Originally Posted by rrgg

It sounds like you're worried about 2 things: structural failure in one of the open spaces, and also ignition of synthetics during one of these failures. In a storm, everyone will be in their cabin holding onto something. Are you saying that if a fire broke out, the toxic fumes would quickly spread throughout the ship and cabins? And that crews are poorly trained in extinguishing a fire?

Originally Posted by TMOliver

Those poles are called "stanchions", lad, and they're there to keep the ship's superstructure, vastly too high and underbuilt by North Atlantic standards, from collapsing in upon itself. All those enormous "clear span" compartments in the newer ships come with a price, substantially more risk of injuries in any sort of sea state or high winds (or mechanical glitches such as the recent very modest "heel" off South Florida). The large open spaces can only be attained by constructing with materials which are lighter (and have less strength), more synthetics (read "plastic") and less and thinner steel. As long as we're talking temperate climes and "fair and following seas", there may never be a glitch, but ships' logs are full of graphic renditions of voyages which began with no expectations of bad weather (or failure of one or more of the complex electronic and mechanical systems upon which modern vessels depend).

Having been at sea during a couple of hurricanes, I would not look forward to the seas freely interacting with FREEDOM OF THE SEAS in such a storm. Nor, after seeing the performance - so poor as to be literally frightening - of a crew of a modern cruise ship in that "minor" laundry fire off Florida several years ago, would I care to be aboard any one of a number of such ships, literally stuffed with flammable synthetic fabrics and materials, almost all of which give off what in enclosed spaces are "deadly" fumes when heated, when the inevitable major modern fire occurs. Every time one of them goes to sea with a full pax load and a crew under-trained and under-equipped to fight a shipboard fire - part of the lower cost of foreign flagging and less than stringent requirements by the USCG - some of us who have been around for shipboard fires see a larger repeat of MORRO CASTLE on the horizon.

On the other hand, from my days in an aircraft carrier, vessels comparable in size to today's enormous cruise ships, in the class with "jumbo" oil tankers, modern container ships, a few ROROs, and newer bulk carriers (none of which haul about 4000+ fragile-boned lands(wo)men, most of whom would be unable to "lend a hand" in a hazardous situation), I'll admit to one unassailable advantage to "them big boats". When the sea kicks up and the winds blow, the giants are less likely to pitch and roll with the frenzy and discomfort of smaller vessels.

Originally Posted by skofarrell

That the problem in a nutshell. I want the RCCL ship/demographics, without the nickel and diming.

I'm sure that people would gladly pay a disneyesqe daily surcharge to not be nickel and dimed. Think $50 per day more and unlimited use of everything. But again these charges are more in place to discourage people from using the alternative dining options (thus keeping the lines down), they are not about generating significant revenue. The bars take care of that quite nicely.

Originally Posted by MIKESILV

Just look at the ( useless IMHO) lifeboat drill they are conducted only sections of the vessel at time the amount of pax/crew do allow a full drill.

Originally Posted by rrgg

What do you mean by this? (Is it 3 sentences?) I was on Navigator and the drill was for the entire ship, not sections at a time.

Originally Posted by rrgg

I'd rather be nickel and dimed. If everything is included, there'd never be availability at other restaurants. Besides, it's a cashless system.

Originally Posted by tonypct

Feel free to ask question here or PM me.

Originally Posted by coplatsat

I do not think that flagging the vessels out of the US allows them to lessen their safety standards. I believe since they come to the US and are in the US waters, they are subject to the same requirements as US Flagged vessels. Just like the airlines.

I know from recent news that health departments also inspect.

Originally Posted by MIKESILV

I too have posted on these boards that these Mega-ships are a disaster waiting to happen and you could'nt pay me enough money to sail on them.

Getting 5000+ pax off in a real emergency is going to be like the WTC lying on its side.
Just look at the ( useless IMHO) lifeboat drill, they are conducted only by sections of the vessel at time and often the large amount of pax/crew do not allow a full drill.

One major factor which the public is unaware is that with the enclosed decks as is common with most modern cruise-liners in the event of a major fire all the passengers will be crowded in internal enclosed passageways leading to the lifeboat stations as opposed to "less modern vessels" with open decks.
Most wont be even get to an opening to jump over the side if they though that would increase their survival chances.

I sincerely hope my fears dont come to fruition but I see nothing preventing that with modern cruise-liner construction.

mike

Originally Posted by Cholula

tonypct...one more question. How long was the check-in process at the pier?? My previous cruises have all been on ships less than half this size.
I assume they are geared up for the mega amount of pax they are carrying?

Originally Posted by tonypct

Regarding some of the responses I got from one of my earlier posts; while I am not an engineer and admit to not fully understanding structural dynamics, I still don't understand why there had to be poles in the theater and ice rink. When Yankee Stadium was rebuilt many years ago, one of the highlights was eliminating all the poles that blocked numerous seats. I'm sure it could have been done on Freedom, but I can only imagine what the cost would have been.

Originally Posted by tonypct

The check in process at the Port of Miami was not bad at all. The official boarding time is 2:00 PM, but we got to the Port at 12:30 and sailed through. There were people already on the ship when we got there, so I would strongly suggest getting there early. I would say as early as 11:00 AM.

Originally Posted by tonypct

On another note, the tendering process is very quick and painless. We only docked at one point on this cruise, in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Every other port required a tender, and as I say, it went fine.

Originally Posted by tonypct

BTW, the show we saw tonight, Once Upon A Time, is NOT to be missed. I've only been on two cruises, but this was clearly the best show I've ever sen on a cruise. Very close to Broadway caliber in talent as well as production. It's a series of fairy tales set to contemporary music. Very funny and entertaining in terms of the music, singing and dancing.

Originally Posted by IceTrojan

Yankee Stadium wasn't designed to float, sail, turn, twist, and roll in water.

Much like how Freedom of the Seas wasn't designed to house MLB's highest-paid non-champions