Nieuw Amsterdam January 11 onboard

[mariners]

This is a back to back with our January 4 cruise. Given the previous thread title, I thought I'd start a new thread.

 

We had a wonderful day in the Turks and Caicos, but, just before we left, I saw large plumes of black smoke that billowed over the aft of the ship. As I watched the smoke increase, I immediately thought of the fire on the Insignia, and got essentials like passports, wallets, medication, etc. ready just in case. Thankfully, there was no alarm, and no announcement. Friends who had been up on the upper decks told me an engine had blown, and the upper decks were closed for cleaning.

 

We will be a couple of hours late arriving in San Juan tomorrow as our speed has to be reduced. We received a letter from the Captain that said no other changes in the itinerary are expected. I don’t know if this means the engine will be fixed while we are in port, or if we will be able to make it to Fort Lauderdale on time at a slower speed. If I hear any additional information, I will post again.

[PathfinderEss]

Sorry to hear about the problems the ship is having but sounds like they have it handled. Thanks for the update.

[ithaca gal]

Mariners, I have a question for you if you get an opportunity to check on something for me.

 

We were on the NA in November and the beverage service woman in the Tamarind restaurant (and possibly the Silk Den) was a woman named Sandra or Sandy.

 

If you happen to go to the Tamarind, would you let me know if Sandy is still working there?

 

Thanks!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for reporting in.

Sorry to hear about the engine problem.

Hope it gets fixed in San Juan.

[erewhon]

Thanks for letting us know about the engine problem.

 

Hope it can soon be repaired.

[peug]

We will be on this ship next month. Could you tell me who is in the Piano Bar?

[sun~]

I board on Sunday on the LRBC charter. I hope things are fully operational. I also hope that the ship is now fully cleaned after the code red last week.

 

It was bad enough on the 2013 and 2014 LRBC that many, many of the public toilets were broken all week. There certainly has been maintenance issues in the past with the NA :(

 

Hopefully there will be an update from Mariners again.

[mariners]

Trying to find a beverage person named Sandra, and will keep looking.

 

We have "Jimmy" in the Piano Bar.

 

More engine checks were being done today. We have not been informed of any change in itinerary. Terrible odour through the ventilation system today when they were working on things, but not all I can smell is grilled food (something I have never smelled before in the cabin).

 

There are no more issues so far with code red, and I have not heard of people becoming ill. There have been some issues with the toilets, but that, I think, is related to passengers flushing things that should not be flushed.

 

Service is still great by the crew. For some reason, the dining is not as good. Food is lukewarm instead of hot, and the Open Seating dining is not working well. We are being "forced" to join others at larger tables, or can "choose" to dine elsewhere.

 

It is almost like I am on two different ships. Regardless, our group of four are having a great time.

[bjarrett7]

Trying to find a beverage person named Sandra, and will keep looking.

 

 

 

We have "Jimmy" in the Piano Bar.

 

 

 

More engine checks were being done today. We have not been informed of any change in itinerary. Terrible odour through the ventilation system today when they were working on things, but not all I can smell is grilled food (something I have never smelled before in the cabin).

 

 

 

There are no more issues so far with code red, and I have not heard of people becoming ill. There have been some issues with the toilets, but that, I think, is related to passengers flushing things that should not be flushed.

 

 

 

Service is still great by the crew. For some reason, the dining is not as good. Food is lukewarm instead of hot, and the Open Seating dining is not working well. We are being "forced" to join others at larger tables, or can "choose" to dine elsewhere.

 

 

 

It is almost like I am on two different ships. Regardless, our group of four are having a great time.

 

 

Thanks for the update! We will be on her the 25th. I do hope things get sorted out by then! Curious if you have a suggested dining time in light of this leg of the cruise? It's just the two of us so I am wondering how this will work!

 

 

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[ithaca gal]

Trying to find a beverage person named Sandra, and will keep looking.

 

We have "Jimmy" in the Piano Bar.

 

More engine checks were being done today. We have not been informed of any change in itinerary. Terrible odour through the ventilation system today when they were working on things, but not all I can smell is grilled food (something I have never smelled before in the cabin).

 

There are no more issues so far with code red, and I have not heard of people becoming ill. There have been some issues with the toilets, but that, I think, is related to passengers flushing things that should not be flushed.

 

Service is still great by the crew. For some reason, the dining is not as good. Food is lukewarm instead of hot, and the Open Seating dining is not working well. We are being "forced" to join others at larger tables, or can "choose" to dine elsewhere.

 

It is almost like I am on two different ships. Regardless, our group of four are having a great time.

