Milli compared to Radiance

C

CrazyCanuck

Guest
Can anyone tell me what the differences are between these two ships? We are sailing June 05 in the mediterranean. I looked at the stats for both ships and they are almost identical. We sailed Radiance last year and had a rough sail. The crew told us it was because the ship was so narrow and tall. Does anyone know if Millenium is based on the same class? I'm not great at knowing what all the terms mean like "beam" so I thought although those measurement may be the same there may be still huge differnces between the ships.

PS please don't yell at me about being a large vessel in water. I know all ships move, I suspect some less than others!

Thanks
 
P

Petert

Guest
Hi CC,

You are right about some ships being more prone to pitch and roll in heavy seas. We have sailed on both of these ships, and have sailed the north Atlantic on the Brilliance of the Seas (sister ship of the Radiance) during some very heavy weather. Both the Radiance and Millennium are panamax, meaning they can pass through the Panama canal, being about 105 feet wide, and are of compareable height. Both ships are of similar construction, and both have stabilizers. The stabilizers are like wings that extend out from the hull, when extended, and can rotate to reduce the effects of the ships roll and pitch. They will not have enough effect to remove all the motion, but can reduce it by a fair amount. The stabilizers have a drag effect, when extended, and thus require more fuel to keep on schedule. The Captain will not always use the stabilizers in moderate seas as speed and fuel consumption are considerations. The Captain may however change course to minimize the effects of stormy weather.

I would assume that Radiance and Millennium have similar performance with respect to rough seas and high winds. On one transatlantic cruise on the Brilliance we experienced 40 foot waves and 60 knot winds, and the ship handled the weather very well. The best indicator was the minimal impact that the weather had on the passengers, when very few missed meals or entertainment events due to sea sickness. I hope this helps to answer your questions.

Peter
 
C

CrazyCanuck

Guest
Thanks Peter,

We were convinced that there was a problem with Stabilizers on our sail. There were serveral ill passengers and yet the ship maintained it's max. sailing speed at all times. We left the port 6 hours late and arrived back into port 8 hours early. I would doubt that the stablizers were out very often, although RCCL denies any problems with the stabilizers for that sail.

We've book Millenium for next June so let's hope for calmer waters in the Med and better stabilizers if we hit rough seas!!

Thanks again.
 
T

Topman

Guest
I would add that Peter's explanation is excellent. The fact that the ship was described as "so narrow and tall" is interesting since I don't know of many of the more recently-built cruise ships which are much more than "Panamax" width of 105 feet, although there may be some.

What you didn't tell us is WHERE your cabin was located for your "rough sail" trip. The location of the cabin makes a big difference in your perception of pitch and roll. The higher you are on a ship, the more feelings of motion you'll generally experience. So for minimal pitch and roll the best place is as LOW as you can go and as close to mid-ships as you can get.
 
B

BSeabob

Guest
I would add that both of the answers hit the point....... and add that both ships are really just floating hotels and not made for really rough sea's regardless of stabilizers.
 
C

CrazyCanuck

Guest
We were on deck 8 at the very front of the ship for the rough sail.
This time we're on deck 7 dead centre of the ship.
Still hoping for calm seas!

Thanks to all for your input. We're booked and going. Looking foward to the trip and conceierge class!
 
P

Petert

Guest
Hi CC,

We have just returned from a trans Atlantic cruise from Dover to NYC on Celebrity's Constellation. We were supposed to dock in Reykavik, but because of rough weather in the north Atlantic they rescheduled us to Vigo, Spain. Our cruise to NY was very smooth, and a very pleasureable experience. I am sure you are going to enjoy the Millennium, and that you are going to have a great trip. We sailed on the Millennium on the Mediteranian cruise from Barcelona to Venice on 7 May, 2004. The weather was fantastic, with no rough seas or high winds, and only a little rain on our stop in Naples. Celebrity provided umbrellas when there was any rain, and on our transAtlantic cruise they left an umbrella in our cabin. Celebrity is great for thier little amenities like champaign on embarcation, sherbert parade at the pool deck, iced lemonade on the dock when you are in a tender port, hot face towels at the gangway when you return from an excursion.

The Med cruise ports were absolutely great with Dubrovnic, Mykonis and Santorini as particularly interesting. If this is the cruise you are taking you are going to have a wonderful trip.

Peter
 
C

CrazyCanuck

Guest
Yes Peter this is the cruise we are taking. We leave June 18/05. I was amazed how quickly the ships fill up. We were trying to book 3 cabins in a row. We were not successful in that endeavour as the ship was so full.

We are looking forward to the ports of call as well. For all the lines we looked at this seemed to be one of the best itiniaries we came across.

We have not sailed Celebrity before but have heard so many good things about them and their nice touches.

Thanks for your reponses!!
 
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