chengkp75

The "code" calls vary by cruise line. If RCI uses "oscar", then that would have been the announcement to crew. If the Captain then decides to hold a passenger muster, then sounding the "muster drill" alarm may not have been a good (IMHO) first choice, as this is actually the "fire and general emergency" alarm for the crew, so the entire crew would have stopped guest services and mustered at their emergency stations. I think an announcement for pax to proceed to their muster locations would have been a better first step (and it sounds like what happened), and if there was continuing uncertainty about a pax or crew whereabouts, then the "muster signal" should have been sounded to account for every soul onboard. This is a judgement call on the Captain's part, whether to try to account for everyone, without a full muster, or whether to call the muster as soon as an overboard is reported, and you can be damned if you do, or damned if you don't, when you factor in passenger services.

Wasn't even going to address that.

Again, the benefit of realistic training. Learning how to do it in a crowd, at a time when some may have been inebriated, or just not expecting it, is similar to doing it when you don't know your way around the ship. And, whether it is the e-muster or the traditional muster, it is done on the first day when no one knows their way around. Should you have to rely on your seapass card to tell you where to go in an emergency?

While everyone had to go to their stations on embarkation day, what I see as the fatal flaw of the e-muster is that it is not done "en masse", as it was for the real thing. The more realistic the training, the more it tends to stick. If people can't remember where their stations are after less than 7 days, that information isn't sticking.

It's funny. Hydrogen requires three times the volume as natural gas for the same energy, and even LNG requires more volume than conventional fuels. Due to it's low energy density, DNV in a recent study feels that pure hydrogen fuel will have virtually no role in the long haul maritime fuel market by 2050, being solely relegated to short sea (coastal) routes, if that. https://www.rechargenews.com/energy-transition/dnv-rules-out-pure-hydrogen-as-a-future-long-distance-shipping-fuel/2-1-1292932#:~:text=Pure hydrogen will not be,to maritime standards firm DNV. The last paragraph says it all: "And although DNV estimates that vessels powered by pure hydrogen and ammonia could be on the water within eight years — and currently there are three H2 vessels on order — “the lack of design guidance is complicating the building process for everyone involved”."

Food brought into Bermuda (i.e. off the ship) needs to be declared, and are mostly dutiable, so unless you plan to arrange for a customs agent to clear you off the ship, nothing will be allowed off the ship. I believe that most snacks that are available in the US are available in Bermuda, but more costly.

Not a good endorsement for the e-muster format.

Unless Southampton is different than most other ports around the world, shore power is more expensive than generating ship's own power. The reason ships hook up to shore power is because they are required to do so. The ship has had to spend a lot to get the shore power hookup installed on the ship, the port has had to spend a lot to get the infrastructure installed for the shore power (and they are going to pass the cost to the users - the ships), and then they can charge a premium for the actual power used, since it is mandatory.

The wire gauge is what determines the amperage that the wire can carry, and an appliance will draw 1/2 the amperage when operating on 220v than it does on 120v. So, the Italian floor lamp draws less current than a US one. The voltage rating on a cord depends on the insulation rating of the rubber/plastic insulation. That is why I don't recommend that a 120v 18awg extension cord be used on 220v. It most likely would carry the voltage without damage to the insulation, but it may not. The heavier insulation used on the 14awg "round wire" extension cord has more/better insulation.

In the case you pose, those are "necessities". Nothing that RCI offers for sale is anything other than a very optional purchase, that you are free to buy or not, and which will not affect your ability to live. Was the surge in used car prices "gouging"?

I have not followed this closely enough to know if an autopsy has been performed or not, by the Bahamas. They operate under the British model, where the Coroner may decide to hold an inquest without requiring an autopsy. So, no we don't know if the Bahamas invited the FBI or not, nor do we know much of the investigation or autopsy. And, as I said, if the act happened in Bahamian waters, then the US cannot investigate, whether invited or not, unless they feel it is terrorism related.

Again, it would depend on where the incident happened, whether in international waters or in the waters of some other country. And, the FBI can only investigate the crimes you mention, if they occurred in international waters. If it happens in the territorial waters of another country, the FBI is then limited to only investigating if invited by the local law enforcement agency, or the flag state.

Uh, no. First off, the FBI will only conduct an investigation in another country when invited to by the host country. Second, the jurisdiction in foreign countries only applies to terrorism acts, not homicides, robberies, or rapes. The US has claimed extra-territorial jurisdiction over certain (not all) crimes committed against US citizens, while in international waters.

So, when RCI uses "dynamic pricing" and the price of something goes up, everyone is up in arms, but when you score a price reduction on the fare because of the same "dynamic pricing" (lowering the price to increase demand), all you hear is crickets, except to brag on what a good deal you got.

For the FBI to search would require a warrant and reasonable cause, but for the ship's security to search for evidence, and then for that evidence to be admissible in a US court case, is a different matter. Provided that the search, on foreign property (the ship), by foreign law enforcement (the Captain is the legal representative of the flag state, and can delegate responsibilities to subordinates), can be admissible in US courts, if the search met the requirements of the flag state. You will see in several cruise lines' ticket contracts, that the passenger's cabin and belongings can be searched without the passenger's knowledge or consent.

Yes. Unless the pilot is intimately familiar with the ship's handling characteristics, garnered from many docking evolutions with that particular ship, using propulsion to enter a lock like this, and then using only ship's propulsion to try to stop is going to be problematic. While a Captain that has docked his ship hundreds of times, in many different environmental conditions, can "feel" for when to stop the forward propulsion, and when to reverse the engine, the pilot has only a general idea of how ships of that size handle, and relies heavily on the tugs (or the mules in the old locks), to provide a far quicker response than a ship's engine and propeller can. After all, that is what the tugs are there for. I've worked with Captains that were able to literally walk ships along the dock, a couple of feet per minute, and stop the ship exactly where it needs to be, simply by changing the propeller rpm one or two rpm at a time. But, as I say, this comes with a lengthy relationship with that particular ship, as even sister ships do not always maneuver exactly the same.

Apparently, the pilot decided to proceed without the after tug, which acts as the "brakes" when entering the lock.

Something like this type: https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Extension-Cord-feet-Black/dp/B075BMVZ2N/ref=sr_1_5?crid=WYXBPEQ6DW7O&keywords=extension+cord&nav_sdd=aps&qid=1678651217&refinements=p_36%3A1253528011&rnid=1243644011&s=hi&sprefix=exten&sr=1-5

It does not have to do with wattage, most curlers and straighteners draw a whole lot less wattage than hair dryers. The reports I've seen here on CC are about two types of products. One is Dyson products that use a lot of electronics in their appliances, and these don't seem to be amenable to shipboard circuitry. The other type are "ceramic" curlers and straighteners, and again, I believe it comes down to the electronics not being compatible with shipboard systems. Older appliances, with "resistance wire" heating elements tend to work fine.

What kind of extension cord is it? Is it the "flat" type of cord, like a lamp cord, with two prong outlets and plugs? If so, I would not use it for 220v. If it is the "round" type like you would use outdoors, even if it is rated for 120v, it should be fine for a relatively low current draw appliance like a CPAP when using it for 220v. When used at the higher voltage, the current draw is also halved, so this reduces heat load in the cord.

This was a propulsion problem with one of the ship's azipods. The current issue is with one of the ship's diesel engines, which is limiting power generation capacity, so there is less power to the azipods, so the ship goes slower. It would not require a drydock to repair, nor would it likely cause a complete cancellation of a cruise. This is a significant problem with the ships that have gone with only 4 diesel generators. If one of the larger diesels is taken out of service, for repair or maintenance, if the itinerary is not carefully determined, with regards to speed, then the itinerary can become impacted. The ships with 5 or 6 engines have more flexibility, and less impact from an engine being out of service.

The simple way to break the chain is to not eat anything with your fingers. If your hands are "contaminated" from the chair back, but you never touch the food with your hands, then the chain is broken. So, those french fries, or burger, or pizza gets cut up with knife and fork.

There are several "foodie tours" in Portland, if you google it. Here is one, I can't recommend it, since I have not done it, and it varies each tour: https://www.mainedayventures.com/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=GoogleMyBusiness

Yes, but these measures are not restricting tourism as a whole, but only cruising, which they feel does not provide sufficient benefit to offset it's detriments. They feel that other forms of tourism are better investments for their locales.

Enforcement of the PVSA (and Jones Act) falls to CBP.