Heidi13

With almost 30 yrs in Command and others as a member of fire parties from my Cadet to Chief Officer days, my experience is significantly different. I recall a few issues resulting from the Baked Alaska parades, but no reportable injuries that were required to be entered in the log book. However, back in the 70's and 80's we experienced numerous, often minor fires, that were caused by careless smokers. Weekly fires, in the hotel areas, were not that uncommon on some cruises. Most were quickly extinguished with local equipment. However, I have also dealt with at least 2 bed fires resulting from smoking and those are extremely challenging to extinguish, and the occupants of said beds would not agree serious injuries are extremely rare. The potential for fire is still present, but on modern tonnage the frequency and even the severity is significantly reduced to to improved structural fire protection, improvement in materials which must meet enhanced Flag/Class type approvals, improved fixed and portable fire-fighting equipment and even improvements in crew training/communications. High fog systems are a huge enhancement, especially in machinery spaces. I have seen reports of fuel flashes being knocked down and extinguished in seconds, with no damage. Twenty to thirty years ago, it would have required shutting down the space and dumping CO2, with millions in damage and the potential for fire team injuries. Improvements in materials has also significantly assisted. The last few fires I experienced, in hotel areas, had no active flames. Only smouldering and lots of smoke, which is how the products performed at the type approval tests I observed. Many years ago, members of the fire teams experienced burns, as the protective equipment can lead to steam burns, if not donned correctly, or it moves during use. Again, based on my experience, I can't agree with your statement that shipboard fires almost never result in serious injury, especially back in the times when flaming baked alaska parades were common. Even with the technology improvements, engine room, galley and cargo fires still cause the total loss of some vessels, with the increased potential for a variety of crew injuries. Accepting some injuries have happened during baked alaska parades, I have never experienced the sounding of the crew alerts, suiting up fire parties and certainly not the total loss of a vessel. Back in 2006, the Star Princess fire resulted in 1 fatality and about 10 pax with smoke inhalation. Even the recent Carnival funnel fire resulted in 2 crew smoke inhalation injuries. A few months ago, I also recall reading of a fire aboard a small US cruise ship in the PNW that resulted in a crew member being hospitalised due to burns. Only a few days ago HAL lost 2 crew members, not through fire, but release of steam into a machinery space. You may not have experienced many fire related injuries to your hotel crew, but rest assured, unfortunately fire related injuries still happen, as is reported by P&I Club summaries.

I have booked a cruise on HAL based on the timing and itinerary. Although they were purchased by Carnival well before P&O Cruises, my hope is the Carnivalisation is not as significant as it was on P&O and Princess.

