How dirty is your cabin's bathroom floor? Share your pics here

[CineGraphic]

5 years ago I noticed just how filthy the grout in our cabin's bathroom was on the Caribbean Princess, and wrote about it here.

A few naysayers suggested that Princess might be using grey grout instead of white.

This past July we were on the Caribbean Princess again, and yes, the grout is still filthy.

Somewhere under 15 years of soap scum, dirt, bodily fluids, etc, there is white grout.

 

Here is what a bit of water (no soap) removed with gently rubbing with a washcloth between two tiles:

 

I emailed these pictures to Customer Relations shortly after our cruise and although they thanked me for taking the time to bring it to their attention, they could not tell me if they were going to do anything about it, other than forward it to management. (I had to wait 6+ weeks to learn this)

 

A friend of mine recently had his 50 year old tile floors steamed cleaned, and the results were amazing. I even included a link to a video showing how easy it is to clean tile floors and grout with steam in my original email to Princess.

 

My cabin is just one of many that need attention, so I'd really appreciate it if you could take 5 seconds out of your cruise to take a pic of your cabin's tile floor and post them here for all  to see. Hopefully this will get their attention, so we don't have to worry about what we're walking on. (anyone want to take a swab and send it to a lab!?)

 

In the meantime, make sure you ask your steward for extra towels to place on the floor so you're not walking on what I call "mystery matter".

 

I'd hate to think that they only way to guarantee your bathroom is clean is to sail on a new ship.

A simple mop and soap just isn't going to cut it on these older ships. If it did, the floors wouldn't look so bad.

 

 

 

[foodsvcmgr]

To each their own when it comes to spending precious vacation time.

I would rather enjoy the ports, food, and entertainment rather than photographing and scrubbing grout.

Are these conditions any different than the average hotel?

Although not appearing white these floors are cleaned with rather harsh institutional chemicals, check in a housekeeping cart.

 

[Potstech]

Just what every one wants to see on an open forum. Pictures of what your shipboard bathroom floor looks like.  Next it will be either your shower or commode.  How sickening.

[CineGraphic]

1 minute ago, Potstech said:

How sickening

What's sickening is how they've been allowed to get this dirty.

Sorry if you find it so offensive. I promise: No pictures of the commode.

[Reader0108598]

I don't know I may be strange but I have better things to do on Vacation and if I did see an issue I would bring it up with my steward!

[CineGraphic]

17 minutes ago, foodsvcmgr said:

To each their own when it comes to spending precious vacation time.

I would rather enjoy the ports, food, and entertainment rather than photographing and scrubbing grout.

Are these conditions any different than the average hotel?

Although not appearing white these floors are cleaned with rather harsh institutional chemicals, check in a housekeeping cart.

 

It took all of 1 minute to take a picture and rub the washcloth between 1 tile. I still managed to enjoy all of the things you listed.

I've yet to stay in a hotel costing $150-$300+ per night and see such dirty floors in the bathroom.

[jennybenny]

I do wipe down my cabin when I arrive with antibacterial wipes, but I've never thought to self clean the bathroom floors.  That's not something I plan to do.  I'm sure If I put a steamer onto ANY floors they would look cleaner. Will you be taking a steamer on your future cruises?  I don't think that's an allowed item, is it?

[CineGraphic]

3 minutes ago, Reader0108598 said:

I don't know I may be strange but I have better things to do on Vacation and if I did see an issue I would bring it up with my steward!

This isn't about one cabin, this is fleet-wide, especially on the older ships. That's why I chose to show this to corporate instead of my steward. I did not want to spend my vacation in line complaining.

[CineGraphic]

2 minutes ago, jennybenny said:

Will you be taking a steamer on your future cruises?  I don't think that's an allowed item, is it?

No...I have no plans of scrubbing or steaming any floors while on vacation. This is regular maintenance that I would expect Princess to perform on a as-needed basis. Certainly after 15 years as in the case of the Caribbean Princess, it's long overdue.

