We were hired to get the biggest cruise ship in the world ready for its maiden voyage. Royal Caribbean's Icon Of The Seas boarded its first paying passengers on Jan 27, 2024. There was a lot of work to be done to get the ship ready so we were contracted from Jan 3 through Jan 26 to get her ready and returned for two weeks in February. Embedded with the ship engineers who were from around the world was very enlightening and enjoyable. Our punch list included troubleshooting and fixing issues on everything from 680v three-phase HVAC and Pool systems to Emergency Controls, Commercial Galley equipment, as well as lower voltage DC equipment like LED lighting systems and cabin networks. You would think a new fancy ship would have everything documented, but there were so many contractors helping the shipyard and using their own prints and systems, there were thousands of schematics and component files that were almost impossible to locate, cross reference, and decipher.
Living and working on a ship is unique due to the system's complexity, navigating the many locations on the vessel (getting lost), and working 7 days a week doing what it takes to get things fixed on a very tight deadline. You are not a passenger and have to avoid the many amenities available. before the launch, there were several 3-day cruises with media, Youtubers, executives, and travel agents. To "hide" our presence in public areas we dressed as tourists carrying our tools and equipment in backpacks. Walking into crew-only or high-security areas often resulted in suspicion and interactions with security and Staff. Working with the ship's engineers was great, but we missed the personal interaction with our customers who own and are passionate about their personal yachts and boats. We will go back as a temporary contractor on a cruise ship when asked but will never give up servicing private vessels.
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