A friendly heads up on Carnival Dream cabin

[dvrdude]

DW and I (along with both in-laws) just returned from the 12/4 sailing on Carnival Dream. We all had a great time, but here is one negative of note I thought I'd pass along.

 

DW and I had cabin 9202. We loved the layout of the room, but be aware that it is located right next to the door leading out to the not-so-secret balcony that is just above the wheel house. All day and night long we had to put up with the S-L-A-M of the big, heavy door. Apparently the caves some of our fellow passengers and crew (who were sneaking a smoke) were raised in were not equipped with doors, so the concept of closing a door by hand was lost on them.

 

Like I said, it didn't ruin our cruise, but if you're a light sleeper avoid this cabin.

 

jim

[ottawapuppy]

We loved the layout of the room, but be aware that it is located right next to the door leading out to the not-so-secret balcony that is just above the wheel house. All day and night long we had to put up with the S-L-A-M of the big, heavy door. Apparently the caves some of our fellow passengers and crew (who were sneaking a smoke) were raised in were not equipped with doors, so the concept of closing a door by hand was lost on them.

 

The same holds true for the Cove balconies. The door to the balcony is very heavy and slams very easily and LOUDLY. You could tell whenever anyone in the neighbourhood went in and out of their balcony by the loud slams.

They were comfortable rooms though. Those beds were crazy comfortable.

 

Mike

[dvrdude]

I wish that Carnival would install a sign on the door as a gentle reminder to people to close those doors by hand. It really doesn't take that much effort, and the one next to our cabin was the access to a public use balcony, which was used by both pax and crew (for breaks) at all hours. :mad:

[Rooster11]

I am booked on deck 7, in a similar, but not quite the same location. 7207, it is a corner unit. (Interior with picture window obstructed views)

 

I was concerned about that when I booked, but had read that the end balconies where not well known. And the ship map did not indicate that there was even a door there.

 

What is a cove balcony? Is that only on upper decks?

 

Do you think that deck 7 would be exposed to similar traffic? There are no stairs on the ship map next to 7207, as there are next to 9202, Are those stairs the exit you were referring to, or is the referenced exit unlabeled at the end of those short dead-end hallways?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I wish that Carnival would install a sign on the door as a gentle reminder to people to close those doors by hand. It really doesn't take that much effort, and the one next to our cabin was the access to a public use balcony, which was used by both pax and crew (for breaks) at all hours. :mad:

 

That would be futile - as many people would ignore such signs.

 

The solution is to have an automatic closing mechanism on the door to control the speed of the door just before it closes. Such technology exists, but it might cost them a few extra bucks - AND CARNIVAL IS NOT GOING TO SPEND EXTRA $'s JUST TO HELP YOU HAVE THE PEACE AND QUIET YOU DESERVE AND EXPECT ON YOUR VACATION AFTER SPENDING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS!! :rolleyes:

 

Tom

[cruisedawgg]

to the OP: i was on your sailing and was in a forward cabin a few decks down, and initially thought the same thing about the door slamming -- that is until I actually went out to the observation deck area (quite frequently). That particular cruise was VERY windy, and it was hard to open & close that door. I know 'cause i was out there daily. So it may not have been people slamming it, it was most likely the windy conditions!

 

Of course that still doesn't help those inside the cabins near the door :)

[dvrdude]

The stairs indicated on the deck plan are actually out-side and go from the level 9 front deck to a similar deck on the 10th floor. Don't know about deck 7, sorry, but if your cabin is shown to be next to the door I suspect it would be a similar situation.

 

True, these decks are not well known but known enough to have a relatively steady stream of visitors. As they're located on the vey front of the ship, the deck was a very popular spot as we sailed into and out of ports. That was definately the busiest time, but as I said the crew seemed to use it as a clandestine smoking area at all hours. Apparently this is known to the brass, as I saw them out there obviously looking for crew members on several occasions.

