I hope your M-class bathroom doesn't look like this

[Starry Eyes]

Ugh! I'm sure the ships are using professional-strength cleansers which are more powerful than household cleaners. When I notice any mildew problems on our grout, all I do is squirt 1 part bleach to 3 parts water solution directly onto the grout. I walk away, let it dry, and presto! Mildew gone....

I have had rentals and newly purchased homes and elderly family member's homes with far, far worse looking grout. And it came clean with elbow grease and cleaners. Like the PP, I have found bleach solutions to be highly effective. In hard water areas (not a problem on ships), maybe some lime-away type cleaner to get rid of that buildup.

 

The OP gave the room steward a pass on the issue, but I believe the steward (or other housekeeping staff) could have made a big improvement within a single afternoon if they had tried diligently. Of course, if one goes to guest services and asks for the maintenance crew, one likely gets caulk rather than that deep cleaning. And for problems like the hole, should the steward have seen and proactively reported that problem without waiting for a passenger to complain.

[gui218]

We were on the Infinity for a April 2012 Panama Canal and there was some mould/mildew on grout lines.

The cleaning should be followed with a grout Sealer, so water beads and does not provide for quick return to mould/mildew condition!

[Lsimon]

I don't blame our stateroom attendant at all (he worked incredibly hard and cleaned very day, more than once). ...

 

 

We've run into issues with mildew in cruise cabins. We've complained up the chain until it was taken care of. The fact is that mildew and mold CAN be taken care of in pretty short order. It involves the proper cleaning liquids and a little extra elbow grease and time. While the stateroom attendants are busy there is no excuse for having to put up with mold and mildew throughout a long cruise.

 

We've also run into this in hotels, even pretty nice ones from time to time. At hotels we complain on leaving as we're usually not staying in the room more than a night or two. But on a cruise we're typically in the cabin for 10 to 15 nights and expect it to be reasonably clean and sanitary looking.

Edited November 12, 2013 by Lsimon

[Chicago Boy]

My spouse and I have recently returned from the Infinity westbound TA (Harwich to Miami). We had a very enjoyable crossing, met lots of wonderful folks, and can't say enough good things about the staff and crew. Just about everyone went out of his or her way to ensure that people were having a great time. Our servers in the MDR, our sommelier, and our stateroom attendants could not have been better. We enjoyed many of the guest performers and lecturers. We had Halloween and a solar eclipse. And you can't beat seven consecutive sea days! (Except with eight. :))

 

I must say, though, that having taken our first Celebrity cruise aboard the Eclipse, which I think is a stunning ship, I was a bit apprehensive about sailing on the Infinity, particularly given some of the posts on here stating that the M-class ships are getting a little tired. Overall, however, I thought the Infinity was in good condition (although I think the physical design of the buffet is awful), but I have to make a big exception for our stateroom bathroom.

 

There are a few places on a ship that absolutely must be fresh, clean and pristine. The galley is one, and bathrooms are another. Unfortunately, the bathroom floor in our cabin was in very bad shape. The grout had visible mildew in the shower (gross!), and there were years of ground-in dirt on the tiles and in the grout on the bathroom floor. There was a rust hole on the outside of the shower (where caulk was missing) through which water mysteriously flowed into the bathroom every now and then, even when the shower wasn't being used.

 

I can't speak to the condition of any other cabins, but the grout in this bathroom has exceeded its useful life, and desperately needs to be replaced, and the tiles need to be sanded clean. I did report the condition of our bathroom to Guest Relations, and some days later, someone ran a bead of caulk over some of the mildew, the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig. I realize that was about all they could do while the ship is in use, but Celebrity really needs to address these maintenance issues (and I so noted on our comment card). We did not let this spoil our trip, but it was off-putting (and hardly the "modern luxury" that Celebrity advertises).

 

 

 

I trust you contacted house keeping and asked them to come to your state room and correct the problem? I would have been downstairs at guest relations in a heart beat. I hope you were too. Once you arrived home have you contacted Celebrity. It would be a good idea to do so. Someone really fell down on the job.

[sanjoseca]

Some of you are pretty accepting of this mold! If a bathroom in a hotel was like this I'd be outta there the very next day and wouldn't go back!

 

I'd be willing to bet that a cabin that Bayley was staying in wouldn't be like the ones in the pictures.

 

This is atrocious and should not be accepted by any one.

[stormynow]

Some of you are pretty accepting of this mold! If a bathroom in a hotel was like this I'd be outta there the very next day and wouldn't go back!

 

I'd be willing to bet that a cabin that Bayley was staying in wouldn't be like the ones in the pictures.

 

This is atrocious and should not be accepted by any one.

Not always active mold but stains caused by mold that will not be removed except for new tile & grout.

[sanjoseca]

Not always active mold but stains caused by mold that will not be removed except for new tile & grout.

 

 

Then the tile and grout should be replaced! Passengers should not be expected to accept this on any ship.

