"You are on a ship now" ...what do you do differently?

[bernie5]

From the second I am at the checkin desk I am all SMILES!! How can you not be smiling with the beautiful ship and sea surrounding you and an incredible crew catering to your every need. :)

[lazey1]

.... HAL even advertises their new lanai cabins showing them with the doors open. So maybe this is all old wives tales? .quote]

 

When I had a lanai cabin on the Veendam I asked the chief engineer about leaving the sliding door open. He told me that the Lanai cabins have seperate a/c systems and it is okay to leave them open.:)

[AmazedByCruising]

Still using the phone, so can't post links, search my posts for balcony doors.

 

Found it, thanks!

 

When I had a lanai cabin on the Veendam I asked the chief engineer about leaving the sliding door open. He told me that the Lanai cabins have seperate a/c systems and it is okay to leave them open.:)

 

I'll be a good guest next time, but would wish that on future ships, balcony cabins will have separate A/C as well. :)

[chengkp75]

Found it, thanks!

 

 

 

I'll be a good guest next time, but would wish that on future ships, balcony cabins will have separate A/C as well. :)

 

It's very much a cost issue, as this requires a motor operated damper for each cabin. The fresh air supply that is required cannot be separated for each cabin.

[OlsSalt]

The open "balcony doors" thread.

 

Scroll down to #15 for chengkp75's excellent explanation of how the AC ventilation systems work: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2335191 Cutting to the chase from chengkp75: my emphasis added in bold because this what we need to think about in our shared spaces now that we are on a ship.

 

On the ships I've been on, opening the balcony door only shuts off the recirculation cooler, but the fresh air supply is maintained. Then, because the HVAC system is designed to keep a slightly higher pressure in your cabin than in the passageway (to keep smoke from entering your cabin), when a balcony door is opened, this becomes a low pressure zone, and all the fresh air supply will tend to be directed to the cabin with the balcony door open.

 

Therefore, cabins farther away from the open balcony door will get less fresh air, and tend to become warmer, while those close by will get more air and become colder. This is because the cabin with the open door will suck air under adjoining doors, or from the passageway, and nearby cabins will leak more air than normal into the passageway to compensate.

Edited July 19, 2016 by OlsSalt

[OlsSalt]

Hopefully chengkp75, once he gets a better hookup, can explain the intricacies of a ship's fire suppression system within the limits of ship security considerations and not reveal "too much".

 

That too is a topic we need to understand better "now that we are on a ship" and in a collective safety and mutual comfort situation.

 

I very graciously had a small travel iron taken from my cabin in my early days when I didn't know better. They informed me it would be held in the stewards office for my safekeeping until the end of the cruise - when they probably should have read me the riot act for this potentially very dangerous carelessness.

Edited July 19, 2016 by OlsSalt

[chengkp75]

Hopefully chengkp75, once he gets a better hookup, can explain the intricacies of a ship's fire suppression system within the limits of ship security considerations and not reveal "too much".

 

That too is a topic we need to understand better "now that we are on a ship" and in a collective safety and mutual comfort situation.

 

I very graciously had a small travel iron taken from my cabin in my early days when I didn't know better. They informed me it would be held in the stewards office for my safekeeping until the end of the cruise - when they probably should have read me the riot act for this potentially very dangerous carelessness.

 

No big secret about the fire suppression system. In most areas it is a "wet pipe" sprinkler system. This means that behind the little sprinkler head on the ceiling is a lot of water under pressure. When the little plastic pill breaks, either from heat or you using it for a spot for a hanger, the water will come, in vast quantity, until the fire is out or I close the valve for a false alarm. Flow in the pipe signals an alarm on the bridge, showing the zone affected. There will also be smoke detectors. A smoke detector alarm requires someone, usually security, to check it out for false alarms.

[AmazedByCruising]

It's very much a cost issue, as this requires a motor operated damper for each cabin. The fresh air supply that is required cannot be separated for each cabin.

 

Would the cost of having a separate A/C per cabin be more than giving guests a warning "A/C automatically shuts off while door is open", which might even save a lot of fuel when guests accept that deal? More important, even if a separate A/C would be really expensive, like $20,000 per cabin and $1000 maintenance/yr extra, I'd have no problem at all paying $60 extra for a 13 night cruise to feel free to open the door and hear and smell the sea! All entertainment, the pools, the casino, free fantastic food, and maybe even the ports are less important to me than the sailing itself.

