Ship announcements in cabins.

[Pushka]

We are transiting the Suez in a few weeks and we are both keen to hear everything that’s announced. Obviously safety announcements go through to each cabin but so many times I hear the announcements and dash to the corridor to hear some of them. The transit I gather starts around 4am. 
 

I thought I read you can configure all announcements to come into the cabin on such days? Any clues?

[oskidunker]

Turn the tv to the channel showing the bridge Camera. 

[Heidi13]

You can hear the announcements on a channel on the cabin telly, but pax have no way of configuring which area(s) of the ship receive P/A announcements. The zone(s) are selected at the control station, prior to hitting the transmit button.

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, oskidunker said:

Turn the tv to the channel showing the bridge Camera. 

 

Perhaps on some ships/sailings.

 

Nothing comes through to the stateroom on any channel - so it's run to the door and miss the first 10-15 seconds at least.  Currently status on Jupiter.

 

And when the folks in the Explorer's Desk are asked how to get it in the staterooms -- blank stares and "I don't know".

[azdrydock]

Humm.,,. Been on 6 Viking ships including the Jupiter and the hallway announcements have always been on the bridge channel with an annoying 2 second delay. The play by play from the expert in the Explorers Lounge is not heard in the hallways and I believe on at least one cruise it was on the Bridge channel and not in the public areas.

Doubt there will be any announcements any where at 4AM.

 

[Pushka]

So if im lucky we can tune to TV in to get announcements on particular days of interest. And will try hear the sound of the anchor weigh at 4am as a clue. Cabin on Deck 8. 

[sundaycreek]

55 minutes ago, azdrydock said:

Humm.,,. Been on 6 Viking ships including the Jupiter and the hallway announcements have always been on the bridge channel with an annoying 2 second delay. The play by play from the expert in the Explorers Lounge is not heard in the hallways and I believe on at least one cruise it was on the Bridge channel and not in the public areas.

Doubt there will be any announcements any where at 4AM.

 

Currently on the Neptune and the announcements are not on the bridge cam channel.

[FlyerTalker]

10 hours ago, sundaycreek said:

Currently on the Neptune and the announcements are not on the bridge cam channel.

 

Nice to know it's not just me.

 

So much for the mandated Viking consistency.

[Clay Clayton]

19 hours ago, Pushka said:

So if im lucky we can tune to TV in to get announcements on particular days of interest. And will try hear the sound of the anchor weigh at 4am as a clue. Cabin on Deck 8. 

I’d suggest asking ahead of time if they will be making announcements available.  If they say no, ask if they can. If you get blank stares at Guest Services, then walk to the starboard side and if the General Manager is in their office discuss with them. If not, grab a piece of paper from the computer stations next door and leave a note asking the manager to contact you. 
 

 

[FlyerTalker]

Clay -  done that in the past.  Told "that's something that may be possible".

 

Translation:  Go away and don't bother me.

 

Over a week onboard and yet to see the GM.  He probably doesn't want to hear from me - or anyone else - about the general inattention to details.  (For example, on the little signs for the food in the World Cafe - how can anyone misspell chicken?  And even more so, why doesn't anyone from staff even notice or care?)

[CDNPolar]

The lack of general announcements in the cabin has been a pet peeve of mine, because although we don't spend that much time in the cabin, the first morning announcement is often just before we leave the cabin, OR, it is when we are in the World Cafe and people are so boisterously noisy in the morning you cannot hear it.

 

We just came off of another cruise line and we loved their system.  You could hit a button on the phone in the cabin and all general announcements came through the speaker on the phone.  They did have a set schedule of hours that this would happen, and I think that it was 8am to 8pm.  If these hours did not suit you then you could toggle it on and off as you pleased.  

This was so helpful and welcome.

[chengkp75]

On 1/27/2023 at 7:35 PM, Pushka said:

The transit I gather starts around 4am.

Andy has taken a Suez transit much more recently than I, and on a Viking ship, so he can provide better experience, but from my experience, while 4am may be the "pilot aboard" and "hove short" time, it takes about an hour or better to actually get underway and get near to the ports.

[SoBaycruiser]

4 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Clay -  done that in the past.  Told "that's something that may be possible".

 

Translation:  Go away and don't bother me.

 

Over a week onboard and yet to see the GM.  He probably doesn't want to hear from me - or anyone else - about the general inattention to details.  (For example, on the little signs for the food in the World Cafe - how can anyone misspell chicken?  And even more so, why doesn't anyone from staff even notice or care?)

Since TV announcements are currently being used on the Venus for northern lights sightings, it is obviously something that can be done in general if enough people ask.

[Clay Clayton]

4 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Over a week onboard and yet to see the GM.  He probably doesn't want to hear from me - or anyone else - about the general inattention to details.  (For example, on the little signs for the food in the World Cafe - how can anyone misspell chicken?  And even more so, why doesn't anyone from staff even notice or care?)

Have you left a note in his office? Or requested that he call you?  I have done both of these and gotten a call or when he knew me, a visit at our table at the next meal. It was obvious in that case he had come looking for me. 
 

