On Coral now post dry dock

[chengkp75]

Well...its me again! For years I have been reading advice on CC never to take the cruise of a ship just going into dry dock or just coming out, and now I know why!

 

While she is a wonderful ship, and we are having a great time, things aren't quite right. The water on the ship is an issue, only one pool was open as of yesterday afternoon, and no hot tubs were open. I havent been out and about today to see what is going on, we got a letter from the captain yesterday apologizing and saying they would be open soon. MUTS has not been working at all. But worse, the water spigot in our sink hasn't worked for over a day. it has been reported but not fixed. Thankfully I can live with it, better the sink than the shower! or the toilet

 

Captain just came on to say that our arrival into Cozumel is delayed due to operational things during the night. Not sure how delayed??

 

Cruise other than that is great, excellent service, food, etc. We went to a presentation on the dry dock changes and alot of it involved the new carpet, upholstering many chairs, completely re-doing the gift shops, much work under the ship with thrusters (which were being tested yesterday and contributed to our slow down). The CD Mike said Share was never scheduled to go in to the Coral during this dry dock??

 

So, will get back to everyone soon. Wish me luck with the water!

 

I believe that Princess' pools are all fresh water, so there may be an issue with either water availability (they haven't been at sea long enough to make enough for drinking as well as the pool, or couldn't get enough in Bahamas) or the water from the Bahamas is interfering with the filtration/chlorination systems.

 

If the water is working in your toilet and shower, the problem is most likely scale in the aerator of the sink. If you can grab the little ring on the end of the spout and unscrew it, you will probably find the screens are blocked. If you want quicker repair time.

[Wishing on a star]

Excellent post... That could be right. That could be the cause, and the solution. When they had to work on the water leading down our road, there was tons of stuff like that. We took all of the filters off all of our faucets and ran the water until the system was clear. I'll bet the problem is bigger than that, but it is worth a shot.

[Wishing on a star]

Well, I don't know if this is the best time to ask questions... But, since we are all on here: If there will be no SHARE, and Sabatini's will be onboard, I am wondering about Alfredo's, lunch at Sabatini's, etc. I would love to know what all might be offered.

[chengkp75]

Sounds like dry dock work in the Bahamas is seriously lacking. The Emerald had lots of problems, also water related, for the first few cruises after her dry dock. Someone reported that the water bunkered in Bahamas had some minerals in it which did not agree with the ship's plumbing.

 

Actually, GBSY is a pretty good yard, and since the cruise lines are part owners, they get all the best. My ship was just in GBSY, at the same time the Norwegian Gem was in, and our work force decreased over our 10 days as they were drawn to the cruise ship.

 

Given the age of these ships, I would be really surprised if there had been a whole lot of water pipe work being done. What is a real killer, for any ship in any yard, is shutting down the water system. Due to the chlorine content in the water, a scale of calcium chloride forms inside the pipe. As long as the pipe stays full of water, everything is fine. When the pipe is emptied, while doing maintenance, this scale falls off the pipe surface, and moves through the piping system. This can clog the strainer screens in the sinks, toilets, and showers quite rapidly.

 

There really aren't any minerals that "don't agree with the ships piping".

[Eagle_and_hawk]

The latest tracking a few minutes ago is still showing her making another circle, and slowed down to 1.9 knots:

 

CP by Cool Runnings, on Flickr

[TracieABD]

Thank you so much for the update, SBG.

 

I hope they get the issues resolved soon--- Ms Goose is on , and her cruise is not going as well.

 

Happy sails!

[Carolina Cruisr]

Traveling with SunsetBeachgal and as of 4:45P we have NOT made it to Cozumel. The Captain came on about half hour ago announcing they are doing some more testing ( would imagine thrusters) and he would be on again later with an update.

 

We could tell by the ships trails we were circling.

 

For next passenger come on with right frame of mind and you will still have a good cruise. We are!

 

New beds are great. As reported many things are lacking but enjoy.

[Carolina Cruisr]

News flash! Captain just came over PA and announced problem fixed and we will dock in about an hour and a half. Still never said what the problem was but said he will be back on again soon.

[Eagle_and_hawk]

Traveling with SunsetBeachgal and as of 4:45P we have NOT made it to Cozumel. The Captain came on about half hour ago announcing they are doing some more testing ( would imagine thrusters) and he would be on again later with an update.