Edited July 19, 2016 by AmazedByCruising
+@sea most important

[OlsSalt]

Would the cost of having a separate A/C per cabin be more than giving guests a warning "A/C automatically shuts off while door is open", which might even save a lot of fuel when guests accept that deal? More important, even if a separate A/C would be really expensive, like $20,000 per cabin and $1000 maintenance/yr extra, I'd have no problem at all paying $60 extra for a 13 night cruise to feel free to open the door and hear and smell the sea! All entertainment, the pools, the casino, free fantastic food, and maybe even the ports are less important to me than the sailing itself.

 

That would a be close to $1000 more for your 13 day cruise at $60 a night, plus maintenance. This does not interest me. Maybe one of those Windjammer cruises would work better for more fresh air.

 

Or the Queen Mary in the Long Beach harbor. ;) Agree, if you want fresh air at night, best to sleep on the balcony. Bring some camping gear, pad and sleeping bag. Don't blame you really, under the stars and at sea is pretty seductive.

 

I wonder how many people actually do just that - head out to the loungers and tuck in for the night. I know people frustrated with overly warm cabins (now we have to wonder why) have set up camp at the front desk, pajamas and all if their reports here are believable.

[AmazedByCruising]

That would a be close to $1000 more for your 13 day cruise at $60 a night, plus maintenance. This does not interest me.

 

I meant 20k to buy an expensive A/C, a lot of maintenance, and it would still be a lot less than $60 for the whole cruise.. Not an extra $60 per night!

Edited July 19, 2016 by AmazedByCruising

[OlsSalt]

I meant 20k to buy an expensive A/C, a lot of maintenance, and it would still be a lot less than $60 for the whole cruise.. Not an extra $60 per night!

 

A $20K A/C system for the whole ship? Kind of doubt it.

 

I was using that $20,000 price you suggested per cabin for any sort of retrofit. But then one does need to pro-rate that $60 per night per cabin investment cost over time. Actually, both of us really don't know what we are talking about here - agreed? :cool:

 

But let's hope more technical experts can help plus learning what changes are getting built into the new HAL ships because this is a recurrent problem - cabin temperature and open cabin doors. What can be engineered up front.

Edited July 19, 2016 by OlsSalt

[AmazedByCruising]

A $20K A/C system for the whole ship? Kind of doubt it.

 

I was using that $20,000 price you suggested per cabin for any sort of retrofit. But then one does need to pro-rate that $60 per night per cabin investment cost over time. Actually, both of us really don't know what we are talking about here - agreed? :cool:

 

But let's hope more technical experts can help plus learning what changes are getting built into the new HAL ships because this is a recurrent problem - cabin temperature and open cabin doors. What can be engineered up front.

 

 

Agreed @we don't really know what we're talking about :D. I was guessing installing a cabin (on a new ship) would cost 200-300K. At the same time, $1000 buys me a nice stand-alone A/C for the same space so 20K would not seem to be that much for a professional sytem to be installed in ONE cabin, and 20K/20 years (short ship life) + 1K/yr maintenance (a lot of crew hours/cabin/year as well) + interest being nearly 0 =.. OK, maybe $80/2 weeks including dry docks, not 60. Still not an amount that is very shocking after paying $5000 to be on the ship for two weeks in the first place.

[serendipity1499]

Don't make our own bed & change towels every day..

 

Keep our cabin neater, especially my shoes are put away..

 

Eat a full breakfast in MDR with DH.. At home it's a simple breakfast of waffles, pancakes or toast w/eggs & of course Juice & coffee..On the ship we look forward to having the "Bun Man" come to our table each morning..

 

Usually have a a specialty coffee daily from the Explorations Café..

 

Veg out on Promenade Deck every day while at sea..:)

 

I do a lot of book reading,mostly mysteries.. Read almost one book a day on our long cruise to SA & the Amazon.. I take a few books with me & then use the HAL library..

 

We dress up more & dress for dinner every night.. No shorts at dinner on a cruise..

