Vibration on Disney Fantasy

[Karin1984]

I decided not to wait any longer (even when my cruise is over 400 days away ) I upgraded from 6D Aft to 5C Midship

 

[ramblingjen]

We were in 10658 (AFT) last week and the only time I really felt vibration was when we were docking. Otherwise no issues. My kids slept through it all.

There was a gentleman in cabanas who mentioned the vibration and seemed very scared. I think he thought the boat was sinking.

 

[Fire14]

I am booked on the Fantasy in May room 10166, aft dead center under Cabana's. We had an aft room on the Dream in June (8684) and there was some vibration but my husband actually liked it. There are so many repeat cruisers who keep getting Aft rooms I am thinking it can't be all bad. I want to do a 7 night this time and I really enjoy the aft location/view, so I'll take a chance and keep it.

This is very much Us. We love aft rooms and have not had issues but this cruise in November will be on "problem Ship" Fantasy so I shall see what I say after that cruise.

 

[ramblingjen]

This is very much Us. We love aft rooms and have not had issues but this cruise in November will be on "problem Ship" Fantasy so I shall see what I say after that cruise.

Totally agree. The giant balcony and view we had in 10658 was so worth it!

 

[truck1]

Oh...I didn't really see any lies in the email I received. They acknowledged the issues we had.

Mine goes back to just before the Dream came home from Europe. I asked several specific questions about the ships and got 3 pages of everything but answers. One of the questions was if the ship was coming home with passengers to be test subjects so to speak to help train the crew and I was told no one comes back with the ship. I know for a fact Disney will send a limited amount of passengers back with the ship to help evaluate, let the wait staff practice etc. Some are ta's, some are vips some are the average cm. It will vary. There was a few other things I asked that she tried to blow off, and basically did everything that Disney teaches a CM not to do.

 

[Mom24Princesses]

Just got off the Fantasy in room 6674 (aft). It was horrendous from the moment we left St. Thomas to arriving at Castaway. I am not exaggerating. It was BAAAAAD. Constant, non-stop hard vibrating. Literally everything in the room was vibrating, and in the hallways. Couldn't sleep (even using white noise) the bed vibrated and it was loud rattling from the cabinets, tv and closets. Couldn't enjoy our cabin at all. I even took video of the hallway and our room. You would probably be shocked, I was when I just re-watched it. We were more exhausted getting off the cruise than we were after 5 days before the cruise in WDW.

If this is in-fact due to speed, the Fantasy needs to alter it's plans to go slower rather than making their guests miserable for days at a time.

Have “we” determined that this is generally worse on Eastern sailings heading back from St. T. than at any other time?

 

[DMickey]

Have “we” determined that this is generally worse on Eastern sailings heading back from St. T. than at any other time?

I would also like to know if the majority of complaints were in fact eastern itineraries. We have rooms booked with the extended balcony on deck 5 aft for a January Western cruise (5664 and 5662). We have been on 11 DCL cruises but first time on the Fantasy. Anyone else stay in these rooms on the Fantasy?

 

[Lisa F]

I was booked in a 7A aft for my Feb 2020 trip but changed rooms due to reports of really bad vibration back there.

It seems that even if all of the verandah cabins are sold out, they can give you a "sleeping cabin" elsewhere on the ship if you are experiencing bad vibration. I have seen reports of this and a friend of mine told me they gave it to him too. My son is on the spectrum and all of the moving would be very disruptive and stressful so I just switched to a stateroom just midship of the forward elevators. I have always stayed forward before as I like the quiet but the kiddo wanted to try aft this time. Maybe next time on another ship, I am not willing to risk it. Did cost me a couple hundred dollars to upgrade though wish I had realized when I booked, I would have booked the same forward 7A we had on the dream.

 

[MomOTwins]

I would also like to know if the majority of complaints were in fact eastern itineraries. We have rooms booked with the extended balcony on deck 5 aft for a January Western cruise (5664 and 5662). We have been on 11 DCL cruises but first time on the Fantasy. Anyone else stay in these rooms on the Fantasy?

I haven't, but here are some reviews from 5660 and 5656 a few doors down that discuss vibration:

5660:

Notes: Very large veranda, was above the night clubs but didn't notice any noise from that. Convenient access to Canabas and right at the top of the stairs (didn't notice any noise from the hallways either!) Did feel strong vibrations the first and last nights but didn't affect our sleep. Room sleeps three. Everything was in excellent condition.

5656:

Notes: I did really love this room. The extended veranda was amazing and had two reclining lounge chairs as well as the two regular chairs and table. Some people have said they worry about the lack of privacy from others looking down but this was not an issue as the deck is not overlooked by any public decks and people in the cabins above were rarely hanging over their rail looking down! This veranda also wraps slightly and gets more sun as it is open yet there is the regular covered section too in the event of rain. It was in a quiet area in terms of footfall outside the door i.e. a corridor to nowhere. It was very convenient for the Oceaneer lab/club and the aft elevators. Like other reviewers I too did notice some banging/slamming seeming to come from below. I have no idea what it was. However it did not really cause a problem and did not wake us. I also noticed a fair amount of vibration at times too, again not really a problem but noticeable. Great views of Castaway Cay too from this cabin and we were on the sunny side for the return to PC. A great cabin and the slight noise and vibration issues would not deter me from booking this again. I also think 5658 and 5664 would be good too in this area as the verandas 'wrap' slightly. I think 5650 may have a bigger veranda (wider) but I think the view in one direction would be obscured by the lifeboat.

