Caribbean Princess Engine Problems

[Bethcb]

Just got off the Caribbean Princess. They gave each passenger a $75 OBC for the inconvenience for the shortened port time in Bermuda. It was a rough day at sea on Monday. Overall, great cruise.

[srt]

How was the temperature overall (especially the cabins) on the CB? We're actually quite sensitive to heat... we'll manage it fine for a few hours while on land, but usually seek some respite from it thereafter. It'll also help for planning/packing purposes, I suppose!

[Griff4AU]

Rich and the 22 June sailing from the Meet & Greet crew, it was nice to meet you all.

 

Funny thread. "Wow Hon, look at all the internet panick!" Obviously those people shouldn't book a Celebrity Cruise on the ships with the POD propulsion systems - you know, the ones that left the ships DIW (Dead in the Water).

 

Two ENGINES power 6 GENERATORS on the ship. Those generators charge batteries that power everything. Yes, a generator is down. It may very well be down until drydock.

 

We were seriously shorted in Bermuda and I was disappointed. IT was still a wonderful cruise and I certainly booked another Future Cruise Credit.

[fathercop]

Rich and the 22 June sailing from the Meet & Greet crew, it was nice to meet you all.

 

 

Likewise! We enjoyed meeting you, too.

 

Despite the mishaps, DW, my three girls and I all had a great time.

 

Sure, somethings were disappointing, but I know that "ships" happen and I am okay with that. I have had near perfect cruises and I have had ok cruises, but I have never had a bad cruise.

[Scooter-n-GB]

Two ENGINES power 6 GENERATORS on the ship. Those generators charge batteries that power everything. Yes, a generator is down. It may very well be down until drydock.

 

 

Got that a little backwards. 6 Generators provide electricity to run two Siemens electric propulsion motors (to drive the ship through the water), as well as the all the electrical needs of the ship.

 

The 6 generators are are driven by 4 V-16 and 2 V-12 Wartsila diesel engines.

 

:p

[Griff4AU]

Right Scooter. "My Bad" as my teenagers would say!

 

Engines to the Generators to the Screws. I'm a blond, and earned it, and had a blond moment!

 

Ther fact remains that this was still a very nice voyage regardless of the shortened stay in Bermuda.

[KShea]

How was the temperature overall (especially the cabins) on the CB? We're actually quite sensitive to heat... we'll manage it fine for a few hours while on land, but usually seek some respite from it thereafter. It'll also help for planning/packing purposes, I suppose!

 

The temperatures were fine on the CB for the June 22nd sailing. My wife would often need a sweater because she was cold from the air conditioning. You won't notice anything different about the cruise....it just goes a little bit slower and if you didn't already know it you probably wouldn't even realize it..have a great trip

[libra61]

How was the temperature overall (especially the cabins) on the CB? We're actually quite sensitive to heat... we'll manage it fine for a few hours while on land, but usually seek some respite from it thereafter. It'll also help for planning/packing purposes, I suppose!

Hi, Just got off the CB on Tuesday and I didn't notice any problems with the AC. We actually had to lower our cabin AC because it was too cold and I always took a sweater to the shows and restaurants. I actually wished I had packed a few more because I ended up wearing the same sweater every night!

[srt]

KShea- I believe it was your review that I just read; thanks for the response, and for adding your thoughts about the cruise from which you've returned. I do pay close attention to those, and while I understand that just about everything people discuss is rather subjective, there are commonalities I seek among the reviews. I pretty much take everything in stride while on vacation (and setting reasonable expectations helps!), so I'm sure that it'll go as well as it had for you and others.

 

Libra61- You sound as though you and my DW have the sweater thing in common (I'm actually the polar bear who runs around in shorts whilst others' teeth chatter). Let's hope that it stays as cold as possible onboard! :D

[domdombus]

Got that a little backwards. 6 Generators provide electricity to run two Siemens electric propulsion motors (to drive the ship through the water), as well as the all the electrical needs of the ship.

 

The 6 generators are are driven by 4 V-16 and 2 V-12 Wartsila diesel engines.

 

:p

 

Ok, so now which of the engines or generators is shut down?! :cool:

[spongerob]

Ok, so now which of the engines or generators is shut down?! :cool:

I doubt anyone here will know for sure. When Grand Princess had similar problems, there was nothing wrong with the engines or generators they drive. The problem was with the switching system that is used to combine and distribute all those megawatts. Something burned out and the remaining backups could not handle 100% of the load, so something had to give - in this case, the maximum speed the ship can travel. That's how I remember it being explained to me when I asked an engineering officer about it. It sounded reasonable.

[fathercop]

The problem with the AC did not affect the whole ship. Only a few selected areas in a few cabins and in some places of Horizon Court along with a couple of othe places. Our cabin was unefaffected by the problem.

[srt]

Where was your cabin? Which cabin sections were affected? We've got an inside cabin at the front of the ship on the Riviera deck... :)

[Colo Cruiser]

The problem with the AC did not affect the whole ship. Only a few selected areas in a few cabins and in some places of Horizon Court along with a couple of othe places. Our cabin was unefaffected by the problem.

 

 

 

It is a conspiracy I tell ya. :eek:

[domdombus]

2 better questions are.....

 

1> if they fix this in san juan this time WILL they put everything back to normal? ports etc

2> What rooms were all the people in that the AC worked in! haha or which were ones it was faulty in!! :)

[AliceS]

When is the dry dock scheduled?

[doublemm16]

2 better questions are.....

 

1> if they fix this in san juan this time WILL they put everything back to normal? ports etc

2> What rooms were all the people in that the AC worked in! haha or which were ones it was faulty in!! :)

 

I was in cabin D224. The airconditioning worked fine.:)

[spongerob]

When is the dry dock scheduled?

 

IF (and I repeat if) a drydock is needed, the first indication might be that one or two cruises go "missing" on the Princess search engine. It is also possible that the repairs can be made at one of the ports, in which case people from Fincantieri will fly over with the parts they need and do their work either while the ship is at a port call or is sailing between ports. A third possibility is that a cruise might be shortened by a day or two if the repairs require extra time to be completed.

 

This is all conjecture as to what MIGHT happen, based on what has happened when other ships have had problems (and not just Princess ships).

[Griff4AU]

Scheduled drydock in January. I doubt that the generator problem will cause a earlier drydock unless the problem somehow becomes worse.

[Scooter-n-GB]

They've already changed itineraries for August, by cutting port times, so I would guess that they don't expect the issue to be corrected, even by August.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=803150

[srt]

I've just had an interesting conversation: perhaps it'll help someone before/if they call: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=603617&page=34

[srt]

Scheduled drydock in January. I doubt that the generator problem will cause a earlier drydock unless the problem somehow becomes worse.

 

 

So long as there's no 15-degree listing adventure or forcible debarkation, I'm sure our safety and all will be fine. (However, I suppose there's an idea for an "onboard excursion:" $25 for the bungee cord, $15 without, grab any spot onboard, no children allowed since they have to go back to their cabins and strap in while the boat playfully leans over and the captain whistles "Yankee Doodle" on the PA system... three cheers for the pilot!).

[gotogirl]

Once again the people in customer service most likely don't know anything in the first place.

 

 

If you are that worried about changes in iteniary/port times etc then you probably should not cruise as these are the breaks when you operate a ship. A land based vacation sounds like it would suit you better in this regard. :)

 

Guess I must be a simpleton.

 

 

Acutally I like cruising and was on three cruises last year. However, in the future I will go back to Royal Carribean and Carnival. I can understand changes, it's being talk down to and the attitude that I should be grateful just to get on their boat that is beyond irritating. I also know from reading independent ratings that Princess Cruise lines has one of the lowest scores for addressing any type of problem. Obviously not much has changed.

[Clutterlady]

Acutally I like cruising and was on three cruises last year. However, in the future I will go back to Royal Carribean and Carnival. I can understand changes, it's being talk down to and the attitude that I should be grateful just to get on their boat that is beyond irritating. I also know from reading independent ratings that Princess Cruise lines has one of the lowest scores for addressing any type of problem. Obviously not much has changed.

 

Believe me, I certainly understand your frustration, but same things can and do happen with Royal Caribbean and Carnival as well. No cruise line is immune to problems with ships or uninformed people working customer service. :)

[Colo Cruiser]

Acutally I like cruising and was on three cruises last year. However, in the future I will go back to Royal Carribean and Carnival. I can understand changes, it's being talk down to and the attitude that I should be grateful just to get on their boat that is beyond irritating. I also know from reading independent ratings that Princess Cruise lines has one of the lowest scores for addressing any type of problem. Obviously not much has changed.

 

 

It is hard for them (CSR's) to be honest when they are not told anything.

 

When your ships are sold out pretty much week to week I guess there is your answer.

And I doubt you will see any changes. Remember there always an a#* for every seat and as long as people are willing to keep buying then they will keep selling.

 

I wish they would change but I won't let it ruin any cruise that I sail on with Princess. ;)