the ship will be involved in the 'grunt' work. The versatile food service and house keeping staff will be busy pulling up carpet, hauling materials, and any other tasks required to upgrade the interior while the exterior and propulsion systems are worked on by Vigor Industries.

[sassyredhat]

I can see the photo and thanks. :)

In April, we had one of those aft suites on deck 9. Awesome.

 

I didn't know until yesterday about the dry dock. We are sailing the first cruise post dry dock. Normally that would make me nervous, but this itin is so great, and we have another suite, I don't even care. :D

 

Patti

[Cruise_More_Often]

On September 14, 2012, while docked at King's Wharf in Bermuda, the aft mooring line broke during a storm and the Star bumped into the Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas causing minor damage to both ships. On our last cruise, the Staff Captain Marin Dobrila explained it took a few minutes to power up the Star's engines to regain control of the ship when it drifted. With the power restored, they were able to re-dock the ship at the wharf.

 

Here is a good link about the incident: http://www.examiner.com/article/norwegian-star-crashes-into-royal-caribbean-explorer-of-the-seas

Thank you. Don't know how I missed that.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Plenty of exciting videos on YouTube!

 

Go to the 1:00 mark on the video to see the collision:

 

A balcony view from aboard Norwegian Star:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPyL6LWCNxE

 

From the Windjammer aboard Explorer of the Seas:

 

All very exciting, but I want to know where was the collision alarm? Where were the bells and sirens? Where was the captain ordering everyone to "brace for impact!"? :eek: It's a little underwhelming when all was done.

[Linda the Book Lover]

As I live in Portland, I will do my best to stalk the Star and see if I can get some photos once the work commences. And just because there's no mention in the article concerning interior upgrades, the Norwegian Next information argues that Star will be getting the Moderno/Cagney's conversion expected for most of the fleet.

 

You are so my favorite "Star Remake Stalker" :D Needless to say I selfishly want everything to go according to plan, the punch-lists are followed, and the ship is sitting in San Pedro waiting for us to board on March 17th. Oh yes and i know this is kind of picky that there is running water, a working waste system, and mos importantly adult beverages. LOL I am sure the crew will have everything nice and spiffy when we board and I can't wait to say hello!

[Pamster]

Too bad they didn't schedule an LA to Portland cruise- would have been fun to sail in to Portland (I did this about 20 years ago on the Windward.)

 

Yeah, except for that pesky little law that says that you can't sail from one US city to another without visiting a distant foreign port... Woulda been fun though.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Pamster

[Pamster]

As I live in Portland, I will do my best to stalk the Star and see if I can get some photos once the work commences. And just because there's no mention in the article concerning interior upgrades, the Norwegian Next information argues that Star will be getting the Moderno/Cagney's conversion expected for most of the fleet.

 

Oh this would be SOOOO cool. We're booked on the March 22 sailing and would love to see what's up with her dry dock.

[chengkp75]

Too bad they didn't schedule an LA to Portland cruise- would have been fun to sail in to Portland (I did this about 20 years ago on the Windward.)

 

Sorry, but a LA to Portland would be a violation of PVSA.

[chengkp75]

The class societies have the final say whether a dent needs to be repaired or not. Providing that there are no fractures (cracks), and the shell plating is not deeply creased, the hull plating does not need to be renewed. In some cases it is cheaper to renew the bent framing inside the dent with new frames that are "faired" to the "new shape" of the hull plating (this removes the folded portion of the frame which is a high stress area). The main reason I see that would preclude them from repairing this is that I believe it is in the area of the provisions walk-in refrigeration/freezer boxes. They might have to dismantle the stainless/insulated walls of the box to gain access to the repair area. Even if they could get back there, ventilation and fire safety for the welders working back there would be difficult.

[swedish weave]

Plenty of exciting videos on YouTube!

 

All very exciting, but I want to know where was the collision alarm? Where were the bells and sirens? Where was the captain ordering everyone to "brace for impact!"? :eek: It's a little underwhelming when all was done.

 

I was told they couldn't start the azipods right away because there were divers in the water, and safety took precedence.

[chengkp75]

I was told they couldn't start the azipods right away because there were divers in the water, and safety took precedence.

