Voyager of the Seas/2 weeks in Aft Balcony Cabin/ Sewage Smell?

A few months ago,I booked my family to cruise on Voyager of the Seas from Sydney to Singapore for 14 nights next April. I've been so excited because I managed to get two aft balcony cabins on Deck 8 and the cabins both have huge balconies. I'm looking forward to spending lots of time lying out on our balcony in the warm sun reading my book and watching the wake of the boat. However, people who did the recent Voyager Sydney to Singapore cruise have reported to there being a strong smell of sewage at the aft of the boat during their cruise. This has greatly alarmed me as there would be no way that I could spend time on my balcony if there was a smell of sewage. I've tried to find out from RCCL if this is a problem that they've been able to permanently fix but of course no reply yet. Does anyone know if this is a regular occurance or does it sound unusual? I'm trying to work out if I risk keeping the aft cabins. I really don't want to give them up as we've never sailed aft before and I'm keen to try it but the main attraction are the large balconies and, if we can't use them, we may as well have not booked a balcony cabin!!

I was on Voyager in Feb in an aft and never smelled what you described. Sounds like it may have been an unfortunate fluke.

Sewage odors are usually the result of someone flushing something that does not belong in the septic system down the toilets. This system is a relatively small pipe diameter high vacuum system that is restricted in its ability to handle foreign objects. Printed warnings are in the bathroom cautioning this and identifying what can an cannot be flushed.

The result when this is ignored can be a blockage that results in a back up and associated odors. This requires maintenance to clear which can take some time, depending on extent. This can - and does - happen frequently on any ship and is not likely something systemic in terms of a given ship or location on a ship.

The sewage system is also a closed system with tanks in the lowest part of the ship and not something that is "vented" outside. I don't think you should have an issue and whatever was reported previously was likely isolated to that section of the ship with a short term problem as described.

I was on Voyager in Feb in an aft and never smelled what you described. Sounds like it may have been an unfortunate fluke.

Thanks so much for letting me know and that's very encouraging :)

Sewage odors are usually the result of someone flushing something that does not belong in the septic system down the toilets. This system is a relatively small pipe diameter high vacuum system that is restricted in its ability to handle foreign objects. Printed warnings are in the bathroom cautioning this and identifying what can an cannot be flushed.

 

The result when this is ignored can be a blockage that results in a back up and associated odors. This requires maintenance to clear which can take some time, depending on extent. This can - and does - happen frequently on any ship and is not likely something systemic in terms of a given ship or location on a ship.

 

The sewage system is also a closed system with tanks in the lowest part of the ship and not something that is "vented" outside. I don't think you should have an issue and whatever was reported previously was likely isolated to that section of the ship with a short term problem as described.

Wow thanks so much for explaining that for me - that is very helpful indeed. So it sounds like we should keep our cabins and keep our fingers crossed that no passengers flush anything untoward down their toilets!!

Two weeks ago we were on the cruise Sydney to Singapore and had the aft balcony 7668, there was only wafts of smell the first couple of days but when we got up the coast and the weather was warmer if you even opened the door the whole room smelled of sewage and the balcony was unusable. Royal Carribean's response was they would be able to fix it after the cruise. When walking around deck four the smell was also very strong but only on the left aft of the boat. If you were on the other side you would be fine as when we walked around deck 4 you couldnt smell it on the right. It was the most disgusting smell and it was there all the time one we hit Cairns.

There are two separate waste disposal systems on the ship, unlike your home's waste system. The toilets (known as "black water") are a separate system, and is totally enclosed since it is under a vacuum, so even if there is a backup or blockage, there will be no smell attached. When the pipes need to be opened to clear a blockage using a roto-rooter, there will be some smell in the very local area, only during the time the pipes are open. As noted, the holding tanks are vented, but this vent goes all the way up the funnel and out the top, so unless there is a very strong following wind, there will still be no smell from the black water system.

Sinks, showers, galleys, laundries, and interior deck drains are known as "gray water" and are a separate system, and this system is a gravity system, like the waste system in your home. Also like your home, each opening to the gray water system has a "trap" under it (that "S" shaped pipe under the sink) that "traps" a quantity of water to act as a plug to keep smells from backing up the drain. Drains that see regular additions of water (cabin sinks, showers, galley sinks, laundry machines) tend to be all right, as the water in the trap is frequently renewed. Drains like deck drains (and most commonly the deck drain in your cabin's bathroom (not the shower), which is usually either a round drain under the toilet or a trough drain at the doorway) that don't see a regular replenishment of the water, can have the dry A/C air evaporate the water in the trap and the odors rise into your cabin. A simple fix of a glass of water every day down the bathroom floor drain typically keeps these odors at bay.

Balcony cabins will have exterior deck drains to take the rain water away, and these lead directly to sea, exiting the ship underwater. Since they exit underwater, there is always some water trapped in the bottom of the pipe (from sea level down to the outlet). If folks dispose of food items down the balcony drains, this stuff will typically float on top of this trapped water and decompose, causing odors. These exterior drains, since they are not designed for waste do not have traps on them, so the odor will rise to the balconies.