[elcuchio24]

Those doors seem to open/close especially hard, probably because of the airpressure difference coupled with the wind at the bow.

[Rooster11]

... but if your cabin is shown to be next to the door I suspect it would be a similar situation.

Thanks for the feedback. But what doors are you referring to? The ship map at carnival.com does not show any doors to the balcony on either decks 7 or 9. Should I just presume that there are doors at the end of those short dead-end hallways?

 

I suppose ear plugs are a good idea regards of the room location.

 

We selected deck 7 because it was not adjacent to a deck with activities. Deck 10 has a lot of activities (food service, bars, pools), I presume that is were the crew was coming from. Hopefully being more remote, and lower, will cut down on the crew traffic. I don't really want to go through the brain damage of re-booking now, not to mention they will probably charge me an exorbitant penalty.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Most balcony doors will slam shut if people don't take care with them - that happens on most Carnival ships. Many other lines have SLIDING DOORS.

 

We were on deck 7 (mid-ship suite) in February. The noise from the Ocean Plaza area and hot tubs directly below rendered the solitude of our balcony MIA. When sitting out there, particuairly on sea days, to read or just admire the ocean -- any tranquil periods were often interrupetd with sounds from people on their balcony shouting down to their friends in the Ocean Plaza or exterior promenade area - or from people in the hot tub shouting to each other so that they could hear themselves over the jets/bubbles... :rolleyes:

 

I will take this opportunity again to voice my extreme displeasure with this aspect of the design of the Dream class - and we have been on enough ships to know the difference. :(

 

Tom

[dvrdude]

Thanks for the feedback. But what doors are you referring to? The ship map at carnival.com does not show any doors to the balcony on either decks 7 or 9. Should I just presume that there are doors at the end of those short dead-end hallways?

 

I suppose ear plugs are a good idea regards of the room location.

 

We selected deck 7 because it was not adjacent to a deck with activities. Deck 10 has a lot of activities (food service, bars, pools), I presume that is were the crew was coming from. Hopefully being more remote, and lower, will cut down on the crew traffic. I don't really want to go through the brain damage of re-booking now, not to mention they will probably charge me an exorbitant penalty.

 

 

Yup, even though it's not shown on the deck plan, there is a door at the end of the short hall. In our case, just to the left of 9202, if your looking at the plan.

[64Chevy]

Does anyone have any idea where all the "secret" stairwells are to get to all the "secret" places on the ship?!?!?! Would love to check out some great views that not everyone might know about; could make for some great pictures too!! ☻

[elcuchio24]

Does anyone have any idea where all the "secret" stairwells are to get to all the "secret" places on the ship?!?!?! Would love to check out some great views that not everyone might know about; could make for some great pictures too!! ☻

 

No secret stairwells I'm afraid. But there are some little utilized deck areas at the front of the ship above the bridge, usually accessable, like the OP has said, from deck 9 or 10, all the way forward. Just walk forward past the rooms on these decks until you get to the doors that open forward. Each ship design is different, but thats the general location people are talking about when they say the 'secret doors'.

[jhappy]

We are looking at 7207 and I was curious as to the bed/room layout and picture window thing. Is this an actual window that you see out (albeit to a public area.) or a fake? and is the layout similar to a regular inside? It seems like it would be bigger? Any memories of this cabin helpful.

Thanks.

I am booked on deck 7, in a similar, but not quite the same location. 7207, it is a corner unit. (Interior with picture window obstructed views)

 

I was concerned about that when I booked, but had read that the end balconies where not well known. And the ship map did not indicate that there was even a door there.

 

What is a cove balcony? Is that only on upper decks?

 

Do you think that deck 7 would be exposed to similar traffic? There are no stairs on the ship map next to 7207, as there are next to 9202, Are those stairs the exit you were referring to, or is the referenced exit unlabeled at the end of those short dead-end hallways?

