Guest Author - Lisa Shea

Diesel engines have been used for decades - but they create nasty pollution, fumes, and noise. Some new cruise ships are going with a more environmentally and people friendly engine. With some older diesel engines kicking out the smog equivalent of 10,000 cars a day, it's a great step forward!

The new engines are called Aeroderivative Gas Turbines. It's a mixture of a steam turbine and a gas turbine. Because of the way the engine works, it is far more quiet than a diesel engine, and also runs more smoothly. That means rooms located near the engine room will not necessarily have the tell-tale rumbling feeling.

Many guests on ships are very sensitive to fumes - fumes can trigger waves of seasickness. With fewer diesel fumes, this will be a welcome relief to queasy passengers.

These turbine engines first were place in ships in 2000, and many lines are using these engines in their modern fleet. In fact the new engines are so clean that they are often called "smokeless". If you're planning a cruise, it's worth it to look into the ship selection and find one that has a newer turbine engine - it'll be a quieter ride for you, and a better situation for the environment.