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realspeed
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13-11-2016, 10:03 PM
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Serenade of the Seas ( ship)




Sue and I were on this doing the baltic trip this year.

You should have seen the size of the oars they gave us.
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13-11-2016, 11:10 PM
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Re: Serenade of the Seas ( ship)

Looks like a very nice ship Realspeed, what company does she belong to? We've only been on the larger ship's (Ventura and Britannia) apart from sailing to New York in 2010 on the Queen Mary 2. I must say being a proper ship and smaller I enjoyed the Mary most of all.
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14-11-2016, 03:20 AM
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Re: Serenade of the Seas ( ship)

I love ships, but I doubt very much whether I would ever have the courage to take a trip on one of these new 'high rise flats' type vessels. Have you looked at the various rough sea videos on YouTube ? I think that ships built in the last 15-20 years are too top heavy, and IMO it wouldn't take too much to roll one over. There are one or two exceptions, like some of the Norwegian Fjord cruisers, which do not appear to have too many decks above the waterline.

I have seen videos of the insides of some of these 'high rise flats' and it is just like being in a busy town centre surrounded by row upon row of shops, cabins, bars, cafés, restaurants etc. as far as one can see up to the sky ! Just imagine if that vessel was caused to roll, and it was a sort of will she, won't she come upright again - just think how much empty space there is in the centre of those ships that would fill in no time with terrifying unstoppable ice-cold sea water !!!! No, sorry, give me the old Queen Mary or Queen Elizabeth ship designs. These 'high rise flats' are designed for taking as much money as possible, and certainly not with the safety and comfort of it's passengers.

This is, of course, just how I see these things and perhaps I have an over lurid imagination, but maybe it could stop me from getting involved with a tragedy at sea !
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14-11-2016, 06:14 PM
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Re: Serenade of the Seas ( ship)

Originally Posted by GillyT ->
I love ships, but I doubt very much whether I would ever have the courage to take a trip on one of these new 'high rise flats' type vessels. Have you looked at the various rough sea videos on YouTube ? I think that ships built in the last 15-20 years are too top heavy, and IMO it wouldn't take too much to roll one over. There are one or two exceptions, like some of the Norwegian Fjord cruisers, which do not appear to have too many decks above the waterline.

I have seen videos of the insides of some of these 'high rise flats' and it is just like being in a busy town centre surrounded by row upon row of shops, cabins, bars, cafés, restaurants etc. as far as one can see up to the sky ! Just imagine if that vessel was caused to roll, and it was a sort of will she, won't she come upright again - just think how much empty space there is in the centre of those ships that would fill in no time with terrifying unstoppable ice-cold sea water !!!! No, sorry, give me the old Queen Mary or Queen Elizabeth ship designs. These 'high rise flats' are designed for taking as much money as possible, and certainly not with the safety and comfort of it's passengers.

This is, of course, just how I see these things and perhaps I have an over lurid imagination, but maybe it could stop me from getting involved with a tragedy at sea !
Your so right Gilly they are far to top heavy i would never go on one myself and i was in the RN for years. Wonder what the stabilisers are like?
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14-11-2016, 06:16 PM
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Re: Serenade of the Seas ( ship)

I would very much like to take a cruise on the new Titanic which i think is being launched in 2020 an exact copy i think of the original. Lets hope everything isn't .
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15-11-2016, 12:40 PM
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Re: Serenade of the Seas ( ship)

I understand the illusion created by these ships appearance, I too was worried when I first learned about them. Being no stranger to yachts and sailing I automatically assumed that all these ships had as much keel and material underwater as above. But I was of course wrong. These ships are "flat bottomed" ships.

That fact immediately makes us think they should be toppling over at the slightest breeze, but in fact the weight of the keel and the lower parts is enormous and that's what keeps her upright. Couple that with all the systems down below such as massive ballast tanks which can be pumped full of water on either side to ensure the ship is balanced, and you realise that the ships are feats of great engineering.

I've done a lot of cruises, some 25+ and I have been below on MV Arcadia in the P&O fleet. There's a lot going on down there !

When you've done a fair amount of cruises you will inevitably run into very bad weather at some point. I've been in a force 12 with huge swells for over a day. It is very unpleasant and having no sea legs at the time I was in bed the whole day and much of the next. Lots of things were crashing to the floor, crockery, bottles, glasses etc but the ship sailed through the adverse conditions. At one stage the force of the waves was so strong that some cabin windows on the lower deck were shattered and the cabins flooded. The ship had to stop, turn away from the waves whilst steel shutters were fixed in the windows and then we resumed course.

Bad weather is always a risk at sea and something you learn to accept. However, the ships just don't topple over. They are balanced via many mechanisms and designs.

Cruising is a wonderful way to travel, simply majestic and rewarding. I would never fly again, never stand in airports for hours, never be herded into tiny plane seats for hours in an aircraft that could technically fail and plummet 30,000ft with no parachute system. Cruising is the very best way to travel imo.
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15-11-2016, 05:20 PM
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Re: Serenade of the Seas ( ship)

I know, don't knock it 'til you've tried it
but cruises appeal to me not at all.
Floating prisons with cabins like wardrobes and 'entertainment' not of my choosing. Pass.

Saltwater is for fishing !

By the time the thing gets from A to B to watch half a day's pseudo touristy stuff,
I could spend a week actually meeting the 'natives' and seeing the real place.
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15-11-2016, 06:38 PM
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Re: Serenade of the Seas ( ship)

Who wants to spend two or three weeks couped up in a skyscraper 'city' and milling about in crowds of people. I'm afraid I would find the whole exercise far too traumatic for me !

I love the peace of open countryside, of wonderful sandy beaches, the amazing vista of huge snow-capped mountain ranges that you find in Scotland, even the wonderful Snowdonia in Wales. I do not find any pleasure in being cramped up with loads of other people. I am not a crowd person at all.
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15-11-2016, 07:08 PM
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Re: Serenade of the Seas ( ship)

I'm with you, Gilly !
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16-11-2016, 09:38 PM
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Re: Serenade of the Seas ( ship)

@ Pummy and Gilly

I understand totally your reservations but I assure you they are misplaced.

Yes, if you book yourself on a huge skyscraper ship like the new ones which hold 5000 passengers (pax) and as many crew, you will feel like it's a floating city.

There are however plenty of small and mid-sized ships which are far superior imo. The ships I sail on typically have just 1500 pax and yet the ships are big enough that there is no crowding at all. They are a delight to be on. There are decadent lounges and bars for a relaxing pre or post-dinner drink which are a delight to be in, cultured, friendly, full of atmosphere.

Visiting places by ship provides a completely different view of places. Flying into Venice for example would see you missing out on the totally unique and rather magical experience of sailing in early morning as the mist rises and the towers and cathedrals emerge in all their splendour.

It is true that if you fly, you can stay in a place for a week or longer and see more of the country and sample more of the foods and customs it has to offer. On the flip side, on a cruise you can have a smaller sample of a great many more places, waking up in a different port and often a different country each day. It provides great diversity and experience.
In addition, I personally hate staying for an entire week or more in some whitewashed self catering shack surrounded by yobbish tourists getting drunk every night. On a cruise, no matter where we visit, we return back to our 4-5 star air conditioned personal hotel every night and find our bedrooms cleaned and prepared. By day we can sample all the foods a country has to offer. By evening we return to our variety of ship restaurants and enjoy great meals and the company of like minded people.

Originally Posted by Gilly
I love the peace of open countryside, of wonderful sandy beaches, the amazing vista of huge snow-capped mountain ranges that you find in Scotland, even the wonderful Snowdonia in Wales. I do not find any pleasure in being cramped up with loads of other people.
I totally appreciate that Gilly. Likewise I love the majesty, peace and variety of the vast open seas filled with dolphins, porpoises and whales, flying fish, turtles and other creatures.
I love the amazing vistas of the sail-ins to many countries such as the imposing and beautiful mountainous fjords of Norway, the oldie worldy vistas on the entry to Malta, the many sights along the river Tagus on entry to Lisbon, Portugal and the sailing under the 25th April suspension bridge. The unmissable sail in to Venice, the breath-taking vista of Madeira during the New Year Celebration fireworks, the sail-in to the beautiful places in the Adriatic like Dubrovnik, Koper and Kotor.

Cruising provides views of places that you will never see in any other way. Fly in and walk around and you will never see the lovely coastal scenes that you see from the sea.

As Pummy says, don't knock it until you've tried it. But if/when you do, be sure to research and seek advice to be sure of picking the right ship and cruise for your preferences.
 
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