Should deck plans show noise, soot etc too?

Deck plans give fairly comprehensive information about obstructed views, steel fronted balconies, connecting doors etc. I have never seen anything about noise or smoke or soot though -should this be disclosed?

To me while it’s nice to know about I would have less of a problem with a connecting door or a steel beam on the balcony in my cabin than I would with a really noisy cabin above the disco or under the buffet.

I would also not be happy above the smoking area or with a balcony which it is well known suffers from soot.

Now the old hands at cruising can figure some of this out from the plans and will avoid these cabins. For those new to cruising they might think they are selecting a good cabin and find that it is noisy and sooty. Newbies may also take a guarantee assuming the worst they will get is a bit of a lifeboat across the window.

The cruise companies know exactly where the problem cabins are, P&O must get complaints every single cruise on Brittania from those who get soot most days of their cruise in aft cabins.

There are also a couple of superior cabins on Ventura for example that seem to get noise, again they will be aware of them.

I’m sure P&O regulars will be aware of other problem areas on ships.

So should the deck plans be more honest and tell it like it is when there are constant issues with a cabin and the company are well aware of that fact?

Deck plans give fairly comprehensive information about obstructed views, steel fronted balconies, connecting doors etc. I have never seen anything about noise or smoke or soot though -should this be disclosed?

 

To me while it’s nice to know about I would have less of a problem with a connecting door or a steel beam on the balcony in my cabin than I would with a really noisy cabin above the disco or under the buffet.

 

I would also not be happy above the smoking area or with a balcony which it is well known suffers from soot.

 

Now the old hands at cruising can figure some of this out from the plans and will avoid these cabins. For those new to cruising they might think they are selecting a good cabin and find that it is noisy and sooty. Newbies may also take a guarantee assuming the worst they will get is a bit of a lifeboat across the window.

 

The cruise companies know exactly where the problem cabins are, P&O must get complaints every single cruise on Brittania from those who get soot most days of their cruise in aft cabins.

 

There are also a couple of superior cabins on Ventura for example that seem to get noise, again they will be aware of them.

 

I’m sure P&O regulars will be aware of other problem areas on ships.

 

So should the deck plans be more honest and tell it like it is when there are constant issues with a cabin and the company are well aware of that fact?

Ethically speaking they should tell us of all issues but IMHO they could be flagging a very high %age of "problem" cabins.

They are in business for profit so I guess that they would not want to highlight these problems because they could potentially be left with a lot of unsold cabins or have to reduce the prices of the "problem" cabins to attract passengers who are happy to put up with some problems just to get a cheap deal.

Very interesting concept and yes I think the deck plans should be more transparent on the potential "problems" and then the customer can decide if the problem(s) would be acceptable or not. Some people want to book a cruise and not spend hours researching the possible pitfalls, it is a holiday after all not an endurance test before the holiday even starts. Me - I am a little bit of a control freak and I am so grateful for any information from this site as I do like to choose the optimum cabin available and also surrounding "white space" is a cabin eliminator as I don't know what could be hiding there.

Ethically speaking they should tell us of all issues but IMHO they could be flagging a very high %age of "problem" cabins.

They are in business for profit so I guess that they would not want to highlight these problems because they could potentially be left with a lot of unsold cabins or have to reduce the prices of the "problem" cabins to attract passengers who are happy to put up with some problems just to get a cheap deal.

Yes I get where you are coming from from a commercial perspectives be but then why do they highlight obstructed views and steel fronts. The same logic would apply surely?

A year or so ago there was a lot of discussion about the huge amount of pollution cruise ships produce and the effect on passenger relaxing on the open decks breathing it in. Same applies to balconies but the most worrying aspect is the amount of pollution that comes through the air con on the cabins. As an experiment we put a thin cooker hood filter above in the grill of one of our air con outlets, six weeks later we returned to the same cabin and took out the filter and it was BLACK from the contaminants. We now use a filter as a matter of course.

Bal

Cruise lines are extremely unlikely to publish negative details of cabins on deck plans. They have in recent years added more information on Azura and Ventura where cabins are overlooked and people for years have been surprised that this is the case. Early deck plans never had those details available. Independent organisations might publish them in a similar way www.seatguru.com do for the airline industry. A sponsor or advertising revenue is key to success. This sort of thing is only possible where a lot of detailed information is supplied by travellers. At the moment we can only be guided by cruise reviews which do not necessarily give specific information. The only other source of information directly related to P&O cabins in the American site where renmar shows the obstructed view images one might expect by booking an obstructed view cabin on a Sun, Grand or Royal class ship; Oceana, Azura, Ventura or Britannia.

Regards John

Cruise lines are extremely unlikely to publish negative details of cabins on deck plans. Independent people might publish them in a similar way www.seatguru.com do for the airline industry.

That’s a really good idea John. I wonder why none of the big cruise tracking sites have not done a “cabin guru”. Perhaps they have and I just don’t know about it.

I know that the Celebrity board used to have a simple spreadsheet with this type of information. Don’t know if it is still there.

