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No more opening doors between balconies


coach_anne

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When I made my most recent booking thru the RCCL phone line, the very helpful agent informed me that there's been a recent decision, effective in 2012(??), that passengers with adjoining balcony cabins will no longer have the option of opening the door between their balconies.

Has anyone else heard this?

 

If it's true, anyone know what the reasoning might be?

 

Sure will put a damper on some family cruises... :(

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When I made my most recent booking thru the RCCL phone line, the very helpful agent informed me that there's been a recent decision, effective in 2012(??), that passengers with adjoining balcony cabins will no longer have the option of opening the door between their balconies.

 

Has anyone else heard this?

 

If it's true, anyone know what the reasoning might be?

 

Sure will put a damper on some family cruises... :(

 

I heard this two years ago, and it was proven when one captain allowed the balcony door to be open, and when his reliver came aboard, he declared it not proper and had it closed.

 

Since then, I have not known anyone that has been allowed to have the connecting balcony door left open.

 

Maybe just now, corporate is backing the captains......or maybe the rule has been there, and now corporate is making it clear, so that anyone asking for the connecting door to be opened, can be told that corporate says that it cannot be done.:confused:;)

 

Rick

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On some ships, the partitions are bolted into place. I can totally understand why they won't open that kind. However, on some ships, the partitions are hinged...no real reason (assuming when open, it can be secured) why they shouldn't be allowed to open, if that's what both parties want.

Personally, I feel you lose privacy in your cabin, if your neighboring cabin has access to the front of your balcony door!

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On some ships, the partitions are bolted into place. I can totally understand why they won't open that kind. However, on some ships, the partitions are hinged...no real reason (assuming when open, it can be secured) why they shouldn't be allowed to open, if that's what both parties want.

Personally, I feel you lose privacy in your cabin, if your neighboring cabin has access to the front of your balcony door!

"Lose Privacy" :confused: Only if you don't know the people connecting to your balcony....Obviously you would only want this option if it was family/friends..As long as that is the case it should be allowed..What's next, telling you you can't open the doors between connecting cabins due to security reasons...This policy doesn't make sense :rolleyes:

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I don't think they have to open the balconies just because you have adjoining cabins. Increases the risk of something going wrong hugely.

"Have too" No..but it's something that certain cruisers traveling together that have specifically booked cabins next to each other want....And just what is going to go wrong that can't go wrong if you have a connecting cabin and those doors open :confused:

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When I made my most recent booking thru the RCCL phone line, the very helpful agent informed me that there's been a recent decision, effective in 2012(??), that passengers with adjoining balcony cabins will no longer have the option of opening the door between their balconies.

Has anyone else heard this?

 

If it's true, anyone know what the reasoning might be?

 

Sure will put a damper on some family cruises... :(

 

Announced on these boards back in August

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=30291146&postcount=2

It appears some ships have not been following the policy in full though since then.

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When I made my most recent booking thru the RCCL phone line, the very helpful agent informed me that there's been a recent decision, effective in 2012(??), that passengers with adjoining balcony cabins will no longer have the option of opening the door between their balconies.

Has anyone else heard this?

 

If it's true, anyone know what the reasoning might be?

 

Sure will put a damper on some family cruises... :(

 

Just got off the Allure of the seas two weeks ago. I asked to have the partition open between our balcony and our friends balcony. The woman I asked was the floor supervisor, she opened the partition, and gave me her card and said if we need anything else, call her directly!! Every cruise I have been on, the partition was opened.

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I don't think they have to open the balconies just because you have adjoining cabins. Increases the risk of something going wrong hugely.

 

Could you give me an example of something going wrong because adjoining balconies were opened?

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Could you give me an example of something going wrong because adjoining balconies were opened?

 

The only thing I could possibly think of was in case there is a fire next door. Probably not, but that is the only thing I came up with. Spreading fire.

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The only thing I could possibly think of was in case there is a fire next door. Probably not, but that is the only thing I came up with. Spreading fire.

