Tips for a balcony room

[ray98]

39 minutes ago, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

This is not true. While it may shut off your AC in your cabin it does not affect cabins around you. That is a wild internet rumor. 

 

Incorrect.  @chengkp75 has spoke about it numerous times on here explaining just how ship A/C systems work.  An open door will impact your neighbors.

 

[TerReuv]

2 hours ago, Buffalofirsttimer4 said:

 

We don't even turn the balcony light on...to be honest we didn't even realize we had one the first balcony we had .

 

We do bring with us a battery operated candle, mini blue tooth speaker to play smooth jazz and relax in the evenings with a cocktail.

 

Same here.  Took our second cruise in a balcony to realize there was a light and that was only because our neighbor kept theirs on.  LOL

 

I also bring LED candle and a bluetooth speaker.  I'm up early and love to sit out there.  

 

I bring chair clips and use them to clip our wet suits out there.  I always make sure they are clipped really well.  They just don't dry well in the bathroom when we have to shower.

 

[TerReuv]

1 hour ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

If you can hear it then the people 12 inches from you on the next balcony can hear it. If you don’t care about being inconsiderate of those around you then just own it. There’s always earbuds and headphones for Samsung people.

 

First, they are not 12 inches from you.  Second, we had a balcony next to my parents and we had the divider opened.  I could play my bluetooth quietly and my mother (who still hates my rock), couldn't hear a thing sitting on her side.  

[AtSeaWithChris]

8 minutes ago, ray98 said:

 

Incorrect.  @chengkp75 has spoke about it numerous times on here explaining just how ship A/C systems work.  An open door will impact your neighbors.

 

[ObstructedView2]

48 minutes ago, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

This is not true. While it may shut off your AC in your cabin it does not affect cabins around you. That is a wild internet rumor. 

 

46 minutes ago, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

Hammocks, brought by passengers, are prohibited on Carnival balconies.

 

 

Both comments are incorrect.

 

 

✌️

[TerReuv]

7 minutes ago, ray98 said:

 

Incorrect.  @chengkp75 has spoke about it numerous times on here explaining just how ship A/C systems work.  An open door will impact your neighbors.

 

 

I love chengkp75's posts.  They are very informational.  However, John Heald has said that it is OK to do it and it would only shut off the air in your cabin.  Who knows at this point.

[PhillyFan33579]

One of my favorite things to do is hang out on the balcony late at night and just watch the waves created by the ship. It is also nice at night when you can see other ships cruising parallel to your ship. A balcony is also a great place for looking at the stars. As others have stated countless times on this site, once you have stayed in a balcony it is often hard to cruise again without one. 

[AtSeaWithChris]

2 minutes ago, ObstructedView2 said:

 

 

 

Both comments are incorrect.

 

 

✌️

On the hammock, I can not find it but John Heald has said they are not allowed.

Below is the AC proof.

[Buffalofirsttimer4]

1 hour ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

If you can hear it then the people 12 inches from you on the next balcony can hear it. If you don’t care about being inconsiderate of those around you then just own it. There’s always earbuds and headphones for Samsung people.

 

Guess it's a good thing we aren't cabin neighbors so you don't have to worry about what it is I'm doing or not doing in my cabin

 

[AtSeaWithChris]

19 minutes ago, TerReuv said:

 

First, they are not 12 inches from you.  Second, we had a balcony next to my parents and we had the divider opened.  I could play my bluetooth quietly and my mother (who still hates my rock), couldn't hear a thing sitting on her side.  

[princess76021]

1 hour ago, grumpytilicruise said:

I would say, please don’t sit out there in the buff. The neighbors can see reflection in the glass and when they have small children, questions are asked and usually everyone hears them. Lol. I know from experience with the little one asking questions. 

or do other things!!  you can (and i have witnessed, not intending to) other inappropriate happenings!!

[holdon216]

2 hours ago, ChosenOne said:

Please: remember to carefully open and close your balcony door.  Nothing worse then neighbors who constantly let that door slam. 

