Engine noise/vibration????

[JerZCruzr]

OK, I have to ask the question because I haven't seen anyone else mention this. We were on the Journey/Bermuda that left 7/7/7. I am still planning on posting a review for the entire week but I do have this one question.

 

On the departing day (Sat.) and returning on Fri. we ate in Discoveries. Both times we were seated in what is essentially a platform in the middle of the room; we were more starboard one time and port the other evening. Both times we felt there was significant noise and vibration from the engine and/or propellers. With enough dinner conversation you kind of forgot about it but it was definitely noticeable. THe noise was still noticeable in Prime C (a few decks up) which we ate at on Sun. evening while we were still at sea.

 

Is this due to the size of the ship? Again, it didn't bother me that much but it's just in my prior cruises, I don't recall anything like it in the dining room.

Prior cruises....

RC Voyager in 2003 (Western Caribbean)

Majesty - Royal Majesty 1992 (crusie to nowhere)

Carnival Mardi Gras 1979 (Caribbean)

 

The Mardi Gras definitely had a lot of other issues :eek: and maybe with all of them dining room noise was relatively insignificant but the dining room in Voyager.

 

My overall experience on Journey was definitely positive and I'll reflect that in my full review but I wanted to ask this question independently.

 

Just curious with anyone elses experience.

 

Rich

[corona5657]

We noticed the noise/vibration in Discoveries also. At times, it was very loud. We moved around a few times and still noticed it.

[blambition]

Was this noise/vibration something that you found in the cabins also? We will be in 6053 which is located right near the aft elevators. Just wondering. Thanks if anyone had a cabin in this location.

Vicki

[Cathy Maneri]

I've been on all the Millenium class ships and there was vibrations in the dining room on those ships as well.

 

It's usually when the ship is "putting the foot to the pedal", meaning they are increasing their cruise speed.

 

I was once invited to sit at the Captain's Table and there was vibrations that night. We didn't say a word about the noise.

 

I had been on many 14-night cruises and found it may have happened a couple of times. It did not happen every night.

 

I can't say how the vibrations are in the lower decks because I usually have a cabin on deck 6 or 7.

 

My only bad experience on a Celebrity ship with noise was on the Horizon to Bermuda and had a cabin on deck 4 aft. This was my second cruise and I didn't know better...I do now! We were under the ship's galley and heard rolling carts and machinery all night long.

 

In October I'll be on the Inaugural of the Quest in a Sunset Veranda (aft cabin) on deck 7. I would be curious to see if it will be noisy back there. I"ll write a comment if it is.

 

Happy cruising.

[cruisingdelt]

I was also on the 7/7 sailing and ate in Discoveries Sat/Sun/Thurs/Fri. I can't recall any excessive vibration or noise. Maybe too many pre dinner cocktails for me or possibly it was the sound of my expanding waistline. To put things in context, I have been on the Century (pre refurb) twice. Now that is a ship with lots of aft vibration. Still love the Century though.

[smdubowsky]

We have been on three of the M class ships (we'll be on the fourth in January), Voyager class ship and Grand Princess ships and have felt some vibration on all of them. I know that these ships are big, but they are, after all, moving vessels with very large engines. I would be surprised if there were no vibrations.

 

It is not an accident that the dining areas are placed where they are. Engine vibration while underway may be a minor annoyance in the dining room, but would be a bigger problem in a stateroom.

[electricron]

Newer ships always have less vibrations than older ships.

 

All cruise ships use propellers to move the ship through the sea.

 

Propellers are shaped much like airplane wings, creating different pressures (in this case in the sea) immediately in front of and aft of the propellers as they spin. So, the propellers are basically a simple water pump.

 

All pumps have caviatation on the low pressure side, as work is performed on the water, and as the pressure decreases, water molecules vaporize in the low pressure, and almost immediately collapse. Just the water vaporizing and condensing creates shock waves in the sea, it is a fluid after all. The faster the propeller turns, the larger the pressure differences, and there's more cavitation. These shock waves causes vibrations and wear on the propellers. As the propeller wears as it ages, it gets unbalanced more, and the unbalcancing causes more vibrations.

 

All ships' propellers have vibrations, which gets larger as they age. Of course, few cruise lines can afford to replace propellers at every dry dock, they all plan to use their props as long as possible. That's why older ships have more vibrations than newer ships....

[Timber]

We noticed the vibrations mostly Friday night. We had a table for 4 next to the last window, port side aft. When we were seated, all of the silverware at my place setting was on my plate, rather than arranged on the table. The waiter said that silverware placed on the table was vibrating off and onto the floor. Here's a short video of my coffee doing a little dance.

 

http://travel.webshots.com/video/3033556400097219891eMIJfX?vhost=travel

 

We found the vibrations more amusing than anything else :).

 

-Tim

[murphysmum]

Great description of what creates the vibration. I'm impressed!

 

But I have a question....If it's true that vibrations become much worse as propellers age (and the old R-8 ships are ??? yrs old), wouldn't it have been appropriate to have replaced the propellers when the Journey was in drydock and do the same for Quest?

 

I don't mind a little vibration, but if my flatware starts vibrating off of the table, it would seem a bit much.

 

We're scheduled to sail on the Quest in February in an aft cabin and I'd like to know that I can sip tea on my deck without the glass vibrating onto the balcony deck.

 

Thanks for your information...and would love to know why propellers weren't replaced after a seemingly long time.

 

murphysmum;)