Voyager vibration

[jwas1]

I have read on several threads here and elsewhere that there is noticeable vibration in the aft cabins on the Voyager. We sail from Rome to Monte Carlo in June and have an aft cabin. Does anyone have first hand knowledge of this problem and should we try to move forward before the cruise?

[cruiseluv]

Hi,

 

I was in cabin 667( aft cabin) on Voyager 3 years ago and the vibration was very noticeable there. I don't know if they have done anything to alleviate that problem but I would never risk it again.

[PaulaJK]

We were in the aft corridor on Voyager in March '06.

When the ship is docked, there is a hum & small vibration

from the running motors.

In rough seas or highest speeds, there is noticable vibration.

When in the process of docking, the vibration is sufficiently

strong that small items fall off the desk.

 

In summary, there is clearly discernible vibration. That said,

other than noting it, it did not disturb/bother us. So I recommend

that you base your decision on whether this would be

distressing to you.

[JDRMYS]

Some people notice vibration in aft cabins on the Voyager. Others of us do not. I guess 1) we are less sensitive to vibration than some other people, and 2) we expect some motion and vibration on a moving ship.

 

In any case, Seven Seas Suite 674 on the Voyager, is one of our very favorite accomodations at sea. It is all the way aft on the lowest deck and should have the most severe vibration problem on board, but we haven't been bothered by it.

[FDV]

Was on Voyager from Rome To Monte Carlo in October 05, was upgraded to a Horizon suite, Vibration was noticable but really did not bother me, I felt that the balcony that was over twice the size of a regular stateroom, far made up for a vibration here and there.

 

FV

[dorie342]

Hi, We are booked in a Horizon suite on the voyager for a few segments of the World Cruise next year. What deck were you on and if you can remember you suite number it could be helpful. Thanks

 

Dorie

[HomeLover]

I was in Horizon 786 last November, and I only noticed movement at night. I would not call it vibration, the slight swaying actually put me to sleep. I would book a Horizon suite again in a second.:D

[Dolebludger]

That is good to hear. We were in 784 in June '04 for a Panama Canal cruise, and when the ship exceeded 20 knots the vibration was enough to rattle everything that wasn't glued down and to shake glasses off the table. I truly hope the problems we experienced have somehow been resolved.

 

Thanks,

Richard

[A J Theodore]

I posed the question about vibration on Voyager to someone senior with Regent just a few weeks ago and was given a very evasive answer.

Thus, my advice would be to stay away from cabins aft of the laundry rooms and to stay away from cruises in which the ship spends any significant amount of time traveling at or above 20 knots (the vibration is most noticeable at the higher speed).

[JDRMYS]

AJ Theodore, Please continue to suggest that people not book aft suites on the Voyager. This will make it easier for us to book these same suites at the last minute should we want to. We may be wierd but we have never been bothered by the minor vibrations in these suites. And, yes, we have been on long distance itineraries during which the ship exceeded 20 knots.

[Dolebludger]

Actually, I may have been the originator of the "book forward of the laundry rooms" concept, as on our cruise almost two years ago, that's about where all vibration I could feel at all on that cruise stopped. And I mean stopped! The remainder of the ship was the smoothest sailing ship wev'e cruised. By this, I didn't mean that ALL of the areas aft of the laundry rooms vibrated. As I walked the halls back there, it came and went. I think JDRMYS was on that cruise with us, and I have no doubt about it when he says that his suite had little vibration --- as I don't think the whole area aft of the laundry rooms vibrated. I merely made the statement I did because I couldn't determine exactly where the vibration slacked off and then started up again as I walked around that part of the ship. And it was BAD in our suite on that cruise.

 

BTW, our TA has told me recently that RSSC told her they "fixed the problem". So I am particularly interested in those who have cruised the Voyager in stern suites more recently than we have. I hope this is true, as those were outstanding suites, other than the vibration I personally felt in ours and a few others. Of course, all mechanical things vibrate some, and at times, and stern (or bow) suites are more subject to motion (as distinct from vibration) than mid-ships.

 

Thanks,

Richard

[PaulaJK]

Read my note above. We were on board Voyager

for March '06 and the vibration was the same if

not more notable [perhaps due to speed,etc.]

I noticed that they had 2 of the gentlemen hosts

as well as the Art Salesman lodged back in this

aft section. Kind of made paying for it hurt a bit!

[Dolebludger]

Thanks, Paula. No fix then, I guess. Actually, when we took our cruise on the Voyager stern two years ago, we had only booked a cat. H guarantee. So I wondered initially if a FREE upgrade to a Horizon suite, cat. C wasn't just to good to be true. We had "pannel rattles" and items vibrating off slelves and tables while cruising. We asked to be given the cat. H we had paid for, but the ship was full. There may have been a little vibration in the location of the cat. H suites, but not much compared to what we had. So at least we didn't "pay for it!"

 

Everyone, please understand that we are not vibration-sensitive or prone to sea sickness at all. Our favorite over-all RSSC ship is the NAVIGATOR! But what we experienced in our Horizon suite those two weeks on the Voyager was way "over the top."

 

Thanks,

Richard

[scottsanfilippo]

I was on Voyager in November 05 and had booked a Seven Seas Aft Suite on deck 7 because of the large balcony. The room and balcony were wonderful, however, the vibration was bad enough that after just three hours of being on board, I asked to be moved. If you stood in the bathroom it felt as if someone was jackhammering below you. When I asked to be moved, the butler acknowledged the problem and without hesitation moved us to a Seven Seas Suite midship which was absolutely wonderful. RSSC was more than accomidating in getting us moved, as I think they know that this has been as issue with pax before. I don't get sea sick and I love the motion of the ship when at sea, but when you lay in bed and you're vibrating, it just didn't work for me. Some people may love it and find it relaxing, i just found it to be annoying. If you can live with it, the balcony is amazing and that may be the tradeoff. I'm back on the Voyager this November, but am staying away from the aft!

