On Board the Mariner Miami to Miami

[pvgal]

Code green is fairly normal. Public restrooms outer doors are still propped open but the dining areas now all have salt and pepper on the table. But the port side of La Veranda is closed and will probably remain closed as long as the emergency generator is above it. That means the other side is full and extra tables have been brought in.

 

Just had a"code Mike" announced. Can anything else happen on this cruise?

[b&m@11]

Can I just say a very grateful thanks to Noel, Kat and PV Gal and others who despite all the aggravation and disappointment have kept us all informed, with humour and with no dramatisations!! It cannot have been easy and hopefully Regent will continue to look look after you (as it appears they have been and good for them) and your fellow passengers.

We fly out tomorrow and in terms of those who are travelling home from Rio, safe journeys and no more adventures!

Fun ps: know you guys will not necessarily be soccer (football) fans, but very disappointed not to see a picture of the Santos Football Club where Pele the worlds greatest ever player played!!!

Brian

 

 

 

 

Brian

[Travelcat2]

Agree completely - thanks for the posts that keep us up to date. Your attitudes are wonderful! It is very good news that the ship is "Code Green" and hope that there are not "Code anything" for the rest of the cruise.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Travelcat2

[drcandon]

Code Mike...Regents security team is part of a Code Mike team...so a Code Mike is a security call...for what who knows...maybe someone tried to sneak on board or somebody finally melted down....:D

[shuguley]

I thought a "Code Mike" was a medical emergency.

[Pamela1]

Can I just say a very grateful thanks to Noel, Kat and PV Gal and others who despite all the aggravation and disappointment have kept us all informed, with humour and with no dramatisations!! It cannot have been easy and hopefully Regent will continue to look look after you (as it appears they have been and good for them) and your fellow passengers.

We fly out tomorrow and in terms of those who are travelling home from Rio, safe journeys and no more adventures!

Fun ps: know you guys will not necessarily be soccer (football) fans, but very disappointed not to see a picture of the Santos Football Club where Pele the worlds greatest ever player played!!!

Brian

 

I concur Brian, the posters have been so positive regardless of the very difficult circumstances they have had to endure, i'm not so sure i could have been quite so placid if i had been on board.

Hope your trip goes well tomorrow and is all back on track.

Pam.

[Eager2Travel]

I, too, have been told that Code Mike is a medical emergency.

 

Hope all is well. Everyone deserves it. Good job on the positive outlook expressed in the postings.

[b&m@11]

Pam, we thank you and happy travels wherever you go, and it looks on tracking as if the Mariner has in fact left Santos.

[Konagolfer]

We actually have hand towels back in the public restrooms and the launderettes are open and very busy this afternoon! The only thing different right now is that one side of La Veranda will probably be closed as long as the new generator is on the deck above. I took a peek in the door this afternoon and there are large support columns in place with part of the ceiling removed. I will try to sneak some pictures. We sailed from Santos just after 4 pm and are supposed to be at the dock in Rio at 8 am in the morning. We did have 2 medical emergencies today (code mike), one was for a broken wrist and the other was for someone who passed out. This evening is the captain's farewell and Krew Kapers. Let's hope the next segment is better than the last two, we have our fingers crossed!

[drcandon]

Correction...code mike is medical...I was looking at the wrong line...sorry

[gnomie1]

I am hoping that others with more knowledge can answer this question for me - the comment was made that the generator being used on the Mariner is used.

 

Are generators usually just rented for the period needed, therefore the used generator - and how difficult is it to locate a generator strong enough to power a ship?

 

I know that when Superstorm Sandy battered the northeast a few years ago, many health care facilities were in need of generators and some came from across the country so I guess Regent was quite fortunate to be able to locate one so close by.

 

Knowing how difficult it is to arrange these sort of things, esp overseas, Regent must have moved the earth, moon and sky to get the arrangements for everything done is such a short period of time (short for me, I was not one of the passengers on the ship watching my precious vacation days slipping away)

 

gnomie :)

[rallydave]

I am hoping that others with more knowledge can answer this question for me - the comment was made that the generator being used on the Mariner is used.

 

Are generators usually just rented for the period needed, therefore the used generator - and how difficult is it to locate a generator strong enough to power a ship?

 

I know that when Superstorm Sandy battered the northeast a few years ago, many health care facilities were in need of generators and some came from across the country so I guess Regent was quite fortunate to be able to locate one so close by.

 

Knowing how difficult it is to arrange these sort of things, esp overseas, Regent must have moved the earth, moon and sky to get the arrangements for everything done is such a short period of time (short for me, I was not one of the passengers on the ship watching my precious vacation days slipping away)

 

gnomie :)

 

Believe but, not totally sure a "marine" generator used as an "emergency generator is most likely much more difficult to find than one that would be used on land in case of an emergency. After all, the generator needs to be able to exist in the "marine'' environment on deck and be powered by the ships fuel oil which isn't the best quality like a diesel, gasoline or natural gas generator that could be used in a land emergency. Also, why would Regent want to purchase a new generator that eventually would not be needed once the ships generator is repaired.

