Bridge Tours?

[msn123]

Ask at the concierge desk. One was offered on our last cruise. Each captain can decide to offer or not. We were told to meet at a particular time and were escorted up to the bridge. the first officer gave us a tour and answered all of our questions. It was a day we were in port.

[Hawaiidan]

Want a truly unique ship's bridge or engine control room tour experience?

 

Donors and like supporters of maritime academies worldwide are often invited to tours of simulator training facilities on campus.

 

At first thought, you may think it just won't compare to the real thing. But, actually, the right simulator can provide a much more comprehensive experience including "hands on" operation.

 

At The California Maritime Academy (in Vallejo CA), for example, you will find a multi-story silo that houses a state-of-the-art 360 degree bridge simulator capable of displaying pretty much every harbor in the world and subjecting the "ship" to an endless array of heavy weather and other challenging conditions. Nearby are equally informative engineering simulation labs that provide a realistic experience with all that can go wrong (and right) in shipboard mechanical and related operations.

 

In the US, state university maritime academies are located in California, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, Texas, and Michigan. New York is also home to the federal merchant marine academy, Kings Point.

 

Google these academies and contact their Development Offices for further information.

 

There is always joining the Navy for the WHOLE nineyards.....

 

Seriously if you book a freighter as a passenger, your not going to experience O standards but you and pretty much have the roam of the ship.. from the bilge to the bridge.

 

I think the allure is its a area of mystery and that intrigues us.

 

Trust me...the excitement wears off pretty fast after a few hours...

Simulators are great... but like sex there is no substitution for the real thing

[begagirl]

We had Bridge tours on both NCL and Celebrity and were just in ordinary balcony staterooms (definitely not suites!). An invitation was delivered to us and, in the case of Celebrity, we were asked not to mention it to other passengers.