Bungee Cords, Cabin Doors, and Oceans Sounds!

[cruisinjules]

Okay, now I am perplexed. After carefully reading these boards and learning that hearing ocean noises as you fall asleep in your cozy cabin is a truly lovely experience AND that to experience this you need to rig up a cabin door holding open device, AND that the best device is a bungee cord, but I just read in a review the bungee cord was useless and there was nothing to hook it on to once one end was hooked to the cabin door.

 

So prior Carnival Cruisers, Miracle veterns in particular, HOW do you prop the cabin door open to hear the ocean noises lull you to sleep? Should I worry about a rogue wave?:eek: I am in cabin 6260 on the Miracle. Thanks for any tips.

[Arizona Travelers]

I haven't sailed on the Miracle, but for the Liberty this past summer, we used a small wood wedge. It worked perfectly to prop the door open slightly, but enough to hear the ocean.

 

I have read for some ships you will need a magnet to keep the A/C on in the room while the door is open, but we did not encounter that on the Liberty.

 

Cayce

[MrPete]

I would be more afraid of a stray cigarette than a rogue wave.

[bajohnsons]

I have used a bungee cord successfully on the Pride, the Triumph and the Glory. That's three different classes of ships so I think any other ships in those classes would be amenable to the bungee technique. There is a divider between cabins, and unless that's been moved by the cabin steward you can hook the other end of the cord to the aluminum trim on the far edge of the partition. Worked every time so far.

[jakieemma]

I tried the bungee on the Glory in a suite. I could not find anyplace to latch the bungee to.

My 11 year old said, "Dad..just do this". He picked up the rubber wedge used to prop the cabin door open and stuck it in the space between the door and the jamb....worked great !

[bajohnsons]

I've not booked a suite before but the regular balcony cabins acommodated the bungees on the ships I mentioned before.

[bajohnsons]

I've not booked a suite before but the regular balcony cabins acommodated the bungees on the ships I mentioned before.

[luvz2run2000]

In a pinch a rolled up towel stuck in the door edge closest to the hinges works fine too.

[popcorngal]

If you're in 6260, that's an aft wraparound balcony and there won't be a partition anywhere near close enough to latch on to with a bungee. Try the door stop or towel. You only need it open a little bit to enjoy the sound of the ocean.:D

[voyagerfl]

Sigh......I guess I'm in the minority.......but doesn't it worry you......what all these people proping open balcony doors and letting all that Air Conditioning run outdoors.......will do to the price of cruising ??

 

If someone came to your home and proped doors open with the AC running...could you imagine the bills ?

 

Or....every now and then...we read about the AC on a ship going out....I wonder if it's just being overworked.

 

Just something to think about.....

Are We Really.....Rich, Spoiled, Americans...........

 

.

[jakieemma]

Sigh......I guess I'm in the minority.......but doesn't it worry you......what all these people proping open balcony doors and letting all that Air Conditioning run outdoors.......will do to the price of cruising ??

 

If someone came to your home and proped doors open with the AC running...could you imagine the bills ?

 

Or....every now and then...we read about the AC on a ship going out....I wonder if it's just being overworked.

 

Just something to think about.....

Are We Really.....Rich, Spoiled, Americans...........

 

.

 

A ship creates it's own electricity with power plants on board. An air conditioner running on a ship is not the same as in a house. The ship does not get an electric bill. The ship burns waste to create power and clean water.

It's not as big a deal as you think.

[cruisinjules]

Believe me Voyagerfl, I am not rich or spoiled. Unlike your 21 cruises, this is my first and I just want to take advantgae of all the wonderful things I can experience. I also plan to leave used towels on the floor and not finish a meal or two. Horrors!

[MrPete]

I just want to take advantgae of all the wonderful things I can experience.

 

Freudian? :eek:

[phroggie]

Sigh......I guess I'm in the minority.......but doesn't it worry you......what all these people proping open balcony doors and letting all that Air Conditioning run outdoors.......will do to the price of cruising ??

I'm with you. It's the same short sighted mentality that causes us to use every last drop of refinery capacity and every Watt of generating and transport capacity. And then scratch our butts and complain about $3.00 gas and brown-outs.

 

A ship creates it's own electricity with power plants on board. An air conditioner running on a ship is not the same as in a house. The ship does not get an electric bill. The ship burns waste to create power and clean water.

It's not as big a deal as you think.

 

Last I checked, the laws of physics apply to cruise ships just the same as my house. Those power plants burn diesel fuel. The ship doesn't get an electric bill, it gets a fuel bill. Carnival has to buy fuel on the market just like everyone else. And I believe you have it backwards: the ship uses power to process the waste.

 

Simple logic: why would the ship's designers bother to put those magnetic switches in unless it would provide a return on investment?

 

<soapbox>No, it's not a big deal. But eventually, all the "little deals" add up to $5.00 a gallon.</soapbox>

[TinaLee]

Maybe I'm in the minority because I live in Florida and grew up by the beach, but the ocean sounds you are able to hear (a little bit) do not outweigh the fact that if you leave the door open you are letting the humidity in... damp sheets, damp clothes, foggy windows in the morning... I don't think so. Tried it once and decided that I was hearing the ship more than the ocean anyway, so we keep the balcony doors closed!

