Stuffy cabins at night on HAL ships.

[Arwen]

Thank you, one and all, for your input and for sharing your experiences. It is interesting that others have had this problem too.

We set the A/C to minimum and leave it there all cruise. The cabin can be very cold during the day, but still warm and stuffy at night.

On a previous Oosterdam cruise when we found our cabin to be too hot, an engineer was sent, who diagnosed the problem. The previous passengers had been too hot and had complained. Apparently there is some sort of baffle or valve in the A/C vent on the ceiling that can be adjusted to alter the temperature range in the cabin. When this was opened, we were fine. While experiencing our nocturnal stuffiness problem on the Oosterdam this summer, I insisted that they send an engineer to do the same (they were reluctant and a lot less helpful than previously). It was eventually done, but did not help. As I said the A/C was working well during the day, but seemed to be turned down during the night.

I do not believe that on these occasions, the problem was caused by other passengers.

 

 

I have had problems in the past on HAL cruises. Most of the time...having them adjust the baffle or valve in our stateroom is all it takes. However, I have had times where even that has not worked. I am VERY sensitive to heat and stuffiness at night. I have a dysautonomia that requires a cold bedroom at night or I just cannot sleep. Who wants to be sleep deprived on a vacation?

 

We are scheduled to be on a B2B on the Eurodam (Caribbean) in two months. I pray this will not be a problem..and if it is, that a HAL engineer can remedy it. Seriously, if it is an unsolvable problem, I will be forced to get off at the next port and to make other arrangements. My heart rate goes up in heat, in particular at night, when one's body temperature is supposed to naturally drop to help induce sleep (mine does not always function that way).

 

I realize that all the cruise lines are attempting to save money, but it is not okay to make pax sleep in stuffy or even sweltering rooms at night!

[OlsSalt]

I have had problems in the past on HAL cruises. Most of the time...having them adjust the baffle or valve in our stateroom is all it takes. However, I have had times where even that has not worked. I am VERY sensitive to heat and stuffiness at night. I have a dysautonomia that requires a cold bedroom at night or I just cannot sleep. Who wants to be sleep deprived on a vacation?

 

We are scheduled to be on a B2B on the Eurodam (Caribbean) in two months. I pray this will not be a problem..and if it is, that a HAL engineer can remedy it. Seriously, if it is an unsolvable problem, I will be forced to get off at the next port and to make other arrangements. My heart rate goes up in heat, in particular at night, when one's body temperature is supposed to naturally drop to help induce sleep (mine does not always function that way).

 

I realize that all the cruise lines are attempting to save money, but it is not okay to make pax sleep in stuffy or even sweltering rooms at night!

 

Interesting challenge. Reasonable for a mainline cruise line like HAL to meet in the middle; but probably impossible to guarantee much more than that.

 

Not sure why so many immediately conclude, no matter how unique the demand if it is not met that HAL gets accused of "trying to save money". Many other passengers do hope HAL is trying to save money.

[sapper1]

Years ago there was a similar discussion re the Maasdam. Some of us noticed that there was a red light on the wall control. It was on all the time. However when one woke up in the middle of the night, the light was always off and the room was warm and stuffy.

Enough people reported the same experience that we concluded the air circulation was turned off for a few hours overnight.

[kazu]

We didn't experience this on the Prinsendam :)

 

On the Maasdam, we noticed that our room warmed up at night and got stuffy.

 

DH called and maintenance came. They said all was fine - we said it was not.

 

We asked for the head to come and they didn't want to do that.

 

I simply said that if this was as good as it was going to get, my balcony door would be open all night :rolleyes: (I really wouldn't do that) or I would sleep there. I can't tolerate a stuffy room. (DH said something too and when he speaks, people listen. He is soft spoken but never complains so when he does he means business).

 

I don't know what they did - but in literally 2 minutes everything was working fine and our room was not stuffy for the rest of the cruise :D

[Fouremco]

We didn't experience this on the Prinsendam :)

 

On the Maasdam, we noticed that our room warmed up at night and got stuffy.

 

DH called and maintenance came. They said all was fine - we said it was not.

 

We asked for the head to come and they didn't want to do that.

 

I simply said that if this was as good as it was going to get, my balcony door would be open all night :rolleyes: (I really wouldn't do that) or I would sleep there. I can't tolerate a stuffy room. (DH said something too and when he speaks, people listen. He is soft spoken but never complains so when he does he means business).

 

I don't know what they did - but in literally 2 minutes everything was working fine and our room was not stuffy for the rest of the cruise :D

It never fails to amaze me how many things that "aren't broken" or "can't be fixed" suddenly work perfectly when the appropriate pressure is applied.

