Bar soap in cabins?

[cruzincurt]

We bring home any unopened items as our HOA ladies club donates them to the local women's shelter.

 

At the sink, we set the wet bar of soap on top of a washcloth for a while to dry before setting it back in the soap dish.

[3rdGenCunarder]

The white envelope contains a shower cap.

There are no cotton balls, at least in the lower level cabins. I don't know if the upper level cabins (balcony and/or suite) have them.

 

There was a container with cotton balls and cotton buds in the dressing area of our Neptune suite. They were not wrapped in any way, so potential for "ick factor" there?

[jagsfan]

My Dove Body Wash travels with me in leak proof plastic bottles, and so does my shampoo and conditioner. I will use bar soap at the sink, but don't like tiny ones. They almost melt in the hand. I've discovered that if you store unused bar soap in your luggage, it keeps it smelling good, and the soap seems to get harder, like French milled soap. It doesn't melt when you use it. I trade the old one for the new when I travel.

 

 

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[whogo]

I never saw any liquid soap on Holland America. They have something called a bath gel that I never figured out. It makes the skin tingle (burn?) without lathering.

 

Am I wrong in thinking the bath/shower liquid dispensers are mounted to high to reach when seated in the tub?

[3rdGenCunarder]

I never saw any liquid soap on Holland America. They have something called a bath gel that I never figured out. It makes the skin tingle (burn?) without lathering.

 

Am I wrong in thinking the bath/shower liquid dispensers are mounted to high to reach when seated in the tub?

 

I'm pretty sure the dispensers were mounted for standing height, not for sitting in the tub.

[Topsham]

For many years I always took my own soap.... Crabtree & Evelyn 'rose water'. Likewise with shampoo. Too much hassle if you have to fly... depends what is offered on board.

[sail7seas]

I never saw any liquid soap on Holland America. They have something called a bath gel that I never figured out. It makes the skin tingle (burn?) without lathering.

 

Am I wrong in thinking the bath/shower liquid dispensers are mounted to high to reach when seated in the tub?

 

 

Yes, they are placed too high for anyone sitting in the tub to access without standing. :(

 

 

I'm pretty sure the dispensers were mounted for standing height, not for sitting in the tub.

 

What did they think people using the tub were supposed to do? If they thought about it just a little, they could have compromised and placed them 8-10" lower which would have made them usable to those either showering or sitting in the tub. :)

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

Yes, they are placed too high for anyone sitting in the tub to access without standing. :(

 

What did they think people using the tub were supposed to do? If they thought about it just a little, they could have compromised and placed them 8-10" lower which would have made them usable to those either showering or sitting in the tub. :)

 

 

I sometimes wonder how decisions like that get made. And why was the grab bar in our shower (NS) at the very back end of the tub, nowhere near the shower and too high to be of any use to someone sitting in the tub? Aren't these things designed by professionals who are supposed to think about how they will be used????

[rkacruiser]

I sometimes wonder how decisions like that get made. And why was the grab bar in our shower (NS) at the very back end of the tub, nowhere near the shower and too high to be of any use to someone sitting in the tub? Aren't these things designed by professionals who are supposed to think about how they will be used????

 

Your post drew a smile and an Amen! from me!

 

I regularly see the same type of grab bar situation in hotel bathrooms and wonder what the thinking (if any) was about its placement.

 

The staterooms on the Celebrity Solstise Class ships were supposedly designed with the input of some women. Would woman (or even a man) in their right mind put storage cabinets above the bed? To make effective use of those cabinets, one has to stand on the bed to access them. Surely would be fun to do when "the ocean is in motion"!

 

Maybe one more piece of evidence that critical thinking skills seem to be lacking in some of today's management people.

Edited March 9, 2016 by rkacruiser

[cruzincurt]

Who uses a tub anymore?

 

Last very new $$$ hotel I stayed in only had a walk-in shower, no tub.

 

Other side note, if you order a new vanity for your bathroom, it will probably be at kitchen counter height. I thought they sent me the wrong cabinet. When I asked the cabinet company rep about it and he said no one washes their hair in the sink anymore.

 

Perhaps there were too many accidents of people leaning over in those small cabin showers to pick up a dropped bar of soap. Some of us would have to step outside first.

Edited March 9, 2016 by cruzincurt

[sail7seas]

When on vacation, I enjoy a bubble bath. When life was busy at home, I didn't take the time but on vacation, some lovely bubbles are relaxing. :)

 

I don't know about the $$ hotels you reference, but there most certainly was a huge tub in Seattle Four Seasons Hotel, Boston Four Seasons, Montreal Ritz, San Juan Ritz, NYC St. Regis blah blah blah...... I don't ever remember being in a hotel room that did not have a tub as well as either combination shower/tub or tub with separate shower like in NS on Vista and Signature Class HAL ships.

 

[sail7seas]

Who uses a tub anymore?

 

Last very new $$$ hotel I stayed in only had a walk-in shower, no tub.

 

Other side note, if you order a new vanity for your bathroom, it will probably be at kitchen counter height. I thought they sent me the wrong cabinet. When I asked the cabinet company rep about it and he said no one washes their hair in the sink anymore.

