Southendweather

Crikey, they must have the wind behind them and everyones washing being used like a sail ~ 20 knots...

She's been doing 19 knots, at the current rate with approaxiamtely 170nm there, she could make Malacca for 11am tomorrow 🤔

Thunder at Malacca, hence nearly 2 inches of rain in old money:

Keith (Southend)

18 minutes ago, Southendweather said:

Well Discovery left on time at 18:00 local time and is steaming ahead doing 13 knots atm. Using this calulator:

http://www.pilotfriend.com/pilot_resources/distance.htm

The 3rd calculator 'Speed from Distance and Time' it would need to do 18.9knots to reach Malacca (718 Nmiles) for 8am Wednesday.

 

Mmm, don't think it will make it until late afternoon.

 

Keith (Southend)

 

 

Currently doing 17 knots...

Keith (Southend)

Well Discovery left on time at 18:00 local time and is steaming ahead doing 13 knots atm. Using this calulator:

http://www.pilotfriend.com/pilot_resources/distance.htm

The 3rd calculator 'Speed from Distance and Time' it would need to do 18.9knots to reach Malacca (718 Nmiles) for 8am Wednesday.

Mmm, don't think it will make it until late afternoon.

Keith (Southend)

My latest weather reports for the 11th January 2020:

Keith (Southend)

10 hours ago, MrSilversurf said:

I see Vietnam ix on the menu. I wonder if Ban Gioc (Cao Bang) Falls will ever be on the Itinerary. You'll probably need sensible shoes and a helicopter, to get there 🙂

 

https://*****.com/w5qoqr2

 

 

 

 

I just searched on Google looks wonderful, unfortunate it's on the Chinese border region about the furthest point from where we are docked in Vietnam.

Keith (Southend)

6 hours ago, ekco said:

Oh no!  No internet for me for two whole weeks.  Heaven!  I’m on holiday.  Same goes for endless photos, remember the days when you had to choose carefully as you didn’t want to waste any of your 36 roll of film?  As long as I have downloaded films and music onto the iPad that’s enough.  Always follow the crew ashore as they know where the free WiFi is, watch out for groups of mainly men from the crew looking at their phones.  Now, anyone know about mosquitos during the day ashore?   Nearly time to start a new thread I think.

I understand what you're saying, but I love to keep my eye on the weather, not that I can do anything about it, my Wife keeps reminding me 😎🌡️⚡ Also because I have two different jobs at home I have time to 'browse' at leisure when away. The data I download and decode isn't something I can generally do out on the street plus unless we're having lunch or a drink somewhere that has WiFi we're trying to do as much as we can onshore.

Discovery has been doing a constant 12 knots today, although I think the distance with the day at sea works out that way.  😞

Keith (Southend)

7 hours ago, Margaret Rees said:

Yes we did board in Laem Chabang on Jan 9 .Yes I am using ships internet and yes £90 for 15 days use or 2400 mb.

The 8 hrs trip on Day 2 left ship at 6 am and the ship was due to leave at 4 so one hr better than we thought. Should get 2 days in Langakawi as well so feeling much better . Everything else really good so far.

Excellent, still the same as before. The good thing with the smaller ships is you tend to get a better service. P&O have three grades of internet package, but Marella are less restrictive. The 2400mb I find is enough for me for the two weeks and I use it both on my Netbook and alternate it with logging on to either our mobile phones to sent WhatsApp messages and pictures back home.

Checking my 'Three' mobile account I can also use my data allowance at Singapore & Vietnam, all other locations I must remember to switch mobile data roaming OFF. You normally get a text message as soon as you are in range of any Country to tell you your allowances.

Keith (Southend)

2 hours ago, ekco said:

Thanks for that Margaret, it’s a relief to see that you are getting more than expected.  Fingers crossed for us on the 31st, there are one or two trips we would really like to do but it wasn’t looking promising.  We will have to move line Usain Bolt when we board to see if we can book them.  It’s the terrible lack of communication that’s the problem but we are concentrating on what to pack now, is it very hot and humid?

Keith (Southend)

34 minutes ago, Pensioncruiser said:

Keith I hope you don't mind me saying but you are really into this at the moment, I do understand its very important but it's out of your hands, unfortunately, I am just hoping that it will not spoil what will be an amazing cruise, even though its not the one you booked. Please don't take this as a negative post as I am with you and all the cruisers on board as we have some friends on this week who are happy at the moment. 