 

Just an alternative viewpoint! :)

[voyagerfl]

Believe me Voyagerfl, I am not rich or spoiled. Unlike your 21 cruises, this is my first and I just want to take advantgae of all the wonderful things I can experience. I also plan to leave used towels on the floor and not finish a meal or two. Horrors!

 

Sorry.....it was not aimed at you....it's just one of those pet peeves...:D

[voyagerfl]

Maybe I'm in the minority because I live in Florida and grew up by the beach, but the ocean sounds you are able to hear (a little bit) do not outweigh the fact that if you leave the door open you are letting the humidity in... damp sheets, damp clothes, foggy windows in the morning... I don't think so. Tried it once and decided that I was hearing the ship more than the ocean anyway, so we keep the balcony doors closed!

 

Just an alternative viewpoint! :)

 

Isn't it the truth....

I left the box from our TV in the driveway overnight.....and it was as wet as if someone hosed it down the next morning. I left a car window cracked the other day...The next morning...The seats were wet..and..I had to wipe the inside of every window in order to see on my way to work.

[Margie1983us]

how about proping the door open and leaving the air off. When it gets to humid in the room, shut the door. I love the sound of the ocean and I am willing to go without air for a few hours just for the sound of the ocean. I have always cruised when the nights were a little cool so it has never been a problem. :)

But for what its worth I'd pay a little more if the doors didn't slam everytime someone went out one. (I usually cruise with kids and they are the worst but NOT CRUISING WITH KIDS THIS TIME! YIPPPIEEE!!!):D

[campdaan]

To the original poster:

 

Use a 2 foot bungee, the elastic kind, not the stiffer black rubber ones. I also like these because they come in bright colors. 1 hook on the balcony door handle, the other fits in the crack of the divider or near the railing.

 

Good luck, have a great cruise.

[TinaLee]

But for what its worth I'd pay a little more if the doors didn't slam everytime someone went out one.

 

Oh, there's a good point - remember if you open your balcony door and then the door to the hallway, you create quite the little wind tunnel thru your cabin! :D

[Margie1983us]

Unlike your 21 cruises,

Voyager, Do you feel like you have neglected your vacation time on the years that you only take one cruise?? Just teasing, I am soooo jealous that you can take soo many cruises. What a wonderful life you must lead. Do you still get as excited when a cruise is coming up? or is it just another cruise? I get mini panic attacks as my cruise gets closer, thinking about how much fun I'm going to have. I hope you still get that feeling, thats the best part of cruising sor me.

[Raceroc]

To the original poster:

 

Use a 2 foot bungee, the elastic kind, not the stiffer black rubber ones. I also like these because they come in bright colors. 1 hook on the balcony door handle, the other fits in the crack of the divider or near the railing.

 

Good luck, have a great cruise.

 

We were on the Miracle and we used the two foot bungee as "campdaan" said. wrapped one end around the door handle and the other, just hooked it on the divider. I liked the door open most of the time. As "TinaLee" said... be careful when at sea... When both the balcony and cabin door are open it creates one heck of a breeze.:D

 

Have fun on the Miracle... It's a GREAT ship!

Kiss a stingray and Tube the caves!!

[LizaMM]

On my last cruise I forgot my bungee cord (and my digital camera) at home....I just stuck one of the chairs in the balcony door and it worked just fine. I absolutely LOVED the sound of the ocean lapping at the side of the ship to fall asleep! Personally, I liked turning the AC off at night when I slept so that I could get the full effect of the ocean air. Turned it back on in the morning when I woke up and closed the balcony door.

 

Enjoy!!

[Richard Parker]

We just returned from the Liberty and had an elastic bungee that fit perfectly from the balcony door handle to the latch that held the balcony divider closed. Not sure exactly how long it was, but just take one that's relatively long and you'll be able to improvise.

 

This was one of the best tips I got from this board. We never had to do anything about the room temp control. Maybe the Liberty is different, but we had a sort of thermostat on the wall and we almost always set it exactly in the middle of the temperature range, whether the balcony door was open or not. No magnets to control the A/C or anything fancy like that. There was one night that we got a bit hot in the middle of the night, so I just got up and shut the door.

 

The one drawback to holding the door open at night is that it's truly addictive. The one night we tried to sleep with the door closed, my wife and I both commented within the first few minutes of closing the door that it was way too quiet and we missed the soothing noise of the sea breaking. (It's also a great way to block out noise from people in the hallway.)

 

As for the environmental/energy consumption impacts of leaving the door open at night.... Everyone is obviously entitled to their opinion, but to me, the extra energy that might be expended due to open balcony doors during the night is miniscule compared to the overall energy expended by the ship for the sole purpose of entertaining everyone on board. I don't think you can fairly point to those guests who choose to keep their doors open at night as energy wasters when you are also on a ship that spends as much energy as it does solely for the entertainment of those lucky enough to be able to afford to cruise. Just my humble opinion. :cool:

[airhead22]

I so agree Richard Parker!!!