Allure and propulsion problems.

[playingpossum]

Hopefully Royal Caribbean lets us know what they intend on doing with the drydock situation. I am sure it will affect many people regardless of what they do but they need to make a decision and not put it off just in case there is a problem with another pod. It is the busy time of year for bookings so maybe that is why they are keeping it as quiet as possible. We were considering the Oasis after her dry dock next year but we won't be booking until all this is all sorted out.

 

We are still really looking forward to the allure in a few weeks time and won't fret loosing a few hours of port time. It only caused us to not pre-book any excursions and we can live with that. This will be our first time on a super mega ship so the ship is our destination.:) If we get to do our original planned excursion in St Thomas then that is a bonus.

[CleveRocks]

And some of you guys mocked my waiter source. :p:p:p

[ButterBeanMcGee]

Seems to me that if they keep running the Allure on two pods, which was designed to run on three, that it would put a lot more strain on the two left running maybe increasing the possibility of one of those having issues. Anyway just a thought, not a ship engineer. :)

 

 

Exactly what I was thinking too!

[A&L_Ont]

And some of you guys mocked my waiter source. :p:p:p

 

Sounds like they have inside track of knowledge:p.

[bilyclub]

I like to book my own stuff, except for the cruise fare which I just recently started to use an online agency for the perks. I have already used miles for the roundtrip down to Florida. This has gotten my scared to book rooms and cars because I like to use Priceline or Hotwire. Wish they would get this over with. It's been 5 or 6 weeks since they knew there was a problem. Can't plan with this much uncertainty in the air.

[castlebride14]

Hey guys, i have been keeping a eye on this thread as we are planning honeymoon on the allure next feb 2014. We are doing the western cruise however and excuse my stupidity but is it only affecting the eastern cruise?

 

Feeling worried - do we need to re-plan the honeymoon? :confused::(

[Ken076]

Hey guys, i have been keeping a eye on this thread as we are planning honeymoon on the allure next feb 2014. We are doing the western cruise however and excuse my stupidity but is it only affecting the eastern cruise?

 

Feeling worried - do we need to re-plan the honeymoon? :confused::(

 

The speed issue is affecting only the Eastern Itineraries - I'd be more concerned that if they don'e switch drydocks (that would be late Sept 2014 for Allure they might schedule an earlier "drydock" specifically for the propulsion problem, which could impact you. You might consider switching to Oasis? We're 02 Feb 2014 Eastern itinerary. ken

Edited November 12, 2013 by Ken076

[chengkp75]

Seems to me that if they keep running the Allure on two pods, which was designed to run on three, that it would put a lot more strain on the two left running maybe increasing the possibility of one of those having issues. Anyway just a thought, not a ship engineer. :)

 

The horsepower required to move a ship varies exponentially with the speed, meaning that the last 3 knots of speed (from 16 to 19 knots, for example) requires nearly as much power as it does to get to 16 knots. Therefore, two pods will get you 16-17 knots, within the ship's design parameters. A three pod ship generally does not run all three pods unless needed. It is more efficient to run two pods at full power than three pods at reduced power. So, if the itinerary does not require "full speed", the ship will shut down one pod (generally the center one).

[castlebride14]

thanks ken, we will have to look further at this as our wedding isnt until 14th feb and all our flights are booked etc. Had planned vegas from 18th - 22nd, fly to fort laurd, cruise sunday to sunday and then home from fort laurderdale.

 

So we have a pretty narrow window for cruising.

 

Have been so excited for our first cruise. wonder how far ahead they will tell us?

[Ken076]

thanks ken, we will have to look further at this as our wedding isnt until 14th feb and all our flights are booked etc. Had planned vegas from 18th - 22nd, fly to fort laurd, cruise sunday to sunday and then home from fort laurderdale.

 

So we have a pretty narrow window for cruising.

 

Have been so excited for our first cruise. wonder how far ahead they will tell us?