[exgeordie]

We crossed the Atlantic last year in this wonderful accomodation. Only once, when we were in the room, did we experience any of the "chronic" vibrations. On that occasion we were leaving port and using the stern pod for navigation purposes.

The great balcony was incredible with its two chaises and two chairs with foot rests which we utilized as tables for beautifully served breakfasts as we watched the wake of the ship as it sped westward.

Next time we cruise Regent Horizon 878 will be our choice.:):):):):)

[Dolebludger]

Well, this is all very confusing. First, I am convinced that nobody is telling any "mistruths" about their experiences. And I don't think the different accounts should be written off as subjective differences in tolerances to vibration, either. For example, we are seasoned cruisers who know that some vibration, at times, is just part of any cruise -- because we are on a moving and powered machine and are not in a hotel. We know that when the bow or stern "side thrusters" are used to get the ship in and out of port, the ship shakes like heck (very temporarily) in areas near the thrusters. Yet, our June '04 cruise in 784 on the Voyager had so much CONSTANT vibration in the suite that my wife became ill -- and this was the only time this has happened in 16 cruises in the past 12 years -- and two of those cruises were on the NAVIGATOR!

 

I'm not a ship engineer or ship mechanic. But from my experience in trying to diagnose and eliminate vibration problems in automobiles, I do know that there are a lot of variables, such as one's seating position in the car, the speed, the road surface, etc. I think that all we are going to be able to conclude here is that SOME (but not all) of the stern suites on the Voyager have constant excessive vibration problems on SOME (but not all) cruises -- in that different itineraries involve different speeds and different sea conditions. Moreover, as the factors of speed and sea condition vary, the exact locations of the suites with this problem cannot be predicted as to any particular cruise.

 

On our cruise in June, '04, there was evidence that our 784 suite and the 972 suite occupied by our friends (both suites subject to excessive and constant vibrations) had not been occupied in some time. For example, some plumbing and electrical parts had been removed, as if taken for repairs in other suites. And there was dust on horizontal surfaces, though the suites were otherwise clean. The fact that these suites had not been used for some time due to vibration problems, and had been "canabalized" for parts, was confirmed be several staff and crew members while onboard, though denied by the "head office" upon our complaint. Denial of accountability is part of the "corporate culture" these days, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the cruise industry. RSSC, though one of the finest cruise lines, is not immune from this disregard of responsibility. We can all expect a full and complete disclosure of the vibration problems areas on the Voyager (and the Navigator and the PG) from RSSC about the time that Hades freezes over.

 

Until RSSC "comes clean" about this situation (which will happen "never"), all we can conclude here is that if one books a suite on the stern of the Voyager, there is a RISK (though not a certainty) that the suite will be subject to rather constant excessive vibration. In other words, it's a gamble.

 

Thanks,

Richard

[jwas1]

We head out on June 2. We are aft so I will file a report when we return. I have a recently retired shipbuilding engineer friend. I will discuss "pod" issues next time I see him and if there are any points that are generalizable to all ships with this propulsion system I will post those too.

[jgn]

Hey! Do you think these suites will be discounted in future sailings because of all these complaints? I'll be looking forward for some bargains;

[PaulaJK]

See note #12.

 

Again I will emphasize that we do not suffer motion sickness

or motion qualms. Nonetheless, we were on board for a month

and as time passed, we found the vibration more annoying, like

a chronic drip. This was also combined w. an unrelated water

problem of about 2 weeks duration which gave most mid ship and

aft cabins very brown water...making us wonder if aft was

the way to go.

[cruiseluv]

Hey! Do you think these suites will be discounted in future sailings because of all these complaints? I'll be looking forward for some bargains;

 

I doubt it. The vibration problem has existed almost since inception( although some people report it is better now) and I have never seen any special discounts offered for the aft cabins.

[Dolebludger]

I doubt that RSSC will discount these stern suites. However, cruisers need to beware of RSSC moving them to one of these involuntarily if they book a lower category guarantee. That is exactly what happened to us.

 

Thanks,

Richard

[seabourndt]

is it madeira-miaimi? i wasc thinking of changing from 731 to a c grade horizon do i change it or willthe vibration be too much at full speed.

dave

[JDRMYS]

seabourndt,

 

We were in 782 (an aft corner Seven Seas suite) for the November transatlantic in 2004. We were also in 674 (directly below 782) for a Rome to Athens cruise last September. We had no problems with vibration.

 

We are taking the November 2006 transatlantic from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale and have booked 674 once again. Although many people seem to have had vibration problems in these suites, we have not and we love the huge balconies enough to take our chances!

 

BTW, when we booked 782 for the 2004 transatlantic cruise, we were offered an upgrade to 724, a Voyager suite. We turned it down because we wanted the larger balcony. We did not regret our choice.

[seabourndt]

so you are on my trip too, thats a good start then, 674 i will take a look at where it is. any idea the sizes of the c grade as it says the balconies are 80-137 qwhich is a lot bigger than 50sq ft. still wtg for my t/a to tell me if i can change it. as i took option on navigator for $750moff he did not exactly tell me what the f grade was like i was rushed a bit. as they were closing soon and did not get another cjhance. it must be good if you turned down a voyager suitew. io had a 7 seas suite midships when i was on it 3 years ago. hope to see you in madeira, get a 2 night free hotel there.

dave

[HomeLover]

On the Voyager, the cabins in the middle of the aft section have larger balconies than those further toward the sides. I also have been in 674 and loved it...no vibration problem and a HUGE balcony (a bit over double the normal balcony) Have fun!