lenquixote66 Posted March 27, 2019 #1 Share Posted March 27, 2019 In 2008 when I joined CC just prior to an Alaska cruise I became friendly with a guy who posted on CC.We became really good friends.He and his wife were going on a free tour of the galley and asked that my wife and I be allowed to join them . It was fascinating.Anyone else do a tour on a ship ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sprint180 Posted March 28, 2019 #2 Share Posted March 28, 2019 On Allure, was interesting but way to long. Good to do once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare GeezerCouple Posted March 28, 2019 #3 Share Posted March 28, 2019 14 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said: In 2008 when I joined CC just prior to an Alaska cruise I became friendly with a guy who posted on CC.We became really good friends.He and his wife were going on a free tour of the galley and asked that my wife and I be allowed to join them . It was fascinating.Anyone else do a tour on a ship ? Yup, a tour of much of the behind the scenes, and this was before they stopped allowing visits to the Bridge, which was *fascinating*! In the Galley, they took photos of each of us holding the giant utensils (the *biggest* whisk I've ever seen, bigger than I would have imagined). We also got photos with the Captain, in the Bridge back then. The "main drag" going the length of the ship on a main supply deck was called "I-95" for the USA Interstate Highway of the same name, running from Florida to Maine. The tour include trash processing and laundry, etc. GC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SantaFeFan Posted March 28, 2019 #4 Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) 6 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said: Yup, a tour of much of the behind the scenes, and this was before they stopped allowing visits to the Bridge, which was *fascinating*! In the Galley, they took photos of each of us holding the giant utensils (the *biggest* whisk I've ever seen, bigger than I would have imagined). We also got photos with the Captain, in the Bridge back then. The "main drag" going the length of the ship on a main supply deck was called "I-95" for the USA Interstate Highway of the same name, running from Florida to Maine. The tour include trash processing and laundry, etc. GC Our last Princess cruise offered the Ultimate Ship Tour package. It included the galley, the food prep and storage areas, the print shop, the photo lab, the medical center, the laundry, the recycle center, the engine control room, the anchor storage and deployment area, the crew quarters, back stage of the main theater, and ended on the bridge. It was almost 3 hours long. I have toured the bridge on about half the cruise ships I have been on. They certainly have not stopped the bridge tours on most ships. Edited March 28, 2019 by SantaFeFan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted March 28, 2019 #5 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Holland America offers the "Behind the Scenes Tour" on many of their ships. 3 hours of places most people don't get to see. Definitely worth the fee. Even DW was very pleased.... she was not convinced when I asked her to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Essiesmom Posted March 28, 2019 #6 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Carnival offers the Behind the Fun tour on all ships. Included a group photo on the bow, and another on the bridge with the captain. EM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leaveitallbehind Posted March 28, 2019 #7 Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) Yes - many of them. Our C & A status with RCI provides us with a choice of bridge, galley, or entertainment tour on each cruise at n/c. We have done them all with several bridge tours. We have also take the All Access Tour as well, which provides a comprehensive 3 hour tour of many parts of the ship. Edited March 28, 2019 by leaveitallbehind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOldBear Posted March 28, 2019 #8 Share Posted March 28, 2019 I have a souvenir Cunard apron and several photos from a QM2 behind the scenes tour. The overall itinerary was similar to the one described for Princess - the medical center was omitted as they were dealing with an emergency. It was explained that anything below the waterline was off limits due to insurance regulations - so no engine room or cold storage stops on the tour. The bridge was fascinating - up close the consoles made a FFG-7 bridge look almost as antiquated as the bridge on the original Queen Mary 😉 [and much better visibility than a warship's bridge] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PelicanBill Posted March 28, 2019 #9 Share Posted March 28, 2019 We took the tour on NCL Breakway in 2017, and got to see the bridge. Booked for the tour on Anthem of the Seas in June. I love seeing how things work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogs4fun Posted March 28, 2019 #10 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Once - it was interesting but we would not be interested in doing another on a different ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leaveitallbehind Posted March 28, 2019 #11 Share Posted March 28, 2019 19 minutes ago, PelicanBill said: We took the tour on NCL Breakway in 2017, and got to see the bridge. Booked for the tour on Anthem of the Seas in June. I love seeing how things work! If you booked the All Access Tour, what likely will be included will be most or all of the