What has freaked you out on a cruise?

[mark0f0]

This is a nightly occurrence, where the engineers clean the soot off the turbocharger blades of the running engines by injecting ground walnut shells into the exhaust stream. The shells act like soft "sand blasting" to remove the soot, but the temperatures are high enough that the soot flakes and nut shell particles become embers. They will also clean the steam generating tubes in the boilers nightly, by blowing steam through them to remove soot, also creating embers.

 

Ah. I had personally chalked it up to soot accumulation in the exhaust circuit and/or SCR system (??) which was being liberated, perhaps through steam injection, or just a high power setting. Didn't like seeing the embers though.

 

 

These processes are done in conjunction with the bridge officers, who will advise the wind direction and change course as needed to keep the soot from blowing onto the ship. Even though it looks pretty scary, the embers themselves are so thin that when removed from the heat source of the hot exhaust gas, they cannot sustain combustion and will cool off and stop glowing.

 

That's good to know. I left the area, not only for that reason of flying embers, but also the smell of the high sulfur bunker fuel was significant. I know they have to burn bunker fuel for economic reasons, but its quite the black eye on the industry to see the cloud of haze over the ships when a bunch of them are lined up in Nassau, and an inconvenience for passengers if they're on the aft deck and have to breathe that stuff or vacate the premises.

[chengkp75]

That's good to know. I left the area, not only for that reason of flying embers, but also the smell of the high sulfur bunker fuel was significant. I know they have to burn bunker fuel for economic reasons, but its quite the black eye on the industry to see the cloud of haze over the ships when a bunch of them are lined up in Nassau, and an inconvenience for passengers if they're on the aft deck and have to breathe that stuff or vacate the premises.

 

Interesting. I've sailed for 42 years as a marine engineer, and I don't know that I can distinguish between the smell of residual fuel exhaust gas and diesel fuel exhaust gas. Now, in the liquid form, if it leaks in the engine room, yeah, I can tell black oil from several decks away. Much of that haze is present even when burning diesel fuel. It is water vapor, and it takes a trained eye to distinguish whether an exhaust plume is sooty or not, depending on the daylight and color of the sky, cloud cover and color, etc. Usually, unless the ship is stopped and there is a wind from aft, you won't get much exhaust gas smell, as the stuff tends to rise or be carried aft.

[penwah2002]

My DH took our first cruise in 2005 on the Dawn. We left our room for dinner and shortly after that I told him I was chilly and was going to run back to the room and get a sweater. Me, having the worse sense of direction could not figure out where I left my husband, I walked around over 45 minutes looking for him when low and behold there he was, right where I left him. He knew I was lost and took great pleasure in me wandering aimlessly looking for him. We still chuckle about it today.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

We were sailing out of San Juan two weeks after 9/11 and napping on lounge chairs on the top deck when straight off the horizon a military jet carrying mes straight at us, flying very low across the deck. Then he circled and did T again. Everyone was truly freaked out. The captain later announced that it was the air national guard verifying our location. Seems we were slightly off course due to the seas and they were doing a visual on the ship. But he said it's not unusual, but usually bikini watchers!

 

We were on a ship once where a young lady had gone missing. They called and called her name all day and night. One not get I was awaken by a man standing over my bed with a flashlights gut in my face. It was a security officer verifying all the occupants in the cabin. DH had heard he m knock and let him in but it hadn't heard it. Freak out! They did find the girl who had been partying with an older man in his cabin for 30 some hours. They put both of them off the ship!

 

Stabilizer story

Third, we were waiting to board the Conquest when it was temporarily sailing out of Gulport Mississippi due to high th ever levels in NO. The channel there is very narrow and needs the be constantly dredged, or so I'm told. As the ship was coming into port that morning they had accidentally Delores one of the stabilizers which hit the side of the channel and turned the ship sharply and suddenly. People were thrown out of their beds, glassware flew, mirrOra broke, you can imagine. There were dumpsters full of glass and several ambulances still there. Friends from church had been on the ship. One had a broken arm from sailing out of a bunk and they reported lots of injuries. It was a long wait to board. So stabilizers can cause some serious problems.

[tombec1]

We were on the 12/10/16 sailing of the Epic out of Port Canaveral.

My wife & I met another family in the Haven and we told the husband we'd meet him in the casino about 10pm to play some blackjack. My wife & I got there early (9ish) to nab some seats at the low-rollers table :D, and we started to hear the fire alarm (along with the flashing lights) go off at the Noodle Bar. All of a sudden, the fire doors in the casino started to close. Security was dispatched and they kept opening the fire doors back up. The entire time, the fire alarm and flashing lights are still going off. Most people didn't seem concerned and stayed in the casino ignoring everything while security kept opening the doors back up. I didn't smell any smoke, but I told my wife that if there was really a fire, I didn't want to be stuck between 2 sets of fire doors, so we bailed and went back to our cabin. The next day , the guy we were supposed to meet said he got there around 10pm and told us that nothing unusual was going on.

