Elevators going from the back of the ship to the front

[AmazedByCruising]

From a different thread on funny complaints:

Also, rumor has it someone once complained the elevators didn't go from the back of the ship to the front.

 

Elevators going up and down AND sideways

. But it's not that absurd to like a moving walkway on the ship is it?

 

The vertical elevators are used constantly to conquer a distance of maybe 15 feet going from deck 4 to deck 5. People stand in line for that. For at least a sizeable percentage of the population on ships that I saw, a walk from MDR to the theatre must be a journey.

 

When on a ship excursion (literally) I thought the I-95 clearly was missing a moving walkway. It might have been rush hour but a considerable part of officers and crew was spending time just moving themselves. From a health perspective that's probably a good thing. Cost-wise, if an average of 10 people are walking on the I-95 24h/day and that could be 5 by installing a series of belts, and working hours are 12 hours/day, that amounts to 10 extra crew members paid to walk, who'll need a cabin, management, salary, training, food, parties, etc.

 

So I think it's a funny complaint, but I totally understand it. The ships are too long. :)

[navybankerteacher]

"The ships are too long." ?? An interesting conclusion.

[cporses]

All ships bend and twist in big seas. The bigger the ship, the more bending. Many ships have expansion hinges like on steel bridges to allow for bending. Also steel, used in the hull, has different bending and twisting limits from the aluminium used in the superstructure. I doubt that putting for'd - aft moving walkways would be and easy proposition, and the extra weight would cause other limitations.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[AmazedByCruising]

"The ships are too long." ?? An interesting conclusion.

 

That was a brand new "example of a funny complaint", but I'm bad at jokes in english. :rolleyes:

[AmazedByCruising]

All ships bend and twist in big seas. The bigger the ship, the more bending. Many ships have expansion hinges like on steel bridges to allow for bending. Also steel, used in the hull, has different bending and twisting limits from the aluminium used in the superstructure. I doubt that putting for'd - aft moving walkways would be and easy proposition, and the extra weight would cause other limitations.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Yes, bending and firedoors and people wanting to get of in the middle would make it a series of belts, not a single one. I don't think the extra weight would be a big problem.

[chengkp75]

Yes, bending and firedoors and people wanting to get of in the middle would make it a series of belts, not a single one. I don't think the extra weight would be a big problem.

 

What you don't see during tours of I-95 are the use of this area for storage of baggage carts before disembarkation, running pallet jacks and forklift trucks carrying large, heavy loads to the E/R and Hotel storeroom elevators, and in many cases the storage of stores (engine parts, linens, etc) until the slow moving cargo elevators can clear the way. During turn around day, I-95 is the most confined, busy, traffic-laden, and dangerous spot on the ship. Ships are always short on space, and if you take away space from I-95 for moving sidewalks, which would require handrails for safety (and therefore not allowing any chance for multi-use of this space) since the ship moves, you would have to carve this space out of something else, which would be more than the space required for cabins for the 10 crew you save, plus the space for the machinery. Then you have to add the hours and cost of maintenance of the moving walkways.

 

I gotta say, you "amaze" me with the off the wall, outside the box thoughts you come up with, but believe me, a lot of thought goes into ships, especially cruise ships, to maximize efficiency.

[sparks1093]

What you don't see during tours of I-95 are the use of this area for storage of baggage carts before disembarkation, running pallet jacks and forklift trucks carrying large, heavy loads to the E/R and Hotel storeroom elevators, and in many cases the storage of stores (engine parts, linens, etc) until the slow moving cargo elevators can clear the way. During turn around day, I-95 is the most confined, busy, traffic-laden, and dangerous spot on the ship. Ships are always short on space, and if you take away space from I-95 for moving sidewalks, which would require handrails for safety (and therefore not allowing any chance for multi-use of this space) since the ship moves, you would have to carve this space out of something else, which would be more than the space required for cabins for the 10 crew you save, plus the space for the machinery. Then you have to add the hours and cost of maintenance of the moving walkways.