following: the MDR galley, bulk and cold storage areas, laundry, trash handling area, engine room control center (not the engine room), "I-95" and other crew areas, back stage entertainment, and the bridge. This varies somewhat ship to ship, but should be mostly included on Anthem. Plan on about 3 hours or so and expect a lot of walking and climbing of crew stairwells between decks. (Some elevators are used as well). Also make sure to wear closed toe shoes - open toed sandals, etc., are not permitted and your tour will be denied if wearing them. Cameras and video filming is allowed everywhere except on the bridge, on which only still pictures are permitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simplyrubies Posted March 28, 2019 #12 Share Posted March 28, 2019 We were invited to a tour of the kitchens of the MDR by the head chef of 150 Central Park on Allure. Each chef got to lead their own tour. There were both people who were invited and who paid a small fee to do the tour. Unfortunately, we were not able to go with the chef who invited us as his group was full, but we still had a great time! We got to see the kitchen area as the chef explained how and where the food was made and showed us some of the big machinery they used. It was certainly very cool to go behind the scenes. One day, I'd like to do a full ship tour but I hope it is not too expensive/fills up quickly. I will see before we get on our next cruise (Koningsdam)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted March 28, 2019 #13 Share Posted March 28, 2019 25 minutes ago, simplyrubies said: One day, I'd like to do a full ship tour but I hope it is not too expensive/fills up quickly. I will see before we get on our next cruise (Koningsdam)! The Behind the Scenes tour on the Holland America ships that have it is $150. You should check on it as soon as you get on board. Look on the HAL board here...many discussions on the tour. It is excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt_BJ Posted March 28, 2019 #14 Share Posted March 28, 2019 (edited) I often wore my CG uniform on fancy nites and this resulted in invites to the bridge several times and once going with the Master on his daily "walk around" .... 3 hours from shaft alley to the mast ..... dd even got to sound the special Disney horn leaving Castaway Cay . . . . Edited March 28, 2019 by Capt_BJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CTSandy Posted March 28, 2019 #15 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Every Celebrity cruise I've been on has offered a complimentary tour of the Galley - takes about 20 minutes - at the end of the tour they have menus and some staff out from the specialty restaurants doing bookings. It's an interesting little break on a sea day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted March 28, 2019 #16 Share Posted March 28, 2019 When we started cruising in the mid-70s, a behind the scenes tour was pretty routine (for those that cared) and never involved any cost. On Sea Days it was relatively common to have tours of the galley and even the bridge. On the old Sitmar Cruise Lines (later purchased by Princess Cruises) they used to even have one of their mid-night buffets in the galley...where passengers would stream through the galley (around mid-night_ where the huge buffet was arrayed all over the various galley areas. Then cruise lines changed their attitude (9/11 sure had an impact), tightened security, and tours became much more limited. Many of the lines we have cruised (15 to date) had (and some still have) behind the scenes tours as a perk for their frequent cruisers. And then a few lines (such as Princess) realized there was "gold" in tours and started charging money for behind the scenes tours. One interesting tidbit is that on the Queen Mary 2, there is a viewing gallery located behind (and above) the bridge. When it is open, passengers can stream through the area (it is kept dark so as not to distract the bridge staff) and look down upon the bridge and staff. The gallery was separated from the bridge by thick glass. Not sure if this gallery is still used but it was an interesting idea. On one HAL vessel, DW and I were given a private tour by an officer friend. The highlight was walking by the morgue and learning that the florist department's space (kept refrigerated because of the orchids) was also used for the overflow in case the morgue was full to capacity :). I am thinking that these days, with so many folks being hypersensitive about any humor, nothing like this would ever be said, On HAL they do not have adult comedy shows...because it is likely that some of the "adults" would quickly find something objectionable. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted March 28, 2019 #17 Share Posted March 28, 2019 59 minutes ago, CTSandy said: Every Celebrity cruise I've been on has offered a complimentary tour of the Galley - takes about 20 minutes - at the end of the tour they have menus and some staff out from the specialty restaurants doing bookings. It's an interesting little break on a sea day. This is true of Holland America as well. Usually held the first sea day in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOldBear Posted March 29, 2019 #18 Share Posted March 29, 2019 48 minutes ago, Hlitner said: When we started cruising in the mid-70s, a behind the scenes tour was pretty routine (for those that cared) and never involved any cost. On Sea Days it was relatively common to have tours of the galley and even the bridge. On the old Sitmar Cruise Lines (later