Cabin Steward's -- Discretion

[saltydog28]

Someone posted on another thread asking if anyone had anything confiscated. One person replied that her son and cabin mate returned to the cabin to find a note stating the fire inspector confiscated their iron and it would be returned at the end of the cruise. How did the fire inspector know the iron was in the cabin? I would assume the steward told him about the iron. How discrete are the stewards?

 

Just wondering?

 

Pat.

[obriendan]

To me it doesn't seem to be a matter of the steward being discrete. The steward saw a safety violation and reported it!

[Tarkus]

i would concur (about reporting a safety violation).

 

that said, i never trust anyone's discretion that has access to my room - be it on a cruise ship, a hotel, or whatever. if you have something you don't want discovered either hide it well or put it in a room safe!

[O2cruise]

And thank goodness he did.

[bepsf]

The cabin stewards are extremely discrete unless it's a safety-related issue such as you mentioned - then it's by the book all the way.

 

HAL doesn't need anything like the Prinsendam (I) disaster because some silly person left their hot iron plugged in...

[stormyc]

Every soul on that ship should slip this "indiscreet" cabin steward a dollar!:p

[Scrumpy]

Couldn't a curling iron cause the same problem? Not trying to pick a fight, but it seems a little iffy to me to prohibit one thing and allow another.

[O2cruise]

I don't think Curling irons don't get as hot as an ordinary iron.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I agree that the cabin should report an iron. One time when we were on the Ryndam there was a suite that had the iron sitting out in the open on the counter by the windows. And the cabin steward never reported it - the iron was there the entire cruise.

Not too long ago someone reported on a thread about how they iron either in the bathroom or dressing room. I have often wondered why a couple of the counters in the dressing room area had a bubbly area on them. Now I know why6 - the hot iron ruined the surface.

I certainly hope that all cabin stewards report any irons they see - they can be a fire hazzard.

[Scrumpy]

Thanks. I honestly had no idea. I know I've gotten a good blister from one, so I figured they might be plenty hot enough to start a fire. I didn't even realize about the prohibition of irons until reading here. It isn't too important unless you're on a ship with no self-service and are picky about how your clothes are pressed.

I don't think Curling irons don't get as hot as an ordinary iron.

[RuthC]

It wasn't necessarily the steward who reported it. It's also possible that the supervisor checked the steward's work and found it.

 

And sing praises it was found!

No one intentionally starts a fire. (I hope.) No one intentionally goes off and leaves the iron plugged in.

But things happen. Sometimes there is a rogue wave that sends the ship rolling (remember the Dawn thread?). Sometimes the steering mechanism gets stuck and the ship lists terribly (remember that thread about the Ryndam?) and the person ironing goes flying. Or the hot iron burns them and they drop it and take care of themselves.

And a fire starts.

I hope that steward made Employee of the Month.

[cruzincurt]

Thank goodness the rooms have smoke detectors and fire sprinklers. When the fire starts, YOUR room will be damaged and YOU get to pay to restore it.

 

Several weeks age, here in Tampa, it was reported that a curling iron left on the floor caused the house to burn down.

[jhannah]

A curling iron absolutely does not get as hot as a clothes pressing iron. They can and do start fires. The irons supplied in the self-service laundries (except vista ships) have timers on them as an extra precaution to shut them off if a user forgets to.

[shonuf]

Someone posted on another thread asking if anyone had anything confiscated. One person replied that her son and cabin mate returned to the cabin to find a note stating the fire inspector confiscated their iron and it would be returned at the end of the cruise. How did the fire inspector know the iron was in the cabin? I would assume the steward told him about the iron. How discrete are the stewards?

 

Just wondering?

 

Pat.

 

We've never had anything confiscated but a couple years ago while on the ROTS, we had a small bottle of scotch in our room that we had carried on in our luggage. It evidently wasn't as well hidden as we thought because when we returned to our cabin that evening, the steward had made a pillow "man" complete with my husband's tux jacket, sunglasses, hat, magazine and the bottle of scotch propped up in the bed. <g>

[sail7seas]

Someone posted on another thread asking if anyone had anything confiscated. One person replied that her son and cabin mate returned to the cabin to find a note stating the fire inspector confiscated their iron and it would be returned at the end of the cruise. How did the fire inspector know the iron was in the cabin? I would assume the steward told him about the iron. How discrete are the stewards?