 

I gotta say, you "amaze" me with the off the wall, outside the box thoughts you come up with, but believe me, a lot of thought goes into ships, especially cruise ships, to maximize efficiency.

 

Landlubbers;).

[DirtyDawg]

Moving sidewalks on a cruise ship. Now that's a cool idea!

 

How about one that snakes its way around the buffet. Hop on and be transported past your favorite delights. No more extra effort carrying that pound of bacon with you all the way to the other stations! Actually lets have a dual walkway around the buffet. The inside one can go clockwise and the outer can go counter-clockwise. If some ignorant buffoon goes to step around you to grab some eggs benedict he/she will be whisked off in the opposite direction, back towards the fruit cups.:D

[biker@sea]

Moving sidewalks on a cruise ship. Now that's a cool idea!

 

How about one that snakes its way around the buffet. Hop on and be transported past your favorite delights. No more extra effort carrying that pound of bacon with you all the way to the other stations! Actually lets have a dual walkway around the buffet. The inside one can go clockwise and the outer can go counter-clockwise. If some ignorant buffoon goes to step around you to grab some eggs benedict he/she will be whisked off in the opposite direction, back towards the fruit cups.:D

 

NCL Dawn has a mini moving track around @ the sushi bar.

 

Little plates with different items come cruising by your seat , pick off what you like. :D

 

 

.

Edited November 8, 2016 by biker@sea

[AmazedByCruising]

I gotta say, you "amaze" me with the off the wall, outside the box thoughts you come up with, but believe me, a lot of thought goes into ships, especially cruise ships, to maximize efficiency.

 

Of course I understand that people think hard and long about ships that cost hundreds of millions. The off the wall questions are meant to be "So, why don't they do X because Y". Maybe I should explicitly add "but there must be a Z because they don't do X. Does anyone know what Z is?".

 

You convinced me that putting a belt in the I-95 is not a clever idea. I was thinking the main problem on turn around day was the luggage, which wouldn't be put on carts before reaching the final deck; while the big stuff (like food) would be loaded almost at the same place where the storage is. I didn't even consider linens or engine parts. Still, when the ship is docked you could remove the handrails and switch off the belt turning it into a "normal I-95".

 

But what do you think about a belt to move passengers? Again, it would cost a lot of space but so do ice rinks or big promenades around the ship.

[chengkp75]

Of course I understand that people think hard and long about ships that cost hundreds of millions. The off the wall questions are meant to be "So, why don't they do X because Y". Maybe I should explicitly add "but there must be a Z because they don't do X. Does anyone know what Z is?".

 

You convinced me that putting a belt in the I-95 is not a clever idea. I was thinking the main problem on turn around day was the luggage, which wouldn't be put on carts before reaching the final deck; while the big stuff (like food) would be loaded almost at the same place where the storage is. I didn't even consider linens or engine parts. Still, when the ship is docked you could remove the handrails and switch off the belt turning it into a "normal I-95".

 

But what do you think about a belt to move passengers? Again, it would cost a lot of space but so do ice rinks or big promenades around the ship.

 

The way baggage is handled for disembarkation is that the empty carts are taken up to the various decks, and loaded there, then brought down to I-95. We normally have a Safety Officer, or someone from the emergency teams patrolling I-95 all night to ensure that the carts are not placed so that doors are blocked or emergency equipment (fire stations) are blocked, because I can guarantee they will be. I-95 is lined from bow to stern in baggage carts, and there will be a narrow walkway down the middle. Typically, the food and beverage stores are loaded aft, but even these hatches have to give way for baggage offloading. Once the baggage is all gone, the aft doors become the provision master's domain, and load provisions until sailing. The forward doors have a narrow window between last bag and first bag to load the engine stores and all the dry goods the hotel department uses (linens, silverware, matresses, copy paper, spa supplies, gift shop inventory, etc, etc, which are about 30% of all material loaded each cruise) in about 2-3 hours. Then the bags start coming on at the forward doors. So, there is a complex ballet of balancing what gets loaded, when, to maximize the space available, the elevators for hotel stores and engine stores, and the bodies available to move stuff. Most ships will have policies that I-95 is not to be used by crew transiting the area on turn-around days, just to prevent injuries.