purchased by Princess Cruises) they used to even have one of their mid-night buffets in the galley...where passengers would stream through the galley (around mid-night_ where the huge buffet was arrayed all over the various galley areas. Then cruise lines changed their attitude (9/11 sure had an impact), tightened security, and tours became much more limited. Many of the lines we have cruised (15 to date) had (and some still have) behind the scenes tours as a perk for their frequent cruisers. And then a few lines (such as Princess) realized there was "gold" in tours and started charging money for behind the scenes tours. One interesting tidbit is that on the Queen Mary 2, there is a viewing gallery located behind (and above) the bridge. When it is open, passengers can stream through the area (it is kept dark so as not to distract the bridge staff) and look down upon the bridge and staff. The gallery was separated from the bridge by thick glass. Not sure if this gallery is still used but it was an interesting idea. On one HAL vessel, DW and I were given a private tour by an officer friend. The highlight was walking by the morgue and learning that the florist department's space (kept refrigerated because of the orchids) was also used for the overflow in case the morgue was full to capacity :). I am thinking that these days, with so many folks being hypersensitive about any humor, nothing like this would ever be said, On HAL they do not have adult comedy shows...because it is likely that some of the "adults" would quickly find something objectionable. Hank It's still there - there is a sign prohibiting photography. [added since my first QM2 cruise in 2008] probably due to most cameras and phones firing a flash in automatic mode, possibly distracting the watchstanders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leaveitallbehind Posted March 29, 2019 #19 Share Posted March 29, 2019 56 minutes ago, Hlitner said: One interesting tidbit is that on the Queen Mary 2, there is a viewing gallery located behind (and above) the bridge. When it is open, passengers can stream through the area (it is kept dark so as not to distract the bridge staff) and look down upon the bridge and staff. The gallery was separated from the bridge by thick glass. Not sure if this gallery is still used but it was an interesting idea. RCI Voyager class ships also have this same feature - a glass viewing area to the bridge located outside above and behind the bridge - which they call the "Peekaboo Bridge". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted March 29, 2019 #20 Share Posted March 29, 2019 12 hours ago, TheOldBear said: It's still there - there is a sign prohibiting photography. [added since my first QM2 cruise in 2008] probably due to most cameras and phones firing a flash in automatic mode, possibly distracting the watchstanders. I actually felt a little bad for the Officer of the Watch and others working on the bridge. They were constantly on display with strangers literally looking over their shoulder. Perhaps another reason they banned photography is that they did not want to see themselves on Facebook....blowing their nose. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHEZMARYLOU Posted March 29, 2019 #21 Share Posted March 29, 2019 We've done numerous galley and bridge tours. Never were we told we could not take pictures on the bridge. We've had several opportunities to do a behind the scenes theater tour but it's always been too early in the morning. These tours were all on Celebrity. They also offer a behind the scenes tour of many areas of the ship for a fee. We'll do that one of these cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leaveitallbehind Posted March 30, 2019 #22 Share Posted March 30, 2019 11 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said: We've done numerous galley and bridge tours. Never were we told we could not take pictures on the bridge. We've had several opportunities to do a behind the scenes theater tour but it's always been too early in the morning. These tours were all on Celebrity. They also offer a behind the scenes tour of many areas of the ship for a fee. We'll do that one of these cruises. On our bridge tours with RCI / Celebrity we've always been allowed to take pictures - just not videos. That restriction must vary by cruise line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted March 30, 2019 #23 Share Posted March 30, 2019 We have done multiple galley tours on different cruise lines/ships, behind the scenes tours and all access tours which included the bridge and engine room along with some staff quarters/areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare GeezerCouple Posted March 30, 2019 #24 Share Posted March 30, 2019 I'm now wondering when on our most recent tours (a few years ago), perhaps there was some special "alert" that we civilians didn't know about, and they were not allowing access to the Bridge for that possibly temporary reason. Given others are reporting having that included still, we'll ask again about that next time, and perhaps take another tour. The Bridge was the most fascinating to us. The galley and food storage (and the *amount* of food stored!) was also interesting, as were the other areas, but there was something special about the Bridge! GC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted March 30, 2019 #25 Share Posted March 30, 2019 There is usually a fee for the all access tours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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