NCL DAWN ENGINE PROBLEMS...Cause For Concern This Winter Season?!?

[Hamptonsailor]

Well,....after hearing a few weeks ago that the DAWN blew an Azipod Thruster, I became very concerned about whether she would dry-dock and repair before repositioning to Miami for her winter Southern Caribbean sailing itineraries. Today, we learned that she will NOT be dry-docking and under-going the Azipod repair before she heads south.

 

We are booked AGAIN on the DAWN for this January 28th in our first Penthouse experience and just received the notice today of NCL's "Revised Itinerary" due to the engine problems. Simply put,...we lose an hour of port time at a few ports of call to make up for the loss in speed.

 

***Has anyone had any experience sailing with a blown Azipod?

Any cause for concern where our comfort and enjoyment of the overall

trip is considered? :confused:

 

Appreciate any info or advice.

 

Thanks!

[Don Haynes]

Its not a blown bearing as much as its a misbehaving bearing. They have slowed the ship down a few knots until the bearing is replaced, probably with a dry dock. While azipods are new, bearings aren't. When a bearing vibrates more than they should, they nurse the bearing somewhat...

 

The other bearing in the other azipod isn't vibrating, so there is a good azipod. As long as its okay I wouldn't worry too much about the ship although she will lose some time as you are aware...

 

Its not as if she is the only ship with bearings problems with their azipods. Other ships with all of the cruise lines have had this problem before, currently, and most likely will have this problem in the future...

 

Azipods are more fuel efficient, and produce less movement than propellers. So many of the new ships have azipods, passengers notice propeller movement with the older ships especially at the stern of a ship...

[tbmrt]

Our scheduled cruise on the Dawn was cancelled the day before its scheduled departure on 11/29/09 due to engine problems.

 

I awoke in the wee hours the morning before our cruise was to leave and read on CC that the boat was without power in the sea. (Our plan was to drive to south FL that morning to stay overnight near the port.)

 

Of course, at that time no one knew whether or not our cruise would depart the next day.

 

So we started our 5 hour drive and enroute received a phone call from NCL saying that our cruise was cancelled!

 

I managed to get another cruise that left from FL a day later, but was extremely disappointed about the Dawn's cancellation. NCL did give us our $ back and a credit.

 

We met several couples on this substitute cruise who actually had been on the Dawn when it lost power and they told horror stories of no air, people sleeping on the decks, limited food choices, etc.

 

I still hope to cruise on the Dawn someday, but am still a bit skeptical after reading about more problems and remembering last year's fiasco.

 

 

Barbara

[CruisinMaterial]

tbmrt - The Dawn floating around without power was more to do with the power plant onboard than propulsion. The azipods were fine in that instance - it was something else onboard in the electrical area that was screwy that caused the ship to be without power. The azipods when they have some issues the ship must slow down so it does shave time off the ports to get the ship where it needs to be at the end of the cruise.

 

OP - I wouldn't worry about it. If you can adjust your schedule and accept the shortened times in port then you should have a great time irregardless of her propulsion problems. If the problems get worse then NCL might be forced to do a dry dock. The Jewel and Gem are both experiencing wear problems on their bearings and as a result are being dry docked in late November / early December. Both of these ships have to be at near max speed for their January itineraries which are 10 days and take them down to the Caribbean. This I think forced NCL's hand on the matter. An assessment of the Dawn's itinerary must have yielded NCL coming to the conclusion of a minimal impact on itineraries to warrant a drydock at this time.

[mlbcruiser]

Hmmm. It does seem like the Dawn is having more "issues" than would seem "normal". (And we will be on her soon!) Going more slowly is one thing. Being inside of a ship w/no a/c or air circulation is another, though. I bet there were a lot of people wishing they had booked a balcony when the a/c went out!) According to the last drydock, the next one (fall '11) seems a bit overlong in coming.

[RNPJN]

Well,....after hearing a few weeks ago that the DAWN blew an Azipod Thruster, I became very concerned about whether she would dry-dock and repair before repositioning to Miami for her winter Southern Caribbean sailing itineraries. Today, we learned that she will NOT be dry-docking and under-going the Azipod repair before she heads south.

 

We are booked AGAIN on the DAWN for this January 28th in our first Penthouse experience and just received the notice today of NCL's "Revised Itinerary" due to the engine problems. Simply put,...we lose an hour of port time at a few ports of call to make up for the loss in speed.

 

***Has anyone had any experience sailing with a blown Azipod?

Any cause for concern where our comfort and enjoyment of the overall

trip is considered? :confused:

 

Appreciate any info or advice.

