Pratique

Onboard now. Not aware of this but recently both my wife and I started having breathing issues, constricted breathing. We were in the WJ and Suite Lounge then down to Sthe Boardwalk and back to our cabin. That’s when my wife mentioned her breathing difficulties and I thought it was odd that I was also experiencing the same thing. So perhaps the pepper spray theory is the cause. I’ve just been out and about and all is quiet.

Yesterday my DW and I were sitting at the Mast Bar at the aft of the ship by the Flowriders when a torrential downpour started and stranded us there for awhile. We still had a good time chatting with the bartender. Another guest sitting there said that it would stop raining by 5 o’clock and he was right. A beautiful sunset shortly thereafter.

I think the second formal night is Day 6. On Day 7 we’re putting our luggage out in the corridors.

Same here. Also it’s common for people to dress for each day’s theme such as white or formal or 80’s casual or whatever it is.

I’m on our second cruise this month and I’m not hearing anyone complaining. Business looks good. Ships are full. Drinks are flowing. Short term is all they care about, investors have the attention span of a gnat. I worked for Disney Parks when the bean counters took over a few decades ago and I see the effects of cost cutting but business is booming these days. Investors still not happy. Boeing will be fine because Airbus can’t build enough planes to meet demand. And Royal will be fine because the competition can’t meet demand either.

Your experience may vary but usually if we pick up the cups from one of the tables they set up on boarding day they let us choose any cup so you can pick the color you want. At the bars they just hand one to you.

Heading to the turning basin now.

Victory Casino going out first.

We are at the dock behind Wonder.

We have stopped in the channel.

If anyone is interested in watching Symphony arrive at Port Canaveral today on the live cam, we are arriving early for a medical evacuation. We will be bumping the dock for the transfer and then turning the ship around to dock for the day.

Yes correct. Maybe a light sweater if the air conditioning is too strong.

Risotto or linguine usually satisfy me if I’m getting something without meat. I think shirt and shoes are all anyone expects for lunch. And a lanyard as a fashion accessory.

Ha, yes. Well, the bypass was most definitely removed after we completed testing (and the removal was tested too). I hated bypassing safeties unless it was part of the test, so we had to redesign some of the tests to accommodate this.

The electricians at Disney "yelled" at us for over-exercising the breakers. We had computer controlled under-voltage relays that would trip the high voltage breakers during an emergency stop. During testing we performed hundreds of emergency stops and we wore out the breakers. Which were expensive to replace. So after we tested the relays, we bypassed them to prevent over-exercising the breakers.

To me it is a question of thoroughness being raised by Maersk. If there was a problem of any kind, there should be adequate measures taken to ensure it (and anything else) had been resolved before setting sail, even if it had nothing to do with the incident. Maybe the fuel issue was resolved, but we (and they) don't know yet. And if it wasn't, then that opens a whole can of worms.

A new report in the Baltimore Sun quotes the chief engineer for Maersk as saying he would be satisfied to set sail if the in-port blackout due to human error had been adequately checked out, but he was still uncertain that the low fuel pressure issue had been sufficiently resolved. Although the NTSB report said the two events (in port and voyage) were mechanically distinct, the Maersk engineer said the pilots should have been told about the initial blackout, which would have raised questions about the seaworthiness of the ship in their minds. The Sun also quoted a marine engineer with NTSB investigation experience who said the design of the power management system might be an underlying cause and needs to be further investigated.

Fair enough, there are other perspectives out there some dependent on the investigation. It’s still early in the investigation.

Yes, that’s reasonable and I’m not expecting 100% of anything. I’m reading elsewhere from people claiming to be cargo ship captains or engineers saying that the Dali should not have left port that day or at least not without taking additional precautions. So there’s no consensus that this was only a bridge problem or that nothing can be done to improve shipboard safety.

I’m a patent attorney so I know all this, but thanks nonetheless. I was just responding to an earlier question. Sorry for the redundant response..

I get it. I'm just not satisfied to be content with the status quo. Maybe others are. I think we can do better if we want to. Maybe I'm a dreamer. This bridge collapse should be a wake up call. But if nothing changes, then it will probably happen again. There are companies who have profited from being innovative and delivering a higher demand product or service. Maybe Amazon is an example? I read about shippers who are frustrated with having their cargoes kicked off of the ship to make way for more profitable loads. So there are plenty of folks who would be interested in seeing some good competition, maybe driving innovation through more efficient ships that can reach more ports. Just spit balling because when I'm a cynic I tend to just sit in a rut. EDIT to say "duh" Disney spends tons of money for things that may never be needed (amusement safety wise) and the competitors (smaller amusement parks) don't, and it has paid off in spades IMHO. But I get that international shipping is a different beast.

You mean mandatory change to the ships. I'm guessing voluntary change is asking too much.

I am reading expert commentary to the contrary, that a ship with that much mass moving at that speed would overcome anything put in its way. So not sure we can say for sure. Obviously more needs to be done. How to prioritize is a hard problem.