QM2-notice any strange odors?

[We2Cruzers]

Hello,

I'm going to preface this by saying that we have been on the QM2 a few times and enjoyed our time onboard very much and are considering booking again...so I hope I won't get QM2 fans up in arms when I ask this - but here goes. On our last voyage we had strange sewage type odors coming up through the pipes in our bathroom. We reported this to our cabin steward who said he would clean everything well - but it never helped. We were perplexed but then figured out that there was an especially weird smell coming up through the shower drain. When covered with a wash cloth it helped.....

Just wondering how prevalent this might be - and what others did about it if it occurred.

Thanks for your feedback.

LK

[capnpugwash]

There are sometimes smells emanating from the plumbing, but I have never had any problems other than a slight smell and I find that it disappears if you run the water. I believe that the problem arises because there are no traps in the plumbimg, a bit like Italy and Spain.

[Salacia]

Hello,

I'm going to preface this by saying that we have been on the QM2 a few times and enjoyed our time onboard very much and are considering booking again...so I hope I won't get QM2 fans up in arms when I ask this - but here goes. On our last voyage we had strange sewage type odors coming up through the pipes in our bathroom. We reported this to our cabin steward who said he would clean everything well - but it never helped. We were perplexed but then figured out that there was an especially weird smell coming up through the shower drain. When covered with a wash cloth it helped.....

Just wondering how prevalent this might be - and what others did about it if it occurred.

Thanks for your feedback.

LK

 

Hi We2Cruisers. Yes, we also experienced a bad odor coming from the bathroom area intermittently in our cabin on Deck 11 last December. (I thought it might be coming from the air duct in the shower ceiling, but I wasn't sure where it came from - only that it filled the room with a nasty stench.) This happened on a few occasions during our voyage, until, late one night, the smell became so noxious that we had to prop open our balcony door for air.

The next morning we alerted our steward to the situation, and he said he would have it tended to immediately. When we returned from a port call later that day, the problem had been fixed. But my husband and I did notice a similiar noxious gas-like odor in other public areas of the ship on various occasions (again, it wasn't constant), and on the last day of the voyage I was talking to a woman who said she also noticed it. Other than that fellow passenger and our room steward, we didn't discuss the odor with anyone else until now - so I have no idea what caused the problem.

 

We've had 8 voyages on QM2, and last December was the only time we encountered problems with bad odors. I'm hoping it was just a one-off. May I ask were you on the ship recently? Was your cabin on Deck 11 too? Regards, -S.

[We2Cruzers]

Thanks Capn. And Salacia,thank you for your post and your honest reply

Nice to hear that your steward got the problem under control for you.

We were on deck 5 - midship, and it was in 2008. So it seems to be a hit or miss problem.

My husband and I were discussing possibly booking in another section of the ship in case the problem was with the plumbing line in the general area of our cabin. However, I guess it may not be the answer in terms of avoiding the problem altogether.

LK

[karl_nj]

Thanks Capn. And Salacia,thank you for your post and your honest reply

Nice to hear that your steward got the problem under control for you.

We were on deck 5 - midship, and it was in 2008. So it seems to be a hit or miss problem.

My husband and I were discussing possibly booking in another section of the ship in case the problem was with the plumbing line in the general area of our cabin. However, I guess it may not be the answer in terms of avoiding the problem altogether.

LK

 

Yes, I think it's very hit or miss. In January I had a bit of a smell in my bathroom. My mother was next door, and my in-laws were next to her, and their bathrooms had no odor.

[We2Cruzers]

Karl NJ, I was wondering what deck you were on and whether on the port or starboard side?

Thanks

[lord of the seas]

Yes, I think it's very hit or miss. In January I had a bit of a smell in my bathroom. My mother was next door, and my in-laws were next to her, and their bathrooms had no odor.

 

Have you thought about cutting down on your red meat intake?

[karl_nj]

Karl NJ, I was wondering what deck you were on and whether on the port or starboard side?

Thanks

 

Deck 4, midship, port side.