 

Thanks!

We were on the Pearl a few years back with the same problem we didn't notice any difference we were at the aft I wouldn't be worried. We are on the Dawn at the end of Oct, I will let you know how it is

[luckycruzer]

my cruze isnt til Dec 3....that there are probs...yatta yatta..hopefully it will be fixed by then

[darrengs]

Now the Dawn also is also having Azipod issues, a few weeks ago it was an actual blown diesel electric generator. I was on the cruise and the Captain stated that a piston had blown through the side of the engine.

 

I personally do not have faith in the Dawn or her engine maintenance and most likely will not sail her again.

[koskoa]

I had a cruise booked for May 20th on the Dawn, I just received notice that the first three weeks in May have been cancelled because the Dawn will be dry docked. Hopefully they will get everything fixed in the three weeks they have. I was able to be rebooked on the 27th of May. Keeping my fingers crossed!

[iluv2go]

Our scheduled cruise on the Dawn was cancelled the day before its scheduled departure on 11/29/09 due to engine problems.

 

I awoke in the wee hours the morning before our cruise was to leave and read on CC that the boat was without power in the sea. (Our plan was to drive to south FL that morning to stay overnight near the port.)

 

Of course, at that time no one knew whether or not our cruise would depart the next day.

 

So we started our 5 hour drive and enroute received a phone call from NCL saying that our cruise was cancelled!

 

I managed to get another cruise that left from FL a day later, but was extremely disappointed about the Dawn's cancellation. NCL did give us our $ back and a credit.

 

We met several couples on this substitute cruise who actually had been on the Dawn when it lost power and they told horror stories of no air, people sleeping on the decks, limited food choices, etc.

 

I still hope to cruise on the Dawn someday, but am still a bit skeptical after reading about more problems and remembering last year's fiasco.

 

 

Barbara

 

Question is...how long did it take to get your money back and was the credit worth it?

[Don Haynes]

tbmrt - The Dawn floating around without power was more to do with the power plant onboard than propulsion. The azipods were fine in that instance - it was something else onboard in the electrical area that was screwy that caused the ship to be without power. The azipods when they have some issues the ship must slow down so it does shave time off the ports to get the ship where it needs to be at the end of the cruise.

 

OP - I wouldn't worry about it. If you can adjust your schedule and accept the shortened times in port then you should have a great time irregardless of her propulsion problems. If the problems get worse then NCL might be forced to do a dry dock. The Jewel and Gem are both experiencing wear problems on their bearings and as a result are being dry docked in late November / early December. Both of these ships have to be at near max speed for their January itineraries which are 10 days and take them down to the Caribbean. This I think forced NCL's hand on the matter. An assessment of the Dawn's itinerary must have yielded NCL coming to the conclusion of a minimal impact on itineraries to warrant a drydock at this time.

 

I believe it was a switchboard or an electrical generator last year, I don't recall exactly. But such problems have more to do with passengers bringing powerstrips aboard to provide more outlets for their electronic gadgets. When everyone does so, the ship is wired as if it were a Christmas tree. There is a limited amount of electrical power aboard a ship and there is a reason why the cruise lines provide one outlet. Its not like the ships can tap a land based power line...

 

At the moment Carnival is cracking down on electrical home gadgets. As more and more passengers bring more and more electrical gadgets aboard I expect more cruise lines to follow...

 

Gone are the days when passengers brought only electrical razors and hair dryers. Now they bring every conceivable battery chargers for laptops, blackberries, laptops, cell phones, video cameras, digital cameras, and iPods, not to mention dvd and cd players, and game consoles...

 

As I have noted before, we have met the enemy to discover its us... :eek::eek::eek:

[RNPJN]

Now the Dawn also is also having Azipod issues, a few weeks ago it was an actual blown diesel electric generator. I was on the cruise and the Captain stated that a piston had blown through the side of the engine.

 

I personally do not have faith in the Dawn or her engine maintenance and most likely will not sail her again.

I guess you will not sail any ship then! :rolleyes: All Cruise lines have had engine / azipod problems.:eek:

[coka]

I believe it was a switchboard or an electrical generator last year, I don't recall exactly. But such problems have more to do with passengers bringing powerstrips aboard to provide more outlets for their electronic gadgets. When everyone does so, the ship is wired as if it were a Christmas tree. There is a limited amount of electrical power aboard a ship and there is a reason why the cruise lines provide one outlet. Its not like the ships can tap a land based power line...

 

At the moment Carnival is cracking down on electrical home gadgets. As more and more passengers bring more and more electrical gadgets aboard I expect more cruise lines to follow...

