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Post by WettCoast on Oct 30, 2012 22:10:19 GMT -8
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jan 30, 2013 18:15:26 GMT -8
Anyone have any cruises planned for 2013??? Me and my girlfriend just booked a cruise for May. We really need a vacation but again really who dosent need a vacation, lol!
It was cheap! Inside Stateroom on the lowest decks which is fine as we arent in our room much anways. It's a 7 day Pacific Coastal BC cruise.
It is with Norwegian Cruise Lines It is on the Norwegian Jewel
We leave from Los Angeles and we stop in San Fransisco, then we have two days at sea, Astoria Oregon, VICTORIA, yes Victoria where I live, lol and then Nanaimo where Mr Horn and Arkell live, lol! Then we disembark in Vancouver. I must say the Victoria stop is gonna be funny being we live here and are coming in on a cruise then leaving. But it's a cruise and it will be awesome and it was cheap. Dosent matter where we go cruising is awesome. So if Mr Horn is down photographing the NCL Jewel on her fist visit to Nanaimo we will be on her or wondering around the waterfront, lol!
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Post by Low Light Mike on Jan 30, 2013 18:25:28 GMT -8
So if Mr Horn is down photographing the NCL Jewel on her fist visit to Nanaimo we will be on her or wondering around the waterfront, lol! That would be Tuesday, May 14, 2013. Arrival at 7:00am. - then the same ship is back in Nanaimo 2 day's later on May 16th, at the start of a new cruise. Those are good mornings for me to be down on the waterfront, before work. =================== PS: I'm thinking of doing a cruise in summer 2013, on the Queen of Chilliwack. I will have an upper shared-cabin (that kinda looks like a solarium).
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 30, 2013 19:21:03 GMT -8
So if Mr Horn is down photographing the NCL Jewel on her fist visit to Nanaimo we will be on her or wondering around the waterfront, lol! That would be Tuesday, May 14, 2013. Arrival at 7:00am. - then the same ship is back in Nanaimo 2 day's later on May 16th, at the start of a new cruise. Those are good mornings for me to be down on the waterfront, before work. =================== PS: I'm thinking of doing a cruise in summer 2013, on the Queen of Chilliwack. I will have an upper shared-cabin (that kinda looks like a solarium). Boy, the ' Chilliwack must have one comfortable floor. Cruise lines often advertise their five star cuisine or entertainment amenities... for Mr Horn, all they would have to do was promise thicker than usual underlay beneath the carpet.
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jan 30, 2013 21:16:16 GMT -8
I think Mr Horn needs to take a cruise on a big cruise ship. lol! It is such a relaxing way to travel and spend a vacation. The beds are really comfortable too. Beats sleeping on the floor on the Queen of Chilliwack, lol! Food is included not like BC Ferries. We are paying less for a 7 day cruise than it would cost to take the Nor Ex and Nor Ad for each person on a little three day jaunt up the inside passage and charlottes. After a cruise BC Ferries northern routes are a ripoff! I would do the Chilliwack but it is the same price to go to Bella Coola as it is to Prince Rupert which is joke!
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Neil
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Post by Neil on Jan 30, 2013 21:48:31 GMT -8
I think Mr Horn needs to take a cruise on a big cruise ship. lol! It is such a relaxing way to travel and spend a vacation. The beds are really comfortable too. Beats sleeping on the floor on the Queen of Chilliwack, lol! Food is included not like BC Ferries. We are paying less for a 7 day cruise than it would cost to take the Nor Ex and Nor Ad for each person on a little three day jaunt up the inside passage and charlottes. After a cruise BC Ferries northern routes are a ripoff! I would do the Chilliwack but it is the same price to go to Bella Coola as it is to Prince Rupert which is joke! Karl, it's pretty pointless to compare ferries to cruises, since the market is utterly different, but on a pure dollar for dollar basis, you're right. Some time ago, I worked out the price of a ferry trip from Bellingham out to the Aleutians and compared it to an Alaskan cruise, and the cruise trip won, hands down. There are very good reasons for that, and I suppose it also depends on the travel experience you want. Personally... I'd go with the Kennicott and the Tustumena, if I could ignore the cost . But then, I'm okay with an outhouse and pumping my water at Hornby Island. Others require more comforts.
