2 1/2 Hour Power Failure on Liberty 3/22

[jckvpa0]

Auntpam, just curious as to where is your muster station was for your room. This has never crossed my mind before but if there was an emergency & people are not allowed to use elevators what do people in wheelchairs do?

 

 

I am booked on the Liberty for next year & yes Panama is the port we are looking forward to the most, (I'm lying, my dh & ds are really looking forward to this port :p ),but we know on a cruise nothing is written is stone. Sure they'll be disappointed if we don't go but we know that if we really want to be guaranteed that we see Panama we would have to take a land vacation.

[GoinCruisin]

We've lost power on a couple of my past cruises... the ship stops, it was never a big deal for me, but I can see where some might get a little freaked out... Sorry you guys weren't comfortable :o

 

Auntpam... did you book your tour through Carnival? If so, why didn't they refund you? If you didn't book through Carnival, that is one of the drawbacks of booking through a 3rd party vendor... it's a risk you take. If it is a tour that is that important, I would book through the cruiseline, just in case... and then if you miss it, you get refunded. If you did book direct, did they give you a reason for not refunding you??

[mfs2k]

I hate it when threads go on like this. I thought these boards were to help. Everyone does react different and since 911 some would be more concerned than others.

 

I think its constructive to know that sometimes things do go wrong onboard cruise ships. Everything is not always as rosy as the cruise line PR people would like you to believe. Its important to share experiences, otherwise we might never know the truth.

 

Thanks to the internet, we can hear other perspectives that might not otherwise be available to us. There are even sites like cruisejunkie.com that compile all the information in one database. This event is now listed: http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html

 

This was my Eighth Carnival cruise. I wanted to share my experience with others.

[L2J]

Serious question here. Why do folks think that the Captain should be giving regular updates to the PAX when something like this happens? Granted he should inform the PAX of the situation but I don't see the need for *updates*

 

If the ship has sprung a leak and it's going to sink...I want an update...otherwise I really don't care. I'm on a ship, on the ocean so it's all good.

[jckvpa0]

 

If the ship has sprung a leak and it's going to sink...I want an update...otherwise I really don't care. I'm on a ship, on the ocean so it's all good.

 

But even at that you don't want to many up dates, 45 min until sinking, 30 min until sinking, 15 min until sinking...... that can grow old really fast & ruin my last few min on board :eek: !!!

[mfs2k]

There's always another perspective........ I sent this thread to my friend who we were travelling with. This was her response:

 

DON’T’ GET ME STARTED. This is one of those jazzy people who have had no problems getting to the front of the buffet line. This is obviously someone who’s trying to bilk carnival out of another cruise for 6. Squeeky wheel gets all the oil. I’m sure they didn’t tell us the whole story but I doubt there was a conspiracy to ruin everyone’s vacation.

[vesw01]

We are on the Victory in Oct 04 going North ahead of all the hurricanes. Our captain decided to pick a different port b/c the seas were too rough where we supposed to go. We didn't have an issues with that and had a blast...

 

On the other hand the captain of the Roterdamm <sp?> decided to go to port and somehow their electric went out. This caused the stabilzation system to fail and with the rough waves several people wound up hospitalized from getting thrown into the walls. They drifted at sea for 2 1/2 hours (I think I would have been nervous) ... we arrived in Nova Scotia the day after them and stopped at a t-shirt shop to have a t-shirt custom made...the staff said that the day before they had made 50 + shirts for people that said "I survived the Roterdam"

[revkev]

OK, WAIT A MINUTE EVERYBODY. NO ONE ASKED THE IMPORTANT QUESTION.

 

Were you able to order beer (or drinks) during this emergency? If not...then we have a problem. If so...what a nice way to spend an evening at sea. In total silence. :)

 

Kevin

[L2J]

I’m sure they didn’t tell us the whole story but I doubt there was a conspiracy to ruin everyone’s vacation.

