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After 9 P&O UK cruises I finally got my chance to visit the navigation bridge on the Aurora. Got some excellent photos there. The bridge visits were by invitation for a select few passengers.
I have created this thread to link a photo page I will create with pictures of the ships navigation bridge.
Apart from that very quiet and relaxing cruise. We managed to meet Oriana in the Arafura Sea for a sail by.
This was one of the shortest cruises I have been on, but it was very relaxing for me.
quote:Originally posted by gaz hants:but more importantly how did you get on with the tipping???
On a forthcoming P&O cruise [April] I have been advised tipping will now be debited automatically. It wasn't last Oct, so no idea when this was brought in.
Pam
Simple P&O dont at this stage direct debit. They recommended something like GBP1.25 per day. That would have been GBP16.25 for the cabin steward. He got GBP30 from me. To me I prefer the personal approach of handing it to your cabin steward. This guy obviously does well in his job, he actually had his wife and son booked in a passenger cabin from Sydney to Mumbai so he could spend some time with them!
Bridge photos will be coming shortly - still have hundreds of photos to slowly sort out.
P&O only add tips for pax who opted for Freedom dining to make sure waiters get it. Those in the main restaurant give it themselves according to the blurb I've got for Oceana.
Click here
See here - or here.
(....this reminds me that I have to update my webpage...)
P.S.: Nice pictures, thanks for posting.
[ 03-09-2008: Message edited by: Ernst ]
But glad you did get invited this time .
It's interesting how you can only gain so much about a person based on the Internet. Often times in person they are nothing like you imagined.
Thanks for the pictures. Very nice. I had an amazing bridge visit on DAWN PRINCESS during a cruise in November and throughly enjoyed it. The bridges look very similar except DAWN PRINCESS has open bridge wings with a very large glass floor underneath, not just a small window. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures. We were also given an escorted tour of the galley, I-95 (main crew corridor), crew mess, Officer's mess and bar, and even the large food freezers and chillers. It was very cool, and the most I have seen "behind the scenes" since I worked onboard.
Ernie
He felt a world cruise was long and there were no navigation obstacles that required full attention of the crew, so he invited passengers to the bridge during sea days that were quiet. It was advertised in Aurora today to collect tickets from reception for a visit and stated that passengers who embarked and disembarked at a certain port were entitled to this sectors visit.
The bridge was great to see, it is not a major security area on a ship and there are more sensitive areas that even some crew will never see on a cruise ship. It was just great to finally visit the bridge of a cruise ship at sea.
One thing that intrigued me is that, despite all the electronics, GPS and such, paper charts were still very much in use. Thus on the Captain's noon report, when he reports the depth, he is not looking at his depth finder, but the position of the ship on his chart and the depths shown on the chart.
I am told that sextants are used to keep navigation skills sharp. Loran seems to be in the technical backwaters in the current world, although all navigational officers keep their hands in.
Depending on the type of instruments they have to measure depth it may also be useless in shalow water. The sound pulse when created makes a deadzone where a return cannot be read and therefore no measurement can be registered.
Charts are normally better to use in some cases. Cruise ships sail in both fresh and salt water, and as said above the speed of sound through water changes based on salinity.
quote:Originally posted by Sutho: The bridge was great to see, it is not a major security area on a ship and there are more sensitive areas that even some crew will never see on a cruise ship.
The bridge was great to see, it is not a major security area on a ship and there are more sensitive areas that even some crew will never see on a cruise ship.
The bridge is a major security area on a cruise ship. I'm not sure why you would think otherwise? This is one reason why general bridge visits were discontinued after 9/11. On most cruise ships, the bridge complex, engine control room, and engine room complex are probably the three most secure and sensitive areas on the ship. Each requires a security code entered on a key pad to gain access. It's true that many of the crew will never see any of these areas. In contrast, pretty much the remaining crew areas are accessible to everyone without a security code, even passengers if they enter without permission. Currently doors to access crew areas are not locked and do not require an access code. Someday that might change.
quote:Originally posted by eroller: This is one reason why general bridge visits were discontinued after 9/11.
Luckily they were not discontinued aboard all ships. Also, many ships actually have (and always had) an 'open bridge' for the passengers. It's worth to look beyond U.S. mainstream ships.
quote: [...]Currently doors to access crew areas are not locked and do not require an access code. Someday that might change.[...]
This happened already a long time ago. Some ferries have such locks on all doors to crew area.
quote:Originally posted by Ernst:This happened already a long time ago. Some ferries have such locks on all doors to crew area.
I was speaking of cruise ships and not ferries. I have yet to sail on any cruise ship that requires a security code for access into general crew areas. I don't sail on ferries so I have no idea what their policies are.
quote:Originally posted by Ernst:Luckily they were not discontinued aboard all ships. Also, many ships actually have (and always had) an 'open bridge' for the passengers. It's worth to look beyond U.S. mainstream ships.
No, not all ships but most. Generally only the very high end (and smaller) ships still allow bridge visits or have an open bridge policy. Perhaps these cruise lines feel wealthy passengers are less likely to be terrorists? I don't know of a single major mass-market or premium line that still offers regular bridge visits.
quote:Originally posted by eroller:No, not all ships but most. Generally only the very high end (and smaller) ships still allow bridge visits or have an open bridge policy. Perhaps these cruise lines feel wealthy passengers are less likely to be terrorists? I don't know of a single major mass-market or premium line that still offers regular bridge visits.Ernie
Personally, I have the feeling that 'security concerns' are a lame excuse for getting rid of annoying bridge tours. As you said, there are ships where it can be done - and these are not only 'very high end' ships. Don't forget that there is a cruise market outside the U.S. too. (I admit that these ships are usually smaller but still not too small) Also, as we complain her in this forum so much about these too large mainstream ships - and not being able to get on the bridge might just be another reason to just ignore them.
quote:Originally posted by eroller:It's interesting how you can only gain so much about a person based on the Internet. Often times in person they are nothing like you imagined.