 

Thank you for looking for Sandy/Sandra. I don't know her age but she is a little older than the young servers. I saw her mainly in the Tamarind and Siilk Den.

 

Thanks again!!!

[sun~]

 

More engine checks were being done today. We have not been informed of any change in itinerary. Terrible odour through the ventilation system today when they were working on things, but not all I can smell is grilled food (something I have never smelled before in the cabin).

 

There are no more issues so far with code red, and I have not heard of people becoming ill. There have been some issues with the toilets, but that, I think, is related to passengers flushing things that should not be flushed.

 

Service is still great by the crew. For some reason, the dining is not as good. Food is lukewarm instead of hot, and the Open Seating dining is not working well. We are being "forced" to join others at larger tables, or can "choose" to dine elsewhere.

 

It is almost like I am on two different ships. Regardless, our group of four are having a great time.

 

I am glad to hear you are having. Good time 😊

 

I sure hope that engine is fixed, billowing black smoke when there are more than 1000 on the back deck would be devastating on the blues cruise. The toile issues in the past were not from folks putting things in that shouldn't have been there, there was a significant number that were broken down when we boarded the ship and never got repaired.

 

The cold food was very typical on the last NA cruise.

 

When you are with friends having a good time, that is wonderful! Enjoy the last couple of days 😀

[sail7seas]

Thanks for posting. It's always enjoyable to hear from 'while aboard' CC'ers.

Hope you continue to enjoy. :)

[Siesta Fiesta]

When we were on the 7 day western portion of the cruise last week on the NA, we had to call the front desk at least once a day to unclog our toilets. I thought we just had a room with a toilet that needed major repairs at port and hadn't received it. Now it looks like bad upkeep or poor engineering design or both is the culprit and that it is systemic.

 

On our previous Disney Fanstasy cruise in April, I only had to clog the toilet once to understand that cruise ship toilets can only handle the smallest amount of matter and that 2 or 3 tiny flushes were much safer, just in case: one after you do #2 and at least once after toilet paper is thrown in, depending on how much paper you use. I only wish the flushing button wasn't directly behind your back behind the toilet seat. It's difficult, at best, to reach while seated.

 

Speaking of engineers, I hope the ones that design cruise ship engines are looking at why engines fail so they can design future ones better. I remember looking at one of the Celebrity Silhouette sailings several months ago when planning what became my NA trip last week and immediately discounting it because they were unable to sail at top speed due to engine issues and were dropping ports altogether or shortening time at ports. I don't know exactly how long it's been unfixed, but I saw a post in July 2014 and one in Dec 2014 complaining about it not being repaired. Does it really take half a year to dry dock and fix a 3 year old ship that should still be under manufacturer's warranty and insured against lost cruises due to this sort of thing by the manufacturer?

 

On a related note, the NA has only been sailing 4 years. If my 3 or 4 year old car had massive engine failure, I'd have it in the shop the next day and the manufacturing dealership would damn sure be paying for my loaner vehicle.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Siesta Fiesta

[Alan2504]

I only wish the flushing button wasn't directly behind your back behind the toilet seat. It's difficult, at best, to reach while seated.

 

see: things not to do on a cruise ship

 

http://thelaw.tv/news/2013/06/19/7-things-not-to-do-on-a-cruise-ship/

 

:eek:

[Topsham]

see: things not to do on a cruise ship

 

http://thelaw.tv/news/2013/06/19/7-things-not-to-do-on-a-cruise-ship/

 

:eek:

 

 

Golly! Here we have someone that does not even to use the toilet!!!!!:eek:

 

 

99% of problems on the Vac systems are made by passenger do not pay attention and put things that should not be flushed in the Vac system. Anything other than the paper provided and solid waste.... will block the system. Once a problem with something..... wrong paper other than what is supplied..... no left over lunch, or sandwiches from over night.... the towels that you let fall into the toilet and tries to flush it..... it always caused damage to the system.

 

Back to your own 'problem'. Do you ever read at the notice right next to the push button? I guess not. The instructions are quite easy to learn.... 1. close lid, 2. push button.

 

The reason..... it is a VACCUUM system. If you leave the lid up... and then you were to push the button..... you BUTT will sit on the seat and might cause it get sucked into the bowl. Got the idea? It is not like at home.... just sit over the hole on the seat and wipe away with a handful of grass. Them Italian shipbuilders really know how to build a ship!

[Topsham]

Alan,

 

I should have simply posted what you said in yours....

