chengkp75

No, but it plays a big part in getting the funding to design and build those ships. If a Senator says, "we can build 2 or 3 conventional cruisers for the cost of the one nuclear one, convince me to buy the nuclear one". Also, the decommissioning cost is something the Navy looks at, as this can cost them another ship.

The auto-off feature is required for those items that are otherwise allowed, like heating pads and such. Typically, it is the auto-off feature that fails causing the appliance to catch fire.

This is the primary purpose of the passenger muster: accountability. It has everything to do with getting the passengers into known, controllable locations where they can all be accounted for, it really has little to do with getting into lifeboats, other than the number of people assigned to each muster station.

And, this is why I laugh when someone says, "they told me this on the ship". Virtually no crew outside the deck and engine departments on a cruise ship actually know how the ship works. Unlike your house, the ship does not have a "hot water tank" that stores hot water for 2000+ people. The hot water circulates around the ship constantly, going from a pump to move it, to a heater, to the miles of water pipes around the ship, and returns to the pump. Just as at home, where when you open the hot water tap it takes a minute or so to get fully hot water, to do this with miles of pipes, and to get it where those miles of pipe can maintain that temperature will take time, but there are no "reserve tanks".

And, the last nuclear cruiser was decommissioned in 1999. They were more expensive to build, more expensive to maintain than conventional power, so even the non-profit US Navy could not afford them.

Let's see. China has small pebble bed reactors, for about $2 million/Mw. So, an Oasis class cruise ship would need 97Mw of power, or $194 million worth of reactor. Her diesel engines cost about a tenth of that, so you would need far more capital investment to start with. Then, you have to have not only the reactors, but the boilers and the steam turbines turning the generators to make the electricity. Space required for engineering goes up, power required to operate the plant goes up, since a steam plant is inherently less efficient than a diesel plant. That either reduces passenger area, or makes the ship bigger, requiring more cost. Then there is the question of regulation. It is up to the flag state to regulate their ships, so do you think that Bahamas, Panama, and Malta want to make nuclear reactor regulations? Do you trust them to actually regulate this industry, including waste storage? Do you see the potential for litigation, for any passenger who sails on a nuclear cruise ship that develops cancer at any time later in life to sue for exposure? And, every one of them is Russian. And the Russian flag is not regulated by the normal classification societies, but by Russia's own society. Conflict of interest?

Sanitation supervisors (who oversee the galley utilities (dishwashers)), are required to record both wash and rinse water temps at every machine at regular intervals throughout the day. They also have a supply of "irreversible temperature recording" strips. These stick on plates, and if the surface temperature of the plate reaches 160*F, it changes color to black, and even when the plate cools, it will remain black. This is considered a sanitized surface. They also check the pails of sanitizing solutions used to wipe down tables and food prep surfaces routinely to ensure that the chlorine content has not diminished, and is still in the required range, with a chemical test strip.

At the risk of being labeled a cheerleader, let me say that each dishwashing machine, glass washing machine, and pot washing sink has their own heating elements. These machines only take in cold water. The heating elements in the washing machines are required to maintain constant temperatures, above what the hot water system supplies (150- 165*F depending on the type of machine for wash temperature, 180*F for rinse water, much higher than the 140*F of the hot water system). Pot wash stations also use chlorine to sanitize washed items. But, then again, they are using that non-safe water.

Your third statement is the correct one, and it trumps both of the other quotes above. As I have said, even if the US were to make marijuana legal at the federal level, unless the US wanted to rescind being signatory to the STCW convention (which governs mariner training and competency, and covers drug and alcohol use), it would still be illegal on ships, until the IMO decides it is not illegal. Attitudes in the US won't matter, what will matter is what the majority of folks in a majority of the 174 member nations of the IMO decide.

Make sure you identify to the room steward that you will be disposing of diapers in these bags. This waste needs to be put in "red bags" (biohazard) and incinerated.

I've only heard anecdotal reports of hair straighteners not working, and they seem to be the newer ceramic type units. Similarly, I've heard reports of Dyson hair products, with digital motors, not working on ships. I believe these are related to how the electronic circuits look at "neutral" and "ground" to modify power for the appliance, which is different on ships to that on land. There is no solution for this that I am aware of, short of getting a different hair straightener for use on ships.

I gather this question is about the heating system on the ship? Most of the air is recirculated through steam heaters, similar to what hot water baseboard heat is like in Mass. The fresh air is slightly cooled by the AC to drop the humidity, and then heated by steam heaters, much like a mini-split heat pump does in Mass. Relative humidity will be in the "normal" range.

As others have said, not sure exactly what you are looking for. For "cruising around America", I assume you mean the US? If so, there are virtually no cruises that go "around the US" and those that do are limited to US flag ships (very limited lines, very small ships). For "cruising around Canada", again these would be limited to Canadian flag ships (again, very limited lines, very small ships). As noted, there are cruises that combine Atlantic Canada with New England, but these are fall cruises, while your Alaska cruise would be a summer cruise. Also, "round trip" or "closed loop" cruises to Alaska are generally from Seattle, while one way Canada to Alaska or vice versa, must start in Canada (Vancouver), or end there, or both. These are legal issues, and beyond the cruise lines' or your control. Not sure what you mean by: Are you talking about flights from UK to Alaska? Then you would be starting with Alaska, not ending. Or are you thinking of starting the Alaska cruise in Vancouver and ending in Alaska, and flying home from Alaska? What may work would be to fly to California, take a California Coastal cruise from LA to Vancouver, then take another ship on a Vancouver to Alaska (either one way or round trip), then fly to NYC or Boston for a New England/Canada cruise (again, either round trip or one way).

