Hi to Todd and all. I have indeed been absent from the board, as I have been actually cruising (on the VTC) instead of just talking about it! Well, I just returned this evening, jet lag and all, so this will be brief and on one topic only.

Do not book a cabin at the rear of the Voyager. They are beautiful, with larger balconies, but they vibrate worse than the Navigator ever did (to my experience) when the ship must cruise above about 15 knots. At 20 knots, one must start padding things like the TV and ceiling moldings with towels and dinner knives to stop the buzzing and rattling. At about 21 knots, the cabin develops a zig-zag motion on a horizontal plane. This is not a roll or a pitch, but a jerking from left to right, etc.This made Carol actually ill with nausea, and its side effects left her so dehydrated that she had to see the doctor several times and actually have a hydrating I.V. in the room administered by a nurse. When considering this, keep in mind that we have cruised the notorious "vibrating Navigator" twice and were actually caught in Hurricane Floyd on another line, and neither of us got sick. So we are not subject to seasickness at all. But this WAS bad!

Being somewhat of an investivative guy, I checked around the aft of the ship when the vibration/jerking was most pronounced in our suite (784 on deck 7 and all other suites on the aft) and found that the motion gradually disappeared as one went foreward toward the laundry room (check the deck plans on RSSC's website). By the time one went far enough foreward to be in the laundry room, the motion was completely gone. I checked the other suite decks, and found the same to be true. And the motion was present at La Veranda above (which is to the aft).

So my advice is don't book one of the suites at the aft of the ship until something is done to repair this problem. And, be very suspect of booking any suite to the aft of the laundry room location on any deck.

This is kind of like the old joke of "Other than that, Mrs Lincoln, how did you like the play?", as other than this the cruise was great, as I'll mention later. But I just wanted to get this warning out as soon as possible.

Thanks,
Richard

Hi Richard,
I'm sorry you had to experience what I experienced aboard the Voyager last year. We were in cabin 667 which is also aft. Apparently not everybody seems to be bothered by this, For me, it was a big problem . Don't know if you read my prior posts but I also posted a "warning" about it. I want to cruise on the Voyager again but I'll never go in an aft cabin.
Looking forward to your comments about the rest of your cruise.

Richard,

So sorry to hear of your awful experience while on the Voyager. Poor Carol. I hope she is doing well.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. When we sailed on Voyager last year we were in 713 and felt none of what you described. The only significant movement we felt was on the last night of our cruise, when we ran into an unexpected, huge storm.

It makes you wonder when this problem will be rectified. There have been several posts to this effect and I'm sure many have voiced their experiences to Radisson, directly.

Welcome back. Looking forward to your review once you get settled in.

Denise:

If you were in cabin 713, you WOULD have felt none of what we felt, as you were too far toward the front for it to be a problem. We would cruise this ship again in a minute, so long as our suite was foreward of the locations of the laundry rooms. Rough seas do not bother us (as in Hurricane Floyd) and neither do ships that "roll" in calm waters (as with the old Crown Line ships), and neither do the kind of vibrations often mentioned on the Navigator. But the Voyager's vibration, coupled with the side to side "jerking" at speed in the aft cabins was just too much for Carol. On our cruise, I know of several other guests in aft suites who complained about this as well.

I truly hope Radisson will give some priority to getting this fixed, as the Voyager is a great ship, and it is a shame to have 20% to 25% of her suites rendered uninhabitable by a mechanical problem.

Thanks
Richard

Mr D! Welcome back! Sorry to hear about the aft cabins......I will remember to book forward on the Voyager. It's a shame that the ship, brand new hit the rocks and now, even after dry dock repairs still has a vibration problem. Looking forward to hearing more about the trip. Welcome home to you and Carol.

I think the problem may be unfixable. My understanding is that because of the Mariotti approach (where everything hangs off the hull) ships like Voyager are big enough where what is a minor problem on Navigator is a serious issue on Voyager. The Mariner has everything hanging off the ship's spine which makes it inherently more stable. That being said, I hope the problem in the end is fixable. The Seven Seas Aft suites on Voyager look incredible!

