What is a bridge of a ship? Do we have a different kind of bridge in here?….. I asked with no guilt in my voice because I seriously had no clue. I know, I should have known it because it had been three big days on a ship as grand as Majestic Princess but….
Okay! I admit, I was on my first cruise and I was too enamored by the glamour, entertainment and hospitality side of it that I made no efforts to learn about its architecture. Thank God, the media group had an invitation of the bridge tour and the moment I learned that we would get to meet the Captain Craig Street, I was happier all the more. Till then, we had only had the privilege to hear his voice when he updated us about the speed, weather, location, sunset and sunrise time at 12 noon everyday.
BRIDGE – The controlling & commanding station of the ship!
On the fourth day, finally we made our way to the room that is an indispensable part the ship. The bridge is a big, vulnerable and selectively placed room that is full of installed electrical and electronic equipment like levers, compass, controlling buttons and much more. It is the Captain’s station where he looks into the navigation, sea conditions, positioning, speed, direction, alarms, security and handles all kinds of communication with the control room, external and internal parties. This is the place where I became aware of terms like rough weathers, change of routes, changing waters, collisions, etc.
I had thought I would get to see big wooden steering wheels, navigating tools and old age compass but to my surprise, everything looked absolutely new age and state-of-the-art about the bridge. Accuracy and efficiency have been taken to a new level altogether. They are consoles to look into the controls or switch between displays. There is an equipment called ‘Auto-pilot’ which helps to control the ship’s steering system from a remote location and Electronic Chart Display Information System displays accurate locations. These advanced navigational equipment definitely made everything look hassle-free and under-control however, a constant monitoring is a must. The bridge is always under the supervision of ‘Officer on Watch’, Able Seaman, Commanding officer, Captain and more people on job.
Come, join me for a virtual tour of the bridge of Majestic Princess and let us learn about the features that are kept in mind while designing the layout of the bridge.
A few things that I learned after the bridge tour!!
- A lot of regulations have to be met in the designing of the bridge.
- There is a specific material is to be used and bridge windows must be tilted to an angle.
- The windows (as seen in the pictures) are tilted to prevent the sun reflections.
- The maximum speed that cruise ships usually prefer to go are 23 or 24 knots.
- This is a good speed which helps fuel consumption.
- A wheelhouse is a part of a boat or ship serving as a shelter for the person at the wheel. A wheelhouse poster contains information that describes the maneuvering characteristics of the ship
- A Pilot Card is the first look of the ship. It charts all the information about the length, breadth, weight, LOA (Length Over All), beam, dead weight, tonnage, draft forward and aft, RPM & speed of the ship.
Discovering the bow or the front of the ship was like unearthing the secret of the ship. This area shown in the picture below is only accessible to the Captain.
This was quite a learning experience on board the Majestic Princess. I loved meeting the Captain and the bridge tour will always be memorable just like the first cruise. Thank you ‘Cruise Professionals’ for designing a perfect cruise trip for me.
Wow! Throughly enjoyed reading this post. Being a shippie’s daughter so so enamoured by ships and the sea! 🙂 And passenger ships are very different from cargo ships. This is like an exclusive tour into the deck of a cruise liner so all thanks to you I could virtually travel there! 🙂 I am sure you would have loved interacting with the captain! 🙂
Well I too didn’t know what a bridge of ship was… looks very sophisticated and high tech. Chances of error sure will be less. That was good that the press team could interact with the crew, helps understand things better.
This is quite an informative and detailed blog. We were blessed that we made this visit. It exposed us to the part of the cruise not many are aware of. The group photo made me think of the lovely time we had on this cruise.
so cool you got to experience the bridge. i had no idea that it was even called that and i also expected to see a big wooden wheel. so fascinating that how the technology has evolved but it would make sense as nautical travel has to evolve like other modes of transport.
Visiting Captain’s room on a cruise is really a memorable experience. To understand how cruise sails and other technicalities is very knowledgeable. Discovering the bow and plotting the pilot card is really worth. This being your first cruise journey, it must be really a great learning and fun for you.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I had no idea what the bridge of a ship was, and I wouldn’t even come close with my guesses! It looks like a super complicated control room, unsurprisingly when you think about the size of the ships. It’s so cool that you got to have a tour and meet the captain, it really gives you a perspective of the other side of cruise life, away from the entertainment, food and glamour!
Well, you learn something new everyday! How was the food? How was sleeping on a ship with all the waves rocking you all night?
This is an excellent post. The way you have explained Bridge of a Ship in layman’s language and with so many photographs is marvelous.
I wonder how fast 23-24 knots are. Is it fast or slow? I have no idea because I’ve never been on a cruise. However, it’s something I want to experience at some point.
This is so fun! I have always wanted to meet the Captain of a cruise ship and to actually see all the instruments used was really fascinating actually. I can’t believe how big that compass was, I mean WOW, can you imagine how hard it must have been to navigate by the stars back the day? So crazy how times have changed right? I didn’t even think about why the windows are angled, how interesting!