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Post by Dane on Jan 31, 2013 4:53:06 GMT -8
I did a 12 day on the Encahment of the Seas, RCI, in January. That was a good time. The wallet has taken a few substantial hits through 2012 but I am cautiously optimistic I will do an Alaska cruise this summer at some point. To an extent as a form of transportation as the girlfriend's family is in Yukon and a cruise is probably only double a flight. If we wait for a deal obviously.
In 2014 I am really hoping to take a Transatlantic one. We will see how that plays out.
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
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Post by Koastal Karl on May 17, 2013 22:10:52 GMT -8
I just did a 7 day Pacific Coastal Cruise from LA to Vancouver on the Norwegian Jewel. As always it was awesome. Loved the ship. The service was pretty good only had a few issues with that and the food in the Buffet but other than that it was great. Cruising is one of the best types of vacations. I love it but it is always so hard to leave. Cant wait to cruise again.
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Post by WettCoast on Jul 15, 2013 7:56:33 GMT -8
So my Alaska cruise has come & gone. In this thread I will present a few photos from the cruise, & some comments & observations. My cruise was for seven days aboard the HAL liner Volendam 3, July 3-10. On day 1, I woke up early and went down to Ambleside Park, West Vancouver, to watch my boat, and the Princess boat Coral Princess, enter Vancouver Harbour, at the end of the cruise preceding ours. Here are a few photos from that bit of 'ship watchin'. Cruise ships lined up in the early morning light for entry to Vancouver harbour - Princess Cruises' Coral Princess follwed by HAL's Volendam - 3 July 2013 photo © WCK-JST by Wett Coast, on FlickrCoral Princess about to enter Vancouver Harbour under the Lions Gate Bridge - 3 July 2013 photo © WCK-JST by Wett Coast, on FlickrCoral Princess in Vancouver Harbour en route to berth @ Canada Place - 3 July 2013 photo © WCK-JST by Wett Coast, on FlickrVolendam going under the Lions Gate Bridge at entrance to Vancouver Harbour - 3 July 2013 photo © WCK-JST by Wett Coast, on FlickrVancouver Harbour & Lions Gate Bridge with Holland America's Volendam in bound from Alaska cruise - 3 July 2013 photo © WCK-JST by Wett Coast, on Flickr Holland America's Volendam in Vancouver Harbour en route to berth @ Canada Place - 3 July 2013 photo © WCK-JST by Wett Coast, on Flickr
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Post by WettCoast on Jul 17, 2013 12:08:36 GMT -8
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jan 25, 2014 12:34:53 GMT -8
This is still like 8 months away but we just booked a 16 night Hawaii cruise from Vancouver ending in LA in September. It is with Carnival on the Carnival Miracle which looks like a nice ship. It's not like the older ships it is the same class as the Spirit. We dont except exceptional service like Celebrity and we have mostly sailed with Norwegian so it will be interesting to see what Carnival is like. I know they call them the Fun Ships so we will see. A few ships in that class in including the Miracle have had a few incidents but you cant really judge a ship till you travel on it. And those things dont really bother me. It was a good deal too so we couldent pass it up even if it is Carnival. It will be fun! Now we just have to wait 8 months which seens like a long time. I will be looking forward to seeing the Miracle arrive in Victoria this May for the Alaska season as she is the regular Monday night ship here in Victoria.
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grk
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Post by grk on Jan 27, 2014 12:17:00 GMT -8
Looks like a nice itinerary, and the ship is pretty good. I have sailed on Spirit and Pride, although several years ago. Surprisingly Carnival has good service and food. It is possible to stay away from the organized activities and remain in peace and quiet. I normally sail Princess or Holland America but did find Carnival good value for my buck! I find them superior to Norwegian, and there is not the constant pressure to eat at the extra tariff venues. An interesting fact about your ship. Never in the history of liners or cruise ships have so many different vessels been built on the same "platform". Within the shipping industry these ships are referred to as VISTA CLASS and all have the same hull, propulsion machinery, and hotel operations such as toilets, air conditioning etc. They are reported to have excellent sea keeping abilities, very easy on the fuel, long lean and fast, and have excellent handling characteristics. Holland America chose to shorten their first 4 hulls by a few ribs so they are marginally shorter. Each cruise line within Carnival Corporation finished the interiors to their own specs, so the internal arrangements of public rooms, cabins, and exterior deck spaces all vary. The last 7 of the series have an additional deck amidships on the top deck for a new dining venue. All in all there are 17 in the series: Carnival-4, Costa-4, Holland-6, Cunard-2, P & O-1. Interestingly Princess, another Carnival Corp brand, refused any of these vessels as they will not have any pod equipped ships in their fleet.
