Laura P. Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 On the last few RC cruises we’ve been on, we’ve had six or seven balconies in a row and have had the room steward/maintenance tech open the baffles between all rooms so that we can access them all via one, connected balcony. The last cruise we took was on NCL, and this practice was prohibited. Were we just lucky on our previous cruises or have others been able to connect their balconies on RC? (We’re on Allure at the end of May.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 I was able to connect the two cabins I had on Anthem in February. Laura P. and FoxboroCruiser 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoxboroCruiser Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 10 hours ago, Pattycruise said: I was able to connect the two cabins I had on Anthem in February. We will be doing that on SUNDAY!!! Can't wait. Laura P., Pattycruise, Spang1974 and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spang1974 Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 I am hoping to this on my sailing in September! Laura P. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter D Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 It's a very common practice. If the balconies can be physically connected, then you'll be able to open them up. perhaps NCL prohibited it due to covid protocols. Laura P. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spang1974 Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 6 minutes ago, Peter D said: It's a very common practice. If the balconies can be physically connected, then you'll be able to open them up. perhaps NCL prohibited it due to covid protocols. That's what Im afraid of, but then again, I dont sail until September:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitsmom Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 8 minutes ago, Spang1974 said: That's what Im afraid of, but then again, I dont sail until September:) We took our own allen wrench set and opened ours our self. Colombia20102018, VirtKitty and Laura P. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter D Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 9 minutes ago, Spang1974 said: That's what Im afraid of, but then again, I dont sail until September:) We had ours open on Odyssey in December during 'height of Omicron'. I am confident to say that RCL will let you open them in September. Spang1974 and Laura P. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spang1974 Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 13 minutes ago, whitsmom said: We took our own allen wrench set and opened ours our self. Love it! What did the cabin steward say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitsmom Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 9 minutes ago, Spang1974 said: Love it! What did the cabin steward say? He never said anything and let them stay open. We only did it between two cabins though. They might say something if there are several panels opened. Laura P. and Spang1974 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlantix2000 Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 It's very common on those Royal ships where it is physically possible to open the partitions and connect the balconies. There are some Royal ships where this is NOT possible due to the design. (Generally, the newer the more likely). It's possible NCL either has a different policy (Covid or other reason) or it just can't be done on that particular ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 In 2006 the Star Princess experienced a fire that started on a balcony thought to be caused by a cigarette being thrown from a higher balcony. Her balcony dividers did not open. One of the findings from the investigation was that fire fighting activities were hindered because the crew could not move from balcony to balcony, they had to fight the fire from within each cabin onto that specific balcony. Had they been able to move laterally from balcony to balcony they could have put out the fire much faster. As a result balcony dividers that can be opened became a new requirement when building a passenger ship. Ships built after the Star Princess event have balcony dividers can be opened, at least for crew movement, if not for the pleasure of groups with multiple cabins. LifesaBeach, mathbees and Laura P. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPPJJ-GCVAB Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 We recently sailed Freedom and had 5 rooms in a row. We asked our steward as soon as we could get into our rooms to open the balconies and it was great! Awesome early mornings sipping lattes and cappuccinos! WAAAYTOOO, Colombia20102018, AlmondFarmer and 5 others 4 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura P. Posted April 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 4 hours ago, Spang1974 said: I am hoping to this on my sailing in September! It makes all of the difference. We usually get a connecting room for the kids, and the setup didn’t work for us to have an interior connecting door for our upcoming trip. We only proceeded with these rooms because of the connecting balconies. We tend to cruise with a lot of friends/family, and being able to access each other and through our “back doors” helps us all keep tabs on each other and more easily meet up to go to breakfast, head off the ship, etc. PPPJJ-GCVAB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura P. Posted April 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 4 hours ago, Peter D said: It's a very common practice. If the balconies can be physically connected, then you'll be able to open them up. perhaps NCL prohibited it due to covid protocols. Our NCL cruise was the last week before the world shut down - disembarked March 7, 2020. (I recall the ship head doc saying COVID is nothing to worry about.) I asked multiple people - room steward, guest services and anyone walking around with a tool pouch - hoping someone would give me a different answer. Said it was a safety issue and not allowed on any NCL ships. Not to sound dramatic, but it really made staying connected with our group more challenging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett B Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 I am on wonder of the seas today with two connecting balconies overlooking the boardwalk. Stateroom attendant had no problem opening the glass divider on the balcony WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cub Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 We are in an aft cabin on Radiance in July. Does anyone know if those dividers open? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 14, 2022 Report Share Posted April 14, 2022 23 minutes ago, Cub said: We are in an aft cabin on Radiance in July. Does anyone know if those dividers open? Thanks Radiance class balconies in general do not open with a caveat. Some aft dividers do open, but it may be just for crew access purposes. Some of the middle aft balcony dividers are solid pieces that don't open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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