[Spurs Fans]

Not good press for Celebrity on this thread. That would certainly discourage me from sailing that ship again. Hope the Celebrity folks are reading this thread and take corrective action.

[Allis154]

For those making snarky comments about not accepting a 'little mold'...please remember that for some people, mold can cause serious health issues.

[stormynow]

For those making snarky comments about not accepting a 'little mold'...please remember that for some people, mold can cause serious health issues.

Have u not read, it could be stains caused by mold. Not an active mold culture. If it where mold, a little bleach would immediately remove. Understand that mold can be very dangerous to many people inc. myself.

[GRBlizz]

We sailed on Infinity in 2009, in aft cabin 7212. We enjoyed the ship, but our cabin was in very poor repair. The mattress was completely shot (it took two days, but we eventually got a replacement), the bathrooms had the grout stains, the built-in furniture had large chips, the deck was stained and the patio furniture so dirty we dared not use it without towels, even after I tried cleaning it myself.

 

We had come off the newly-refurbished Century a year before, so this was a real disappointment.

 

I thought Infinity would have been refurbed while being Solsticized. Apparently not.

 

Even though we really had a great cruise, our experience put me off M-Class ships. We have since sailed on Solstice, and found it outstanding in every regard. We are booked on Equinox for next month (yippee!) and are anticipating the same wonderful experience as we had on Solstice.

 

We would have booked Panama Canal for this year - and would still love to do so - but are reluctant to get back on Infinity until she has a full refurb.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Then the tile and grout should be replaced! Passengers should not be expected to accept this on any ship.

 

Have you ever done a grout replacement? It takes a full day to remove the old grout, clean, seal and let sealer dry 24 hours, then apply new grout and let grout dry for 24-48 hours before you can use the shower.

 

http://www.wikihow.com/Regrout-Tile

 

How do you propose they do this on a ship, except during a dry dock?

[carolslc]

How do you fix it before the next dry dock? Don't make it available for booking next cruise and close it for repairs. If repairs are done in 2 days then you have a good cabin to move someone to if they complain about their current one. Gradually they will all get fixed.

[Nink]

We too had bathroom/cabin issues recently. We were on Millenium last month and the bathroom sink was disgusting. The enamel(or whatever it was) had been worn through to the point that touching my hand to the sink left paint chips on my skin. The bedskirt had several holes and tears, the sliding glass door frames were rusted, and the desk had pulled away from the wall. Someone had attempted to fix the desk gap by stuffing it with putty. We were surprised since the ship had had only one trip since being on dry dock to fix the pod problem and I understood that the ship was getting a "deep clean" at the same time. Our cabin steward said that they were aware of the problem and that several requests had gone in but nothing had been done. It took until midnight for us to be moved after a very frustrating first day. We certainly enjoyed the rest of the cruise but that certainly was not a good start. We later discovered that someone else had been placed in the cabin after joining the ship late.

[sanjoseca]

Have you ever done a grout replacement? It takes a full day to remove the old grout, clean, seal and let sealer dry 24 hours, then apply new grout and let grout dry for 24-48 hours before you can use the shower.

 

http://www.wikihow.com/Regrout-Tile

 

How do you propose they do this on a ship, except during a dry dock?

 

No, I haven't, I don't do that type of work.

 

Well, you are obviously of a mind along with Celebrity that it is OK to subject their customers to unacceptable bathrooms in order to maximize revenue. If they were truly focused on their clients they would block a few cabins each week from bookings in order to make it right.

 

Some of the bathrooms have had a rubberized membrane installed over bad tile which has no grout or seems. The mold or mildew is still on the walls where the membrane stops.

[Lsimon]

Think this is unusual? Do a Cruise Critic search in the Celebrity for for the word "grout". The subject came up in 91 threads and I don't think any of them were complimenting how nice the grout looked.

 

I think it is just terrible that Celebrity lets it get to this condition. The ships need to be kept maintained. I know the stateroom attendants work hard but if they worked out a maintenance schedule these could be deep cleaned frequently enough to take care of this with minimal additional effort on the part of the attendants and/or a minimal number of special staff devoted to the problem. In the scope of running a cruise ship it shouldn't be that difficult to keep the showers clean.

Edited November 13, 2013 by Lsimon

[celle]

I agree that a maintenance schedule could well take care of the grout problem.

 

However, it's not an issue that would really worry me much. I've been in showers in far worse condition than the pictures posted show and not had any ill-effects. I guess that's for 2 reasons - I trust my body's immune system, and how long do you spend in the shower anyway?

[Host Jazzbeau]

No, I haven't, I don't do that type of work.

 

Well, you are obviously of a mind along with Celebrity that it is OK to subject their customers to unacceptable bathrooms in order to maximize revenue. If they were truly focused on their clients they would block a few cabins each week from bookings in order to make it right.

 

Some of the bathrooms have had a rubberized membrane installed over bad tile which has no grout or seems. The mold or mildew is still on the walls where the membrane stops.

