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All Access Ship Tour $$$!!!

craig01020

By craig01020,
in Royal Caribbean International

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NightOne

NightOne

Posted
Posted
18 hours ago, craig01020 said:

I really wanted to do the All Access Ship Tour on my Harmony cruise next month, but $159 per person seems outrageous. Was it always this expensive?

 

I just paid $179 but now it is $159 but sold out.

 

Thanks for making me feel bad. LOLOLOL

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MightyMike

MightyMike

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6 hours ago, Kellie in Texas said:

We did the tour last week on Adventure OTS and it was worth every penny.

 

Could you elaborate? Was it worthwhile just because you got to see the inner workings of the ship or were there aspects of it that were truly special? Were there gifts? Was there anything in particular that made you feel it was worth every penny?

 

I only ask because I have reserved this tour on my next cruise and am debating whether or not to keep the reservation. It sounded cool at the time, but my mind pictures something like a college campus tour where a guide leads a huge bunch of people from place to place--with a brief explanation at each stop. If it is just that then I'm probably not interested. At $159 per person, I'm looking for assurance that this will be memorable.

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Kellie in Texas Great Review Rare

Kellie in Texas

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@MightyMike I did a review of our Adventure 12/31/2022 cruise (it's moved several pages back by now) and I copied below what I said in that review.  It is definitely not a crowded campus tour and you get to see areas on the ship, including the bridge, that most people never get to see. The special parts are being able to take photos everywhere (just no videos), plus the fact that -- on our cruise at least -- there were only two tours limited to 12 people each. There were gifts but nothing that would change my mind about whether to take the tour -- we got to keep our lanyards with the large "All-Access Tour" badge on them, plus we got a luggage tag and a small knot-tying kit. It had a short piece of rope with instructions on how to tie all the different knots. Let me know if you have other questions. 

 

The all-access bridge tour -- Everybody should do this tour at least once. It was very exclusive and super-interesting. We had right at 4,000 passengers and they only offered this tour twice with a max of 12 persons on each tour. So we were five out of 24 people in the 4,000 that got to see this. You bring your Sea Pass card and you can bring your phone, but no purses, bags, etc. We could take pictures of anything but no videos. Before the tour, security checked our Sea Pass cards against their list and we were wanded/patted down (lightly); there was a female security guard to check the women on the tour. We started in the dining room, then the galley, the provisions store rooms (we saw the ice cream freezer and the liquor storage -- it had three locks on it! 🙂 ) Down some stairs to the engine control room, the laundry, and the long hallway known as I-95. There was quite a bit of stairs, up and down, but we were able to take the elevator to the bridge. We were checked again by security before going onto the bridge. That was amazing and a highlight of the trip.

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Ret MP

Ret MP

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I would highly recommend that any/everybody take the tour.  It is great to see the inner working of such massive ships.  But, is it worth $179.00 a head.  Well, that' a personal decision. I do take the tour on every cruise I take that is Star Class (once again, just fact, not bragging), it's included and an exclusive/private tour, except it wasn't available in May on the Ovation, COVID you know.  

 

 

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ace1zoe2

ace1zoe2

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41 minutes ago, HicksRA said:

Do you get to see the engine/mechanical room? (Not just the control room)  That’s all I’d really want to see.  We’ve done the bridge, galley and back stage before…

We were not allowed in the engine/mechanical room.  Only the control room. It is a very fascinating tour. Ours was pre-covid, and was a 3 hour tour. Closed toed shoes, long pants or capris. No shorts or skirts. We got the lanyards and a tote bag and kitchen aprons with logo.

 

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Kellie in Texas Great Review Rare

Kellie in Texas

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@HicksRAwe didn't get to see the engine room; our guide said it was very loud and too dangerous. 

@ace1zoe2ours was over two hours, maybe 2 hours and 15 minutes or so. They also said closed-toe shoes and long pants, no shorts or skirts. However, one lady in our group was wearing shorts. 

