Anybody ever open their balcony partition---by themselves???

[Mosaic]

So, the question is not if you should open the partition on your balcony (with friends next door), but rather is it possible to do so? Special tool, key???

 

Thanks.

[Charles4515]

9 minutes ago, Mosaic said:

So, the question is not if you should open the partition on your balcony (with friends next door), but rather is it possible to do so? Special tool, key???

 

Thanks.

Why would you risk getting kicked off the ship? If the partition is allowed to be open have the crew do it. 

Edited December 29, 2019 by Charles4515

[Seasick Sailor]

Yes, the crew has a tool to open the partition. Our partition was somehow unlocked and was banging between us and neighbors cabin. The steward came in and re-locked it.

[catl331]

25 minutes ago, Mosaic said:

Special tool, key???

It looked to me like a large hex wrench is needed. But why not just ask your steward?

[Seasick Sailor]

Ohhhhh... Perhaps the OP does not want his friends sneaking onto his balcony??😏

[Mosaic]

Well, I wish not to ask, just to do it.

 

Also, This is for a Neptune Suite that is facing front, that has a partition to that area from a side balcony.

It can be opened and you can go out there under good weather conditions.....

[3rdGenCunarder]

I agree with catl331, ask your steward. It's possible that the wrench needed is an unusual size so that passengers don't open partitions for themselves.

 

[leerathje]

We had 3 rooms side by side by side on the Koningdam in January 2019.  We couldn't open the partitions, and had to get our room stewards to do it.  We asked them, and they came back with a tool to open it.  There is a lock of some sort that keeps it open as well, so it doesn't slam back and forth.

 

L.

 

[kazu]

43 minutes ago, Mosaic said:

Well, I wish not to ask, just to do it.

 

We don’t always get what we want 😉 

 

43 minutes ago, Mosaic said:

 

Also, This is for a Neptune Suite that is facing front, that has a partition to that area from a side balcony.

It can be opened and you can go out there under good weather conditions.....

 

Let the stewards do it.

Since you have a Neptune Suite just visit the concierge (if you haven’t seen your stewards) and request the partitions be opened and it will be done quickly, I’m sure 🙂 

[mamapirk]

Interesting topic. I recently took my first HAL cruise which incidentally was also my first solo cruise without my husband. My cabin was smack in the middle of a family group and the first evening they approached me to switch cabins with their sister in a cabin on the opposite side of the ship. If they had approached me at arrival I would have been happy to accommodate them but it was late the first evening and I'd already unpacked and was totally settled. At any rate, I woke up a couple of days later, threw open the drapes and discovered they had somehow opened the balcony partitions. To make matters worse, their belongings were encroaching on my balcony. You can imagine my surprise standing there in my gown and robe...lol. Our cabin steward looked appalled when I told him about it and he immediately rectified the situation, but I was shocked at their nerve. I've no clue how they accomplished this on their own.

[*Miss G*]

3 hours ago, Mosaic said:

Well, I wish not to ask, just to do it.

 

Also, This is for a Neptune Suite that is facing front, that has a partition to that area from a side balcony.

It can be opened and you can go out there under good weather conditions.....

 

I had a forward NS on the Koningsdam and the partition was not allowed to be opened.

[Tom O.]

31 minutes ago, mamapirk said:

Interesting topic. I recently took my first HAL cruise which incidentally was also my first solo cruise without my husband. My cabin was smack in the middle of a family group and the first evening they approached me to switch cabins with their sister in a cabin on the opposite side of the ship. If they had approached me at arrival I would have been happy to accommodate them but it was late the first evening and I'd already unpacked and was totally settled. At any rate, I woke up a couple of days later, threw open the drapes and discovered they had somehow opened the balcony partitions. To make matters worse, their belongings were encroaching on my balcony. You can imagine my surprise standing there in my gown and robe...lol. Our cabin steward looked appalled when I told him about it and he immediately rectified the situation, but I was shocked at their nerve. I've no clue how they accomplished this on their own.

I am amazed at the audacity of people who would do this. I don't know how they did it either.

The locking partition is part of your room security, just like the lock on the cabin door. It should never be unlocked unless there is an agreement between the parties in both rooms.

It is similar to someone having one of those rooms with a interconnecting doorway coming into your room without your permission. Unbelievable.

[catl331]

57 minutes ago, mamapirk said:

Our cabin steward looked appalled when I told him about it and he immediately rectified the situation,

Are you certain they didn't deceive the steward into thinking you were part of the group, or agreeable?

[sun~]

I found out the trick to opening the balcony partitions. A regular key, like a house key or car key. It worked between our balcony and our friend's balcony. We kept asking the cabin steward, he said "later" which never happened. I noticed a row of three balconies were open next to our friend's cabin, so we asked one of the people. They had the same issue with the tardy steward. She told me the trick. It worked.

