Has anyone seen below decks?

[young pensioner]

My Partner, Mike, has an engineering background and is very interested in the 'workings' of the ship. Has anyone ever had a tour of the ship's engine rooms? If so, how did you arrange it?

[Portolan]

First, the Mariner and Voyager (and Navigator?) use pod propulsion systems so the "engine room" is the pod which is accessible for maintenance, but not manned. On the Mariner last year, you could sign up for an engine control room tour. That gets you a brief tour below decks enroute to the control room where the chief engineer explained the systems. You can watch the pod "engine rooms" on closed-circuit TV (which is what the ship's engineers do unless they need to fix/adjust something. That's as close as you'll get and, AFAIK, closer than you'll get on any/most other ships. The trick, not advertised, is to go to the reception desk and tell them you want to sign up for any tour available. Besides the engine control room, we got tours to the bridge (OK) and galley (great!).

[RMS Olympic]

I have been fortunate to get a tour of many engine rooms.....even got into the Nieu Amsterdam when they were pulling a piston while at sea!

As for RSSC...I met the head of engineering on the Voyager and asked him many questions because ships are my hobby. When I told him about being on the Deutchsland and getting to photograph the main shaft and emergency rudder control room....he asked me if I would like a tour of his operation.

Well I got to see every thing...including the area where a pod comes up into the hull. I could see why bearings can wear quickly on these machines. The electrical power generating area is clean as a hospital...all white in color. For the size of the ship....the engineering spaces are much more compact than the older ships I have sailed on. In the wood working shop which had the most wonderful aroma of rare woods...a carver was working on a sign which was for the observation lounge (Song of Flower).

Getting a tour is iffy...but seak out the head of engineering in the evening if you see him in a lounge and tell him of your engineering interests......and if possible...read up on the ship you are sailing on.....having knowledge of her mechanics allows for much more educated questions to ask...

In October I sail on the Diamond Princess...hope to get below on her.....so I am reading up on engineering articles about her...

A tour like I have received has been a highlight of my cruise and I take it very seriously.....these people are proud of their ship and the courtesy they have shown was greatly appreciated......just ask and see what they say.

[dougburns]

Navigator does not have pods.

[young pensioner]

My Partner, Mike, has an engineering background and is very interested in the 'workings' of the ship. Has anyone ever had a tour of the ship's engine rooms? If so, how did you arrange it?

Earlier in August, before our first cruise, I started this thread.

 

Since then, we have enjoyed the most fantastic cruise on Voyager. We went to reception and asked if any ships' tours would be available. As a result, we both had a tour of the Bridge and Mike and a few others went below on tour with the Chief Engineer. It was a very enlightening and entertaining experience for us both. We have photographs which we will attempt to publish on either Regent's website or CruiseCritic if they will allow it.

 

I have included this in another post, so if you have already read that, I apologise.

[traveller333]

I too made it known to the chief engineer that I was interested in seeing the engine room. I toured for 20 minutes with another gentlemen on one of our sea days.