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Ret MP

Ret MP

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2 hours ago, HicksRA said:

Do you get to see the engine/mechanical room? (Not just the control room)  That’s all I’d really want to see.  We’ve done the bridge, galley and back stage before…

Therein lies the problem.  As much as I hate to say this, Rustbucket Cruise Lines actually gave you a short, very short time in the actual engine room.  You actually got to experience the noise and vibrations.  It was kewl.  All the tours I've been on with RCCL did not include the actual engine room.  My first tour, Oasis of the Seas, it was a big big big disappointment.  But, the Bridge and Galley portions were much better on RCCL.  Oh, on Rustbucket, we actually got to go behind the stage and into the costume area and a cast member describe the actual production.  The only thing we didn't get to see was below the stage.  On RCCL, we got to stand on the stage, got a short briefing by someone and that was it.  Overall, I'd still go with RCCL, especially on Oasis Class Ships.

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chengkp75

chengkp75

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I'm actually surprised that any cruise line allowed passengers in the engine room, both from a liability standpoint as well as a security standpoint.  The vast majority of crew are not allowed in the engine spaces.  The steepness of the ladders (stairs), and the possibility of burns would be the greatest reasons not to allow it, but also the need for PPE (personal protection gear), which would be long sleeves, steel toe shoes, safety goggles, hearing protection, and hard hats.

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rudeney "Live from...." Rare

rudeney

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It was $99pp on Voyager back in October, and that was the advance price offered in Cruise Planner.  It was fun and interesting, but I'd find it a better value at half the price.  I also would love to see the engine room, but that is not allowed on RCCL.  It's too bad they couldn't create a place where you could see into it without being in the dangerous areas.  

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chengkp75

chengkp75

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15 minutes ago, rudeney said:

It was $99pp on Voyager back in October, and that was the advance price offered in Cruise Planner.  It was fun and interesting, but I'd find it a better value at half the price.  I also would love to see the engine room, but that is not allowed on RCCL.  It's too bad they couldn't create a place where you could see into it without being in the dangerous areas.  

There should have been numerous CCTV screens in the Engine Control Room, that allow the watch engineer to see nearly all of the engineering spaces.

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Ret MP

Ret MP

Posted
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8 minutes ago, rudeney said:

It was $99pp on Voyager back in October, and that was the advance price offered in Cruise Planner.  It was fun and interesting, but I'd find it a better value at half the price.  I also would love to see the engine room, but that is not allowed on RCCL.  It's too bad they couldn't create a place where you could see into it without being in the dangerous areas.  

On Rustbucket we actually walked thru a door to a "catwalk" and back thru a second door.  I think the entire walk on the "catwalk" was about 15-20 feet.  There were stairs leading down from the "catwalk" to the engine room floor, but it was chained off and a security attendant standing by. From what I observed, you could eat off the floor and, well, just about every surface, truly amazing.   No photography allowed.  It was a great experience!  I'd love to see the engine room of an Oasis Class ship.  

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Ret MP

Ret MP

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1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

After 46 years in engine rooms, if you've seen one, you've seen them all.  Not a lot of variation.

 

4 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

There should have been numerous CCTV screens in the Engine Control Room, that allow the watch engineer to see nearly all of the engineering spaces.

 

Just my perspective:  Those of us that haven't spent a career in engine rooms, it is an experience that can only be achieved by actually being in the room, hearing the sounds, feeling the vibrations, and smell the smells,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,  Watching it on a CCTV just ain't the same.  I've seen car engines and worked in garages for years but I always want to look under the hood on just about every muscle car, antique car, and/or any unique cars I see.  

 

I can see and understand your prospective. I too have worked in a very unique environment/facility and have developed, to some degree, a professional insensitivity to it.  I could just say, watch Cops.  But, your experiences with ship's engine rooms is unique to only a small group.  A perspective that very very few have experienced but would like to at least see/experience the environment first hand, up close, and personal.  

 

As stated, this is my perspective of the topic.

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cruiseguy1016

cruiseguy1016

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2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

I'm actually surprised that any cruise line allowed passengers in the engine room, both from a liability standpoint as well as a security standpoint.  The vast majority of crew are not allowed in the engine spaces.  The steepness of the ladders (stairs), and the possibility of burns would be the greatest reasons not to allow it, but also the need for PPE (personal protection gear), which would be long sleeves, steel toe shoes, safety goggles, hearing protection, and hard hats.

 

The tour was to the engine control room, not the engine room. I'm assuming they are two different areas with a lot less "danger" in the control room.

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