Oosterdam repair saga continues

[Moonlight Beach]

The issue with the pod is not one which is recurring (like the X pods) so the manufacturer does not have spare parts readily available to make the switch - this is the major reason HAL can't just pull the ship from the water and do the work necessary (discussed at length here some weeks ago...)

 

Mr Deering is not HAL PR and is not allowed to post here in his capacity as a HAL employee.* He is however a very conciencious Hotel Manager and (like many other HAL employees) does read the threads here to get a feel for what passengers are saying about the ships and service.

 

Other HAL employees do post here from time to time, but they do so:

A) not as a HAL employee, and*

B) never addressing corporate policy issues.

 

 

 

IMO, if folks are that concerned about their cruises being cancelled or cut short - why not look into changing reservations for Ryndam?

 

I agree with everything you said, Brian...However regarding the changing of reservations to Ryndam:

Number 1: It's a 10 day cruise vs. 7 day Oosterdam. Some folks won't be able to take the extra time off work.

Number 2: There are no dates in Dec. The next available sailing is in Feb. 2007. It is fairly well booked. The verandas and suites are sold out.

Number 3: The 10 day cruise is more expensive for every cat.

That being said, I'm definitely not upset about the non-functioning pod and if the port times are abbreviated, then that's just more fun time on the ship. If the sailing is cancelled, I can rebook at another time...(no biggie if my cat. is available) and I'm not out the cost of travelling to port. I'm an optimist and I can make lemonade. :D

Lynne

[jellens]

I'm getting ready for our Dec. 2 trip. I think the panic hit some with the announcement from Celebrity cancellation. I'm all about the ship experience and that's what I cruise for! I really am not concerned about shortened port times. If there is a port I'm interesting in, I feel it is just a small taste and if I want to really experience it I will have to go there on a trip. Thanks everyone for all the info. Brian, your post was right on!

[jhannah]

It did look like a crane kind of, but it was more forward in the ship that I would have guessed if they were trying to remove the prop.

That is the refueling barge. The small crane is supporting the hose as it's attached to the ship's fuel fitting.

[Tinknock50]

I agree with everything you said, Brian...However regarding the changing of reservations to Ryndam:

 

Number 1: It's a 10 day cruise vs. 7 day Oosterdam. Some folks won't be able to take the extra time off work.

Number 2: There are no dates in Dec. The next available sailing is in Feb. 2007. It is fairly well booked. The verandas and suites are sold out.

Number 3: The 10 day cruise is more expensive for every cat.

 

 

That being said, I'm definitely not upset about the non-functioning pod and if the port times are abbreviated, then that's just more fun time on the ship. If the sailing is cancelled, I can rebook at another time...(no biggie if my cat. is available) and I'm not out the cost of travelling to port. I'm an optimist and I can make lemonade. :D

 

Lynne

 

Plus I wouldn't jump ship at this point. I think the Oosterdam will be fine finishing the Mexico season on one pod. It can make all its ports as it is now .....just shortenned port times.

 

It appears HAL has stopped bookings for April 21st, so I am thinking they are planning something major then...or at least hedging its bets on not accomplishing the repair before then. Wouldn't that be enough time to prepare a new azipod?

 

I really don't see any cancellations soon and I would only be concerned if I were booked on the April 21st sailing.

[heavenly]

I noticed that the repo cruise on April 28th is not book-able (could also be full?) in addition to the April 21 as previously mentioned.

 

That is the most current information I have to date, both sailings are closed due to the pod situation. Still no new word from the HAL reps, my guess is they want to see what went wrong with last weeks venture.

[Tinknock50]

That is the most current information I have to date, both sailings are closed due to the pod situation. Still no new word from the HAL reps, my guess is they want to see what went wrong with last weeks venture.

 

Thanks for keeping up on current information.:)

 

Curious.....did they actually use the words "due to the pod situation" ?

[heavenly]

Thanks for keeping up on current information.:)

 

Curious.....did they actually use the words "due to the pod situation" ?

 

"Pod Situation" is probably my term, those two closed sailings are due to the pod, no doubt about that.

[heavenly]

Thanks for keeping up on current information.:)

 

Curious.....did they actually use the words "due to the pod situation" ?

 

"Pod Situation" is probably my term, those two closed sailings are due to the pod, no doubt about that.

[Tinknock50]

"Pod Situation" is probably my term, those two closed sailings are due to the pod, no doubt about that.

 

Ok.....was just wondering if HAL was publicy aknowledging the "pod problem".....other than by letters in the staterooms.

[barbon2]

Am really hoping that some of the pax that have disembarked today will post with some reliable info for us. Also, perhaps someone who is sailing out of San Diego today will be able to post from the ship and again, give us a little insight. My only beef with this whole issue is that IF HAL does have some info in regard to drydock, whether it be next week, next spring, etc. etc., why not just post it somewhere so everyone can be more comfortable with the dates they have booked.

Barbara

[mapman_2004]

Just got home from visiting the bay area. Talked with a couple getting off the ship and they said the only thing that happened was a slightly shortened time at the ports. Said cruise was great! Hopefully we hear from more people once they get home...

 

I took a picture (from the Coronado ferry) of the back. Nothing going on all the way up till 1pm today. Saw it from the other side too, just the fuel ferry...

 

Brian

[hawgwildterry]

MapMan,

Thanks for taking the time to check out the O today. One would think that the props would have been pulled off today. The reason why they were pulled in the first place was to lessen the drag or so called feathering action. You just have to know that the Engineering Department is busting their humps trying to get the problem fixed.

[cruznon]

mapman,

Neat photo from the ferry!

I don't mind shortened port times, but my concern is one pod being used for weeks to power the ship, thus the extra strain (vibration) on that working pod.

From the boards it's sounds like this is a unique pod problem. Do the HAL engineers know exactly what the problem is or the part(s) needed to repair at this point?

[bepsf]

My only beef with this whole issue is that IF HAL does have some info in regard to drydock, whether it be next week, next spring, etc. etc., why not just post it somewhere so everyone can be more comfortable with the dates they have booked.

Barbara

 

Well, they probably don't have any solid info as far as when they might pull the ship out of the water at this point.**It was only this week that HAL determined that the attempted repairs didn't work - they may have other options to resolve this issue that we're not aware of.

 

HAL can only plan these things so quickly and once they do, they're not about* to post information to the general public on a public forum - they're going to work directly with the affected passengers and their travel agents.

[barbon2]

Brian,

I did not mean that they would literally post to the boards, I meant that they should let the affected pax know what is going on. It is also hard for me to believe that a company as large as HAL and it affiliates do not have solid plans from their engineering dept. as to what to do and how to resolve the problem. Just like any other corporation HAL must have knowledge of what their options are, when a part will be ready, how long a ship can run in the condition it is in etc., etc. Hopefully they will soon enlighten their customer base as to what is actually going on. Pax who are booked within the next few weeks are sitting tight without the ability to do too much about the problem, but people who are looking to book after the first of the year may take the Oosterdam off of their list of considered ships. This can and will effect HAL's bookings of the Oosterdam.

Barbara

[barbon2]

Brian,

I did not mean that they would literally post to the boards, I meant that they should let the affected pax know what is going on. It is also hard for me to believe that a company as large as HAL and it affiliates do not have solid plans from their engineering dept. as to what to do and how to resolve the problem. Just like any other corporation HAL must have knowledge of what their options are, when a part will be ready, how long a ship can run in the condition it is in etc., etc. Hopefully they will soon enlighten their customer base as to what is actually going on. Pax who are booked within the next few weeks are sitting tight without the ability to do too much about the problem, but people who are looking to book after the first of the year may take the Oosterdam off of their list of considered ships. This can and will effect HAL's bookings of the Oosterdam.

Barbara

[Copper10-8]

Brian,

I did not mean that they would literally post to the boards, I meant that they should let the affected pax know what is going on. It is also hard for me to believe that a company as large as HAL and it affiliates do not have solid plans from their engineering dept. as to what to do and how to resolve the problem. Just like any other corporation HAL must have knowledge of what their options are, when a part will be ready, how long a ship can run in the condition it is in etc., etc. Hopefully they will soon enlighten their customer base as to what is actually going on. Pax who are booked within the next few weeks are sitting tight without the ability to do too much about the problem, but people who are looking to book after the first of the year may take the Oosterdam off of their list of considered ships. This can and will effect HAL's bookings of the Oosterdam.