[startwin]

I have had problems in the past on HAL cruises. Most of the time...having them adjust the baffle or valve in our stateroom is all it takes. However, I have had times where even that has not worked. I am VERY sensitive to heat and stuffiness at night. I have a dysautonomia that requires a cold bedroom at night or I just cannot sleep. Who wants to be sleep deprived on a vacation?

 

We are scheduled to be on a B2B on the Eurodam (Caribbean) in two months. I pray this will not be a problem..and if it is, that a HAL engineer can remedy it. Seriously, if it is an unsolvable problem, I will be forced to get off at the next port and to make other arrangements. My heart rate goes up in heat, in particular at night, when one's body temperature is supposed to naturally drop to help induce sleep (mine does not always function that way).

 

I realize that all the cruise lines are attempting to save money, but it is not okay to make pax sleep in stuffy or even sweltering rooms at night!

 

Oh my goodness, it's one thing to be uncomfortable in a warm and stuffy cabin overnight, and quite another to have one's health compromised. This seems to be a quite recent situation on HAL ships - we have cruised quite a few of the ships and it's only been in the last few years that we have noticed this. For us it began on the Zaandam about 3 years ago. I still do believe that the A/C is being turned down or off at night.

[OlsSalt]

It never fails to amaze me how many things that "aren't broken" or "can't be fixed" suddenly work perfectly when the appropriate pressure is applied.

 

And on the other hand, coincidence is not necessarily causation. Sometimes only a delay in the responsiveness of the system itself. I find I need to pre-plan cabin temperatures because they are not instant on command, but will take several hours to go up and down to a new desired level. I learn to work around this on every ship and after a few days of juggling things around, everything is working perfectly for us too.

[kazu]

It never fails to amaze me how many things that "aren't broken" or "can't be fixed" suddenly work perfectly when the appropriate pressure is applied.

 

and politely:D

[kazu]

And on the other hand, coincidence is not necessarily causation. Sometimes only a delay in the responsiveness of the system itself. I find I need to pre-plan cabin temperatures because they are not instant on command, but will take several hours to go up and down to a new desired level. I learn to work around this on every ship and after a few days of juggling things around, everything is working perfectly for us too.

 

Of course - on embarkation day there are balcony doors open while people wave good bye, etc. By 11:00 pm at night I expect my room to be working well. We are quite cognizant of how to work room temps on the ships - have been on plenty. We don't mind working around them either but....

 

We like a good night's sleep and that can't be worked around:rolleyes:

 

We've been on many ships, are not demanding, don't ask anyone to do a whole lot but we do want to sleep at night. Hopefully that is not too much to ask:rolleyes:

[startwin]

and politely:D

 

Not necessarily (unfortunately). I recall waiting all day for the toilet to be "fixed", and finally threatening the front office that I would be there in 5 minutes and would scream blue bloody murder if they didn't send the plumber NOW! (My exact words). He arrived within minutes, and did the usual temporary fix.:D But it shouldn't have had to come to that, however the frustration level was very high by this time, around the 5th day of "delayed flushes" (around 8 hours, if we were lucky).

[Hlitner]

Not necessarily (unfortunately). I recall waiting all day for the toilet to be "fixed", and finally threatening the front office that I would be there in 5 minutes and would scream blue bloody murder if they didn't send the plumber NOW! (My exact words). He arrived within minutes, and did the usual temporary fix.:D But it shouldn't have had to come to that, however the frustration level was very high by this time, around the 5th day of "delayed flushes" (around 8 hours, if we were lucky).

 

Great move :). A few years ago we had a similar situation on a Princess cruise when our cabin shower would only go drip drip drip. The first day we showed our steward who immediately called it in for repair. The 2nd day we come back to the cabin to shower for a formal dinner where we were to dine at the Captain's Table and still, drip drip drip. So I put on my robe, took our bar of soap, and then went up to an outdoor shower (at the pool) where I showered. Then still dripping wet (in my robe) I want to Guest Relations which was surrounded by early diners in their formal outfits. Standing at the desk, dripping water, I quietly told the Guest Relations supervisor that we needed our shower fixed as my wife had not yet showered...and we were eating dinner with the Captain in about 1 1/2 hours. The plumber was at our cabin in minutes and all was fine in the world :)

 

Hank

[startwin]

And I don't understand the "upfront bargain". Perhaps OlsSalt means you might get problem cabins if you book late (thereby getting a cut-price fare?).