 

We normally have a drink during Happy Hours in the afternoon w/wine at dinner.. Only drink when we have company or go out with Friends when we're home..

 

At home, we might have Franks & Beans with fresh fruit on the side for dinner.. And we always have dessert.. Often I order a "Bailey's" for my coffee on the ship instead of having wine with dinner..

 

Would never have Franks & Beans for dinner on a ship, but might have a grilled frank for lunch..

 

Take our dog out a couple of times a day.. Wish puppy could come with us on our cruises..

 

No computer, except for very long cruises to mainly keep in touch at home..

 

Our cell phone goes in the cabin safe with extra cash, Jewelry & passports for the entire cruise..

 

Gamble on the slots with my Friends while on board.. DH does not gamble.. Never go to casino's when home..

 

Hmm did I leave anything out?;)

 

Edited July 20, 2016 by serendipity1499

[serendipity1499]

Me too!!! Would die if they would think I was uncivilized. Always make sure all lights off before I leave to conserve ships energy! Drives my husband nutz!!

 

I also do that on ships, but at home it's DH who is always turning out lights.. We have one light with an "auto on - auto off " daily in our front hall at home..

DH constantly turns if off... Drives me Nutsy!:eek:

[OlsSalt]

Living in drought-gripped California, once we get on a ship we have to remind our selves to flush (!) and not save the warm-up water from the tap when we want hot water. What would I do with it, if I did?

 

If you are from CA, you know what I mean. In fact if we get homesick, we pray for a no-flush toilet just to remind us of home.

[chengkp75]

Would the cost of having a separate A/C per cabin be more than giving guests a warning "A/C automatically shuts off while door is open", which might even save a lot of fuel when guests accept that deal? More important, even if a separate A/C would be really expensive, like $20,000 per cabin and $1000 maintenance/yr extra, I'd have no problem at all paying $60 extra for a 13 night cruise to feel free to open the door and hear and smell the sea! All entertainment, the pools, the casino, free fantastic food, and maybe even the ports are less important to me than the sailing itself.

 

Let's deal with the energy saving myth first. At any time, the ship's AC is only taking 20% of the ship's volume and cooling it from the hot outside ambient to the cool, low humidity air needed, while 80% is recirculated, only having to counter the losses caused by the insulation. Think of your home AC, and how long it runs to cool the whole house down, compared to the short cycles it makes when the house is at temperature. So, each time a balcony cabin would have the AC turned off by opening the balcony door, it requires more energy to cool the whole cabin down again than if the system had stayed on with the door closed. Also, this warm cabin transmits heat to adjoining cabins, causing them to use more energy to counteract this.

 

Add in the marine environment where the incoming fresh air is cooled below the normal delivery air temperature, and then reheated slightly to drop the humidity to acceptable levels, and continually having to recool a balcony cabin is not energy saving.

[chengkp75]

Would the cost of having a separate A/C per cabin be more than giving guests a warning "A/C automatically shuts off while door is open", which might even save a lot of fuel when guests accept that deal? More important, even if a separate A/C would be really expensive, like $20,000 per cabin and $1000 maintenance/yr extra, I'd have no problem at all paying $60 extra for a 13 night cruise to feel free to open the door and hear and smell the sea! All entertainment, the pools, the casino, free fantastic food, and maybe even the ports are less important to me than the sailing itself.

 

Ok, that last post made it, I'll try again. Not only would "separated" AC be costly, the equipment required would take up a lot of space, reducing space for cabins or public spaces, so requiring higher fares. I have not seen one of these systems that isolate a cabin when the balcony door is open, but they must have lot of controls other than just the cabin damper, as closing off one or more cabin's supply air forces more elsewhere, unless there is some way to rebalance the system.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Ok, that last post made it, I'll try again. Not only would "separated" AC be costly, the equipment required would take up a lot of space, reducing space for cabins or public spaces, so requiring higher fares. I have not seen one of these systems that isolate a cabin when the balcony door is open, but they must have lot of controls other than just the cabin damper, as closing off one or more cabin's supply air forces more elsewhere, unless there is some way to rebalance the system.