 

 

Possibly, but it also provides an alternative escape route.....assuming the fire was in your room.

 

 

The only other reason I can think of is that it would encourage large groups of people to congregate on he balcony together. Thinking spring break atmosphere here. There may be less a tendency to congregate if there was less room to move around.

 

We have connecting central park balconies on Oasis in December. Hopefully they won't have a problem opening the partition. If I remember I can post our experience with this when we return, after 12-24-11.

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Just to play devil's advocate here for a minute. Let's say you are travelling with a group of friends, with four balconies in a row, and you happen to have one of inside ones within your group. Everyone else wants one giant balcony, but you do not. Sort of puts you in an awkward position don't you think? I mean just because you booked with friends does not mean that you wanted to lose the privacy of your own balcony. You paid your cruise fare anticipating being able to chat with your friends, but not having them walk by your door. Perhaps the company has received complaints from passengers about this?

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Just to play devil's advocate here for a minute. Let's say you are travelling with a group of friends, with four balconies in a row, and you happen to have one of inside ones within your group. Everyone else wants one giant balcony,

 

Too bad. If I do not want my balcony open, it will not be open.

 

Pretty simple.

 

And, if 3 or 4 cabins wanted to be open, and I was in the middle, I would be happy to switch rooms to be on the end.

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You paid your cruise fare anticipating being able to chat with your friends, but not having them walk by your door. Perhaps the company has received complaints from passengers about this?

 

So, I agreed to get adjoining cabins knowing that it would give us a large connected balcony, then I would go and complain to RCI because of my decision to do this?:confused:

 

Kinda like complaining to RCI that you got an inside cabin, and when you turn the lights off it is too dark.

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So, I agreed to get adjoining cabins knowing that it would give us a large connected balcony, then I would go and complain to RCI because of my decision to do this?:confused:

 

Kinda like complaining to RCI that you got an inside cabin, and when you turn the lights off it is too dark.

 

I'm sorry, but not everyone would know about opening the balcony dividers in advance. I had never even heard of that idea until coming here to cruise critic. Sometimes friends just assume that everyone will know and agree to things without spelling them out to new cruisers.

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I was on the Mariner a couple of years ago. I discussed this issue with our room stewardess. Captain Pers was at the helm. She stated that he used to allow it, but a PAX was injured while horsing around with the open partition. After the incident, no more open partitions due to liability. Next time I spoke to Capt. Pers, he confirmed it.

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I was on the Mariner a couple of years ago. I discussed this issue with our room stewardess. Captain Pers was at the helm. She stated that he used to allow it, but a PAX was injured while horsing around with the open partition. After the incident, no more open partitions due to liability. Next time I spoke to Capt. Pers, he confirmed it.

 

Now that makes sense. :eek:

 

Good thing no one has ever gotten injured horsing around at the pool. Would be a real drag if the Captain had to shut down the pools for all cruises.

 

The Captain could really limit the liabilities if he were to declare that NO ONE is allowed on their balcony because of the legal liabilites.

 

Common sense is an endangered species.

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Can't say why they do not allow it but know that it has nothing to do with privacy. We had connecting cabins on Navigator this summer with our kids. They had no issues opening the interior door, but would not open the balcony dividers. We asked several different people and got the same answer...

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I was on the Mariner a couple of years ago. I discussed this issue with our room stewardess. Captain Pers was at the helm. She stated that he used to allow it, but a PAX was injured while horsing around with the open partition. After the incident, no more open partitions due to liability. Next time I spoke to Capt. Pers, he confirmed it.

 

Can't say why they do not allow it but know that it has nothing to do with privacy. We had connecting cabins on Navigator this summer with our kids. They had no issues opening the interior door, but would not open the balcony dividers. We asked several different people and got the same answer...

 

Navigator and Mariner, both have "swing door" type dividers, these I can see being a safety issue as there is now way to secure then once opened, Freedom and Allure class have sliding dividers that slide back along the fixed part of the divider, no safety issue there

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