We never did find out what the deal was.

[mimosas123]

I was on a cruise when the Costa Concordia sank. I woke up (somewhat bleary from the night before) and my husband had the news on and I was positive that was our ship on the news and we were sinking.

[biker@sea]

NCL Dawn in a hulled balcony approaching Bermuda as hurricane Fay was Too.

 

When Bermuda closed the harbor our captain turned into the wind to ride out the storm.

 

As the ship turn the wind had her listing more and more so hard the water kept rising up the balcony door and window to almost a foot high on the glass.

 

Could not believe it Did not leak a drop. :halo:.

 

.

[OzCanuck]

On the NCL Sun from BA to Valparaiso last year. The day we boarded, they were out of several wines and there was no draft beer on board.

 

Thank God we made it through the night - she was restocked in Montevideo the next day. A close call for sure.

[pscozz702]

I was on a cruise when the Costa Concordia sank. I woke up (somewhat bleary from the night before) and my husband had the news on and I was positive that was our ship on the news and we were sinking.

 

We were cruising on NCL at the time the Concordia sank also, the first thing I thought was glad it's not us.

 

We have a coupe of freak outs. The one we talk about the most is our 3rd cruise, first time on Carnival (the Legend). We were 2 hours out of Tortola back to NYC when the ship started to list. Ships speed was around 20 - 21 knots and the auto pilot decided to turn to port, HARD AND FAST. I believe it came to 14 degree list. We had a starboard side balcony room and as I sat on the bed looking out seeing nothing but sky I tried to stay calm as to not upset my DW.

Another was our first time cruising the Gulf of Mexico, smooth as glass the seas were, so we thought. The sea state waves were 4 feet or less the whole trip. One day my DW and I were waiting for the elevator and heard a couple of ladies complaining of how rough the seas were and that the ship keeps rocking badly. We chuckled to ourselves only to see we were spotted by a crew member he was laughing too. Asked him what was the worst he felt and he said 8 foot waves, our previous cruise we had 18 foot waves, he stopped laughing.

[biker@sea]

On the NCL Sun from BA to Valparaiso last year. The day we boarded, they were out of several wines and there was no draft beer on board.

 

Thank God we made it through the night - she was restocked in Montevideo the next day. A close call for sure.

 

MONTEVIDEO !

 

Have you read the NCL Dream story In Montevideo ??

 

:) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=679082&highlight=sailorjack :)

 

.

[500adverbs]

Chengkp75 will remember this story from last December.

 

DW and I were on the Grand Princess on our way back to the mainland from four amazing days in Hawaii, looking forward to four relaxing sea days, a relaxing day of not going to Ensenada, and rolling our bags off the ship into a cab to our home in San Francisco.

 

Instead, the tender platform opened up while at sea, punching a hole in the hull. (See photo in long thread describing what happened.) This happened for unknown reasons at 1 am on a Saturday morning and we were awakened by the Captain's announcement at 7 or 8 am about it. We eventually limped back to Honolulu (at about 11 knots) for repairs and a premature end to the cruise.

 

The bonus day and a half in Honolulu was nice (as was being reimbursed for most of the cost of the cruise via refunds and future cruise credits), though we had to spend a good portion of the entire second day re-packing for a very unexpected flight. The whole atmosphere of the ship changed in a way we hadn't wanted. It was pretty scary that whole Saturday when we were all trying to figure out what was happening. We were looking for the opposite of that kind of excitement. (I could also feel the intentional list of the ship while laying in bed.) The ship was heading straight for dry dock in Oregon, so the two nights we spent in Honolulu on the ship as a floating hotel featured lots of construction work on deck and lots of new workers on board to replace a lot of the passengers who left earlier than our assigned time. Still, we got home safely, which was better than the alternative.

 

Most people sailing out of SF live in Northern California, so they don't fly to the ship, and most of them are older than we are. Looking down from my window seat, I could see the luggage being loaded onto the plane, and I have never seen so many walkers, wheelchairs, and scooters loaded onto a plane at one time. A little heartbreaking.

[KarimaJ]

This just popped into my head. On a Disney cruise and looked up to see a guy standing in the middle of a very full pool deck picking his nose, really going at it for like 5 minutes. Then I thought "Ugh he will be at the buffet with me!!!"

[$hip$hape]

What has freaked you out on a cruise? I'd love to hear your stories.

Sorry, we've never been freaked out.

Me thinks you've been watching too much television.

[mmeoww]

MONTEVIDEO !

 

Have you read the NCL Dream story In Montevideo ??

 

:) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=679082&highlight=sailorjack :)

 

.

