Quantum of the Seas: Retractable Funnel

The Quantum of the Seas at a height of 72 meters is unable to pass under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. To get around this Royal Caribbean installed a retractable funnel that allowed the ship to lower it's height by 15 feet to just 68 meters. She is not the first ship with a retractable funnel, or even the first large cruise ship. Royal Caribbean originally experimented with the idea when it built the Oasis of the Seas. The funnel was retracted once to allow it to pass under the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark in order to leave the shipyard. Once in the Caribbean though it was discovered that the cool nights were cold enough to cause soot to stick to the exposed pipes and then flake off causing it to rain down on the Boardwalk and Aquatheater. As a result the funnels were permanently locked in place so that they could be insulated to prevent the cooling. Unlike the Oasis class though the Quantum of the Seas must lower her funnel every time she returns home to New Jersey. For this reason the funnel was redesigned with a two stage system and enhanced insulation to ensure a repeat of the Oasis class problems would not occur. In addition to being slightly lowered overtime she passes under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge she also tends to lower her funnel entirely each day that she is in port. This video was filmed as the funnel was being retracted while in Barbados on December 7th, 2014.