Notes: Room was conveniently located near the AFT elevators and was in a very quiet area of the ship in terms of foot traffic. The verandah was amazing! It was really nice and large. Great place to watch the fireworks on Pirate's Night! The only complaints we had were: 1) Noise from the thrusters on a few of our nights was a bit loud and the vibrations were very noticeable 2) We could hear the toilets flushing in Europa during the day and until about 1am at night. 3) Not sure what this was - but, for a couple of nights, near the end of our week we heard what sounded like someone dropped a large bin below our stateroom and then proceeded to throw the items back into the bin over the next hour. LIke I said, not sure what it was, but it was loud and woke me from a sound sleep both nights it occured. Only woke my husband on the second night but neither of my teens heard it - they are much heavier sleepers than I I wish I could give this room a 5 because, as I said, the verandah was amazing. The views at St. Thomas and Castaway Cay were wonderful. Other than the issues mentioned, it was a really quiet area of the ship and so convinient for my husband and I to get to Europa and for my entire family to get to Cabanas.

 

[DMickey]

I was booked in a 7A aft for my Feb 2020 trip but changed rooms due to reports of really bad vibration back there.

It seems that even if all of the verandah cabins are sold out, they can give you a "sleeping cabin" elsewhere on the ship if you are experiencing bad vibration. I have seen reports of this and a friend of mine told me they gave it to him too. My son is on the spectrum and all of the moving would be very disruptive and stressful so I just switched to a stateroom just midship of the forward elevators. I have always stayed forward before as I like the quiet but the kiddo wanted to try aft this time. Maybe next time on another ship, I am not willing to risk it. Did cost me a couple hundred dollars to upgrade though wish I had realized when I booked, I would have booked the same forward 7A we had on the dream.

What do you mean by "sleeping cabin"? They switch you only at night?

 

[Lisa F]

What do you mean by "sleeping cabin"? They switch you only at night?

Yep, it's a second inside cabin just for sleeping

 

[lklgoodman]

Have “we” determined that this is generally worse on Eastern sailings heading back from St. T. than at any other time?

We were in cabin 5168, it was just aft of the aft elevators. We did a WC and had all of the horrible vibrations throughout the entire cruise that has already been mentioned. It wasn't just when the ship was moving fast and it wasn't just normal vibrations. It was constant. I will NEVER book a cabin in that area again. We sailed on deck 2 mid-ship for an EC, this past Jan. and thankfully didn't have the extreme vibrations that we had on deck 5. We liked our deck 2 cabin so much, we have it booked for our 2020 Fantasy cruise.

 

[Mom24Princesses]

You were on Western?? or Eastern??

 

[KashasMom]

We were in cabin 5168, it was just aft of the aft elevators. We did a WC and had all of the horrible vibrations throughout the entire cruise that has already been mentioned. It wasn't just when the ship was moving fast and it wasn't just normal vibrations. It was constant. I will NEVER book a cabin in that area again. We sailed on deck 2 mid-ship for an EC, this past Jan. and thankfully didn't have the extreme vibrations that we had on deck 5. We liked our deck 2 cabin so much, we have it booked for our 2020 Fantasy cruise.

The vibrations were SO bad but the noise was shocking! I agree - you couldn't give me one of those rooms for free.

 

[lklgoodman]

You were on Western?? or Eastern??

I've done both, did Western in aft room with HORRIBLE vibrations. Did Eastern in mid-ship with no vibrations. Our 2020 cruise will be another Western, staying in same mid-ship cabin. I've been on Magic once and Wonder twice and never had the type of horrible vibrations as those on Fantasy aft.

 

[lklgoodman]

The vibrations were SO bad but the noise was shocking! I agree - you couldn't give me one of those rooms for free.

Ditto! By the 3rd night I was ready to jump overboard.

 

[Neptune's Fork]

Ive been trying to wrap my head around the issue for a few days now, as this subject came up somewhere else.
I know for a fact that the issue exists, as I experienced it on the maiden, and have seen reports that it seems to vary, but what I am seeing is that people are confusing normal operating vibrations with the consistent vibration on the Fantasy. What I mean by that is all of the ships have some kind of vibration on them when coming into port. This is from the thrusters as they work to turn the ship or try and keep her in the channel. Sometimes they will work harder then normal, some officers have a heavy hand on the thrusters. We were on the Magic once, and pulling away from PC, the officer using the thrusters spooled them up so fast, the ship actually rocked coming off the dock.

The issue on the Fantasy, and Ill say the Dream does not have the same issue or at least to the same degree, relates to something in the drive train. (Why do I say that? Easy, coming home from CC the ship is running at or near full speed to make it to PC on time. If the Dream had the same issue to the same extent, someone should have noticed by now. She also runs pretty quick to Nassau from PC) If it were bearings, they would have been corrected by now, as the ship has been out of the water already. Shafts, prop alignment, nicked blade, out of balance, that would have been corrected also in water or at her drydock.