Here's a fun little tip..use inexpensive plastic shower curtain rings to hang swim suits on the back bar of the chairs on your balcony.  Keeps items secure and dries so much faster then hanging on the shower clothesline.

I just tie and knot the drawstring on my husbands bathing suit trunks to the back of the chair. And as for mine I hook the bathing suit bottoms to the top through the leg opening, and hook to the chair. No need for shower rings. 

[AtSeaWithChris]

[five.]

Post 42 in that thread has the detailed response about AC in state rooms and leaving the balcony door open.

[ray98]

34 minutes ago, TerReuv said:

 

I love chengkp75's posts.  They are very informational.  However, John Heald has said that it is OK to do it and it would only shut off the air in your cabin.  Who knows at this point.

 

I will go with the Chief Engineer when it comes to how mechanical systems work.

 

 

• chengkp75

• 10,000+ Club
• 17,425 posts
• Maine or at sea

Posted August 28, 2019

  On 8/27/2019 at 11:29 PM, Donray said:

It also appears that few if any know how the heat and air work.  Please explin how the air is control within a room.  If I turn off the air and I open the balcony door how does it affect anyone else?  Be specific. 

Having intimate knowledge of cruise ship AC systems, I'll explain how the systems (note I say "systems", because there are two) work.  One system is the one controlled by the thermostat in your cabin.  This system is just like a window AC in your home, it takes air from the cabin, sends it over a cooling coil, and returns that air to the cabin, this is "recirculation" air, and is typically shut off when the balcony door is opened.  The second system is the "fresh air" system.  Since the bathroom exhaust fan is running 24/7, removing air from the cabin, this air must be made up from outside, both in order to not underpressure the cabins but also to maintain the previously mentioned overpressure for safety.  So, the ship takes in warm outside air via large fans, sends this to AC air handler rooms (those large "white areas" running down the middle of the cabin decks), where the air is cooled by large cooling coils, and then it is sent to the cabins as cooled, fresh air.  These large air handlers are grouped so that one air handler supplies all the cabins in a fire zone (between the fire doors in the passageways) for one or two decks, maybe split port and starboard, maybe not, so about 30-50 cabins get their fresh air supply from one fan.  Now, if you leave your balcony door open, this removes the designed overpressure that the fresh air supply is creating, and all the fresh air supply from those 30-50 cabins will flow to your cabin trying to re-create the overpressure, so that the rest of the cabins will not receive cooled fresh air, but will get make up air from under the passageway door, from the warm returning air in the passageways.  Your cabin will remain cool, and everyone else's will get warmer.

 

Specific enough?

[ObstructedView2]

1 hour ago, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

 

This is not true. While it may shut off your AC in your cabin it does not affect cabins around you. That is a wild internet rumor. 

 

 

Certainly not an internet rumor.

I will also agree with our Chief Engineer. His info & post below can be located @:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2514183-air-conditioning-in-balcony-rooms/?do=findComment&comment=54165480

 

There are two different AC systems in use on the ship. One is like a window AC unit at home, that merely takes the cabin air and cools it while recirculating it back to the cabin. This is what is controlled by the cabin thermostat, and by the balcony door interlock, if fitted. This system is designed to recirculate 80% of the cabin's volume each hour.

 

The second AC system is the one that is affected by the balcony door being open, and that affects the cabins around yours when you leave the door open. This system is not controllable from the cabin, and can not be shut off. This system is designed to bring fresh air into the cabin, about 20% of the volume per hour, and is balanced by the bathroom exhaustvent, which removes about 20% per hour. This system takes outside fresh air, cools it in a large air handler (in those big white spaces down the middle of most cabin decks), and supplies this air to all of the cabins in a particular fire zone (between those pesky doors in the passageway) for one or two decks, meaning one fan and cooler handles 30-50 cabins. Now, this air is sent to the cabin at a higher pressure than normal HVAC systems, for one reason. This "overpressures" the cabins, forcing anyleakage at the door to go out into the passageway, not the other way around. This prevents any possible smoke ingress to your cabin in an emergency.