 

Window/wall AC unit in every cabin, like in a cheap motel???? :eek: :D :eek:

[chengkp75]

Window/wall AC unit in every cabin, like in a cheap motel???? :eek: :D :eek:

 

Yeah, lol. The problem is that unlike the cheap hotel that leaks enough air to keep the room "fresh", the ship has to ensure there is enough air exchange, hence the common fresh air supply and bathroom exhaust.

[POA1]

Sneeze in the crook of my arm

So, I have to ask....;) Why don't they encourage you to wash your inner elbow (elbow pit) on all the announcements? People are encouraged to deposit cold snot on their elbows, but not encouraged to wash said elbows. Seems a little shady to me.

 

My advice: Carry a spray bottle of bleach solution. Aim for the inner elbows. Go ahead and shake the hands. At least they've been washed.

[OlsSalt]

Okay, here is another oft reported complaint about HAL "cheapness":

 

"HAL turns off the A/C in the cabins in the wee small hours to save money spent on energy costs, which interrupts getting a good night's sleep."

 

I can understand turing down the A/C in the large public rooms that are unoccupied during the midnight hours, but does this have an impact on the cabins too. And then how does this relate to the extra energy needs required to get them back down to comfortable "room temperature" in the daytime.

 

One other aspect is the very often quite cold temperatures in the Vista Lounges when daytime programs are offered. Would this be because of the need to provide a good work-out comfort level for entertainment teams who also use this venue for their daytime practice hours?

Edited July 20, 2016 by OlsSalt

[chengkp75]

As with a lot of these kinds of complaints, I don't believe there is a grain of truth in them. As I said, constantly changing the temperature requires more energy than maintaining a constant temperature. The reason public spaces may be too cool at times is that the controls are set for a given "body load", and if there are fewer people giving off heat than designed, the controls are a little slow to react.

[Fouremco]

As with a lot of these kinds of complaints, I don't believe there is a grain of truth in them. As I said, constantly changing the temperature requires more energy than maintaining a constant temperature. The reason public spaces may be too cool at times is that the controls are set for a given "body load", and if there are fewer people giving off heat than designed, the controls are a little slow to react.

I don't know whether you were including OlsSalt's comment ("HAL turns off the A/C in the cabins in the wee small hours to save money spent on energy costs, which interrupts getting a good night's sleep.") in the complaints you're dismissing, but DW and I are among the many passengers who are very comfortable in the early part of the night, only to find ourselves waking in the early hours to remove bed coverings because the cabin is now too warm. If it's not the A/C being fiddled with, I'd love to know what causes it, and more importantly, how to prevent it.

[OlsSalt]

I don't know whether you were including OlsSalt's comment ("HAL turns off the A/C in the cabins in the wee small hours to save money spent on energy costs, which interrupts getting a good night's sleep.") in the complaints you're dismissing, but DW and I are among the many passengers who are very comfortable in the early part of the night, only to find ourselves waking in the early hours to remove bed coverings because the cabin is now too warm. If it's not the A/C being fiddled with, I'd love to know what causes it, and more importantly, how to prevent it.

 

This does takes us back to the open balcony door complication, which can affect cabins on the same circuit. But I have noticed this too so it will be interesting to see what this is besides our own circadian rhythms and that 4am adrenal gland drop off. https://www.nigms.nih.gov/Education/Pages/Factsheet_CircadianRhythms.aspx

Edited July 20, 2016 by OlsSalt

[POA1]

I don't know whether you were including OlsSalt's comment ("HAL turns off the A/C in the cabins in the wee small hours to save money spent on energy costs, which interrupts getting a good night's sleep.") in the complaints you're dismissing, but DW and I are among the many passengers who are very comfortable in the early part of the night, only to find ourselves waking in the early hours to remove bed coverings because the cabin is now too warm. If it's not the A/C being fiddled with, I'd love to know what causes it, and more importantly, how to prevent it.

It's not unusual for me to wake up, warm, in the middle of the night. When this happens, I get up and check the temperature. Invariably, it's right where it's supposed to be. This happens at home as well as while traveling. Our travel alarm clock has a temperature sensor. About the only time it's truly gotten warmer is when the sun comes up and is on our side of the ship.

 

I'm not trying to place blame, but this all started a few years ago when I began getting AARP mailers. I'm pretty sure that they made my bladder smaller because I never used to wake up to pee before they began mailing me.