 

They were extremely lucky to be in a big country like Brazil as well as within a relatively short drive from Rio. Yes, Brazil has some stringent rules that impact cruises and their passengers but, imagine losing the generator in SE Asia or central Africa or other locations where a replacement might weeks to get shipped in. Along with these issues, the generator has to be big enough in electrical capacity to supply the ship in case the regular generator goes out.

 

A new generator like this is most likely a special order and might take months or even a year to be provided. The cost and need for these is not something many businesses would want to keep "on the shelf".

[JMARINER]

I am hoping that others with more knowledge can answer this question for me - the comment was made that the generator being used on the Mariner is used......

 

Are generators usually just rented for the period needed, therefore the used generator - and how difficult is it to locate a generator strong enough to power a ship?

 

 

gnomie :)

 

It is the emergency backup generator that failed. I don't remember where it is on the Mariner, but on the Voyager it is located on Deck 12 back by the sport court under the funnel. This generator does not provide power for propulsion. It is for emergency lighting, radar, radios, firefighting, etc. Normally all the power comes from the ships main engines on deck 1. Many marine disaster involve main engine fires or flooding so the idea is to have emergency power located far away and topside.

 

As you noted, in hurricanes and other natural disasters large portable generators are brought in. I have seen similair units put on the decks of cargo ship. I assume that they had to find on that was large enough to provide the power required and small enough to be able to crane up to deck 12.

 

Diesel fuel on board is not a problem as the ship's tenders all run on diesel, they probably have more than enough.

 

Here is what a typical unit might look like:

 

 

j

[gnomie1]

Thank you for the replies regarding the generators - I was curious that they were able to obtain one so quickly and have the necessary crane available because in my limited experience (Superstorm Sandy), procuring generators after the storm, even though we had been warned of the impending storm for quite a few days, took much longer than Regent experienced.

 

gnomie :)

[tiggergirl]

Are you still on a code? Can the guests serve themselves? Towels back in the bathrooms?

[tiggergirl]

Have you arrived in Rio?

[pvgal]

We arrived in Rio this morning. All codes are off. Laundry open. Self service in buffet but only one side is open.

 

Pretty much back to normal.

[Pamela1]

We arrived in Rio this morning. All codes are off. Laundry open. Self service in buffet but only one side is open.

 

Pretty much back to normal.

 

Excellent news! :)

[JMARINER]

Thank you for the replies regarding the generators - I was curious that they were able to obtain one so quickly and have the necessary crane available because in my limited experience (Superstorm Sandy), procuring generators after the storm, even though we had been warned of the impending storm for quite a few days, took much longer than Regent experienced.

 

gnomie :)

These types of generators are fairly common in urban area. They are rented for large construction sites. The Port of Santos is the largest container port in South America and is about 30 miles from Sao Paulo, the largest city. There is no "disaster" in the area so I would think it would be fairly easy to find one.

 

As far a a crane to put the generator on the top deck, again these are used in construction and there are probably many located at the port for specialty cargo handling. Here is a picture of a 55 ton truck mounted crane.

 

j

[Notts Outlaw]

Any news on whether the original standby generator will be repaired, or is the temporary one there for the rest of the cruise ?

[Kwaj girl]

Any news on whether the original standby generator will be repaired, or is the temporary one there for the rest of the cruise ?

 

The Captain made an announcement during the safety drill that our departure would be delayed a couple of hours last evening as we were "awaiting the arrival of spare parts" but we don't know if that had anything to do with the emergency backup generator or not.

"Stand by for further developments!"

[Johnthesailor]

Parts and technicians were for the generator. They expect the repairs/testing will take a few days and then temp unit can be offloaded at a bigger port. I do not have any updates on their progress.

 

Been onboard two days and having a great time.

 

Best,

John

[Notts Outlaw]

Parts and technicians were for the generator. They expect the repairs/testing will take a few days and then temp unit can be offloaded at a bigger port. I do not have any updates on their progress.

 

Been onboard two days and having a great time.

 

Best,

John

 

John,

Thanks for the update. Hopefully all will be back to normal by the time we board on the 25th.

Hope you enjoy the cruise. We did the same cruise 5 years ago, our first with Regent, and still consider it to be the best we have done.

[HonTri]

John will we see you at our greet and meet? Check the roll call.

 

John,

Thanks for the update. Hopefully all will be back to normal by the time we board on the 25th.

Hope you enjoy the cruise. We did the same cruise 5 years ago, our first with Regent, and still consider it to be the best we have done.

[woogie]

I was on the segment from Lima to Buenas Aires it was very very interesting to say the least with all the sickness and missed ports etc.

for all of you still on the ship has there been any talk of compensation?