On Voyager Now...Aft Cabin-VIBRATION!!!

[marylizbeth]

All I can say is NEVER AFT, NEVER AGAIN.

 

We boarded the Voyager in Dover on June 12th and as we started to sail, our Horizon suite (which we PAID to upgrade to) began to resemble a room in the midst of a 6.0 earthquake. Not to mention the noise.

 

I could go into detail but suffice to say that all I kept thinking about all night were "jackhammers". I actually started to wonder if I would get that brain scramble disease they warn construction workers of when they use a jackhammer too long.

 

I know that some have warned against vibration but I believed those posts that assured that the vibration was minor in nature.

 

All I can say is that if you have any thought that vibration might bother you..DON'T DON'T DON'T book a horizon suite or an aft suite on Voyager.

I did email my TA and he somehow got word to the ship although there was "nothing" they could do since they are fully booked. Heck I will downgrade to get away from the noise and movement.

 

The Captain and hotel director were nice enough to try to apologize but seemed to imply that I might be more sensitive then some although they both agreed that the aft does vibrate more. I was a tad upset that they assured me we were through the worst of it when I woke up the morning we docked in Warnemunde and I felt major vibration for 1/2 hour while the captain tried to manuver us into port.

 

It has gotten slightly better but nothing like the cabins in the center of the ship.

 

I understand that this can happen but Regent should really be advising passengers of this BEFORE they book their rooms. I have to say it really detracts from the cruising experience.

 

I have more to say about the cruise but I will save that for a review of this later....I have time to write this today, since, unfortunately we had to miss our port of call Visby because of bad weather! It is a tender port so the winds would cause a problem.

 

Marylizbeth

[cruiseyguy]

So it's not like the soothing vibrations of a cheap motel's "Magic Fingers" bed?

[poss]

Marylizbeth: I'm terribly sorry to hear about the vibration, but I want to thank you for taking the time to post: You've done a great service for other cruisers. I think it's absolutely vital that folks post here about their disappointments as well as their pleasures, and it makes me sigh when others find that kind of thing too complaining or overly-sensitive or whatever. I so appreciate hearing all the detailed info I can get on these boards, as it really helps me make a more informed decision. People are so different from each other in their likes and dislikes, priorities, etc etc. Hearing a range of responses is terrifically helpful.

 

I'm so sorry that you missed Visby also; we much enjoyed that port on our Baltic Voyager cruise in '05 (mid-ship G cabin).

 

May the rest of your voyage be wonderful in every way! And thanks again.

[sundial]

I too am sorry that you are regretting your cabin choice. We were just on the Voyager for the 5/26 and 6/2 cruises starting with the ship in Rome and ending in Dover. We were in cabin 765 just forward of the laundry and experienced no vibration issues, but we were really surprised at how bad it was when you were in the Horizon Lounge or La Verandah. We spoke with several passengers in aft cabins who were complaining about the problem. I'm sure it doesn't bother everyone, but I wouldn't personally book a cabin in that area of the ship if we sail her again.

[ridolphi]

I too am sorry to hear of your problems. It just shows that some people are truly more sensitive to it and do have issues over it. There are many people whom it doesn't bother and I'm sure particular speeds, sea conditions, etc can affect how bad it is or isn't.

 

We were in cabin 862 two years ago and really didn't have any issues, but now and then late at night, I sometimes felt a very minor vibration which wasn't bothersome and actually put me to sleep. We are booked in 861 for the Grand Crossing in Nov and I'm hoping we won't have a more noticible problem, especially crossing the Atlantic. I did notice the vibration more and more as I would walk aft, to go around to the laundry room, and did notice it sometimes in Horizon and La Verandah as well.

 

Too bad they don't have another cabin to move you too. Maybe now that you are across the channel, things will calm down and it won't be so bad.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise.

[PaulaJK]

Marylizbeth, I am among those who have commented that there IS

a lot of vibration in the Horizon cabins. Usually I am declared overly

sensitive. Let me simply state that I am not. A lot of times the

vibration in the horizon cabins while present, didn't particularly

bother me. However, at other times [such as we had around

Vietnam] the 'vibration' was so marked that items in the cabin

were constantly rattling or tumbling. Finally, this became annoying

if not un-nerving.

 

Hope it settles down to hardly noticable for you soon.

