How do cruise ships work

Merchant Marine Academy, and worked on a variety of cargo and passenger ships, including cruise ships in Hawaii and Dynamic Positioning equipped cable ships. In , he became the first American officer hired by Cunard in over years. Sitting contentedly on deck, listening to the hushed splash of the sea as it washes along the side of the hull, you would be forgiven if you forget you are on a monster of engineering. At that very moment, deep in the bowels of the ship, small armies of engineers and an awful lot of computers are working to keep the lights on, the air conditioning cooling, the toilets flushing and the propellers turning.

A character in John Irving's "The World According to Garp" felt that she "had grown up on a large ship without having seen, much less understood, the engine room. Yet widely publicized events like the Carnival Triumph engine room fire in have provoked both anxiety and curiosity about how these ships are powered.

To quell your fears and satisfy your quest for knowledge, we have set out to shed some light on the sometimes murky subject of how cruise ships work -- no engineering degree required.

Possibly the most basic detail to understand about the engine room is its location. Because ships need their heaviest weights located as low as possible for stability, engines are usually mounted just above the keel. The lowest decks of the ship are almost entirely devoted to machinery.

As you'd expect, an area that creates enough power to drive a skyscraper-sized vessel through the water is large -- and engine rooms are often at least three decks high. But because space is at a premium on cruise ships, engine rooms might not be the vast, cavernous space you envision. Rather than a long, continuous hall stretching the length of the hull, machinery is divided into smaller watertight compartments. One area might contain the main engines; another compartment might house the air conditioning system.

Compartmentalization is done for safety. In case of fire or a penetration to the hull, multiple compartments help to contain the damage.

In exceptionally rare instances, engines may be placed somewhere other than the very bottom of the ship; on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 , the four diesel main engines are located above the keel. However, its two smaller, lighter gas turbines are located at the very top of the ship directly aft of the funnel. An interesting side note: Decades ago, it was not uncommon for older liners to have two engine rooms.

Technology gradually allowed engine spaces to be consolidated. However, legislation now requires ships to have duplication of equipment and two engine room spaces. Before we go further, let's agree on some basic terminology as the technical vocabulary can be a bit confusing. For the purpose of this article, "main engines" refer to those engines that produce the vast power to move the ship. On conventional, or direct drive, diesel vessels, these engines are connected to the propeller shaft; on diesel electric ships, the main engines are connected to the main generators.

Furthermore, "engine" and "motor" are not interchangeable. Engines rely on fuel and ignition and can help generate electricity. Motors rely on electricity to make something move. Propulsion motors, therefore, take the electricity produced by the engines and use it to make the propellers turn. Despite the colloquialism of "steaming to St.

Thomas," the days of steam engines in ships have all but disappeared. The last passenger ship built with a steam engine -- Sitmar's FairSky in — was scrapped in Today, diesel engines are the standard.

So, how do diesel engines work? Think back to old ships like the Titanic. During this process, your water is distilled and desalinated using a reverse-osmosis system and filtration system. Distillation and desalination process uses a purification system to take all contents out of the water. This is generally not healthy to drink, so this water is mineralized and chlorinated for taste and safety. Additionally, some ships have water brought onboard for laundry and other maintenance purposes.

Generally speaking, the water onboard available for drinking are tested and checked for purification. If you are ever in doubt, check with a crew member to ensure the water is safe for consumption.

The answer to your ultimate question is, no, the water you are drinking is not toilet water. This water is never treated and recycled for passengers to use again. On a side note, if you feel uncomfortable drinking this water, bottled water will most likely be available onboard for purchase. If you need special water for medical needs, you will most likely be able to bring a few bottles on board by notifying them ahead of time. How do they work? Or perhaps, why are they so expensive?

All of these questions come down to logistics. Depending on your opinion and type of cruise you may have signed up for, you may think that your cruise is way under or over-budget. The cruise companies measure these decisions and prices to minimize cost and maximize returns of course. For example, cruise ships avoid fines by taking specific lines.

They must often save fuel and hiring a knowledgeable captain who can make these decisions and keep passengers aboard safe is essential. If we broke down cruises into 3 main categories, we could look at the mainstream, premium, and luxury lines of cruise types. First, we will start with the mainstream cruise lines. These are cruises that are readily available, common, and well-known by the public with reasonable ticket costs. They suit the needs of most passengers.

