
Cruise Lines Enforcing Balcony Rule on Louisiana Cruises in 2025
Louisiana fans of cruises will have some great options to choose from as we move into "cruising season" 2025. The Port of New Orleans has already announced some great itineraries and new ships that will carry guests from Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Morgan City, and other Louisiana towns to far-away and exotic destinations.
If you're in the western part of the state cruising from Galveston, Texas might be more efficient for you. That port has also announced some great new itineraries, cruise lines, and cruise destinations that are sure to satisfy the wanderlust of anyone who desires to explore distant lands.
Cruising is a great way to see a lot of places and only unpack once. That's why I like cruises. It's like the hotel follows me to all of these exciting destinations and I have a central base of operation where I know I can find food, shelter, entertainment, and coffee. In fact, on some of the longer adventures I have been on my stateroom has become like my home, complete with dirty laundry and socks on the floor.
And that's what brings us to our discussion today about the balcony on your stateroom. Many cruisers love the option of a balcony. I do. It allows for a fresh air component to the stateroom. It also provides an escape from the commotion of a cruise vessel. It's very Zen-like to just listen to the waves crash against the ship while you're in open water.
And while the balcony is nice for activities like that, it's not a good place for you to dry out your swimsuit or beach towel. In fact, that's the balcony rule that every major cruise line that serves ports in Louisiana is cracking down on. Despite the fact that it looks like the perfect place, you are not allowed to hang laundry or string a clothesline on your balcony.
There are two main reasons why you shouldn't. The first one is aesthetic. It looks bad to have a cruise ship full of hanging wash slide into a port. If hanging laundry outside was a good look we would have invented the clothes dryer for our homes. Nobody wants to see your sexy undergarments flapping in the breeze while they disembark at Cozumel.
The second reason is the main reason the cruise lines don't want you hanging stuff out on the balcony. That reason is this, stuff that has been left on the balcony eventually finds its way into the ocean. That's an environmental risk and could be a risk to the vessel should the article be sucked into an intake for an engine or other important function of the vessel.
Even if all you're doing is hanging a towel on the back of a chair and securely fastening it, that's still against the policy. If you need your items dried most ships have self-service laundries or you can get your stateroom attendant to have your items laundered.
Oh, and here is one more tip for you. If you think you can leave your stuff on your balcony while the ship is in port, think again about that. Often during port days while you're exploring on shore the ship's crew is washing the vessel and the balconies. That means the stuff you're trying to dry stands a pretty good chance of getting soaked by the cleaning crew. Just one more reason to keep your dirty laundry to yourself in more ways than one.
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Gallery Credit: Bruce Mikells
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