Who's allowed out on the helicopter pad?

[judyfssw]

Looking at the bridgcams, I sometimes see people watching an approach from the bow of the ship on the helicopter pad. Who are allowed out there and why?:confused: :confused: :confused:

[Bruin Steve]

When we did Alaska on the Summit last July, they allowed passengers out onto the Helipad to view Hubbard Glacier...To my knowledge, this is the ONLY time passengers are allowed there...

Anyone else you see out there are probably crew...

[LSilver]

They are also sometimes allowed there, at the Captain's discretion, when transiting the Panama Canal.

[judyfssw]

Are all of the passengers allowed out there at the Hubbard Glacier?

[UnitedFlyer]

Yes as long as they do not require a wheelchair.

[judyfssw]

Thank you for this information. I'll look into it for our Alaska cruise

[Bruin Steve]

Bring something WARM to wear...We were there in July...the temperatures were in the 80s ...it was nice and warm everywhere...EXCEPT for two times when I really needed long pants and a jacket:

When we did a helicopter glacier landing out of Juneau...

And when we were out on deck viewing Hubbard Glacier...brrrrrr....

[Ericknow32]

When I was in Alaska onboard the Summit I noticed on the T.V. that there were a lot of people on the heli. pad. I asked a crew member if and how to get out there and he told me and a group of other people how to get there. When we got to the base of the heli pad we were scolded for being out there and we were told to get back into the passenger area.

 

They should have made them like RCCL's Radiance class and Voyager class ships. People are alowed to go out there.

[garykool81]

The primary reason that the bow is blocked while at sea, aboard ANY cruise ship, is safety concerns. I can tell you first hand that the winds that section of the ship experiences while out in the open waters are strong enough to literally throw small person/child overboard if they lose their footing.

 

Would it likely happen? No...but it could, and that is the concern.

 

Add that to the morons who would re-enact scenes from Titanic, and you have plenty of good reasons to block it.

 

:-)

[Ericknow32]

The primary reason that the bow is blocked while at sea, aboard ANY cruise ship, is safety concerns. I can tell you first hand that the winds that section of the ship experiences while out in the open waters are strong enough to literally throw small person/child overboard if they lose their footing.

 

Would it likely happen? No...but it could, and that is the concern.

 

Add that to the morons who would re-enact scenes from Titanic, and you have plenty of good reasons to block it.

 

:-)

It's not blocked on all cruise ships. Like I said RCCL's Radiance and Voyager class ships have open heli pads. I have been on them while at sea.

[garykool81]

It's not blocked on all cruise ships. Like I said RCCL's Radiance and Voyager class ships have open heli pads. I have been on them while at sea.

 

No kiddin? Everyone I've talked to has told me they are open only during sail-away and sailing into ports, then closed off during time at sea? That was definitely the case aboard the ships I've been on where the captains have been nice enough to open the bow.

 

After going out once on the bow while in the open water, I'd never want to do it again....I've never felt such wind outside of being in a very, very bad storm LOL.

[morriscats]

Hey Gary,

 

How was the Milly compared to Mercury - I know you liked Mercury as we did on our October cruise to Mexico. We are doing Infinity in Oct. and can't wait to experience another X ship.

Say hi to Ian.

Karen

[TPKeller]

The helipad on the Explorer was one of my favorite places on the ship. It was open every time I wanted to go there, day or night. I don't know if it was open 24/7 during the cruise. I was told that the only time they closed it was when the wind speed across the deck exceeded 40 knots, which would pretty much only be if the ship were headed straight into a wind of 20 or more knots.

 

The area was definitely designed for passengers to be there, with ample railing and several benches for people to sit on. It was a favorite spot at night, since being in front of the bridge, it had to be kept completely dark, which allowed for great star watching.

 

The fact that this spot is available to passengers is a very big factor in my choice for future cruises. Celebrity should take heed. My biggest gripe with Century was that there were absolutely no dark places from which to see the sky, which is a very big shame since the majority of cruise passengers will never be in a place as dark as the middle of the ocean, and may never have such an opportunity to see what the night sky really looks like.

 

Theron

[garykool81]

How was the Milly compared to Mercury - I know you liked Mercury as we did on our October cruise to Mexico.

 

Believe it or not, the group we went with decided that we all liked Mercury just a tad better, but it was a VERY close call. In the end, we thought Mercury was just a tad more cozy and warm feeling with the way she is decorated, etc.

 

Both ships are great, though. The alternative dining restaurant aboard Millennium was amazing and something I'd looked forward to for months (The Olympic Restaurant). The main dining room was a tad "neater" looking than the one aboard Century-class ships. We didn't like the Grand Foyer as much, though, and missed some things that were offered aboard Mercury such as the singing pianist, string quartets at dinner (they only played one night on Millie), etc.

 

I am sure you will have a blast, though. They are all beautiful ships.

 

I took a number of photos you can see here:

 

http://www.cruise-addicts.com/photogallery/main.php?g2_view=slideshow:Slideshow&g2_itemId=57566

[newhips]

Hi Gary - just came on your post which mentioned you cruised the Mercury to Mexico last Oct. We doing the 11 day out of San Diego on 10-31-05 and I wondered if you had done a review of your cruise or had picts of the Mercury like those you took on the Millie (it's our first cruise on Celebrity) - If you do, could you send me a link to either one at newhips@earthlink.net

 

Thanks - Looking forward to hearing if you have any info.

 

Bob

 

No kiddin? Everyone I've talked to has told me they are open only during sail-away and sailing into ports, then closed off during time at sea? That was definitely the case aboard the ships I've been on where the captains have been nice enough to open the bow.

 

After going out once on the bow while in the open water, I'd never want to do it again....I've never felt such wind outside of being in a very, very bad storm LOL.

[garykool81]

Bob -- Just emailed you the review/photos. Enjoy!

[morriscats]

Thanks Gary, the pictures were just as beautiful as the ones you took of Mercury. How you escape being hired to to professional pictures for these cruise lines is amazing to me. Have you ever sent them to the different cruise lines? I know how you feel about Mercury - we love her and has been our favorite, although we have a good time on any ship we are on. We were thinking about going again on Mercury from S.F. to Mexico as it is just so close to us - why waste it?