Oh My! What NOT To Do If Your Cruise Balcony Is Huge

by SharonKurheg

Cruising has a lot going for it. They usually offer great meals, activities and shows and many have Kids Clubs so you can drop the kids off and enjoy some adulting (or you can go on Virgin Voyages and enjoy having no kids on your cruise). You can get a taste of lots of locales and still be able to unpack and repack only once.

Just like hotels, cruises offer a variety of accommodations, based on how much you want to spend. You can get a teeny tiny indoor cabin, with no windows, for the lowest costs, or upgrade to an exterior cabin, with all the bells and whistles – maybe a suite on the corner – for significantly more.

A cruiser on Carnival apparently had a big balcony attached to their cabin on the 10th level. So big that they decided to move their bed from inside their cabin to their balcony, so they could sleep outside.

a room with a bed and a windowOriginal Post: Our balcony was so big on 10(mid 400 block) I was able to put the bed out there and sleep for the second last night out yet. Sort of cool with the waves and breeze all night.
Reply: You got the whole bed out there? :-O
OP: Our cabin steward was quite surprised when he saw it. But we warned… (post cuts off)

Although the post appeared to be on Facebook, it’s not currently known where the cruiser posted this news. However it did catch the attention of a public figure named John Heald. Heald is the Brand Ambassador and senior cruise director for Carnival Cruise Line, as well as a blogger for the cruise line. An employee of CCL since 1990, he has close to 27,000 followers on Instagram and 450,000 fans on Facebook.

Anyway, Heald was the one who posted this picture and narrative, and his take on it was perfect:

a room with a balcony and a bed

The balconies on this ship a massive. That is correct.
Obviously, we do not allow this. I really don’t know what else to say except we will be speaking with this guest accordingly.
Oh, and I think this deserves a massive dollop of OH FFS
Upon seeing the picture, MY first thought was HOW DID THEY GET IT OUT THERE??? Doorways to cruise balconies are generally only a couple of feet wide; even if it was 2 twin beds put together, did they lift the bed(s) and drag it/them on its/their side(s)??? My second thought was how much trouble they were going to be in. I mean, stuff like that just isn’t DONE!
“This is why we can’t have nice things.”
Anyway, not surprisingly, Heald has gotten a lot of responses to his post. Here are some of the more interesting ones:
  • A tropical rainstorm would ruin that bed for the next guests. People have lost their minds. – Pam D.
  • 🎶 God is great, beer is good and people are crazy🎶 – Paula D.
    Why did housekeeping not report this to guest services when they cleaned? Much of what happens on the ships could be nipped in the bud if the staff would report at the time . – Patti G.
  • Does the bed fit out on a spa balcony? Asking for a friend I swear. 😂 – Joy R.
  • Maybe posting this wasn’t such a good idea as now others will want to do the same thing EVEN THROUGH [sic] it’s not allowed!!! – Elaine M.
  • I can appreciate the motivation to do this but fabric mattresses being exposed to that much moisture isn’t a good thing. Even the best mattress covers probably don’t hold up well to saltwater air. Again, I get it but I also can see why the cruiseline won’t allow it. – Steve F.
  • Here’s an idea it would be really awesome of carnival put hammocks out there 😜 – Tracee F. (Hello, Virgin Voyages already has that covered!)
  • I do admire their energy…. But You know, you can take a rolled up towel and close the door and it props it open just enough for you to hear the ocean. – Karen J.
  • Would be fine until the ship hits some waves and you bounce off the balcony into the ocean😂 people really don’t think – Anna D.
  • I admit. I’ve done this a few times. – Bi L.
  • Too much work for that configuration……. I’m on vacation…… Lol – Jay H.
  • This is why we can’t have nice things. Just keep it to yourself. Just like the “ceiling fans “ 🙄 Stephanie T. (I don’t know what that reference is about. Do you?)
  • I can’t believe someone would do that! I feel sorry for the cabin steward who had to take it apart and put it back in the cabin. Hope they left a huge tip for the steward! – Janet H.

And probably the most important one:

  • This is how you get on the no-sail list. – Melissa E.

Feature photo: James Willamor / flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0

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