Lawrence:

By the way, let me add that we were always in calm seas.

The aft suites are nice, except for the fact that they may make you sick! The balconies are bigger and give a better view. The "Horizon Suites" at the far port and starboard in the aft have a "wrap around" balcony" that give a 270 degree view. Ours was not one of these, but we did visit one. The pictures on RSSC's website are misleading as to these, as there is no divider between the living and sleeping areas, and they are much smaller than they look in the pictures, and they are devoid of drawer storage. Ours was just a "base" suite but with a larger balcony, with plenty of drawer storage, but also with plenty of sickening vibration and motion in calm seas.

Scuttlebut has it that the aft suites were vibration free until the ship's stern hit something in the Mediterranian, and two drydocks have failed to fix the resulting problem. But given the "Izopod" remote propulsion system on this ship, it SHOULD be repairable, as the selling point of this system is the absense of vibration. I understand that Celebrity has a ship with a similar propulsion system, and has sued the manufacturer of it due to similar problems with it.

But in any event, I repeat, DO NOT BOOK aft of the laundry room locations until you are ASSURED that this problem has been resolved.

Thanks,
Richard

Richard,

Don't know when we will be on Voyager, but thanks for the info!!!

My final post on this subject for this evening, before I "crash out" and go to bed is this. One of the fine lecturers on board was an engineer who discussed the design of the Voyager. He commented on the fact that it has what he called a "ducktail" on the bottom of the stern --- that being a downward pointing fin built in to the bottom hull shape that extends down into the water right behind the turbulence created by the screws. He felt it was a mistake as (for one reason) this created drag. I mentioned the fact that I thought a "fin" dragging in the turbulent water behind the screws would cause vibration and instability at the stern. He agreed, and said "the damned thing ought to be cut off!"

Thanks,
Richard

We could not eat at La Verandah at our favourite table due to vibrations, and went further forward (much!). And I really don't know how people could sleep in those super aft cabins. We visited Anne And Gary and they didn't seem to mind it.

>> fine lecturer on board<< I assume you're talking about Dick Holt . . . to give credit where it is due! <bg>

He also gave fine lectures about the Canal, having grown up in the Zone . . .

Peggy

Richard - I hope Carol has recovered and am sorry she had such a tough time. It's awful when it hits.

My two cents:

Mariner is a more stable ship IMHO but still has the occasional vibration or cabin creaking. We were in 648 the last time we were on the Voyager (same trip as cruiseluv) and didn't feel any unusual vibrations relative to when we've sailed on the Mariner. This trip, we were in 877, a regular suite stern corner cabin. It also had the wrap-around extra large balcony which was just great for going through the canal.

There were a couple of nights on the Pacific side where there was just enough sea action (or something else) to set off an intermittent jerking type of vibration that woke us up. When that happened, the creaking intensified. The creaking was more bothersome than the vibrations for us. Gary would book that cabin again in a minute; I'd think twice about it. I'd sum it up as a minor to moderate inconvenience, but we are lucky enough to not be prone to motion sickness. For those that are, it would be a significant concern.

Neville, we also felt the vibration in the deck tables in La Verandah as well as the very back of the Horizon Lounge. Marc noted the same thing from his December Voyager trip report. From these conversations & our own experience, I agree the area Richard identified is prone to the vibration/creaking regardless of the deck you are on. Cheers, Anne

Richard -
Thanks for the info, and I hope you and Carol have recovered from the movement. Those things can hang on I know.

Richard:

Very sorry to hear of you and your wife's recent experience on the Voyager. It was very thoughtful of you to get the information out to all, since you are still jet-lagged. My husband and I were originally booked into Cabin 668 on the upcoming Monte Carlo to Athens May cruise.

Have you spoken with your TA regarding your experience? You really deserve some form of refund or a "Goodwill Cruise Certificate" for a future cruise, especially since your wife had to spend so much time in the doctor's office!!!

