soot on the balconies........ oh yes !

[CVU]

We like to book the hump balconies and if the chase lounges aren't there we slip the cabin steward some cash and they bring them ...no problem. We usually end up with 2 chases, a table and 2 chairs. I think it depends on who the stewards and how much they want to accommodate the guests.

Not on the Liberty. The stewards are told very strictly to not put out any extra furniture or they lose their Job!!! He was very certain of this fact.

 

Our Steward told us this when we asked if it was possible, to get lounge chairs when getting to our room. As you will read my post above we checked even with officers etc. as we have always had lounge chairs on a big aft balcony.

No other Non Jr+ aft balconies had any lounge chairs. This is only ship we have been on with such strict rules. Absolutely No lounge chairs or extra chairs on JS and lower on Liberty. There was a whole thread on it months ago.

We are on LOS TA in Oct. but no aft this time, so no worries about any extra furniture on that cruise.:D Not a JS this trip either.

 

We saw a JS cabin the side and it had 2 lounge chairs, 2 chairs and table and was sooo narrow the lounge chairs hit the railing?? [More a safety issue there? Made no sense to us.]

[ssb]

We love our aft corner balconies.

Everyone is different on each level.

We always try to get them.

However y'all please enjoy your humps

so more corner afts are available to us!

We will take any soot and dampness with much

pleasure.

[newcrew42]

OP- Thanks for the photos! That is a lot of soot! Enjoy your next cruise!

[purescottish]

Thank you everyone for the kind comments, and I hope this thread has been helpful, I sure wish I had read something like this before I booked as I would have then had the option of choosing another balcony, but I didn't so heyho !

 

I have sailed Freedom 3 times caribbean, Mariner 3 times caribbean, Oasis once in the caribbean and Liberty last week on the med...

but we are going to save like mad and go Oasis caribbean again, with a normal balcony... and I might even pack a small umbrella LOL

 

wendy

[ssb]

Thank you everyone for the kind comments, and I hope this thread has been helpful, I sure wish I had read something like this before I booked as I would have then had the option of choosing another balcony, but I didn't so heyho !

 

I have sailed Freedom 3 times caribbean, Mariner 3 times caribbean, Oasis once in the caribbean and Liberty last week on the med...

but we are going to save like mad and go Oasis caribbean again, with a normal balcony... and I might even pack a small umbrella LOL

 

wendy

 

We have many corner afts

Even on our transatlantics.

But with NO soot or water .Except after a cleaning!

Know it can happen. BUT!

We love our corner afts!

[Bobal]

We've had 3 afts - 1 on Jewel (no soot) one on Celebrity Equinox (no soot), however on Grandeur last week we did experience soot on a few days. We mentioned it to our steward who cleaned it away. We were in a corner aft on deck 7. However we spoke with a couple in a mid-aft on deck 8 who experienced a real problem with soot and said they would never book an aft again - their balcony had to be cleaned several times a day. Someone did tell us that it is a problem on Vision class ships.

 

We had a huge balcony which had 2 loungers and 2 tables. Since we were travelling with our sons (in an inside cabin) we asked for 2 extra chairs and the steward brought them within a couple of hours without any mention of it being a problem.

[Marley-Bop]

Hi

 

We had an almost identical situation on The Indy last October.

 

We paid to upgrade to an aft cabin onboard, the day after boarding for an additional £600. We were so pleased, I think it was deck 8 - single door but our first aft which was a corner.

 

Woke up on our first morning and it was still dark so I trotted out on the balcony and found a crunchy feeling under my feet :eek: I put the light on and OMG! the balcony was covered in thick black soot. As soon as hubby woke up I showed him and we rang guest services to get it cleaned.

 

The room steward arrived within minutes and called his supervisor and after some consultation, we went out and the cleaning got underway. Unfortunately this happened about four days on the trot! We felt really bad for the steward who kept coming back, shaking his head and cleaning it up each morning.

 

To be honest, we were just glad when the soot finally stopped appearing and it wasnt till the last day when we went to pay off some of our onboard account in cash that the lady who sorted the cabin for us asked if we had enjoyed our first time in an aft cabin. We laughed and said it was great except for the problems with the soot. She looked at us then at her computer and told us to wait a moment.

 

Within minutes she returned to the desk with an envelope and said that an official letter would follow in the post. We opened it as we walked away from the desk confused what it might be and lo and behold, she had given us a note saying that we would receive 25% off our next cruise with RCCL.

 

We were obviously delighted but had got no intention of complaining or expecting anything and had she not have served us on the last day and asked the question, it would never have been mentioned.

 

Maybe because we didnt throw our dummy out the pram and demand to be upgraded to the Owners Suite etc, maybe they were amazed that we were ready to laugh it off and put it down to experience who knows but we were thrilled to receive it :D

[kruzerci]

I know some people love them, but this is just one of the many reasons I hate afts on Voyager/Freedom class ships!

[purescottish]

Marleybop

exactly as you said ... laugh it off and put it down to experience, anything above that is a nice surprise

at least we now know not to book an aft cabin on freedom class any lower than deck 10...

depending on what way the wind blows LOL

 

wendy

x

[carla748]

My husband and I will be sailing in 7 weeks on the Independence (Italian Med Cruise) for 14 days. We are booked in the corner aft 8710. We have been in Aft cabins before with no problems with soot.

