Should I be worried with this room assignment?

Question

We are cruising on the Carnival Valor later this year and booked an inside stateroom. On either side of our room are the quad rooms (the rooms with drop-down beds). Should we be worried about more noise since they are the quad rooms on BOTH sides? Should I try and get our room reservation changed?

Answer 1

Sounds to me like your mind is made up solidly and you don't really want advice and an honest answer, but rather reinforcement of what your decision is already.

Answer 2

Well, you made a few major mistakes in your cruise booking.

1.  You booked onto Carnival.  That is a cheap cruiseline that is just meant for college kids or people with no money.

2.  You booked an inside cabin.  That is similar to sleeping in a closet.  People say "Oh, I am not going to be in the cabin except to sleep.".  Bull.  You do not live in it full time but you spend more time in your cabin that you think.  An inside cabin is small with no windows.  It is terrible.

3.  Quad rooms next door?  On both sides?  Well, this is a total plan for noise at all hours.  4 drunk college kids on each side late, late at night do not make for good sleeping even at 3 am. Yes, college kids go on cruises for the drinking.  Walls are not sound-proofed.  They are thin walls.

You were foolish to book like this.  At least, spend a little more money and get your cabin changed to an outside - prefereably one with a balcony.

Answer 3

Don't worry. You really won't spend that much time in your room!

Answer 4

No don't worry. I once had an inner stateroom, in a quad room. (However you say it) There were three of us in the room, and when we went to sleep, we didn't hear anything and had a peaceful rest. The rooms next to us were the same as ours. I think they make the walls extra-thick for those honeymooners. Don't worry about the reservation, besides carnival would probably charge you for the hassle.

Also, when you get on the ship, carnival ships always a self-serve ice cream machine open 24 hours a day. You'll become addicted to it, even with the buffets.

Answer 5

It shouldn't be bad. If you can get a room that holds fewer you might be a little better off, the main problem would be if you get a family with young kids. I was on a cruise once and the family had triplets, I am not joking when I say they cried all night long, and this was in a suite, I felt so bad for the parents. (I've never needed a vacation so bad after getting back from vacation!). So no matter where you book, there is always the chance that it will be noisy. If you go during the school year you are less likely to have families around you, but there is still a chance.

A cruise ship can be noisy anyway. If you have bad waves that can make it a little noisy, depending on the location of the room, it may be noisy from clubs or the engines, etc. I've never really had any problems though getting to sleep, except that one time.

I will include a link to a website with a cruise message board. You can list your room number and ask what others experiences have been. You will probably get several people that have stayed in the room. This will just give you the basics of what is around you on the ship, etc. and if it will be annoying to you, but the actual situation of your neighbors can never be determined until you are onboard.

Also, if your cruise isn't oversold, the line will be more than happy to move you if there is a problem. But a lot of times they don't have extra rooms, it just depends on when you will be going and how busy the ship may be.

I hope you have a great time!

Answer 6

Tbugs gave you the exact same answer I would give you.  I'm a travel agent and I simply don't book clients on Carnival - period!  I would have told you the exact same thing.

If you can still cancel w/o penalty, do so and book a cruise on Royal Caribbean, it you are budget-minded. I would also avoid NCL and MSC cruises.  

If your budget allows, consider Celebrity, Princess or Holland-America.  If you must continue with Carnival then ask for the lowest priced guaranteed cabin.  A guaranteed cabin means that you book at that price and you will receive a cabin at that level or better.  At the very least ask for an inside cabin with only a family or 2 occupants on either side.  Explain your concerns and ask for a new cabin.

Please consider using a qualified travel agent to book your future  travel.  They don't cost anymore than what you find on line, can offer you valuable information, handle all the details, and maybe even save you money in areas you don't even know about.

Hope I'm wrong and things go well on your cruise.

Answer 7

The only cabins you should avoid are the cabins close to public and service elevators as well as stairwells.

These are gathering places for groups.

Avoid the service areas!  We were close to a service elevator during a RC cruise and we could never sleep because the staff moves equipment and supplies 24x7.

The last night was the worst because the crew was moving all of the luggage to the cargo hold!