Enchantment Propulsion Issues....

[RCCL Fan]

This is going around.....  apparently Enchantment has some long term propulsion issue too.

[BlueSkySailing]

The wording is odd. “ Propulsion Pod” I thought Enchantment had old school Propellers with a Shaft. Sounds like Royal needs to start doing some serious preventive maintenance durning dry dock.

[RCCL Fan]

Yep I know it doesn't have a pod.... what's also weird is only some sailings seem to have received this and others haven't.

 

I don't know if the letters are still coming or what.   But I sail in a few weeks and as far as I know everything is fine.

 

People sailing next year got this.... but then others are being routed on new longer sailings to Bahamas.

 

Very very bizarre.

[c-leg5]

17 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

Yep I know it doesn't have a pod.... what's also weird is only some sailings seem to have received this and others haven't.

 

I don't know if the letters are still coming or what.   But I sail in a few weeks and as far as I know everything is fine.

 

People sailing next year got this.... but then others are being routed on new longer sailings to Bahamas.

 

Very very bizarre.

 

Sounds like a work in progress!

 

Definitely no Azipods - we did B2B last month and were unable to dock at Costa Maya due to current and wind. Itinerary adjusted and had to overnight in Cozumel instead.

 

it already does Progreso/Cozumel as one of its alternative routes. I would have been very disappointed in repeating the itinerary on a B2B.

Edited August 27, 2019 by c-leg5

[Clarea]

Enchantment does not have azipods, but she does have generators providing power to electric propulsion units.

[voyager70]

Wonder what kind/if any kind of compensation they are offering to pax on these sailings.  We had a similar issue on Empress a few years ago (had to cancel Grand Cayman & subbed Coco Cay & Nassau) and everyone was given a 25 % OBC of the fare paid.  Very generous IMO.

 

ETA of course there were still pax complaining it wasn't enough.

 

Edited August 27, 2019 by voyager70

[chengkp75]

57 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

Enchantment does not have azipods, but she does have generators providing power to electric propulsion units.

This sounds more like the problem that Caribbean Princess had until recently. The propulsion motors have two separate windings, each providing half power to the propeller. If one of the windings has failed, or the power inverter that powers that winding has failed, then you get half power to the propeller. An inverter repair could be done quickly, but a failed winding would require a hole in the side of the ship, which is why Princess sailed for about a year going slow.

[Clarea]

2 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

This sounds more like the problem that Caribbean Princess had until recently. The propulsion motors have two separate windings, each providing half power to the propeller. If one of the windings has failed, or the power inverter that powers that winding has failed, then you get half power to the propeller. An inverter repair could be done quickly, but a failed winding would require a hole in the side of the ship, which is why Princess sailed for about a year going slow.

 

So are the power inverters providing A/C power to the propulsion motors?

[HouCplCruise]

We have a few cruises coming up on the Enchantment.  We are on tomorrow's cruise 8/28 no letter.  No letter for Oct 4 or Mar 25.  But we did get a letter for our four day cruise Jan 2 telling us we would have to leave an hour earlier due to issues with the propulsion system.   Sail at 3pm instead of 4pm.  Really strange.

[HicksRA]

1 hour ago, voyager70 said:

Wonder what kind/if any kind of compensation they are offering to pax on these sailings.  We had a similar issue on Empress a few years ago (had to cancel Grand Cayman & subbed Coco Cay & Nassau) and everyone was given a 25 % OBC of the fare paid.  Very generous IMO.

 

ETA of course there were still pax complaining it wasn't enough.

 

No form of compensation offered. I have Jan 10, 20 (originally Costa Maya changed to Progreso) and Jan 15, 20 (Progreso) booked as B2B. Not interested in Progreso twice so I’ll probably cancel both. Glad both are refundable deposits....

[ssb]

We have a 9/6/2019  and 11/15 2019 

with Costa Mia and with no substitutions. 

There is no rationale with the propulsion issues . 

Edited August 27, 2019 by ssb

[chengkp75]

2 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

So are the power inverters providing A/C power to the propulsion motors?

The power inverters take the 60Hz AC power and convert it to variable frequency AC power, so that the propulsion motor can run at various speeds.

[chengkp75]

2 hours ago, HouCplCruise said:

We have a few cruises coming up on the Enchantment.  We are on tomorrow's cruise 8/28 no letter.  No letter for Oct 4 or Mar 25.  But we did get a letter for our four day cruise Jan 2 telling us we would have to leave an hour earlier due to issues with the propulsion system.   Sail at 3pm instead of 4pm.  Really strange.

Not so strange.  Depending on the speed needed between each port for each cruise, some cruises may not be affected by the speed reduction, and some might.

