Thread Discussing Rolls Royce Mermaid Pod ("Pod") Issues Affecting Celebrity Vessels

[Pisces11]

That is the adjustment we got on our Hawaii cruise and yes, it was fair.

[Jeepers385]

Just received a letter from Celebrity: Due to pod problems some "slight" adjustments had to be made to the itineary. Turns out they are cutting out the port of Icy Strait Point completely and it will be one more day at sea instead.

 

As compensation they are offering $100 for interior and exterior, $200 per balcony and $300 per suite. That sum is per cabin not per person.

 

Do you think that compensation is adequate and have others made experiences about refunds for port adjustments?

We were notified on Good Friday about the change and compensation and found it to be a great compensation. Hey I've missed ports before where we've received nothing so this a nice touch. We actually have a later departure time in Victoria and more time in Juneau so I think they've been very fair.

As for ISP that just means I'll have to go on another cruise to visit.

Come join our roll call on the Celebrity boards, we have a very active group.

[Fblack]

Cruise credits, missed ports, late arrivals etc etc. Why doesn't Celebrity just bite the bullet and replace the pod already. It's had problems for way too long to keep making excuses. I know they will lose a lot of money by canceling a cruise to fix the pod. HAL did it on the Oosterdam.

[sunspot49]

We are sailing on the Summit to Alaska in July. Does anyone know if the "pod issues" have affected any recent Summit cruises? We know about the pod problems in May 2006, but have there been any recent ones? Does anyone know the last time the Summit was in dry dock and did they address the pod problems at that time?

[TJH]

Yes,they did give ship credits in regards to pod issues,however when the ship was hours late into San Diego and flights had been missed their reasoning was to tell passengers that the cause was bad weather.When the guest relations told me this I questioned them regarding the pod issue as well as the fact they were knowledgeable of this before sailing but they hung onto this story as if it were a life raft.After I left the desk the next several people in line asked the very same question,the young lady became so frustrated her supervisor had to continue the company myth.Their little proplem caused me only about 300.00 in reschedualing penalties which they said some of these penalties they will refund.One man travelling with quite a few members of his family told me this was going to cost him approx.3000.00 of which perhaps he might get 500.00 in return.However had you booked ALL YOUR TRAVEL with x they would cover the setbacks.Well no matter what good customer service trumps mechanical problems,after spending a lot of money for this cruise then to be treated as mushroom does not cut it

[halos]

Please forgive me. There are a lot of pages here and I couldn't go through all ther posts.

I have 2 questions.

First, I understand to a point that Celebrity got screwed with these pods and I can understand to a point, why they keep running the M-Class ships despite the fact that they are 'limping'. My problem is that you would think that Celebrity would take a ship (like the Infinity) and maybe just switch it to a Caribbean itinerary. People who book cruises through the Panama Canal and to Alaska/Hawaii are REALLY sailing to see the ports and I can imagine that missing some of your ports would be disappointing, especially since these particular cruises tend to cost more. Wouldn't it make more sense for X to switch this ship to a 7 day Caribbean itinerary while waiting for whatever it is they're waiting for, to fix it???

 

My second question is this. I booked the Infinity knowing (thanks to this board) about the pod issues because I was willing to take a chance on missed ports. Fortunately for me, my gamble paid off, BUT I was well informed. I think personally, that although I think Celebrity isn't dealing with this issue all that well, I have more of a problem with the Travel agents that are booking people on the M-Class ships and not warning them about the probability that their cruise will not be the same as the one they are paying for. Celebrity is out for Celebrity, which is probably typical of all cruise lines, but Travel agents are supposed to be working for the customers. Why aren't they steering people away from these ships??

[Drew B]

My problem is that you would think that Celebrity would take a ship (like the Infinity) and maybe just switch it to a Caribbean itinerary. People who book cruises through the Panama Canal and to Alaska/Hawaii are REALLY sailing to see the ports and I can imagine that missing some of your ports would be disappointing, especially since these particular cruises tend to cost more. Wouldn't it make more sense for X to switch this ship to a 7 day Caribbean itinerary while waiting for whatever it is they're waiting for, to fix it???

 

I imagine that MOST people who cruise the Caribbean want to reach the ports on the itinerary, too. Not everybody who cruises in the Caribbean has visited those ports previously. I know that when Millenium was missing Caribbean ports, people were upset...

 

My second question is this. I booked the Infinity knowing (thanks to this board) about the pod issues because I was willing to take a chance on missed ports. Fortunately for me, my gamble paid off, BUT I was well informed. I think personally, that although I think Celebrity isn't dealing with this issue all that well, I have more of a problem with the Travel agents that are booking people on the M-Class ships and not warning them about the probability that their cruise will not be the same as the one they are paying for. Celebrity is out for Celebrity, which is probably typical of all cruise lines, but Travel agents are supposed to be working for the customers. Why aren't they steering people away from these ships??