[seahorse]

Thank goodness............I changed my aft cabin to a mid-ship yesterday:D

[Dolebludger]

Marylizabeth:

 

I certainly hope your report puts an end to the accusation that some of us are "over-sensative". And, I also hope it ends claims that the vibration problem has been fixed or lessened. Like you probably are, we are very experienced cruisers who know that all mechanical things vibrate some. And we can distinguish between what is normal and what is excessive. What we experienced on the Voyager three years ago was WAY excessive in our Horizon suite.

 

Let me ask you a question. How fast is the ship going when the vibration is excessive? You should be able to find this information on one of your TV channels (if the TV hasn't vibrated off its shelf!). I'll bet it is 20 knots or over, but post and let us all know, please.

 

On our Voyager cruise in a Horizon suite, we found the vibration to be absent below 15 knots, present but acceptable between 15 and 20 knots, and TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE above 20 knots. I just want to see if your experience "squares" with ours.

 

Thanks and sorry,

Richard

[marleysmom]

Any reports of vibrations on the mariner aft suites? Need to start preparing myself possibly.

[Dolebludger]

marleysmom:

 

I have never experienced, nor heard of, any vibration on the Mariner. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

[SPKR]

hi maryelizabeth. We looked for you on the 7th floor during the block party. Where are you? Perhaps you went to the block party with the even cabin numbers. I am in cabin 774 and suprisingly, have not been badly effected by the vibration this cruise, but if you will recall I wrote a month or so ago worried about it. I do think Regent should give a credit for cabins that have bad vibration instead of charging extra.

 

Suzie & Myron

[Admiral Horatio Nelson]

I was working on-board when we left Bahamas in December last year and some crew were invited to have lunch in La Veranda. A few of us went outside and sat overlooking the stern of the ship. I noticed then she seemed to be vibrating quite substantially but I just put it down to teething problems as we had JUST left dry dock and doing sea trials.

[jamimi0]

we thoroughly enjoyed this suite on the first sailing to alaska from san francisco this year. we did have some rougher seas on days one and two but we never noticed any vibration issues.

[HollDoll]

Just got off the Mariner at the end of May--aft end, Horizon suite. No vibration whatsoever.

[alita]

I haven't posted about our experience three years ago in a seven-seas aft suite (deck 9) as I didn't want to be told that it was all in my head. This was a 2 week sailing from LA to Ft Lauderdale at the end of the world cruise, and whenever the ship edged up toward 21 knots it was a nightmare. The dolebludgers were on the same cruise and everything he has posted about it in the last three years has been spot on.

 

Under 20 knots we were fine but when the captain hit the throttle it was like a jackhammer... the marble floor in the bathroom buzzed with vibration and trying to take a shower or sit on the commode was nearly impossible. After several complaints I went to the HOT MAN's office and dragged him up to the room to experience it himself... his comment was 'uh oh, time to tell the captain to slow down the ship!'

 

We got into the habit of keeping the flat screened TV tuned to the channel which gives the cruise statistics and every single time the speed inched up toward 21 the vibration began. We spent a lot of time with the dolebludgers and compared notes with them daily. He talked to lots of the junior officers as I remember and put together a pretty damning picture of the seriousness of the problem but sadly the management wouldn't acknowledge it.

 

I loved the seven seas aft suite and found it infuriating to have the experience spoiled due to denial and/or disregard on the part of captain and management. When I asked the butler one day how the world cruisers had put up with it he said there had been no guests aft on that particular WC. Another thing I learned was that the port side was especially vulnerable and that the higher the deck the greater the vibration.

 

There is a serious problem on the Voyager and I would guess that for most cruises they keep the speed down to 20 knots to assure comfort for all passengers. But if they fall behind schedule, the speed goes up and so does the vibration. It's as if both Mariner and Voyager need a governor (is that the right term doleman?) to control the speed... I would be willing to wager a small sum that if the Voyager were kept to 19 knots max we wouldn't be reading these complaints on the message boards as frequently as we do.

 

Regent is very much aware of the situation and has been ever since the Voyager hit a piece of concrete (port side I believe) in an Italian port shortly after she began service. If they weren't why would they have given us a 50% credit toward another cruise as compensation?

[Dolebludger]

alita:

 

Thanks for the supporting views. The cruise we were on was technically the one RIGHT AFTER the World Cruise, as technically the World Cruise that year was from Ft. Lauderdale to L.A. So to take a true "World Cruise" guests needed to book this cruise too to get back to Ft. Lauderdale. It was rather clear that our Horizon Suite hadn't been "lived in" for a while. Small parts here and there were missing as though they had been canabalized for other suites. Our Horizon suite was near the port side on deck 7. From reports of fellow cruisers, the port side had the most problems.

