Eurodam - Toilet Problems?

[marycruz]

I've just read a recent review of the Eurodam where the passenger said they had no working toilet for 10 days! I am concerned because they said they were told their wasn't the only one in the area like that. There were other cabins affected also.

 

We are in a cabin in that immediate area next week so I was wondering if anyone else has heard this.

 

BTW they were in cabin 6066 (inside cabin).

 

Thanks.

[OlsSalt]

There are a lot of prior posts about "non-working toilets" that always end up requiring more precision about what that term actually means - often there can be a "delayed flush" which people will call non-working, or and actually backed- up and flooding toilet also reasonably called "not working" which gets handled as an immediate emergency.

 

One would need to learn a lot more about a a "non-working toilets for 10 full days" to be able to comment becuase this description defies all credulity if taken for face value.

 

The problem for delayed flush and occasionall system back-up is almost universally a passenger putting some prohibited product into the plumbing system which causes problems for everyone else on that line. So these things can happen. No one likes it when they do happen. No cruise line can operate selling cabins with no working toilets for 10 full days.

 

However, we too have had toilet "problems" of varying degrees on different HAL ships. Go in expecting maybe this might happen, but that HAL certainly will do as much as they can to resolve it because this is the hospitality business and their goal are happy and satisfied customers.

[marycruz]

There are a lot of prior posts about "non-working toilets" that always end up requiring more precision about what that term actually means - often there can be a "delayed flush" which people will call non-working, or and actually backed- up and flooding toilet also reasonably called "not working" which gets handled as an immediate emergency.

 

One would need to learn a lot more about a a "non-working toilets for 10 full days" to be able to comment becuase this description defies all credulity if taken for face value.

 

The problem for delayed flush and occasionall system back-up is almost universally a passenger putting some prohibited product into the plumbing system which causes problems for everyone else on that line. So these things can happen. No one likes it when they do happen. No cruise line can operate selling cabins with no working toilets for 10 full days.

 

However, we too have had toilet "problems" of varying degrees on different HAL ships. Go in expecting maybe this might happen, but that HAL certainly will do as much as they can to resolve it because this is the hospitality business and their goal are happy and satisfied customers.

 

Thanks for the quick response. The review is here in the review section if you want to read it. They did say the toilet was overflowing and backed up and that they had to use the public toilets downstairs. I also find that to be something that maybe should be taken with a grain of salt (NPI) but you never know.

[Kamloops50]

Most ships toilets have periodic issues . On cruise we had a issue for 10 day (some would call i not working).

They worked fine with two flushes instead of one . Not working ? Not working properly would be a better description.

[chengkp75]

Usually, an overflowing toilet is caused by the operator. If the toilet does not open the discharge valve and empty the bowl, water will go in, but not enough to overflow. Repeated pushing of the flush button merely leads to more water entering the toilet. If it doesn't flush on the first push, leave it alone, and call for service. If there is sufficient vacuum to open the water valve, but not enough to open the discharge valve, this means that there is a blockage downstream, and repeated pushing of the button will do no good.

 

Typically, a multi-day outage of a group of toilets means that someone in that area flushed something down the toilet that shouldn't have been flushed, and the engineers are working to roto-root the offending item out of the line. Depending on what was flushed, and where it ended up (the worst I've had is a hand towel flushed down that ended up in an area where we had to cut out a section of pipe to access it), it can take several days of round the clock work to clear it. And the plumbers don't tend to regard the passengers in an area where this happens in too good a light, as it is completely avoidable.

[Kamloops50]

We have been on ships where the suction source has issues requiring a double flush. You user issues do occur .

 

 

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[OlsSalt]

Thanks for the quick response. The review is here in the review section if you want to read it. They did say the toilet was overflowing and backed up and that they had to use the public toilets downstairs. I also find that to be something that maybe should be taken with a grain of salt (NPI) but you never know.

 

For all 10 days they were required to use the bathroom down the hall?

 

Yes, those types of reports are hard to believe. But we did have a problem once that did require one partial day using the outside bathroom so while inconvenient it got filed under, ship happens.

[GradUT]

We had an overflow on our toilet on the Eurodam and on the Veendam a couple years ago. (It's not a new problem). We called the front desk and someone came to fix it that evening.