 

Agreed, although I think that "probability" is way too strong a word.

[halos]

Not everybody who cruises in the Caribbean has visited those ports previously. I know that when Millenium was missing Caribbean ports, people were upset...

 

This is very true. I guess, I was thinking for me personally, The 14 day cruises with those specific ports are not cruises that I can take often, whereas the Caribbean cruises because they're shorter and less of an investment, would be easier to 'do over'. Or, the port missed on a Caribbean cruise may be able to be made up on an entirely different sailing. My last cruise included Cozumel and the next two also will include it...three differnt ships, two differentlines. Ports like Puntarenas don't show up often on itineraries.

This isn't to make less of the disappointment people who miss Caribbean cruise ports feel. I guess I'm just trying to think practically.

[LeftcoastBC]

 

Ports like Puntarenas don't show up often on itineraries.

 

 

Thank heavens. That Port's name translates as "Hot as you know what" :D

 

I see your point about putting the Infinity into a more confined space it would be easier to get to the next Port as rule.

 

Your second point is just pie in the sky I think. Quite a few TA's don't/can't (no time) keep abreast with what we have come to expect here as far as info goes...let alone have them really working for their PAX rather than just selling cruises and making money. (Yes I know there are some great ones and good ones also.)

[halos]

Thank heavens. That Port's name translates as "Hot as you know what" :D

 

 

It's an amazing place with wonderful people. I'm thankful that we didn't miss any of the ports on that Panama Crossing sailing BUT of all of them, if I'd have missed that one, I would have been devastated.

[ZlistCelebrity]

The problem is a faulty bearing in the pod. It was a problem in the design of the pods by the manufacturer. Due to lawsuits ongoing, they only thing X can do at this time is continue to let the manfacturer continue to try to correct the problem. Once the lawsuits are settled, they can replace the pods all together. Basically, the pods when having trouble will slow down the ship. More than likely, X is waiting for the manufacturer to come up with another solution before scheduling drydock to replace the parts. They are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

 

Do you still think theya re stuck between a rock and a hard place after reading these statements.

 

Not much satisfaction for the people on board when the pod goes.

 

 

Enclosed extracts from press releases from rclinvestor.com and their accounts re a partial settlement with alstom RELEASING THEM FROM ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PODS'!!!!

 

'Litigation. In January 2006, we partially settled a pending lawsuit against Rolls Royce and Alstom Power Conversion, co-producers of the Mermaid pod-propulsion system on Millennium-class ships, for the recurring Mermaid pod failures. Under the terms of the partial settlement, we received $38.0 million from Alstom and released them from the suit, which remains pending against Rolls Royce. The $38.0 million settlement resulted in a gain of $36.0 million, net of reimbursements to insurance companies, which we have recorded within other income in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. '

 

 

july 2003

 

' Press Releases

View printer-friendly version<< BackCelebrity Cruises Files Suit Against Rolls Royce, Alstom Power ConversionMIAMI, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- After repeated attempts to resolve issues satisfactorily, Celebrity Cruises filed a $300 million lawsuit today against Rolls Royce and Alstom Power Conversion, co-producers of a ship pod- propulsion system, to recover lost revenue and costs associated with failing pods. The lawsuit was filed in state court in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

The lawsuit charges that the Rolls Royce and Alstom Power Conversion pods, brand-named Mermaid, have failed repeatedly, resulting in cancelled cruises and thousands of disappointed guests. These recurring failures cost the company hundreds of million of dollars, for which the lawsuit seeks restitution.

The lawsuit further claims that Rolls Royce and Alstom Power Conversion misrepresented their product, which was "defectively designed" and "deceptively and fraudulently marketed."

Mermaid pods are installed on four Celebrity ships -- Millennium, Summit, Infinity and Constellation. All four had one or more mechanical or electrical problems with the pods, which caused the ships to be taken out of water -- and out of service -- to repair.

"Unfortunately, the Mermaid pods have not lived up to the manufacturers' promise or to Celebrity's high operating standards," said Jack Williams, president and chief operating officer of Celebrity. "This has created intolerable consequences for our guests, and imposed unacceptable conditions on our company."

There are -- and have been -- no safety issues with any of these ships. All have been given clearance to sail by the U.S. Coast Guard and the ships' classification society. Even with the problems, safety was never compromised.

"Guests and travel agents should continue to have full confidence in the Celebrity brand," Williams said. "We have modified the more troublesome components, and we are working on a permanent solution.

"In the meantime, guests should know that any cruise we have to cancel, as a result of any issue with these pods, we will back with a full refund and a free cruise."

Propulsion pods consist of an electrical motor and a propeller. They are typically favored by cruise operators because the pod's design -- a 360 degree rotating unit -- provides a number of advantages, including greater maneuverability.

