Shirley and Les

I too applaud Aquahound for his effort in getting the camera back to its owner. :)

Several years ago, my pointandshoot camera fell overboard while on a tender out to a Nautilus submarine excursion in the Grand Bahamas. I delighted in telling all my friends that the final straw to this loss was an octopus swimming past the submarine taking a picture of me with MY camera. :eek:

I don't know anything about underwater photography. But, after watching the turtle video, I was surprised with the audio portion of it. You could hear water splashing and sounds of the turtle attacking the waterproof case. I have no doubt you can manufacture a waterproof viewing window but a waterproof speaker is something else.

Initial bid of $65 per night accepted on 3-1/2 star in San Pedro, CA

nights of 10/8 and 10/9/2009

Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor Hotel

Room $65 per night

Travel Insurance $5 per night

Taxes and fees $27.34

Total $167.34

Just before bidding on priceline, Crowne Plaza website showed best available rate of about $140 per night.

We're happy :) with 1st time bid on priceline.

...So does anyone know the story or have updated condition info?

Thanks

A two-week cruise was cancelled for the Millie and she is now sailing to a "POD" drydock in Australia. Read all about it here. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=942315

Since discussions about M-class pods may once again become a popular topic, this thread has enough information about pods to satisfy most anyone except those planning to get an advanced degree :rolleyes: in marine propulsion system design.

Most every pod question has already been asked (and answered) in this thread.

After spending a lot of time checking out hotels in San Pedro, I gave Priceline a shot. 4/9/09 1 night for $65. Can't beat that!

Jay

Are you willing to provide the rest of the details of your quote?

Stars.................3-1/2?

Location.............San Pedro Area?

I have seen some recent posts that Priceline might not recognize the 3-1/2 star rating for SP, instead they lower it to 3?

Thanks,

Les

...The problem is not simply a bearing problem, it is also a shaft (within the pod) deformation problem. The pods that Celebrity uses have the longest internal shaft length (9 metres) of any pod system currently on any ship...

Interesting!

I'm a Mechanical Engineer and have often wondered why changing bearing materials or beefing up the bearings wouldn't solve the problems. These kinds of minor design modifications and/or retrofits could be accommodated during a weeklong drydock period. From your description, the issue (and the final resolution) is much more complicated.

Thanks for the information.

Les

Drew:

...The Millennium and Infinity both have had back to back pod failures within about two months...

This brings up a situation that had me a bit worried. We were on a two-week Infinity cruise to Hawaii this spring when one pod had to be operated at reduced speed since X decided to brave it out and postpone the drydock until the start of the Alaska season.

What would result if the second pod went bellyup during that period of time? I don't think having to reduce the power on the second pod would be a linear reduction of maximum speed. I suspect the speed reduction would be much more significant with both pods at reduced output. :confused:

Does anyone care to guess or provide an informed opinion?

Les

This may be answered somewhere in this thread, but I really don't want to read 7 pages of things I don't have a clue to understanding! So forgive me in advance.

What powers the ships on Celebrity's line if not the pod system? I never hear of any problems on the C class ships such as Galaxy or Century. So what posessed X to change to the pod system to begin with? Someone told me so they did not need tugs in port was the reason.

What other cruise line has this system? Does HAL or Carnival ? Has it broken down the same is X?

Just curious for some answers!

Thanks for helping me get to sleep tonight!

Faith

Faith,

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Here is a photo of a Celebrity ship pulling into port. :eek:

Seriously, I think the older ships were powered by fixed screws (propellers) with a separate rudder for steering. This is the old classic system.

The pods rotate so they provide both the power and steering for the ship.

Les

You're right - cruising would be so much more pleasant if the passengers stopped having any expectations at all...

Was this post missing a :rolleyes: or at least a ;) ? The post kinda reminds me of the old Rodney Dangerfield line, "Call me when you have no class!"

Les

There have been no POD problems fleet wide since January, so let's be very quiet, and not jinx things by starting threads about it... :D The answers to your questions are all here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=519029

Floris

Huh?

Both the Millie and the Infinity had pod problems this year. These ships had the problems corrected during scheduled drydocks in the Spring of 2007. We have firsthand knowledge of the Infinity's problems from our 14 night Hawaii cruise. We arrived in Hawaii several hours late and left there a halfday early due to the imposed limitations on maximum speed.

If you look at post #124 of the thread you referenced, someone provided details when you last commented there were no pod issues in '07.

Les

Does anyone know when the last time the pods on the Summit broke down?

How often does this usually happen with this "class" of ship?

What actually happens when the pods breakdown?

Please share your experience or knowledge with us.

Pat :)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=519029

If you read all seven pages of the above linked thread, you will know more about pods on the Celebrity M class ships than you ever wanted to know. :confused:

I think you can get certified as a marine propulsion engineer from one of those correspondence colleges after reading the entire thing. :eek:

We personally know the Summit was in drydock in May/June, 2005, for replacement of a pod bearing. It happened two weeks before our Summit cruise to Alaska but our cruise was not affected. Normally, the ship has to travel at reduced speed after a pod bearing problem is found.

Les

...Before I get jumped on, I know the "official explanation" for the lateness of the Infinity from Celebrity was the trade winds around the Hawaiian Islands with no mention of the fact that the pods were working at a reduced speed...

If you get jumped on too badly, you could point out the Summit was able to contend with the trade winds quite nicely without schedule delay while she was in the Hawaii to California service at the same time as the Infinity. We were on the Infinity on the last Hawaii cruise. During a bridge tour, the officer on duty said the only ship we had encountered was the Summit. I had to bite my tongue and not ask "Was she sailing at full speed?" :rolleyes:

Les