Balcony neighbor horror stories

[cruzeluver]

One side of the ship for smokers, and one for non. Seems logical to me, and keeps everyone happy. Hopefully, one of these days, we can all just get along:rolleyes:

 

Not going to happen, no way, no how. When the non-smoking side is fully booked, how many non-smokers will be willing to book a cabin on the smoking side, and vice versa?

 

With much of the rest of the world no longer willing to accommodate smokers (no smoking in public indoor spaces is very, very common now in entire cities, municipalities and even countries! and even restrictions on outdoor smoking are becoming the norm), cruise lines will (and to some extent already are) be forced to do likewise.

 

My current line of choice, Celebrity is already ahead of the curve as they no longer allow any indoor smoking on their ships and outdoor smoking is severely restricted.

[beachnative]

Our only balcony 'horror' was in an aft balcony cabin on NCL Jade which we were 'upgraded' into.

 

2 decks above was the buffet restaurant with an outside area. At night the deck crew hosed down the outside restaurant area and every morning all over our balcony and balcony furniture we had a myriad of different food bits, straws, straw wrappers, sugar/sweetener wrappers, hot drink stirrers, dust and dirt.

 

When i say "all over" I'm not exaggerating. You couldn't go out or else you'd stand on something. It was really gross and made me feel nauseous every morning.

 

All guests services said was "what do you expect us to do other than clean your balcony?"

 

(Which often didn't happen until around 1pm when our stateroom attendant got to us, so we were unable to use it).

 

:-(

 

You should have made arrangements for your cabin attendant to clean the balcony before he/she did anything else in the morning.

 

I would have had no problem getting them to do that.

 

Ha Ha Ha

[Starry Eyes]

sounds like some nice kids.. why would them being out on THEIR deck be a problem. I would blame the cruise company for putting you between family. why wouldn't they play music it's what teenagers do. they turned it down when they knew you were there.

 

Rockey, since that poster specified the ship as Oasis, odd as it sounds , the families likely chose to have a cabin between them. Remember on Oasis, the balcony cabins have an alternating configuration, with a cabin for two (bed near balcony, capacity only two) alternating with cabins with bed near closet (some of those hold 3-4). The families with teens likely needed rooms for 3-4, so they likely left the cabin (for two) between them open. neither the poster nor the TA had any idea they were booking between friendly families who would shout and toss things past their balcony.

[rushedmom]

You should have made arrangements for your cabin attendant to clean the balcony before he/she did anything else in the morning.

 

I would have had no problem getting them to do that.

 

Ha Ha Ha

 

If this was me that would not work as I am often up at 6:00 a.m. and have coffee on my balcony first thing in my PJ's while hubby is still sleeping. I am it would not work very well to have the room steward in before 6 a.m. to clean the balcony...

[jerrib]

I know it's been mentioned to John Heald, Carnival's brand ambassador, and as of right now, it's not going to happen. I am a smoker, but I am a considerate smoker. I really try not to smoke at ALL if neighbors are on their balcony, however, with that being said, I would be ALL FOR IT. One side of the ship for smokers, and one for non. Seems logical to me, and keeps everyone happy. Hopefully, one of these days, we can all just get along:rolleyes:

I appreciate your comments. Although reserving one whole side of the ship for smokers is not what I had in mind. If it has been determined that only 20% of passengers smoke, that should more likely be the allocation. i.e. port-side top to bottom section toward the aft. Just thinking.

[Retired LEO]

I appreciate your comments. Although reserving one whole side of the ship for smokers is not what I had in mind. If it has been determined that only 20% of passengers smoke, that should more likely be the allocation. i.e. port-side top to bottom section toward the aft. Just thinking.

 

There is no way it would work no matter how many cabins they allocate.

[beachnative]

If this was me that would not work as I am often up at 6:00 a.m. and have coffee on my balcony first thing in my PJ's while hubby is still sleeping. I am it would not work very well to have the room steward in before 6 a.m. to clean the balcony...

 

You make an excellent point.:)

We are also early risers and like to have coffee on the balcony. However (I'm not trying to be contrary) if it were on a Royal Caribbean ship I would arrange for someone to be there every morning at 6am to clean that balcony. They made the mess and they would would be doing the cleaning.

