Soot on the aft cabin balconies on the Royal

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

Someone just posted on here that their aft facing cabin balcony on the Royal was covered in soot from the smoke stacks. Has anyone else experienced that?

 

We leave in 4 weeks and I need to be prepared for what might be in store!

[Gunner22aa]

It's too bad but common on a lot of ships. I too just read a live review on here where rather than soot it was refered to as tar. I sail exclusivly in aft suites and have experienced this on only a couple of trips but nowhere near what I read today. Could be a serious design flaw with the airflow over the ship. It could also have been exagerated way out of proportion as well. That wouldn't be a first on these boards for sure.

[Skai]

It could also have been exagerated way out of proportion as well. That wouldn't be a first on these boards for sure.

 

;)

 

 

Wind direction can cause soot to collect on aft balconies, but it isn't a constant problem. Soot happens when the ship blows out the exhaust stacks and that is only done when needed which may be once a day, and at night. They certainly don't do it during peak balcony hours.

 

Most of the soot is a byproduct of the "heavy bunker C" fuel cruise ships burn when legally allowed. This is not diesel. Ships have to use diesel in certain territorial waters and in ports. But when out in international waters they switch to the heavy bunker C fuel, which is also called #6 fuel oil. It is cheaper, but it is the dregs from a barrel of crude oil. It has to be heated in order to be fluidic so it can get to the engines and flow through the injectors. You can see how this causes build-up in the exhaust stacks.

 

So yes, soot can appear on the aft balconies. It depends on when they blow the stacks to clean them out. They usually do this at night, but it isn't done every night. That is why the soot can be there sometimes, but not there other times. It isn't a large amount, but you should make it clear to your cabin attendant that you want the balcony cleaned every day. Some will not give the balcony much attention.

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

Thanks for the responses! I feel better and will talk to my cabin steward.

 

For Gunner to sail exclusively with aft balconies, it sounds like it's not enough to ruin a cruise. I'm glad we are aware going in though.

 

Does anyone else have a "soot story", especially from the Royal. Maybe it's worse on the Royal?

[capitano1]

We were on the September 15 sailing on the Royal Princess for 12 days. Our balcony was half covered B738. On certain mornings, we would wipe the railing and the table. We never had soot on our clothes from the chairs but kept those under the overhang part of the balcony. It really was not a problem for us. We will book another aft cabin if we ever sail on the Royal or Regal.

[EKELLEY]

We were on the September 15 sailing on the Royal Princess for 12 days. Our balcony was half covered B738. On certain mornings, we would wipe the railing and the table. We never had soot on our clothes from the chairs but kept those under the overhang part of the balcony. It really was not a problem for us. We will book another aft cabin if we ever sail on the Royal or Regal.

 

In November we are in cabin B736, do you have any pictures of your balcony and room you can post for me?

[Mikeyto]

I've been in an aft balcony on a previous non-Princess cruise and did experience some soot but not much as previous posters have mentioned.

[bhopal21]

We had problems with soot on our port side suite onboard the Island a few years back.

 

Each morning the furniture would be covered in small black flakes.

 

Mike:)

[chamima]

We were on the September 15 sailing on the Royal Princess for 12 days. Our balcony was half covered B738. On certain mornings, we would wipe the railing and the table. We never had soot on our clothes from the chairs but kept those under the overhang part of the balcony. It really was not a problem for us. We will book another aft cabin if we ever sail on the Royal or Regal.

 

In November we are in cabin B736, do you have any pictures of your balcony and room you can post for me?

 

We currently have B736 booked for Feb.

I also would appreciate pictures.

Also, someone who was on Dolphin reported that they had no problem at all with soot (and that they thought the balcony was larger) so I'm wondering if we should switch to that.

[SewLady]

There Topic regarding soot on the rear balconies of the Royal. Check it out.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927914

[cantwaitfornextcruise]

In November we are in cabin B736, do you have any pictures of your balcony and room you can post for me?

 

We currently have B736 booked for Feb.

I also would appreciate pictures.

Also, someone who was on Dolphin reported that they had no problem at all with soot (and that they thought the balcony was larger) so I'm wondering if we should switch to that.

 

We are in B736 Nov 10 sailing, I have a feeling this has been blown out of all proportion but we will see

[chamima]

We are in B736 Nov 10 sailing, I have a feeling this has been blown out of all proportion but we will see

 

 

 

We would REALLY appreciate your comments (or photos) about the cabin after you sail in her!!!!!

Thanks!

:)

[RRFPresident]

We currently have one of the OS aft cabins on Baja booked for the Regal next summer. I sent an email to my TA last night about switching to midship after reading all about the soot on here.

 

After reading the first hand experience on this thread, I'm not so sure it's worth changing?

 

I've also been reading about how the OS suites on Royal are not as worth the extra price since they are more like PS inside so the soot wouldn't be the only factor.

[Cruiserkenn]

There Topic regarding soot on the rear balconies of the Royal. Check it out.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927914

 

OP - see the pictures in this link. Pictures tell 1000 words.

[mafig]

We love aft balconies and have had them on many ships. Sometimes we've had soot back there as well, usually it's there in the morning, nothing as bad as the pictures, though.

 

I remember a cruise on Norwegian where our cabin steward was cleaning the soot one morning. She told us that the ship had just come from Alaska and there was not a soot problem there. She said she had spoken to her supervisor who told her that there was almost always a problem when it was humid because the air was so heavy. So maybe, just maybe, this problem on Royal will be intermittant.

 

I also recall reading how the Queen Mary had her smokestacks specially built to deflect soot away from the ship.

[runnerodb83]

Soot on the balcony! A tragedy! Wind too? Noooooo! I be there's sunlight back there too! Outrageous! :p

 

Seriously folks, you book downwind of the funnel and you don't expect some soot? Although I still maintain that princess dropped the ball on the design of this ship vs the grand class ships.

 

They use cleaner fuel in alaska, so less likely for soot. The new scrubbers should help but are probably only installed on ships that regularly visit ports in the waters around the US...I don't think the Royal will be doing trips on the west coast for a very long time, if ever.

[bhopal21]

Personally I think it is more of a fuel quality statement rather than relating to ship design.

 

As I related in an earlier post our balcony on the Island was covered in soot for about three days of an 11 day trans-canal cruise.

 

Mike:)

[Cruiserkenn]

Soot on the balcony! A tragedy! Wind too? Noooooo! I be there's sunlight back there too! Outrageous! :p

 

Seriously folks, you book downwind of the funnel and you don't expect some soot? Although I still maintain that princess dropped the ball on the design of this ship vs the grand class ships.

 

They use cleaner fuel in alaska, so less likely for soot. The new scrubbers should help but are probably only installed on ships that regularly visit ports in the waters around the US...I don't think the Royal will be doing trips on the west coast for a very long time, if ever.

 

Maybe some of the differences of opinions have to do with different expectations.

I do expect a clean balcony, no soot, and shelter from the sun and wind. Aft facing balconies on the Grand Class ships give me these features. They also give me a nice promenade deck. I will stick with the Grand Class ships, as long as they are around.