 

Hard to tell - I'd give it a few more weeks before panic. If RCI cancels you they might pay for airfare change fees - Carnival has been known to do this. For back-up you might be checking into what other 7-day cruises, Sunday to sundaycruises are available at FLL (or Miami - not really that far a commute).

 

Did your party puerchase ANY kind of Travel Insurance? Do the Credit Cards used to pay for the cruise have any (even minimal) Travel Insurance benefits?

 

ken

Edited November 12, 2013 by Ken076

[UNV-IT!!!]

I'm doing the oasis transatlantic back from dry dock. I wouldn't mind if they switch it to allure.

[fsjosh]

WOW! I have a honeymoon cruise booked on Allure for November 16th 2014. If they swap it into Oasis's drydock slot, I'm going to be nervous, but excited. I know Oasis is currently slotted to be back in normal service a couple weeks before that, so it shouldn't be a problem as long as they stick to the same dates.

 

My biggest concern I guess(besides a drydock delay leading to our cruise being scrapped) would be if it changed the itineraries around. We picked the wedding date specifically for the western swing. Does anyone know how they handle swings on boats when they do drydock? Do they usually end up back on the same swing(west/east) as they would if they never left, or does it vary? Oasis appears to be slated to hit its same rotation when returning, but I didn't know if that was standard procedure.

 

In case anyone is curious, Oasis isn't an option for us as we have a Saturday Evening wedding and need the Sunday-Sunday cruise. I know this is probably an unprecedented situation, but whats people thoughts on how long till we see an announcement if this were to happen?

 

But other than that, how freaking awesome would it be to be on Allure a few weeks after a refit. :-))))))

[Tiggercat]

We are sailing in a couple of weeks and I am concerned about private excursions that our group has made in Nassau. I wrote them saying that if they know times will change, please let us know now so that we can make changes ahead of time. This is the response that I got:

 

There has been some changes to the itinerary on two sailings but out Marine

and Deployment teams are working together to minimize any lost in port

time. We should have more information before your group sails and hope to

make an announcement to all of our travel partners once a final decision is

reached

[Ken076]

We are sailing in a couple of weeks and I am concerned about private excursions that our group has made in Nassau. I wrote them saying that if they know times will change, please let us know now so that we can make changes ahead of time. This is the response that I got:

 

There has been some changes to the itinerary on two sailings but out Marine

and Deployment teams are working together to minimize any lost in port

time. We should have more information before your group sails and hope to

make an announcement to all of our travel partners once a final decision is

reached

 

So far it looks like consistent on-time Nassau arrival and 1-Hour earlier Nassau departure (and therefore 1-hour earlier all-aboard time). Maybe you should contact your private excursion operators to see if they can work with this probability? ken

[reney313]

Hard to tell - I'd give it a few more weeks before panic. If RCI cancels you they might pay for airfare change fees - Carnival has been known to do this. For back-up you might be checking into what other 7-day cruises, Sunday to sundaycruises are available at FLL (or Miami - not really that far a commute).

 

Did your party puerchase ANY kind of Travel Insurance? Do the Credit Cards used to pay for the cruise have any (even minimal) Travel Insurance benefits?

 

ken

 

Our flights are scheduled in on Saturday and out the following Sunday evening. We don't arrive early enough Saturday to find a Saturday cruise. If, for some reason, they decide to dry dock sooner than later and our January cruise is affected, then I am hoping to jump on a different Sunday cruise. Right now the Royal Princess looks like the best option (and it's a new ship!). It's not the Allure by any means, but would still provide the cruise we want to the same destinations (Princess Cays instead of Nassau, which is fine by me).

 

I am looking at those Plan B options just in case. Hopefully won't have to enact my contingency plan, but worthy having those decisions thought out in just case. If they do cancel any sailings, I suspect that those ships sailing the same time will be getting very full very quickly.