 

We could tell by the ships trails we were circling.

 

For next passenger come on with right frame of mind and you will still have a good cruise. We are!

 

New beds are great. As reported many things are lacking but enjoy.

 

In the past 10 minutes or so, the ship has stopped circling and making a direct line towards Cozumel at abour 9 knots. Hopefully you are on your way. Keeping our fingers crossed for you & the passengers.

[DocF]

It now looks as if the ship is on its way to Cozumel, late but it is moving in a more or less straight line toward the port.

 

Doc

[Carolina Cruisr]

Another interesting note about our day. Internet went "down" and none of us had access until just before the Captain came on with his announcement.

 

Captain just announced arrival in Cozumel at 7p with an overnight there. We will leave Cozumel at 5p tomorrow night with Roatan being canceled. We will have our stop in Costa Maya and then return to Ft Lauderdale.

[mreasier]

I also found it interesting that the internet was down for most of the day and only came up when the problem was fixed. The Captain said that it was a problem with the starboard shaft bearings. He also said that there would be some form of compensation and they would let us know later. I ran into many fellow passengers who were quite upset over the lack of communication. There was a span of 4 hours where we heard nothing. I had my GPS so I knew we were circling - many did not.

Edited February 1, 2016 by mreasier

[chengkp75]

I also found it interesting that the internet was down for most of the day and only came up when the problem was fixed. The captain said that it was a problem with the starboard shaft bearings. I ran into many fellow passengers who were quite upset over the lack of communication. There was a span of 4 hours where we heard nothing. I had my GPS so I knew we were circling - many did not.

 

This sounds like a frequent, and annoying, problem when using floating drydocks like at GBSY and many places around the world. Because the dock is a ship itself, if the ship being lifted and its blocks are not in the exact position both with respect to the ship and the dock, the ship can "bend" a little while being supported in the dock. Then, given the Coral's age, I suspect they opened the shaft bearings for inspection and load testing, and reshimmed the bearing based on the load found with the ship in the ever so slightly bent condition. Then, because the cruise ships have such a tight schedule, the "sea trials" after docking are abbreviated, and you won't know there is a bearing overload and overheating until it has run at full speed for many hours. As I said, it happens frequently, and is one reason I prefer "graving" docks over floating docks.

[sunsetbeachgal]

My faucet works!! Yeah! Just as someone suggested it looks like the part at the end of the faucet was removed. no more having to wet my toothbrush in the shower and use bottled water to rinse our mouths! (thank goodness I exchanged some of the mini bar setup for bottled water!). This is certainly not the most communicative captain I have had, it was a day in limbo and it felt like we were circling, thank you to the person who posted our track. But a sunny day in limbo with food and drink is still a great day.

 

 

We are all guessing about our compensation. meeting our friends for dinner tonight, none of us feel like venturing into Cozumel tonight. Forgot to say that we have loved the evening entertainment, had a fun comedian Scott Wyler (hope I didnt mess up his name) and a great Billy Joel tribute show.

 

Thanks for all of the kind comments. We are with wonderful friends, and in the end that is what it is all about!

Edited February 1, 2016 by sunsetbeachgal

[Astro Flyer]

Marine Traffic shows Coral arrived Cozumel at 1813 local time.

[azbirdmom]

My faucet works!! Yeah! Just as someone suggested it looks like the part at the end of the faucet was removed. no more having to wet my toothbrush in the shower and use bottled water to rinse our mouths! (thank goodness I exchanged some of the mini bar setup for bottled water!). This is certainly not the most communicative captain I have had, it was a day in limbo and it felt like we were circling, thank you to the person who posted our track. But a sunny day in limbo with food and drink is still a great day.

 

 

We are all guessing about our compensation. meeting our friends for dinner tonight, none of us feel like venturing into Cozumel tonight. Forgot to say that we have loved the evening entertainment, had a fun comedian Scott Wyler (hope I didnt mess up his name) and a great Billy Joel tribute show.

 

Thanks for all of the kind comments. We are with wonderful friends, and in the end that is what it is all about!

 

Glad you now have water and I hope the rest of the trip goes smoothly.

