stevenr597

This past July we cruised on Discovery Princess out of Seattle. It was complete chaos.

Thanks, we will be staying at the Moxy in October for our cruise on the Regal.

Like I said my comment stands. Please note that if you do take the time to read my original comment, the "Gentleman in Question" did express his opinion on my comment(s), not the other way around. Not only did I reply in a respectful manner to this "Gentleman's opinions" but I also took the liberty to submit several statements on the topic from articles that are available on the Internet if you wish to read about this interesting component of modern day cruising. Bottom line is that I stand by my statements, and I consider this discussion closed, unless you can submit some articles/references which refute my observations and information provided. Have a good day my friend.

Carnival which is part of the same company (Carnival Corporation) has adopted much of the same, perhaps even more extensive policies in regards to the disposal of waste and reduce pollution. Carnival Cruise Line Carnival Sensation (Photo:EPP) Onboard Policies Carnival recycles, incinerates or offloads a multitude of materials (plastic, glass, aluminum, scrap metal, cooking oil, petroleum oil, toner cartridges, electronics, refrigerants and photo processing liquids) from its ships for disposal on land. Ships process and incinerate solid waste onboard whenever possible or send it to an approved shoreside facility for treatment, recycling or disposal. Even oily bilge water is subjected to its own three-step engineering process.

Here is some more information in respect to Princess. Think about it, especially the comment, "or offloaded" Princess Cruises Pacific Princess (Photo: Princess Cruises) Onboard Policies Princess has equipped its entire fleet with state-of-the-art waste management equipment, and all solid waste is incinerated, recycled or offloaded for other disposal. To minimize plastics, Princess works with suppliers to replace plastic packaging with biodegradable materials and to eliminate or reduce packaging materials. Princess is currently investing in exhaust gas cleaning systems technology to enable 14 of its ships to run with more fuel efficiency on lower sulfur fuel, by 2020.

My stateman is based on my readings, some of which I quoted, what as a frequent cruiser, I personally observed, and what members of the crew have told me. While I do respect your right, and the "gentleman in question" to disagree with my statements, I do stand by my comments. To summarize: I have on several occasions detected odors on cruise ships including those from RCCL, Celebrity, Carnival and Princess. These odors occured at certain times of the day and on specific locations of the ship. I was told by crew that this was due to "reprocessing waste." In addition, on several occasions when we boarded our cruise ship and stepped out on the balcony we had smelled the odor of "garbage or sewage" We did notice a barge next to our ship with pipes connect both vessels. A member of the crew told us that this was due to pumping out sewage from the previous cruise. I do suggest that you read up on how modern cruise ships reprocess waste. But thank you for your comments.

You see to be very interested, almost obsessive in respect to my comments. As I said, from time to time we have detected an odor in ships from Celebrity, RCCL, Carnival and Princess. When we asked the crew we were told that it is involves processing of waste on board the ship. When we have boarded ships of these lines in the past, we also have detected odors from a barge attached to the ship and were told by crew that it was pumping out waste material.

Chance to see the Northern Lights...if you are lucky.

Noroviruses and Covid occur on cruise ships and hotels. The difference with a hotel is that an individual who is sick, can check out and leave. On a cruise ship, the individual cannot leave and the ship must work and work hard to prevent further spread of the infection. My wife and I usually try to eat in the dining room, sad to say, a small, but significant minority do not obey rules and regulations in the buffet leading to contamination.

"Ships can hold their sewage until returning to shore. They have “marine sanitation farms,” which treat the water part of the waste so it can be released into the ocean. Solid waste is held in storage tanks with aerobic bacteria, which begins digesting it while waiting for the return to port." P.S. Nobody is denying that cruise ships do dump waste into the ocean. But...they do process waste which is why one may smell the odor of garbage at various time in various sections of the ship on any given day. But a modern cruise ship does try to process such waste and yes, they do return some of this sewage back to port.

That an my observations. Do you have statements from the cruise line that they do not pump sludge and other wasteproducts out to a barge for recycling and disposal at the end of a cruise. That they dump all waste at sea. Hmmmmmmmm.....