 

Perhaps there were too many accidents of people leaning over in those small cabin showers to pick up a dropped bar of soap. Some of us would have to step outside first.

 

 

What about safety for those reaching for shampoo while taking a bath? Is it safe for us to stand up in a wet tub on a moving ship in order to reach the provided toilet products? Of course, it isn't.

 

And whomever commented about the grab bars...... you are so right. They place them in the least useful location imaginable.

 

[CowPrincess]

I simply cannot get beyond the "ick" factor of refillable soap in a public setting. I have no idea of who was there before me and what they may have done:eek: I am very cynical, I admit. But I need to opem my own toiletries. If HAL is too cheap to provide unopened soap, i guess I will have to bring my own!

 

I am totally with you on the "ick" factor of the shower dispensers. I know it is a cost saving, but I miss having my own small bottle of shampoo. I dislike the wall dispensers, mainly because of that ick-factor.

[erewhon]

It would be good if the round yellow Elemis Citrus soap was supplied again.:)

[lahlah57]

I will only use my own toiletries. I bring 4 bath size Lever bars for a 2 week cruise. Will not use cruise supplied shampoo or conditioner or it strips the color. My DH will use them though cause he has no hair.

[dakrewser]

Maybe the shops on board should start selling bar soap and 'travrl size' bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc....

[sail7seas]

There you go....... give 'em ideas. :)

[SetAnOpenCourse]

Bar soap instead of gel is the environmental and cost-conscious option. Liquids are much heavier. Plus, there's no waste with a bar if you take the remainder home and use it.

 

Additionally, too many gels on the market have an excessive "fragrance". The one HAL provides is subtle, no problem. I generally don't mind smelling perfume or cologne on those around me, but I really don't need to smell anyone's chemical, warehoused-in-55-gallon-drums "fragrance".

 

As regards the hygiene of refilling gel dispensers, I don't see much to worry about. If you have germs on your skin, and wash with brand new soap, either a bar or new bottle of gel, what exactly is on you as you are rubbing the soap on your skin? Isn't it just a mix of those germs and lather, which you then rinse off? And I'm one who tends to be, if anything, overly hygienic.

[rkacruiser]

Maybe the shops on board should start selling bar soap and 'travrl size' bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc....

 

What a great idea! Since they no longer supply the round yellow citrus glycerine soap, they would have many past guests purchasing that item. Of course, as long as the price was reasonable.

[cruz chic]

What a great idea! Since they no longer supply the round yellow citrus glycerine soap, they would have many past guests purchasing that item. Of course, as long as the price was reasonable.

 

Ifs it's the same mark up as most things it won't be reasonable. I usually bring along a bar of soap from my pre hotel or I buy one once I get to my destination.

[avian777]

Maybe the shops on board should start selling bar soap and 'travrl size' bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc....

 

What a great idea! Since they no longer supply the round yellow citrus glycerine soap, they would have many past guests purchasing that item. Of course, as long as the price was reasonable.

 

I agree - great idea ... regardless of whether or not the price is "reasonable". After all, the concept of reasonableness is very subjective and thus varies from person to person ... as a Carnival Corporation shareholder, I am all for any idea that would be profitable to HAL (Carnival Corporation)...

Edited March 11, 2016 by avian777

[veryseasonedtraveler]

HAL provides one bar of soap and one lotion at embarkation. I kept moving the soap back and forth between sink and shower thinking the steward would provide another. After a few days, I left a note for another and it was provided. Think the new policy is upon request.

[sapper1]

We just take a couple of bars of soap from home. They are of a size you can actually hold on to.

[WeLoveCruising]

We had this issue on our last Oosterdam cruise. We started the cruise with the bar of soap they gave us, but since it was a 10-night cruise, we ran out after a few days.

 

I can do either the liquid or the bar, but my isuse was the placement of the dispenser. The liquid dispenser was in the shower, but there was no soap at the sink. When washing my hands, it was pretty awkward to reach into the shower just for soap. I asked many times for more soap, and was getting frustrated that the cabin steward was not leaving new bars. It was only after a few days, DH noticed that our liquid dispenser in the shower was being topped off every day. The cabin steward clearly didn't understand what I meant. We were in a Neptune suite, so I talked to the concierge about it. We still only had the liquid topped off!

 

Next time, I will bring a bar.

 

As S7S said, I like to take baths when I'm on vacation. I'll always add some bubble bars and bath things to my suitcase when staying at a hotel.

 

Oh, and I completely agree with the people who said they dont like a bar of soap at the sink, that it gets wet and gross. At home I have pump dispenser type soap at my kitchen and bathroom sink. The HAL bathrooms have the opposite of what I like - I like a bar in the shower and a pump at the sink. In my Neptune suite, I had a bar (for a few days at least), at the sink, and the pump in the shower.

Edited March 13, 2016 by WeLoveCruising

[wander]

I am amused (or maybe the word is amazed) by the folks who are worried about potential contamination of the soap containers but gladly sit in a tub where one might question the cleaning history. (Or, what might even grow in the drain and wash into the tub when it is filled.) Oh well, we each have our own fears and phobias.