Celebrity Cruises is the industry's highest-rated premium cruise line. Its nine ships comprise the youngest fleet of any major line. For more information, visit Celebrity's web site at http://www.celebrity.com.

Source: Celebrity Cruises'

 

 

[larronry]

First I'm glad I came to this message board because I'm scheduled to go on the Millennium this December and was one of those scheduled last December 10th on a canceled cruise because of the ship being dry docked. I had no idea about the pod issue until coming here. It wasn't being discussed on another board I'm on. It does make be a bit nervous since we made a last minute booking on another cruise line for the same dates last year and it was very rough seas. We ended up in a room with bunk beds and even though we didn't use them we had bruises on our heads and shoulders from being thrown into them. And the crew on the ship was sea sick and the dining room was empty the first two nights. We were not sea sick however. It's about a week later this time but I wouldn't want the ship to slow down in those circumstances.

 

BTW to the person who said you can see the same ports on another cruise line I've gone to the Caribbean on 3 other cruise lines plus celebrity and never went to the ports of call that the Millennium is now stopping in. Western Caribbean is a different story because there are a lot fewer options but eastern Caribbean is becoming more varied.

 

Although this time I'm going to be with friends and spend time with my toddler son without having other things on my mind (and am for the first time looking forward to a private island for my son to play on) I am not going for the ports of call other then Haiti. I am now concerned about another canceled cruise or other issues.

[woodofpine]

The press releases involve settlement with Alstoms which was basically either in or teetering on bankruptcy at the time ('05-early '06). Alstoms is the French owner of Chantier, the shipyard that constructed (the hull) and outfitted the M-class. "Outfitted" as in installed the RR Mermaid system purchased by X as part of the project contracting process. Although Alstom undoubtedly participated in certain design aspects of the propulsion system related to installing it their hull, and Alstom was the overall contractor, Alstom's 'fault' for the problem is considered pretty low, and their week financial-legal position created incentives to settle.

 

RR's liability on the other hand is considerably larger. It's interesting to note that the Alstoms money was simply applied to the bottom line which - as I opined before - is where any RR money will be applied. The Mermaid system will most likely be temp-fixed by X as necessary until the ships are sold in 10-20 years.

 

The pod variable is such that it wouldn't keep me from booking a cruise on an M-class ship (except for a few itineraries).

[ZlistCelebrity]

we received $38.0 million from Alstom and released them from the suit, which remains pending against Rolls Royce. The $38.0 million settlement resulted in a gain of $36.0 million, net of reimbursements to insurance companies, which we have recorded within other income in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. '

 

As this statement reflects, the net gain was $36million they only had to pay back £2million, nice little earner eh! keep the pods! they earn a nice amount for shareholders!

Alsthom is a very successful company, as you pointed out it suited celebrity to settle at this point for the 'bottom line' profit and that's the way they treat their 'customers'

 

All opinions on this one are subjective depending on your allegience or experience and each one is valid and should not be put down.

 

Whilst some people are happy with the general $100-200 feeling that it is a windfall! others have spend £/$ thousands on a special holiday,travelled from all over the world to enjoy the '5* celebrity treatment / attention to detail!!!'

When it happens to you on your holiday and you are thousands of miles away from home and you have saved and planned for this special occasion for years.

 

The missed ports and main features are due to faulty problems NOT weather/wind/pasengers falling ill/port problems/ do not bode well.

 

 

 

 

 

The press releases involve settlement with Alstoms which was basically either in or teetering on bankruptcy at the time ('05-early '06). Alstoms is the French owner of Chantier, the shipyard that constructed (the hull) and outfitted the M-class. "Outfitted" as in installed the RR Mermaid system purchased by X as part of the project contracting process. Although Alstom undoubtedly participated in certain design aspects of the propulsion system related to installing it their hull, and Alstom was the overall contractor, Alstom's 'fault' for the problem is considered pretty low, and their week financial-legal position created incentives to settle.

 

RR's liability on the other hand is considerably larger. It's interesting to note that the Alstoms money was simply applied to the bottom line which - as I opined before - is where any RR money will be applied. The Mermaid system will most likely be temp-fixed by X as necessary until the ships are sold in 10-20 years.

 

The pod variable is such that it wouldn't keep me from booking a cruise on an M-class ship (except for a few itineraries).

[gillianrose]

Is Icy Strait Point still on the itinerary of the M-ships this summer? If so, for which ships?

Infinity? Summit?

 

If Icy Strait Point is cancelled, Sitka would be a nice option, rather than a sea day.

 

People book Alaska cruises to see scenery, not just water.

[gillianrose]

Has anyone been to ICY STRAIT POINT on Celebrity in the past week or two?