Perhaps things have changed but on all our Viking cruises, the manager has made it very clear that prefer to deal with issues rather than hear about them from the home office after a guest has complained after disembarking. 

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Andy has taken a Suez transit much more recently than I, and on a Viking ship, so he can provide better experience, but from my experience, while 4am may be the "pilot aboard" and "hove short" time, it takes about an hour or better to actually get underway and get near to the ports.

 

Affirmative Chief.

 

We heard them weighing the anchor about 04:00, so with the transit to the canal entrance taking about an hour, we entered the southern approaches about 05:00. If naval ships, or ships chartered to a navy were making the transit, then the cruise ships would start a little later.

[Pushka]

9 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Andy has taken a Suez transit much more recently than I, and on a Viking ship, so he can provide better experience, but from my experience, while 4am may be the "pilot aboard" and "hove short" time, it takes about an hour or better to actually get underway and get near to the ports.

Yes. I've read his brilliant TR. Several times.  He'll likely know traffic to his site has increased. 😁
 

The thing is, I think I'm a ship junkie. I love everything technical about them. Any kind of ship be it tanker or luxury cruise liner. We have our own little runabout which we love. And we live on the Marina at Port Adelaide which is just upstream from the hub for all South Australia's supply carriers and near our Submarine manufacturing plant for Australia.  I blame it on my Dad who was in RAN on an aircraft carrrier for 12 years and through the Korean War. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by Pushka

[WNcruiser]

On 1/27/2023 at 9:45 PM, azdrydock said:

Humm.,,. Been on 6 Viking ships including the Jupiter and the hallway announcements have always been on the bridge channel with an annoying 2 second delay. The play by play from the expert in the Explorers Lounge is not heard in the hallways and I believe on at least one cruise it was on the Bridge channel and not in the public areas.

Doubt there will be any announcements any where at 4AM.

 

I am on the Jupiter now and there are no announcements on the stateroom tv (bridge cam or any other channel). We have had very poor weather and need to listen to the Captains updates which requires us to open our cabin door. 

[azdrydock]

34 minutes ago, WNcruiser said:

I am on the Jupiter now and there are no announcements on the stateroom tv (bridge cam or any other channel). We have had very poor weather and need to listen to the Captains updates which requires us to open our cabin door. 

See if you can find one of the Ninja techs (usually dressed in black with a tablet attached) and ask them if announcements are available via TV.  The techs can be found in the back of the theater or the control room at the starboard entrance to the theater.

My last Viking Ocean Cruise was about16 months ago and things could have changed including my memory

[WNcruiser]

On 1/30/2023 at 12:14 PM, azdrydock said:

See if you can find one of the Ninja techs (usually dressed in black with a tablet attached) and ask them if announcements are available via TV.  The techs can be found in the back of the theater or the control room at the starboard entrance to the theater.

My last Viking Ocean Cruise was about16 months ago and things could have changed including my memory

Well the good news is that it’s not your memory 😀. I spoke to a couple different techs and yes, when the Jupiter was new it was able to broadcast the PA announcements on the bridge channel. Unfortunately it no longer does. 
 

The only Information I could gather  was that it broke and they decided not to fix it. No explanation why. 

Edited January 31, 2023 by WNcruiser

[Pushka]

1 hour ago, WNcruiser said:

Well the good news is that it’s not your memory 😀. I spoke to a couple different techs and yes, when the Jupiter was new it was able to broadcast the PA announcements on the bridge channel. Unfortunately it no longer does. 
 

The only Information I could gather  was that it broke and they decided not to fix it. No explanation why. 

But in cases of urgent announcements they can project into staterooms surely?

[Clay Clayton]

33 minutes ago, Pushka said:

But in cases of urgent announcements they can project into staterooms surely?

Yes

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Pushka said:

But in cases of urgent announcements they can project into staterooms surely?

 

Affirmative. At the control heads you select the area(s) of the ship to receive the announcement. To reach pax cabins they select pax cabins or all ship.

[WNcruiser]

1 hour ago, Pushka said:

But in cases of urgent announcements they can project into staterooms surely?

Yes. We were only talking about general announcements on the TV. 

Edited January 31, 2023 by WNcruiser

[oskidunker]

3 hours ago, WNcruiser said:

Well the good news is that it’s not your memory 😀. I spoke to a couple different techs and yes, when the Jupiter was new it was able to broadcast the PA announcements on the bridge channel. Unfortunately it no longer does. 
 

The only Information I could gather  was that it broke and they decided not to fix it. No explanation why. 

Unacceptable. Wont sail on that ship. Idiots. 

[SempreMare]

On 1/28/2023 at 5:00 PM, Clay Clayton said:

I’d suggest asking ahead of time if they will be making announcements available.  If they say no, ask if they can. If you get blank stares at Guest Services, then walk to the starboard side and if the General Manager is in their office discuss with them. If not, grab a piece of paper from the computer stations next door and leave a note asking the manager to contact you. 

 

I've thought this about 10 times, but just to say it 'out loud'

@Clay Clayton  I appreciate your beautifully detailed replies complete with anticipating the likely If-Thens.