Smoke incident on the Maasdam

[Danieeve]

On the Aug 22-29 Montreal to Boston cruise my partner and I were lying in bed Thursday evening when smoke detector in our cabin went off and we realized we could smell the smoke and it was getting stronger. I was splitting my attention between putting on clothes and trying to figure out what in our cabin could possibly be on fire when the announcement came over the PA that the source was backstage in the theater, two decks up and some ways ahead of us.

 

That put a whole different spin on things. Remembering dozens of drills from my tall ship crew experience and the fate of the Prinsendam, I quickly but calmly got my seizure medication and jacket, opened the safe and grabbed wallet and our passports and urged my partner to dress warm and get her wallet. Then we settled to wait further notices. While waiting I added my cell-phone and switched the thin top I'd thrown on for a warm turtleneck.

 

Then word came on the PA that they were still trying to locate the source of the smoke and that forward parts of the ship were being evacuated as a precaution, so stand by for instructions. Soon a steward banged on our door and told us to move to the aft of the ship. My partner was nervous, especially when we found crowds of passengers and a clump of crewmen in full fire-fighting gear and air-packs, but I reassured her that everything was going by procedure and the worst that would happen is that we'd go in the boats and spend at most a day reaching shore. Even better, we saw another cruise ship in sight, so we['d be fine within a few hours if the ship were evacuated. That made her feel better!

 

I was not really worried, even though things could turn serious: either whatever fire existed would be put out successfully or there would be time to evacuated in a fairly safe and orderly manner. The only way to know which would happen was to wait for the situation to play itself out. After more waiting, an announcement came that there was no actual fire, the smoke was from a worn motor bearing in the AC system. Everyone could return to their cabins. A steward shut off our smoke alarm until the air could clear and we went back to watching "Anne of Green Gables". It was a happy ending to what could have been a much more eventful evening.

 

The crew responded in a very professional manner and did a good job and got the ship back to normal quickly once the problem was resolved. Kudos especially to the fire team and the cabin stewards!

Edited September 2, 2015 by Danieeve

[Fouremco]

Thanks for the report. I was rather worried as I started into it, given our cruise in just over a week, but it appears that all is good.

 

Very reassuring to hear about the professional action of the crew.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Danivee,

Glad all is well!

Brought back memories of us on our Oosterdam cruise at Xmas time in Mexico being woken up with smoke alarms blaring, and the captain telling us they detected smoke coming from the galley.

Just like you we got prepared, and we were on deck 6 and was escorted out to our life boat station.

About an hour later on the loud speaker we were told the fire was contained. Yah!

Denise:)

[RuthC]

What a scare!

Happy that things worked out well for everyone, and that the crew acted in a professional fashion.

Thanks for letting us know.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for sharing about this frightening experience.

 

Wonderful to hear how well crew handled the situation.

Relief and happiness that all are safe and Maasdam is fine. :)

[erewhon]

Thanks for the report, it can be quite scary when the alarms sound, ....especially in the middle of the night, which we have experienced.

The crew are well trained to deal with these situations.

[ger_77]

While I commend the crew for keeping things in control, I want to give you a solid pat on the back and say "good for you" for taking the necessary precautions in the event of an abandon ship call. You certainly did the right thing, and your partner should be happy she was sailing with you. A cool head is certainly required when an emergency arises; I'd like to have you at my muster station if we ever have to abandon ship. I would like to think I would act in the same manner as you did in the event of a emergency.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Gerry

 

[TiogaCruiser]

So did you sleep much that night?

 

(I know I didn't after the smoke alarm went off in my cabin ( and the neighboring cabins) on my last cruise. At least one of the neighbors didn't call the front desk.... And in our case, it was over with quickly and nothing was apparently found.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for telling us about your scary incident.

Glad you all are safe.

We have been on several HAL ships when a fire broke out. Did the same as you -- dressed warmly -- emptied out the safe and grabbed the medical bag and put on our life jackets.

[puppycanducruise]

Wow - very scary.

It's good to hear that you and the crew reacted calmly and knew what to do.

Thanks for letting us know.

Hope the rest of the cruise is wonderful.