 

There's always a conspiracy....isn't there? :p

 

On the other hand the captain of the Roterdamm <sp?> decided to go to port and somehow their electric went out. This caused the stabilzation system to fail and with the rough waves several people wound up hospitalized from getting thrown into the walls. They drifted at sea for 2 1/2 hours (I think I would have been nervous) ... we arrived in Nova Scotia the day after them and stopped at a t-shirt shop to have a t-shirt custom made...the staff said that the day before they had made 50 + shirts for people that said "I survived the Roterdam"

 

I remember that thread...it was GREAT!!

[GoinCruisin]

OK, WAIT A MINUTE EVERYBODY. NO ONE ASKED THE IMPORTANT QUESTION.

 

Were you able to order beer (or drinks) during this emergency? If not...then we have a problem. If so...what a nice way to spend an evening at sea. In total silence. :)

 

Kevin

 

LOL, that truly is the important question... but you know good and well, it was far from quiet, LMAO!!! I'm sure there were people running around thinking the ship was sinking. Hell, we had some high waves on our SOS cruise last month, there was a large group of people gathered at the pursers desk, crying and yelling that they were going to die. Everyone should be thankful this group, was not on your cruise :eek:

[MontezumasRevenge]

I was onboard as well. I was in the casino and it was a little freaky. People were screaming. I knew the second we lost power that my trip throught the panama canal the next morning was going to be screwed and I was right. I was very dissapointed as this was going to be the highlight of my trip. So did, I whine, complain, or cry? Nope, had the most fun I have ever had in my life! When the power was out, they were still able to serve drinks. There was a guy in the casino bar wearing his life jacket! I laughed so hard. Carnival didn't like this one bit and made him take it off. What a great time. I am looking for the next big cruise and will go with carnival I'm sure.

 

RevKev, read the above.

[MrPete]

Maybe that long ass power cord from Miami that the cruise directors always joke about really exists! :eek:

[CruiseDawg2001]

Duck, you are indeed correct. Many ships nowadays have Diesel-Electric Propulsion. Diesel generators make the electricity that powers everything onboard; the engines themselves are electric. That explains why she stopped. A ship as big is Liberty does have redundant power generation of some kind (they always point out the fact that ships have two engine rooms on those TLC/Discovery Channel shows) but the issue could have been with the distribution or the control systems. Then again, maybe it was just a glitch; the computer read something incorrectly and triggered a safety shutdown or some sort of overload.

There is actually a very good reason why you were being told it was simply a glitch; one, I doubt too many people aboard knew much if anything about the engineering or power systems aboard so a technical explanation would have been useless. Two, people were panicking when they were told it was a simple thing... imagine what they would have done if they got on the PA and said it was serious?

That being said, it was just a power failure and you were never in danger... mountian out of a mole hill I think does apply. I can't really blame you for being uneducated about it; not everybody knows how things work on a ship (kind of like my inability to drive a stick or tie a tie). One of the problems I think is the media making events 10 gabillion times worse when talking about them, making people alot more jumpy and on edge then they might be naturally.

[mfs2k]

OK, WAIT A MINUTE EVERYBODY. NO ONE ASKED THE IMPORTANT QUESTION.

 

Were you able to order beer (or drinks) during this emergency? If not...then we have a problem. Kevin

 

Funny thing you should ask........ The first thing I noticed, when we went out to the lobby 10 min after the power was out... The Computerized Cash Registers (POS System) WAS working. THAT they put on emergency power backup. God forbid they lose potential revenue. LOL

[zydecocruiser]

People needing assistance should tell the cruise line and they will typically assign a person or people to get them off the ship in case of emergency.

 

Not sure it it was ever decided, but there is/was a case before the US Supreme Court and I think cruise ships may be subject to ADA.

[mfs2k]

Duck, you are indeed correct. Many ships nowadays have Diesel-Electric Propulsion. Diesel generators make the electricity that powers everything onboard; the engines themselves are electric. That explains why she stopped. A ship as big is Liberty does have redundant power generation of some kind (they always point out the fact that ships have two engine rooms on those TLC/Discovery Channel shows) but the issue could have been with the distribution or the control systems. Then again, maybe it was just a glitch; the computer read something incorrectly and triggered a safety shutdown or some sort of overload.