[2irisheyes]

This is not to do with QM2 so please forgive me. I noticed a smell as soon as I opened the bathroom door on Oceana. I mentioned it to the steward but he said he couldn't smell anything. I told him it smelled like wee. He said the previous occupants had been two older ladies and they were very clean. It was a bit barmy having the conversation with a complete stranger. He assured me everything was clean and would be cleaned further and sprayed. As the cruise continued the smell came and went. The steward gave me an explanation which I didn't really follow but the smell was there when in port and when sailing it disappeared. Sometimes it would be better if my sense of smell wasn't quite so good.

[QM2 fan]

We were on deck 9 in Sept last and had no issues with smells there, however, I walked the length and breadth of the ship and noticed very "toiletty" smells around decks 4/5 ...we have our own (albeit smaller)boat so recognised the boat-y plumbing smells....just a tad sewege-y....

[We2Cruzers]

So Decks 4 and 5 and deck 11 have been impacted at one time or another. So we will ponder our decision. Thanks for your feedback.

LK

[Salacia]

So Decks 4 and 5 and deck 11 have been impacted at one time or another. So we will ponder our decision. Thanks for your feedback.

LK

 

Hi We2Cruzers. Your question got me wondering, so I did an internet search using the phrase "gas smell on cruise ships". Apparently, while the causes vary, this is not an uncommon problem on cruise ships. It is something that can occasionaly happen on any ship with varying degrees of severity from just a slight bother to intolerable. I guess if we want to take ocean voyages, it is just one of the risks we take - but I'm quite satisfied with the action taken on QM2 to promptly fix the problem the one time it occured in my cabin. It certainly wouldn't dissuade me from sailing again on QM2, but it did reinforce my preference for balcony cabins :)

 

Cheers,

Salacia

[We2Cruzers]

You're right - sounds like it is the risk we take for these fantastic voyages, and it reinforces my already strong preference for balconies when we cruise....and cruise we will.

[keithm]

Hi We2Cruisers. Yes, we also experienced a bad odor coming from the bathroom area intermittently in our cabin on Deck 11 last December. (I thought it might be coming from the air duct in the shower ceiling, but I wasn't sure where it came from - only that it filled the room with a nasty stench.) This happened on a few occasions during our voyage, until, late one night, the smell became so noxious that we had to prop open our balcony door for air.

The next morning we alerted our steward to the situation, and he said he would have it tended to immediately. When we returned from a port call later that day, the problem had been fixed. But my husband and I did notice a similiar noxious gas-like odor in other public areas of the ship on various occasions (again, it wasn't constant), and on the last day of the voyage I was talking to a woman who said she also noticed it. Other than that fellow passenger and our room steward, we didn't discuss the odor with anyone else until now - so I have no idea what caused the problem.

 

We've had 8 voyages on QM2, and last December was the only time we encountered problems with bad odors. I'm hoping it was just a one-off. May I ask were you on the ship recently? Was your cabin on Deck 11 too? Regards, -S.

We noticed this sewage odor about 3 years back. It was most noticible in the public restrooms. We only noted it that one time. I wonder if the system just needs a good "flushing"(sorry)every so often.

[keithm]

Thanks Capn. And Salacia,thank you for your post and your honest reply

Nice to hear that your steward got the problem under control for you.

We were on deck 5 - midship, and it was in 2008. So it seems to be a hit or miss problem.

My husband and I were discussing possibly booking in another section of the ship in case the problem was with the plumbing line in the general area of our cabin. However, I guess it may not be the answer in terms of avoiding the problem altogether.

LK

I just responded to Salacia about that sewage smell we encountered. I remember it was on our 2008 trip. The smell was stonger in the public restrooms. We were in stateroom 5134. The smell was present, but not enough to cause us issues.

[CruiserTed]

It matters not which cabin or deck or ship: you will ocassionally encounter these smells because of the lack of traps in the drains.

[Griller]

I have just received a two page letter from Cunard regarding my complaint about black/brown sedimented water coming out of the shower and faucets in my QM2 bathroom at the end of last year, they say its quite normal and just occurrs because of tanks being changed over.

They must change the tanks over rather frequently is all I can say, it was on and off our entire voyage, not nice at all.

It was all over the ship, not just our cabin, from what other passengers said, and was covered here on CC at the time.

 

Plumbing is always a problem in old ships and houses , but you'd think with modern materials and so on that they could get it right in a newer ship like QM2.