[kruuuuznutt]

I'll be in Carnival Liberty 7207 soon. I'll let y'all know about two things after the cruise.

1) The big heavy door that I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT by reading this forum (will bring earplugs, thank you) and

2) about the obstructed view. From what I can tell from diagram and from other postings, the view is partially obstructed from above by the crows nest. So what? I booked the balcony to look out not up. But we'll see next week.

 

As for the big heavy door, after 30 years off/on in hotel management, I'm familiar with such doors that usually lead to hotel stairs or building exit. Unfortunately 9 out of 10 people are inconsiderate enough to let the blasted door slam behind them, caring not who is in adjacent rooms. These are the same clods that talk loudly or yell in hallways.

I'm sure the fine folks that take the time to participate in forums such a this would not be guilty of such infractions but may know of heathens that are. Let's take it upon ourselves educate our less informed brethren of such courtesies and maybe in time... I can dream can't I? However, if it is a simple mechanism/maintenance issue I'll address that with management and they can include that fix as part of this $500 million fleet wide upgrade.

[gail8]

I read a suggestion somewhere to put a small hand towel over the top of it to stop it...they said it worked well. we are booked there for our upcoming cruise as well.

 

Gail

[MissMeggieMurphy]

automatic self-closers do not work in windy conditions so when the ship is sailing the door will end up staying in the open position if a closer is attached and will eventually tear itself away from the self-closer and then the door is inoperable and then nobody gets to enjoy the hidden deck. also, sliding doors must have self closures and these have more force, and people with disabilities find them almost impossible to maneuver so ships that have them are discriminating against physically challenged patrons. besides the doors leading outside on ships are heavy because they need to be fire rated to protect those sailing. but then passengers don't care about the safety of others as long as they are getting the quiet they paid for.

 

i am always amazed at how many people have no clue about how ships are designed and why and how doors, hinges and closers work and why they are installed the way they are. life safety manuals for cruise ships are dictionary thick and the architects not only have to design for form but they also need to take into consideration the function of every element on a ship.

 

people should be glad that cruise ships don't sail under an american flag since the building codes and the ada codes are so restrictive that it would be almost impossible to build a ship that meets all of the requirements and still make it flexible enough to appeal to passengers. before people start complaining they need to educate themselves on the whys and hows, not arbitrarily condemn a cruise line for their design and building practices.

[cruzinlisa]

to the OP: i was on your sailing and was in a forward cabin a few decks down, and initially thought the same thing about the door slamming -- that is until I actually went out to the observation deck area (quite frequently). That particular cruise was VERY windy, and it was hard to open & close that door. I know 'cause i was out there daily. So it may not have been people slamming it, it was most likely the windy conditions!

 

Of course that still doesn't help those inside the cabins near the door :)

 

I was thinking the same thing. We were near one on our Valor cruise and the one time that i went out there, I had to work very hard to even OPEN the door. Even trying to close it gently, it still slammed. The wind is super strong.

[kruuuuznutt]

Like I said, I haven't seen or experienced it yet, but will next week. Can't wait. I'm sure it will all be a non-issue.

[givemeliberty]

If I remember correctly, there are double doors. (we were on the Liberty) We were instructed by a steward in the hallway to walk through the first door, let it close completely and then walk through the second door. He explained that it would help with the wind and slamming. When we walked through that way, we could open and close the doors with ease and they didn't slam. Of course, we were lucky enough to run into someone who knew how to go through the doors. The first time we went out, we could hardly open or close the outside door because the inside door was still open causing a wind tunnel.

[RWolver672]

No secret stairwells I'm afraid. But there are some little utilized deck areas at the front of the ship above the bridge, usually accessable, like the OP has said, from deck 9 or 10, all the way forward. Just walk forward past the rooms on these decks until you get to the doors that open forward. Each ship design is different, but thats the general location people are talking about when they say the 'secret doors'.

 

You can also get there from decks 6 & 7. Deck 8 is the Bridge.