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
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Post by Koastal Karl on Jan 27, 2014 14:39:49 GMT -8
I have sailed on Norwegian three times and I love Norwegian! Some prefer Carnival over Norwegian! I will go where the price is right!
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on Mar 30, 2014 21:41:40 GMT -8
Does anyone know roughly how long it would take for a cruise ship to sail from Canada Place till she passes Tsawwassen heading out to the Pacific??? Our cruise in September leaves Canada Place at 5pm so I am wondering what time we should pass Tsawwassen, go through Boundary Pass, ect???
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grk
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Post by grk on Mar 31, 2014 12:51:45 GMT -8
A typical transit for a cruise ship (17-20 knots) would be: 1 hour off the north arm of the Fraser, 2nd hour near East Point on Saturna, 3rd hour off Lime Kilns/Kellett Bluff on San Juan, 4th hour off Brotchie Ledge to drop the pilot, 5th hour just past Sooke.
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
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Post by Koastal Karl on Apr 21, 2014 22:02:22 GMT -8
The Carnival Miracle is having technical issues is what they said which is causing her to sail at a slower speed. I looked it up and they had another simular problem with another ship in that class. It was the Azipod which was the issue on that other boat so I have a feeling it is the same thing with the Miracle. As a result they have to sail at a slower speed which is cancelling the Ketchikan port for all the Alaska cruises this summer but staying longer in Victoria and is cancelling our extra day in Maui on are Hawaii cruise in September. We still get to go there we just wont be staying overnight. I thought this was funny because it's Carnival and they seems to have a bad reputation for problems and I was thinking oh yeah what is gonna happen next. We are sailing on this ship in September on a 16 night Hawaii cruise. I am not too dissapointed about the less time in Maui cause we still get to go there but I know some people are and are annoyed with the cancellation of Ketchikan. They wont be fixing this till she goes in for refit in early 2015. I know this because we got sent a notice about the itinerary change. The Miracle looks like a nice ship and I am still looking forward to sailing on her in September.
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grk
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Post by grk on Apr 29, 2014 10:50:06 GMT -8
Pods have caused major issues with various cruise ships. When they fail, the ship must be drydocked to either repair or change out the unit with the failure. The Celebrity vessels have had the worst luck, but Queen Mary 2 and the new Royal Caribbean ships have also suffered. The pods on the Carnival Corp vessels are from a different maker, but they too have failed but not as often. Holland's Oosterdam ( an identical vessel to Miracle) has had 2 failures; one changed out in Victoria the other in Australia. This issue is the same, the damaged pod can only operate at about 40-50% of designed power. I and others in the industry are amazed that with the Victoria Graving dock available almost all summer, that they have not cancelled an Alaskan cruise and put her in there for repair; perhaps bringing forward some of the dry dock work scheduled for the winter refit. I guess revenue on an Alaskan cruise is significantly greater than that on a 7 day Mexican jaunt!!
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Post by WettCoast on Apr 29, 2014 13:32:59 GMT -8
Pods have caused major issues with various cruise ships. When they fail, the ship must be drydocked to either repair or change out the unit with the failure. The Celebrity vessels have had the worst luck, but Queen Mary 2 and the new Royal Caribbean ships have also suffered. The pods on the Carnival Corp vessels are from a different maker, but they too have failed but not as often. Holland's Oosterdam ( an identical vessel to Miracle) has had 2 failures; one changed out in Victoria the other in Australia. This issue is the same, the damaged pod can only operate at about 40-50% of designed power. I and others in the industry are amazed that with the Victoria Graving dock available almost all summer, that they have not cancelled an Alaskan cruise and put her in there for repair; perhaps bringing forward some of the dry dock work scheduled for the winter refit. I guess revenue on an Alaskan cruise is significantly greater than that on a 7 day Mexican jaunt!! If indeed these pods are viewed as troublesome, why are cruise lines ordering ships with them? What are the pros/cons of pods versus conventional propulsion? I can understand why a small vessel such as the Mayne Queen with multiple port stops daily is better of with a pod type drive system, but the Queen Mary II?
