Engines stop, lights out and people stuck in the lift!

I have just suffered a power cut at home and it reminded me of power cuts I have had at sea.

The one that sticks in my mind the most was on Queen Mary 2 and it was already dark. I was working at the tour desk and if we had a quiet moment at our desk it was very rare. On this evening, it was about to get very quiet indeed.

On a ship, you get used to constant noise. The air conditioning, constant rattling sounds from the slight movement of the ship, printers, and computers in the office plus the passengers talking, laughing, and chatting. When the engines stop for any reason there is backup power from batteries and this is what happened on this evening. The emergency lights came on with hardly any delay. Then to go from a brightly lit grand lobby to a few light bulbs, on a dark evening, absolutely everybody stops what they are doing and just look around. There is a sharp intake of breath and the people who just got in the lift wished they had taken the stairs instead.

A ship radio is a good thing to have at this point. For updates on the situation, to find out what is really happening. Our office had four of them so that was the first thing to go through my mind. Our desk was also close to the purser’s office and the senior officers who look after the hotel side of the ship sprang into action and were running to check for stuck people in the lifts. Many passengers were going to the purser’s desk to ask what was going on but in these situations, they too were ‘left in the dark’ as to the reason the engines had stopped.

The chief engineer and the captain were getting updates from the engine room and although the ship was not moving or making noise, there was not really any reason for alarm. In fact you could hear the silence all around. I remember that hour or so more than a lot of my time at the tour office because it was so quiet. Of course, when the power came back on we still had all our work to do. Computers fired up, air conditioning was back on and the people finally got out of the lift. If you have had a strange experience on a ship, or want help, or advise on which cruise to do next. Call me now on 0333 300 2480.