 

We are not at all vibration sensative, as evidenced by the fact that our favorite ship is the NAVIGATOR!:eek: Yet what we encountered on the stern of the Voyager made my wife literally ill. We will book the Navigator again (and I hope it is soon), and we will book the Voyager as well. But on the Voyager, we will be certain to book a suite forward of the laundry room location on the particular deck.

 

Yes, a "governor" is the correct term for a device that limits top speed, and yes, the Voyager needs one. I must confess, however, that I haven't experienced any similar problem on the Mariner -- nor have I heard of any. Do you know whether the Mariner also has a stern vibration problem at higher speeds?

 

SPKR:

 

Your suite 744 is well forward of the problem, so you will not be "shaken up." A good thing about the Voyager is that the mid-ships and bow sections are very smooth.

 

ALL:

 

The vibration problem on the Voyager (or any other ship with this problem) is an entirely separate thing from rough seas. My experience is hitting a big wave or two actually seems to halt the vibration pattern for a few moments. Actually, it is incorrect for me to call what we experienced a "vibration." More accurately, it WAS a shaking.

[Travelcat2]

First, it really isn't fair to call anyone oversensitive. Also, from reading these boards the past couple of years, the Mariner does not have a vibration at any speed -- only the Voyager and Navigator.

 

I have been one of the people that was not bothered by the vibration on the Voyager. . . however. . . we were mid-ship. We definitely noticed the vibration aft. My DH was more bothered by it than I was (so, if I ever mentioned sensitivity, it was only comparing his experience to mine -- on the other hand, I can get seasick looking at the ship and he does not:confused: )

 

After reading these boards, I was concerned about going on the Navigator -- reportedly worse vibration than the Voyager. We took extra precaution by booking mid-ship and a lower deck (8 instead of 10). On our particular cruise, there was almost no vibration anywhere on the ship (felt it once in an elevator and in a lounge).

 

Wish there were something someone could do to make the current cruise more comfortable. My main reason for posting is for those who have not yet cruised on these ships. . . to really pay attention to the wonderful feedback that you get from people taking the time to give you hints, tips, warnings, etc.

 

The Navigator and Voyager definitely have vibration issues (do not believe they are correctable.) Depending upon the speed (mentioned previously) and the sea, you could experience anywhere from strong to very mild vibation. Possibly, if enough people avoid the aft cabins, Regent would discount them in order to keep them filled.

 

Hope the ship slows down and you can enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[alita]

doleman... didn't mean to imply that Mariner has a vibration problem, we sailed on her from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires and there was nary a hint of it. But I do understand that she has a speed problem these days, is held down to about 18 knots because of the pods and is prone to missing a port from time to time. So you're correct, a governor would be of no use at all, but there is one thing that would serve to correct the problems on both ships and that is scheduling!

 

If the Mariner were scheduled to sail 16-18 knots and the Voyager 19-20 max then everyone would be happy... no missed ports and no vibration!

[Travelcat2]

doleman... didn't mean to imply that Mariner has a vibration problem, we sailed on her from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires and there was nary a hint of it. But I do understand that she has a speed problem these days, is held down to about 18 knots because of the pods and is prone to missing a port from time to time. So you're correct, a governor would be of no use at all, but there is one thing that would serve to correct the problems on both ships and that is scheduling!

 

If the Mariner were scheduled to sail 16-18 knots and the Voyager 19-20 max then everyone would be happy... no missed ports and no vibration!

 

 

Sorry -- guess I misunderstood. You may have the missed the letter from the President of Regent posted a couple of months ago. One pod on the Mariner needs to be replaced (currently being built in Italy). Although the pod that caused a problem in Alaska last year is working well, they apparently don't want to stress it and risk losing it completely. That's why she is going a bit slower and missing ports. I believe that some of the new itineraries take the slower speed into consideration -- not sure.

[alita]

Travelcat... I didn't see the letter as I rarely read the Regent boards these days. Since my husband died I no longer cruise Regent but for some reason I still get tons of letters, brochures & big heavy expensive catalogue-type mailings from them. Great waste of corporate funds in my opinion...

[Dolebludger]

I too have not cruised in a while -- way too long IMO -- due to a number of problems/conflicts, including the failing health of my parents. So I also know nothing of the Mariner's pod problem; nor of any problem at all concerning that ship. (I merely asked, as a poster above was concerned about an aft suite on the Mariner relative to vibration.) Our only cruise on the Mariner has been Nice to Rome -- an itenerary where ports aren't far apart so higher speeds aren't needed. And that cruise went very well.