Which countries are these? Both Philippines and Indonesia treat gratuities, received from the employer, as opposed to directly from the customer, as normal income. India does as well. The real fact as to why the cruise lines do this is two fold. One it allows them to advertise the absolute minimum fare they can. Two, it gives a "stick and carrot" approach to team building for good customer service. It ties them all into a team that shares the rewards of the DSC if they all perform well, and that suffers the consequences of one or two poor performers resulting in decreased DSC. It is a way to remove management responsibility from the lower level managers, by making the crew "team" police themselves. As for cruise lines avoiding taxes by having a DSC plan, the cruise lines pay almost no corporate tax anyway, so this argument does not pass the sniff test.

I think he was happy to get out of the CEO hotseat before any further environmental sanctions were place against him personally. He came within a whisker of criminal contempt.

For us it was grab your license and overtime sheet.

Here is RCI's link to kosher meals: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/aus/en/faq/questions/can-we-offer-kosher-meals As noted, all meals are prepared on shore in kosher kitchens, double sealed and frozen. They will serve them to you in original double sealed packaging with disposable flatware. This, however, is a no charge service. What you are referring to is the Yeshiva Week package, described here: https://cruisefever.net/royal-caribbean-offering-kosher-meals-for-yeshiva-week/

Actually, eight of those ten states' laws regarding surcharges are still on the books, but unenforceable due to court decisions. Currently, only Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Puerto Rico have surcharge bans. California's law was made unenforceable in mid-2021. And, merchants can get around a surcharge ban by using a "cash discount", which sets the credit card price as the baseline, and discounts the cash price, which is legal throughout the US. The case law is Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman, which went to SCOTUS, but was remanded to the 2nd Circuit Court, which subsequently found that posting a surcharge (as long as it is posted along with the cash price) is freedom of speech, and therefore allowable. This is not Wiki, it is Justia Law. The 9th Circuit Court affirmed that the law in California is unconstitutional: https://www.jdsupra.com/post/contentViewerEmbed.aspx?fid=ee9c154a-1221-4d88-9193-d84605a4e04b This was in 2018 in Italian Colors Restaurant v. Becerra

You were the one who brought up "commandeering" them. No one else said anything about it not being a contractual agreement.

Actually, it is the shallow water that caused the Concordia to roll over on her side. She touched bottom again, on one side (underwater ridge), and as the ship continued to fill with water, this "free surface" water went to the side that was not supported by the seabed, and caused the ship to roll over. In deep water, the ship would have sunk later than she did, upright, and down by the stern. Not sure what you mean here. There is required to be 125% lifesaving capacity (boats and rafts), for the maximum number of souls that are allowed on the ship.

The Queen Mary's certificate of documentation and certificate of registry (think of your car's title and registration) expired decades ago, and she is no longer a ship, nor registered in a foreign country. As BruceMuzz says, the crew's visa allows them to work on the ship, provided the ship does not move a passenger from one point in the US to another, or engage in a "voyage to nowhere". So much to try to unpack in this. Of course they cannot be "commandeered" since they are not owned in the US or registered there. Can they be used for this purpose? Yes, and have been in the past, if chartered for this between the government and the cruise line. What do you mean by "it is all under contract"? What do you mean by "just like casinos" they fall under different laws? The casinos on foreign cruise ships cannot open in US waters, whether the ship is sailing or not. Casino boats in the US, whether actually moving or landlocked like some in the Midwest, are registered in the US.

Condensed milk is up to 40-45% added sugar, so it is likely the sugar that is the lubricant. I didn't believe it myself until an old machinist showed me that it made a normal drill cut through stainless steel like a hot knife through butter. I have the same problem getting the steward to order the condensed milk, they always get evaporated, which is useless to us.

Lubricant, not solvent. Stainless steel is very tough to machine, and something, either the concentrated sugar or whatever acts as a cooling and lubricating agent. And, she gave you condensed milk, or evaporated milk. Condensed milk is the thick stuff that pours like cake batter.

Never had that, but our canned water used to be brutal on our hands. During monthly inspections, you had to smack the can smartly into your hand to get the proper "clack" of a vacuum sealed liquid. I do miss the condensed milk, as this was used as a lubricant for drilling stainless steel (don't ask me why it worked, but it sure did).

If you have notified Guest Services of your accessibility issues, during an actual muster, crew who will lead you to an elevator. Contrary to popular "knowledge" the elevators work, but are in "firefighter" mode, meaning they cannot be called to a floor from outside the elevator. There will be crew at the elevator who can call on the radio for the elevator to come to your deck and take you to the deck where the muster stations are.