 

We were on the Serenade during a Norovirus outbreak. Our cabin was on deck 7 and the tops of the lifeboats stick out from deck 7 balconies. One morning we threw open the curtains and were greeted by a HUGE splat of puke across the top of the lifeboat. We called guest services and a crew accompanied by the head of housecleaning was there with minutes to wash that lifeboat top. That's one of the reasons we are so loyal to Royal.:)

[Elvis1209]

This has always amazed me! I've had balconies on all but 3 cruises and rarely see anyone on any balcony...nearby or farther along/up/down the ship. I can't imagine paying the price for a balcony and never, ever use it.

 

Makes me wonder where all the people are who complain about smelling smoke on their balconies...

 

Those folks I did (rarely) encounter on nearby balconies were very tolerant of my smoking...I spend a lot of time on my balcony, but only light up a single cigarette every few hours or so, and I always try to do so when my neighbors are not on their balcony.

 

The only time I really had a problem was when my aft balcony neighbors allowed their little children to climb all over the railing of their balcony (one deck below mine)...I couldn't relax because I was so worried one of those youngsters would fall and get hurt. Seemed like I was the only one worrying, though.

 

Maybe instead of banning smokers on balconies we should ban children!

 

Elvis

[Luvmesomeme]

I agree with most of your comment. However, as a smoker I would "Love" balcony sections segrated for smoking (I'm sure non-smokers would love it also).

 

Many posters have stated that as a non-smoker there is a 50/50 chance that you may end up being located near a smoker thereby curtailing your use of your balcony. Certainly disappointing and not what you paid for.

 

As a 'considerate' smoker I run the same 50/50 chance. I do not smoke when others are out on nearby balconies. So my favorite time in the morning with a cup of coffee and a smoke, in the afternoon with a good book or in the evening with a cocktail has not been possible in some cruises. 50/50 rule.

 

Both have booked balconies with hopes of enjoying it fully, both run the risk of this not happening. I would think that both sides would welcome and benefit from the line finally addressing the issue by defining sections. And "no" they don't have to know each passenger's smoking habits. They would simply state which cabins allow smoking on the balconies. Passengers would simply choose their cabins accordingly. Nothing would stop anyone from booking either.

 

I know I run the risk of being 'flamed' for my ideas. Especially from the non-smoking folks who would like to see a smoke-free ship altogether. I do not wish to offend anyone, just voicing my personal opinion.

 

Seems like this is quite a controversial suggestion. Perhaps it should have it's own thread.;)

[reney313]

 

I'm afraid to approach smokers as if they take offence then I feel there will be bad feelings the whole trip & I hate feeling that way. I get the impression from some of the smokers on this thread that I would get a mouthful of abuse if I approached them about it.

 

Sure, there are many smokers on here also that would be friendly & considerate if approached, but how do you know which sort your smoking neighbour is likely to be? Is it worth taking the risk & ending up in a worse situation where they may smoke extra just to p--- you off :confused:

 

To be honest, I would MUCH prefer the open communication. If I am next to you in a balcony and my smoking bothers you, I would want you to say something. I think most of the smokers that would give a mouthful of abuse, would only do so depending on the delivery. (Accusatory, lack of respect for the smoker, etc).

 

I was so worried on our last cruise about the smoking, I couldn't wait to talk to my neighbors and ask them their opinion. The ones on the left smoked too (social smokers) and had no issue. The ones on the right did not smoke, but I think were very happy I talked to them about it. I let them know we didn't chain smoke and would likely be out of our cabin for most of the time, but we would also likely have a morning cigarette, evening cigarette, and the occasional day time ones if we were in our cabin--especially getting ready for dinner. I wanted to make sure they knew no hard feelings if they were out there already to speak up if the smoke was getting in their way. I didn't want to be a peeping Tom so it is hard to tell if someone is out there unless they are making noise. If I heard the door slide open then I would know to wrap it up quickly. I could always "move" to the railing so the smoke would have more of a chance of going "to sea".

 

Again, talking to them with an approach of "how can we make this work so we can both enjoy our balconies?" vs. "your smoke bothers me, cough cough" will generally diffuse any verbal abuse or awkward relationships.

[johneeo]

Are you speaking from "experience"?:rolleyes:

KIDDING!!!!!

Again, I was NOT being nosey, but when you hear "noises", yup, you are going to look.

 

[Guest maddycat]

Our only balcony 'horror' was in an aft balcony cabin on NCL Jade which we were 'upgraded' into.

 

2 decks above was the buffet restaurant with an outside area. At night the deck crew hosed down the outside restaurant area and every morning all over our balcony and balcony furniture we had a myriad of different food bits, straws, straw wrappers, sugar/sweetener wrappers, hot drink stirrers, dust and dirt.