Of course I was not going to ask a crew member for his qualifications in regards to a barge along side our ship with pipes running from the ship into the barge with the smell of sewage coming from the barge. Next time I witness this, I will be sure to ask his qualifications and take a photograph of both the crewman and the barge for your inspection. 🤣

From a description of how RCCL handles waste on the Symphony of the Seas, “ All the wastewater onboard is collected and absolutely nothing goes overboard unless it is first run through a treatment plant.

Suggest you re-read my statements again. I said that we had detected on several occasions an odor from the ship from time to time. We were told that this was due to reprocessing of waste. That cruise ships no longer had the ability to simply dump waste at sea, that they are treated. In addition, we were told and we did observe cruise ships pumping waste into barges at the start of the cruise from the previous voyage. This was confirmed to us by the crew. Stand by my comments.

I have never said that cruise ships do not dump waste at sea. However, I also stand by my statement that, on several occasions, while boarding our cruise ship, we have seen a barge with a foul odor next to and hooked up to the ship. We have asked the crew and were told that it is to recycle waste from the previous cruise. This is not to be confused with a barge refueling the ship with fuel. Suggest you re-read my comments.

I thought that all the cruise lines, for quite some time, charged less if you let them select your cabin. After all, at times, until boarding, one does not know where they are going to be located or even if they will have an upwards bump up in class if they let the cruise line select for them.

"Ships can hold their sewage until returning to shore. Solid waste is held in storage tanks with aerobic bacteria, which begins digesting it while waiting for the return to port." Popular Science

I am….but thanks for your comment, it has been received in the spirit it has been given.

We have notice from time to time, the odor of sewage in certain areas of the ship on Carnival, RCCL, Celebrity and Princess. I believe it is from the ship having to hold and store sewage. They no longer have the ability to simply dump it at sea. Sometimes, one will notice it when the ship is in dock and a barge is next to it, pumping out the sewage.

Both lines are more alike than different. We have sailed both extensively. We do prefer Princess, that is just a matter of choice. Can't go wrong with either of them.

Have been to Alaska in June with great weather and to Alaska in July in which we did have cooler temperatures due to a lot of rain. September has its pro's and cons. Less people so tourist attractions will not be as croweded, but some like the White Star Railroad may be closed. Weather will probably be colder, but one may get a chance to see the Northern Lights. Cost of cruise should also be less.

In the old days we used to have to pack an extra suitcase for my Tuxedo and my wife's long evening gown which we worse once or perhaps twice. Not a real problem when we could drive to the port, but in today's world with limitation on how many piece of luggage you can take without the "surcharge" I simple take a Blazer with a nice pair of pants to wear. My wife packs a stylish dress.

In Miami as well as in other restaurants in Florida they are beginning to adopt the European Custom of automatically adding a tip. They have done this at the Breaker's Hotel in Palm Beach. The Up-charge for a room should be separate for any gratuity, unless the cruise line specifies it is included. I have noticed some decrease in the quality of the cruise for the past several years which was accelerated by the Pandemic. We have experienced this on Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. In fact, we were disappointed with a recent cruise we took on Celebrity Reflection. In respect to Oceania we have never cruised that line, but I have talked to individuals who state that the quality has also declined. We did cruise Azamara several years ago and it was one of our best trips we ever made; but since then, Azamara has been sold to a private venture group and Travel Agents have suggested that we wait and see until this works out. I personally believe that Princess still has the "best bang for the money", but that is my opinion.

Part of the cost of the up-charge is due to the fact that the Mini-suite is in the central area of the ship, and these rooms have always been more costly.

Have to disagree with you. The upcharge for Club Class goes to Princess and Carnival Corporation. The gratuity that you either pay either automatically, or by a "tip" at the end of the cruise is independent of this upcharge. Certainly, it is one's personal decision as to whether they wish to tip the crew, especially the waiter, bus boys, and room steward which is indeed a significant part of their salary. When one enters a restaurant, in most cases the tip or gratuity is voluntary. One could argue that if you go to a more expensive restaurant would you decide that a tip is not required because the increase in prices automatically covers the tip?