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grk
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Post by grk on Apr 30, 2014 0:58:44 GMT -8
Queen Mary 2 (not II) has 4 pods, the Oasis class have either 3 or 4, but most others have 2. The main advantages are less space for propeller shafts and steering rooms for rudders, the potential for less vibration owing to the lack of long shafts and rudders, and as the pods rotate for steering the ship no stern side thrusters are required. This last one saves huge amounts of money in construction costs. The main disadvantage is that as the actual electric motor turning the propeller is housed within the pod deep below the water, and there is not access for servicing and conducting minor repairs. Dry docking is required to access the pod for repairs. For the last 10-20 years pods have been the norm for new cruise ships, but once again we see conventional shafting once again in new builds. Interestingly Princess is the only major cruise line that has avoided pods for all their new ships. One of their technical officials has stated that they are the only cruise line to have never cancelled a sailing owing to propulsion issues-maybe they got it right; but they have some handling issues.
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Post by WettCoast on Apr 30, 2014 10:15:50 GMT -8
Further on the pros/cons for cruise ships powered by conventional shaft & prop versus pods....
- Are ships with pods less expensive to build as compared to conventional vessels?
- How does fuel economy compare? I assume that the pods are less fuel efficient, but I could be wrong in that assumption.
- The pods are positioned under the stern of the vessel, right? Do they decrease the clearance between the vessel's bottom, and the sea-floor? Have there been any incidents of pods being damaged by running afoul of the sea-floor?
- Are vessels with pods able to avoid the use of tugs to assist in berthing procedures?
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grk
Chief Steward
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Post by grk on May 1, 2014 6:53:09 GMT -8
In my opinion, yes construction cost would likely be less. Less tubing and shaft tunnels, less rudders and their housing and motors, less spent on stern thrusters.
It is reported that they are much more fuel efficient. The pods pull, not push, the vessel through the water. As the blades are in front of the motor, 100% of the blade is able to grab the water, rather than having some blocked by a shaft and it's housing.
The pods do not hang lower than the hull, so there is not affect on clearances. I can only recall 1 incident of pods and bottom contacting, and that was Queen Mary 2 sailing out the cut in Fort Lauderdale. Her port outboard pod contacted the embankment, causing alot of damage but did not prevent the ship from sailing. It is speculated that the Allure has also had the same incident in the same place, but no one is talking!
Pods and their 360 degree application of power has eliminated the need for tugs in almost all circumstances. For those that watch the ships dock in Victoria, the small tug (either Seaspan 4 or Cates 20) is not hired at a tug, but a lines boat to bring the lines to the bollards from the overhanging end of the ship.
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
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Post by Koastal Karl on May 2, 2014 20:49:12 GMT -8
does anyone know the regulations for Ketchikan for cruise ships?? According to someone who posted about the itinerary change Ketchikan has a regulation where the ships have to sail at 21 knots and the Miracle is under that so they are not stopping there. If that is true that is rediculas as you usually have to sail slower into these ports and 21 knots seems kinda fast to co me in to Ketchikan. I dont know if it is true it's just what someone said on the forum part of the Ship Mate app I have.
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grk
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Post by grk on May 3, 2014 8:31:17 GMT -8
I would seriously doubt such a speed restriction. Some cruise ships are not capable of such speeds, almost all the Alaskan State ferries that call there can not make 21 knots, and none of the coastal tug/barge traffic can come close. Carnival Miracle simply can not sail to Victoria from Ketchikan with her current mechanical situation, so the stop was dropped in order for her to make the stop in Victoria and be compliant with current laws regarding a foreign port of call. I am somewhat aware of shipping regulations (part of the job), and have never seen a restriction with a required speed anywhere near that high!
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Post by WettCoast on May 3, 2014 9:11:07 GMT -8
There is in fact a 'dead slow' speed restriction through the Tongass Narows upon which the city of Ketchikan is situated. The speed limit is probably more like 2.1 knots...
That channel is much too narrow & busy to allow speeds higher than 'dead slow'.
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Post by gordon on May 3, 2014 15:37:52 GMT -8
After this season Ballentyne pier is being retired as a cruise trminal.
Thread ?
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