Warning, Random Question Alert!!

[picklebongo]

Please don't beat me up, but this is what I'm wondering at the moment:

 

When the Carnival ship comes into port, do they unload refuse? If not, how is it stored for a 7 or 11 day cruise without stinking to high heaven?

 

Why can't the ships toilet have a regular flushing mechanism like the ones we have in our homes instead of the vacuum?

 

Why is there such a high step to get into the bathroom?

 

Why aren't any cruise ships built in the ole U.S.of A.?

[big_duck]

Jeez Pickle :eek:

 

1. Dunno.

 

2. Ship makes it's own water, $$$

 

3. Ships aren't built like a house, they don't have wall studs and floor joists thus no cavities to run plumbing and stuff, so they have to raise the floor.

 

4. They would cost about 4 times as much.

[picklebongo]

Please explain #2 in terms of how it answers the question. Thanks!

[lukegr]

Please explain #2 in terms of how it answers the question. Thanks!

 

Apparently the water supply is shared between the toilets and the fire hoses, so it creates a lot of pressure, unlike the kind we have at home.

 

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-11/974818503.Eg.r.html

[big_duck]

Please explain #2 in terms of how it answers the question. Thanks!

 

The vacum system uses very little water. Ergo, the ship doesn't need to produce as much as it would for a regular flush system.

[98Charlie]

The refuse question was answered by the Environmental Officer on our Legend of the Seas cruise.

 

As I recall, refuse is sorted (may be a job opening here) and some can be ground and made into a slurry. This is allowed to be jetisoned when the ship is a certain distance from land.

 

Other materials such as glass and plastic are compacted and removed in port.

 

 

Charlie

[98Charlie]

In addition to the water savings, "normal" toilets rely on gravity to create a siphoning effect to eliminate the waste from the toilet bowl. The movement of the ship makes the vacuum system more dependable.

 

Other advantages:

• Smaller diameter sewer pipes save on space.
  
• They can flush in any direction; up, down or sidways.
  
• A toilet can therefore be installed without cutting into the floor. As you walk along the hallways you will notice access doors to provide for maintainance of the system.
  

 

Charlie

[WellDeserved]

I read onboard that even though they are allowed to dump at sea Carnival does not. when we returned to port in Mobile I saw them pumping waste from the holding tanks.

[dbcruzin]

Please don't beat me up, but this is what I'm wondering at the moment:

 

When the Carnival ship comes into port, do they unload refuse? If not, how is it stored for a 7 or 11 day cruise without stinking to high heaven?

 

 

On the newer ships, the majority of trash is incinerated onboard. Very little to dispose of.

[LHP]

High step to get into the bathroom to prevent water from the shower (or those sources) from getting into the carpeted cabin.

 

Ships aren't built in the good ole' USA for the same reason they are not registered in the good ole' USA. Cost and regulations.

[mr.p]

Picklebongo, thanks for asking some very good questions. Also thanks to those posting answers, especially the link on the toilets. Very informative and interesting.

 

mr.p:o

[serene56]

I seen a show on the Travel channel that answered all your questions.

 

I found it very interesting--- I dont remember the name of the show but it had cruise ships in the title.

 

Every ship has an eviromentilist person onboard. They have their own recylcing. (notice that carnival did away with the plastic bottles of soda and use aluminum bottles for beer today-- better for trash.)

[picklebongo]

Thanks for all the information. There is such a wealth of knowledge from posters here. I find this kinda information fascinating about the internal workings of the ships.

 

Does anybody else have random questions they are curious about?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

since Comcast finally gave us here in Philadelphia the travel Channel this week I have been watching it a lot. They had a show about the Radiance of the Seas (yes i know it's not a Carnival ship) last night and it showed them recycling the bottles and cans and showed a room where they kept the trash. They kept it at 39 degrees to keep the smell down.

 

Bill

[lukegr]

High step to get into the bathroom to prevent water from the shower (or those sources) from getting into the carpeted cabin.

 

How does that work?

[98Charlie]

I read onboard that even though they are allowed to dump at sea Carnival does not. when we returned to port in Mobile I saw them pumping waste from the holding tanks.

 

 

I remember on our 4/29 RCI cruise on GOS that there were signs around the pool deck to tell pax that they don't dump at sea either.