 

When i say "all over" I'm not exaggerating. You couldn't go out or else you'd stand on something. It was really gross and made me feel nauseous every morning.

 

All guests services said was "what do you expect us to do other than clean your balcony?"

 

(Which often didn't happen until around 1pm when our stateroom attendant got to us, so we were unable to use it).

 

:-(

 

That is the kind of attitude that I remember from our 2 NCL cruises and one of the reasons why we would never sail with NCL again.........even for free.

[babyher]

 

 

Please don't give some people any ideas .

 

 

Next thing you know there will be threads on the vest way to pack your "over the balcony partition super spyer" :)

[Starry Eyes]

To be honest, I would MUCH prefer the open communication. If I am next to you in a balcony and my smoking bothers you, I would want you to say something. I think most of the smokers that would give a mouthful of abuse, would only do so depending on the delivery. (Accusatory, lack of respect for the smoker, etc).

I was so worried on our last cruise about the smoking, I couldn't wait to talk to my neighbors and ask them their opinion. The ones on the left smoked too (social smokers) and had no issue. The ones on the right did not smoke, but I think were very happy I talked to them about it. I let them know we didn't chain smoke and would likely be out of our cabin for most of the time... I could always "move" to the railing so the smoke would have more of a chance of going "to sea".

Again, talking to them with an approach of "how can we make this work so we can both enjoy our balconies?" vs. "your smoke bothers me, cough cough" will generally diffuse any verbal abuse or awkward relationships.

As a nonsmoker, I really appreciate your attitude, and I'd welcome that conversation. Still, it probably works in large part because you do not chain smoke and plan to be out and about most of the time.

 

Imagine somebody does chain smoke and booked the balcony because they wish to spend almost the whole day there smoking (while talking, relaxing, drinking, writing, reading, whatever), while their sensitive, nonsmoking neighbor also bboked a balcony to spend almost the whole day doing the same sort of things, sans smoking. I can see how communication could result in a compromise where each gets half of what they wanted, but I cannot see how communication can give them both all they wanted. As smoking is allowed on balconies on this cruiseline, I would not say anything to my chain-smoking neighbor who spends all day on the balcony, because they are following the rules. I'd just find myself another spot and concentrate on enjoying my cruise.

[RockeyBullwinkle]

Rockey, since that poster specified the ship as Oasis, odd as it sounds , the families likely chose to have a cabin between them. Remember on Oasis, the balcony cabins have an alternating configuration, with a cabin for two (bed near balcony, capacity only two) alternating with cabins with bed near closet (some of those hold 3-4). The families with teens likely needed rooms for 3-4, so they likely left the cabin (for two) between them open. neither the poster nor the TA had any idea they were booking between friendly families who would shout and toss things past their balcony.

 

huh?

don't remember shouting, they turned the music down when they realized she was on her balcony and one of the kids apologized for tossing whatever it was over the balcony. I don't think it happened again. least they weren't naked or smoking or doing 'it' for her to complain about.

[HB Cruiser]

OK, gotta add my 0.02 worth, probably not even worth that much. ;)

 

#1. If I am standing at the railing, please feel free to speak to me. If I am sitting on my balcony, DON"T look around the divider to see me or speak to me. If I'm at the rail,, talk away. My opinion is it a private balcony and what I am doing in my private area is my business. This does not mean I'm not sociable (sp), it means I like my privacy. We own a small mom and pop type of business and provide great service our customers 51 weeks a year. It is our one week to relax and enjoy being by ourselves.

 

#2. Smoking. We are not smokers and do not have a problem with a smoker stepping onto their balcony to burn one occasionally. Unfortunately, my DW has asthma. If this person is a chain smoker, I will knock on their door and ask to discuss the situation. I have found most smokers understand and are sympathetic to others. For the most part, common courtesy goes a long way.

 

#3. Music. Yes, we play music on our balcony, VERY LOW VOLUME. If my neighbor is out on their balcony and I can see them standing at the rail, I will ask them if the music is bothering them. Again, just like smoking, common courtesy. If I am interferring with the quiet enjoyment of another passenger by playing the music, off it goes. Should someone knock on my door and ask to turn it down, by all means, the volume is either lowered or turned off.

 

We are all on vacation, lets all enjoy it. Work together and vacation will be even better and everyone is happy.

 

Tim

[Starry Eyes]

huh?

don't remember shouting, they turned the music down when they realized she was on her balcony and one of the kids apologized for tossing whatever it was over the balcony. I don't think it happened again. least they weren't naked or smoking or doing 'it' for her to complain about.

