On the ship a week before dry drock

[davidandsusan-nj]

Hi all,

 

We will be on the Voyager the week of Dec1-8. Should we expect any disruptions as they prepare for dry dock. The cruise is listed as waitlist only at this point so I guess we will be sailing with a full house.

 

Thanks,

Susan

[Host Dan]

Don't be surprised if they start running out of things... I have been on cruises right before drydock, and by the time we disembark, its bare bones...

 

Host Dan

[Island Cruiser]

Unusual stuff can happen on a ship immediately before or after drydock. Before, the crew may go into a "get ready for drydock" mode. There can be disruptions with areas of the ship off limits to passengers. Then, if all of the scheduled repairs and renovations are not complete at the end of the drydock, the work continues into the next scheduled cruise or the next scheduled cruise is nixed on short notice. This is not always the case. But it happens often enough to prompt folks to write some pretty unhappy posts. So hope for the best but be prepared for thw worst. I wouldn't book a pre- or post-drydock sailing unless it was an unusual bargain.

[basedow]

How do you know when a ship is going in dry dock?

[BILLP1]

We were on the Mariner the week before it went into dry dock in 2006 and it was a normal cruise with no distractions. The morning that we departed in Ft. Lauderdale they had the pool deck covered with equipment but during the cruise you would not have known they were going into Dry Dock.

[Hambagahle]

We were on Voyager immediately before she went into drydock in Nov 06. (We came from Rome to FtL) Aside from the fact that there were larges cases of material lashed on the top deck, outside, we noticed nothing unusual. Some people said there were carpeting installers and decorators working on cabins on Deck 6. But we were on 9 and noticed nothing. What we did notice was when we arrived in Ft L, even before we disembarked, they started loading all the new mattresses and it was hard to move around in the halls because of them. This was not a problem, in fact it was quite funny! We didn't fall over any, nor did they fall on us!!

 

The crew seemed pleased to have the drydock period in front of them - some were gong on leave, others staying with the ship. But the service was unchanged, and certainly the food, wines etc etc stayed the same.

[davidandsusan-nj]

Thanks to all who replied. We would not knowingly have booked a cruise that was immediately before a drydock. I had even inquired why there seemed to be a break in the schedule right after our cruise and was told "it must be a charter". I didn't know the ship was going into drydock until I saw the posting here a week or so ago. Even when I called to book some excursions that need to be booked through reservations and asked they said "don't know - I'll have to check and get back to you". This is our first cruise and one that will determine whether or not this type of travel is for us. Hopefully, and shortages will be limited and any disturbances minor. We are still looking forward to the trip and are planning on making our final payment next week.