October 29 - A Day at Sea and the Ultimate Ship's Tour

Today was a day at sea but it was not really restful. We were able to go on the Ultimate Ship’s Tour which took all afternoon. We gathered at 1:15 PM in the Princess Theater and met our guide Eric, Assistant Cruise Director. Our first stop was backstage where we saw the lighting , scenery and costumes for the production shows on the ship. The work that goes into making these things seem effortless is quite remarkable.

Our next stop was one of our favorites – the Forward Mooring Station. In this space near the bow are the lines and anchors which are used when we come into port. The anchors weigh 18 tons and each shackle of the chain weighs something like 250 pounds. Interestingly the anchor is not what holds the ship in place but rather the amount of chain which is played out. When the lines are in place and secured to the dock, no one is allowed in the area because if a line snaps it can kill a person.

Next stop was the Galley and food storage areas. The galley was spotless and the amount of food produced each day boggles the mind. Each day between 180 and 220 gallons of ice cream are made. 4500 pastries are produced. (Notice I remember the good stuff!) There are 29 food storage areas including meats, poultry, seafood, fresh produce, etc. The ship orders all its meats and seafood from the US 2 months in advance and it is delivered by the container load. Produce is done every 14 days. The operation is incredible, but then they are feeding approximately 5000 people including passengers and crew.

Next we went to both the Photo Shop and the Print Shop. These facilities produce thousands of photos and papers each day and are essentially around the clock operations. One of the things we were impressed with in all the areas we visited was the tremendous work ethic of the crew members and also their wonderful attitudes.

We made a short stop at the Engine Control center which is in the middle of the ship. The Chief Engineer explained to us that there are 6 generators onboard – four producing 12 Megawatts of power each and 2 producing 8 Mw each. The ship is able to generate enough power to run a small town.

We stopped at the Medical Center and met the Chief Medical officer, a South African doctor. The facility is small and can handle many things but not major surgery. The doctor told us that the response time on the ship is less than 5 minutes which is better than most places on land. They are able to send X-rays to the University of Texas for second opinions when needed. I suspect that if an emergency came up when we were in mid-ocean they would deal with it by communicating with a land-based medical facility for guidance, but I don’t know that for sure.

Our next stop was the Laundry. What an incredible operation! The laundry handles thousands of sheets, towels, tablecloths and napkins daily. For the linens there are automatic ironing machines and folding machines. Additionally all the uniforms of the crew and laundry sent by passengers is handled. How they keep it all sorted out is beyond me!

Our next to last stop was the funnel of the ship. Inside the steel framework which forms the Princess logo, are a multitude of pipes. Al went all the way up; I chickened out. The port side is where air is taken into the ship and the starboard where it is exhausted. The exhaust coming out of the engines is at 800° C. By some means it is cooled and the noxious materials are removed so that it won’t hurt anyone as it is expelled. Also in the stack area are what are essentially two locomotive engines which could provide power to the ship in the event of a catastrophic failure of the generators below.

Finally, we went to the Bridge where our Captain, Tony Yeomans, greeted us with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. We took a group photo and then individual photos of each couple with the captain. A young bridge officer showed us the equipment on the bridge and explained about the operations. One of the things we found amazing was that when we went through the Straits of Gibraltar we were on autopilot. This was astounding to us because of the volume of traffic going through there. After getting a thorough tour the captain came back to answer any questions we had. He is a very charming man.

The tour was well worth the cost and we received a bunch of mementos. Perhaps when we’re home I’ll try to scan in a couple of the photos we received and upload them here. We were not allowed to bring our own cameras with us.