A delicate question about bathrooms

My wife and I recently returned from a wonderful Iceland & Scandinavia cruise aboard the Insignia. We loved the ship - so much so that we booked another cruise before disembarking.

We did have one rather delicate issue and I was wondering if it has happened to others. We were far forward on deck six of the Insignia - cabin 6007 to be exact. To put this as politely as possible, when we flushed the toilet the contents often did not go down. It did not seem to be because of a weak vacuum but rather a lack of water to wash away the contents. It was kind of gross to be unable to get rid of the evidence, if you get my drift.

Was this idiosyncratic to this cruise, ship, location (far forward), or cabin? Or has anyone else experienced flushing problems on the R class ships? The reason I ask is that the cruise we booked is on another R ship (the Sirena) and I was wondering if we might have the same problem again.

I apologize if anyone was reading this over breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

David

We always cruise mid-ship, and have only been on our R ships. We have also encountered this problem on occasion, and like you said, the situation seems to be a lack of sufficient water to assist in evacuating the bowl.

Our solution is to keep a water bottle in the bathroom and when necessary, add additional water to get the job done....so to speak;)

Hope this helps:)

That is a great idea. Thanks!

David

Did you report the issue ?

Two cruises on the Regatta and we didn't have this issue.

Did you report the issue ?

Reporting the issue and asking to be informed about the cause/solution is the best way to go.

The only toilet problem we've had on Regatta was a vacuum problem on the first journey after Regatta's retrofit a couple of years ago. Quickly fixed after calling it in.

We did not report the situation as it was a bit embarrassing. I know we probably should have. That is why I am not in any way upset at Oceania - how could they fix a problem they that did not get reported. I mostly wanted to know if we might find a similar situation on our next R ship cruise.

David

We're on Nautica now and have experienced exactly the same problem, exacerbated by the fact that I normally keep the lid closed so I sometimes don't know there's a problem until my next visit.

For the first time on an R ship we've experienced a different, but equally delicate problem. Sometimes our vacuum flush sticks on, which can be deafening, especially during the night. When it stops sometimes the bowl fills to the brim with water. We've reported it each time. As former leisure sailors we're very careful when using the loo.

Eat less !

We did not report the situation as it was a bit embarrassing.

 

David

Well I would think it would be embarrassing if the toilet overflowed into the cabin or worse yet to the space below

If you do not report a problem it cannot be fixed :rolleyes:

For the first time on an R ship we've experienced a different, but equally delicate problem. Sometimes our vacuum flush sticks on, which can be deafening, especially during the night. When it stops sometimes the bowl fills to the brim with water. We've reported it each time. As former leisure sailors we're very careful when using the loo.

Were they able to fix the problem

Our switch stuck one time on the Regatta but an extra push on the button seem to cure it

We had one of the pump handle toilets on the sailboat so know what you mean ;)

We did not report the situation as it was a bit embarrassing. I know we probably should have. That is why I am not in any way upset at Oceania - how could they fix a problem they that did not get reported. I mostly wanted to know if we might find a similar situation on our next R ship cruise.

 

 

 

David

Don't you think the crew plumbers see waste on a fairly regular basis?

On our last cruise on the Riviera, we would push the toilet button, and it filled with water, but never flushed down. No vacuum. The water got right up to the top, and to my dismay, stayed there! I immediately informed our room steward, who reported it, and within the hour after some intense gurgling sounds coming from pipes, he knocked and said to try again. Viola! I agree it is embarrassing, but to me, letting someone else find it unknowingly was worse! I am sure that they have seen it all!

Were they able to fix the problem

Our switch stuck one time on the Regatta but an extra push on the button seem to cure it

 

We had one of the pump handle toilets on the sailboat so know what you mean ;)

We tried extra button pushing to no avail so had to ring reception. After the fourth time I went to reception and said this was unacceptable. It hasn't happened since so let's hope they're fixed it.

We tried extra button pushing to no avail so had to ring reception. After the fourth time I went to reception and said this was unacceptable. It hasn't happened since so let's hope they're fixed it.

Finger's crossed no more problems

Enjoy the cruise

Lyn

Malfunction is common with marine toilets. The suction has to work right, the water flow has to work right, they get plugged regularly. No reason to be embarrassed as the plumbers on board are quite used to dealing with waste. It really is routine to them.

We were fortunate to not have this happen on our Nautica sailing earlier this year. However, there was apparently a problem in part of the ship early in the cruise - due to someone flushing something unflushable which made a mess of the vacuum system. The crew is used to seeing things happen and they should be made aware if there are issues as there are probably things happening in other cabins as well.

This has happened to us on other lines. You just flush a couple of times. Also, sometimes it does not flush immediately and you have to wait a minute or so before it flushes.

DON

Vacuum toilet 101.

The push button you use to flush is actually a vacuum valve that sends vacuum to a timing module that controls the "discharge valve" that takes the "product" away, and the water valve. If the system vacuum is sufficient at your toilet (no clogging or partial clogging of the lines), you should actually feel air rushing past the bathroom door gaps when it happens, and this will suck anything down. If not, report a loss of vacuum problem. The water valve only allows about 1 liter of water into the bowl, and at a very low pressure. If it is not putting enough water into the bowl, the strainer in the water line or the water valve may be at fault. Generally, the water is not of sufficient pressure to wash any "swirl art" off the bowl. The water is really not there to wash things down the pipe.

"Extra button pushing" generally leads to more problems than it fixes, as you "confuse" the timing module, and until it completes a cycle, pushing the button again will have no effect.