[Boytjie]

4 hours ago, Mosaic said:

Well, I wish not to ask, just to do it.

 

 If they wanted just anyone to be able to open it, they would have provided an easy opening latch.

 

They usually want to make sure that all parties involved are OK with the partition being opened. Whenever we want it opened between us and our friends, they check with the occupants of both cabins.

 

But some people just don't want to follow rules.

Edited December 29, 2019 by Boytjie

[Boytjie]

30 minutes ago, catl331 said:

Are you certain they didn't deceive the steward into thinking you were part of the group, or agreeable?

 

The stewards always talk to the occupants of the cabins involved before unlocking it.

 

We once had four cabins in a row that we asked them to unlock the partitions between them: they checked with all of us. They would be derelict in their duties if they did not check.

[Aquahound]

So to actually answer the OP's question, yes, I have.  We had neighboring balcony rooms with some good friends of ours.  We originally had the room attendant open it but soon figured out that at times, it was best to have it closed for privacy.  Rather than calling the room attendant every single time we wanted to open or close it, we just did it ourselves. 

 

I'm not sure how that's violating any "rules."  🤔

[TiogaCruiser]

1 hour ago, mamapirk said:

Interesting topic. I recently took my first HAL cruise which incidentally was also my first solo cruise without my husband. My cabin was smack in the middle of a family group and the first evening they approached me to switch cabins with their sister in a cabin on the opposite side of the ship. If they had approached me at arrival I would have been happy to accommodate them but it was late the first evening and I'd already unpacked and was totally settled. At any rate, I woke up a couple of days later, threw open the drapes and discovered they had somehow opened the balcony partitions. To make matters worse, their belongings were encroaching on my balcony. You can imagine my surprise standing there in my gown and robe...lol. Our cabin steward looked appalled when I told him about it and he immediately rectified the situation, but I was shocked at their nerve. I've no clue how they accomplished this on their own.

Wow. The gall of some people.

[kevingastreich]

It's not that hard to open them yourselves. We have done it also when traveling with good friends in the cabin next door.  The stewards are very busy on embarkation day and it's faster just to do it yourself. On another note, during a bad storm one night, the partition between us and a non travelling companion neighbor cabin flew open and was banging back and forth very violently  I was able to secure it in the open position with the latch and in the morning we had the steward lock it in the closed position.

[catl331]

2 hours ago, Boytjie said:

 If they wanted just anyone to be able to open it, they would have provided an easy opening latch.

Or some arrangement like interior connecting doors, where each side has to open something.

[johnmik1]

They are simple to lock and unlock.We were on a HAL cruise where the crew opened all the balcony doors to do some maintenance, but failed to properly secure our door with one adjoining cabin.I hadn't noticed that it was ajar till a nice little older woman walked onto our balcony and told me that she had called the desk and the crew member came and told her that he had properly locked it.I quickly figured out the lock and had it done in a few seconds.

[grest]

Last June my family (sibs and spouses) had five adjacent aft balconies, and we opened them...o the Westerdam.

 

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

19 hours ago, mamapirk said:

Interesting topic. I recently took my first HAL cruise which incidentally was also my first solo cruise without my husband. My cabin was smack in the middle of a family group and the first evening they approached me to switch cabins with their sister in a cabin on the opposite side of the ship. If they had approached me at arrival I would have been happy to accommodate them but it was late the first evening and I'd already unpacked and was totally settled. At any rate, I woke up a couple of days later, threw open the drapes and discovered they had somehow opened the balcony partitions. To make matters worse, their belongings were encroaching on my balcony. You can imagine my surprise standing there in my gown and robe...lol. Our cabin steward looked appalled when I told him about it and he immediately rectified the situation, but I was shocked at their nerve. I've no clue how they accomplished this on their own.

 

I would have called security, especially traveling alone--your first solo is scary enough without someone invading your space. Then a security officer might have spoken to them and made sure they didn't do that again. 

 

[Hlitner]

23 hours ago, Mosaic said:

Well, I wish not to ask, just to do it.

 

Also, This is for a Neptune Suite that is facing front, that has a partition to that area from a side balcony.

It can be opened and you can go out there under good weather conditions.....

Was just visited by 2 Grandchildren (both under 3) and "well, I wish not to ask, just do it" sounds a lot like we hear from those in that terrible 2 stage :).  What is the big deal?  You want it opened just mention it to your steward and it will be done.  Want it later closed, just ask your steward.  Given what you pay for a Neptune we would expect that your wish will be granted very fast :).

 

Hank

[Mosaic]

Thanks for the very few here actually answering the question.  The rest of you need to get a life.

 

Look, I have also been told that even in a Neptune that they would not open it.  Plus, it is a very straight forward question

as to whether it CAN be done: not if it SHOULD be done.  I made that clear in the original post.  Jeeze, let me be!