[pris993]

Great move :). A few years ago we had a similar situation on a Princess cruise when our cabin shower would only go drip drip drip. The first day we showed our steward who immediately called it in for repair. The 2nd day we come back to the cabin to shower for a formal dinner where we were to dine at the Captain's Table and still, drip drip drip. So I put on my robe, took our bar of soap, and then went up to an outdoor shower (at the pool) where I showered. Then still dripping wet (in my robe) I want to Guest Relations which was surrounded by early diners in their formal outfits. Standing at the desk, dripping water, I quietly told the Guest Relations supervisor that we needed our shower fixed as my wife had not yet showered...and we were eating dinner with the Captain in about 1 1/2 hours. The plumber was at our cabin in minutes and all was fine in the world :)

 

Hank

 

Love your creative approach to getting their attention. Sometimes, it takes just such action. We cruise Princess, Celebrity, HAL, Cunard and NCL. It is amazing how Customer Service can ignore an issue or act like they never heard this problem before. It is hard to ignore someone dripping ... :D

[bcscot]

What I would like to know is how widespread this problem is. Having experienced it on all the HAL ships we have been on in the last two years (three ships), my concern is that it is a universal policy across the fleet, but then I would have expected more people to notice it. Does it depend on the ship, the cabin, the individual cruise or indeed, the crew in charge? Have we just been unfortunate? Many questions and I know that you do not know the answers, but it is interesting to ponder. Certainly several of us have experienced this problem. It is the single issue which would put us off sailing with HAL in the future. Sleep is so important.

Thank you for your input. It is interesting to hear other's experiences.

[OlsSalt]

What I would like to know is how widespread this problem is. Having experienced it on all the HAL ships we have been on in the last two years (three ships), my concern is that it is a universal policy across the fleet, but then I would have expected more people to notice it. Does it depend on the ship, the cabin, the individual cruise or indeed, the crew in charge? Have we just been unfortunate? Many questions and I know that you do not know the answers, but it is interesting to ponder. Certainly several of us have experienced this problem. It is the single issue which would put us off sailing with HAL in the future. Sleep is so important.

Thank you for your input. It is interesting to hear other's experiences.

 

HAL might need to install some sort of locking override system for balcony doors, which some passengers may still be forcing open at night, contrary to the signs warning against doing this. I understand other ships have this system or some other master ventilation system that is not inter-connected to other cabins on the same line.

 

Balcony doors forced open can disrupt bedtime temperatures in other cabins on the same ventilation circuit. This coordinated ventilation system may be a feature on the older HAL ships but has become more of today compared to passenger compliance with the suggested door closing guidelines in the past.

 

At least this is something to put on the table in this discussion because open balcony doors do impact the overall ventilation system sucking air out of the cabin if you look what happens to the curtains when the door is opened. So an open door for any length of time will suck all the A/C air out of that system and out the door into the night.

 

In our almost 200 days on a wide array of HAL ships on different decks and either balcony or ocean view we have not had this problem ourselves. But watching the lighter weight liner curtains (Prinsendam) gush out of our last cabin when we opened the door, the suction power of an open door could not have been more vivid.

[smokinmike]

Let me think . . .

 

"How quickly would I book passage on a cruise line that gave me uncomfortable accommodations on a prior cruise?"

 

Anyone else ask that question?

[kazu]

What I would like to know is how widespread this problem is. Having experienced it on all the HAL ships we have been on in the last two years (three ships), my concern is that it is a universal policy across the fleet, but then I would have expected more people to notice it. Does it depend on the ship, the cabin, the individual cruise or indeed, the crew in charge? Have we just been unfortunate? Many questions and I know that you do not know the answers, but it is interesting to ponder. Certainly several of us have experienced this problem. It is the single issue which would put us off sailing with HAL in the future. Sleep is so important.

Thank you for your input. It is interesting to hear other's experiences.

 

In the last three years we have been on 5/6 cruises (most of them are longer ones). We only encountered this the one time which I reported earlier and it was quickly rectified :D So, I don't think it is widespread.

 

 

 

Let me think . . .

 

"How quickly would I book passage on a cruise line that gave me uncomfortable accommodations on a prior cruise?"

 

Anyone else ask that question?

 

Honestly, I have far better sleeps on HAL than I did on Princess or Celebrity. NCL is too long ago to fairly compare;)

[sapper1]

HAL might need to install some sort of locking override system for balcony doors, which some passengers may still be forcing open at night, contrary to the signs warning against doing this. I understand other ships have this system or some other master ventilation system that is not inter-connected to other cabins on the same line.