Yes I get where you are coming from from a commercial perspectives be but then why do they highlight obstructed views and steel fronts. The same logic would apply surely?

The steel fronts and obstructed views are probably seen as less of a problem than things like soot making the balcony unattractive and noise interfering with passengers' sleep. For me I could put up with a steel fronted balcony but not with soot or noise nor would I book and obstructed view.

There is a site called Deck Plan Genius, which gives the pros and cons of cabins but I don't think they include P &O

There is a site called Deck Plan Genius, which gives the pros and cons of cabins but I don't think they include P &O

If there is a problem because of the ship design, shape, balcony layout etc. Princess Cruise Line would be appropriate for P&O in some instances.

Regards John

Every hotel in the world has their best rooms and the ones that are not so good (to be diplomatic).

I can't imagine any of them advertising it on their website and can't see why a cruise line would.

To be honest I just think that, as with hotels, anyone booking just needs to do their homework and take care when they book. Looking at plans and seeing what is around you isn't too difficult.

I agree. They are hardly going to advertise the fact that the cabin suffers from soot on the balcony!. Last cruise (got back on 8th May) on Oriana, we were upgraded (even though we had declined an upgrade). We had inside cabins on D deck and they moved us up to A deck. Yes on their grading system it was an upgrade, but not for us - under the Lido deck so apart from the noise, the rolling i rough weather was not something we wanted. So they moved us back.

We have always liked inside cabins on D deck, but this time we were in a sort of extra alley way in the middle of D deck towars the bow. OMG the noise from the Theatre was unbelievable. Now normally we would go to the second show, but on this cruise, a couple of times we felt like going to bed early. Well there was no way to sleep for the constant noise of the drums and base guitar. Will be more careful next time!

Every hotel in the world has their best rooms and the ones that are not so good (to be diplomatic).

I can't imagine any of them advertising it on their website and can't see why a cruise line would.

 

To be honest I just think that, as with hotels, anyone booking just needs to do their homework and take care when they book. Looking at plans and seeing what is around you isn't too difficult.

But what I don’t get is the difference between a sooty cabin and an obstructed view cabin. Why tell customers about one but not the other?

But what I don’t get is the difference between a sooty cabin and an obstructed view cabin. Why tell customers about one but not the other?

I suppose it is the difference between a sea view and a partial sea view in a hotel.

But what I don’t get is the difference between a sooty cabin and an obstructed view cabin. Why tell customers about one but not the other?

Well simply because the obstructed view is always there, whereas the soot would probably depend on the wind direction and won't be there all the time.

Suggesting that holiday providers point out all the reasons why you should not stay in X% of their rooms/cabins is a bit similar to asking turkeys to vote for Xmas.

Maybe what's needed is a Tripadvisor for cruise ships - allowing reviews of individual cabins and suites and properly indexed or searchable. There are plenty of forums (including one on Tripadvisor) but nothing that quite fits the bill.

Maybe what's needed is a Tripadvisor for cruise ships - allowing reviews of individual cabins and suites and properly indexed or searchable. There are plenty of forums (including one on Tripadvisor) but nothing that quite fits the bill.

Sent from my FIG-LX1 using Forums mobile app

There are sites where people have reviewed cabin's.

 

Sent from my FIG-LX1 using Forums mobile app

There are indeed - but nothing as simple to use as Tripadvisor.

Well simply because the obstructed view is always there, whereas the soot would probably depend on the wind direction and won't be there all the time.

Fair comment but have you been at the back end of Brittania? It appears to be pretty constant given the number of complaints but yes there will be the odd day it is not.

Taking your logic, which is good, forward the noise is always there at a set time each day if you are above the theatre but there is no noise warning.

I know that for commercial reasons ships won’t highlight these issues but it would be helpful if there was a search facility. In some ways it would stop complaints if there was more transparency.

The Celebrity forum on here has quite a good spreadsheet for the Solstice class ships, which has been put together by a dedicated forumeer from cabin reviews sent in by other members.

Maybe one of you interested members could set up something similar for P&O?

The Celebrity forum on here has quite a good spreadsheet for the Solstice class ships, which has been put together by a dedicated forumeer from cabin reviews sent in by other members.

Maybe one of you interested members could set up something similar for P&O?

One for M class too. Someone draws together in a spreadsheet the reviews which individuals make upon return. It is very helpful and highlights noise and things like near areas that staff use at night.

Luckily I have no been on Brittania and never will be. The soot on Azura was a problem as well. Strangely on Oriana last month, we saw no soot at all, but I have been on her before when there was quite a lot.

Luckily I have no been on Brittania and never will be. The soot on Azura was a problem as well. Strangely on Oriana last month, we saw no soot at all, but I have been on her before when there was quite a lot.

Sent from my FIG-LX1 using Forums mobile app

I always go for midships balcony cabins except for a suite on Oceans I have booked on a mini cruise.

 

Sent from my FIG-LX1 using Forums mobile app

Sent from my FIG-LX1 using Forums mobile app