I do not think its the mains, (theres 5)as the mains are all constant speed diesels, that turn generators. Typically they will rotate the mains so they can do maintenance on them, and also even out the hours on them. The power, for those that dont know, goes into a switchboard, and a computer decides how much power goes where etc. and track the usage, and will recommend starting or shutting down additional engines. They spin at the same rpms, whether they are supplying 100% of the ships rated power, 10% of the ships rated power, or sitting in standby mode running. Typically when moving, 2 mains are dedicated, 1 to each drive motor and additional mains are started based on power usage. So in theory at any given time at sea, probably at least 3 mains are running at any time.

The only thing I can come up with, is its something in or with the electric drive motor, that is connected to the shaft. These will turn at different speeds, based on need. Which would mean that the issue is more or less noticeable, and theses engines will work harder or easier based on sea state current direction etc. IIRC the issue seems to be more on the starboard side then port, which to me, seems like there is something not quite right with the stbd drive motor. It could be something internally not balanced right, or some balancer may be bad. To me, this is the most likely issue, as who gets to pay for the fix? If it was there from day 1, and they signed for the ship, its Disneys problem now. If its a manufacturing issue, then it falls to the maker. If MW didn't install it correctly, its on them. Its entirely possible, that in the last drydock, they did find an issue, but these motors are not off the shelf, and sometimes the fix isn't easy. It could be that if something internally is bad on the motor, and needs to be replaced, either there looking at a very lengthy time frame to acquire the replacement part, or it could be the whole unit needs to come out of the ship, and it was something that the yard and DCL weren't ready for. Its doable, but its not like changing a car engine where you can be done in a day. I saw a documentary where they added a genset (diesel main) to a cruise ship and it took them like 5 days from the time they drained the dock, cut a hole in the side of the ship, removed all of the obstacles, like pipes, wiring, walkways, put in the new support deck, slid the engine in, closed up the ship, and had the engine ready to run.

Could it potentially be either a design or structural assembly flaw? I would doubt design flaw because it's my understanding it's pretty much identical to the Dream. Because as you say, I would think if were anything mechanical they would have been able to fix it by now.

 

[truck1]

Could it potentially be either a design or structural assembly flaw? I would doubt design flaw because it's my understanding it's pretty much identical to the Dream. Because as you say, I would think if were anything mechanical they would have been able to fix it by now.

Havent heard any issues from the Dream, at least of this magnitude. Not saying it's not there.

It really depends on where the issue is. I dont think its was a design flaw, otherwise other ships and not just the Fantasy would have the issue, as they tend to use the same designers, even the same suppliers, and borrow from ship to ship. It could have been an assembly issue at the plant where the motor was made. But I'm fairly certain it's not structural, in the ship itself. I doubt it was in assembly from MW as they have time built into the process for last minute fixes. I forget what ship it was that launched and was tested and went straight to a drydock for a preventative fix.
The only thing I can think of is something with the electric drive motor. Possibly something out of balance internally that may require the whole motor to come out or be disassembled to be replaced. It's possible that they diagnosed it last drydock and the parts weren't available so there waiting on next years drydock. Which in and of itself is odd. The new criteria is that ships less then 15 years old can go up to 5 years between drydocks. So why are the Dream and Fantasy going in at 2 from the last?

 

[truck1]

I would think that if it was a speed issue, there would be no reason they couldn't switch the Dream and Fantasy itineraries so the Fantasy wouldn't have to work that hard in most cases. It does make one wonder if they've pushed the Dream as hard and found the same problem. Or maybe people just aren't complaining all that much. It would only be experienced cruisers that would know the difference, as well as the crew.

The Dream does run as hard as the Fantasy. She runs near 20 knotts getting to Nassau, from PC and from CC to PC so she can be back in time to reprovision. She probably has as much near full speed time as the Fantasy when you consider she does it 2x a week. She runs to Nassau 2x and home from CC 2x for a total of 4 high speed crusing days. (at or near 20 knotts.Its 220 miles from CC to PC give or take.About the same to Nassau) If anything yould notice it in the Dream more since she deals with the Gulf stream which shifts daily. Considering the Fantasy runs 2 days at or near full speed getting to her first port on an eastern then 1 more to CC, and last from CC home, they probably are about even.

 

[AndyR]

Take this with a grain of salt, because some of it came from a CM on the Fantasy. We got off the ship last week after the 11nt Southern. We were midships, deck 9 family verandah. We're Platinum and have sailed all 4, so know our vibes lol.

Yes, there's the usual thruster vibrations, but they are recognizable. The other vibration only comes when the ship is running at or around 21kt and it's continuous.

Now the CM rumor. The Fantasy does have drive line issues, such that the Dream and Fantasy will swap itineraries at some point. The Fantasy has significantly more wear on her drive line that the Dream, so they'll switch, so that the Fantasy can put less stress on the drive. AFAIK the Dream & Fantasy have fixed pitch props.

That is all.