Is Viking Sky having problems?

[lextrvlr]

Viking Sky has been noticeably missing multiple ports on its recent 7-day cruises out of Miami. Also, she seems to be making progress at less than normal speed. Is the Sky having propulsion problems?

[Not a Georgia Peach]

We got off the Sky on Friday, the 17th.  We missed Merida, and the official notification said it was due to a "technical issue" which was reducing the maximum speed.  No further explanation.

[DGHOC]

Oh oh oh, we're back on the Sky in a few months, really don't want to be reading that there are technical issues again! Was it just the one cruise affected and did they go straight into another? Where is she sailing now?

 

 

[PlanoTim]

I was wondering also.  We board the ship this Friday.

[Not a Georgia Peach]

They went straight into another which is apparently having a similar problem.  Our cruise was the 10th thru the 17th, and the next cruise left on the 17th.

[DGHOC]

Were you not given any explanation Not a Georgia Peach?

[Not a Georgia Peach]

The only explanation was on a paper left in the stateroom which reads "We wanted to take this time to inform you that due to a technical issue, our maximum speed at which we can sail has been reduced."  There is more relating to missing a port and arrival times in Miami, if you want all that I will type it in.

[OnTheJourney]

Wow....how very interesting. 

[Clay Clayton]

Hmmm, could make our Atlantic crossing in 47 days interesting!

[OnTheJourney]

It'd be nice if we could have a few weeks / months where there is seemingly not something out of the ordinary going on with Viking. I have 3 more cruises coming up with them next year. Hope things settle down OR is Viking simply more 'under the microscope', so-to-speak, ever since the Sky incident?  

Edited January 19, 2020 by OnTheJourney

[PlanoTim]

I noticed that the ship had a tug along side as it departed Miami on January 10th & 17th.  I'm not sure if that is normal.  It seems to me that this ship with properly-function propulsion systems wouldn't require a tug in that port.  If one of the main propulsion motors (propellers) was out, would a tug be required for maneuverability or as a backup in case the remaining motor went out?

Tim

[OnTheJourney]

Tug along the side??? Doesn't sound like normal procedure to me unless the port is using tugs in lieu of whatever harbor pilot vessels are typically used (?) Of course the report of there being speed limitations would seem to suggest some other issues. 

Edited January 19, 2020 by OnTheJourney

[CruiseDoc79]

Sailing on Sky in a few weeks.  First Viking cruise so hoping not to be disappointed (we cruise a lot).  There is a recent review on Cruise Critic from Sky's most recent transatlantic saying something seemed wrong with the ship.  Speed was reduced and maybe stabilizers not functioning properly.  They missed ports on that cruise as well.  Sure would be nice if Viking would just come clean about whatever is going on.

[PlanoTim]

2 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

Tug along the side??? Doesn't sound like normal procedure to me unless the port is using tugs in lieu of whatever harbor pilot vessels are typically used (?) Of course the report of there being speed limitations would seem to suggest some other issues. 

I'm not a sailor and the captain has never asked for my help on the bridge...but I thought I've read posts by knowledgeable folks that if a ship has just one means of propulsion (like if Viking Sky had just one operational motor) then a tug would be used.  The thinking is that if that one source of propulsion failed, then the ship would be out of control.  Maybe someone with more knowledge than I have can answer better.
Tim

[OnTheJourney]

The guy you're looking for is Chengkp75 - he posted a lot on the Viking Sky threads. I pasted a link to this thread in one of his posts - I'm sure he'll be here and shed some light on this. 

Edited January 20, 2020 by OnTheJourney

[angela miller]

7 hours ago, PlanoTim said:

I was wondering also.  We board the ship this Friday.

[angela miller]

We are also boarding the Sky on Feb 24th. The latest reviews have made note of the ships problems. Great documentation.

[OnTheJourney]

I really don't care to hear about any sort of continued problems with the Sky.....I lived through enough problems while on her!! 

[Cyber Kat]

This is disturbing to me as well.  We are sailing on the Sky in September for our Trade Routes cruise and I’m really looking forward to it. We have the North Sea and the Bay of Biscayne to traverse and I don’t think those are waters you want to have propulsion problems in.

 

Plus the itinerary covers a lot of territory and I’d hate to have to miss multiple ports because of ship issues.  Weather, I can understand - nothing to be done about that, but at the price of a Viking cruise, I expect the ship to be in top working order!

[chengkp75]

9 hours ago, PlanoTim said:

I'm not a sailor and the captain has never asked for my help on the bridge...but I thought I've read posts by knowledgeable folks that if a ship has just one means of propulsion (like if Viking Sky had just one operational motor) then a tug would be used.  The thinking is that if that one source of propulsion failed, then the ship would be out of control.  Maybe someone with more knowledge than I have can answer better.
Tim

I saw the "bat signal" and came over here.  The requirements for tugs in a US port is when the ship has lost it's redundant steering, not propulsion.  So, a ship like the Sky with shafted propellers and rudders would only need a tug escort if the ship lost two of the four steering systems (two for each rudder), not for loss of one propulsion system (one propeller).  The other thing is whether the tug escorted the ship all the way to the sea buoy or not.  It would have to be at least following along (likely not tied up) all the way out of the port if it was a "steering escort", but if only used at the dock, then it was merely an operational decision, perhaps caused by prevailing weather.

 

While cruise ships only make up about 5% of the world's shipping, they are the main users of multiple propellers.  Most ships have only one propeller, and one engine bolted to that propeller, so operating with only one means of propulsion is almost ubiquitous.

 

My guess for the Sky is that they've either had another engine down for overhaul (which can take 3-4 weeks), and the 4 engine configuration of the Viking ships makes these overhauls more critical to itinerary completion, or they've had an engine failure, or that the problem they had with the Star early on with the transformers for the propulsion motors has cropped back up.

[Emma]

We sail this Friday for a 15 day to the Panama Canal, we leave for Miami on Wednesday, hope we hear a real answer before that time.

 

[DGHOC]

I wonder whether you should email tellus@viking? (Not sure of the email address but have read here that guests have better success contacting them rather than Head Office).

[lextrvlr]

Thanks chengky75.

Now Viking, any chance of circumnavigating the marketing department and telling us what is going on?

[Emma]

1 hour ago, DGHOC said:

I wonder whether you should email tellus@viking? (Not sure of the email address but have read here that guests have better success contacting them rather than Head Office).

Good idea, I just sent them an email, I will share any comments.

[OnTheJourney]

None of this is very comforting. Had we not such wonderful offers to take advantage of as a result of the March incident, I'm not completely sure that I'd be inclined to book additional trips right now. As I mentioned awhile back, our very first experience with them was when we were docked aside of the Star while she was on her first journey. Engine failure of some sort resulted in her being in port for a few days after we left. Several instances have occurred ever since - both ocean and river. I loved our trip on the Sky (well...most of it!) but....some of this just gives pause for reflection. 

Edited January 20, 2020 by OnTheJourney