 

When I said "done" I meant to include hiring it done in your house.

 

Maybe you live in a new house that hasn't needed this. My house is 65 years old and we have had the shower stall regrouted (by professionals) twice in our 30 years of ownership. The latest regrouting was only a few years ago but the grout on the floor area already shows the kind of stains as in these pictures. It isn't mold - we use bleach regularly to kill that. It is stains that won't come out with any kind of cleaning. Not a health hazard, but a major expense (of time and money) to remedy.

 

I suggest that OP and other clean fanatics sail only brand new ships. That will leave more cabins (and better prices) on the M-class for those of us who understand patina and accept that ships can age gracefully.

Edited November 13, 2013 by jazzbeau

[sanjoseca]

When I said "done" I meant to include hiring it done in your house.

 

Maybe you live in a new house that hasn't needed this. My house is 65 years old and we have had the shower stall regrouted (by professionals) twice in our 30 years of ownership. The latest regrouting was only a few years ago but the grout on the floor area already shows the kind of stains as in these pictures. It isn't mold - we use bleach regularly to kill that. It is stains that won't come out with any kind of cleaning. Not a health hazard, but a major expense (of time and money) to remedy.

 

I suggest that OP and other clean fanatics sail only brand new ships. That will leave more cabins (and better prices) on the M-class for those of us who understand patina and accept that ships can age gracefully.

 

I'm not sure what your point really is, except I think you are saying it's OK for Celebrity to let their bathrooms to deteriorate to the level observed by many.

 

I don't agree with that! Celebrity touts themselves as "Modern Luxory" and I expect them to keep bathrooms looking pristine. This problem didn't show up until a few years ago when they started cutting back on maintenance.

 

Quit letting them off the hook.... Celebrity can do much better.

[sanjoseca]

Like I said, too many people being too accepting of sub standard conditions.

 

The Carnival reference perhaps is a clue.

Edited November 13, 2013 by sanjoseca

[jaspersmommy]

Maybe dirty grout isn't too big a deal to some people, but why should anyone have to accept it? Celebrity charges top dollar to sail with them. People should be able to expect clean cabins in good repair. If Celebrity doesn't want to fix them, perhaps they should assign further cabin classes for those in less than stellar shape, and charge less for them.

 

If it's more than dirt, and there is "active" mold present, it's a health hazard. Under no circumstances should active mold be allowed to accumulate in any cabin.

 

If I were to step into my cabin and see a bathroom like that, I'd raise the roof until something was done about it.

[wvufan]

We have 29 credits on Celebrity, and have been on the Zenith, Horizon, Century, Galaxy, Mercury, Infinity, Millenium, Constellation, Summit, and Eclipse.

 

I don't inspect the ships I am on. I have no idea what the color of the carpet was in any of our cabins or if there was any mildew in the bathroom. I don't know if the railings needed varnish. I don't know if there were stains in the Centrum. And don't care.

 

I am a life long camper and Vietnam vet and have used outhouses, the woods, and holes in the ground. Didn't even have grout ;).

 

As long as the ship passes the appropriate government inspections, it is good enough for me. It is a ship that sails almost every day of the year with thousands of passengers-not an operating room.

 

I am too busy enjoying cruising to sweat the small stuff.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[davekathy]

We have 29 credits on Celebrity, and have been on the Zenith, Horizon, Century, Galaxy, Mercury, Infinity, Millenium, Constellation, Summit, and Eclipse.

 

I don't inspect the ships I am on. I have no idea what the color of the carpet was in any of our cabins or if there was any mildew in the bathroom. I don't know if the railings needed varnish. I don't know if there were stains in the Centrum. And don't care.

 

I am a life long camper and Vietnam vet and have used outhouses, the woods, and holes in the ground. Didn't even have grout ;).

 

As long as the ship passes the appropriate government inspections, it is good enough for me. It is a ship that sails almost every day of the year with thousands of passengers-not an operating room.

 

I am too busy enjoying cruising to sweat the small stuff.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

 

Right on!

[sanjoseca]

If you don't care about the condition of some showers, why are you reading this thread?

[richsea]

We have 29 credits on Celebrity, and have been on the Zenith, Horizon, Century, Galaxy, Mercury, Infinity, Millenium, Constellation, Summit, and Eclipse.

 

I don't inspect the ships I am on. I have no idea what the color of the carpet was in any of our cabins or if there was any mildew in the bathroom. I don't know if the railings needed varnish. I don't know if there were stains in the Centrum. And don't care.

 

I am a life long camper and Vietnam vet and have used outhouses, the woods, and holes in the ground. Didn't even have grout ;).

 

As long as the ship passes the appropriate government inspections, it is good enough for me. It is a ship that sails almost every day of the year with thousands of passengers-not an operating room.

 

I am too busy enjoying cruising to sweat the small stuff.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

 

We'll said!.....but don't you realize that you are only supposed to read threads that you agree with?:eek: