Captains Interviews: Carnival Splendor and Explorer of the Seas

The primary objective of Beyondships is to give people a feel for the various ships profiled on the site. To do this, I like to present the views of the people who actually run those ships in addition to the photo tour, menus, daily programs and other information presented on the site. I think it helps give more of the human element of the experience. This week we present conversations with the senior officers of two popular ships: Carnival Splendor and Explorer of the Seas.

I met with Captain Giorgio Pagano, Master of the Carnival Splendor, and seven of his senior officers in the ship’s Robusto Bar. It was a free-flowing exchange with the various officers supplementing what each other was saying. Since Splendor is a new ship, the conversation focused on the construction of the ship and how she was brought into service. On a ship that reportedly cost half a billion dollars, it was a much more involved process than simply turning up at the shipyard on the delivery date and taking the keys.

The second item is based on a conversation that I had with Captain Erik Standal (top photo above) when he was Captain of Explorer of the Seas. (He has since gone on to command Explorer’s sister ship Navigator of the Seas). Captain Erik is a great source of information and there is already interview with him on the site about Explorer and some of his comments are included in the photo tour of Navigator.

Explorer sails year-round from New York harbor (Bayonne, New Jersey) and in this conversation we discussed Explorer’s ability to handle the winter weather in the northeast. We also talked about his approach to actually driving one of the world’s largest ships. Finally, we discussed emergency rescues at sea.

My conversation with the officers of Splendor is at http://beyondships.com/CarnivalSplendor-interview.html. While the article about Explorer is at http://beyondships.com/Explorer-Standal-2.html.

Cruising on Navigator of the Seas

I was finally able to take a cruise on Navigator of the Seas last month. Navigator was one of those ships that I kept encountering when on cruises - - in Southampton, in Cozumel, in Fort Lauderdale. Big, yet sleek. Always impressive looking.

She is one of Royal Caribbean’s Voyager class of ships. There aren’t too many passenger ships that are bigger - - over 3,000 passengers. However, there are many different things to do and that distributes the passenger load so that it does not seem overcrowded.

The lifestyle onboard is relaxed. Royal Caribbean aims toward providing an active adventure vacation rather than a cultural/intellectual experience although the ships have interesting art collections. There are lots of bright lights and Las Vegas flash but at the same time there are quiet areas done in a more restrained contemporary style. Consistency is achieved through the good quality of the materials used throughout.

I was particularly pleased to find that Captain Erik Standal would be at the helm during my cruise. A ship usually reflects the character of the person at the top. I had interviewed Captain Erik before when he was in command of Explorer of the Seas and knew him to be relaxed, friendly and professional. Just as on Explorer, the crew on Navigator reflected these traits.

This was just a short cruise to the Bahamas from Fort Lauderdale before Navigator went into dry dock. Captain Erik pointed out that ships are required by law to go into dry dock every so often for inspection and that such occasions allowed the cruise line to do some routine maintenance and sprucing up. For example, some carpeting was going to be replaced.

The voyage was all too short. Arriving early, I was onboard within 20 minutes of arriving in what has to be the quickest embarkation process I have experienced. From then on, the time was packed with action - - ice shows, production shows, street parades in the Royal Promenade, comedians, waiters singing in the dining room. Yet, there was also time for a round of mini-golf, unwinding on the stateroom balcony, a drink in the champagne bar, joining in a trivia contest, and for sitting and having pizza in the Royal Promenade and watching the people go by.

My profile of Navigator of the Seas is at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-NOS-Profile.html and my photo tour and commentary - - including some comments by Captain Standal - - begins at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-NOS-tour.html.

Captain Standal of Explorer of the Seas

During my recent voyage on Explorer of the Seas, I was invited up to the bridge as the ship was leaving Bermuda. Explorer is a big ship, 138,000 tons, and thus cannot dock in Hamilton or St. George’s in Bermuda. Consequently, we were at the King’s Warf pier at the former Royal Navy dockyard.

Seemingly, one could just pull away from the pier from Kings Warf and head directly out to sea towards New York. Once you are clear of the dockyard area, there is just water extending to the horizon. However, hidden just below the surface are numerous rock outcroppings that surround the island. Consequently, cruise ships have to follow a narrow channel and make a circuit around the island before heading off in their desired direction.

At one point not all that far from the pier, the channel narrows down so that it is not much larger than Explorer’s 155-foot width. Because of the narrowness of the channel, any sideways drift would lead to disaster. Therefore, the ship would have to put on a burst of speed in order to pop straight through the opening.

Just beyond the opening, the Costa Fortuna sat waiting for Explorer to pass. The new second pier at King’s Warf was still under construction and so the Costa ship had to wait until Explorer vacated her berth.

The rocks on either side of the opening just below the turquoise water were clearly visible from the bridge. Captain Erik Standal and the Bermuda pilot stood at the center console while the Staff Captain was over by the port side bridge wing so that he could observe how closely the side of the ship was to the rocks. Explorer accelerated, not to her full speed, but to a speed much faster than the normal lazy pace that cruise ships follow going in and out of port. With seemingly only a few feet to spare, Explorer shot through the opening. The water was pushed back from the rock outcroppings and then surged back, swirling in Explorer’s wake.

Once the ship was out into open waters, I sat down with the Captain for an interview. Explorer’s glass enclosed bridge runs the width of the ship and extends out over the water on either side. The computerized technology used to navigate Explorer does not take up much of this vast space so there is room for an informal conference area with comfortable chairs and a sofa. As a result, the Captain was able to keep an eye on what was going on on the bridge as we spoke.

Captain Erik, as he calls himself in his daily announcements to the guests, is a quiet but approachable person. His youthful appearance gives no clue as to his substantial sea experience. Similarly, his easy, informal manner gives no clue as to the perseverance needed to go from working on ventilation systems shoreside in Norway to commanding one of the world’s largest ships.

I spoke with Captain Erik about his career, commanding Explorer and his thoughts about cruising in general. The interview is posted at http://beyondships.com/Explorer-Standal.html