Hopefully all goes well. 🤞

Don't worry, no it won't spoil it, I just sometimes get my teeth into the detail and try to unravel it, especially on these cold dull January days.

Discovery seems to have dissapeared off the face of the earth atm, hopefully it's in Sihanoukville/Cambodia.

Thanks Pensioncruiser, we're really looking forward to it, as it is also to part of me celebrating my 60th birthday, which is this Friday. Last cruise we went on was November 2018, so looking forward to getting away, but will miss the grandsons.

Keith (Southend)

40 minutes ago, ekco said:

Very interesting.  16 knots it is then.

I've added another column that is based on the time in my itinerary they leave port and dock at the next port, (SCHEDULED TIME), please check my calculations, but what is there problem, as I have seen them doing 19 knots some days over the last week?

Is it a case that by avoiding Ko Samui the don't have the work of using the Tenders! It's only the run back to Malacca that looks a bit tight.

Keith (Southend)

I put together a little spreadsheet, just for interest, to get an idea of what difference the speed the ship goes, as to how long it would take to cover the distances required. Just an estimate, but a few knots faster can make a lot of difference:

Data obtained using:

http://www.shiptraffic.net/2001/05/sea-distances-calculator.html

Keith (Southend)

22 minutes ago, ekco said:

Glad to hear Margaret’s experience, we’ll just have to wait until we are onboard to book other trips.  It’s the lack of communication that’s annoying, just tell the truth and we’ll deal with it.

I was just thinking that myself. I'll let you know if/when I get an email from TUI.

Keith (Southend)

15 minutes ago, Margaret Rees said:

We are on board now ! All good so far . Left Laem Chabang at 4 pm and able to do the Pattaya on your own trip that day . Some people even did Bangkok trips on Day 2 but left ship at 6 am . New Captain ,great attitude. Announced situation is better and we may get to Langkawi at 11 am on day 1 so they are selling trips for that day .

Hope this cheers some of you up ! 

Quick question Margaret. Are you using the ships Internet and if so how much is it now for two weeks, last time I went it was £90.

Thanks

Keith (Southend)

8 minutes ago, ekco said:

Customer service hopeless, half an hour on hold then told they don’t deal with cruises then another long hold to be met with a foreign person with poor English repeating a crib sheet mantra that the excursions online are the ones available.  All well and good but she couldn’t explain why there is an 8 hour trip on the second day in Bangkok when we are scheduled to leave at 15.00. Asked about passengers travelling mid-February to be told they will be informed if needed (when they get round to it then).  Like politicians, non-commital. Expect the worst and expect no help, they are passing the buck to the ship by which time we are captive prisoners. The trouble is that the link on the account page  for excursions just goes to the webpage which is not for cruises, going through an old link which we got off here might not be an up to date one. 

Yes, I never use the link on the account page just have this bookmarked:

https://www.marellaexcursionspassenger.tui.co.uk/login

I think it's a mix of the left hand doesn't know what the right hands doing, plus they hope they can fix problem but it's not completely in their control as to when they will have the parts to do it. Reading Margaret you may find you are being told the worse case scenario and once on board a few more options, sort of reverse psychology. Fingers crossed.

Keith (Southend)

4 minutes ago, Margaret Rees said:

We are on board now ! All good so far . Left Laem Chabang at 4 pm and able to do the Pattaya on your own trip that day . Some people even did Bangkok trips on Day 2 but left ship at 6 am . New Captain ,great attitude. Announced situation is better and we may get to Langkawi at 11 am on day 1 so they are selling trips for that day .

Hope this cheers some of you up ! 

Thank you Margaret for taking the time for updating, always good to get information from the 'bridge' so to speak. I assume you joined at Bangkok so your first week.

Keith (Southend)

11 minutes ago, ekco said:

Not one word have we had since that email, apart from the e-ticket that had the original itinerary on.  My OH is phoning this morning about the trips on the second day and will try to remember to ask about our ‘friends” ( you) who are travelling later in February and if they are affected.

It's basically down to if/when they can fix the transformer out there, maybe it's in the balance still whether they can.

I'm just wondering if my luck continues as we were part of the Cuban Fusion debacle  the end of 2018, but ended up the only one that had full time and an overnight stop in Havana.

I hope for you they fix earlier than expected and you get back a bit more than you currently have been told.

