chengkp75

Just so you know, there is no "ship approved" power strip or adapter. Cruise lines don't "approve" anything.

Yes, Getaway is the same. No, the 4 main generators feed a common bus at 10,000 volts, which is then supplied to propulsion, thrusters, and AC chillers. Power is then stepped down to 480v for engineering and heavy hotel use (galley and laundry). It is then stepped down to 220v for lighting, and smaller hotel equipment, and then to 110v for outlets. When I talked about "larger" and "smaller" generators, the terms are relative. The Breakaway has 2 generators with a capacity of 16.4Mw each, and 2 generators with a capacity of 14.8Mw each. The difference is that the larger engines have two more cylinders (14 as opposed to the 12 in the smaller engines).

Depending on the required speed for those cruises, yes.

NCL already has this. 😉

Okay, here's the deal. This is a problem that ships with only 4 large diesel generators, like the Breakaway, have. Every 12,000 running hours, the engine is completely torn down for overhaul. This is about every 2.5 years. Taking one engine out of service will result in the ship not being able to attain full speed. Typically, cruise lines will plan itineraries that can accommodate an engine out of service, well in advance, and none of the passengers know that it is out of service, as the cruises continue as advertised. Ships that have 5 or 6 smaller engines (totalling the same total power), can accommodate one out of service easier than a ship with 4 engines. Apparently, this is not the case here, but I won't comment on refunds, obc, or any other guest relations issues, as that is not my area of expertise. As for cancelling one cruise now to accommodate the overhaul, this is not possible, as the overhaul takes about 3-4 weeks to accomplish, so you would have to cancel that many cruises. They are likely not waiting on parts, but this takes a lot of time to load parts, tear the engine down completely (think of taking every single part out of your car's engine and inspecting it), clean the parts, inspect them for condition, install new parts, and reassemble the entire engine. This normally takes the entire ship's engine crew, and several contract workers, and a tech rep to accomplish this in 3-4 weeks. As for a safety concern, the ship can get back to port with only one diesel generator running (albeit slower and behind schedule), so there is no worry over this. As I've stated, taking an engine out of service for overhaul happens on every cruise ship, every year, and in most cases, no one is even aware of it, except for the engine crew doing the work, and perhaps a sharp eyed passenger who sees an engine manufacturer's tech rep eating in the buffet. They are not having "engine problems", this is scheduled maintenance that is required to keep the engines running without failures for years.

A lot of that depends on what schedule the mariner is working. Ships hold weekly fire and boat drills. If a deck or engine crew member is working the 8-12 or 4-8 watches (they work two 4 hour watches during those hours day and night), then if the fire and boat drill is held at 1300 hours, they have to get up from either sleeping or resting, and partake in the drill. The lucky 12-4 watch would have the drill during working hours. That would mean (for working 8 months a year) 2-3 hours per drill times 32 times a year, for 60-100 hours unpaid training/drills per year. On cruise ships, some crew work nights (1800-0600), so every drill comes in the middle of their sleep period. Many hotel staff work "split shifts" (a few hours in the morning, and then a few hours in the evening) with a rest period in between, and if the training or drill is scheduled during their rest period, then they are again going to have 60-100 hours a year of unpaid training/drills. And, on cruise ships, the training is typically scheduled so as not to interfere with the crew member's working hours, to minimize disruption of guest services. Training on cruise ships usually adds another hour per week. I would say that cruise ship crew do about 60-80 hours, on average, of unpaid training/drills per year. Shoreside training will depend on the crew member's rating, with officers requiring more hours than ratings. A minimum of 40 hours every 5 years, up to 200 hours every 5 years, along with any required training for advancement.

Your photo does not have a brand name visible, so I can't say for sure, but I found an identical one from "Bestten", and it clearly mentions "300 joules of protection", which is a measure of surge protection. Before using on a ship, check the printing on the back (can't read it in the photo) to see if this is written there, and if so, it is surge protected, and is dangerous to use on ships. What mess? As you point out, there are outlets available in the cabins for charging. Is it the cruise lines' responsibility that you "need" a phone, tablet, e-reader, ear buds, and all the other "essentials" of modern life? How many charging ports should be in each cabin? What if I have more than that? Do I complain? "Tradition and stalling"? Try cost to benefit analysis. Does the benefit of water bottle filling stations and USB ports outweigh the cost of installing?

This is universal across the maritime industry, not just cruise ships, and for every one of the 1.6 million mariners around the world. Even on US flag vessels, where nearly everyone is unionized, drills and training are unpaid. As it should be. This is something that transcends pay, and something that most people, even experienced cruisers don't understand, that the ship is your universe when out at sea, and if there is a fire, you can't just walk out of the building and let someone else deal with it, or just let the building burn, there is virtually no place to go other than the ship. Lifeboats and life rafts are there as a absolute last resort, as you are far more likely to perish in one of them than you are in a disabled ship. Whenever I was required to take training, even that required by law to retain my job, at shoreside facilities, it was always on my dime. And, the only time I begrudged it was when I had to take a 40 hour firefighting course 6 months prior to my retirement, that was valid for 5 years.