 

Now, what happens when you open your balcony door? You replace the 2" diameter bathroom vent, and the 3/4" x 3' crack under the door that maintains the pressure balance in the cabin, with a 3' x 6' opening tooutside. This immediately drops the cabin pressure to atmospheric, and the fresh air supply AC system sends all of the air to your cabin trying to rebuild the over pressure. This means that the other cabins lose much of their supply of fresh air (cooled), and also their overpressure safety feature, and now air is drawn back into their cabins from under the door, from the passageway (warmer). Therefore, the other cabins in the zone lose some of their AC capacity, and start getting warmer air supplied to the cabin.

 

How can you tell if this is happening? Real simple. I used to do it daily when I worked on cruise ships. You walk down the passageway, and listen for the air whistling under a door. 99 times out of 100, I would find the balcony door open in that cabin. Also, if it is your cabin with the door open, when you open the door to the passageway, you will create a wind tunnel, that blows everything out of your cabin. It doesn't do this when thebalcony door is closed, so the door being open obviously has an effect on the AC balance in other areas than your cabin.

 

Your humble opinion may think it is BS, but I've worked on ships for 42 years as an engineer, 35 as Chief Engineer, and I have intimate knowledge of shipboard AC systems. Yes, there is a proven effect on others from having your balcony door open, and I've had to deal with it constantly over the years I worked cruise ships, when we would get whole banks of cabins complaining about their AC.

 

 

[Hooked2]

WOW..so many excellent points on the balcony! Thank you all so much for your answers and opinions, I consider myself to be a considerate cruiser, so all this info is extremely helpful!! 

[AtSeaWithChris]

6 minutes ago, ObstructedView2 said:

 

Certainly not an internet rumor.

I will also agree with our Chief Engineer. His info & post below can be located @:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2514183-air-conditioning-in-balcony-rooms/?do=findComment&comment=54165480

 

Well, it certainly makes sense...

 

 

 

[bingomamma19]

1 hour ago, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

I have always left my balcony open at night...love the fresh air and sound of the ocean to sleep to.   As long as John says its ok and there is no rule against it, i am good :):)

[rukkian]

1 hour ago, SDPadreFan said:

Easy to be a good neighbor and just ask the cabins near you if the music bothers them. If it does - then turn it off. If not - then enjoy, but keep the volume low (like background music). Most music doesn't bother me. Full throated opera is a little distracting. Heavy metal, grunge, vulger, or _rap is pretty intolerable.

While I would probably not care, by asking them, you are putting them in a predicament.  Many people, even if annoyed would say they were fine with it, even if they were not just to not be 'that guy' that complains.  

[TerReuv]

39 minutes ago, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

 

18 minutes ago, ray98 said:

 

I will go with the Chief Engineer when it comes to how mechanical systems work.

 

 

• chengkp75

• 10,000+ Club
• 17,425 posts
• Maine or at sea

Posted August 28, 2019

  On 8/27/2019 at 11:29 PM, Donray said:

It also appears that few if any know how the heat and air work.  Please explin how the air is control within a room.  If I turn off the air and I open the balcony door how does it affect anyone else?  Be specific. 

Having intimate knowledge of cruise ship AC systems, I'll explain how the systems (note I say "systems", because there are two) work.  One system is the one controlled by the thermostat in your cabin.  This system is just like a window AC in your home, it takes air from the cabin, sends it over a cooling coil, and returns that air to the cabin, this is "recirculation" air, and is typically shut off when the balcony door is opened.  The second system is the "fresh air" system.  Since the bathroom exhaust fan is running 24/7, removing air from the cabin, this air must be made up from outside, both in order to not underpressure the cabins but also to maintain the previously mentioned overpressure for safety.  So, the ship takes in warm outside air via large fans, sends this to AC air handler rooms (those large "white areas" running down the middle of the cabin decks), where the air is cooled by large cooling coils, and then it is sent to the cabins as cooled, fresh air.  These large air handlers are grouped so that one air handler supplies all the cabins in a fire zone (between the fire doors in the passageways) for one or two decks, maybe split port and starboard, maybe not, so about 30-50 cabins get their fresh air supply from one fan.  Now, if you leave your balcony door open, this removes the designed overpressure that the fresh air supply is creating, and all the fresh air supply from those 30-50 cabins will flow to your cabin trying to re-create the overpressure, so that the rest of the cabins will not receive cooled fresh air, but will get make up air from under the passageway door, from the warm returning air in the passageways.  Your cabin will remain cool, and everyone else's will get warmer.

