Tour of bridge & engine room possible?

[countryguyinny]

I will be on the Insignia Athens to Rome cruise from 20-30 Sept. As I'm a retired Navy officer, I'd like to know if it is possible to have a brief tour of the Insignia's bridge and engine room. Does anyone know if Oceania does this or what the proper protocol would be to request it? I thought about just waiting until I get aboard and ask then, but was curious if anyone had any information they could share beforehand. Many thanks!

[ClaudiaF]

since there is so much security concerns bridge tours have been banished on most cruiselines.. so my guess is don't count on it.:confused:

[dwelsh]

On board the Regent (Radisson) Voyager last November I spent quite a while, with other passengers on the bridge, I hope that Oceania has a similar invitation next January!

[mike35]

They are done on a selective basis. I would suggest you speak with the concierge, giving him your naval credentials and interest in seeing the bridge. He will pass it on to the captain, and depending on the workload, you might very well be surprised to receive an invitation.

 

Mike (retired Air Force pilot)

[Druke I]

On many ships, a note requesting a bridge tour, to the Captain, delivered via the Purser's Office, will garner an invitation to the bridge.

 

Very difficult to get into the engine rooms (closest I have gotten is the Control Room), but it is sometimes possible (my brother-in-law, a mechanical engineer, did it on HAL's old Westerdam) to get into the engine spaces by becoming friendly with an Engineering Officer in a ship's bar.

[countryguyinny]

Thanks to all for your comments and suggestions. I'll give some of them a try. I can't wait to be back on a ship again. I know the technology has changed a lot since that on the last Navy ship I was on, a nuclear-powered cruiser (USS Mississippi CGN-40) back in the early 90s, as the navigator. Chuck (CDR USN retired)

[Druke I]

Small world.

 

Step-son was on USS Texas, CGN-39 - down in the engine room. He is now a CPO in the Navy Reserve.

 

I got to go on a "tiger cruise" on the Texas, Alameda NAS to Seattle. Fun, but certainly not as comfortable as a cruise ship.

 

Good luck getting up to the bridge and down into the engine room.

[frankpc]

We're recently off Insiginia and I believe it was possible to arrange a bridge tour by appointment.

 

We did a bridge tour on the R8 in the Baltic. I remember seeing all those computer screens running Windows and thinking I never had that much faith in Microsoft. I laughed when the Captain suddenly appeared and made a big deal of showing us how they still plotted everything by hand. The computers, he said, were only used to check their work.

 

Wise man that Captain.

 

Frank

[Liat]

I have done four bridge tours. One on Elation in 1999 when it was regularly scheduled, and one on Commodore's Enchanted Isle in 2000, also scheduled.

We did one on Mercury in 2002 and one on Millennium in 2003, both courtesy of Joyce Gleeson-Adamidas on her husband's ships.

We were impressed by the Greek religious icons prominently set high on bulkheads on both Celebrity ships.

We also noted that on Elation; built in Finland and sailed by all Italian officers, and the Celebrity ships, built in Germany and sailed by all Greek officers; that the controls were in English!

And on all ships the point was made that they still charted the course in the old fashioned way, although GPS is the operational standard and the charts are used to keep everyone in practice just in case.

[TCF]

I think it is possible.

I read on the O website that the Butler can arrange introductions to the Captain and Officers and "tours" of the ship...so I am thinking that could include the bridge, engine spaces, and galley...although it does not specify. Now the only cabins with a Butler are the OS, VS and PH suites...but I would think any passenger could ask for the same treatment at the Guest Services Office. I would be very surprised if they would turn you down.

Hey...ask...what can they say but "no"...and that won't be the end of the cruise for you!

Tom and Deb

[meow!]

When we were on the Silver Shadow in December, 2004, all new passengers were invited to a bridge tour. The captain and the navigation officer gave us a good one hour talk.

 

It will be harder to get invited into the engine room. However, I believe I have read an article by GoEurope (if I remember correctly) with detailed description and lots of pictures on the engine room of the Silver Shadow/Whisper. Being of similar size, Oceania engines will likely be similar.

[countryguyinny]

Again, thank you to all who have posted. And especially to TCCF, your info is especially helpful. Although I will not be in a "Butler" level cabin, I will be part of a 12-passenger group, including the TA who booked us, so perhaps that will carry a little leverage. I am really looking forward to this cruise and the more I learn, the more excited I get! TTFN, Chuck