Day 17 - At sea (26 November 2010)

"After disembarking our Broome pilot in the early hours of the morning, we set a North Westerly course across the Indian Ocean towards the Indonesian island of Bali. Dawn Princess boasts a fully integrated navigational bridge equipped with state-of-the-art electronic navigational system, including radar, electronic charts, precise gyro compasses, radio and satellite communications. Under the command of the Captain, the bridge is manned 24 hours a day by a team of experienced watch keepers. The bridge team communicate and work continuously with their colleagues in the engine control room. Between them, these technical teams ensure that the ship is safely operated at all times. In addition to the integrated navigation control system, the bridge team manages our unique safety management system, which continually "watches" a multitude of sensors around the ship (including those in your stateroom). The ship 's security surveillance systems are also monitored continuously from the bridge."

D-day today! I go to the Ultimate Ship Tour for a fascinating behind-the-scene visit from 8.30am to noon. If I have already seen the theatre and galley on the Tahitian Princess and bridges on several ships, I am very curious to see the "less" impressive areas that have been kept secret from the passengers world, such as laundry, printing departments and engine control room. Unfortunately, we have been asked to refrain from taking photos and videos, but a professional photograph will follow us around to immortalise this ultimate ship tour.

We started on deck 7 in the Princess Theatre with the production Manager and four of our Princess dancers, two wearing their impressive Piano-man outfits. We went on stage in the spotlights and down to where all the costumes are kept. We then went out to one of my favourite spots: the mooring room, where we met with Staff Captain, Salvatore Caccioppoli, giving us a humorous speech about anchors and lines.

With Staff Captain, Salvatore Caccioppoli.

We continued onto the galley of the Venetian Dining Room on deck 6 and were met by Maitre d'Hotel, Giuseppe "Beppe" Castino, and Executive Chef, David McDonald. The size of all equipments is always overwhelming, but it was very interesting to learn as well what were the roles of our daily waiter and junior waiter back stage. 9,000 meals are prepared each day on board. We have been welcome with champagne and sweet delicacies before to enter the fourth dimension including storerooms with palettes of flour, potatoes, giant drums of cooking oil, and cold rooms heaven. One cold room where two men are chopping vegetables, another one where a team of butchers are preparing the meat, one for fish and seafood, even one for ice carving plus all the storage ones! 

With Maitre d'Hotel, Giuseppe "Beppe" Castino, and Executive Chef, David McDonald.

 We had a nice presentation at the Engine control room with some displays and parts prepared for our attention. Our comfort requires so much water, waist management and energy, including the temperature control of the passengers' areas. It is difficult to realize how much maintenance is done while we are cruising. A few details for the guys:

Propulsion type: diesel electric

Diesel engine: 4 Sulzer 16 ZAV, total power: 61,744Hp, 46,080kw

Thrusters: 2 bow HMC 3424 (1720kw x2) 2 stern HMC 2422 (1400kw x2)

Propellers: 2 fixed pitch propellers, six blades

Rudder: 2 semi-balanced type

Stabilizer: 2 Sperry marine-folding-in fins outreach 5.4 meters

Top speed: 22.5 Knots

Thank you to the Chief Engineer Officer, Simone Solimini, Staff Engineer Officer, Davor Pavlovic-Kalifo and Staff Electro Technical Officer, Michael Farmer, for a nice presentation and such big smiles.

With Chief Engineer Officer, Simone Solimini and Staff Electro Technical Officer, Michael Farmer.

We then went down, down, down to deck one meeting with First Purser Administration, Angus Wilkinson, who revealed to us the mysteries of the laundry! I never noticed that our cabin stewards use a laundry chute. We have been explained the numbering of each passenger item at the dry clean section, and we walked through aisles of giant washing machines with a capacity of 250kg and maxi-dryers. The professional ironing section was impressive too despite the warm temperature. We have seen as well one of the motorised water doors, which can be operated to isolate some sections of the ship.

We went back up on the M1 to meet the team at the photo lab. They have several computers and archive all our pictures, print all our formal and casual portraits and prepare as well the video of our cruise.

Next door is the print shop where our daily Princess Patter and all stationary for the ship are printed. It goes so fast and what a scary chopping machine they have, cutting 500 pages at once.

Our doctor was busy with patients and we were not able to visit the medical centre, but offers were made to come at a later time. We finished our tour on deck 12 with a visit to the Bridge where we had a lengthy presentation done by a junior officer handed over a nice 4 pages pamphlet with explanations. Our Captain, Todd McBain, joined us at the end for the final picture. 

With Captain, Todd McBain

We went with Angus Wilkinson to the Magnums Bar where a champagne aperitif had been prepared for us with flowers and elegant savoury canapes. We received a set of four pictures and later in the evening, a nice parcel was delivered to my room including Dawn Princess stationary printed with my name, and a Princess Cruises embroidered robe, plus a surprise chef jacket. What a nice adventure, the Ultimate Ship Tour is really a nice experience not to be missed!

Could the day get even better? Amazingly, yes! I discovered we have today a German lunch buffet and here were all the delicious dishes from home. I had some spaetzele and kolbsgeschnetzeltes with red cabbage and some schwartzwaldtorte... and still did not go back to the gym!