Conducting a detailed analysis of daily cruise costs on multiple cruise lines is virtually impossible due to the number of monetary and non-monetary variables. Unfortunately, as pax we do not have access to the information required for a detailed analysis by spreadsheet. Just a few of the factors you can't effectively spreadsheet include. Operational Costs The largest operational costs are fuel and crew costs, with cruise lines having innovative strategies to mitigate some of these costs. Clearly newer ships will be more efficient and have lower fuel costs, but time in port is also a huge factor in fuel costs. Cruise lines are reducing time in port to increase transit times, thereby lowering the speed and fuel consumption. Therefore, comparing not only the number of ports, but the hours in port is a key factor. Port costs, pilotage costs, tug costs are highly variable, so unless multiple cruises visit exactly the same ports, you do not have access to the information required for this component of the daily cost. For example, some ports require mandatory tugs, others do not. Pilot costs also vary significantly, and are not cheap. Maintenance Costs On Viking, we were extremely happy with the detail provided to maintaining the vessel. This is a significant cost, which some cruise lines cut to maintain an operational budget. Personally, I prefer well maintained ships, I have experienced those that aren't. Crew costs Smaller ships are at a disadvantage, as vessel operational positions, for example Master, Chief Engineer, watchkeeping officers, etc are mandatory, so small ships require the same number as the large RCI ships. Therefore, each of these positions costs more per pax on smaller ships with less pax. Without knowing crew costs it is impossible to conduct a detailed analysis. You also need to factor in the crew/pax ratio, as this significantly impacts the levels of pax service received onboard. Traditionally, when I started at sea, the ratio was 1:2 (crew/pax), but many cruise lines are now pushing that to 1:3. Viking have maintained the ratio at about 1:2, providing exceptional service onboard Crew remuneration is also a key factor, which as pax, we have no access to that information. However, Viking generally have one of the best, if not the best crew compensation, and terms & conditions of all cruise lines. This is reflected in their very high crew retention rate of over 94% (as of 2000). Happy, well paid crew generally provide better service. Cabins Comparing the square footage of a cabin is readily available, but in my experience, that is a small portion of the overall cabin experience. How useable is the cabin, is a significantly higher consideration for us, than the amount of space. On most cruise ships, the standing joke regarding the shower is you soap down the sides, nip in, complete a 360 and rinse to complete. The showers on Viking are huge. Heated decks in the bathrooms are also a great feature. Construction quality - how many cruise ships do pax complain about the door slammers and traffic in the alleyway. On some ships, when a door is slammed shut, cabins on both sides, for a number of cabins, vibrate. We never had that experience on Viking and we rarely heard any noise from the alleyway. Pax/Space Ratio Basically a measure of the vessel's available space per pax. Based on public information, this is determined by dividing the gross tonnage by number of pax. This can be impacted by ships which have the capacity for 3rd and 4th pax in cabins, so total pax count can be higher than the double occupancy count. You also need to consider how the ship is designed. Since we are not interested in a casino or sailing with children, the space on non-Viking ships with casinos and kids clubs is wasted space for us. Meals/Entertainment/Drinks All of these aspect of the hotel side are highly subjective. The quality of the meals is not just based on a cruise line's daily budget per pax, as the ship's management and specifically the Executive Chef can significantly impact the quality. Have been on a number of cruises where the Executive Chef changed mid-cruise and the quality of meals changed, some better, others not so much. The daily victuals cost per pax is a closely guarded secret, but it may not be the determining factor in meal quality. With respect to entertainment, I personally could not care about the cruise line's cost, provided they have music and shows I enjoy, and high quality lectures. Shore-ex Yes, the Viking included shore-ex are basic tours in most ports, but we also need to consider that cruise lines generally use the same vendors, and the tour quality is majorly impacted by the guide. How the cruise lines manage shore-ex vendors can also have a significant impact on overall tour quality. Does the cruise line complete regular audits on guides, to ensure a quality product? We found Viking are very diligent and found the general quality of the guides to be better than other cruise lines. Therefore, a basic tour with exceptional guide can be better than a longer tour with poor guide. When we selected Viking for our 2020 World Cruise, I spent 2 years on research, but didn't conduct an analysis on various cruise line's daily cost, due to the number of unknown variables. My focus was on initially creating our Statement of Requirements, including those that were mandatory and those that were preferred. I researched all the premium and luxury lines, comparing them to our SoR, creating a shortlist of Viking and Oceania. At this time, I also considered specific itineraries. Upon completion of the cruise, I completed a spreadsheet of all actual costs from door to door, comparing it on a per diem basis, to our 2015 World Cruise on Princess. The per diem costs were virtually the same, but the quality on Viking was considerably higher. Therefore, rather than creating a spreadsheet to compare per diem costs, may I suggest developing a detailed SoR and researching cruise lines that meet most of your needs. You can then select options, based on cost and perceived value.

If I consider it a high risk investment at $16, I sure as heck wouldn't be buying at $50. If it was in the $3 - 5 range, I might be tempted.

Finally something we can agree. Carnival's priority is shareholder returns over pax service. Problem is the shareholder still isn't seeing any returns. However, before they can increase profitability, they actually have to start making a profit, with the latest results still showing a loss.

If the quarter results were so positive, why is the ROI still negative?

Having witnessed the Carnivalisation of both P&O and Princess, once exceptional cruise lines I worked for and were ruined by Carnival, I tend to avoid all Carnival Brands. I also don't consider bribes of OBC when making investment decisions, regardless of how little money is involved.

Affirmative, steaming Eastbound, the ship's logbook will have the same day and date listed twice, as the cloxs are retarded 24 hrs. Steaming Westbound the cloxs are advanced 24 hrs, so they should show skipping an entire day.

I know why they stopped paying dividends, but they resumed operations about 2 yrs ago. and still aren't paying dividends. With respect to investments, risk = reward, so at this level of risk, I would be looking to double my money annually, if I was daft enough to buy their shares.

When dealing with binoculars with only a 32 mm objective lens, the "Exit Pupil" size becomes a potential issue, especially with higher magnifications. The "Exit Pupil" is the binocular's virtual aperture, which restricts the light entering the eye. Exit pupil is calculated by dividing the diameter of the objective lens by the magnification. In the case of 10x32 binoculars, the Exit Pupil is 3.2, which is well below the optimum level, unless using binoculars in bright conditions. A higher Exit Pupil is recommended, with 4 often considered the minimum, but personally, I prefer a minimum of 5, which is why I prefer 10x50 binoculars on cruise ships, which also have a wide field of view.

Not aware of any changes to the Coasting Trade Act, so when you disembarked in Victoria from a foreign-flagged cruise ship you were in contravention of Canada's Cabotage Laws, with the cruise line liable for a fine of up to $50,000. Perhaps the cruise line received a warning or fine. The Act does not consider that you are a Canadian citizen, it only considers the Flag State of the ship.

Affirmative, it has dropped from about 5.4 to 4.4, but still has considerable way to go before it is at a more acceptable risk. Last I checked they haven't paid dividends since 2020.

Been to both ports a number of times and Sydney is a vastly superior arrival/departure. Weather - probably a better chance of better weather on the Sydney to Vancouver than Vancouver to Tokyo. Cruise Line - Princess would be the lesser of the 2 evils, compared to NCL.

The debt to equity ratio is still extremely high at just under 4.5, making Carnival stock about the equivalent of junk bonds.

I wouldn't concur that the P&O tonnage is old. All ships were built this century and only 2 of them are over 15 yrs old. If you routinely stay in 4.5 star hotels, no mass market cruise line will provide a similar experience. That level of service requires a premium or luxury line, which tend to have smaller ships, with more space per pax, more crew per pax and higher quality meals. The luxury/premium ships are also more inclusive, so have a much higher base fare.

Similar to the PVSA it only considers the embarkation and disembarkation ports on the same ship. I doesn't consider whether it is a single or multiple cruises.

Spent 2 seasons cruising Alaska out of Vancouver, spending 8+ hrs per day looking out the Bridge windows. It doesn't matter which side of the ship you are on, as once you are clear of the Inside Passage, you are so far offshore you don't see much anyway.

The fine for US PVSA infractions do not just apply to mass market tonnage, they apply to every foreign flagged ship. It has nothing to do with ship size, all to do with the ship's Flag State.

Cruised these waters extensively, including 4 continuous months one year. While I haven't cruised with HAL, I have sailed these waters with P&O, Princess and Viking. 1). If you like sea days, I can't imagine you will get tired, especially as we consider 50 days a short cruise. Only issue for me is the multiple 23 hr days, not sufficient time to fit everything into the day. 2). I survived 4-months with exactly the same weekly menu, so i can't imagine getting tired after only 50 days with many more menu choices. 3). Depends on the ports 4). Can't comment 5). Since it is still TRS season in the South Pacific, from experience, you can encounter any type of weather. However, generally it is fairly hot. Once across the Equator and through the doldrums, you can experience the NE Trades, which create a good wind over the decks, since it is fwd of the beam. 6). Not sure of your age, but in my 20's, flights to/from Australia in Economy were easy. Now a little older, I wouldn't fly unless it was First or Business.

Mariners tend to have a more colourful description, and I believe the Chief already let it out the bad.

I expect Bahamas had inspectors onboard to commence the inspection and upon completion, they will have cleared the vessel to sail. If the equipment that failed is required for the operation of the vessel they will have acquired sufficient evidence, otherwise that equipment will not be used. Modern ships retain all the history in the Automated Information Systems, etc. so lots of information is available for the subsequent investigation. They will also review the maintenance records, which are again on a database. The ship's Flag State, which in this case is The Netherlands has a Marine Accident Investigation Branch, who is advised of reportable incidents. With fatalities, an investigation is automatic. Additional countries can request to assist, with the US NTSB often involved. The Bahamas will probably be involved, as could the deceased crew members countries. Depending on the number of British pax, the MAIB may also request to be involved. Regardless of the number of countries assisting, the lead investigators are the ship's Flag State. In addition, the ship's Classification Society and the Bahamas will also conduct investigations. The company, in accordance with their ISM, will conduct an in-house investigation to determine the root cause and all contributing factors, so the ships SMS can be updated to reduce the potential for another similar incident. The Dutch investigation is not to lay blame, but to determine the facts, root cause and contributing factors. They will also make recommendations. Here is a link to a recent investigation completed by Norway. This took just under 5 years to complete, so provides some insight into how thorough the investigations are completed after the fact. In this case, all deficiencies were corrected and the engines returned to normal operation before Inspectors even boarded the vessel https://www.nsia.no/Marine/Published-reports/2024-05

First question should be was it a crew alarm or the General Emergency Signal. Pax only need to listen for 1 signal on the alarms.

This is the type of post that is most counter-productive post incident. Assuming the Rolling Stones Lounge is many decks above the tank top, why would you assume the incidents are connected, especially with many hours in between. Do entertainment lounges have steam pipes in the deckhead? Fact 1 - The had an incident in an engineering space around 09:00, which is initially reported to involve steam. I have some thoughts regarding the cause, since I experienced a similar incident many years ago, but since it is not based on fact, will keep it to myself until the facts are posted. Fact 2 - Many hours later, a lounge is closed and water is dripping from the deckhead. This is actually a fairly common occurrence on cruise ships. While it is highly unlikely they are connected, only when the final investigation report is published will we know for certain. In the interim, this type of post does nothing but start potential rumours. You could have tagged the resident Chief Engineer, advising of the lounge incident and requesting his professional opinion on the potential cause.

They may focus on claims against shipping companies in the USA, but I highly doubt he is a specialised Admiralty or Maritime Lawyer.

Once you realise the L/A Management clowns speak with forked tongue, all their actions are easy to understand. Hence the reason, I am done with them.