 

I think that there is a sign in the bathrooms saying that the lid of the toilet has to be UP when you flush. So check for any flushing instructions when you board--that seems to be the issue.

[shipgeeks]

On our last cruise, after an occasional flushing non-response, DH discovered that if we pressed the lid down against the seat, then pressed the flush button, it worked.

Pushing the button repeatedly does not help.

[OlsSalt]

We had an overflow on our toilet on the Eurodam and on the Veendam a couple years ago. (It's not a new problem). We called the front desk and someone came to fix it that evening.

 

I think that there is a sign in the bathrooms saying that the lid of the toilet has to be UP when you flush. So check for any flushing instructions when you board--that seems to be the issue.

 

It is the other way around - it has to be down to make a good vacuum seal. Problem is partly the notice to not throw things in the commode is not as well placed or obvious as it should be.

 

Our resident engineer had quite a list of things found in the plumbing lines, including towels and bathing suits. Of note are the sea sick days or noro-virus problems. I'll let your imagination figure that one out.

[chengkp75]

We had an overflow on our toilet on the Eurodam and on the Veendam a couple years ago. (It's not a new problem). We called the front desk and someone came to fix it that evening.

 

I think that there is a sign in the bathrooms saying that the lid of the toilet has to be UP when you flush. So check for any flushing instructions when you board--that seems to be the issue.

 

Never seen a vacuum toilet where the position of the lid was in any way important.

[chengkp75]

It is the other way around - it has to be down to make a good vacuum seal. Problem is partly the notice to not throw things in the commode is not as well placed or obvious as it should be.

 

Our resident engineer had quite a list of things found in the plumbing lines, including towels and bathing suits. Of note are the sea sick days or noro-virus problems. I'll let your imagination figure that one out.

 

No, the lid does not make a vacuum seal. The toilet requires air flow into the bowl to make up for the volume sucked down the discharge pipe. The toilet is just like sucking something into your vacuum cleaner. The discharge valve is your hand over the end of the vacuum hose. When the valve opens, you are removing your hand, and the hose will suck things (including very large things) into the hose without any "vacuum seal" around.

[OlsSalt]

No, the lid does not make a vacuum seal. The toilet requires air flow into the bowl to make up for the volume sucked down the discharge pipe. The toilet is just like sucking something into your vacuum cleaner. The discharge valve is your hand over the end of the vacuum hose. When the valve opens, you are removing your hand, and the hose will suck things (including very large things) into the hose without any "vacuum seal" around.

 

Thank you (as always) for clearing this up.

[RuthC]

I think that there is a sign in the bathrooms saying that the lid of the toilet has to be UP when you flush. So check for any flushing instructions when you board--that seems to be the issue.

I have never seen such a sign in any HAL cabin bathroom.

Since I am so used to closing the lid at home it would never cross my mind to leave it open on the ship. Since I read all the little signs, I am sure I would have noticed one telling me not to close the lid, and I would remember it.

[Kamloops50]

We had an overflow on our toilet on the Eurodam and on the Veendam a couple years ago. (It's not a new problem). We called the front desk and someone came to fix it that evening.

 

I think that there is a sign in the bathrooms saying that the lid of the toilet has to be UP when you flush. So check for any flushing instructions when you board--that seems to be the issue.

 

 

The sign says " Close the lids before flushing ".

 

 

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[DisneyDatknee]

The sign says " Close the lids before flushing ".

 

 

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I think it's also there in case of a water (or who knows what else) sprays back. Had the happen before... :)

[chengkp75]

The sign says " Close the lids before flushing ".

 

 

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I think it's also there in case of a water (or who knows what else) sprays back. Had the happen before... :)

 

The spray issue can happen, not commonly. The main reason it says to close the lid is because the button is typically behind the lid when open. I've flushed a vacuum toilet 180 days a year for the last 30 years, and rarely have I closed the lid. Have I ever had a problem with the flush in my toilet, nope.

[Oregonpoppa]

During my year of isolated service in Greenland many, many years ago, I had to master a toilet flushing system like I think they had on naval vessels of the day...foot pedal and hand lever, to be used in the proper sequence if you wanted everything to flow in the intended direction. It took quite a bit of practice, some sessions not very pleasant. I think I can handle whatever they have on the Eurodam.