 

Balcony doors forced open can disrupt bedtime temperatures in other cabins on the same ventilation circuit. This coordinated ventilation system may be a feature on the older HAL ships but has become more of today compared to passenger compliance with the suggested door closing guidelines in the past.

 

At least this is something to put on the table in this discussion because open balcony doors do impact the overall ventilation system sucking air out of the cabin if you look what happens to the curtains when the door is opened. So an open door for any length of time will suck all the A/C air out of that system and out the door into the night.

 

In our almost 200 days on a wide array of HAL ships on different decks and either balcony or ocean view we have not had this problem ourselves. But watching the lighter weight liner curtains (Prinsendam) gush out of our last cabin when we opened the door, the suction power of an open door could not have been more vivid.

 

Re the locking override. How would your plan accommodate all those passengers who, after spending time on their balcony under the stars, try to re enter their cabins only to discover they have been locked out? Are they doomed to spend the night on the balcony?

 

In case of fire the smoke may be so thick in the passageway that the only course of action is to flee to the balcony. Oops--- the door is locked.

 

As I reported on another thread, we had engine exhaust fumes being pumped through our ventilation system while docked at Tilbury overnight on the Prinsendam. The fumes were making us ill and causing us to have headaches. The front desk couldn't have cared less, so for self preservation we were forced to prop our door open for ventilation. A locked balcony door would have forced us out of our cabin to sleep in a lounge somewhere. We tried to sleep on the balcony but it was too cold and damp.

 

I know that part of your answer will be that the fumes were most likely within HAL acceptable limits and that our illness was subjective. I thought I would beat you to it. :)

[fokeltje]

It would be great if Hal installed a system on verandah doors that automatically switches off the AC as soon as a verandah door is opened. This system is common in many hotels, and I saw it installed on a cruise ship as well, the Sea Princess, if I remember correctly. All problems solved.

[startwin]

HAL might need to install some sort of locking override system for balcony doors, which some passengers may still be forcing open at night, contrary to the signs warning against doing this. I understand other ships have this system or some other master ventilation system that is not inter-connected to other cabins on the same line.

 

Balcony doors forced open can disrupt bedtime temperatures in other cabins on the same ventilation circuit. This coordinated ventilation system may be a feature on the older HAL ships but has become more of today compared to passenger compliance with the suggested door closing guidelines in the past.

 

At least this is something to put on the table in this discussion because open balcony doors do impact the overall ventilation system sucking air out of the cabin if you look what happens to the curtains when the door is opened. So an open door for any length of time will suck all the A/C air out of that system and out the door into the night.

 

In our almost 200 days on a wide array of HAL ships on different decks and either balcony or ocean view we have not had this problem ourselves. But watching the lighter weight liner curtains (Prinsendam) gush out of our last cabin when we opened the door, the suction power of an open door could not have been more vivid.

 

Could you please explain what you mean by balcony doors forced open. Do you mean propped open continuously? I ask because in another thread when I mentioned going in and out to the balcony, you equated that to the door being forced open, which was really puzzling. As to the suction power of an open door, if you watch, the drapes would settle down even with the door open, after the first rush of air.

 

As to a locking device, this would probably be illegal, and dangerous, in the event of a fire or noxious fumes. However, a system that automatically cuts the air conditioning when the door is open more than a specified time, is in existence on some cruise ships.

[zackiedawg]

As to the original topic - A/C in cabins on HAL ships as compared to other lines and ships: though I am a fairly regular and frequent cruiser, at one per year there is some gap between cruises and therefore I need to look back over the past decade to summarize my experiences on HAL versus other lines.

 

The simple summary for me was that on no HAL ship, including 3 times on Zuiderdam, twice on Noordam, and once on Westerdam last week, have I found the AC in the cabins to be noticeably different from any other line I've been on.

 

Basically, I'm never happy with the cabin temperatures on any cruise, any ship, any time...with one exception that had nothing to do with the ship. I am someone who likes to sleep in much cooler conditions, and therefore always have some compromise on cruises...I've yet to be on a ship where I could get my cabin down to the 67 degrees I prefer to sleep in at home...so that makes them all compromised to me. But I've also never experienced a problem on HAL ships in achieving the same, barely acceptable 75 degrees or so that seems to be about the max a cruise ship AC system will allow at night...I found Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity to be no different in this regard on all my past cruises with those lines. The one and only ship that I was able to have a lovely and pleasant sleep on was Eurodam, and that was because we were cruising in Canada/New England in late October and opening the balcony door allowed me to let in that gorgeous cool winter air on most nights.

