cruise ships

[Doc Vernon]

Diamond Princess, Sun Princess and Australia’s newest (almost brand new) super liner Pacific Jewel all sailed through Sydney’s heads today (Thursday) in the early hours, heralding the start of our serious cruise season.

About 118 cruise ships are expected in Sydney’s harbour during our 4 month cruise season and as you know , this includes many liners that pull in on their world trips.

Carnival Australia have more ships than any other line based here, although Royal Caribbean have Rhapsody of the Seas here for the season.

Boarding time is around 3.30 pm, this seemed to have changed from the usual 1pm this is not too good as this now will exclude the extra meal,normally one could fit in!

Modern Liners Mmmmm!!
Give me the old Rock and Roll ones!
Cheers

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-...1210-kkfx.html

http://au.news.yahoo.com/news-galler...ive-in-sydney/

[happy daze john in oz]

Hi Vernon, the 'new' Pacific Jewel is actualy 18 years old but had a major refit. Jimmy is correct about the draught of the modern ships, for example 'Rhapsody of the seas' with a gross tonnage of 78,491 and certified capacity of 3,200 passengers and crew, has a maximum draft of 25 feet with an air draft [waterline to top of mast] of 177 feet. Fresh water and fuel max capacity of 1,350,000gallons all of which are well below the water line. Melbourne does not have as amany sailings as Sydney, 43 between mid November and end of March.

[happy daze john in oz]

Have just seen some close up photos of the new Royal Caribbean ship 'Oasis of the Seas' Now the biggest cruise ship, will not call her a liner, on the oceans. She is slao one of the Fugliest ships you could ever imagine. A floating appartment block is a better description, no style or calss to her, just a mass of accomodation and lesiure areas. Very well equiped and no doubt all the bloods will have a great time, but somehow she just does not look right. Some container ships lokk just the same.

[White Star]

This has been a great thread and made excellent reading. Unfortunately I have not had the pleasure of working at sea so I can only comment from the point of view of a ship enthusiast and that is, I hate them, floating hotels and thats it, they have no lines or character like the liners of old and its a shame that they continue to get bigger and more hideous with it. I have a close friend who was lucky enough to work at sea, his last ship was the QE2 and he has often told me that the new class of cruise ship is a disaster waiting to happen, quoting alot of the points I have read in this thread. Time will tell I guess, but give me a classic ship any day of the week.

Regards. Bill

[Terry Wilcox]

My Wife and I have sailed many cruises on the coventional ships e.g. Thomson Spirit, and we would love to sail on them again, BUT the price has gone up so much we now have to book on one of the newer ships. We sailed this year on the M.S.C. Poisa sailing a Trans Atlantic crossing ( Great time had by all ) . Now we have just booked a 10 night cruise to the Canaries with $300.00. on board spending money on the Inderpendant of the Seas in May next year for 800.00.pounds.( this includes free parking in Southampton ). So we have to go where we can get a good deal even though we would love to sail on a coventional ship. I received a brochure from Sno Bow, but the price is out of our range. Take care....... Terry.

[Doc Vernon]

My Sentiments exactly Bill (White Star)
The good oldies were the best in Lines and the feeling of the great Oceans benrath you!
Cheers


PS But we all have our own fancies! haha!

[DaveHeff]

Hi Jimmy, I agree with everything you say, pacticularly the safety side of things. At least we had some training at sea school,(albeit a bit rudimentary, even in the catering dept), about safety, but does anyone get that now? & do they have boat drills still?. One of my abiding memories is a drill in NY harbour on the Mary. going down the side from the boat deck, in what seemed like a bit of unstable wood, riding round the harbour and then having to stay in it while it was taken back up. That was in calm water, God knows what it would be like in rough seas, particularly as you refer to the larger "lifeboats" of today ) but at least we would have an idea of what to do and be able to assist passengers in an emergency, surely all the shop assistants could only be regarded as passengers during this time.
Living near Málaga Spain (sorry but someone has to), which is on the itinery for most of them, I see lpenty. To me they all look top heavy,some even more than others, or is it me?. I would certainly not like to cross the atlantic in one of them. Not only that, and most important of all, there appears to be nowhere for the crew to do any bronzing, even the foc´sle of these new ones seem to have the deck for the benefit of the paying passengers, discraceful!

[Graham Payne]

Just come back from a cruise on P&Os Azura 120,000tons approx, when you got into heavy weather the bloody ship seemed to "Twang" ( think Rolf Harris with his sheet of tin ). Weird, been on loads of the old liners but never felt anything like that, high tensilie steel I was told, but it did "TWANG"

[happy daze john in oz]

Well Davehoff most of the cruise ships do have a deck for the crew, normally well forward, they also still have a pig, their own galley and single and two berth cabins as husbands and wives often work on the same ship now.

[DaveHeff]

Glad to hear somethings haven´t changed for the worse, sundeck & pig!, but husbands & wives on the same ship!, sounds far too civilized and a step too far??i