Two weeks ago we were on the cruise Sydney to Singapore and had the aft balcony 7668, there was only wafts of smell the first couple of days but when we got up the coast and the weather was warmer if you even opened the door the whole room smelled of sewage and the balcony was unusable. Royal Carribean's response was they would be able to fix it after the cruise. When walking around deck four the smell was also very strong but only on the left aft of the boat. If you were on the other side you would be fine as when we walked around deck 4 you couldnt smell it on the right. It was the most disgusting smell and it was there all the time one we hit Cairns.

Yes it was your post on the roll call that alerted me to the situation and made me extremely worried because our cabins are 8690 & 8692 which are right above your 7668 cabin. Since then, I've contacted RCCL main contact email to ask if the sewage smell problem on your cruise has been permanently fixed and I got a patheically vague answer back which did not answer my question at all. They said: "We sincerely regret to learn about the odor present on the ship you found reports of from independent sources. We want to assure you Royal Caribbean International has established rigorous health and cleanliness standards on all our ships that exceed USPHS regulations. Any observations made by individuals who have sailed would have been sent to our operational teamsfor internal review."

I have also contacted the Sales Manager of RCCL here in New Zealand to ask the same question and he in turn contacted the Sydney office. He advised that it appears that there was some problem with an odour on the recent Sydney to Singapore cruise however one of his Sydney colleagues had recently been on the ship and had not noticed any problem. Another colleague told him that he has close friends who always travel in aft balconies and have never had any problems. But he did suggest that I switch to forward staterooms if I'm uncomfortable about this.

When I read your advice about being on the other side, I immediately checked to see if we could move to 8390 & 8392 but 8390 is already booked. I've checked to see if there are any balcony cabins left next to each other on other parts of the ship and there are a couple left.

But I have been so excited to finally try an aft cabin and to have those cabins with the huge balconies - I would be so disappointed to switch to regular side ones with their small enclosed balconies. However of course, if it turned out that we could not bear to be on our balconies due to a sewage smell, like what happened on your cruise, then I'd be gutted as we may as well have booked Oceanview cabins. So hence why I created this post...

Balcony cabins will have exterior deck drains to take the rain water away, and these lead directly to sea, exiting the ship underwater. Since they exit underwater, there is always some water trapped in the bottom of the pipe (from sea level down to the outlet). If folks dispose of food items down the balcony drains, this stuff will typically float on top of this trapped water and decompose, causing odors. These exterior drains, since they are not designed for waste do not have traps on them, so the odor will rise to the balconies.

Thanks so much for that explanation - Even after the cruises that I've done, I had no idea how it all worked until I started this thread. So do you think rotting food in the balcony drains could have caused the sewage smell on the Sydney to Singapore cruise?

I'm so apalled that they were told that the issue could not be fixed until after the end of the cruise!

Thanks so much for that explanation - Even after the cruises that I've done, I had no idea how it all worked until I started this thread. So do you think rotting food in the balcony drains could have caused the sewage smell on the Sydney to Singapore cruise?

 

I'm so apalled that they were told that the issue could not be fixed until after the end of the cruise!

It could be food, or I have known folks to use the balcony drains as urinals (sorry), and that can cook in the pipes and stink. The way to clear these problems is to plug off all but one of the maybe 30-40 balconies whose drains combine into one overboard pipe, then plug that one remaining drain with a plug equipped with a compressed air line, and you then blow the water out of the bottom of the drain, and fresh water will rush back in. Doesn't always work the first time, either, especially if the food waste is trapped along a horizontal section of drain pipe. Then we have to introduce high pressure water into the drains, again with all plugged off, and go to each balcony and flush the lines. It's a lot of work, just because people are lazy and crude.

chngkp75.

Thanks for the heads up on the bathroom floor drain. I would not have thought of that. I have had my share of cabins with a funky bathroom odor and will just do this each day on board.

Thanks so much for that explanation - Even after the cruises that I've done, I had no idea how it all worked until I started this thread. So do you think rotting food in the balcony drains could have caused the sewage smell on the Sydney to Singapore cruise?

 

I'm so apalled that they were told that the issue could not be fixed until after the end of the cruise!

Your cruise isn't until next April. Issues like those described in this thread could potentially happen at any time, on any part of the ship, so I wouldn't worry about. Whatever was causing the problem a couple of weeks ago, will be long gone by the time you board. If it were me, and I moved because I began obsessing over something like this, I would regret it, because I'd be giving up something I really wanted, for no reason.

Just my 2 cents, of course.

Your cruise isn't until next April. Issues like those described in this thread could potentially happen at any time, on any part of the ship, so I wouldn't worry about. Whatever was causing the problem a couple of weeks ago, will be long gone by the time you board. If it were me, and I moved because I began obsessing over something like this, I would regret it, because I'd be giving up something I really wanted, for no reason.

 

Just my 2 cents, of course.

Thanks for your wise advice and I think we will stick with these cabins and keep our fingers crossed :)

Surely it would right itself by then and hopefully it was a one off thing. It was a great cruise you will really enjoy it and if the balcony didn't stink it would have been amazing- such a good space!

Surely it would right itself by then and hopefully it was a one off thing. It was a great cruise you will really enjoy it and if the balcony didn't stink it would have been amazing- such a good space!

Yes let's hope so and that's great to know that the rest of the cruise was so good. We are really looking forward it :)