How Quiet are Queen Anne Cabins?

[LewiLewi]

For those that have already sailed on QA, have you found the cabins quiet? Can you hear your neighbor’s TV, loud talking, etc.? Are the cabins creaky or noisy when the ship picks up speed? Thank you.

[MylesS]

We didn't notice any sound during the maiden, at least nothing that was concerning. We're going again next week, I'm happy to have an extra listen and report back.

[exlondoner]

Our Q4 was very quiet. A bit of creaking one night from some of the ceiling coving, but never heard a human sound.

[Victoria2]

We were astonished how quiet our cabin was, creak wise! Exterior of our cabin human sounds, zero.

[TowandaUK]

We were in a balcony cabin and heard no noise from the neighbours or corridor. However there were a couple of nights when it was a bit rocky there was some creaking around the balcony door. 

[Petulia]

We were in a Britannia balcony near the end of a corridor and not only were the cabins well insulated but the doors also shut quietly. There was next to no sound coming from the adjacent cabins unless both parties were using their balconies.

 

Also I would add that the heating / cooling system in the cabin was very efficient and easy to use. A fan in the ceiling would come on for a while and then stop. And there was no continuous down draft of chilly Aircon we have experienced on other ships. 

[Megabear2]

My inside is very quiet, I hear nothing at all.  I'm extremely impressed.  I was dubious as my last new ship voyage was Arvia and the noise issues there were absolutely horrendous. This is the total opposite, I sleep like a log.

[Selbourne]

It sounds like we have been unlucky with particularly noisy neighbours on one side of us (Club Balcony), but when they talk at full volume (as they do) we can hear them quite noticeably, as we can their TV. It was enough to wake us at 5.30am one morning and they talk very loudly when returning to the cabin late at night as well which, again, disturbs us. Conversely we don’t hear the people the other side anywhere near as much, nor have we ever heard anything from overhead as you do on some ships. 
 

We’ve only had a very slight creak from one wall but on the current cruise we’ve had no movement at all as we’ve been blessed with flat calm

seas. 

[D&N]

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

It sounds like we have been unlucky with particularly noisy neighbours on one side of us (Club Balcony), but when they talk at full volume (as they do) we can hear them quite noticeably, as we can their TV. It was enough to wake us at 5.30am one morning and they talk very loudly when returning to the cabin late at night as well which, again, disturbs us. Conversely we don’t hear the people the other side anywhere near as much, nor have we ever heard anything from overhead as you do on some ships. 
 

We’ve only had a very slight creak from one wall but on the current cruise we’ve had no movement at all as we’ve been blessed with flat calm

seas. 

Is there a connecting door on the noisy neighbour side, perhaps well hidden?

We wouldn't book a cabin that has a connecting door. On QM2 we could only hear neighbours talking if we were both on balcony at same time.

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, D&N said:

Is there a connecting door on the noisy neighbour side, perhaps well hidden?

We wouldn't book a cabin that has a connecting door. On QM2 we could only hear neighbours talking if we were both on balcony at same time.

No. We would never book a cabin with a connecting door. We simply have a couple one side of us where the lady speaks at full volume in the cabin, however early in the morning or late at night it may be, whereas we are always conscious that cabin sound insulation is rarely good and so we speak in hushed tones if there’s any possibility that our neighbours may be asleep. .
 

Anyone in a cabin next door to us (or people like us) would say that the sound insulation is great and they never hear anything, yet we always seem to end up with someone who is inconsiderate either one side of us or above us. 
 

The only area where I would say that Queen Anne is noticeably better than other ships in terms of cabin noise is between floors. We can’t hear any footsteps overhead at all.

[richard_london]

On the maiden voyage, the cabin on one side, I can hear muffled conversations, not enough to be able to hear what words were being spoken.  When I was sitting at the desk a sneeze from the man in the same cabin was very audible.  I don't know if the textured wall/headboard behind the bed helps deaden the sound a bit, or I was lucky, but couldn't hear anything from the other side.

 

Sound from the corridor was minimal, but there was a companionway opposite so there wasn't a cabin directly opposite.

 

If you are affected by light in your room at night there is a big enough gap below the door to let light through, so I used a towel to block the light, and make sure the peephole is closed as that allows a shaft of light into the room that illuminates it surprisingly well!

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, richard_london said:

I don't know if the textured wall/headboard behind the bed helps deaden the sound a bit, or I was lucky, but couldn't hear anything from the other side.

It doesn’t sadly. The side we get noise disturbance from is the side behind our huge padded headboard. 
 

It all depends on the cabin neighbours that you end up with. If they are considerate, talk in hushed tones when neighbours are likely to be asleep, and don’t have their TV on too loud, then people will assume that the sound insulation is brilliant. If, however, you have an inconsiderate person next to you (as we do on one side) then you realise that it isn’t. 

