Did they fix Nieuw Amsterdam's azipod or is she sailing with one operational?

[NavArch64]

We wish Motor City a most enjoyable voyage on Nieuw Amsterdam embarking this Saturday. You have just been appointed to the exalted position of our onboard expert observer.

[cccole]

Have a great cruise Motor City.  I hope everything goes as you have planned.  Happy New Year!  Cherie

[NavArch64]

Happy New Year to all who have participated in this thread, and to all who love ships as I do, wherever and whenever you sail.

[ann1bell]

Are there any unusual vibrations because of the azipod problem? Thanks. 

[HappyInVan]

1 hour ago, ann1bell said:

Are there any unusual vibrations because of the azipod problem? Thanks. 

 

 

That is uncertain. We can only hope that some passengers will report their issues. 

 

Does not mean that the problems will occur all the time, or at every sailing.

[FLNative1956]

I spoke to the Ship Services and Reservations Departments yesterday. They are both unaware of any plan to cancel the January 11th cruise. We are booked on that cruise. I was told that any decision to do so rests with the Captain, who will decide when to have the repairs to the azipod performed. They did note that the ship is scheduled for a cruise around the world beginning on April 4th, so it will need to be repaired before that date. 

 

We can only hope that the Captain makes this decision very soon, so we can look for alternatives if the cruise is cancelled.

[TiogaCruiser]

1 hour ago, FLNative1956 said:

I spoke to the Ship Services and Reservations Departments yesterday. They are both unaware of any plan to cancel the January 11th cruise. We are booked on that cruise. I was told that any decision to do so rests with the Captain, who will decide when to have the repairs to the azipod performed. They did note that the ship is scheduled for a cruise around the world beginning on April 4th, so it will need to be repaired before that date. 

 

We can only hope that the Captain makes this decision very soon, so we can look for alternatives if the cruise is cancelled.

I suspect whoever you spoke with is confusing NA with Amsterdam.

 

NA spends the summer in the Med.

Edited January 1, 2020 by TiogaCruiser

[richwmn]

1 hour ago, FLNative1956 said:

I spoke to the Ship Services and Reservations Departments yesterday. They are both unaware of any plan to cancel the January 11th cruise. We are booked on that cruise. I was told that any decision to do so rests with the Captain, who will decide when to have the repairs to the azipod performed. They did note that the ship is scheduled for a cruise around the world beginning on April 4th, so it will need to be repaired before that date. 

 

We can only hope that the Captain makes this decision very soon, so we can look for alternatives if the cruise is cancelled.

 

6 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

I suspect whoever you spoke with is confusing NA with Amsterdam.

April 4th Nieuw Amsterdam - 24 days, one-way from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona

April 4th Amsterdam - Mahe Island, Victoria, Seychelles as part of 50 days, one-way from Auckland to Cape Town

[fatcat04]

2 hours ago, FLNative1956 said:

I spoke to the Ship Services and Reservations Departments yesterday. They are both unaware of any plan to cancel the January 11th cruise. We are booked on that cruise. I was told that any decision to do so rests with the Captain, who will decide when to have the repairs to the azipod performed. They did note that the ship is scheduled for a cruise around the world beginning on April 4th, so it will need to be repaired before that date. 

 

We can only hope that the Captain makes this decision very soon, so we can look for alternatives if the cruise is cancelled.

 

BOTH Amsterdam and Nieuw Amsterdam are in Ft Lauderdale on JANUARY 4 and Amsterdam is beginning her World Cruise on that date, not in April. Nieuw Amsterdam however is simply doing a 7 day Caribbean cruise, which I am on.

[1ANGELCAT]

NADM crossing the pond begins on April 4th.

[*Miss G*]

I would love a job where I get to make ***** up!!  😂

[retafcruiser]

2 hours ago, FLNative1956 said:

I spoke to the Ship Services and Reservations Departments yesterday. They are both unaware of any plan to cancel the January 11th cruise. We are booked on that cruise. I was told that any decision to do so rests with the Captain, who will decide when to have the repairs to the azipod performed. They did note that the ship is scheduled for a cruise around the world beginning on April 4th, so it will need to be repaired before that date. 

 

We can only hope that the Captain makes this decision very soon, so we can look for alternatives if the cruise is cancelled.

Again, the captain is in no position to make this decision. That will all be arranged and scheduled through corporate. A captain's only real decisions are sail or don't sail; dock or don't dock; tender or don't tender.........he makes yes or no decisions based on conditions, experience, and safety. He certainly doesn't locate and have an azipod delivered to a dry dock which is available, large enough for his ship, nor coordinate the workforce involved.

[BSinPNS]

I concur with Motor's comment about long-planned vacations.  I am sure HAL was also looking at the bottom line as far as which passengers they will impact.  Those who paid premium prices for holiday cruises or those who got good deals on the mid-January cruises.  I am sure they, too, will be disappointed if their cruise is cancelled for shipyard time.  

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, retafcruiser said:

Again, the captain is in no position to make this decision. That will all be arranged and scheduled through corporate. A captain's only real decisions are sail or don't sail; dock or don't dock; tender or don't tender.........he makes yes or no decisions based on conditions, experience, and safety. He certainly doesn't locate and have an azipod delivered to a dry dock which is available, large enough for his ship, nor coordinate the workforce involved.

 

Thank you! I was going to post a similar comment. The captain cannot cancel a cruise. (For some reason, I'm reminded of Alan Rickman cancelling Christmas in the Robin Hood movie.)