[bhopal21]

My faucet works!! Yeah! Just as someone suggested it looks like the part at the end of the faucet was removed. no more having to wet my toothbrush in the shower and use bottled water to rinse our mouths! (thank goodness I exchanged some of the mini bar setup for bottled water!). This is certainly not the most communicative captain I have had, it was a day in limbo and it felt like we were circling, thank you to the person who posted our track. But a sunny day in limbo with food and drink is still a great day.

 

 

We are all guessing about our compensation. meeting our friends for dinner tonight, none of us feel like venturing into Cozumel tonight. Forgot to say that we have loved the evening entertainment, had a fun comedian Scott Wyler (hope I didnt mess up his name) and a great Billy Joel tribute show.

 

Thanks for all of the kind comments. We are with wonderful friends, and in the end that is what it is all about!

 

Glad to hear you are taking it all in stride.;)

 

Mike:)

[TracieABD]

Yay!!! Everything is falling into place on your cruise! Enjoy!

[kokoko]

Thanks to all for the comments on what is happening on the Coral. We get on her in 4 days so really appreciate hearing all about everything.

[Cruzin-K]

Following along. I'll be on the Coral in May and am SO excited. I'm glad that Sabatini's is still there.

[Northender]

My faucet works!! Yeah! Just as someone suggested it looks like the part at the end of the faucet was removed. no more having to wet my toothbrush in the shower and use bottled water to rinse our mouths! (thank goodness I exchanged some of the mini bar setup for bottled water!). This is certainly not the most communicative captain I have had, it was a day in limbo and it felt like we were circling, thank you to the person who posted our track. But a sunny day in limbo with food and drink is still a great day.

 

 

We are all guessing about our compensation. meeting our friends for dinner tonight, none of us feel like venturing into Cozumel tonight. Forgot to say that we have loved the evening entertainment, had a fun comedian Scott Wyler (hope I didnt mess up his name) and a great Billy Joel tribute show.

 

Thanks for all of the kind comments. We are with wonderful friends, and in the end that is what it is all about!

 

With a great attitude like yours, you can't miss having a wonderful time.:)

 

Question, do you recall if Alfredo's was open for lunch on embarkation day?

[Tolepainter82]

My faucet works!! Yeah! Just as someone suggested it looks like the part at the end of the faucet was removed. no more having to wet my toothbrush in the shower and use bottled water to rinse our mouths! (thank goodness I exchanged some of the mini bar setup for bottled water!). This is certainly not the most communicative captain I have had, it was a day in limbo and it felt like we were circling, thank you to the person who posted our track. But a sunny day in limbo with food and drink is still a great day.

 

 

We are all guessing about our compensation. meeting our friends for dinner tonight, none of us feel like venturing into Cozumel tonight. Forgot to say that we have loved the evening entertainment, had a fun comedian Scott Wyler (hope I didnt mess up his name) and a great Billy Joel tribute show.

 

Thanks for all of the kind comments. We are with wonderful friends, and in the end that is what it is all about!

 

Hope everything is going well now! We are boarding Friday for Panama and hope things are getting sorted out!

[kltketabt]

Hi all, thank you for posting all the information on your cruise this week. It sounds as though things are getting resolved and hope that you can all enjoy the next couple of days. My dad and I are boarding the Coral on Friday for a 10-day cruise and appreciate all of your information.

 

Thanks also to the person that posted the picture of the ship track. How were you able to find that information? Is it online somewhere?

 

Enjoy the rest of your week. Kim

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, I was wondering if they were doing Alfredo's, since they did not take out Sabatini's. There is always the pizza on deck, which hopefully will be excellent. But, I was also hoping to try Alfredo's. I don't know if, or how, they offer this. Is it an upcharge. etc.

 

We are booked for May, too.

[Eagle_and_hawk]

Hi all, thank you for posting all the information on your cruise this week. It sounds as though things are getting resolved and hope that you can all enjoy the next couple of days. My dad and I are boarding the Coral on Friday for a 10-day cruise and appreciate all of your information.

 

Thanks also to the person that posted the picture of the ship track. How were you able to find that information? Is it online somewhere?

 

Enjoy the rest of your week. Kim

 

 

This WEB site shows the tracking for ships and this is the Coral Princess:

 

http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:371018/zoom:10