 

Looking at the videos, I would be surprised if they had divers in the water in that kind of weather. The only reason I could think of would be if she had snapped some lines earlier, and they were worried that they had fouled. The other thing to remember is that its not like getting into your car, turning on the ignition and stomping on the accelerator. She would have had to start at least one diesel generator, which takes a minute or two, and then start the pods, which cannot be started at the same time, and also have a starting sequence that takes a minute or two.

[chengkp75]

As others have said, most of the "refurbishment" that passengers can see that take place during a shipyard are done by sub-contractors, not the shipyard itself. The shipyard does not have the skilled personnel to do this kind of work. NCL has teams of carpenters, painters, carpet layers and upholsterers from Indonesia and Malaysia. They get most of the electrical, plumbing, and "joinery" (putting up the new walls and ceilings in remodeled spaces) from teams in Scandinavia that basically only work on ship's interior design, and are familiar with the various materials and processes. Even the Bolidt rubber decking and sanding and sealing the teak decks are done by specialist sub-contractors. Since the yard gets little to nothing in payment for these jobs, they don't mention them much when an article is about them.

[brunolvr]

For anyone interested, the Norwegian Star will be in dry dock in Portland, Oregon at Vigor Industries in March 2015. Assuming it takes two days to get to Portland from Los Angeles (989 nautical miles), the Star should be in Portland between March 3rd and March 15th. See Vigor's press release at: http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/11889-vigor-drydock-in-business-for-cruise-in-northwest.html

 

For those of us in the Pacific Northwest, it would be a sight to see the Star heading up the Columbia River from Astoria to Portland on March 2nd or 3rd.

 

Wouldn't it be awesome, if the Norwegian fans in the Pacific Northwest could throw a nice big party for the Star's crew to show its appreciation for all the pampering we have received on-board the ship over the years.

 

Does anyone know if there are any webcams in the area where we can watch the progress of the Star?

[calex]

The class societies have the final say whether a dent needs to be repaired or not. Providing that there are no fractures (cracks), and the shell plating is not deeply creased, the hull plating does not need to be renewed. In some cases it is cheaper to renew the bent framing inside the dent with new frames that are "faired" to the "new shape" of the hull plating (this removes the folded portion of the frame which is a high stress area). The main reason I see that would preclude them from repairing this is that I believe it is in the area of the provisions walk-in refrigeration/freezer boxes. They might have to dismantle the stainless/insulated walls of the box to gain access to the repair area. Even if they could get back there, ventilation and fire safety for the welders working back there would be difficult.

 

If they don't repair the dent, I wonder if they could highlight the dent NORWEGIAN STYLE by painting it with a big bandage with a textbox 'OUCH' like you would see in an old Batman episode.

[DreamingBig1]

They will probably start tearing that ship apart while its making the journey north to Portland.

 

Sailing her in December and eagerly awaiting the changes. For this ship it seems like some major work is going to be done. Typically a dry dock takes a week. This is two weeks.

 

From the décor, it really looks like it needs a overhaul.

[DreamingBig1]

Sorry, but a LA to Portland would be a violation of PVSA.

 

plus ( I just posted this) I am sure that much of the interior grunt work will begin while in transit.

[DreamingBig1]

If they don't repair the dent, I wonder if they could highlight the dent NORWEGIAN STYLE by painting it with a big bandage with a textbox 'OUCH' like you would see in an old Batman episode.

 

I would find it funny, but there are many out there who unfortunately do not have senses of humor.

[DreamingBig1]

Fixed Duplicate Post

Edited February 23, 2015 by DreamingBig1

[calex]

For anyone interested, the Norwegian Star will be in dry dock in Portland, Oregon at Vigor Industries in March 2015. Assuming it takes two days to get to Portland from Los Angeles (989 nautical miles), the Star should be in Portland between March 3rd and March 15th. See Vigor's press release at: http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/11889-vigor-drydock-in-business-for-cruise-in-northwest.html

 

For those of us in the Pacific Northwest, it would be a sight to see the Star heading up the Columbia River from Astoria to Portland on in early March.

 

The Norwegian Star is on its way today to Portland, Oregon for its scheduled dry dock at Vigor Industries - ETA 3/3/2015 at 7:00 AM PST.

Edited March 2, 2015 by calex

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks Calex! One of our Meet & Greet group posted a link so we could all watch her on the way to Portland. I am still hoping for pictures and updates as she gets ready for us on the 17th.