 

At this point, Seattle is probably weighing options for making repairs, finding parts and drydock space,  looking at future NA cruises, and checking on options for moving people to other cruises. So if anyone posts that they "heard that [some date's] cruise would be cancelled," DON'T PANIC! I'm not doubting that a poster might be told information like that. I'm doubting the source of the info. 

 

As for HAL hiding information, posters here are very interested in details. I think most passengers don't know an azipod from an ipod and, unless a port is cancelled, don't care.

[Mickb]

I have been following this thread with great interest. Surely the ultimate point here is the safety of the ship and it’s passengers? The NA was built with 2 Azipods and with the capacity to operate at reduced speed with one. A previous poster referred to a voyage from Hawaii to the Pacific North West in which the ship snagged a fishing net and lost an Azipod. What would happen if the NA snagged a fishing net or some other detritus which litters the ocean these days and lost the remaining azipod? I believe the passengers have a right to know the ship is operating at a reduced level - even if HAL decide that it is an acceptable risk.

[Sunshineliving]

On 12/30/2019 at 5:37 PM, ann1bell said:

Any updates on vibrations onboard caused by one azipod outage? I am sailing Feb. 1 and figure it will not be repaired before then. I have a midship signature suite and hope for no 

This is current leaving Cayman. I haven't noticed extra vibrations

 

[chengkp75]

And so much for HAL "hiding" anything.  The display is still out there, showing the current situation.

[TiogaCruiser]

So they reconnected the azipod screen?

[fatcat04]

I am wondering if maybe the sea and weather conditions around/near S Florida might have been more the cause of some of the lively vibrations that have been reported. We are staying positive and yes, I am happy our cruise this Saturday has not been cancelled.

[ann1bell]

Thanks, Sunshine, for the vibration update! 

[NavArch64]

Since we can now again see the display in the Crows Nest, compliments of Sunshineliving, there is less an issue of HAL hiding the facts as chengkp75 pointed out. Also, HAL Seattle has slowly evolved toward telling the truth as well. Then, what is the remaining issue(s)? Only 3 issues from my perspective … first, the small risk associated with a possible failure of the port azipod unit while NAdam is at sea, second, the possible increased vibrations, mainly aft,  from this abnormal operating condition, and third, the effect on guests booked on a particular future voyage when HAL decides that repair/replacement of the starboard azipod unit is necessary at that point. I have a feeling, regarding the latter, that HAL will operate the ship as is throughout the winter season, until March 28, the last week of her season, when she will go to the shipyard in Freeport to make sure that the ship is ready for her T/A  crossing on April 4.

[Stevedan]

NADM now doing 18.1 knots between Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

[Crescent0]

I’ve talked with Guest Services today and was told that NA will continue to sail until probably February. They didn’t  know exactly when, but they were  positive it would go into dry dock before the T/A crossing. I,too, have a feeling the ship will continue  to operate until the winter season ends. 
 

As far as the vibrations go, I honestly have not felt anything unusual.On the contrary, the cruise has been very smooth so far. 

[HappyInVan]

5 hours ago, Stevedan said:

NADM now doing 18.1 knots between Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

 

 

Possibly the ship is being pushed along by the wind/currents.

 

You can check the ocean conditions here ...

 

https://forecast.weather.gov/shmrn.php?mz=amz117&syn=amz101

 

 

... and the ocean swells here ...

 

https://www.tide-forecast.com/locations/Nassau-New-Providence-Island-Bahamas/forecasts/latest

 

 

It is impossible to avoid vibrations and roll all the time. The bridge of a passenger ship will try to minimize discomfort by running with or against the wind, rather than take big waves broadside. But, not always possible.

 

That means steering an indirect, even zig zag course. That's why a power reserve is important. It allows the ship to take a more indirect course, but make up for the longer distance by travelling faster. In order to arrive on schedule.

 

There's some big winds, and heavy swells blowing in out of the open ocean. So, the bridge crew will monitor weather forecasts and continuously plan course changes as permitted. The bridge crew earn their pay when conditions gets iffy. The decisions they make do matter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[chengkp75]

3 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

 

 

Possibly the ship is being pushed along by the wind/currents.

 

You can check the ocean conditions here ...

 

https://forecast.weather.gov/shmrn.php?mz=amz117&syn=amz101

 

 

... and the ocean swells here ...

 

https://www.tide-forecast.com/locations/Nassau-New-Providence-Island-Bahamas/forecasts/latest

 

 

It is impossible to avoid vibrations and roll all the time. The bridge of a passenger ship will try to minimize discomfort by running with or against the wind, rather than take big waves broadside. But, not always possible.

 

That means steering an indirect, even zig zag course. That's why a power reserve is important. It allows the ship to take a more indirect course, but make up for the longer distance by travelling faster. In order to arrive on schedule.

 

There's some big winds, and heavy swells blowing in out of the open ocean. So, the bridge crew will monitor weather forecasts and continuously plan course changes as permitted. The bridge crew earn their pay when conditions gets iffy. The decisions they make do matter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm confused.  NA is in Cozumel, and you're posting weather conditions in the Bahamas, 1100 km away.  One has very little to do with the other.  And, even then, the NOAA forecast is for 3-5 ft seas maximum, which are hardly "heavy", and these are the "seas", not the "swells", as the NOAA forecast makes no mention of swell size.  And by the time NA is back near Florida, the winds will be S to SE, so more of a following wind.

 

And, yes, between the Caymans and Yucatan, the Yucatan current is a significant N to NW flow, and could add 2-3 knots to the ship's speed.