How Cruise Ship Stabilizers Make Your Sea Vacation More Comfortable

Cruise ship stabilizers are features built into the ship to reduce the sideways motion (or pitching) of the ship. While most cruise ships have a variety of active and passive design elements that help smooth the ride, the retractable fin stabilizers on either side of the ship below the waterline are the ones that the average passenger typically thinks of.

Let’s explore how different types of stabilizers work and how they help improve your ride.

How does a cruise ship stabilizer work?

The first stabilisers that come to mind are fin-type stabilisers, which are considered active stabilisers because the captain must deploy them. When not deployed, they retract completely out of the way. This is especially important when the ship is berthing or navigating narrow channels.

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Celebrity Reflection’s pier during a departure from the British Virgin Islands. Because the retrieval of stabilizing fins is so important among the many small islands in the BVI, the pier team relies on more than just high-tech measuring equipment to inform them of their fins.

They also taped a large, hand-printed sheet of paper to the wall above the windows, where everyone could clearly see it, indicating whether the stabilizer was deployed or not—just like you would use the “dirty” and “clean” sheets on your dishwasher at home. As we left the island chain and entered open water, the captain gave a verbal command to deploy the stabilizer and the sign changed.

Stabilizer fins are easy to understand. When waves hit the side of the boat, the fins help keep the boat from tilting too far to one side. Think of a tightrope walker using a pole to balance, or gymnasts using their straight arms on the balance beam to keep their balance and prevent rocking.

While stabilizers make for a smoother ride for passengers, the downside is increased fuel consumption. They are also ineffective at speeds below six knots (about 7 mph). Think of it like the wobble of an airplane at the relatively slower speeds needed to land. Airplane stabilizers are effective at higher altitudes and higher speeds, but are ineffective when the plane must slow down. The same goes for cruise ship stabilizers.

Related: How is cruise ship speed measured and how many miles per hour is a nautical mile?

In addition to active fins, keel stabilizers have been a marine standard for more than a century. First used in the late 1800s, they were internal pump and tank systems. They originally relied on fixed bulkheads to slow the movement of water in the tanks from side to side. Today, they are computer-controlled, using the weight and movement of water inside the tanks to match sea conditions and stabilize the ship.

Some ships may also have small external protrusions on the hull that help break the water flow, helping with overall stability. These are the most passive forms of stability.

How can stabilizers help me have a better vacation?

Cruise ship stabilizers improve the overall vacation experience by reducing the types of motion that can potentially cause motion sickness.

People who are prone to motion sickness will tell you that any movement of the ship makes them feel sick. However, for most people, the side-to-side rolling motion is usually the worst, followed by the front-to-back motion known as pitch. Deploying retractable stabilizers mainly reduces roll, not pitch.

Some larger boats have two pairs of stabilizing fins, which help to slightly adjust the pitch. The longer the boat, the less pitch passengers will feel as the motion is spread over multiple waves along the length of the boat.

Cruising on an unstable ship takes some of the fun out of it, even if you’re not prone to motion sickness. The ship’s crew may close down pools and outdoor activities if the ship rocks too much. Acrobats, aerialists, or jugglers may not be able to perform to their full potential or may not be able to perform at all. In extreme cases, too much movement can disrupt dining and bar areas. Imagine the risk to both servers and customers if food, drinks, and glassware become so unstable that they slide off serving trays and tables.

Without stabilizers, many more exciting activities would be at risk of being canceled as safety procedures come first.

Related: Do you really need motion sickness patches when going on a cruise?

Do all cruise ships have stabilizers?

All cruise ships have stabilizers in one form or another. Almost all modern oceangoing cruise ships have retractable fin stabilizers. Smaller coastal vessels and ferries often do not have these because they are useless in narrow straits and channels and at slow speeds. Instead, these ships rely on ballast systems and hull design to counteract the erratic motion.

Which cruise ship has the best stabilizers?

The newer shipthe more likely it is that a highly sophisticated computer-controlled stabilization system will be able to produce the smoothest possible motion. Imagine fins tilting and rotating slightly as computer sensors detect the precise angle of the waves the ship is passing through. However, even the best stabilizers do not guarantee a complete absence of motion on the ship.

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