And, as Andy has said, better than I, that there is an amount of passenger training involved as well, basically to understand the signal and what to do when it sounds, and also the "show up, shut up, listen up" that is what is required of passengers. The part of the muster drill that involves crew training, also requires passenger input, because as I've said, that training is how to handle unruly and unwilling passengers. Do you know that crew drills and training (and there is additional training that takes place for nearly every crew member outside of the formal weekly drill), if it occurs outside of the crew member's normal work hours, are unpaid? So, while you may consider that you are due compensation for training the crew, what about compensation for the crew training to save your life? From Carnival's ticket contract: "Guests must attend the mandatory safety briefing at the commencement of the cruise and any subsequent briefing ordered by the ship’s officer during the cruise." "Guest agrees during the course of the voyage to follow the directions of the ship’s Master, or his authorized officer"

Basically, if you are more than 15 miles offshore, there won't be any cell signal other than the ship's. If you can't see land, you won't have cell reception.

Yes, the charges are either per port call, or per Gross Tonnage, or per capacity (not occupancy). Taxes and fees are known long in advance, and they divide it by historical occupancy to get the original charge per pax, and it is refunded if the occupancy goes up, but is swallowed by the line if occupancy goes down.

higher than expected occupancy, hence the per capita charge is less.

You give them that right when you agree to the ticket contract. Under the authority of the flag state, which is what law prevails onboard the ship, especially when not docked in a port (though in many cases it still has jurisdiction). The Captain is given the authority to enforce flag state law onboard the ship. And, again, the ticket contract says that by purchasing the cruise you agree to pay the fine if the Captain decides it is warranted. They can place an "innkeeper's lien" to keep your luggage until you pay. They cannot stop you from disembarking, but you'll do so without your luggage. Then they can go for a claim against you in court, based on the ticket contract. Except, again, the ticket contract gives the Captain the only opinion that matters. Once again, it is the Captain's decision as to how fair he will be in enforcing.

Guess what? That's what you get when you book a cruise on a foreign flag vessel, you are not protected by laws of the US, unlike airlines who may have to compensate for a diversion, but who are regulated by the US government. And, since virtually all of the major cruise ships are foreign flag, this applies to them all.

This is correct. RCI does not allow anything with a cord and power outlets. "Pure" USB hubs, which can charge up to 7 or more devices, are allowed with a cord, since the power output is limited. My best solution is a plug adapter to adapt the 220v outlet to US 110v, then a "pure" USB hub for any electronics. This frees up any and all US110v outlets for things like hair dryers, or things that don't use a USB port. If absolutely necessary, bring a simple rubber "outlet splitter" that has one male plug and 3 female plugs.

That would be because the check in one can go to government databases using facial recognition software, while the one taken at the ship is for the onboard account, and the crew member who rings up your purchase, or flags you on or off the ship does not have this, and they use the "mark 1 eyeball" to match your present appearance to the one standing in front of them.

That is why I have advocated the completely unwelcome suggestion that everyone is kept at muster station until all lifejackets are stowed properly, which means with the straps wrapped around the jacket, and clipped. This is true. I cannot think of the number of times I saw a passenger who had put the lifejacket on in such a way that it would have pushed their face down into the water and drowned them. This is not a cruise line decision. SOLAS prefers that muster stations be as close as physically possible to the lifeboats. So, ships that have sufficient space on the promenade deck to muster a full station under a boat, and still have room for people to pass by, will have them outside. Only if there is insufficient space on the promenade deck are alternative muster stations considered as primary ones. One of the critical pieces of information disseminated during an emergency is the "fire zone" or "danger zone", and all crew will know to direct passengers around these areas, and if that includes a lifeboat, they will send people to alternative muster locations. And, again, if the weather conditions are that harsh, the Captain can send passengers to alternative muster stations, once everyone has been accounted for. The only truly innovative, and in my professional opinion the best, muster procedure is HAL's, where the first stage of the muster is for passengers to return to their cabins, and accountability can be taken there as a first time, and public areas are cleared. As above, if passenger cabins are in the "fire zone", then they will be directed elsewhere, but typically this stage is called before any passenger areas are greatly involved.

The problem is that most units that have both power outlets and USB ports also have surge protection, which is not allowed, and frankly dangerous, on ships. Search for one that claims "no surge protection" and double check that there is no "VPN" number in the fine print on the back of the unit. VPN is the measure of how well a surge protector protects electronics. Some so-called "cruise approved" (there is no such thing) multi-outlets have claimed no surge protection, but had a VPN visible in advertising copy.

What?

I see that there is a product called "InstaSteam" that claims to be "cruise ship safe". It says that it is approved by TSA but only for transport of unopened packages, not for use. As this is quicklime that you add water to, this reaction releases enough heat to ignite paper, so I would have my doubts about it being allowed on the ship. Whether it is found by security is one thing, but I would not bring this myself.

The ship's irons are inspected and tested regularly, something they cannot do with ones brought onboard by passengers. I remember when NCL was trying out coffee makers in every cabin, and we were required to rotate them out for inspection and servicing, and one of them caught fire in the electrician's shop. The most common failure of things with heating elements is the "auto-off" switch, that everyone claims is the key to safety.

Yes, most of these countries that prohibit shell taking, require that all shells sold in stores be boiled to remove any minute traces of biologic material.

Demonstration of what? Where? And how does this address the issue of crew training during the original muster drill, or give the new cruisers the training of going to the muster station?

Just so you know, things that are not required of the ship to make a port call, like water, garbage collection, delivery of stores, etc, are not allowed to be included in port fees. Tugs, if required by the port, are allowed.

Because the law allows it, and it allows the cruise line to advertise the lowest possible fare.