Opening balcony dividers

[MrsPete]

We just had a price drop and changed rooms -- now I care about a topic I've only noticed in passing: Opening of balcony dividers. I'd like to remove the dividers between our three rooms so we'll have one looong balcony and can access one another's rooms without going out into the hallway. (Before anyone asks the obvious, yes, we're all adjacent rooms -- three in a row.)

 

Can I be SURE that the room steward'll do this for us?

I heard of some sort of tool that some people bring so they can open it themselves. What was this tool, and is it worthwhile?

 

By the way, we're sailing on Liberty of the Seas, and we're mid-ship (no odd shapes like aft or hump balconies).

 

Thanks in advance!

[griffy]

Depends on the ship and their policy at the time. We do same, with 3 balcony cabins in a row, and on 2 of 3 ships they opened the divider and on one they said it was a fleetwide policy that they could no longer open them. I don't think that's the case, but we weren't able to open the divider. It is a nice touch to have the divider gone and be able to go between rooms without going into the hall.

[cb at sea]

I think the dividers are able to be opened on the Freedom class ships--on the older ships, they're either part of the hull, or bolted together. Ask your room attendant to do it for you, if that's what you want.

[SailingBird]

We were on the Liberty a few weeks ago - over Christmas - we were next door to our friends. We asked the room steward and she came back with an officer who opened them for us. No problem.

Enjoy the Liberty - we had a great time.

Helen

[MrsPete]

We were on the Liberty a few weeks ago - over Christmas - we were next door to our friends. We asked the room steward and she came back with an officer who opened them for us. No problem.

Enjoy the Liberty - we had a great time.

Helen

Thanks to all for your answers, but this post reassures me most of all. Since they were doing it at Christmas, which was only a few weeks ago, this makes me relatively sure that we'll have no problems.

 

My husband is THRILLED with the idea of a loooong balcony. He stays out there all the time. He has slept out there. He's a bit sad that we don't have our wonderful 10th floor corner aft balcony this time, but we couldn't -- with six people, it just didn't fit our group.

[zekekelso]

I heard of some sort of tool that some people bring so they can open it themselves.

[madforcruising]

 

 

rotflmao :d:d:d

[madforcruising]

Thanks to all for your answers, but this post reassures me most of all. Since they were doing it at Christmas, which was only a few weeks ago, this makes me relatively sure that we'll have no problems.

 

My husband is THRILLED with the idea of a loooong balcony. He stays out there all the time. He has slept out there. He's a bit sad that we don't have our wonderful 10th floor corner aft balcony this time, but we couldn't -- with six people, it just didn't fit our group.

 

On Freedom class ships the dividers are designed to be opened up, however ifthey do is a decision the Captain has to make. Some Captains allow it and some don´t.

 

As to the loooong balcony, the dividers are like sliding doors, so the door will slide open about half way of the divider. I´m just describing this so you don´t have the idea of having one huge balcony, but it´s more like still having three balconies where you can walk from one to the other likf stepping through a door.

[jittey3]

By the way, we're sailing on Liberty of the Seas, and we're mid-ship (no odd shapes like aft or hump balconies).

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I have a question as well. You mention that you don't have odd shapes like hump balconies. We are sailing on the Liberty as well this May and was hoping to have the baloconies open too, but we are in hump cabins. Does this mean we won't be able to??

[arc918]

one on of the last pages of the "all things Freedom" thread there are some pics of the balcony dividers - indeed the appear to be like frosted sliding glass doors

[WM219]

We've sailed on Liberty twice now and had no issue with opening the dividers. In fact, on our last sailing the stateroom attendant was happy to oblige and said that he would be back with the tool after muster drill. However, we discovered that we were able to to turn the latch ourselves with no tool. Not sure if this is the norm or not. It appeared that they had all been recently opened for maintenance. Never taken a tool for our own use, but it appears to take a small triangle shaped socket.

 

[mation101]

We were just on the Mariner, we were talking about people wanting to open the dividers, we both looked up and it appears that when the divider is open it latches right in front of the slider to the room, so that would be a bit inconvenient.

 

I wouldnt want to have the divider open even if it was friends or family in the next cabins, it takes away from the privacy of the cabin. Wouldnt want Uncle Bob walking by as I was getting out of the shower.

[Livy56]

2 yrs. ago we were a group of 8 on the Freedom with the four rooms below the whirlpools. The balconies bowed out a little and we had the room attendent open the dividers between the four rooms. It was the best cruise I ever have gone on. It was an all girl cruise and we would meet out on our looooong balcony in the morning for coffee and then in the afternoon for drinks before dinner. We had so much fun!

[MrsPete]

I knew I'd seen a picture of it on this board!

 

[socialsea]

My husband and I and our two friends just got back from our cruise on the Liberty. (January 24-310). We had two hump balconies, side by side, 7640 and 7642 and our cabin steward unlocked the balcony divider within minutes of our asking. This was our second time on Liberty (December,2009) and again our divider was opened shortly after our request. We loved meeting our friends out there early morning for our coffee and again in early afternoon for snacks and a drink. This is such a nice feature. I wish all the ships had this option.

[John Henry on CC]

I knew I'd seen a picture of it on this board!

 

 

Good detective work! ;)

[Euroagogo]

Mrs Pete,

 

What ship and if you know what are the cabin numbers of the ship in the picture you posted showing the balcony with the dividers opened.

 

We'll be on Serenade 9594 and 9596 soon and hope we can open our dividers.

 

I sleep every night on the balcony. The best experience.

[jittey3]

My husband and I and our two friends just got back from our cruise on the Liberty. (January 24-310). We had two hump balconies, side by side, 7640 and 7642 and our cabin steward unlocked the balcony divider within minutes of our asking. This was our second time on Liberty (December,2009) and again our divider was opened shortly after our request. We loved meeting our friends out there early morning for our coffee and again in early afternoon for snacks and a drink. This is such a nice feature. I wish all the ships had this option.

 

Thanks! I'm happy to hear that. My husband and I will be in one cabin and my daughter and MIL will be next door and we want to have the balconies open. :)

[uksimonusa]

On Freedom class ships, th balcony dividers slide, on Voyager class ships, they swing like a big door, there is normally no problem having he dividers opened on Freedom Class, but on Voyager class some captains won't allow it as they can swing and be dangerous in rough seas

[MrsPete]

Mrs Pete,

 

What ship and if you know what are the cabin numbers of the ship in the picture you posted showing the balcony with the dividers opened.

 

We'll be on Serenade 9594 and 9596 soon and hope we can open our dividers.

 

I sleep every night on the balcony. The best experience.

I lifted the picture from the thread that's titled something like "All things Freedom of the Seas", so although I didn't take it myself, I feel certain it's from Freedom. It's certainly a hump cabin in the middle of the ship, and I think it's the very first hump cabin. Judging from the windows above it, I believe it's a 9th floor cabin. Now I'm not certain I'm right here: If you were standing on the hump, looking towards the cantilevered hot tubs, you'd be on the port side looking forward.

 

So, thinking about these clues and looking at a deck plan, I THINK these rooms would be 9634, 9632, and 9630.

 

Again, I didn't take the picture, so I'm not absolutely sure that it's the truth.

[Euroagogo]

MrsPete. Excellent deduction! I think you got it. I guess I should check the All things Serenade. Thanks for the lead. :)