 

Specific enough?

 

 

And, while I can agree with cheng, he doesn't have a say at Carnival and if they say it isn't against the rules, then there you go.  It's really all about what is and isn't against the rules.  Per JH, there is not policy or rule that says you cannot prop your balcony door opened.  I would think if it caused that much of an issue, it would be policy.

 

Same goes for your post about the person complaining about their BT being taken away, if security came knocking, then I seriously doubt they were playing it at a "respectable volume".  If anyone complained, I would certainly turn it down, but when I say it is quiet, it is quiet.  never had a complaint from a neighbor.

[Buffalofirsttimer4]

4 minutes ago, TerReuv said:

Same goes for your post about the person complaining about their BT being taken away, if security came knocking, then I seriously doubt they were playing it at a "respectable volume".  If anyone complained, I would certainly turn it down, but when I say it is quiet, it is quiet.  never had a complaint from a neighbor.

 

CLAPS HANDS- thank you!

[Jerseygirl1416]

7 minutes ago, TerReuv said:

 

 

 

And, while I can agree with cheng, he doesn't have a say at Carnival and if they say it isn't against the rules, then there you go.  It's really all about what is and isn't against the rules.  Per JH, there is not policy or rule that says you cannot prop your balcony door opened.  I would think if it caused that much of an issue, it would be policy.

 

Same goes for your post about the person complaining about their BT being taken away, if security came knocking, then I seriously doubt they were playing it at a "respectable volume".  If anyone complained, I would certainly turn it down, but when I say it is quiet, it is quiet.  never had a complaint from a neighbor.

Carnival’s stand on Bluetooth speakers, and note that they specifically say “within” the cabin. I guess that ends your speaker playing on your balcony since you now know it’s against the rules😂

 

• Guest must use earphones when listening to music or watching shows/movies on personal devices in public spaces. Bluetooth, portable and wireless speakers are only permitted within your stateroom and must be used respectfully and at a reasonable sound levels and times of day. Large speakers/radios are prohibited on board and will be confiscated.

[Buffalofirsttimer4]

9 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

Carnival’s stand on Bluetooth speakers, and note that they specifically say “within” the cabin. I guess that ends your speaker playing on your balcony since you now know it’s against the rules😂

 

• Guest must use earphones when listening to music or watching shows/movies on personal devices in public spaces. Bluetooth, portable and wireless speakers are only permitted within your stateroom and must be used respectfully and at a reasonable sound levels and times of day. Large speakers/radios are prohibited on board and will be confiscated.

 

You do realize according to Carnival the balcony is considered part of my stateroom, so I can in fact use my Bluetooth speaker on it without it being against rules & regulations. 

 

Per Carnival:

 

Balcony

Any time you’re in your room, you’re steps away from your own personal outdoor oasis… designed for maximum sea breeze and the most stunning views.

 

 

Edited February 4, 2020 by Buffalofirsttimer4

[TerReuv]

10 minutes ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

Carnival’s stand on Bluetooth speakers, and note that they specifically say “within” the cabin. I guess that ends your speaker playing on your balcony since you now know it’s against the rules😂

 

• Guest must use earphones when listening to music or watching shows/movies on personal devices in public spaces. Bluetooth, portable and wireless speakers are only permitted within your stateroom and must be used respectfully and at a reasonable sound levels and times of day. Large speakers/radios are prohibited on board and will be confiscated.

 

Really?  My balcony isn't a public space.  In fact, it is considered part of my stateroom I believe.  It states nothing specifically about the balcony, but it is implied that the balcony is part of your stateroom since it isn't a public space.  

 

Nice try.

 

Edited February 4, 2020 by TerReuv