There is actually a very good reason why you were being told it was simply a glitch; one, I doubt too many people aboard knew much if anything about the engineering or power systems aboard so a technical explanation would have been useless. Two, people were panicking when they were told it was a simple thing... imagine what they would have done if they got on the PA and said it was serious?

 

There was unverifiable speculation onboard the next day (someone told someone who told someone) that the problem was somehow related to a water leak near the electrical panels, and the power was triggered off, and they wanted to make sure the problem was resolved before they restored power. This is totally unverified.

[big_duck]

Funny thing you should ask........ The first thing I noticed, when we went out to the lobby 10 min after the power was out... The Computerized Cash Registers (POS System) WAS working. THAT they put on emergency power backup. God forbid they lose potential revenue. LOL

 

I bet the POS at your hotel is on the emergency power grid too. ;)

[GoinCruisin]

are all of you so busy drinking that you have forgotton that there are others in the world besides YOU?

 

I'll be the first to say, and I hope nobody really gets offended by this... I really do care about only me and those with me on vacation. :o Sorry, but it's true. Now, I have respect for those around me, and I would hate for someone to get injured, etc, but for the most part, it's my vacation and I'll worry about myself and those with me. I guess I'm no Mother Teresa. I am sorry that anyone had a bad cruise... I truly hate that...but it's not going to ruin MY cruise. Call me selfish. Had this happened, I would have worried about myself and those with me... as I'm sure most people would.

 

And I would never cruise to see one port... as much as ports are cancelled and missed, which is why it is stated in your travel contract. If I really wanted to see a place, and it was the only reason I was cruising... I'd book a flight and a hotel, and go there. Ports are never guaranteed... your cruise fare itself covers your meal, cabin, entertainment, etc. The port charges are pretty minimal. I'm not trying to minimize your bad time... I hope you don't see it that way, I'm just giving my opinion.

[mfs2k]

I bet the POS at your hotel is on the emergency power grid too. ;)

 

Of course it is :). But after three hours, we have no more fuel for emergency generator power.

 

We are in a 27 story building. Its a b_tch when you are staying on one of the upper floors. First, you have to walk up/down, the water cuts off first on the upper floors because the pumps fail (no flushing toilets, sinks, showers)), no a/c (it was a hot August weekend), no lights....... But some of our guests did it for 2 days in '03. Some hotels threw all the guests out into the streets for "Security Reasons" (Marriott Marquis)

[mfs2k]

Duck, you are indeed correct. Many ships nowadays have Diesel-Electric Propulsion. Diesel generators make the electricity that powers everything onboard; the engines themselves are electric. That explains why she stopped. A ship as big is Liberty does have redundant power generation of some kind (they always point out the fact that ships have two engine rooms on those TLC/Discovery Channel shows) but the issue could have been with the distribution or the control systems. Then again, maybe it was just a glitch; the computer read something incorrectly and triggered a safety shutdown or some sort of overload.

There is actually a very good reason why you were being told it was simply a glitch; one, I doubt too many people aboard knew much if anything about the engineering or power systems aboard so a technical explanation would have been useless. Two, people were panicking when they were told it was a simple thing... imagine what they would have done if they got on the PA and said it was serious?

 

Per the link on page 1 of this thread, this is the company that provided the power generators to The Liberty. Now if someone can explain it to me, I'd be appreciative.

 

 

ALSTOM POWER CONVERSION - MARINE PROPULSION SYSTEMS

 

As a leading supplier of power and propulsion packages, ALSTOM Power Conversion can tailor a package to meet your exact needs, from complete electrical turnkey solutions to simpler drive packages.

Our product range includes generators, switchboards, variable speed main propulsion systems driving either induction or synchronous motors, dynamic positioning systems and vessel automation.

Drawing on a century of experience, ALSTOM Power Conversion is able to provide complete support including feasibility studies, preliminary design, design, project management, commissioning, training, technical assistance and maintenance contracts.

