No high heels please, dark clothing, prepare for extreme heat, visit at your own risk, ear protection mandatory....that were some of the suggestions on my permission to visit the ships working belly.
Down a bunch of metal stairs, with my eyes glued on the back of the man a couple of rungs below me - hoping that vertigo would not overwhelm me on these almost vertical stairs into the nether region.
And a bit of a Hades is was, with heat climbing higher the lower we went into the hull below waterline, it must have been close to 40 centigrade.
Home to a battery of giant diesel engines, each about 50-60 cylinders and twice as big as my own entire sailboat, four diesel generators, massive fresh water tanks, fuel water separators as big as oil drums, airconditioning, air compressors, sewage treatment, stabilizer motors, incinerator, fire fighting steam generator, engine cooling water pumps, ballast compartments and what seemed like hundreds of watertight bulkheads and doors leading onto convoluted catwalks and past stacks and rows of machinery.
Up in the genteel and elegant passenger areas none of the hidden work is known, thought about or maybe even appreciated.
There were a couple of mechanics, almost buried amongst massive pipes in the bottom of the bilge, repairing a broken pipe connection - temperature almost at boiling point, engine vibrations, deafening noise and sometimes not so pleasant odors. Others were conscientuously cleaning up whatever dripped from the leak. Some were rebuilding an entire motor, others tooled parts in the huge work shops.
The areas looked clean, well maintained, and very professionally managed (of course), and oil, mess, and discomfort are part of repairing whatever breaks on a ship.
Overhead, there were neat rows of hundres of coloured electrical wires snaking amongst stringers and supports, pipes and columns. To be able to understand, run and maintain such a huge plant which supports the entire infrastructure of the ship is a large challenge. And - crew and staff on this ship sure inspire confidence...
The control room a few feet below waterline, consisted of numerous controls, monitors, hot buttons, cold buttons, video cams of stacks, engine room and security accesses. Computer monitors and graphic system depictions were everywhere. Two officers on watch enjoyed their air-conditioned comfort in the sterile environment, whilst keeping an alert eye on the ship's heartbeat.
Quite an honour for yours truly, only three other male passengers made up our little group of priviledged guest to be allowed a glance into the secret life of a large ocean cruiser.