Barbara

 

The options haven't changed since the pod went down:

1. Continue to attempt to repair the pod onboard while underway

2. Reserve a future date with a drydock to repair/remove/replace the pod there

Once again, when it is decided that option #2 is the only one left, a decision will be made as to place, date and time. I would imagine HAL will put out a press release when that is decided and everyone here will be happy unless you happen to be on the cruise that will be cancelled. I doubt if anyone here (unless you're in the business) knows how many active drydocks there are on the west coast of the US and Canada (or maybe even Mexico) that can accomodate a ship the size of Oosterdam. I am no naval engineer but maybe that has just a little bit to do with scheduling a date and time: availability.

Oosterdam spent time in such a drydock in Victoria, BC just prior coming to San Diego (see pic). The ironic thing is that both azipods were serviced there only to have the port-side one go belly up on the first Mexico cruise of the season. Mechanical stuff breaks and/or goes down at times, who are you gonna blame? This pod problem on Oosterdam apparently is unprecedented and therefore not the same as the issues on X as Brian stated.

In the mean time, Oosterdam has proven that she can reach all three of her Mexican ports with the only change with her original itinerary being an adjustment in the times spent in two of the three ports.

It is very interesting to watch the continued speculation, private investigations, angry responses and wishful thinking on this thread. Problem is that's all it is, speculation:rolleyes:. Please don't take it as the gospel and work your way into a frenzy! If you are that concerned that your particular future Mexico and/or repo back up north cruise on Oosterdam will be affected, and I seriously doubt that any in the remainder of 2006 will be in that category, maybe you ought to consider cancelling your reservation and going elsewhere be it another HAL ship and/or another line.

[jeffs55]

Posted by Carolcp:

"The National Review cruise is a group of about 400 conservatives. This is a partial list of speakers scheduled to speak, Richard Allen, Robert Bork, William Buckley, Ward Connerly, Dinesh D'Souza, Milton Friedman, Ed Gillespie, Jonah Goldberg, Victor Davis Hanson, Arthur Laffer, Bernard Lewis, Kathryn Jean Lopez, Rich Lowry, Jay Nordlinger, Kate O'Beirne, John O'Sullivan, Mac Owens, Ramesh Ponnuru, William Rusher, Congressman John Shadegg, Ken Starr, Pat Toomey, and David Pryce-Jones.

 

Carol"

 

No wonder the "LEFT" (port) pod didn't want to contribute!

(just kidding)

Jeff

[Grumpy1]

Posted by Carolcp:

"The National Review cruise is a group of about 400 conservatives. This is a partial list of speakers scheduled to speak, Richard Allen, Robert Bork, William Buckley, Ward Connerly, Dinesh D'Souza, Milton Friedman, Ed Gillespie, Jonah Goldberg, Victor Davis Hanson, Arthur Laffer, Bernard Lewis, Kathryn Jean Lopez, Rich Lowry, Jay Nordlinger, Kate O'Beirne, John O'Sullivan, Mac Owens, Ramesh Ponnuru, William Rusher, Congressman John Shadegg, Ken Starr, Pat Toomey, and David Pryce-Jones.

 

Carol"

 

No wonder the "LEFT" (port) pod didn't want to contribute!

(just kidding)

Jeff

:D ROTFL!!!:D :D That's the most logical post I've seen on this thread!

[CruisinNana]

Seems the O left exactly on time today.:)

[Tinknock50]

Seems the O left exactly on time today.:)

 

 

That's a good sign.:)

[mapman_2004]

Here it is pulling out. If you hold up a piece of wax paper to your screen, it creates a super-duper X-ray view of the pods. Look!

[heavenly]

It was confirmed to me by at least four HAL reps in different positions within the company, two of them in person last week in my office.

[Tinknock50]

Here it is pulling out. If you hold up a piece of wax paper to your screen, it creates a super-duper X-ray view of the pods. Look!

 

LOL:D

 

Just think 3 weeks from today I will be on that ship!

[bigred12]

Heavenly what was confirmed to you by 4 HAL reps?