 

Also know there have been many people posting on these threads that they smell a sewage odor in specific areas of the ships, NCL, RCI, X - you name it. Have to wonder if it has to do with the containing of sewage aboard ship until the ship can dispose of the waste in an environmental friendly way.

 

Have noticed the odor on several ships over the past two years. Doesn't really offend me on my cruise experience. Heck, I was raised on a farm with outside toilets in the '40s and '50s. I know sewage waste when I smell it and know that sometimes you have to store it before you can dump it.:)

 

Dianne

[Astronomer]

Jeez Pickle :eek:

 

1. Dunno.

 

2. Ship makes it's own water, $$$

 

3. Ships aren't built like a house, they don't have wall studs and floor joists thus no cavities to run plumbing and stuff, so they have to raise the floor.

 

4. They would cost about 4 times as much.

 

Found out something interesting on #1 and #2

 

#1 The Pride at least has an extremely high temperature incinerator on board, which also helps provide power to the ship ( I was surprised when watching this on the Fun Vision. The rest is compacted and stored until the ship pulls into port. All leftover food and most trash go through this incinerator, which when running provides more power than required for all of the ships lights, it is however not the only power plant of course.

#2 The ships Chef told me that it is little known fact that the ship takes on water in Long Beach, fills its water tanks, the evaporators only help to keep it from depleting too fast, the one port it takes on water is in Long Beach. He said a long time ago they used to try and make al of it on board but found that they were too close to running out too often, so they fill it up in Long Beach every week

[Criscomia]

Last night they were showing Radiance of the Sea and they showed that they have a refrigerated room for all the refuge and they keep it in that cool room (so it doesn't stink) until they return to their port. I'm not sure if all of the cruise lines do that, but that's what RCCL does.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Last night they were showing Radiance of the Sea and they showed that they have a refrigerated room for all the refuge and they keep it in that cool room (so it doesn't stink) until they return to their port. I'm not sure if all of the cruise lines do that, but that's what RCCL does.

 

I think I read that somewhere!:D

 

Bill

[cubdaddy]

Please don't beat me up, but this is what I'm wondering at the moment:

 

When the Carnival ship comes into port, do they unload refuse? If not, how is it stored for a 7 or 11 day cruise without stinking to high heaven?

 

Why can't the ships toilet have a regular flushing mechanism like the ones we have in our homes instead of the vacuum?

 

Why is there such a high step to get into the bathroom?

 

Why aren't any cruise ships built in the ole U.S.of A.?

 

1. They sort all trash. The plastic and glass gets ground up. Food trash goes into a cold storage and then removed when in port at the end of the cruise.

 

2. It is a water/vacuum system. It saves on water and helps the pipes from clogging. It also allows for smaller pipes which saves space.

 

3. In the event of rough seas or clogged shower drain, the water won't spill out into the cabin.

 

4. It would cost too much to build a ship here as well as being regulated to death. This is another reason why they flag from a different country!

[L2J]

Why is there such a high step to get into the bathroom?

 

3. In the event of rough seas or clogged shower drain, the water won't spill out into the cabin

 

Exactly how would a higher bathroom prevent water from overflowing onto a lower floor?:confused:

 

There is are some good cruise ship shows on both Travel and on History showing how they are built and how they work.

[dbcruzin]

Exactly how would a higher bathroom prevent water from overflowing onto a lower floor?:confused:

 

 

The threshold is raised above both the floors.:cool:

[mulchman22]

Picklebongo, thanks for asking some very good questions. Also thanks to those posting answers, especially the link on the toilets. Very informative and interesting.

 

mr.p:o

 

Do you happen to be in San Antonio??

 

Sorry to hijack someone else thread

[picklebongo]

Just curious as to what made you think I'm in San Antonio, if the question was directed to me. I'm originally from a small town called Gibsland, Louisiana. Our claim to fame is that it's where Bonnie and Clyde were killed, population under 1,000. I currently live in Wisconsin.

[picklebongo]

Just curious as to what made you think I'm in San Antonio, if the question was directed to me. I'm originally from a small town called Gibsland, Louisiana. Our claim to fame is that it's where Bonnie and Clyde were killed, population under 1,000. I currently live in Wisconsin.