new towel policy

[VermeulT]

I haven't seen this mentioned yet this season...

 

HAL has a new towel policy. No more light blue towels on the gangway to take off ship. You are provided with 1 towel per person by your room steward. If you don't return it - you are charged. Our steward refreshed them each day with clean/dry ones.

new towel policy.PDF

[Linda&Vern]

I haven't seen this mentioned yet this season...

 

HAL has a new towel policy. No more light blue towels on the gangway to take off ship. You are provided with 1 towel per person by your room steward. If you don't return it - you are charged. Our steward refreshed them each day with clean/dry ones.

Are you talking about the very large towels (stripe blue/white) with Holland America on them? They were in our room on the Zuiderdam last week. I haven't heard much talk about them lately. My DH bought a new one to bring home. He would not use it on the ship for fear of it disappearing. It will be nice for our beach vacations.

[VermeulT]

yes those... there is one included in the picture of my original post.

[cbr663]

That was the beach towel policy when we were on the NA in December. People were complaining loudly as they were leaving them everywhere. I am guessing that is what HAL is banking on.

[aliaschief]

It was in place in Dec. and after we returned from snorkel excursion we definitely made sure we brought them back. Nice large towels.

[cruz chic]

That was the beach towel policy when we were on the NA in December. People were complaining loudly as they were leaving them everywhere. I am guessing that is what HAL is banking on.

 

If people are that careless I'm happy to seem them charged. Maybe there will be less chair hogs too.

Edited March 13, 2014 by cruz chic

[runnergirl71]

Note to self: bring my cannot-be-mistaken-for-a-HAL-towel large towel with me!

[sail7seas]

Nice towel.

Thanks for posting the photo. :)

[iflyrc5]

I haven't seen this mentioned yet this season...

 

HAL has a new towel policy. No more light blue towels on the gangway to take off ship. You are provided with 1 towel per person by your room steward. If you don't return it - you are charged. Our steward refreshed them each day with clean/dry ones.

 

I don't know if it is HAL policy or a ship by ship thing. Jan 2013 and Feb 2014 on the Noordam what you describe was the situation. Blue and white towels that you got in your room and returned to your room. However, we were on the Maasdam Oct-Dec 2013 and Jan/Feb 2014 and they still had the same light blue towels that you picked up and returned at the gangway?

[OCruisers]

We have no problem with having them left in our cabin and returning them. :)

LuLu

~~~

[Boytjie]

I haven't seen this mentioned yet this season...

 

HAL has a new towel policy. No more light blue towels on the gangway to take off ship. You are provided with 1 towel per person by your room steward. If you don't return it - you are charged. Our steward refreshed them each day with clean/dry ones.

 

It's not new, that was the policy on the Eurodam February 2013.

[doublebzz]

I noticed this on my Eurodam cruise in February. My guess it is a marketing ploy to induce guests to purchase these towels at $27.50 a pop. I don't like this policy. Besides the convenience of the old system where you got your towels at the gangway, I don't want to live in fear of losing a towel and having to face an unwanted charge. So, these towels remained in my cabin, unused, for the duration of the cruise. At the risk of being charged with "gaming" the system, I brought a couple of towels from the Lido Deck when I needed them for beach activities ashore. You can be sure, however, that HAL's next step will be requiring you to sign for the towels whether being used on the Lido Deck or otherwise as Princess has done for years.

[Robin7]

We have cruised on both RCI and Carnival since we last cruised on HAL. They both have similar systems in place. We had no problem with it, and we thought it wise, especially if it saves the cruiseline money. We used to see towels left everywhere. We didn't see much of that at all on RCI or Carnival. I think it encourages personal responsibility.

 

Robin

[GeriatricNurse]

I haven't seen this mentioned yet this season...

 

HAL has a new towel policy. No more light blue towels on the gangway to take off ship. You are provided with 1 towel per person by your room steward. If you don't return it - you are charged. Our steward refreshed them each day with clean/dry ones.

 

There were two light blue towels rolled up & placed on top of the table at one end of the sofa in my interior stateroom onboard my recent Ryndam cruise, Feb. 16 to Mar. 2! The note on top of the towels indicated that they were to be used to take off the ship to take to the beach & when returned to the stateroom, the used towels were to be placed onto the bathroom floor & would be replaced by the stateroom steward. If not returned, a fee of $19 per towel would be charged to the onboard account for replacement of the towel(s)! ;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Policies change fast on the ships.

We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in November 2013. The ship still had the old dark blue towels by the pools and the old light blue towels at the gangway.

No new striped towels on our 14 day cruise.

[1of4]

On the Ryndam over New Years there were no blue towels in our cabin. The dark blue ones were stacked by the pools and the light blue ones on the gangway.

[pbnjrockette]

In January on the Statendam there were no striped towels…dark blue at the pool, light blue to take off the ship. Wonder if this new policy will be changed for all ships.

[doublebzz]

I think it encourages personal responsibility.

 

Robin

 

Right - just like we were in Kindergarten again.

[Krazy Kruizers]

In January on the Statendam there were no striped towels…dark blue at the pool, light blue to take off the ship. Wonder if this new policy will be changed for all ships.

 

I guess it all depends when and if HAL spends the money to buy all these new towels for all ships.

As you can see, we were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in November and cbr663 mentioned that on his/her Nieuw Amsterdam cruise in December the new towels had arrived.

[aliaschief]

Policies change fast on the ships.

We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in November 2013. The ship still had the old dark blue towels by the pools and the old light blue towels at the gangway.

No new striped towels on our 14 day cruise.

 

You just missed them as we had them on our late Nov. and early Dec. NADM cruise.

[VermeulT]

I don't want to live in fear of losing a towel and having to face an unwanted charge.

Right - just like we were in Kindergarten again.

 

NO. :mad:

I remember being one of the later folks returning to the ship in Grand Turk and the beach chairs were littered with light blue towels. I also have seen plenty left at Half Moon Cay.

 

If you borrow a towel for use on anywhere - on or off the ship - you should return it yourself. The problem is too many people act like they are still in Kindergarden and have others to clean up after them. There is nothing wrong with encouraging people to take a little responsibility and return something they borrowed.

 

Were you "in fear" of loosing the light blue towels? Just because they didn't charge you for not bringing it back, did that make you more willing to use theirs &/or not care about bringing it back?

If you think it didn't cost you anything - think again. Perhaps not on that particular cruise's stateroom charge; but in the end, the more the cruise line has to spend to replace items carelessly lost by passengers, the more they will need to raise prices or make cuts elsewhere.

[cruz chic]

NO. :mad:

I remember being one of the later folks returning to the ship in Grand Turk and the beach chairs were littered with light blue towels. I also have seen plenty left at Half Moon Cay.

 

If you borrow a towel for use on anywhere - on or off the ship - you should return it yourself. The problem is too many people act like they are still in Kindergarden and have others to clean up after them. There is nothing wrong with encouraging people to take a little responsibility and return something they borrowed.

 

Were you "in fear" of loosing the light blue towels? Just because they didn't charge you for not bringing it back, did that make you more willing to use theirs &/or not care about bringing it back?

If you think it didn't cost you anything - think again. Perhaps not on that particular cruise's stateroom charge; but in the end, the more the cruise line has to spend to replace items carelessly lost by passengers, the more they will need to raise prices or make cuts elsewhere.

Agree 100%. If people acted like adults HAL wouldn't need to do this. I can't imagine people being so irresponsible to get off a chair and just leave a towel. If it was theirs would they do the same? No.

[cbr663]

I thought it was a pretty "clever" policy. HAL doesn't necessarily charge you for the loss of a towel, but for not returning it to your cabin. For instance, if 30 passengers accidentally leave their towels on HMC, HAL hasn't lost those towels. HAL has staff there that will pick up every towel and return them to the ship. But, now HAL gets to pass on the charge plus more for this to the passengers.

[GmaPajama]

NO. :mad:

I remember being one of the later folks returning to the ship in Grand Turk and the beach chairs were littered with light blue towels. I also have seen plenty left at Half Moon Cay. ...

I have also seen the many, many towels left at these ports. Most on chairs, but quite a few just thrown down in the sand. It saddened me to see the crew scrambling to get them all picked up. I like the new policy, simply because it eliminates this ridiculous task for the crew. Plus, it makes adults out of those who act like they are not. Yep - even on HAL. Whoda thunk!

[sail7seas]

Years ago, we were chatting with Chief Housekeeper (his title at the time) after we sailed from Grand Cayman. He told us a story of how he had asked a few of his cabin stewards to get in taxis, go to the major beach areas guests would have visited that day and collect all the towels they left behind. The returned to the ship loaded down with a tremendous pile of towels lazy, selfish, inconsiderate guests had simply left on the beach rather than pick it up, shake the sand off and carry it back with them.

 

When guests behave that way, what would one expect the cruise line to do? :rolleyes: