Sailing before Dry dock

[rrs731]

Has anyone been on a cruise immediately before a dry dock?  My husband and I are looking at going on Oasis this summer when it is in the Med, before it's dry dock.  I was curious if they start closing things down in preparation for the dry dock weeks before.  I believe they are going to dry dock in the middle of September.  We are looking at dates July-September.

 

Thanks!

[mugtech]

The worst I've read was the NCL Sun, all kinds of construction, bad air, limits on what could be used.  Last cruise before dry dock of the Mariner was no problems at all, but then again the TA, which was supposed to be the last cruise before dry dock, was cancelled.

[Clarea]

You might see some minor work started, but it should not disrupt your cruise.

[grapau27]

9 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

You might see some minor work started, but it should not disrupt your cruise.

Different cruiseline but I heard P&O closed most of their shops on board before a dry dock.

Hopefully the op is not disrupted unduly on their Cruise.

[Spunky946]

We were just on the navigator 12/21 and it went to dry dock 1/4 and there was nothing that bothered us.  

[mcatmcat]

I went on Independence before dry dock - big mistake-

not because the ship was in preparation for it you cant tell they were heading to dry dock but the crew was so so tired and ready to go home that it was noticeable and visible. 

[ONECRUISER]

Did sailing right before Dry Dock last yr, no issues. Helps know if they are adding anything or upgrading. Most Dry Docks all they are doing is Marine side maintenance. Not usual to change anything in cabins or public areas...

Edited January 11, 2019 by ONECRUISER

[Snit13]

We sailed Majesty before dry dock 2018 and our big complaint was food.  MDR and Chef's Table not to our liking.  Every other service was fine.  There were many areas on ship that were filthy before dry dock and believe it or not when we sailed Majesty after dry dock the same areas were still filthy.

[cb at sea]

They start  doing repairs before the ship arrives for dry dock....what repairs they have planned might affect what they do prior.  There are ALWAYS repairs going on on a ship....just the nature of the beast.  Dry-docks are generally for things they cannot do while on the ocean.  They do do dry-docks to clean or paint or stuff like that.  Those things are done on an "ongoing" basis.  

[EeyoreRN]

20 hours ago, mcatmcat said:

I went on Independence before dry dock - big mistake-

not because the ship was in preparation for it you cant tell they were heading to dry dock but the crew was so so tired and ready to go home that it was noticeable and visible. 

I agree. We were on Explorer a few sailings before dry dock. The crew was out to lunch for the most part. We were told that before dry dock, as crew contracts end, the best ones get positioned on other ships. Not sure if this is true, but it felt enough like that for us to believe it. Not sure if being so tired played into the dynamics, but that makes sense, too. Maybe a combination of exhaustion and re-positioning. We had no problems with the ship itself, but service was not up to par. Not terrible, but not like other cruises we have experienced.

[little britain]

I hope not! I’m on 9/8 and her dry dock is 9/22. 

[ipeeinthepool]

On ‎1‎/‎9‎/‎2019 at 6:48 PM, rrs731 said:

Has anyone been on a cruise immediately before a dry dock?  My husband and I are looking at going on Oasis this summer when it is in the Med, before it's dry dock.  I was curious if they start closing things down in preparation for the dry dock weeks before.  I believe they are going to dry dock in the middle of September.  We are looking at dates July-September.

 

Thanks!

 

I wouldn't take a cruise on a ship during the month or so prior to the drydock.  My question to you would be:  Why take the risk?  There is a very real possibility that work will be started on the ship, some things may be closed, some things not repaired, some things not available or a tired crew as many of the crew might have had their contracts extended to get the ship inti dry dock.  Your vacation is an expensive purchase in money and time, why take the risk?  Is the cruise deeply discounted? Perhaps, there's a reason.  I would look at other ships doing similar itineraries and compare the prices.  If you are used to sailing Royal, perhaps it's a reason to try another cruise line.

 

Good Luck

[LMaxwell]

Sailed on Enchantment right before dry dock.  AWFUL.  Wife refuses to go on that ship again.  Stateroom filthy like a rent-by-hour-motel, they had pallets of paint/chemicals left right out on promenade deck, part of pool deck closed, sky jump closed, no breakfast service in MDR, Park Cafe served leftover beans from prior dinner in burritos for departure morning breakfast not even their regular menu because they did not provision for our trip.  In general cleaning/maintenance was deferred until the dry dock and it showed. 

 

It was a piss poor effort by Royal and an insult to take our money and give us a cruise like that. 

 

I will never ever sail immediately pre/post drydock.  If your experience is better you are lucky.  These cruise lines think absolutely nothing of creating a work zone with guests onboard or underdelivering on their promises of the vacation experience.  

[shippmates]

1 hour ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

I wouldn't take a cruise on a ship during the month or so prior to the drydock.  My question to you would be:  Why take the risk?  There is a very real possibility that work will be started on the ship, some things may be closed, some things not repaired, some things not available or a tired crew as many of the crew might have had their contracts extended to get the ship inti dry dock.  Your vacation is an expensive purchase in money and time, why take the risk?  Is the cruise deeply discounted? Perhaps, there's a reason.  I would look at other ships doing similar itineraries and compare the prices.  If you are used to sailing Royal, perhaps it's a reason to try another cruise line.

 

Good Luck

Some cruisers do not have a choice about cruising before drydock. Some drydocks are not scheduled.  We were scheduled to sail on the Grandeur on March 16 had the cruise booked since August.  The cruise was canceled in September along with other cruises so she could go into drydock.  Go on your cruise with an open mind and you will have an awesome time.

[ipeeinthepool]

53 minutes ago, shippmates said:

Some cruisers do not have a choice about cruising before drydock. Some drydocks are not scheduled.  ...

 

Really???  No one forces you to go on a cruise.  In most cases cruisers have a choice about sailing before a dry dock.  If it's a scheduled dry dock with significant modifications cruisers have a choice at least 99.999% of the time.  This is the situation for the OP.  In that situation, you should ask yourself is it worth the risk.  For me and a lot of other experienced cruisers it's not worth the risk.  

 

For the usually case of an emergency dry dock, cruisers still have a choice if the announcement is before final payment.  In these cases, the risk is usually much less because the repairs are usually focused on preparing a propulsion problem.  In those cases the risks are usually on the itinerary or number of days being changed.  Even in those cases the cruisers should evaluate the risk and the options available to them.

[LMaxwell]

2 hours ago, shippmates said:

Some cruisers do not have a choice about cruising before drydock. 

 

The company also does not offer that information when booking so the consumer can make the best decision for themselves.  

[PortSideCruzan]

Hi rrs731☺️

 

You will certainly receive both positive & negative advice concerning sailing prior to a dry dock. In regards to my wife & myself, we have been cruising since the early 80's and our rule of thumb is that we never sail on a voyage 2 months prior to a dry dock and 2 months post a dry dock. When in doubt, we don't...

 

The decision is very personal. Only you & your husband together can make it.

 

☺️

[midwife1021]

Have sailed on Navigator's last sailing before dry dock (12/30/18), and on Liberty shortly before a dry dock.  People were complaining that furniture looked worn, and decor was dated but seriously nothing that would interfere with your cruise.  I noticed the last night on Navigator, crew were starting to organize things much more than I've ever noticed before and they closed down the pools and hot tubs in the middle of the big-screen movie on the pool deck.  

 

We liked sailing before dry dock because prices seem to be lower.  

[ipeeinthepool]

1 hour ago, LMaxwell said:

 

The company also does not offer that information when booking so the consumer can make the best decision for themselves.  

 

Dry dock schedules can easily be found on-line.  Celebrity's revolution schedule is published on their website.  Purchasing a cruise is no different than other large purchases and the consumer needs to do a little research to protect himself/herself.

[FireEMT978]

1 hour ago, midwife1021 said:

Have sailed on Navigator's last sailing before dry dock (12/30/18), and on Liberty shortly before a dry dock.  People were complaining that furniture looked worn, and decor was dated but seriously nothing that would interfere with your cruise.  I noticed the last night on Navigator, crew were starting to organize things much more than I've ever noticed before and they closed down the pools and hot tubs in the middle of the big-screen movie on the pool deck.  

 

We liked sailing before dry dock because prices seem to be lower.  

On that same New Years sailing right before the Navigator dry dock with you. My daughter had commented that there wasn't much, for activities/entertainment during our cruise. I had talked to one of the Pit bosses on the Navigator, that I know from other cruises. He stated that most of the shows and entertainment stuff was not going on because of going into dry dock when we disembarked. He said otherwise, they usually had a lot more entertainment and activities happening.

Besides the missing shows/activities, I had a great experience.

 

Edited January 12, 2019 by FireEMT978

[BirdTravels]

We have sailed right before and right after dry docks (by choice because they are often one off itineraries to get the ship to/from the dry dock). We have enjoyed those cruises. BUT there were impacts on availability of some ship’s areas. We went in eyes wide open and didn’t let any of that impact the cruise. 

 

Wrt crew before dry dock, a lot stay with the ship doing a lot of the renovation work. It is not all contractors. Our cabin steward on our last post-dry dock cruise says he was setting bathroom tile until midnight before we embarked. But he said it was better than those who had to rip up carpet and carry it up and out onto deck.