 

As for moving belts for pax, I see a major liability issue here. Enough people stumble on these belts in stationary airports, but if the "building" is moving as well, there could be accidents at the ends of the belts and getting caught along the edges. You would still have to have fixed walkways alongside the moving belts, and the passageways are narrow enough as it is. I know some RCI ships had escalators for pax, but I believe they have all been taken out as they were always breaking down, again due to flexure of the structure that they are not designed for.

[DirtyDawg]

NCL Dawn has a mini moving track around @ the sushi bar.

 

Little plates with different items come cruising by your seat , pick off what you like. :D.

 

Now if they had something like that for drinks around the pool deck I would be a happy puppy!:D:D

[WupperAV]

I've drive I 95 hundreds of times and it never once went aboard a ship. New concept? :D

[AmazedByCruising]

The way baggage is handled for disembarkation is that the empty carts are taken up to the various decks, and loaded there, then brought down to I-95.

 

My parents still have a letter I wrote to (the Dutch version of) Santa when I was 5: "Santa, can I have a board", which I vividly remember as being the first part of the boat I was planning to build. Unfortunately or fortunately, I'm not sure, I remained a landlubber but I'm still fascinated by ships, and especially living on them. I'm so glad a forum probably meant for discussions about thread counts and baked Alaska also has people on board like you. So thank you, once again, for giving so much insight in how cruiseships work!

 

As for moving belts for pax, I see a major liability issue here. Enough people stumble on these belts in stationary airports, but if the "building" is moving as well, there could be accidents at the ends of the belts and getting caught along the edges. You would still have to have fixed walkways alongside the moving belts, and the passageways are narrow enough as it is. I know some RCI ships had escalators for pax, but I believe they have all been taken out as they were always breaking down, again due to flexure of the structure that they are not designed for.

 

Most ships have escalators running from galley to MDR I believe? At least I saw them on all of the two ships I've been on, and read about one more. (Bruns wasn't making up those was he? :))

 

It's a bad thing IMHO that the word "liability" comes up rather frequently, even in cases where the idea itself (which is used in airports worldwide by millions of passengers) isn't that off the wall. Yes people would fall, but they also fall from stairs or over 5 foot railings. I seriously doubt ships would offer pools or shellfish when those were invented today. But that's probably not specific to ships.

[luddite]

on the ship is it?

 

:)

 

Yes, it's absurd.

[Hlitner]

We have a different point of view. Our society is full of overweight, underexercised, out of shape, couch potatoes many of whom have neck problems from always looking down at their smart phones, and wrist problems from constantly texting. So the ideal cruise ship should have minimal elevators (reserved for those that either have physical challenges that require an elevator or others who are willing to wait at least 30 min for an elevator to take them down 1 floor!). And internet access should cost $10 per min plus an additional $50 per day roaming fee for those that must have a working phone.

 

Hank

:)

Edited November 11, 2016 by Hlitner

[GUT2407]

We have a different point of view. Our society is full of overweight, underexercised, out of shape, couch potatoes many of whom have neck problems from always looking down at their smart phones, and wrist problems from constantly texting. So the ideal cruise ship should have minimal elevators (reserved for those that either have physical challenges that require an elevator or others who are willing to wait at least 30 min for an elevator to take them down 1 floor!). And internet access should cost $10 per min plus an additional $50 per day roaming fee for those that must have a working phone.

 

Hank

:)

 

And who is judge jury and executor on whether someone needs the elevator.

[luddite]

And who is judge jury and executor on whether someone needs the elevator.

