Guest Encounters Noisy Stateroom Issue on Royal Caribbean Ship
One recent guest of Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas had a noise complaint regarding his stateroom – and it’s not what you might think.
When most cruisers hear about noise complaints, they expect a story to follow about inconsiderate guests shouting or making a commotion in the hallways or adjoining rooms. But in this case, the husband and wife were kept awake at night by the sounds of the crew members working.
“I booked an ocean balcony room for my wife’s 40th birthday trip and from night one it has been a nightmare,” the man shared on Reddit.
“Apparently, in the middle of the night when the crew is cleaning/power washing the pool area, there is a water hammer issue in the pipes directly under room 14328. Literally a loud thump every time they hit the pressure washer…and the issue is directly under the bed of that room,” he continued.
To clarify, the pool is located on Deck 15 onboard Symphony of the Seas, so it makes sense that there could be important piping just below on Deck 14.
And unfortunately, deck cleaning and pool draining and/or water treating simply must occur at night when the area is off limits to guests.
But interestingly, this man’s post led to others reporting that they had similar experiences on other Royal Caribbean ships – so the issue may perhaps be more widespread than one would have thought.
“Something similar happened to my family on Anthem. There was some kind of pipe that made this banging noise when ship was in motion and two of our cabins got moved elsewhere after complaining to guest services,” one cruiser noted.
“We were just on the Utopia in one of the suites on 17. Every night around four we would hear banging. I was able to sleep through most of it with the white noise machine, but my wife heard it pretty much every night,” another commented.
This experience was particularly surprising considering Utopia of the Seas only just entered service less than a year ago in July of 2024 and shouldn’t have the wear and tear that might impact the infrastructure of older vessels.
Addressing the Noise
After three sleepless nights, this recent cruise guest did eventually visit guest services and was offered new accommodations.
“When sleep deprivation really hit me, I finally went to guest services at 2:30am to ask what the deal was. They had someone walk with me to the room and they heard the loud thumping. They said it is probably the pressure washer,” he explained.
“Needless to say, they tried to make it right by moving us to two rooms, non adjoining, with our two young kids. Still battling a little bit with them and definitely had a couple other issues, but overall the family is happy and having a good time,” he concluded.
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Once onboard, it’s true that the best thing you can do if you have a problem is to reach out to the guest services team – as they are typically available 24/7 and their job is to problem solve and make your cruise as pleasant as possible.
This guest waited several days to report the issue because he didn’t want to come across as a “complainer,” but he could have had relief sooner.
If you find yourself in a similar predicament, rest assured that the team is there to help and they would rather resolve any issues that arise sooner rather than later.
In this type of situation, they would be able to either send maintenance to identity and fix an active issue or offer the guest a new room depending on availability – which was what happened here. In extreme cases, additional compensation might also be provided – but this is not guaranteed.
But really, the best way to handle the noise is to choose your stateroom strategically during the booking process, especially if you are a light sleeper. This way, you ideally won’t be bothered in the first place.
Before selecting your stateroom, make sure to review a map of the ship and try to avoid being under or above areas that tend to be louder, including the pool deck, theaters, clubs, and above the engine rooms.
Guest Encounters Noisy Stateroom Issue on Royal Caribbean Ship