 

 

Thank you for linking to that - best review ever, nice to read again :) actually makes me even more eager to go to South America ....

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[JillL]

Ok... I have nothing as exiting as most of these stories...Our worst situation...

 

We were woken up on the first night of a cruise by a knock down, drag out fight of our neighbors. I mean screaming, furniture and/or bodies flying, and very clear and audible death threats. Thankfully, security showed up a bit later and broke up the fight. But as I lay there trying to get back to sleep, I began to wonder... "What do I say to the guy that just threatened to kill his significant other/cabin mate when I see him in the hallway?" "Do I make eye contact?" "Do I just walk past as if he is not there?" "What is the protocol in this situation?" It was honestly a bit unnerving!

[mdsgu]

Nothing too terrible...

 

On the Norwegian Spirit, as we were leaving Cozumel, the Captain announced over the PA system that the seas might be a little rough through the night; ladies were advised not to wear heels; everyone should use the handrails on the stairways; Lido deck would be closed. There was a bit of choppiness while we were at dinner. My wife and I woke up around 2am to some serious rocking of the ship; my wife peaked out into the corridor and swears there were a couple of guys in frog suits (I didn't bother to get up). The next morning, we went to breakfast in the aft dining room, and the seas were still kicking up -- a few plates crashed to the floor along with some silverware and our waitress had to excuse herself due to sea sickness.

 

Turns out my mother-in-law had worn all of her jewelry to bed the night before just in case we had to abandon ship!

 

Funny thing is, a few years later (2010), we took the same ship with same itinerary, and the sea was again choppy (but not as bad) as we left Cozumel.

[$hip$hape]

Ok... I have nothing as exiting as most of these stories...Our worst situation...

It was honestly a bit unnerving!

Once, half asleep in bed, I spotted something on the floor, under a seat.

Without me glasses, I told my DW it looked like a toothpaste cap.

 

She freaked out. ‘Thought I said, spotted a Two Faced Cat. :eek:

[FLSteve11]

On our last cruise we did the ship tour (we've done many on different cruise lines). At some point, I heard this "WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP" sound. I finally pulled our tour guide to the side and asked" What is that noise?" She said, "The Propellors." I was shocked! It then occurred to me that we were indeed on a very low deck near the rear of the ship. Totally shocked, I turned to the couple next to me to tell them what the noise was. They were shocked!

 

The only other thing I can say that has shocked me on a cruise was when on a small cruise ship I was able to find the stabilizers extended out. You won't see it on a large ship, according to the captain of the Epic, but you can on something like Pacific Princess. I took pictures and brought crew out to see them! The crew didn't even know you could see them if you tried.

 

What has freaked you out on a cruise? I'd love to hear your stories - it can be about anything, including crew or other passengers.

 

Our storm story was being on the NCL Sky when Hurricane Sandy went through the Bahamas. Since it was only a 3-day cruise, there was nowhere for them to go. So we just went out into the channel and rode it out. There was even a front page picture here on cruise critic of the ship with it's bow in the water. Empties I've ever seen a dining area and casino *grin* Only time my daughter has really been seasick as well.

 

By the way, you can see stabilizers on larger ships sometimes. While riding Celebrity Equinox, I took this picture.

[blc1975]

I just LMAO!!!!!!

 

Maybe I'll try this and get some extra spending money next time....hmmmm.....hahahahaha

[MagnoliaBlossom]

One more. We were aboard the NCL Sun in Cozumel as hurricane Wilma was headed in for a direct hit. The captain did an extremely good job of keeping us informed. When he came back n the PA the ship went silent (how Often does that happen?). The island was being evacuated big time, all small craft, ferries running round the clock for pedestrians, just rapidly becoming a ghost town. The place was shuttered and they even took down the street like guts (it had never occur to me that you could unbolt them and carry them off). It was decided that we would overnight there and leave about noon. He assured us that we could outrun the storm and that our wake would hamper small craft evacuation. But as the seas got round ther and the sky turned that eerie yellow color things were tense. We left after we were notified that we were the last vessel in port. We put the n at Vera Cruz and had a wonderful day. No one was freaked, it was a very mature group, and as we sailed away with everyone lining the rail, the captain served us complimentary yellow birds.

 

I remember him w long it was before Cozumel could reopen f cruise business and that on our first few visits we had to tender because the docks were beyond imaginable damage.

[mdsgu]

We were cruising on Carnival in an inside cabin -- me, my wife, and our 2 young kids. Neither kid wanted to sleep in the Pullman beds, so I was in one and the 2 kids were in the king bed with my wife.