ELECTRIC POWER AND PROPULSION SYSTEMS

A modern electric propulsion system consists of a centralised power plant (supplying propulsion and services requirements) and a variable speed drive system connected to fixed pitch propellers. A comprehensive Power Management System (PMS) ensures that each prime mover operates at its optimal load. The main advantages are:

• Operating flexibility, safety and reliability
  
• Improved efficiency at low speeds and when manoeuvring
  
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• Optimisation of ship architecture

A major step in electric propulsion: PWM press-pack IGBT converters combined with induction motors.

ALSTOM Power Conversion has adopted the press-pack IGBT technology for the new ALSPA MV7000 medium voltage PWM converters. In combination with high torque density induction motors these converters allow significantly enhanced electric propulsion.

The main benefits for the electric power plant and the electric propulsion system include high efficiency, size and weight savings, robustness, cost-effectiveness and durability.

VESSEL CONTROL

The Integrated Alarm Control and Monitoring System (IACMS) controls the automation for the whole vessel and features two main parts:

• The Power Management System (PMS)
  
• The Vessel Management System (VMS)

The main features of IACMS are:

• High performance utilising distributed outstations and networked architecture
  
• High level of reliability (single fault tolerance)
  
• Ergonomic human-machine interface
  
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ALSTOM Power Conversion has a strong reputation in Dynamic Positioning (DP), with more than 30 years' experience and over 300 references. The current A-Series combines the best attributes of previous generations of DP systems with the benefits of continuous technological advancement and has proved highly successful in both the offshore and cruise ship markets.

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• Cruise liners for Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises, Costa Crociere, HAL, Cunard, RCI, Celebrity Cruises, NCL, MSC, Radisson and Crystal Cruises
  
• LNG carriers for Gaz de France, BP, Teekay, Qatar Gas II and Ras Gas III (electric drives for compressors)
  
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And more recently:

• Two cruise ships for Costa Crociere, 2 x 21MW per ship
  
• Three cruise ships for Carnival Cruise Lines, 2 x 20/21MW per ship
  (One of these was the Liberty)
  
• Two cruise ships for MSC, 2 x 20.2MW per ship
  
• Two cruise ships for MSC, 2 x 17.5MW per ship
  
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Fax: +33 3 84 55 20 65

[CruiseDawg2001]

I didn't see that mfs2k thank you... us engineering geeks love that stuff.

[zydecocruiser]

Relax:rolleyes: It's called cruise CRITIC for a reason.

 

That being said....6K for 3 for an oceanview? Anyone else think they got poked?

 

kinda looks like POSTER critic...

 

On Monday June 6, 2005 the US Supreme Court determined that the Americans with Disability Act protects passengers with disabilities even on ships flagged to foreign ports when they operate in the US. This case, “Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line, 03-1388,” was discussed in the previous “Travel & Disability” section article, “Manifest Accessibility” (http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/114545)

The majority opinion, written by Justice Kennedy explains,

 

Large numbers of disabled individuals, many of whom have mobility impairments that make other kinds of vacation travel difficult, take advantage of these cruises, or would like to. To hold there is no Title III protection for disabled persons who seek to use the amenities of foreign cruise ships would be a harsh and unexpected interpretation of a statute designed to provide broad protection for the disabled.

Notice that even the court decision recognizes the preference for cruising as a travel product by consumers with disabilities. As some cruise lines recognize this and adopt Universal Design principles to satisfy their customers, it will become all the more difficult for other lines to watch their market share fall away to their competitors who do not practice discrimination. Universal Design will trump notions of ship design that have long been uncritically accepted as essential to seafaring and seaworthiness.

[zqvol]

Relax:rolleyes: It's called cruise CRITIC for a reason.

 

That being said....6K for 3 for an oceanview? Anyone else think they got poked?

Maybe but maybe not depending on cruise length, deck, etc.

[big_duck]

That being said....6K for 3 for an oceanview? Anyone else think they got poked?

 

And then some. :eek:

[zydecocruiser]

Geez. Do you get this angry when the power goes out in your house? While you have houseguests!

 

At least everyone would have a choice to get in their vehicles and leave. The toilets would flush. Candles are allowed. etc. etc.