 

[HokiePoq]

We had an alarm on the recently completed Voyage of the Vikings on the Veendam. I doubt most were sound asleep at the early hour (10:45) but we were...very startling. The captain came on the PA several times informing passengers of what was happening. The crew handled the smoke alarm very professionally and the captain came on and told us the smoke was from the incinerator. Yes, it took me a while to go back to sleep...DH went back out like a light, lol.

[jtl513]

We had a similar incident on the Noordam when it was about 6 months old. Woke up to smoke coming out of our HVAC vent. Called the front desk and they said they'd "send someone up". Soon there was a lot of commotion in the hall, as they evacuated three or four decks in the aft third of the ship, first to the promenade, then moved to the MDR. It turned out to be an overheated bearing in the HVAC system for our zone.

 

There were no general alarms or PA announcements, and the next day we learned that most of the passengers were totally unaware of the incident! If it had happened an hour later we'd have been in port. Fortunately we had a veranda door to vent the smoke from our room, but the people in the inside room across the hall couldn't get back in their room for several hours.

[0bnxshs]

All's well that ends well! :)

 

Happy that saying applies here. We're on Maasie in October. As others have said, your reaction to the frightening event was thoughtful and levelheaded. Hope mine is the equal of yours should that ever happen while on a cruise.

[78232]

Thank you for reminding us what to...medicine, money, passport, and warm clothing..in the event of an alarm and possible evacuation.

[retafcruiser]

I was most impressed with how the Captain kept us all informed. There were no long periods of wondering what was happening - he knew it was important to let passengers know what was going on. His updates came at just the right times.

[IRL_Joanie]

Thanks for the report. I was rather worried as I started into it, given our cruise in just over a week, but it appears that all is good.

 

Very reassuring to hear about the professional action of the crew.

 

Let me just say that Fouremco states what I also felt and feel:)

 

Joanie

[sunnygidget]

And people think I'm weird for having a carabiner clip with my cruise card, a tiny flashlight and whistle clipped to me or at night on the bed side table, with my shoes next to the bed, you just never know;)

Edited September 2, 2015 by sunnygidget

[Sue from Canada]

While I commend the crew for keeping things in control, I want to give you a solid pat on the back and say "good for you" for taking the necessary precautions in the event of an abandon ship call. You certainly did the right thing, and your partner should be happy she was sailing with you. A cool head is certainly required when an emergency arises; I'd like to have you at my muster station if we ever have to abandon ship. I would like to think I would act in the same manner as you did in the event of a emergency.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Gerry

 

 

Gerry, you wrote what I was thinking. Good bit of advise for future cruises - Get dressed immediately and gather up important docs. You never know until the final announcement from the Captain. We had a fire in the lighting up in the crow's nest during the afternoon a couple of years ago. Lucky it didn't happen in the middle of the night when no one is there.

[Danieeve]

It goes to show there is good reason to pay attention during lifeboat drill. Everything that happened and everything passengers needed to do was explained completely. You never know when you might need to know it.

 

In a way, it was interesting to see it play out just as they had described.

[rkacruiser]

Thanks for your report and am glad that your experience turned out well.

 

I have been on a ship when the alarms rang which turned out to be a waste basket fire in a crew cabin. I witnessed the fire crew assemble and start their movement to fight the fire. I witnessed the reaction of the Captain, the Staff Captain, and the Cruise Director (this took place during an event in the Explorer's Lounge). I have been a "fly on the wall" during some of the drills that are held aboard the ships. I always have been impressed with the professionalism and the prepardness of a HAL crew during an emergency.

 

"It's Good To Be On A Well-Run Ship."

[holacanada]

Thank you Danieeve to reassure the community with your detailed post.

 

Passengers should not doubt the experience of the staff concerning emergency issues. — So does your life…

 

You must follow the instructions (and listen carefully while the first drill take place just before the bubbles/Sail Away).

 

Holacanada from Quebec City

[KruzPrincess]

We had a smoke scare on the Statendam on the first day of our cruise in July. No evacuations were done. Like your experience, the source of the smoke was mechanical and not a fire. Glad your issues were resolved.