 

Hey now.

I can do that.

[AmazedByCruising]

Yes, it's absurd.

 

On a scale of unnecessary features of a ship I'd say "passengers should have a place to sleep" ranks a 2, being slightly more necessary than"when the ship sinks there should be lifeboats" at 1. 10 would be for instance "ships should have an observation capsule". Now that's absurd and people book cabins because the ship has it.

[chengkp75]

My parents still have a letter I wrote to (the Dutch version of) Santa when I was 5: "Santa, can I have a board", which I vividly remember as being the first part of the boat I was planning to build. Unfortunately or fortunately, I'm not sure, I remained a landlubber but I'm still fascinated by ships, and especially living on them. I'm so glad a forum probably meant for discussions about thread counts and baked Alaska also has people on board like you. So thank you, once again, for giving so much insight in how cruiseships work!

 

 

 

Most ships have escalators running from galley to MDR I believe? At least I saw them on all of the two ships I've been on, and read about one more. (Bruns wasn't making up those was he? :))

 

It's a bad thing IMHO that the word "liability" comes up rather frequently, even in cases where the idea itself (which is used in airports worldwide by millions of passengers) isn't that off the wall. Yes people would fall, but they also fall from stairs or over 5 foot railings. I seriously doubt ships would offer pools or shellfish when those were invented today. But that's probably not specific to ships.

 

That would be Sinterklaas.

 

One thing you also didn't mention was that you would need two moving sidewalks, one going each way, so even more space taken up.

 

I have personally never seen an escalator on a ship, though I've heard that some have them. The cruise ships I've worked all had the galley on the same deck as the dining venue. I tremble to think of the maintenance headache, and the traffic problems when one goes down.

[Hlitner]

And who is judge jury and executor on whether someone needs the elevator.

 

Oh, we forgot that nobody is allowed to judge others these days (have you watched any of the cable news stations). But the formula is simply. Those with legitimate disabilities could simply get a sticker on their cruise card from Guest Relations. They would always have priority for any elevator. All other souls would have a separate queue (anyone willing to wait their turn could use an elevator) thus guaranteeing that these folks might have to wait up to 30 min for an elevator (even to go down one deck). So the choice would be to patiently wait your turn, or use the stairs. Kind of the way it is now...except we have often seen folks with serious disabilities waiting and waiting and waiting as many able bodied folks crowd into elevators leaving no room for their wheel chair, scooter, etc.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

While I have occasionally seen able bodied people rushing elevators, it really seems the exception. I have also seen people in scooters zip up to the front of an elevator where others have been waiting (some of them possibly physically unable to handle stairs, while still not requiring scooters). Being in a scooter perhaps should not automatically grant super-priority.

 

What should be hoped for is an atmosphere of courtesy - rather than preference (too often self-assigned).

[luddite]

Oh, we forgot that nobody is allowed to judge others these days

 

Oh.......this is simply not true.

[AmazedByCruising]

That would be Sinterklaas.

 

Yep, he sent his deputees to send me presents that year but somehow didn't get my letter about the board. So, I couldn't build the ship and now I'm stuck on land. It's a sad story.

 

One thing you also didn't mention was that you would need two moving sidewalks, one going each way, so even more space taken up.

 

I was thinking we'd both be thinking about two sidewalks without even mentioning it :) It's not that much space. I guess it would be a tight fit to have it going both ways on the lower promenade deck on MS Rotterdam but an easy fit for portside going forward, startboard going aft.

 

I have personally never seen an escalator on a ship, though I've heard that some have them. The cruise ships I've worked all had the galley on the same deck as the dining venue. I tremble to think of the maintenance headache, and the traffic problems when one goes down.

 

I found a website that discusses passenger escalators being removed (but the link is not allowed). How can you even manage a two level MDR with one galley without an escalator? QM II has them. And I guess you never worked on

:)

[AmazedByCruising]

Oh.......this is simply not true.