Viking Venus Sounds—-What is it?

[notjaded]

Ms notjaded and I are currently on a cruise on the Venus. While we have hundreds of days on Seabourn, Silversea and other lines, this is our first Viking cruise..

 

We started out in calm seas and all was good with our veranda cabin, which is located on deck 6. Our cabin is located approximately 1/3 of the way back from the bow. Since encountering 25-ft seas, we have been hearing a loud, reverberating and repetitive banging sound—Ms. Cruise thinks it sounds like a sledgehammer against metal—(usually in sets of two) accompanied by intense vibrations on the floor. We have surveyed on each side of our cabin, as well as spaces on decks immediately below and above us. The noise and vibration quickly dissipates within a cabin on each side of ours. No noise or vibration is felt above or below our suite, or by an identical suite on the other side of the ship. Walking about the ship on multiple levels, we have not heard/felt anything like this. 

We registered a complaint, and finally, someone from maintenance showed up and proclaimed the noise was typical in rough seas and was caused by the anchors swaying in the rough seas. He but he could not explain why the noise/vibration could not be detected elsewhere. 

We later spoke with the ship’s general manager. He denied it was an anchor issue, and said the situation was caused by the hull design. He could not explain why only our room was affected. Our impression is that he couldn’t care less.  Not a good representative of the company. 

So, experienced Viking cruisers: Any insights on causation? 

Many thanks.

[CDNPolar]

We had this exact noise but I forget on what ship.  We too were in rough seas and it was each time that the bow came back down and hit the water.

 

We also on the worst nights heard it clearly in the Star Theatre during the performances.

 

We were told that it was in fact hull design and the sound that comes when the bow hits the water after raising out of the water.

 

In our case this was many people hearing it, not just us.  We were on deck 3.

 

Because this was just post covid and the ship was not full, they moved us to deck 6 mid-ship and the sound was gone.

[Meander Ingwa]

Agree with CDN. Currently on the ship and those bangs are the bow hitting with the rough sea, just so.  Best observed on 7/8 on bow, in Explorers Lounge.  Folks were oohing this morning, like fireworks show

[jmfdr]

We have also experienced these noises once on rough seas.  We were on deck 4 very far forward on the ship.  

[Meander Ingwa]

1 hour ago, jmfdr said:

We have also experienced these noises once on rough seas.  We were on deck 4 very far forward on the ship.  

Im in 4005 first night was noise but I slept like a log last night and wasn't bothered by the stormy sea

 

[CDNPolar]

Odd that you got two different stories from the ship's crew.  They should know exactly what this noise is.

 

 

[Heidi13]

8 hours ago, notjaded said:

Ms notjaded and I are currently on a cruise on the Venus. While we have hundreds of days on Seabourn, Silversea and other lines, this is our first Viking cruise..

 

We started out in calm seas and all was good with our veranda cabin, which is located on deck 6. Our cabin is located approximately 1/3 of the way back from the bow. Since encountering 25-ft seas, we have been hearing a loud, reverberating and repetitive banging sound—Ms. Cruise thinks it sounds like a sledgehammer against metal—(usually in sets of two) accompanied by intense vibrations on the floor. We have surveyed on each side of our cabin, as well as spaces on decks immediately below and above us. The noise and vibration quickly dissipates within a cabin on each side of ours. No noise or vibration is felt above or below our suite, or by an identical suite on the other side of the ship. Walking about the ship on multiple levels, we have not heard/felt anything like this. 

We registered a complaint, and finally, someone from maintenance showed up and proclaimed the noise was typical in rough seas and was caused by the anchors swaying in the rough seas. He but he could not explain why the noise/vibration could not be detected elsewhere. 

We later spoke with the ship’s general manager. He denied it was an anchor issue, and said the situation was caused by the hull design. He could not explain why only our room was affected. Our impression is that he couldn’t care less.  Not a good representative of the company. 

So, experienced Viking cruisers: Any insights on causation? 

Many thanks.

 

Being 1/3 of the way back from the bow, it is unlikely to be the anchors or anchor chain, as that impacts the forward cabins. You probably ahead of the Survival Craft and a couple of decks above them, so that reduces the probability of securing issues with the boats.

 

If the ship was pitching (bow moving up/down) then the most likely cause is routine ship movement with the flared bow slamming into waves and the shock being transmitted throughout the hull, as it is designed.

[notjaded]

OP here with an update: I happened to see the ship's captain right outside my cabin, and was explaining the situation and the various responses of his staff. He immediately said that he sound was normal and the bow was hitting the water. As soon as he said that, he actually heard the sound and felt the vibration and said that it was not the bow, but the metal plates flexing under pressure and the low temperature. I told him that I would like to be able to sleep in a different cabin until so long as this situation persisted.

 

We were just notified by the housekeeping supervisor that:

 

1) They are planning to have a welder fix the problem, but they cannot do that while the ship is at sea due to safety concerns.

2) They are giving us a second cabin for us to use as sleeping quarters. 

I thank everyone who contributed useful insights into ocean engineering.

 

As an aside, I think they owe me a free cruise for bringing this matter to their attention. :)

[Hobson1754]

29 minutes ago, notjaded said:

As an aside, I think they owe me a free cruise for bringing this matter to their attention. 🙂

Good luck with that!🤞