[Clarea]

15 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

The power inverters take the 60Hz AC power and convert it to variable frequency AC power, so that the propulsion motor can run at various speeds.

 

Just thinking about the amount of power, these inverters must be large units.

[vssy]

4 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

This is going around.....  apparently Enchantment has some long term propulsion issue too.

 

We are also on the January 24, 2020 cruise, and received this yesterday. We also got one for our June 19, 2020 Coco Cay Cruise. We will leave Galveston an hour early with some updates to our itinerary timetables. We leave this coming Monday for a 4 dayer with no changes. Of course we’re just headed to Cozumel and back to Galveston!

Valerie

Edited August 27, 2019 by vssy

[chengkp75]

9 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Just thinking about the amount of power, these inverters must be large units.

Think 15' long, 6' wide, and 8' high, each, so 4 of these (two per propulsion motor).  The SCR's that do the switching to rectify the power are each around the size of a dinner plate, and there will be 3-4 for each phase of the three phase power.  They generate quite a lot of heat, so there are cooling fans and ductwork involved as well.

[melmar02]

We're on Enchantment February 7 to Cozumel and Costa Maya, and didn't receive an email...yet.

[Clarea]

18 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Think 15' long, 6' wide, and 8' high, each, so 4 of these (two per propulsion motor).  The SCR's that do the switching to rectify the power are each around the size of a dinner plate, and there will be 3-4 for each phase of the three phase power.  They generate quite a lot of heat, so there are cooling fans and ductwork involved as well.

 

Do the azipods that RC uses on Voyager/Freedom/Oasis also use variable frequency A/C to control speed?

[Junkhouse]

Heading out tomorrow.  Will let y'all know if they tell us anything.

[chengkp75]

32 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Do the azipods that RC uses on Voyager/Freedom/Oasis also use variable frequency A/C to control speed?

Yep.  After you wind an AC motor, the speed can only be changed by changing the frequency of the power.  Older ships that used DC motors, could vary the speed by controlling the voltage to the motor via the rectifier bridge.  The AC "variable speed drives" use a three phase full wave rectifier to convert the 10,000 volt, 60Hz, AC generated by the diesel generators into about 6000 volt DC (strictly internal to the converter), and then a three phase controllable converter to create whatever frequency, 10,000 volt AC again, using SCR's to create "square wave" AC (the modern units can control the SCR's to the point where the square wave is almost sinusoidal).

[Clarea]

9 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Yep.  After you wind an AC motor, the speed can only be changed by changing the frequency of the power.  Older ships that used DC motors, could vary the speed by controlling the voltage to the motor via the rectifier bridge.  The AC "variable speed drives" use a three phase full wave rectifier to convert the 10,000 volt, 60Hz, AC generated by the diesel generators into about 6000 volt DC (strictly internal to the converter), and then a three phase controllable converter to create whatever frequency, 10,000 volt AC again, using SCR's to create "square wave" AC (the modern units can control the SCR's to the point where the square wave is almost sinusoidal).

 

Thanks for the explanations Chief.  I have many more questions, but I should stop hijacking.

[chengkp75]

9 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Thanks for the explanations Chief.  I have many more questions, but I should stop hijacking.

Anytime, Bob.  Just start a thread and send up the bat signal.

[garnetpalmetto]

1 hour ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Do the azipods that RC uses on Voyager/Freedom/Oasis also use variable frequency A/C to control speed?

 

At the risk of further hijacking, any reason you didn't include the Radiances and Quantums here, Bob? To my knowledge both of those classes are also propelled by azipods as well?

[ONECRUISER]

3 hours ago, HicksRA said:

No form of compensation offered. I have Jan 10, 20 (originally Costa Maya changed to Progreso) and Jan 15, 20 (Progreso) booked as B2B. Not interested in Progreso twice so I’ll probably cancel both. Glad both are refundable deposits....

Agree, never been offered Compensation for missed/Changed Ports except once received 2hrs free drinks. Even have 2 Cruise ports changed myself next yr, no Compensation. What I've seen if issue is long term or further out Cruise for first 1-2 Cruises might get something rest of future Cruises, nothing

[JupiterTwo]

I'm glad I saw this. I'm on the Enchantment for a B2B Jan 6-10 and Jan 10-15. It's the second leg that would be impacted. I haven't received any notice, but the cruise planner already shows Yucatan.

 

I guess it's no big deal for me as we just took the Liberty a few weeks ago to Cozumel and Costa Maya (and Roatan). Yucatan would be a new port for us.

 

However, it looks like the cruise planner still shows the excursions for Costa Maya.

 

Steve

Edited August 27, 2019 by JupiterTwo