To make maximum profit, companies design these cruises by providing readily available entertainment on board. Onboard, you will find general amenities, restaurants, bars, pubs, nightclubs, shopping, theaters, cinemas, swimming pools, gyms, karaokes, libraries, and even museums! These are great for big parties and are generally the biggest ships at sea. Premium lines are perfect for adults or those that are retiring.

These cruises make money upfront by offering more access to ports and offering the serene luxury. Premium cruises generally have a refined style in comparison to mainstream cruise lines. Activities are more focused on lifestyles. For example, you may find computer classes or a language-learning class. Besides, these ships still offer resort-style pools, game nights, bingo, spas, gyms, and maybe even a jazz night.

The perks for a premium in comparison to the mainstream is the higher quality of cuisine. Usually offering specialty restaurants and quality chefs, the price may be higher, but the overall quality is higher. The rooms at premium cruise lines are also superior, often offering suites and rooms with balconies. Source: Fodors. Luxury lines are pricier yet offer the best-selling point, fewer people onboard with a luxurious experience from beginning to end. The more expensive tickets provided to only a few hundred passengers make a profit for the company with the much higher ticket prices.

There are abundant space and a deluxe ship that will greet you as a valued guest from beginning to end for the high price. Course meals are offered from a full restaurant menu in your stateroom and served with limitless wine.

Most interiors are luxurious and elegant, with rooms that are large and overlooking the sea. Amenities range from gyms, spas, pools, and low-key entertainment.

Generally targeting a niche group, most luxury cruise lines do not allow children. Many corporations own several of these different targets to make the most profit.

Additionally, by corporations owning various cruise types, they can also hand down older ships throughout their other brands. In addition to managing several types of cruises, there are numerous ways cruises have to operate to maintain their profits and not waste money through resting and selecting the wrong routes.

For example, cruise lines generally have high sales in November through April by Americans. The cold Americans usually take a warm vacation away from winter for a trip to the Caribbean. What about other times of the year? Staying on seas without business is a considerable loss in revenue and usually unheard of. So, what do they do? They sell repositioning one-way tickets in April! Generally, towards the end of April, you will start seeing two-week trips from the Caribbean to Europe.

Typically, these trips can range from any state on the Eastern Coast of the United States to European countries. But with so much to see and do on board, not to mention all the people, luggage and supplies, modern day cruise ships must bear a huge burden that goes beyond the weight of the actual ship itself.

So what makes your amazing cruise ship experience possible? The fact that ships like this are able to stay afloat is down to the principles of buoyancy and displacement. Ships displace an amount of water equivalent to their weight as they push down on the sea, and at the same time, the sea pushes up, keeping the ship floating. The shape of the ship and the materials used in its construction also help it to achieve buoyancy. Strong, lightweight materials are utilised in a design that aids displacement.

The hull, or body of the ship, is rounded and designed so that the weight of the ship is dispersed across it. The hull is often U shaped, pushing water out of the way, dissipating drag, and ensuring that you and your fellow cruisers have a smooth ride.

Modern cruise ships are now built to withstand a wide range of natural hazards from sandbars, reefs and sharp objects to dreaded icebergs. Some ships have double hulls for extra strength and the mega cruise ships also have bulkheads. November to April is when cold Americans escape to the Caribbean, but keeping that many ships there all year round would be extremely costly.

So is moving around empty ships from one region to another. When Caribbean ships to switch to Europe in April, they sell repositioning tickets. An example is a one way two week cruise from Florida to Amsterdam.

Turnaround day is a miracle of coordination. In less than half a day, people exit the ship and a hotel, restaurant, a theater, laundromat and theme park clean and reset as if nothing ever happened. While passengers sleep, all their luggage must be carried ashore. Meanwhile, trash is dumped, crew members switched, fuel pump and a warehouse of food and supplies loaded onto the ship: eggs, gallons of soda and fifteen thousand pounds of potatoes.

By am, passengers are gone and hundreds of housekeepers rush to clean all three thousand rooms. Before new passengers arrive at 1pm, paperwork needs to be filed, maintenance performed, towel animals folded and lunch cooked. By five o'clock, the ship is on its way, whether you're on it or not, because the sooner it reaches international waters, the sooner the casino can start making real money with its casino.

Ocean water is pumped in, desalinated and sent to rooms. Speaking of staterooms, there are plenty of cabins onboard, but the real moneymakers are suites and balconies. The other part of the business is the crew.

Cruise ships are almost always registered in a foreign country to save on labor costs.