 

4. Don’t flush the toilet while sitting on it: Many cruise ship toilets use a vacuum suction to remove waste from the toilet. The suction is so great you can really be injured. There are a variety of stories regarding the hazards of vacuum toilets or suction toilets. Some are urban legends, such as the one debunked by Mythbusters about an obese person becoming stuck to a toilet. Others have been validated in medical literature, including an account of partial evisceration on a cruise ship toilet. Thankfully now most ships have the flush button behind the lid so you have to get up to reach it.

[bjarrett7]

I have tell you that this thread is freaking me out a little for my first cruise with HAL... We leave in just a week on the NA and the idea of blown motors, Luke warm food and dysfunctional toilets is not exactly what I was hoping for. 😢

 

 

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[freestyling]

I have tell you that this thread is freaking me out a little for my first cruise with HAL... We leave in just a week on the NA and the idea of blown motors, Luke warm food and dysfunctional toilets is not exactly what I was hoping for. 😢

 

 

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We were on the NA 1/4-11 with no problems other than code red.

[Siesta Fiesta]

There were no instructions by the toilet for its use. I'm an avid instruction reader and won't play most games without reading the instructions myself. I guess it really is a good thing they put the button where it is then. Who hasn't flushed the toilet while seated on it at some point in their life? If nothing else to get rid of some particularly bad stink before finishing?

 

You know what would be a better toilet design? The toilet has a regular sized (or whatever) opening at the bottom that drops everything into another (probably lower) tank in the wall (or wherever) when flushed. Then the toilet drain (probably at the bottom of the toilet) is closed off with a little "door" by a link (mechanical link probably being best) to an exit "door" in the lower tank where it is safely vacuumed into the rest of the ship's sewer line without creating suction in the user's bowl. By closing off the toilet drain before or simultaneously with the lower tank's exit, you prevent suction from occuring in the immediate vicinity of the end user. Presumably, a larger toilet exit or another method would dismiss the need for massive flushing power at the toilet bowl exit. I'm going to call patent rights on this right now, just in case there's a pittance to be made on this. :D

[bjarrett7]

We were on the NA 1/4-11 with no problems other than code red.

 

 

Thanks! That's good to know...

 

 

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[Topsham]

There were no instructions by the toilet for its use.

 

 

 

 

You must be blind or a very short memory. Probably both!

 

Here is a photo of the usual notice in EVERY toilet in every Holland America Line ship and I'd wager that they are used in every Disney ship as well. it is a safety issue and it for YOUR safety. Please don't say that you didn't see it. It is right there... right to left a little up next to the button. You have to use it every time the toilet is used.

[hunt182644]

[QWarning sometimes thinking to much can cause headaches.:DUOTE=Siesta Fiesta;45277034]There were no instructions by the toilet for its use. I'm an avid instruction reader and won't play most games without reading the instructions myself. I guess it really is a good thing they put the button where it is then. Who hasn't flushed the toilet while seated on it at some point in their life? If nothing else to get rid of some particularly bad stink before finishing?

 

You know what would be a better toilet design? The toilet has a regular sized (or whatever) opening at the bottom that drops everything into another (probably lower) tank in the wall (or wherever) when flushed. Then the toilet drain (probably at the bottom of the toilet) is closed off with a little "door" by a link (mechanical link probably being best) to an exit "door" in the lower tank where it is safely vacuumed into the rest of the ship's sewer line without creating suction in the user's bowl. By closing off the toilet drain before or simultaneously with the lower tank's exit, you prevent suction from occuring in the immediate vicinity of the end user. Presumably, a larger toilet exit or another method would dismiss the need for massive flushing power at the toilet bowl exit. I'm going to call patent rights on this right now, just in case there's a pittance to be made on this. :D

[Topsham]

Here a few samples of instructions on using a Vac Toilet. First from a Saga cruise, the second photo I believe from a Disney ship and the other two photos from the Volendam toilets.... one in the passenger toilet and the secon done in the guest toilet in Penthouse.... each with own notice!

[Alan2504]

Here a few samples of instructions on using a Vac Toilet. First from a Saga cruise, the second photo I believe from a Disney ship and the other two photos from the Volendam toilets.... one in the passenger toilet and the secon done in the guest toilet in Penthouse.... each with own notice!

 

For further reading and other fascinating details :confused: see:

 

http://www.evac.com/product/evac-910-vacuum-toilet

[mariners]

For those embarking on the next cruise, all is well onboard and there has been no further illness (at least that causes any issues for the rest of the passengers). The last formal night dining in the MDR is very nice except for having to share tables (which is only an issue for some of us on Open Seating). For a large part of the cruise, we have not dined in the MDR as we much prefer Tamarind and Pinnacle Grill or dining ashore. Once you are onboard, you can decide what works best for you.

 

We've had a great time with our friends, and I will write a review once I am home.