[exlondoner]

19 minutes ago, richard_london said:

On the maiden voyage, the cabin on one side, I can hear muffled conversations, not enough to be able to hear what words were being spoken.  When I was sitting at the desk a sneeze from the man in the same cabin was very audible.  I don't know if the textured wall/headboard behind the bed helps deaden the sound a bit, or I was lucky, but couldn't hear anything from the other side.

 

Sound from the corridor was minimal, but there was a companionway opposite so there wasn't a cabin directly opposite.

 

If you are affected by light in your room at night there is a big enough gap below the door to let light through, so I used a towel to block the light, and make sure the peephole is closed as that allows a shaft of light into the room that illuminates it surprisingly well!

I didn’t mind the light under the door or the moonlight from outside, but there are also several annoying electronic lights. The red on the TV, the slightly illuminated switch for the bathroom night light, the light on what I assume was the router and something else, perhaps the phone.

[richard_london]

28 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

It doesn’t sadly. The side we get noise disturbance from is the side behind our huge padded headboard. 
 

It all depends on the cabin neighbours that you end up with. If they are considerate, talk in hushed tones when neighbours are likely to be asleep, and don’t have their TV on too loud, then people will assume that the sound insulation is brilliant. If, however, you have an inconsiderate person next to you (as we do on one side) then you realise that it isn’t. 

Oh, that's disappointing.  I always am quite careful with my cabin selection, but these things can never be completely planned out.  Shame people can't be considerate.

[richard_london]

18 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I didn’t mind the light under the door or the moonlight from outside, but there are also several annoying electronic lights. The red on the TV, the slightly illuminated switch for the bathroom night light, the light on what I assume was the router and something else, perhaps the phone.

Yes, I noticed those too and they bother me.  It's the same on any ship and any hotel i've stayed in.  If you go on Amazon and buy a packet of those little felt discs you can put on the bottom of furniture to stop them scraping, or some blu-tac, they work equally well at blocking the light. I put a piece of duct tape directly over the LED and then then the pad or blu-tac on top, as the duct tape protects the LED and doesn't leave any stick residue.  Just remember to take it off before they clean the room and when you disembark.

[TouchstoneFeste]

2 hours ago, richard_london said:

the duct tape protects the LED and doesn't leave any stick residue

This may be one of those "two nations separated by a common language" things, but the duct tape we have in the U.S. very definitely leaves a residue. Instead I use gaff (or "gaffer's") tape. It's used by theatrical and film companies specifically because it doesn't leave a residue. (And it's pretty strong and has a matte finish you can write on. On the other hand, it's more expensive.)

[richard_london]

1 hour ago, TouchstoneFeste said:

Instead I use gaff (or "gaffer's") tape. It's used by theatrical and film companies specifically because it doesn't leave a residue.

I had to check, Google says we're talking about the same thing. 

[TouchstoneFeste]

3 hours ago, richard_london said:

I had to check, Google says we're talking about the same thing. 

Again, this may be a language issue of some sort.

 

The Wikipedia article on duct tape says that gaff tape is considered a subtype of duct tape, but they're definitely different. The silvery (or now, other-colored) duct tape is better at some things like moisture protection, for example. The matte gaff tape just gets soggy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaffer_tape

 

"While sometimes confused with duct tape, gaffer tape differs in the composition of both the backing, which is made from fabric as opposed to vinyl or other plastics, and the adhesive, which is more resistant to heat and more easily removed without damaging the surface to which it adhered."

[Selbourne]

Just to reiterate my point that those reporting no noise disturbance in cabins is most likely down to the fact that they have been fortunate to have had considerate neighbours both sides of them, rather than the construction of the ship, I was woken after 1am this morning by our inconsiderate neighbours. It’s always the same side and it’s not crashing and banging, it’s talking. What they find to talk about incessantly after 1 o’clock in the morning is beyond me 😡

[LewiLewi]

On 6/4/2024 at 2:14 AM, Selbourne said:

Just to reiterate my point that those reporting no noise disturbance in cabins is most likely down to the fact that they have been fortunate to have had considerate neighbours both sides of them, rather than the construction of the ship, I was woken after 1am this morning by our inconsiderate neighbours. It’s always the same side and it’s not crashing and banging, it’s talking. What they find to talk about incessantly after 1 o’clock in the morning is beyond me 😡

Have you tried calling them, even at 1AM, to ask them to please lower the volume of their voices, TV, etc. so that you can sleep? I have done this when I was disturbed, and it actually worked. Hopefully, it may embarrass them and they may quiet down.

