Engineering question (because I really don't get this)

[Amster]

One thing I've observed is that there are a lot of people on this forum with a wealth of engineering and navigation knowledge, far more than I have. So I'm hoping someone can explain this. I was on a cruise last week. This sign was by the patio sliding door in my cabin. How on earth does whether I have my curtain open or closed affect the navigational abilities of an enormous cruise ship? Honestly, I didn't follow it because having some light in the morning helps me wake up, plus I didn't notice it until 3/4 of the way through the trip. And the ship arrived in ports exactly when they were supposed to, so it had no ill effects.

 

[Babyrocko1908]

One thing I've observed is that there are a lot of people on this forum with a wealth of engineering and navigation knowledge, far more than I have. So I'm hoping someone can explain this. I was on a cruise last week. This sign was by the patio sliding door in my cabin. How on earth does whether I have my curtain open or closed affect the navigational abilities of an enormous cruise ship? Honestly, I didn't follow it because having some light in the morning helps me wake up, plus I didn't notice it until 3/4 of the way through the trip. And the ship arrived in ports exactly when they were supposed to, so it had no ill effects.

Cruise fanatic here. Where was your cabin located? On most ships, there are cabins directly below the bridge. If you were in one of these cabins, the light the emanates at night can effect the officers navigating the dark seas. Another reason could be certain waters around the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Suez Canal are littered with pirates still to this day. Keeping the curtains closed helps camouflage the ship at night.

 

[Amster]

Cruise fanatic here. Where was your cabin located? On most ships, there are cabins directly below the bridge. If you were in one of these cabins, the light the emanates at night can effect the officers navigating the dark seas. Another reason could be certain waters around the Middle East, Northern Africa, and Suez Canal are littered with pirates still to this day. Keeping the curtains closed helps camouflage the ship at night.

It was towards the rear of the ship. And we were around FL and Cozumel/central America. No places with that I've heard of pirate activity.

 

[Babyrocko1908]

It was towards the rear of the ship. And we were around FL and Cozumel/central America. No places with that I've heard of pirate activity.

Per ChatGPT....

• Navigation Safety: Open curtains can cause light pollution that interferes with the bridge crew's ability to navigate safely in the dark. Reducing light from cabins helps the crew maintain optimal night vision.
• Wildlife Protection: Lights from the ship can disorient marine wildlife, especially birds. Keeping curtains closed helps minimize the impact on nocturnal creatures.
• Privacy: With cabins facing either the sea or other parts of the ship, closed curtains ensure passenger privacy.
• Regulations: Some maritime regulations require ships to limit light emissions at night to reduce environmental impact.

There are bridge wings off the side of each ship. Maybe the lights even towards the rear can effect safe navigation if a ship has to maneuver or back up into a port at night.

 

[Steve181]

I have an MSEE, but on the Celebrity Apex, we couldnt figure out how to turn off all our room lights. It turns out it was on what we thought was only a thermostat!

I have had my Lucid Air Pure RWD a week now, and I have only figured out about 30-40% of the controls. And that is after watching the videos before it arrived.