 

My wife woke me in a panic in the middle of the night because our son (who was about 3 at the time) was missing! My wife had been sleeping in the middle of the bed with one kid on either side. She had stuffed some pillows between the bed and the wall on one side and some suitcases between the bed and wall on the other side. We searched that cabin top to bottom for a good 5 minutes (it wasn't very big) looking for him. I checked the cabin door 2 or 3 times, but it was locked from the inside. My wife was getting more panicked by the second. I grabbed the phone, but when I went to dial, I didn't know who to call. Meanwhile, our 2 year old daughter is sleeping soundly, oblivious to everything (she could sleep through Armageddon).

 

My son had been sleeping on the side of the bed with the pillows stuffed between it and the wall. I pulled all the pillows out -- still nothing. Finally I decided to look under the bed. He was there, sleeping like nothing had happened. He apparently had rolled off the bed, through the pillow barricade, and then under the bed. The whole situation lasted less than 10 minutes, but it felt like about an hour. That is the only time either of our children has ever rolled off a bed.

[gooch47]

I am 5'1" tall. I could drown in five and a half feet of water. Reports of depths in the thousands of feet don't faze me.

 

Going down the Amazon River in the old, small Royal Princess. In the dining room you could hear loud bangs along the side of the ship. The waiter said, "Nothing to worry about. Just hitting some logs."

 

Hit by a rogue wave in the middle of the night on a Princess Ship. The captain came on the PA system. Said something about at least not having to wake anyone up. He said crews were assessing the damage. THE DAMAGE ??? Turns out it was nothing serious.

 

Going through the remains of Hurricane Wilma (I think it was) in the North Sea. The ship would come down off a wave and shudder with such force you would think it would break apart.

[NYC Teach 498]

Wow...I'm going on my first solo cruise and I'm thinking I should have skipped reading this thread! Lol!!!

 

My first mini-freak-out was on my first cruise in 2005 (the Dawn). My friend and I were in the 24 fast food area and we were watching some music videos on the TV they had there. Right before we got up to leave, "My Heart Will Go On" came on with all of the scenes from Titanic. I thought it was definitely a sign and we were never going to make it home!

 

My second experience was on the same ship, later that same year (yes, we did make it home - lol). In the middle of the night an announcement came over the loud speaker. It was something like "all crew report - code alpha". Again, not knowing what the heck was going on, I assumed that we were sinking or hit the equivalent of an iceberg (in the Caribbean)! Hahaha!!! Sadly, it turns out, it was someone having a medical emergency. We spoke to the CD the next day and he said the person was okay.

[marilynd]

I am not sure whether to post this "freak out" or not. Last May we had the good forture of being in a Garden Villa on the Dawn. Since our suite was on Deck 14 we had a wall of windows that spanned the livingroom space. The windows are tinted and you can see out during the daytime. Our shipmates enjoying the pool will not be able to see into the Garden Villa during the day.

My DH and I were sitting at a desk next to the windows looking at those around the pools. There is one pool that is more like a hot tub. It has steep sides and you have to step down into it. There are bench seats in this pool and when you sit in it you can almost disappear from those walking on the deck.

Now for the "freak out" . A woman entered the pool while a man watched her. She sat down on the bench and he looked around and then entered the pool also. Next thing that happened was beyond belief to my DH and I. They decided this was the spot to "get it on". My husband and I had to asked each other if we were really seeing what we thought we were seeing.

I'm sure they had no idea someone was watching.

[Love.II.Cruise]

Not unusual at all.

We also did a trans-Atlantic shortly after 9/11 on Celebrity.

12 days after.

So much so, that the ship was only 1/2 full.

We made 4 port stops on the way back to the States and had military smaller vessels surround the ship equipped with machine guns while in port, and divers were searching under the ship. In one port they also surrounded the ship with a net.

It was the least comfortable cruise we had and was the quietest.

 

I never thought what it would be like to sail immediately after 9/11. I just recall not hearing airplanes where I lived.

 

Christmas 1973. Of course I was much younger then so it was all an adventure, now as a senior citizen would stress me out a bit.

Spent a month on the SS Canberra, only 45,000 tons but a large cruise ship in those days, in fact flag ship for P&O at the time.

Southampton to the Caribbean and return to Southampton.

Very rough crossing some of the way, I remember one night a grand piano sliding across the dance floor, completely from port to starboard.

In St. Thomas (had to tender ashore in those days), one of the tenders returning to the ship exploded, all those aboard the tender went into the water, everyone was saved but one woman suffered a broken jaw because an over zealous passenger on board the ship threw a deck chair overboard for survivors to cling to!!

When we were leaving another Caribbean island (can't remember which one, maybe Bonaire or Curacao), ship was grounded on a sandbar, had to wait for high tide for a tug to drag us off!).

A petition went round the ship to have the captain removed but don't know if that happened.

Our cruise made the news in the British newspapers - passengers overboard in shark infested waters, etc!

 

OH MY!