 

Gone are the days when passengers brought only electrical razors and hair dryers. Now they bring every conceivable battery chargers for laptops, blackberries, laptops, cell phones, video cameras, digital cameras, and iPods, not to mention dvd and cd players, and game consoles...

 

As I have noted before, we have met the enemy to discover its us... :eek::eek::eek:

 

That is very useful information DonHaynes. I never thought about that.

 

coka

[C-Ya]

Hey Everyone,

 

My wife and I are booked on a November cruise on the Dawn.

 

First, I understand how someone without knowledge of "ships propulsion" would become concerned. I personally think that we have very little to be worried about, or NCL would be taking the problem more seriously. However, I cannot fault anyone on these boards, because these concerns are legitimate, and thank god for these boards, so that everyone can get the knowledge they need to make the future decisions based on the information they have gleened.

 

I personally am more worried about the airlines loosing my luggage, than NCL cancelling the cruise (humor)!

 

Second, I can't help but read the 2 threads that are going on about this problem and think to myself "hey...wouldn't it be nice if so many people cancelled their cruise, that the ship was only 50 percent or less full for our cruise" We would all be upgrded to suites! We could all get a lounge chair by the pool at 12:00 noon! Instead of "Freestyle", the slogan would be "No Waiting"! Just too go even futher into fantasy land.....NCL could asign each of us a private butler, with crew still left over! I could go on and on, but this could end up being a good thing.

 

Several years ago, I flew home from Hawaii with only 6 people on the flight. Needless to say, it was the best plane ride of my life!

 

So my main point is, that this may end up being a blessing in disguise!

 

On a humorous note, If we were to get down to 1 engine, I would like it to be the one that keeps the air conditioning ON, while we wait for AAA to give us a tow!

 

C-Ya

[luckycruzer]

as I am cruzin Dec 3, I eye scanned it, not thinking it would change anything, ,,just thought it was my pmt remender..allready paid...but it was more info, and I oops deleted it..anyone gotton the same email..2 of my party didnt. can you post it.if you got it....tx in advance lucky

[hesfireshes911]

We had the same misfortune some years ago on the NCL Wind. We lost and engine and had to totally miss one port in Hawaii. We also lost AC a couple of times and had a power outage while docked. It was my daughters honeymoon cruise (hey, they invited us). It totally ruined the trip and it was her husbands first cruise. So, here we go again...and you can't just cancel your cruise. NCL will only offer a credit if they cancel the cruise. I think I'm done with NCL.

[CeleBrat]

We are on the 10/22 Dawn sailing, which I believe is the first one of the Southern Caribbean season. Gulp!

 

I'll let you know how it goes. Here's to hoping their calculations aren't off, and it takes longer than expected to get to our islands!

 

CeleBrat

[iluv2go]

We are on the 10/22 Dawn sailing, which I believe is the first one of the Southern Caribbean season. Gulp!

 

I'll let you know how it goes. Here's to hoping their calculations aren't off, and it takes longer than expected to get to our islands!

 

CeleBrat

 

I'm board on Oct 31st - keep me posted!

[darrengs]

I guess you will not sail any ship then! :rolleyes: All Cruise lines have had engine / azipod problems.:eek:

 

 

Well you guess wrong.;)

 

The Dawn has had more issues than any other ship I have sailed on, besides the engine issues we constantly lost vacuum and our toilet wouldn't flush for hours at a time. And I didn't say I wouldn't cruise NCL again I said I wouldn't cruise on the Dawn again and believe it or not it is actually my choice even though it appears to bother you.

[darrengs]

I believe it was a switchboard or an electrical generator last year, I don't recall exactly. But such problems have more to do with passengers bringing powerstrips aboard to provide more outlets for their electronic gadgets. When everyone does so, the ship is wired as if it were a Christmas tree. There is a limited amount of electrical power aboard a ship and there is a reason why the cruise lines provide one outlet. Its not like the ships can tap a land based power line...

 

At the moment Carnival is cracking down on electrical home gadgets. As more and more passengers bring more and more electrical gadgets aboard I expect more cruise lines to follow...

 

Gone are the days when passengers brought only electrical razors and hair dryers. Now they bring every conceivable battery chargers for laptops, blackberries, laptops, cell phones, video cameras, digital cameras, and iPods, not to mention dvd and cd players, and game consoles...

 

As I have noted before, we have met the enemy to discover its us... :eek::eek::eek:

 

Interesting theory but I can't find anything online to back up or even suggest that this is why the Dawn lost power last year.