[Hap]

I have been trying to read as much as I can on the pod problem but have not read all the threads yet. We have booked an 11 day cruise on the Constillation in November 2007 and have not read much about the ships problems. I was wondering if the ship is having pod problems. We have been on 14 cruises, mostly on Royal Caribbean, and I am concerned about this. We have been one Celebrity cruise and loved it but I would concider another cruise if this is going to be concern. Thank you in advance for any information on the Constillation.

Hap

[Drew B]

there is as far as I know no explanation as to why the other three have had seventeen pod failures and the Constellation has not suffered the same recurring problems.

 

Somebody once posted that they heard a theory from an officer on Constellation: The officer said that the itineraries that Constellation has done in her relatively brief life have not been as taxing as those done by other M-Class ships. She has been able to avoid pushing maximum speeds and has therefore not caused the regular wear to the bearings that Millenium, Summit, and especially Infiniti have (Those S. America trips are particularly taxing, I believe).

[DougYWG]

Interesting. Another question for any of the engineers or master mariners out there. Does the ship handling affect reliability? i.e. can you get ham-fisted deck officers who are hard on machinery?

[Hap]

Thanks for the information. That makes me feel alot better about this ctuise.

Hap

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

Somebody once posted that they heard a theory from an officer on Constellation: The officer said that the itineraries that Constellation has done in her relatively brief life have not been as taxing as those done by other M-Class ships. She has been able to avoid pushing maximum speeds and has therefore not caused the regular wear to the bearings that Millenium, Summit, and especially Infiniti have (Those S. America trips are particularly taxing, I believe).

 

Interesting reading here, you're all very informative. Can you tell me does the Mercury have PODS also?:confused:

Jillybean:)

[goofysmom99]

Interesting reading here, you're all very informative. Can you tell me does the Mercury have PODS also?:confused:

Jillybean:)

 

No, just the M-Class ships.

[chillijilli]

I, also, have been trying to keep on top of this pod issue, but haven't seen much relating to S American itineraries. We're booked on the Infinity for the BA-Valparaiso cruise in December 2007. I have to let my TA know whether we want to cancel by the end of this month. I think we got a good price---including air and insurance, ~$3200 pp for a balcony. Most other cruiselines are > $1000 pp as far as I can tell.

This is only our 5th cruise, so we're not all that experienced. What would some of you much more experienced cruisers advise?

Thanks multitudes for your help!

[Drew B]

I, also, have been trying to keep on top of this pod issue, but haven't seen much relating to S American itineraries. We're booked on the Infinity for the BA-Valparaiso cruise in December 2007. I have to let my TA know whether we want to cancel by the end of this month. I think we got a good price---including air and insurance, ~$3200 pp for a balcony. Most other cruiselines are > $1000 pp as far as I can tell.

This is only our 5th cruise, so we're not all that experienced. What would some of you much more experienced cruisers advise?

Thanks multitudes for your help!

 

 

 

I'm not particularly experienced, but I say don't cancel. If (and this is a big if) you were to experience pod problems, it's not necessarily the end of the world. On an itinerary like S.A., it's going to be an amazing experience, even if you were to miss a port or have to slightly shorten your time in ports. And they would give you some kind of compensation for it, even if it's just a few hundred dollars or a discount on future cruise. If your cruise were to be cancelled, chances are you would be given a refund plus a free cruise. It would be disappointing, but not the end of the world.

 

Most likely, neither of those scenarios would happen, and you will have an amazing trip that goes off without a hitch. Enjoy!

[ZlistCelebrity]

Thank you 'Preacher' you are a voice of reason.

Nothing is worse than flying over 5000miles, paying over £5000 (pounds) approx $10k now just for a couple

saving for months/years

Chosoing the special itinerary/cruise line/PORTS OR SEA!!!

 

So exciting and special, the ports may never be attainable again!

 

An ongoing mechanical problem,the cruise line locked horns with one of the suppliers, having settled with the other for millions of dollars profit,

gambled with us as their customer, as the terms and conditions allow them to.

Duty of Care!

or

Just our luck!

 

 

Thomson Sunbird Dec 2003= Canary island christmas

QE2 April 2003 - UK-NY

Ocean Village Caribbean April 2004

Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas Panama Canal December 2005

(1 port missed Costa Rica - passenger taken ill, had to return to Panama with him, no compensation, not even a free drink, didn't ask for any or complain, it may be us one day!

Celebrity SUMMIT May 2006 LA - Alaska, Hubbard Glacier ending in Vancouver!!!

Missed Seattle/Sitka/Inside Passage(captain didn't order [pilot)/ shortened Juneau/Ketchikan/Skagway sat 7 miles off Hubbard on a glorious day, watched other ships in there, did 360 o then left after 45 minutes.

Ocean Village May 2007 Greek Islands

Santorini missed, no compensation

 

Just our luck as I said earlier, anyone for cruising when we do!!!!