[Ken076]

Our flights are scheduled in on Saturday and out the following Sunday evening. We don't arrive early enough Saturday to find a Saturday cruise. If, for some reason, they decide to dry dock sooner than later and our January cruise is affected, then I am hoping to jump on a different Sunday cruise. Right now the Royal Princess looks like the best option (and it's a new ship!). It's not the Allure by any means, but would still provide the cruise we want to the same destinations (Princess Cays instead of Nassau, which is fine by me).

 

I am looking at those Plan B options just in case. Hopefully won't have to enact my contingency plan, but worthy having those decisions thought out in just case. If they do cancel any sailings, I suspect that those ships sailing the same time will be getting very full very quickly.

 

Read the reviews and such for the Royal Princess - there seems to be widespread sentiment that it's not as great as intended - a group of our neighbors just got off and weren't very complimentary. There should be several Sunday-to-Sunday cruises out of FLL and Miami, across several decent cruiselines. ken

[bilyclub]

All this drydock talk reminded of the Sovereign drydock. The Freeport drydock would not let the Sovereign go without some more cash. The VP from Royal stormed off the ship and went toe to toe with the head of the facility to get the ship released. Too bad the show is off YouTube.

[bilyclub]

If CC wants the most up to date news or rumors about the Allure they should check here first.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5611

[bilyclub]

Interesting fact, Quantum will only have two azipods according to this article:

 

http://gcaptain.com/royal-caribbean-orders-azipods/

[Suzyq52]

I'm on the Allure now. We left Bahamas at 12:30, and arrived in St. Thomas at 11:00 am only one hour later than itinerary.

[giusri]

This is a good news !

 

Inviato dal mio GT-I9505 utilizzando Tapatalk

[tinkerme1]

Here is what you are looking for:

 

"Royal Caribbean Announces Allure of the Seas Will Undergo Repairs in February 2014

MIAMI, Nov. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Caribbean International announced today that a mechanical issue has made it necessary to perform unscheduled repairs to Allure of the Seas. The repairs will take place at Grand Bahama Shipyard, in Freeport, Bahamas, the week of February 24, 2014. As a result, it will be necessary to cancel the February 23, 2014, sailing of Allure of the Seas.

 

"We sincerely regret that we will be unable to deliver the Royal Caribbean cruise vacation that our guests were looking forward to," said Adam Goldstein, president and chief executive officer, Royal Caribbean International. "We understand that our guests' vacation time is very precious and can assure you that we did not take this decision lightly. But it was very important to us that we bring Allure back up to speed so that she could continue to deliver the amazing cruise vacations our guests expect."

 

Allure of the Seas has been experiencing unanticipated bearing wear in one of its three propulsion motors. All three motors are fully operational, and there is no impact on the maneuverability of the ship or on the safety of guests and crew. However, since the rate of bearing wear is directly related to ship speed, the ship's top speed has been limited. This has reduced the rate of bearing wear, and will ensure that all three propulsion motors are fully available for maneuvering and emergencies until repairs can be completed.

 

"While Allure could have continued to sail at a reduced rate of speed, we felt it was important to fix the problem as soon as possible," said William D. Baumgartner, senior vice president of Marine Operations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We explored numerous repair options. Unfortunately, there was no satisfactory solution that did not involve taking the ship temporarily out of service."

 

The company said guests currently booked on the February 23, 2014, sailing of Allure of the Seas will receive a full, 100 percent refund, or the option to sail on select itineraries at the same rate.

 

Additionally, until the repairs can be made, it will be necessary to make minor adjustments to Allure of the Seas' eastern Caribbean itineraries. Allure of the Seas will now call on Nassau, Bahamas, from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and on Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is no need to modify Allure of the Seas' western Caribbean itineraries."

[emmy]

Here is what you are looking for:

 

"Royal Caribbean Announces Allure of the Seas Will Undergo Repairs in February 2014

MIAMI, Nov. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Caribbean International announced today that a mechanical issue has made it necessary to perform unscheduled repairs to Allure of the Seas. The repairs will take place at Grand Bahama Shipyard, in Freeport, Bahamas, the week of February 24, 2014. As a result, it will be necessary to cancel the February 23, 2014, sailing of Allure of the Seas.