Keith (Southend)

13 hours ago, ekco said:

We fly into Langkawi from Manchester.  I just had a look at the excursions and thought at first that they had put them back on for day 8 but they don’t match up with my revised itinerary insomuch as we are revised to leave at 15.00 on day 8 which obviously wouldn’t allow time for the 8 hour trips, even though it is still saying ship in port previous day - 17.00.  What to do?  Not sure.

Ah the weekend:

Still mystified we've not heard anymore from TUI as we are under 5 weeks before departure. I think you said you were informed on the 20th December 2019 for your 31st January 2020 sailing (6 weeks).

Our Langkawi departure was originally 17:55 (27th Feb), then 18:10 and atm 17:25 (email 2nd January), so timewise not much difference. But looking at your revised itinerary compared to ours (as it stands atm) you miss Malacca:

14 Langkawi, Malaysia  18:00 23:59
15 Langkawi, Malaysia  00:00

This is taken from the email from TUI with revised flight time home sent on 2nd January 2020:

I notice some small time changes from my original itnerary, ironically originally we were leaving Malacca at 14:00 now it's 15:00 and arrive Langkawi 06:00 now 08:30.

We have reduced time at Sihanoukville/Cambodia was 07:00 - 21:00 now 09:30 - 19:00.

Oh well, still expecting bad news on this yet, but the later they leave it the more dissapointed I'll be.

Keith (Southend)

ecko, do you fly in/out of Bangkok, that could be the reason they've axed your excursions?

We still have Ko Somui listed for excursion:

Keith (Southend)

1 hour ago, ekco said:

Thanks for the update Chdg2.  We were looking forward to the ports they have missed off the itinerary.  Also not happy that the stop overnight for Bangkok does not have excursions listed for the second day to book online.  We wanted to do a chill out at Pattaya beach on the second day, 4.5 hours, but it is only listed for the day before and we have booked Bangkok by night for that day.  That’s another wasted day. Please let us know if they have put any excursions on for the second day, leaving port at 15.00.  Have you had your refund yet?

We still haven't been told anything has changed yet and we fly to Langkawi on the 13th Feb 2020, just those flight time changes, later getting in, about 6 hours, but not a lot of change flying home.

Just checked again and this is what is shown for the 2nd day at Bangkok, also all them available, not booked up:

Keith (Southend)

Keith (Southend)

33 minutes ago, ekco said:

Thanks for the update Chdg2.  We were looking forward to the ports they have missed off the itinerary.  Also not happy that the stop overnight for Bangkok does not have excursions listed for the second day to book online.  We wanted to do a chill out at Pattaya beach on the second day, 4.5 hours, but it is only listed for the day before and we have booked Bangkok by night for that day.  That’s another wasted day. Please let us know if they have put any excursions on for the second day, leaving port at 15.00.  Have you had your refund yet?

I was on an early this morning and noticed she had already left Port, so local time that would have been about 2pm.

Keith (Southend)

2 hours ago, brian1 said:

Hi,we're looking at a Vietnam and Ankor Wat land package combined with a cruise including Indonesia.Hopefully will be available later this year.Last 2 years in Italy,July and August have  endured heatwaves that even the locals struggle with.I grin and bear it,lol.Hope all goes well with the Marella far east cruises.We think the newer ships are better than P&O in many aspects.Cheers,Brian.

Yes we've done about 7 P&O cruises, but atm Marella do a proper All Inclusive and don't add the tips on, althoug I beleive P&O have stopped the latter. I just like to try and avoid coming home to another bill. Hope you get your package.

Latest weather readings:

Keith (Southend)

43 minutes ago, MrSilversurf said:

Discovery has 2 props . She has FIVE huge Wartsila Vasa 46B Diesel engines. These would power generators, which supply enough electricity to supply a town of 200,000 people. Typically for a ship of this size, 4 transformers would convert high voltage current to turn the 2 propeller shafts. I guess it's one of these that went kaput and has now been dismantled awaiting parts.

They'll probably re-install the repaired transformer overnight, so it shouldn't effect the revised schedules/itineraries. These transformers are huge at about 10 tons each. There are other additional transformers used for the Hotel side of ops.etc,. Discovery was Splendour of the Seas, here's a vid of it's sister ship Legend of the Seas, which uses the same 5 Vasa engines but dose not (sadly) show the transformers. The lady at 42 - 50 secs, is walking between 2 of these engines

 

Thanks for sharing that with us...

Keith (Southend)