For what it's worth, I always assumed Sutho was youngish, though maybe not as young as he looks in the photo.
quote:Originally posted by eroller:We were also given an escorted tour of the galley, I-95 (main crew corridor), crew mess, Officer's mess and bar, and even the large food freezers and chillers. It was very cool, and the most I have seen "behind the scenes" since I worked onboard.
Is Princess so Americanized now though that it's called I-95?! Last time I was on a Princess ship everyone called it the M1.
It would be rather odd to go on Princess again (which I am sure I will, eventually) just because I haven't been for so long... Eight years and counting. Unless of you count Cunard.
quote:Originally posted by Sutho:It was advertised in Aurora today to collect tickets from reception for a visit and stated that passengers who embarked and disembarked at a certain port were entitled to this sectors visit.
I was imagining a much smaller number of people, say maybe 10 people per sea day, in groups of five.
This is how it has been done when I have been on an "official" bridge visit on QE2.
What you did sounds more like the good old days when it was an advertised-in-the-daily-program activity. I don't think I've done that since I was on GRAND PRINCESS in 2000. (Her bridge was extremely similar to AURORA's, by the way. Actually, most modern ships have very similar bridges - QM2's is the exception, and is very odd.)
quote:Originally posted by eroller:The bridge is a major security area on a cruise ship. I'm not sure why you would think otherwise? This is one reason why general bridge visits were discontinued after 9/11.
Aside from the access code, most of the security features are pretty much invisible - but they are certainly there, especially on new ships. I'm not sure of the details but the bridge has to be designed in such a way that it can be "sealed off" from the rest of the ship if necessary.
It is definitely a sensitive area, whereas you can pretty much walk into most crew areas if there is nobody around to stop you. (I have actually done this by accident at times - other times intentionally, though usually with permission in those cases .)
quote:Originally posted by Ernst: Personally, I have the feeling that 'security concerns' are a lame excuse for getting rid of annoying bridge tours.
Personally, I have the feeling that 'security concerns' are a lame excuse for getting rid of annoying bridge tours.
Yes, perhaps it is a lame excuse but none the less I don't think it's unreasonable to not want 3000+ passengers strolling through the working control center of the ship. I also think logistically it has become unreasonable with 3000+ passengers on a 7-day or shorter cruise.
A very good solution is to do what Cunard, Royal Caribbean, and Disney have done. Have a bridge viewing area where essentially you can look into the bridge at your convenience. Royal Caribbean even has duplicate instruments in the viewing area with a description of the function. I think this is perfectly acceptable for most passengers.
Out of curiosity, you mention fairly large European based ships that still offer general bridge visits. What are they?
quote:Originally posted by dougnewman: Is Princess so Americanized now though that it's called I-95?! Last time I was on a Princess ship everyone called it the M1.
Yes, on DAWN PRINCESS the area was called I-95 by our tour guide, who happened to be the Maitre d'. He was Italian and with Princess for many years. Our private tour was actually supposed to be of the galley only, and all of us were surprised when he asked us if we were interested in other parts of the ship. Of course we were. It's interesting to note that one of his co-workers followed behind the group to ensure no one got "lost".
'Security' is just a blanket excuse, one which people are increasingly becoming annoyed with as they know it is not the real reason. Monterey was a joke.. no visits.. 'security'.. so when 2 requests failed I asked if they would take my camera and snap the Builder's Plaque for me as that is all I wanted.. Oh No Ma'am.. 'Security'.. bollocks.. LOL - funny how the next day pictures of a couple of bridge tours apeared in the photo gallery I never got my photo, but plenty of others around anyway.
On the longer trips some lines do what Sutho encountered. I can however fully understand why they just say no on a 3000 pax vessel in port every day on a week's milk run. The answer is to join the kids club and play a 9yr old for the day - even on QM2 they get a trip to the bridge to meet the Capt.
I've seen enough bridges so am not worried if I can't, but it is nice to see the occasional more unusual [older] one.
Nice pics Sutho, thanks.
quote:Originally posted by eroller:Yes, perhaps it is a lame excuse but none the less I don't think it's unreasonable to not want 3000+ passengers strolling through the working control center of the ship. I also think logistically it has become unreasonable with 3000+ passengers on a 7-day or shorter cruise.
I fully understand that this can be a hassle and the bridge is of course a sensitive area. But there are ways to do it (e.g. offer it as 'shore excursion' one has to pay for) - and let's face it - how many of the 3000 passengers are really interested and would show up?
quote:[....]Out of curiosity, you mention fairly large European based ships that still offer general bridge visits. What are they?Ernie
Most 'German' ships offer that. Yes, they are smaller than the very large ships we see out there but they are not tiny either (concerning the number of passengers) - certainly larger than the mentioned 'high end' 'yacht like' or expedition ships.I had the impression that passengers aboard 'German' ships are generally much more interested in such activities. (bridge tour, engine room tour) I remember litterally hundred(s) of passengers being guided trough the engine room. (following a presentation in the theater one could walk trough there - an acceptable way of handling it)
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