Oh, sorry if I confused it with another complaint about shouting back and forth. With so many complaints, it is hard to keep them all straight:o. Anyhow, unless I missunderstood, your earilier post seemed to blame the cruiseline for placing the poster in between the families' two cabins My point, in case you missed it, was that the families probably selected those cabins on Oasis for the extra bedding, knowing they would have a cabin between.

[Luvmesomeme]

OK, gotta add my 0.02 worth, probably not even worth that much. ;)

 

#1. If I am standing at the railing, please feel free to speak to me. If I am sitting on my balcony, DON"T look around the divider to see me or speak to me. If I'm at the rail,, talk away. My opinion is it a private balcony and what I am doing in my private area is my business. This does not mean I'm not sociable (sp), it means I like my privacy. We own a small mom and pop type of business and provide great service our customers 51 weeks a year. It is our one week to relax and enjoy being by ourselves.

 

#2. Smoking. We are not smokers and do not have a problem with a smoker stepping onto their balcony to burn one occasionally. Unfortunately, my DW has asthma. If this person is a chain smoker, I will knock on their door and ask to discuss the situation. I have found most smokers understand and are sympathetic to others. For the most part, common courtesy goes a long way.

 

#3. Music. Yes, we play music on our balcony, VERY LOW VOLUME. If my neighbor is out on their balcony and I can see them standing at the rail, I will ask them if the music is bothering them. Again, just like smoking, common courtesy. If I am interferring with the quiet enjoyment of another passenger by playing the music, off it goes. Should someone knock on my door and ask to turn it down, by all means, the volume is either lowered or turned off.

 

We are all on vacation, lets all enjoy it. Work together and vacation will be even better and everyone is happy.

 

Tim

 

Your $ 0.02 was worth a million dollars!:D

[beachnative]

OK, gotta add my 0.02 worth, probably not even worth that much. ;)

 

#1. If I am standing at the railing, please feel free to speak to me. If I am sitting on my balcony, DON"T look around the divider to see me or speak to me. If I'm at the rail,, talk away. My opinion is it a private balcony and what I am doing in my private area is my business. This does not mean I'm not sociable (sp), it means I like my privacy. We own a small mom and pop type of business and provide great service our customers 51 weeks a year. It is our one week to relax and enjoy being by ourselves.

 

#2. Smoking. We are not smokers and do not have a problem with a smoker stepping onto their balcony to burn one occasionally. Unfortunately, my DW has asthma. If this person is a chain smoker, I will knock on their door and ask to discuss the situation. I have found most smokers understand and are sympathetic to others. For the most part, common courtesy goes a long way.

 

#3. Music. Yes, we play music on our balcony, VERY LOW VOLUME. If my neighbor is out on their balcony and I can see them standing at the rail, I will ask them if the music is bothering them. Again, just like smoking, common courtesy. If I am interferring with the quiet enjoyment of another passenger by playing the music, off it goes. Should someone knock on my door and ask to turn it down, by all means, the volume is either lowered or turned off.

 

We are all on vacation, lets all enjoy it. Work together and vacation will be even better and everyone is happy.

 

Tim

 

I would like to have a balcony next to yours.:D:D

[copnlpn2]

Wonder how many cartons of cigarettes a chain smoker has to bring along for a 7-day cruise????

[Retired LEO]

Wonder how many cartons of cigarettes a chain smoker has to bring along for a 7-day cruise????

 

They don't have to bring any since they sell them on the ship.

[HB Cruiser]

Your $ 0.02 was worth a million dollars!:D

 

And I will see the money when? ;)

 

Tim

[HB Cruiser]

I would like to have a balcony next to yours.:D:D

 

May 25, 2014, corner aft deck 7. Come join the fun! Just don't look around the divider between our balconies. You might get more than you bargained for. LOL

 

Kidding of course.

 

Tim

[Luvmesomeme]

And I will see the money when? ;)

 

Tim

 

I was going to give it to you when we are balcony neighbors but it looks like our schedules are not synchronized. I was trying to decide whether to keep it in the account until we cross paths or if I should surprise you in May with a huge On Board Credit.:D

[HB Cruiser]

I was going to give it to you when we are balcony neighbors but it looks like our schedules are not synchronized. I was trying to decide whether to keep it in the account until we cross paths or if I should surprise you in May with a huge On Board Credit.:D

 

Well poop! Oops, should I have said that on this thread? ;)

 

Just call that OBC into RCCL and I'm sure they will be more than happpy to place that on my Sea Pass card. :D

 

Tim