Tag Archives: royal caribbean international

Serenade of the Seas Departs After Being Delayed From Water Pipe Bursting

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A broken water pipe shorting out an electric switchboard is being blamed for a partial power loss on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas.

Max Power, a passenger who is currently doing back to back to back cruises on the Serenade of the Seas, first reported of the incident on the Facebook group “Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society”.  Heavy rain was first blamed for the switch board being shorted out but it is now being blamed on a broken water pipe above the theater according to Max.

The front of the ship was without power early on Saturday morning.  Due to the damage from the broken water pipe, 400 passengers who were scheduled to board the ship in New Orleans today will not be able to board.

At least 175 passenger cabins are currently out of service.  Passengers who had their cruise canceled will receive a full refund and a 100% credit towards a future cruise.

Royal Caribbean sent out the following text message to passengers who were to board the Serenade of the Seas today:

Urgent Notification: Serenade of the Seas Check-In Update

Hello, this is Royal Caribbean International.  We would like to provide you and update regarding your sailing today onboard Serenade of the Seas out of New Orleans. The U.S. Coast Guard is currently onboard inspecting the ship.  We are waiting for authorization from the Coast Guard to begin boarding.  Because the cruise terminal in New Orleans is very limited in space, we ask that guest explore the local area until we can being boarding. We will contact you again once we have received permission to being the boarding process.  We appreciate your patience and understanding, ad we look forward to welcoming you aboard.

An hour later, another text message was sent by Royal Caribbean letting passengers know that the U.S. Coast Guard had given them permission to begin the boarding process.

The Serenade of the Seas will now spend the night in New Orleans while crew members repair the damage.  The ship was scheduled to leave this afternoon on a 7 night cruise to the Bahamas and Key West, Florida.

Update: The Serenade of the Seas left New Orleans early Sunday afternoon and will sail a shortened six night cruise to the Bahamas.  Passengers who had their cruise canceled will receive a full refund and a future cruise certificate equal to their cruise fare.

RCCL to launch new web-based res. system

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Royal Caribbean to Retrofit 19 Ships with Scrubbers

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Royal Caribbean to Retrofit 19 Ships with Scrubbers

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Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will retrofit 19 of its ships with advanced emissions purification (AEP) systems. These systems, also known as scrubbers, will remove more than 97% of the sulfur dioxide emissions generated by the ships’ diesel engines.

The company says the move will position RCL ahead of all forthcoming International Maritime Organization Emission Control Area emissions standards, and will ensure compliance with existing European Union standards. Additionally, the decision to install AEP systems instead of switching to a fuel with a lower sulfur content will ensure that RCL’s ships can be compliant everywhere they sail, as availability of lower-sulfur fuels is limited.

“AEP technology for maritime vessels is very new, and we expect that by utilizing multiple technological solutions to accommodate the differences among our ships, additional development will ultimately help industrialize AEP technology even more, which will benefit not only RCL but also the larger maritime industry,” said Adam Goldstein, President and COO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

The company faced significant challenges in order to accommodate the AEP systems on its existing ships – some pieces of which can be as large as a school bus, an entire system having an operational weight of several hundred tons of equipment and liquids.

“A retrofit project of this size and complexity – and the scale and intricacy of the research, planning, and design required – is unprecedented for our company, and has required a very systematic process and involved the world’s leading expertise in this field,” said Harri Kulovaara, Executive Vice President, Maritime, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

RCL contracted two different AEP technology suppliers, Swedish company Alfa Laval and Finnish company Wartsila. Additional companies are being hired to execute the installations.

Beginning in January 2015, installation will take place on 13 Royal Caribbean International ships and six Celebrity Cruises ships, during scheduled dry-dockings and while ships are in service. While preliminary work has begun on several of the ships receiving AEP systems, most will take place between 2015 and 2017. Each installation will take approximately eight months.