Opportunity didn't knock, it squeaked loudly

It all started with a squeak, well more like a screech, or maybe a raspy scratching sound above our heads that first night of the cruise. Naturally, I slept through it, but my dear wife would lose sleep. This was in room 4536 on the starboard side. We couldn't figure out what was making that noise.

The second night, it was more forcibly pointed out to me, and when focused on listening I realized that another night of poor sleep was going to result in that old adage "when Momma ain't happy, nobody's happy". I set out to discover the cause. The following morning I began my investigation, complete with a video of that dastardly door and showed it to the guest relations desk. I had the evidence, and my wife had one solution - WD-40.

Turns out our room was directly below the automatic door on the fifth deck, nearest the Casino, and on the "smoking side" of the ship. People were going in and out.........a lot. That binding door track was the culprit, and we made several phone calls to no avail (at least we thought that at the time). It's an older ship, but my wife's idea probably would have worked to reduce the irritation level and noise. But apparently that was not to be the solution offered by Royal Caribbean. To my surprise, they moved us from the smaller "outside" cabin on deck four to a "junior suite" on deck eight. That's the picture shown above. My spouse got good nights sleep on evenings three, four, and five, with a balcony thrown in for good measure. I got an actual queen size bed, not the usual two "twins" pushed together as was the lower deck norm. The bathroom actually had a tub, and the shower curtain did not attack your backside with wet clammy fabric. I have now been spoiled, and when I undertake my next cruise, I'll be seriously considering "movin' on up, to a deluxe apartment in the sky". Thank you, Cinthya Pino, Guest Services Officer - you made our cruise unforgettable.