Balcony Dividers- can u open them yourself

[karatemom2]

1 minute ago, complawyer said:

if these people are upset because they arent allowed to open their balcony dividers, and would have booked an inside cabin instead, i dont think they would be interested in springing for a 2 bedroom suite

Actually we had a two bedroom suite booked originally on our cruise that was canceled in 2020. When we rebooked for last year, unfortunately there were none available on the week we planned to travel. That’s why the NCL rep convinced us that side by side balconies would be the best alternative for us. The cost was close to the same and she excitedly described how we would enjoy the big expanded combined balcony. A direct quote. My point is that we could have invested in one of the suites that have a bigger, deeper balcony and gotten an inside across, also for a comparable price but we were steered away from that discussion for whatever reason in favor of the option she was pushing as our best option. I think perhaps the point that is being missed is that we were explicitly misled and it impacted our choices. So I was disappointed upon finding out we had received bad information from the expert I trusted in making our decision. 

[MoCruiseFan]

I don't know anyone named "U", however the dividers CAN be opened but they MAY not be.  It is not allowed, fire hazard.

[LGW59]

18 minutes ago, complawyer said:

if these people are upset because they arent allowed to open their balcony dividers, and would have booked an inside cabin instead, i dont think they would be interested in springing for a 2 bedroom suite

True but it’s only money 

[LGW59]

10 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

Actually we had a two bedroom suite booked originally on our cruise that was canceled in 2020. When we rebooked for last year, unfortunately there were none available on the week we planned to travel. That’s why the NCL rep convinced us that side by side balconies would be the best alternative for us. The cost was close to the same and she excitedly described how we would enjoy the big expanded combined balcony. A direct quote. My point is that we could have invested in one of the suites that have a bigger, deeper balcony and gotten an inside across, also for a comparable price but we were steered away from that discussion for whatever reason in favor of the option she was pushing as our best option. I think perhaps the point that is being missed is that we were explicitly misled and it impacted our choices. So I was disappointed upon finding out we had received bad information from the expert I trusted in making our decision. 

In all seriousness, perhaps going forward consider using a good TA

[mtrancher]

4 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

It’s alright. I’m used to harsh responses here. The second balcony room was for my adult children. So no, they really would have been just fine in an inside cabin. We spend time together as a family on our balcony. In our experience on the other lines I mentioned, the nice thing about the side by side balconies is by opening the divider we could spread out a bit and enjoy time together as a family. That is important to us and one of the main reason we cruise. Had the NCL representative been honest with me we would have used the extra money for a cabin with a larger balcony and booked a less expensive inside for the kids. I had no reason to doubt what she was telling me based on my experience on other cruise lines. You may find it something that is unimportant to you, but every person has different priorities when they travel and I was disappointed to be misled in making my decision. And lesson learned - when we are booking two cabins side by side for a family vacation we will go with another line as we are with Princess in May. We still enjoy NCL and will cruise with them on trips where that isn’t an issue for us. In fact, my husband just returned from a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Bliss that he took to reward a couple of his staff. Regardless, I’m not looking for sympathy from you or anyone else. Just sharing my experience and opinion. 

I just realized you are the poster who asked about drones as well. Congratulations for being a poster who can bring out the snark on this board! Funny you have to have a thick skin simply for asking a question or stating your opinion. I wish you the best in your future cruises and thank you for your contributions on this board.

[ourfamilylovescruising]

23 hours ago, complawyer said:

one of the major no-no's on ncl ships is opening the dividers. if you try it, you do so at your own risk. if ncl insists that it cant be done, please dont act all entitled to be different.  your respective husbands im sure can enjoy their cruise without the need of opening these dividers.

We don't think we are entitled strong words for someone you do not know 

anyways we will have a great cruise either way 

[ourfamilylovescruising]

20 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

We ran into this on our Alaska cruise last summer. We specifically booked two side by side balconies because the NCL rep who booked our trip ASSURED us the divider would be opened for us. We have enjoyed this benefit on every single other cruise line we have been on including Princess, HAL, Carnival and RCI. So we were  pretty shocked when we got a flat out “NO” despite what we had been told. We paid extra for a second balcony cabin for this perk when we could have saved money by booking an inside across the hall had we known. We were pretty unhappy and may have found our own way around it for brief periods of scenic cruising days. It stayed closed the rest of the time because we didn’t want to cause trouble for our room steward. But never again will I pay extra to book side by side balconies on NCL and we are back to Princess for our Alaska cruise this summer where they happily open the dividers for their passengers traveling together. 

Thank you for writing back 

like you we really only wanted for scenic cruising days too

No matter what we will have a good cruise.

[complawyer]

im very sorry, but in reality, the scenery remains the same whether the dividers are opened or closed. its for your own safety

[Two Wheels Only]

I'm probably considered to be one of the balcony aficionados on the forum. Most people have seen posts of mine that relate to balcony depth, balcony width, etc. When I first joined the forum, I would have had no problem with people opening a divider to enjoy a larger balcony.

 

Then I learned why having dividers in place is important. I learned why they have the ability to open. I learned about the dangers of and the difficulty of fighting a fire at sea. I learned about different flame retardant materials and fire suppression systems. I learned why NCL has their current policy.

 

The resistance to wanting dividers open isn't about stopping friends/family from having fun. It isn't about balcony envy if a doubled balcony is larger than my balcony. It isn't about the tiny side balconies on BA/GA. It's about not placing people in danger. Will there be a balcony fire on my next cruise? Probably not. If there is a .0001% chance that a balcony fire will be near my balcony, I want every safety measure in place and that includes the dividers working as they should.

 

I understand when people ask. I understand when people are upset when told that it isn't allowed. I understand that other lines allow more risk to be taken.

 

Once the information is given, I don't understand why some people do it anyway.

[dmdiver]

We travel with another couple and one of the things we enjoy is sitting together on our balconies.  In the old days, the guys would have a cigar out there.  Of course, that is no longer allowed, so we like to sit out there with a drink & just talk.  It's always been nice to enjoy the peace & quiet.  Most of the time we have been able to have the divider open.  Occasionally, we have not - either due to cruise line policy at the time or window/door configuration of the cabins. We always ask, but if the answer is no there is no reason to be hateful to any crewmember.