 

"We sincerely regret that we will be unable to deliver the Royal Caribbean cruise vacation that our guests were looking forward to," said Adam Goldstein, president and chief executive officer, Royal Caribbean International. "We understand that our guests' vacation time is very precious and can assure you that we did not take this decision lightly. But it was very important to us that we bring Allure back up to speed so that she could continue to deliver the amazing cruise vacations our guests expect."

 

Allure of the Seas has been experiencing unanticipated bearing wear in one of its three propulsion motors. All three motors are fully operational, and there is no impact on the maneuverability of the ship or on the safety of guests and crew. However, since the rate of bearing wear is directly related to ship speed, the ship's top speed has been limited. This has reduced the rate of bearing wear, and will ensure that all three propulsion motors are fully available for maneuvering and emergencies until repairs can be completed.

 

"While Allure could have continued to sail at a reduced rate of speed, we felt it was important to fix the problem as soon as possible," said William D. Baumgartner, senior vice president of Marine Operations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We explored numerous repair options. Unfortunately, there was no satisfactory solution that did not involve taking the ship temporarily out of service."

 

The company said guests currently booked on the February 23, 2014, sailing of Allure of the Seas will receive a full, 100 percent refund, or the option to sail on select itineraries at the same rate.

 

Additionally, until the repairs can be made, it will be necessary to make minor adjustments to Allure of the Seas' eastern Caribbean itineraries. Allure of the Seas will now call on Nassau, Bahamas, from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and on Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is no need to modify Allure of the Seas' western Caribbean itineraries."

 

 

Thank you for posting :) :)

[bgoff60]

Here is what you are looking for:

 

"Royal Caribbean Announces Allure of the Seas Will Undergo Repairs in February 2014

MIAMI, Nov. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Caribbean International announced today that a mechanical issue has made it necessary to perform unscheduled repairs to Allure of the Seas. The repairs will take place at Grand Bahama Shipyard, in Freeport, Bahamas, the week of February 24, 2014. As a result, it will be necessary to cancel the February 23, 2014, sailing of Allure of the Seas.

 

"We sincerely regret that we will be unable to deliver the Royal Caribbean cruise vacation that our guests were looking forward to," said Adam Goldstein, president and chief executive officer, Royal Caribbean International. "We understand that our guests' vacation time is very precious and can assure you that we did not take this decision lightly. But it was very important to us that we bring Allure back up to speed so that she could continue to deliver the amazing cruise vacations our guests expect."

 

Allure of the Seas has been experiencing unanticipated bearing wear in one of its three propulsion motors. All three motors are fully operational, and there is no impact on the maneuverability of the ship or on the safety of guests and crew. However, since the rate of bearing wear is directly related to ship speed, the ship's top speed has been limited. This has reduced the rate of bearing wear, and will ensure that all three propulsion motors are fully available for maneuvering and emergencies until repairs can be completed.

 

"While Allure could have continued to sail at a reduced rate of speed, we felt it was important to fix the problem as soon as possible," said William D. Baumgartner, senior vice president of Marine Operations, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "We explored numerous repair options. Unfortunately, there was no satisfactory solution that did not involve taking the ship temporarily out of service."

 

The company said guests currently booked on the February 23, 2014, sailing of Allure of the Seas will receive a full, 100 percent refund, or the option to sail on select itineraries at the same rate.

 

Additionally, until the repairs can be made, it will be necessary to make minor adjustments to Allure of the Seas' eastern Caribbean itineraries. Allure of the Seas will now call on Nassau, Bahamas, from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and on Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is no need to modify Allure of the Seas' western Caribbean itineraries."

 

Well. there you have it! I feel for those that are getting bumped! Major bummer and I know it totally sucks...

Interesting that they can do the repairs in the port they mention. Maybe they are temporary until that can do a dry dock later...

[bilyclub]

They came clean, at last. Thanks for the info.