 

Back to the topic for a final comment on Voyager vibration on the stern (until this issue comes up again). Our experience was that in a deck 7 Horizon suite near the port side, the shaking (beyond vibration) was hideous at higher ship's speeds. I fully agree with alita that scheduling for this ship should require a speed of no more than 15 knots, so that delays, etc., would never require a speed in excess of 20 knots.

[Hblanton]

I sail, in part at least, because I enjoy the sound and feeling of being underway. I have a speedboat I take out for the same reason.

 

I am also generally not terribly particular - I pretty mjuch take things as they come.

 

Still, I have to admit that the shaking aft in Voyager is just crazy. We were amidship on the crossing, and all was smooth enough. However, several trips aft (especially whilst the ship was making 18+ knots - it was much less noticable in the 15 knot range) were downright tooth rattling. The comparison to an earthquake is not at all off the mark - and this from someone who has spent 30 years combined living in Tokyo and San Francisco.

 

If I had booked back there, unaware of the situation, I would have been dumbstuck. I would be furious if crew suggested that I was overly sensitive.

 

If Regent can't resolve this problem - which I assume they can't - they need to fess up to it. They should offer a warning to potential passengers, and discount those cabins if they need to in order to keep the ship full. Or, at a minumum, they should not book to 100% to give the unfortunate pogo-sticks living aft the opportunity to move somewhere calmer.

[Travelcat2]

Travelcat... I didn't see the letter as I rarely read the Regent boards these days. Since my husband died I no longer cruise Regent but for some reason I still get tons of letters, brochures & big heavy expensive catalogue-type mailings from them. Great waste of corporate funds in my opinion...

 

First, I am truly sorry for your loss. Thank you so much on your input regarding the Voyager vibration. We were not aware that the Voyager hit concrete after being built. That certainly explains why the Voyager has a problem, while it's sister ship, does not. I did wonder why the Voyager (with pods) and the Navigator (no pods) had the vibration issue. The "accident" certainly explains it.

 

In terms of Regent mailings, they are, in my opinion, way overdone. A comprehensive brochure with e-mail updates

would be our preference.

 

I hope that someday you will return to cruising -- perhaps with a friend. It is such a lovely way to ravel.

[alita]

Travelcat,

 

Thank you so much for your kind words... it's been over a year now so I'm coping pretty well I think. I do still cruise, and my favorites are the SeaDream ships... they make me feel most welcome as a solo traveler and I also love their style. Tried Silversea in February but it was definitely not for me.

 

Regent is great for couples or a small group but I don't think it would be as welcoming if one were traveling alone.

[Dolebludger]

Well, I will violate my statement that I will post no more on this topic. Sorry. First, I know alita and her late husband quite well, and am most sorry for her loss. Second, I agree with her on her assessment that Regent works best when people are in couples or small groups, and am happy that she has found a line where cruising as a single guest is more comfortable. And, again, I appreciate her comments on the Voyager stern vibration, to reassure those of us who have experienced it that we are not "nuts!"

 

Also, the Hblanton, I will say that I don't have a speedboat, but am very much into high performance sports cars -- and these are really much the same thing. If I am driving my sports car at the higher end of its speed range, I expect a bit of a rough ride if the road is not smooth, and that is no problem. But if I am driving it at high speed on a smooth roadway and the rear end (stern) shakes violently back and forth, you can bet that I will get her slowed down as gently as possible, get to the side of the road, and call a car hauller to take her to the shop to get that matter resolved! I'm sure you would do the same with your speed boat. This is what the Voyager did at the stern on the cruise I took on her. Not at all your speed boat or sports car "rough ride", but a symptom of something clearly wrong. If the rear (stern) of my sports car did the same thing that the stern of the voyager did, I would get it fixed pronto. Not only would it be uncomfortable, but (I suspect) unsafe. If it could not be fixed, I would replace the car with another. I'm sure you would do the same with your speed boat. Sometimes, one of my sports cars needs a tire balance, so I get a little vibration in the tripple digit mph range. And sometimes, it takes me a little while to find time to get a tire balance. But that kind of vibration is no real problem (in a sports car or on a ship) if addressed in a reasonable time. But you and I know that is NOT the kind of situation we are talking about on the Voyager relative to the stern section. It is a shame that Regent does not take the same kind of proactive approach to this problem that we would, were it to happen on your speed boat or one of my sports cars.