Just returned from 12/10 Spirit - Deck 8 warning!

[TMJplus1]

Hello...just returned from our "dream vacation" 9-day cruise aboard the Spirit. I'm working on a full review, but I wanted to take just a minute to warn anyone who has already booked an inside cabin on Deck 8 Aft on this ship (or a similar ship) to call your travel agent immediately and get a different cabin. I'm not joking. I literally got no more than 3 hours of sleep at a time on this ship. I am exhausted. The noise started the moment we boarded and was worst at night. It was a banging/dragging/sloshing noise from behind our cabin wall (not from one of the neighboring cabins). We even had an officer in our room at one point but nobody could figure out what the noise was. Then, on Day 5, Carnival held an all-nighter dance party for the crew directly above our heads. Their response was "well, we only do it once a month." How "lucky" for those guests who happen to be on the ship during that once-a-month.

 

Their response to this entire situation was a small credit and little sympathy. They did offer to move us to a lower deck, but this would have put us 7 floors below our children's cabin (which was right next door to ours). Carnival did not seem to think this would be a problem, but I certainly did.

 

For the record, all I asked was for the noise to stop. Or at least be confined to the daytime hours. I did not ask for any credits or for a suite or a free cruise or anything. I just wanted what I saved up over a year for: a relaxing vacation with my family. What I got was exhaustion, excuses, and attitude.

 

There were some great parts of this cruise, and I'll include these in my upcoming review. But I wanted to get this info out right away so anyone who has such a cabin booked can re-book ASAP. BTW, we were in 8252 and 8256.

[Jennfor5]

Goodness!!! Thanks for the Warning!!

[Rosefloater]

Sorry you had such a bad experience on your cruise. If you look at the deck plans your cabins were below the aft pool and the noises could be from the water running through the pool pipes. That's why it is a good idea to look at the deck plans before booking a cabin. I always like to be sandwiched between cabin decks.

 

The Spirit is one of my favorite ships and I hope you enjoyed the rest of your cruise.

[rainbowflag]

The deck plan shows a shared wall between 8256 and a back of the house area. There is a laundry in that general area but I wonder if there is a crew stairway behind 8256.

[GlendaleCruiser]

Sorry you had such a bad experience on your cruise. If you look at the deck plans your cabins were below the aft pool and the noises could be from the water running through the pool pipes. That's why it is a good idea to look at the deck plans before booking a cabin. I always like to be sandwiched between cabin decks.

 

The Spirit is one of my favorite ships and I hope you enjoyed the rest of your cruise.

 

 

I remember someone posting a similar noise on the Dream. It was under the pool and I guess whenever they drained or filled the pool it sounded like heaven was coming down (and not in a good way):(

[BettyPC]

I was very careful when we booked our cruise to be sure i was in between 2 cabin deck's. Didn't want pool, disco, crew noises etc... I picked the cabin & when they tried to upgrade me - I told them no thank you!

 

Sorry you had noise!

[Tapi]

It seems like passenger decks right undeneath the Lido deck seem to get the largest number of complaints, regardless of which ship they're on.

 

When we sailed on the Empress of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) a few years back for our honeymoon, I booked a Junior Suite which happened to be right underneath the Lido Deck. BIG mistake! We could hear thumping, scraping, and some sort of metal gate opening and closing as the ship swayed at all times of the night. It truly SUCKED!

 

I've never booked another cabin under the Lido deck ever since. Lesson learned! :)

[richstowe]

Thankyou OPer. Every time I think CC is nothing but rum runner tips

I find a real great nugget of info. Namely stay away from the cabin floor below lido deck, if possible.

Also book cabin between two other decks with cabins.

thanx:)

[TMJplus1]

Sorry you had such a bad experience on your cruise. If you look at the deck plans your cabins were below the aft pool and the noises could be from the water running through the pool pipes. That's why it is a good idea to look at the deck plans before booking a cabin. I always like to be sandwiched between cabin decks.

 

The Spirit is one of my favorite ships and I hope you enjoyed the rest of your cruise.

 

Thank you. It was a good cruise for the most part, I had just really been looking forward to getting some restful sleep. Instead I ended up taking many daytime naps and missing some of the fun activities I'd hoped to attend on board. Glad to have much of this week off to catch up on my sleep.

 

I did expect a little noise but not all-night banging/scraping against the wall. It was more than just pool noise, as it was coming from inside the wall not just from above. Drove me crazy wondering what it was, honestly!

[TMJplus1]

The deck plan shows a shared wall between 8256 and a back of the house area. There is a laundry in that general area but I wonder if there is a crew stairway behind 8256.

 

At first I did think it was a laundry room (it sounded like carts rolling around and doors being slammed) but our cabin steward said there was no laundry on Deck 8. The Housekeeping Director came to visit one night to try to figure it out, and took my husband behind the cabin - there was a crew stairway but that was farther aft, then a locked door that said "Pool" so I figured the noise might be pool equipment? But it was so loud and it was a definite "banging" (no not "that" kind of banging as a friend of mine suggested!) - I tried to record it with our video camera but it wouldn't pick up the sound over the air conditioning in the cabin. (I did get some good video of the crew deck party though!)

 

I honestly would have paid $100 just to have someone TELL me what the noise was. It drove me crazy! :eek:

[TMJplus1]

I was very careful when we booked our cruise to be sure i was in between 2 cabin deck's. Didn't want pool, disco, crew noises etc... I picked the cabin & when they tried to upgrade me - I told them no thank you!

 

Sorry you had noise!

 

Trust me, I've learned my lesson about cabin selection! :) I had expected a little bit of noise, but not all night banging. Oh well, live and learn. I think Carnival should warn people about this when they book on Deck 8, by the way. It seems like the right thing to do - maybe offer a discount as they do when booking an "obstructed view", you know?

[TMJplus1]

Thankyou OPer. Every time I think CC is nothing but rum runner tips

I find a real great nugget of info. Namely stay away from the cabin floor below lido deck, if possible.

Also book cabin between two other decks with cabins.

thanx:)

 

I was just thinking the same thing! Been reading CC for years and never picked up this gem of info. I'm sure it's a problem on every ship - I wonder if other lines warn passengers who book on these decks that it might be noisier than other cabins?

[mavis2222]

Behind that sign "pool" there is probably equipment stored which is getting knocked around with ship movement.

[lappy22]

Sorry to rub it in.....but slept like a baby on deck 7 forward all nine nights. We actually had a hard nights sleep in our own bed last night. I hope the rest of your cruise was as good or better then ours. Might of been our best cruise yet!!!!!

[GTVCRUISER]

http://travel.webshots.com/album/579338003uujMiu

[PAPERBKWRITER]

I know that pain. One time we were on Celebrity Galaxy for 12 days and our cabin was under the main dining room. All night we kept getting woken by tables being banged around. To make matters worse the couple next door must have been deaf because they got up early and played the tv with full volume. Finally on the other side we had a couple that came back every night around 2am drunk and loud. All we could do was bang on the walls to quiet our neighbors but the dining room was another story. We still had a great time though.

[Froufie]

Best advice is if you have to be on deck 8 to be at the FRONT and not beyond the passenger cabin areas above - anything below Lido deck pool/eating areas probably not a good idea! (Same for other cabins under high traffic/louder areas such as theatre, piano bar, casino musicians, etc). And always pack earplugs - just in case !:D

[Fazzdaan]

I was on the same cruise as the OP and was in cabin 4228, which only gets any noise from the MDR. I did however have a balcony door that the weatherstripping had partially failed and every night in whistled. The first night the Guest Service person gave me some earplugs, but when it happened the next night I complained and they added new weatherstripping within 30 minutes and then it was quiet sailing.