[MaxeyMom]

I've just read a recent review of the Eurodam where the passenger said they had no working toilet for 10 days! I am concerned because they said they were told their wasn't the only one in the area like that. There were other cabins affected also.

 

We are in a cabin in that immediate area next week so I was wondering if anyone else has heard this.

 

BTW they were in cabin 6066 (inside cabin).

 

Thanks.

Just off the Eurodam today. Deck 7. No mechanical failures of any sort. Toilets, A/C, TV, etc all were perfect.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

The sign says " Close the lids before flushing ".

 

 

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That's so people like my mother, when they're washing their hand laundry, and decide for some reason that they need to flush the toilet at the same time, don't have their pants sucked down the toilet. Yes, we had to ask maintenance guys to come to our cabin and unclog the toilet main drain. :o My mother did not ask for her pants back. (This was on the Westerdam).

[chengkp75]

One of the most common items dug out of the pipes is ladies' underwear. In crew cabins, the retractable clothesline runs across the bathroom (they're even smaller than pax cabins) and the ladies will hang their unmentionables on the line to dry overnight. Problem being that the ship vibrates at night while at sea, so the undies fall off the line and into the hopper. Rather than reach into the bowl and fish them out, it is much easier to just push the button and make them disappear.

 

The biggest difference between land sanitary systems and shipboard vacuum systems is that in your house, the drain pipes keep getting larger as they go: the sink's 1.5" drain goes into a 4" pipe under the bathroom, which goes into a 6" pipe that runs out to the street, and ties into a 4'-6' diameter sewer line. The 2" flush line on a vacuum toilet system does not increase in size until it joins over 100 toilets together, and then only goes up to 2.5". And some decks have the toilets flushing UP to the main line in the deck above.

[marycruz]

Just off the Eurodam today. Deck 7. No mechanical failures of any sort. Toilets, A/C, TV, etc all were perfect.

 

 

Hopefully, we will have the same experience. I hate to read these type of things that people write about the staff not taking care of issues.

 

We have never had this happen in over 80 cruises! We've had toilet problems before but normally it is fixed right away.

 

Have not been on HAL since the 90's so it's only the second HAL cruise for us.

[lvz2cruz]

We got off the Eurodam a few weeks ago. On the morning we got off a lady was complaining about her toilet not working the whole week. We all got on the deck 5 aft elevator so I assume she was near us. Out toilet did not work the last morning but did the days prior. We were in 5193.

[gracebest]

We got off the Eurodam Mar 4 and met some people who were doing b2b. They said that they had toilet problems the prior week and they were not the only ones. The almost didn't do the second week. They told the front desk if the toilet wasn't taken care of before sailaway that they were getting off. Our toilet started spewing water from the back of it on the 3rd day of the cruise. The steward was in the hall and was able to turn off the water. We left the cabin for a few hours and when we came back it was still nonfunctional. We called the front desk again as it was getting late and we would want to go to bed in a few hours. We left for another hour or so and when we came back, it worked. However the floor still had quite a bit of water on it. I didn't want to call our steward because it was late, so we cleaned it up and luckily I travel with chlorax wipes to disinfect the area. Then a few days later the toilet wouldn't flush-- then after an hour or so it would flush by itself. A couple we met at dinner said the captain made an announcement the previous cruise about not flushing stuff down the toilet -- like towels, etc. I can't believe people would really do that.

[OlsSalt]

........ I didn't want to call our steward because it was late, so we cleaned it up and luckily I travel with chlorax wipes to disinfect the area. Then a few days later the toilet wouldn't flush-- then after an hour or so it would flush by itself. A couple we met at dinner said the captain made an announcement the previous cruise about not flushing stuff down the toilet -- like towels, etc. I can't believe people would really do that.

 

Believe it. We have had presented here an astounding list of items found in the ship's plumbing systems. Towels and wash cloths rank pretty high on the list. Wet wipes are another offender. Even "kleenex", if it is the kind that manages to get through the washer and dryer cycle fully intact if left in one's pockets..

 

BTW "Clorox" wipes do not disinfect (sterilize) anything since this requires much longer contact with any alleged disenfecting solution to actually do the job , not just a quick wipe down. However a wipe down with anything will mechanically remove some contaminating particulate matter, which is why the grand fall back still remains soap and water to keep things as clean as possible. And hopefully you did not put the Clorox wipes down the commode?