Website for cruiseships showing "working" smoke stacks?

[Bimmer babe]

Some years ago, I had a balcony with no cabins across the corridor. To my dismay, we were across from a smoke stack and heard the engine noise the whole cruise. Some smoke stacks are there for show, to make the ship look symmetrical, but some are real. Looking at the deck plans just shows a blank area which may be for storage or a smoke stack. Does anyone know of a website that would show the real smoke stacks? TIA

[Pam in CA]

I've never been on a Princess ship and either smelled smoke or experienced it.

[paul929207]

Like Pam, I have never had this problem on my Princess cruises

[Bimmer babe]

Neither have I, but I don't know what else to call them--they transmit the engine sounds.

[dforeigner]

Neither have I, but I don't know what else to call them--they transmit the engine sounds.

 

Perhaps you are talking about the muffler looking thing? As far as I know, they do not transmit any sound. Have you ever walked on the top deck? Pretty quiet isn't?

 

[Times Prince]

We had a balcony cabin towards the stern (starboard side, aft of the aft elevators) of one of the Grand class ships where, due to a quirk in breeze patterns, smoke was brought from the stacks around and down to our balcony, making it unusable whilst those wind patterns were in place. I'm pretty sure we were in port at the time. When this was happening there was a strong petroleum smell on the balcony and we could see the smoke pattern curling it downward.

 

Normally one can see smoke trailing outward to sea from the cylindrical smoke stacks, weather permitting.

 

We typically get balcony cabins in the same general area and have only had a problem once.

[Bimmer babe]

That muffler thing could be it--looks like it is in a shaft. So my question is, is there a website to see if those shafts have any engine parts in them or are they empty? I just don't want to have a noise issue.

[dforeigner]

That muffler thing could be it--looks like it is in a shaft. So my question is, is there a website to see if those shafts have any engine parts in them or are they empty? I just don't want to have a noise issue.

 

You will not have a noise issue. You may feel some vibrations on certain parts of the ship. If you still think that there will be a noise issue, then simply book a room that is not near this particular area.

Those "shafts" have no engine parts in them. The only thing that goes through them is exhaust.

[runnerodb83]

That muffler thing could be it--looks like it is in a shaft. So my question is, is there a website to see if those shafts have any engine parts in them or are they empty? I just don't want to have a noise issue.

 

Not that I'm aware of, and good luck finding blueprints of the ships. I woudl suggest taking a printout of the deckplans for the entire ship, finding the funnel on the top deck, and move downward in the deck plans. It should become pretty clear where the venting machinery for the funnel is, especially on passenger decks where there will be a gap in cabins. For instance, looking at the crown princess it seems that most of the machinery is in the area near 600-700 number cabins on all decks. You are unlikely to hear or smell anything (we've stayed in E618 on the golden and never heard or smelled anything).

 

The disney ship shown in the photo has a "fake" forward funnel. In fact many ocean liners had fake funnels as well for stylistic symmetry, including the titanic.

[TucsonRick]

Some years ago, I had a balcony with no cabins across the corridor. To my dismay, we were across from a smoke stack and heard the engine noise the whole cruise.

I think you answered your own question in that newer, modern ships don't have this problem. They are powered by electric motors. I have not heard engine noise on a ship since my first cruise. That ship was built in 1975.

[Bimmer babe]

Thanks everyone for your input--I'll just stay clear of those empty areas.

[beg3yrs]

I think you answered your own question in that newer, modern ships don't have this problem. They are powered by electric motors. I have not heard engine noise on a ship since my first cruise. That ship was built in 1975.

 

Yes but the electricity for those motors does not come from a long extension cord or batteries, it comes from huge engines that run on bunker oil. Many of the Princess ships also have gas turbines in addition to the engines for additional "oomph" when required.

 

Both types of engines require exhaust stacks.

 

I'm not saying you'll have engine noise, just that there are still engines powered by oil-based fuels on all the ships.

[chengkp75]

Some years ago, I had a balcony with no cabins across the corridor. To my dismay, we were across from a smoke stack and heard the engine noise the whole cruise. Some smoke stacks are there for show, to make the ship look symmetrical, but some are real. Looking at the deck plans just shows a blank area which may be for storage or a smoke stack. Does anyone know of a website that would show the real smoke stacks? TIA

 

No, you won't find ships' blueprints available. "Engine noise" in those white areas of the published deck plans can be for anything, not just engine exhaust. The engine exhausts are insulated for temperature, but this also creates a sound insulation, so I don't think this is the cause of your noise. There can be A/C equipment rooms located in those blank areas of the passenger decks, and the fans will make a constant hum. Pool pumps and elevator machinery are other things that spring to mind as positioned in passenger decks.

 

However, ship noise is everywhere onboard. Any operating piece of equipment, from the smallest pump to the largest engine will make noise, and since the ship is steel, that noise/vibration (sound is after all just vibrating air molecules) will be transmitted throughout the ship. People's conversation, and the music around the ship tend to mask it during the day, but in the quiet hours of the night, you might hear it. Ship noise is subjective, some hear it, some don't (its there, just some tune it out better). I can tell you that after nearly 40 years as a ship's engineer, I don't hear ship noise until it becomes "different", then I know something is wrong.

 

You can use a "white noise" generator to drown the ship noise, or ear plugs. Some cabins are noisier than others, but it doesn't really have much to do with proximity to the engine exhaust.

[Times Prince]

We regularly cruise in cabins in the 600-700 range and have never had any issue with engine noise.

 

The only noise issues we've ever had were when we had a OV cabin adjacent to a tender, which is lowered at ports needing tender access.

 

No noise issues ANYPLACE else on the Princess ships we've travelled on.

[Pam in CA]

Yes but the electricity for those motors does not come from a long extension cord or batteries, it comes from huge engines that run on bunker oil. Many of the Princess ships also have gas turbines in addition to the engines for additional "oomph" when required.

 

Both types of engines require exhaust stacks.

 

I'm not saying you'll have engine noise, just that there are still engines powered by oil-based fuels on all the ships.

The ships with a gas turbine engine have those "jet engine" decorations at the top of the ship. The gas turbine engine is actually located behind the SeaWitch stack at the top of the ship. It's rarely used and it's very expensive to run. I was on the Coral once when we were asked to assist with a search and rescue. They used all engines at full power to get to the location and man, we were flying! I went out to the front of the ship and was blown back against the bulkhead.

[chengkp75]

The ships with a gas turbine engine have those "jet engine" decorations at the top of the ship. The gas turbine engine is actually located behind the SeaWitch stack at the top of the ship. It's rarely used and it's very expensive to run. I was on the Coral once when we were asked to assist with a search and rescue. They used all engines at full power to get to the location and man, we were flying! I went out to the front of the ship and was blown back against the bulkhead.

 

Some ships, a Celebrity class and maybe others, have gas turbines in the engine rooms, and use them as primary source of electricity generation. As you say, they are quite expensive, since they burn the higher priced diesel fuel. Those that have a gas turbine in the stack, had them fitted to comply with emissions requirements while at the dock in California (and a feared implementation of same requirements in Alaska that didn't happen). But, with any power generating plant, the diesels and gas turbines all generate electrical power to the same bus (grid) and is used wherever needed onboard.