[Selbourne]

23 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

Have you tried calling them, even at 1AM, to ask them to please lower the volume of their voices, TV, etc. so that you can sleep? I have done this when I was disturbed, and it actually worked. Hopefully, it may embarrass them and they may quiet down.

I haven’t done that, partly because I try to get back to sleep and having to go through that in the early hours would then keep me awake for ages afterwards.

 

I didn’t get disturbed the following night, but last night I was woken at 2.50am by the woman in the next cabin talking at full volume yet again. At one stage I heard her say “oh no!” but then I didn’t hear anything after that, which seemed odd. I’m beginning to wonder if she talks in her sleep.

 

Sadly, some people just suffer from verbal diarrhoea and have a pressing urge to talk for all their waking hours. The woman in the next cabin fits that bill, as does a Welsh chap in the dining room who is incapable of not talking constantly. He sometimes comes down without his wife and talks constantly to those on adjacent tables. He’s got a thick Welsh accent and talks extremely quickly, and I’m in admiration of the guests either side, none of whom are British, for being able to understand and engage with him. We dodged a bullet, as the first table we were offered (which we declined) would have been next to him. It’s irritating enough from where we are, but having to endure it directly every meal would drive me nuts. It’s a shame that some people don’t respect the fact that people often ask for a table for two because they don’t want to have to engage in constant conversation every mealtime. 

 

 

[LewiLewi]

2 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I haven’t done that, partly because I try to get back to sleep and having to go through that in the early hours would then keep me awake for ages afterwards.

 

I didn’t get disturbed the following night, but last night I was woken at 2.50am by the woman in the next cabin talking at full volume yet again. At one stage I heard her say “oh no!” but then I didn’t hear anything after that, which seemed odd. I’m beginning to wonder if she talks in her sleep.

 

Sadly, some people just suffer from verbal diarrhoea and have a pressing urge to talk for all their waking hours. The woman in the next cabin fits that bill, as does a Welsh chap in the dining room who is incapable of not talking constantly. He sometimes comes down without his wife and talks constantly to those on adjacent tables. He’s got a thick Welsh accent and talks extremely quickly, and I’m in admiration of the guests either side, none of whom are British, for being able to understand and engage with him. We dodged a bullet, as the first table we were offered (which we declined) would have been next to him. It’s irritating enough from where we are, but having to endure it directly every meal would drive me nuts. It’s a shame that some people don’t respect the fact that people often ask for a table for two because they don’t want to have to engage in constant conversation every mealtime. 

 

I once had a cabin next to someone who had nightmares every night and would cry out several times during the night. After two nights of this, I changed my cabin. Too bad the insulation isn’t better on most ships.

[exlondoner]

7 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I haven’t done that, partly because I try to get back to sleep and having to go through that in the early hours would then keep me awake for ages afterwards.

 

I didn’t get disturbed the following night, but last night I was woken at 2.50am by the woman in the next cabin talking at full volume yet again. At one stage I heard her say “oh no!” but then I didn’t hear anything after that, which seemed odd. I’m beginning to wonder if she talks in her sleep.

 

Sadly, some people just suffer from verbal diarrhoea and have a pressing urge to talk for all their waking hours. The woman in the next cabin fits that bill, as does a Welsh chap in the dining room who is incapable of not talking constantly. He sometimes comes down without his wife and talks constantly to those on adjacent tables. He’s got a thick Welsh accent and talks extremely quickly, and I’m in admiration of the guests either side, none of whom are British, for being able to understand and engage with him. We dodged a bullet, as the first table we were offered (which we declined) would have been next to him. It’s irritating enough from where we are, but having to endure it directly every meal would drive me nuts. It’s a shame that some people don’t respect the fact that people often ask for a table for two because they don’t want to have to engage in constant conversation every mealtime. 

 

 

And there are also some people, who are not necessarily particularly loquacious, but, when they do speak, just cannot modulate their voices, so that they are either silent or addressing half the restaurant. 

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

And there are also some people, who are not necessarily particularly loquacious, but, when they do speak, just cannot modulate their voices, so that they are either silent or addressing half the restaurant. 

Exactly. I take the approach that the only people who should hear your conversations are those on your own table. Sadly, some folk like to ‘broadcast’ to multiple tables. 
 

Thankfully it’s not all bad. We have a lovely group of 4 Americans (or Canadians - not sure) adjacent to us and yet we never hear their conversations, as hopefully they don’t hear ours. 

[Ukulele girl]

Perhaps the noisy people disturbing you Selbourne are hearing aid wearers and remove the aids when they get back to their cabin so have to talk loudly to hear each other.😁 I am aware that my husband is much noisier generally when he has removed his aids.