 

According to Carnival's website power strips are not banned but our listed under Miscellaneous Concerns:

"Electrical devices such as fans, power strips, multi plug box outlets/adaptors, and extension cords will be removed if determined to pose a hazard and returned the last day of the cruise prior to debark. "

 

Which I take to mean if they are in bad condition and may cause a hazard they would take them. BTW also listed under "Miscellaneous Concerns" are snorkel gear and golf clubs and you are allowed to bring them on you just can't snorkel in the pool, etc.

 

I do agree that there would be more of a drain on a ships electric due to the use of electronics but I am sure overloading of circuits are handled by circuit breakers and would not blow out the whole ships electric system. Most electronics such as game systems, phone chargers etc. use less than 2 watts each how many watts are used by the blow dryer, the lights, TV and fridge? It sure sounds far fetched to me.

[Pianoman6582]

OP - I wouldn't worry about it. If you can adjust your schedule and accept the shortened times in port then you should have a great time irregardless of her propulsion problems. If the problems get worse then NCL might be forced to do a dry dock. The Jewel and Gem are both experiencing wear problems on their bearings and as a result are being dry docked in late November / early December. Both of these ships have to be at near max speed for their January itineraries which are 10 days and take them down to the Caribbean. This I think forced NCL's hand on the matter. An assessment of the Dawn's itinerary must have yielded NCL coming to the conclusion of a minimal impact on itineraries to warrant a drydock at this time.

 

When My Lee and I were on the Jewel in August, the let us know that they were having an issue with the Azipods. They said the ship was still perfectly safe to run, but they were erring on the side of caution. I like the side of caution when it comes to cruising. Driving my car on the other hand.... But I digress. Other than slightly shortened Port Canaveral (an hour and a half late), we didn't notice anything different about this cruise compared to the 19 other cruises we've done (all with Norwegian).....

 

The crew wasn't walking around the ship wearing their life jackets. The life boats remained in their davits. The captain didn't spend all his time in the telegraph room asking the guys how far away the Carpathia was.... Anyway, as I said, they're just being cautious. Have a safe trip and enjoy your extra sea days....

 

And I thaNk YoU:

JWK: Dawnphile....

[david_sobe]

WOW

Thanks for this information. I was just looking at Dawn cruises in Feb and March. But now I will not book Dawn. This happened to Carival Destiny about a year ago. The engine was slowing and the cruise line did not want to cancel trips before dry dock so they kept going until one time at see, it only went off the coast of Florida and did not make the Jamaica or far away islands. It was a boat of angry people.

 

The Dawn is coming up on 10 years, she needs to be in dry dock soon. But I am not taking chances if they are already changing intineraries 4 months away.

Wont take that chance! Get it fixed NCL!

[pj-n-bob]

We did an entire cruise on the Pearl a couple years ago, with one azipod completely shut down. They did shorten one port by a few hours, but otherwise it was not noticeable to passengers at all.

 

We leave on the Dawn in 10 days...I'm not worried...and I'm still super excited! Now, if anyone wants to cancel, so I can get a chance at an upsell...go right ahead. ;)

[nanaj1]

Just came off the Dawn. The problems were not the engine as much as it was the time waiting to get off and going on the tenders. It took for EVER. It seemed that we were always late getting to our New England/Canada stops. She is a lovely ship. Did not enjoy the meals in the main dining room, but the specialty resteraunts were great.

[mainecooncat]

Well,....after hearing a few weeks ago that the DAWN blew an Azipod Thruster, I became very concerned about whether she would dry-dock and repair before repositioning to Miami for her winter Southern Caribbean sailing itineraries. Today, we learned that she will NOT be dry-docking and under-going the Azipod repair before she heads south.

 

We are booked AGAIN on the DAWN for this January 28th in our first Penthouse experience and just received the notice today of NCL's "Revised Itinerary" due to the engine problems. Simply put,...we lose an hour of port time at a few ports of call to make up for the loss in speed.

 

***Has anyone had any experience sailing with a blown Azipod?

Any cause for concern where our comfort and enjoyment of the overall

trip is considered? :confused:

 

Appreciate any info or advice.

 

Thanks!

 

 

We just got off the Jewel on Tuesday. The Jewel also has the wear in the thrust bearing on the ship's azipd propulsion system. We did not notice anything, matter-of-fact the first 8 days sailing it was as smooth as glass. The last 2 days got bumpy when the hurricane started coming up the coast. At the CC meet and greet with the captain he said there were no safety issues sailing with this problem, the ship just can't go as fast. Although a few times I noticed on the tv we were going 19 knots. Don't worry, go, enjoy and have a good time!