Richard,

Welcome back. I'm so sorry to hear about your experience and hope Carol is doing better. What an awful experience for her!

Thanks for the warning. Any thought I had of a cabin guarantee just went out the window. I'll definitely book forward of the laundry area.

Thanks again for taking the time to post so quickly. I look forward to reading more about the positive aspects of your trip when you're recovered from your travels.

Kathy

Francesca, did you have to cancel your cruise, or did you get a cabin more forward? I think I am in 669 in June, but have e-mailed my TA about this news.

Richard, did you ever request a change of stateroom? I tend to always sit these things out when I have a complaint, and then wish I had spoken up.

Why would Richard or anyone else be due a "goodwill cruise certificate?"

As Anne said, this has been a known problem. Jim in Cleveland sailed in a Cat C and reported that those cabins were especially susceptible to the vibration. We sailed in Cabin 664 after the second drydock and then again after the third drydock. The problem was significantly worse on the latter trip. The problem, of course, is more noticeable with a following sea; just by the nature of pod equipped ships. You can have very light seas but still have significant vibration. Shallow water will make it worse too. Nothing on Voyager was as bad as Horizon Lounge on Mariner with three days of following 9 foot seas on New Years cruise in 2002.

Since we sailed in December, the ship has been on World Cruise; there has been no time for another drydock. It will be interesting to watch if they cancel one of the European cruises (Olivia, do you have one booked?) to fix the problem, or, do they assume it is now unfixable.

We loved eating outside at La Verandah, never bothered by vibration. My mother, who was bothered by vibration in Cabin 669, never had any problems either in Horizon Lounge or La Verandah.

Until (if ever) it is fixed, the Voyager is going to vibrate near the stern. Richard gives good advice with regard to cabin forward of laundry room. I, personally, don't think you need to go that far forward.

There have been a number of reports saying that the midship Cat G (641 to 654?) are the best cabins. Even there, though, you have to worry about equipment rooms (see Gil's reports from VOF).

Richard, welcome back!!

Did anyone go to Patsy's lectures?

Marc, how perceptive of you to remember that two of my past cruises have been aborted due to "vibration correction drydocks" on both the Navigator and Voyager! Do I bring a black cloud to my cruises? I don't remember being annoyed when I was on the Navigator after the dry dock, except in the Italian alternative restaurant, and for a short period of time in the theater during a lecture. Not a big deal in the theater, just noise for several seconds. Had the food been sublime in the restaurant I might have forgotten that, too! I sailed virgin shakedown on the Voyager and it was wonderful, no complaints from anyone about vibration. Later, I sailed mid-ship following the rock incident,after dry-dock and felt nothing. But Richard is not a complainer (except about all-inclusive) and is such a fan of RSSC that I value his opinion. That's why I have written my TA about this (not Ngaire for this one), just asking if we can be put a bit more forward on same deck. We shall see...I would suppose that if the ship is not full, they would keep the aft standard cabins empty so as not to upset anyone, particularly those who post to boards and spread the word. Speaking of that Marc, only those of us who are on these boards are aware that this is a "known problem". In the past, if I wanted to sail the Navigator, I would ignore the vibration issue because I have already sailed her and it didn't bother me. Maybe Richard is like me, and thought "it can't be that bad". That's what I have thought about the rear of the Voyager until now. Hopefully, we will be able to get a bit more mid-ship and it won't be a problem.

We were on the VTC in the rear of the ship. Our cabin was 869. Good friends were across the hall in 870. We experienced absolutely no vibration problems nor did they. In fact we decided we would book the cabins again because they were so private.

We also had no problem in the Horizon Lounge or the Verandah. We sat on the deck off the Horizon Lounge and read or chatted for hours at a time.

Everyone has to select a cabin in which they feel comfortable.

jhp:

Since 703 looked directly onto the master suite of 701 because the balconies "jut out" and are visible and also the fact of it being so far forward, my husband and I upgraded to mid-ship on Deck 8 port side.

Marc:

As to anyone receiving a "Goodwill Cruise Certificate," I think what Richard described was just unacceptable! I can't even imagine what the doctor's bill must have come to! RSSC is supposed to be "luxury cruising," not a miserable experience. If passengers do not complain, why should RSSC repair the "Voyager" completely?

Like jhp said, most people who are not on these forums have no idea what they are getting into.

I'm new on this board. Usually, I like to just read what everyone has to say, but I could not keep quiet about this.

Hi Richard;
I am so sorry about your wife's awful experience due to the ship's vibrations. There is nothing worse than being ill during one's vacation and still have to pay the total cruise cost plus doctor's bills on top of that! We are cruising on the voyager the end of august in the baltics and will be in suite 1047. I noticed that the launderettes aren't all in the same place on every deck. We are right in front of it on deck 10 but only 4 cabins from aft. Do you think we could still feel it there? Thanks for taking the time to answer and hope Carol is feeling her normal self again! Barbara

Richard, sorry to hear about the problems on your cruise and thanks for the information. Something to keep in mind as several of us girls are booked in December but I think we are all situated in the bow so it shouldn't be a problem. What I don't understand is, why would Radisson book and place people in the aft suites knowing full well that people most likely will experience problems with their cabin? Why not just have these cabins off limits until the problem is fixed?

Richard,

So sorry to hear about your discomfort during VTC, and I hope Carol is feeling back to normal now. For our Norwegian fjords trip in July we're booked in an H cabin, 668, which is between your aft cabin and the laundry room, so not as far forward as you are recommending. I've got my fingers crossed that the vibration won't be too bad there. We felt lucky to get the last H cabin because of the cost savings, and I hate to think of giving up that savings. Decisions, decisions ....

To all:

Again, my advice as to acceptability of vibration in suites is to get a plan of your deck from the RSSC website and make sure your contemplated cabin is forward of the laundry room.

As jhp says, I had read some posts about vibration on the Voyager before we booked, but never read any specifically identifying it to the aft suites. And, as she says, we had actually seen more posts about vibration on the Navigator, which we do not find bothersome and have had two Navigator cruises as a result. That's why we were surprised.

I did not post anything about a "goodwill certificate" on this thread, and never have posted anything on this subject on any thread. It is doubtful that ANYONE is ever "entitled" to one --- just depends in each case on how bad the problem was and how badly Radisson wants to keep the customer as a repeater. So I don't want this discussion to take that direction. Just suffice it to say that our TA has been informed, and what ever happens, happens. My main concern here is that my friends from the board avoid this problem until (and unless) it is repaired.

One final piece of information on the aft suites vibration issue. I was curious how the World Cruise guests had fared in those suites on such a long cruise (some had actually remained for the VTC cruise). What I learned was this. The World Cruise was not full, as was the VTC. So Radisson, knowing of the aft suite vibration, pretty much assigned World Cruisers to other suites!In fact, some of these aft suites had not been used in so long that VTC guests found mechanicanical parts missing! The suites had not been used in so long that they were "canabalized" for parts to repair other suites! But as our cruise was full, these suites HAD to be used, and were.

Next, I'll start a thread with a bit of info on the ports, in a day or two.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

PS:

To those of you who have sailed the Voyager in suites between the stern suites and the laundry rooms with no problems, let me say this. As I would walk in the hall from the stern cabins to the laundry rooms on each floor, the vibration GRADUALLY faded away and was totally gone by the time I reached the laundry. So, some of the "in between" suites may have an acceptable vibration level. We all have different levels of tolerance for vibration, so use your own judgment as to the "in between" suites. We, for example, have no problem with the degree of vibration in the Navigator's suites, while others find it excessive. All I can say for sure is that I'm positive the level of vibration and jerking in the cabins right at the stern is greater than anybody's degree of tolerance.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

I spoke with a couple of other people on the VTC cruise and they also complained about the vibrations. Lynn (lynn87 from CC who has not made it Luxury Cruise Talk yet) found the vibrations so bad that she asked to be moved. She was in a Seven Seas Suite number 970. But the trip was so full there were no other cabins available and she had to stay where she was.

We were in 746 and did not feel the vibrations there. Just lots of creaking in the walls and cielings. But using ear plugs at night takes care of those noises.

We did feel the vibrations in the aft part of the ship (all levels). The Horizon Lounge became one of our favorite spots (biggest dance floor and nice music from a delightful Scottish Duo). You defintely feel the vibrations there.

The biggest thing about the vibrations is they are not regular. They would surge and seem to come and go with an irregular pattern. So it was hard to adjust to them. Regular engine vibrations (which you expect feel throughout the ship) stay at a very regular level so it is easy to adjust to them and actually "tune" them out. But the vibrations were not that way.

The ship's engineer said they had intorduced two blowers that blow bubbles in front of the propellors. That was supposed to take care of the problem but when asked how well it did it he was reluctant to respond. I did hear that there is another drydock scheduled for the Voyager in a month or two. Maybe they will be able to fix it then?

Mike

Hmm...I hope this doesn't imperil VJ7! :(

We had looked at one of the aft Seven Seas suites when we went last December, but passed it up because 1)it didn't have an adequate divider between sleeping and sitting areas and 2)we are spoiled to the bath and a half that Mariner had. We went with the Voyager Suite because it was a 2fer, and absolutely loved it, but we're going back to the aft SSS on Mariner in November.

I'm so glad we didn't try that aft cabin; neither of us gets motion sickness, but I'm not sure we could have handled that jerky vibration. Richard, I hope Carol improves rapidly!

Hi, Dolebludger. So sorry to read of your experience and hope that your wife is fine.

This vibration issue was a big one for me leading up to Sept 2003. Do you remember there were several CC threads on this topic? The cumulative postings helped me decide how to change suites. In one especially helpful one that I bookmarked, Ngaire described exactly the same "line of demarcation" on the Voyager as you did above. Here's the link to her post: http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=797097554&m=6933082337

Unfortunately, I somehow missed Ngaire's post. There is getting to be so much board info that it's hard for even a "board junkie" like me to read it all. At the time, I was more interested in my Diamond cruise last summer and didn't read about the Voyager as we had no plans for her then. BIG mistake on my part. Had I read it, I would have known more and probably would have rejected the suite assignment.

But then, it's kind of hard to know what people mean when they speak of "vibration". For instance, so many have complained about vibration in their Navigator suite. We've taken her twice. Our first suite was near the aft, and I felt a little and Carol felt none. Our second was a bit front of midship, and was vibration free as far as we were concerned. We only had BAD vibrations on the Navigator in the show lounge, which is right above the screws. If we found an itinerary we liked on the Nav (and the price were right) we'd have no second thoughts, and might not even think about suite location.

But what we had on the Voyager Stern was more than the Navigator vibration --- even the "ginding" type in her show lounge. Instead, it became a "jerking" way too much of the time. So, we'd never book near the Voyager's stern again, unless reports of major correction start appearing.

But as you will see when we get unpacked, clothes washed, misc. things done, at which point I'll write more showing that other than this problem, it reall was a great cruise.

Thanks,
Richard

When we first enter our cabin (878, aft port corner) for the VTC cruise I was suspect of the vibration issue and noted early that if fact, yes, there was a vibration. The issue of a vibration is well documented over the past year on numerous threads mostly on the CC board. After reading those threads I came away with the expectation that if a person is sensitive to either motion or noise, especially during sleep, then they need to consider relocating from the aft section of the ship. While I would prefer not have any vibration, my wife and I never felt the degree of the vibration enough to discourage or distract us from enjoying either the cabin or cruise.

Beside the VTC group I was also associated with another group of six couples that had cabins throughout the ship. One couple was in the suite directly under ours and their reaction was similar to ours regarding the creaking and vibration. The other members of this group felt the creaking in their cabins was much more an issue than the vibration in the two aft cabins. Three of them had trouble sleeping the first 3 or 4 evenings, until they became accustom to the creaking. We had mild creaking in our cabin.

The vibration is an issue; for us the degree of the issue is determinate by each individual’s expectation and sensitivity. But the bottom line is, RSSC needs to get the issue totally resolved and not have this issue continually resurfacing. Sorry for the rant!

Greg and Sandi:

We cruised the Navigator, when we were told not to do so from posters on the board due to vibration. My wife, Carol, who became sick on the Voyager, swore there was NO vibration on that ship (although I felt it). We liked it so much, we cruised her again. We had previously cruised the RCI Splendour of the Seas right through Hurricane Floyd, and neither of us became ill. And believe me, that was a scene right from the History Channel's programs on the WW II navy battles of the North Atlantic! No illness. Bottom line: we do not get sea sick easily. We have been on 14 cruises, 7 of them on Radisson. We are well aware that there is motion on all ships, and even a degree of vibration on all of them at times.

All this being said, I just want to restate that what we felt in suite 784 on the Voyager VTC was REALLY BAD! Not just a little vibration and or movement from time to time. We are experienced cruisers and expect that. Rather, we had MAJOR vibration every time the ship got near her slowest regular cruising speed of 20 knots. And above that, we also had a jerking motion from side to side. Carol became ill, and personally, I preferred Hurricane Floyd!

Sad thing is, just a few suites forward, there was no problem. On other parts of the ship we visited other than our suite, there was no problem. Other than the fact that our suite was like riding the mechanical bull at a country bar, it was a great cruise. We are not anti-Radisson posters. In fact, while onboard we booked a cruise on the Diamond!

All I am trying to say is to warn all future Voyager cruisers to book suites that are not too close to the stern. Would we cruise the Voyager again, if we had a suite elsewhere? Yes, as otherwise the cruise was great. I just wish our suite had not been as it was so we could have enjoyed it fully.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

I feel that I must add my two cents worth.

We were on the VTC in cabin 976, deck 9 horizon suite. We felt some vibration, but nothing to the extent described by dolebludger. We were very comfortable as were our neighbors immediately left and right of us. We enjoyed La Verandah, both for breakfast and lunch and never experienced vibrations that disrupted our meals. To each his/her own. What bothers others, may or may not bother me. We enjoyed our horizon suite and would not hesitate in booking it again on another cruise.

Steve

S and L:

Your stern cabin was on the starboard side of the ship and ours was on the port. To further refine the vibration question, I have since learned that some corrective action was taken with the starboard pod before the VTC, but not the port pod. Perhaps this corrective action was beneficial, and that is why your vibration was less than ours. I hope so, and hope the same is done on the port side, because ours really was bad. And remember, we are not "vibration complainers" our favorite ship is THE NAVIGATOR!!

Thanks,
Richard

GOOD NEWS!

Our TA succeeded in getting us (and some other guests who were in the "shaking" stern suites on the VTC a 50% credit on any Radisson cruise we may wish to book! And, as I said before, I didn't really make a "Federal case" of it, but merely informed the TA of this somewhat serious problem on what was an otherwise excellent cruise. Now there are only two problems remaining. Where do we go and when? And when and how will Radisson fix the stern vibration problem on this otherwise wonderful ship?

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

That's great news! What cruises are you considering? Maybe FP on the PG again?

Congrats, Richard! Have fun figuring out your next cruise!

Masaki

Well, we've got a cruise booked on the Diamond May '05 from Venice to Athens, but may use the credit on something else. Haven't figured that out yet. The one we'd really like is over the north tip of Scotland to Ireland, England, and terminating near Paris. BUT, it leaves next month, and we just got home. Doubt we'll do the PG again on this deal, as we've been to FP so much in the past two years that we might as well move there! (Hey, not a bad idea!) But I'm sure we'll think up something good.

The main thing I wish at this point is that Radisson would come up with a cure for the stern vibration problem, as those suites on the Voyager are SOOOO nice otherwise. But we must understand that sometimes vibration elimination is a "dark science" in that a combination of factors cause it. Let's all which them luck.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)