 

If I ever found myself in a cabin where the temperature stayed at or above 80, even with the balcony kept closed and the AC turned down to the lowest setting, I'd be complaining incessantly - I'd move out of a suite and to a first-floor inside cabin if it meant I could get a cooler cabin temperature...or I'd have the ship find me a fan, a cooler full of ice, or anything else they could dig up - because that would be completely unacceptable for me. If Zuiderdam had a permanent AC issue as has been described by others, affecting all cabins on the ship, and experiencing temperatures in the cabins of 80+ degrees, I certainly would not have cruised on her 3 times...all in very hot, humid locations.

 

As to the suction effect of opening balcony doors - I don't find this to be an issue at all - as someone who frequently goes out and in of the balcony door, and prizes a cooler cabin, it doesn't cause the cabin to suck out all the air. Where this happens is when BOTH the cabin door to the hallway AND the balcony door are open - then the suction can be astounding, like being in an airlock in a spaceship open to deep space! That will certainly warm your cabin in seconds. The key is to not open the balcony door and the cabin door at the same time. In the Caribbean, I never force the balcony door to stay open because of the horrible heat outside that I prefer to keep OUT! But on the Eurodam, I frequently kept the balcony door open in the evening while reading a book, so I could get some of that nice winter air into the cabin to override the ship's slight heating effect coming from the AC system even at its lowest setting. Out of respect for everyone else on the ship, I never opened the cabin door and balcony door at the same time, which might have sucked too much of the warm air out of the hallway and cooled down those who like to live inside an oven! I spent much of my time outdoors on that cruise, sitting in deck chairs on the top deck when it was 45 degrees and breezy, to enjoy the views and the cool crisp air in my lungs...which was better than the artificially heated air in the ship lounges.

[startwin]

<snip>

If Zuiderdam had a permanent AC issue as has been described by others, affecting all cabins on the ship, and experiencing temperatures in the cabins of 80+ degrees, I certainly would not have cruised on her 3 times...all in very hot, humid locations.

 

<snip>

 

I don't believe anyone has said that the a/c issues have affected all cabins on the ship (except for the time they turned off the a/c in Grand Turk to do repairs) in any of the reports. The problem seems to be in scattered areas of the ship, so some zones are simply not working efficiently.

[OlsSalt]

It would be great if Hal installed a system on verandah doors that automatically switches off the AC as soon as a verandah door is opened. This system is common in many hotels, and I saw it installed on a cruise ship as well, the Sea Princess, if I remember correctly. All problems solved.

 

That open-door "override" capacity sounds like a very good possibility that would help remedy the variable reports about HACV systems on HAL ships. I remember hearing something about this being present on a cruise ship from another poster here some time ago, but could not remember the details. Thank you for providing them.

 

I hope HAL looks into this, because simply putting the signs on the door is apparently not working if they have this interconnected system where actions in one cabin affect the comfort of other cabins in the same circuit.

[OlsSalt]

…..

As to the suction effect of opening balcony doors - I don't find this to be an issue at all - as someone who frequently goes out and in of the balcony door, and prizes a cooler cabin, it doesn't cause the cabin to suck out all the air. Where this happens is when BOTH the cabin door to the hallway AND the balcony door are open - then the suction can be astounding, like being in an airlock in a spaceship open to deep space! That will certainly warm your cabin in seconds. The key is to not open the balcony door and the cabin door at the same time. …..

 

Recent experience on the Prinsendam with the powerful curtain gusts, only the balcony door was open in our cabin. The cabin door was not open. But when the A/C system was not operating, this gusting did not happen.

 

We have not noticed this powerful of a reaction fighting to get the curtains back inside the cabin to close the door on other ships. But it certainly illustrated the fact that air did not come inside the cabin on that ship, it was rushing out when the balcony door was opened under those circumstances.

Edited November 26, 2013 by OlsSalt

[igraf]

We typically experience too much cold air blowing on us (we tend to go on cold weather cruises). This happens with the Vista-class standard verandah staterooms where the ventilator is right over the bed. I usually bring something to stuff inside the ventilator to alleviate the situation, but am careful to always remove it when we leave.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

We cruised on the Queen Victoria, Cunard, twice in one year. First time every thing was fine. Second time, we felt like our cabin was a sauna... no mater what we did we could not cool it down to comfortable temp. Called for service after 3 days of trying to adjust it ourselves. Good thing we did, apparently, the passengers on the cruise ahead of us, where cold and someone had stuffed 2 filters into the air conditioning unit to try and block the cooler air from circulating. After they removed the second filter we were fine and the room was confortable. Share because maybe someone needs to check the inside of the unit. We had our temp setting as cool as possible but room felt like a sauna.