Is the noise normal?

[ging466]

A question for experienced cruisers:

 

I've noticed a few complaints lately regarding the noise when the ships hit bad weather.

 

On every cruise I've taken, if there has been bad weather, the ship is incredibly noisy...doors banging, things falling off shelves, lots of creaking and banging. I've always thought this to be normal.

 

Am I wrong?

 

Cheers

Jennifer (ging466)

[unfathomable]

Consider the French proverb Mieux vaut plier que rompre (It's better to bend than to break). Ships have a bit of flexibility for rough weather, and they creak when they flex. It's normal.

[Emtbsam]

On our recent trip to Tahiti, we encountered two days of Force 8 winds and seas. We noticed that there must be a protocol for bad weather since our flower arrangements and liquor bottles were put on the floor and our cameras which had been on the desk were stowed in a cabinet. Our bathroom door managed to stay open the whole time.

 

While there is the normal creaking from the ship bending, there is also an occasional bang. Captain Tatulli explained that the hull on the Shadow and Whisper is slightly more rounded towards the bow and that can occasional make the banging sound when it hits a wave a bit off. Apparently the Cloud and Wind have more pointed keel (you Navy guys please forgive the terminology) which minimizes that noise.

[newlondon]

I'm a Navy guy! I spent 3 years on an aircraft carrier and can tell you that noise in rough weather is totally normal. As previously stated ships flex and when large waves hit steel there are consequences ie. noise. I'm sure many have seen submarine movies, the reason they don't sink when a depth charge explodes nearby is because even steel has some give.

[cechase]

Jennifer, it is entirely normal as others have told you. It just varies considerably from vessel to vessel and how she is configured.

 

I spent two years on a Navy LST [landing ship tank] which because of its purpose has a flat bottom so the the ship can be beached to offload. As a result it has a much larger beam for its length, and is incredibly flexible.

 

Many times I was asst. officer of the deck while underway, and in heavy weather. It was not uncommon for our bow to bend to the right while the stern [where the conning station is located] twisted to the left. This was probably the worst that you might get in twisting, bending and making a racket for a ship.

 

Cruise ships have the means of countering the effects of bad weather and heavy seas, including large fins which can be extended to slow down the roll of the vessel as well as considerable electronic equipment to keep abreast of the weather and avoid bad weather if possible. Hope this helps.

[ging466]

Thankx for all the answers. I kinda thought it was the case so I was quite surprised reading reviews where people were whinging about the noise.

 

Cheers

Jennifer (ging466)