 

This cabin is right next to 8712 and now I'm wondering if we will have a problem with soot? Our cabin has only a single door with a window in the door. No sliding door or cabin window. We love Aft balconies and cruising away from ports watching the sail away .

[ssb]

I know some people love them, but this is just one of the many reasons I hate afts on Voyager/Freedom class ships!

 

We have never had a soot problem on a Voyager

Class Ship!

Surely it can happen.

Because it has.

But

its not the ship but would be circumstantial

to other things.

We always have had 7388 or 7688

and it's covered.

Maybe that has had something to do with it

Or not ...what are y'alls experience?

[Winegirl58]

We like to book the hump balconies and if the chase lounges aren't there we slip the cabin steward some cash and they bring them ...no problem. We usually end up with 2 chases, a table and 2 chairs. I think it depends on who the stewards and how much they want to accommodate the guests.

The hump balconies are large enough for loungers? If so, you just made my day! LOL... I thought they were the same size as the other balconies. We are on the FOS, deck 8, center hump, if that makes a difference? I would gladly slip my steward some cash for a lounger! ;)

[leaveitallbehind]

The hump balconies are large enough for loungers? If so, you just made my day! LOL... I thought they were the same size as the other balconies. We are on the FOS, deck 8, center hump, if that makes a difference? I would gladly slip my steward some cash for a lounger! ;)

 

I think it has more to do with stateroom category. JS and above typically have the loungers or more cushiony chairs, etc. While the balconies on the aft staterooms in general are larger, that does not necessarily mean that the non-suite balcony staterooms will be provided with the loungers. Tempting as it may be, offering the steward cash problably won't work as it is not in their control as to how the balconies are set with furniture if they are determined by category. If he were to do it for one then he would likely be asked by all.

[hmallett]

When we had an aft balcony on Independence we did have a bit of soot on a couple of days.

On the day when they washed the balconies down we had a notice in our stateroom in the morning explaining that they'd be washed and things would get wet.

[A&L_Ont]

We had soot in May on Oasis in Sky Loft 1718. The room is on the port side and kind of aft, and the balcony is long. Not much soot at all, and just one day. The first time we have ever seen this while cruising.

 

Nothing like in the pictures posted here. I wonder how many drying swim suites have gotten covered over the years.

[leaveitallbehind]

We had soot in May on Oasis in Sky Loft 1718. The room is on the port side and kind of aft, and the balcony is long. Not much soot at all, and just one day. The first time we have ever seen this while cruising.

 

Nothing like in the pictures posted here. I wonder how many drying swim suites have gotten covered over the years.

 

Hey guys. Guess June was soot free. Hope all had a good time!

 

Hopefully ours will not be an issue with soot next August - but we may be recessed enough under the overhang to not be affected.

[berwyn]

I'm going to save this thread for the next smoking debate. Not one complaint of anyone getting cancer because of the soot, but one drift of cigarette smoke will kill you. :confused:

[P&C4/16/67]

I'm going to save this thread for the next smoking debate. Not one complaint of anyone getting cancer because of the soot, but one drift of cigarette smoke will kill you. :confused:

 

LOL When do we start with radiation in the Pacific Ocean? Tuna anyone?

[BecciBoo]

2 things both impacted by perception.

Firstly; we have had several afts on Voyager and Mariner and for the most part did not have soot, although we did on one occasion. But I just walked out there with a towel and flapped it at the soot on the loungers and it blew right off, did the same with the cork flooring, blew right off. If I had sat on the lounger it would have marked my clothing though. But it never occurred to me to even tell the steward about it when I got rid of it. Only that one day on Voyager did we ever have any. I would never muck it up with water though, I'd ask them to sweep the balcony and chairs. Much easier.

Secondly; the aft structure never bothers us, we look right through it to the distance. Doesn't ever occur to us that it is a bother. Just differences in perception, I guess. We love the aft and also other rooms as well. Mariner will be an interior, Radiance an aft and the next Freedom is starboard side.

[SA Traveler]

In our cruising experience, we have had stateroom locations literally everywhere else on the ships except the aft and with wanting to try that, we currently have two JS's (1706 / 1406) reserved on our upcoming Freeedom cruise. Have been reading this thread with great interest as one of the questions we had was with the view based on the design of the ship. I'm hoping that as this is the highest deck that the view would be least affected by this. (staterooms less recessed from the structure, less strucure above, etc.).

 

But never thought of the soot and water - or other - potential issues. Again maybe recessed as far under the WJ as they are, this may not be an issue? We still plan to keep this location as we want to experience the only remaing location not yet tried, but obviously some questions have been raised. Any additional comments or experiences - especially from anyone who has been in either of these staterooms - would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

We've been in 1406 on the Freedom twice and no soot or water problems either time. I believe we did have note one day telling us they would be washing the balconies.

[leaveitallbehind]

We've been in 1406 on the Freedom twice and no soot or water problems either time. I believe we did have note one day telling us they would be washing the balconies.

 

Thanks for the input. As metioned previously we are looking forward to these staterooms / location and would keep them regardless. But it is interesting and helpful to read the different comments and experiences.