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

[*Miss G*]

31 minutes ago, Mosaic said:

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! 

 

 

[Mosaic]

Thank you for bringing up a 4 year old thread...

[Mosaic]

And JUST to be critical...

[SanDiegian]

OnBoard the old Rotterdam we had a Lanai cabin that opened directly out to the Promenade Walking Deck (and a shortcut to the lifeboat if that ever was needed on a HAL ship?). and still possible on the Volendam (currently somewhere in French Polynesia). The balcony glass has a film to block seeing from Promenade looking inward but still from inside see out. It felt very much like walking the Redlight District in Amsterdam and we kept the curtain closed and never went outside that way. Even though it was cheaper Mrs.SD & I never stayed in a Lanai balcony again before Old Rotterdam went to Fred Olsen Cruises. 

[albingirl]

3 hours ago, SanDiegian said:

OnBoard the old Rotterdam we had a Lanai cabin that opened directly out to the Promenade Walking Deck (and a shortcut to the lifeboat if that ever was needed on a HAL ship?). and still possible on the Volendam (currently somewhere in French Polynesia). The balcony glass has a film to block seeing from Promenade looking inward but still from inside see out. It felt very much like walking the Redlight District in Amsterdam and we kept the curtain closed and never went outside that way. Even though it was cheaper Mrs.SD & I never stayed in a Lanai balcony again before Old Rotterdam went to Fred Olsen Cruises. 

Funny, we loved those cabins. Took very long cruises in them. The comparison to Redlight district puzzles me, but alot puzzles me these days. 

[Torquer]

I am just reading this very old thread now.  I am shocked that those partitions can be opened without something like a real key.  Since there is no lock on the sliding doors from the balcony into the cabin, what's to prevent someone from opening the partition with some "tool" and then walking right into the neighbor's cabin.  Seems like a huge liability issue for HAL.  Of course, a determined and athletic person could probably just climb around/over the divider, but still physical security makes it harder.

[highscar]

Which HAL ship has cabin sliding doors?

[highscar]

All the many HAL SHIPS I HAVE CRUISED HAB LOCKS ON THE BALCONY DOORS. 

[Torquer]

8 minutes ago, highscar said:

Which HAL ship has cabin sliding doors?

We always stay in the PS, and they have sliding doors on all ships.  I had assumed all cabins had sliding doors to the balcony, but I guess I never noticed.  Also on the PS, the balcony dividers are fixed and cannot be opened like the dividers on normal cabins, so this is not a security concern for the PS.

[highscar]

Understand. Something I’ll never experience. Enjoy. 

[Fouremco]

34 minutes ago, Torquer said:

I am just reading this very old thread now.  I am shocked that those partitions can be opened without something like a real key.  Since there is no lock on the sliding doors from the balcony into the cabin, what's to prevent someone from opening the partition with some "tool" and then walking right into the neighbor's cabin.  Seems like a huge liability issue for HAL.  Of course, a determined and athletic person could probably just climb around/over the divider, but still physical security makes it harder.

All of the ships I've sailed on, both HAL's and other lines', had locks on the balcony doors. I see no liability issues for HAL should someone be able to first break their way onto a balcony and then break their way into the cabin.

[iceman93]

4 hours ago, Torquer said:

We always stay in the PS, and they have sliding doors on all ships.

I also always stay in the PS, and the sliding doors always have a lock.

[Blackduck59]

I'm not sure why this 4 year old thread has been resurrected. After reading the whole thing, a few observations. Some people feel they are so special they will mess with ship's equipment because they want to. How hard is it to ask? I have a feeling the dividers in the forward Neptune suites are more of a "Dodger" for the wind (keeping in mind the ship travelling at 18 to 20 knots makes it's own wind.

I'm not sure why I'm commenting on this dead thread except to say, if you want the partition opened ask your steward. They'll get it done and make sure it's latched so it doesn't start slamming back and forth at sea. Ship's equipment is not DIY. Are you going to fix the sloppy chair in the MDR?

[Torquer]

14 hours ago, iceman93 said:

I also always stay in the PS, and the sliding doors always have a lock.

You mean the lever that raises the sliding door a bit so that it opens easier than when the handle is in the position such that the door is lowered?  If so, have you ever tried to push really hard on the door from the balcony when it is in the lowered position?  We have always been able to slide it open when you push hard enough.  I would not call that a lock.  There is no other lock that we have seen on the PS doors.

[cruiseguy56]

On 12/29/2019 at 3:22 PM, sun~ said:

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.

I wish I'd known that the night we got locked out on the balcony years ago. The steward happened to be in the next room (had already done ours). I banged and banged on the partition trying to get his attention.with no luck. Finally, my wife said hang on to me, I'm going to sit on the railing and swing around. Somehow, we managed it without her going in the ocean and the very surprised steward let her in then came over and let me in.

[iceman93]

11 hours ago, Torquer said:

You mean the lever that raises the sliding door a bit so that it opens easier than when the handle is in the position such that the door is lowered?  If so, have you ever tried to push really hard on the door from the balcony when it is in the lowered position?  We have always been able to slide it open when you push hard enough.  I would not call that a lock.  There is no other lock that we have seen on the PS doors.

Maybe we've just sailed on different ships.  On ours, the handle on one side of the sliding door rotates 90° into a locked or unlocked position.  When locked, the door is absolutely un-openable from the balcony side.  I got stuck out there one time when my wife noticed the handle was in the unlocked position but didn't know I was outside--yes, I pushed REALLY hard on it and the thing was closed tight.  *lol*