 

Just wondering?

 

Pat.

 

 

You cannot assume the Steward or even his immediate Supervisor did the confiscating or reporting.

I know that there are cabin inspections done on HAL ships and those inspections take place at the timing and choice of Senior Officers in the Hotel Department. The Steward may or may not be instructed to report irons but you cannot be sure that it wasn't the Hotel Manager or Chief Housekeeper who found it during a random cabin inspection. This is the best way for them to check on the job the stewards are doing....along with the comment sheets they request we complete.

[saltydog28]

Sail- Except for the man that counts the mini bar, I was unaware that anyone other then the cabin steward entered the room. Can the Hotel Manager, Chief Housekeeper or a senior officer enter your cabin unannounced whenever they feel like it? Who else can just walk into your room. Besides irons what would the staff consider contraban?

 

Pat.

[sail7seas]

Sail- Except for the man that counts the mini bar, I was unaware that anyone other then the cabin steward entered the room. Can the Hotel Manager, Chief Housekeeper or a senior officer enter your cabin unannounced whenever they feel like it? Who else can just walk into your room. Besides irons what would the staff consider contraban?

 

Pat.

 

 

Please do not misunderstand this to mean there is a parade of people coming and going from your cabin. As in any hotel or lodging (and, indeed, most apartment buildings) the 'owners/managers' are permitted to enter for inspections or repairs. Certainly if you were off the ship in port and a leak developed from your plumbing, you would expect entry would be made to make necessary repairs.

 

Seeing as ships turn around so quickly unloading one group of pax and loading on a new group, cruise after cruise, at some point in time "Management" must enter to inspect the condition of the cabin and to determine stewards are doing a good job. It should never make you uneasy. These are the people who are taking care of us....looking out for our safety and enjoyment. You would never be disturbed for such an inspection unless it was for an emergency repair.

I seriously doubt they have much interest in confiscating anything and without a VERY GOOD, VERY RARE reason, are not opening your drawers and closets. It isn't about you as occupant; it is about condition of the cabin.

 

[cruzincurt]

Perhaps another good reason to not leave your laptop and camera sitting out.

[michmike]

our steward didn't look askance at all at the mirror tiles we installed over the bed or at the trapeze we erected.. we simply told him we worked in the circus and were homesick...tipped him well to patch the holes needed for the rigging, once we vacated the cabin sat morning..

[gizmo]

I am fine with this as long as they don't take the blender, the pink flamingo lights, or the blow up palm tree and they leave the tacky door decorations in place.:D

[cruzincurt]

...and the bed bugs are part of the flea circus?

[Sigtau21]

I think it was Colonel Mustard in the Galley with the Curling iron... He reported the iron!

[kryos]

i would concur (about reporting a safety violation).

 

that said, i never trust anyone's discretion that has access to my room - be it on a cruise ship, a hotel, or whatever. if you have something you don't want discovered either hide it well or put it in a room safe!

I don't know about HAL, but on Princess guests are informed in the materials related to onboard services that cabins can and will be inspected by the room steward's supervisor. I think the actual purpose of the inspection is to ensure that the room is not being "trashed" on a longer cruise ... especially when it's been a couple of days since the cabin steward has been able to gain access due to guests not wanting their rooms cleaned.

 

I would imagine the supervisor would also be checking for safety violations as well.

 

I don't count on discretion anytime I stay in a hotel or in a cruise ship stateroom. I keep my valuables locked in the safe and anything I don't want being nosed through either in the safe or on my person. Seems the most prudent course of action.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[cruzincurt]

On the HAL cruises, they have to check the rooms to make sure someone hasn't assumed "room temperature". If so, they move them to the walk-in refrigerated cooler until the next port.

[RevNeal]

I am fine with this as long as they don't take the blender, the pink flamingo lights, or the blow up palm tree and they leave the tacky door decorations in place.

 

Or the chain saw, the side of beef left over from the butchering of Bessie, and the Trolling lines for use when playing with Club HAL kids off the aft of the ship. :D ;)