Edited October 9, 2019 by CineGraphic

[Reader0108598]

7 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

This isn't about one cabin, this is fleet-wide, especially on the older ships. That's why I chose to show this to corporate instead of my steward. I did not want to spend my vacation in line complaining.

 I have been on 30 cruises love older ships the best! I have no problem of walking around on shore on a beach barefoot on my way to the water or eating on shore from stands, to old to worry about this crap ! I bring a cheap pair of slippers for the cabin that get chucked at the end of the cruise.

 

 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Reader0108598

[need2cruisesoon]

Be curious to see your pics 5 years from now.....black grout...

[franktown]

I had my tile floor steam cleaned some time this last spring.  Looked great.  The brown grout was suddenly off white.  Lasted about 3 months.  Now the area that gets foot traffic has the same brown groat even though my wife vacuums and mops every week and its only the 2 of us and a dog.  Imagine a small area getting foot traffic from 1000 of cruisers.  

[richsea]

You don’t have a floor cleaning business, do you?

[mek]

2 minutes ago, franktown said:

I had my tile floor steam cleaned some time this last spring.  Looked great.  The brown grout was suddenly off white.  Lasted about 3 months.  Now the area that gets foot traffic has the same brown groat even though my wife vacuums and mops every week and its only the 2 of us and a dog.  Imagine a small area getting foot traffic from 1000 of cruisers.  

I was going to say something similar.  I constantly clean mine and it goes back to the way it looked before very quickly.  

I suggest the best solution is to not walk barefooted anywhere except at home.  Use slippers or shoes and your feet will never touch anything gross - including the carpet in the cabin.

[CineGraphic]

9 minutes ago, Reader0108598 said:

I have been on 30 cruises love older ships the best! 

I too love the older ships, but they could certainly use a deep cleaning every once in a while. 
I’m no fan of slippers, so if Princess decides not to clean years of filth from the bathroom floors, I’ll just have the steward leave us extra towels every day to place on the floor.

i never imagined that dirty floors were so acceptable to others. I apologize to anyone who finds this offensive.

[CineGraphic]

5 minutes ago, richsea said:

You don’t have a floor cleaning business, do you?

Nope

[Reader0108598]

Just now, CineGraphic said:

I too love the older ships, but they could certainly use a deep cleaning every once in a while. 
I’m no fan of slippers, so if Princess decides not to clean years of filth from the bathroom floors, I’ll just have the steward leave us extra towels every day to place on the floor.

i never imagined that dirty floors were so acceptable to others. I apologize to anyone who finds this offensive.

Not offended but anyone who has been on more than a few cruises knows they turn these cabins over so quick no way could they be doing a deep cleaning

[Colo Cruiser]

6 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

I too love the older ships, but they could certainly use a deep cleaning every once in a while. 
I’m no fan of slippers, so if Princess decides not to clean years of filth from the bathroom floors, I’ll just have the steward leave us extra towels every day to place on the floor.

i never imagined that dirty floors were so acceptable to others. I apologize to anyone who finds this offensive.

Thats what I do.

Not offended either. It is what it is. 

Depending on how the carpet looks in my cabin I may not walk on it with bare feet or socks either.

I never walk in hotel rooms without slippers or shoes on.

 

Its Cruise Critic what do you expect.  🙄

[CineGraphic]

1 minute ago, Reader0108598 said:

Not offended but anyone who has been on more than a few cruises knows they turn these cabins over so quick no way could they be doing a deep cleaning

A few cabins every day, it takes mere minutes. No need to limit it to turn-around day. 

[neverbeenhere]

Please, no pictures of rubbing a wet white towel on the carpet in the staterooms. And I absolutely refuse the carpets in the halls. 

[franktown]

5 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

A few cabins every day, it takes mere minutes. No need to limit it to turn-around day. 

What I learned after I had mine done and it only lasted a few months was that to do them properly after steam cleaning they need to be sealed. Unsealed grout is very absorbent. We didn't have ours sealed because of the amount of time it takes.  After steam cleaning you have to wait at least 24hrs for the floors and grout to dry.  Than a coat of grout sealant is applied than another 24hrs before a second coat is applied and after waiting a additional 24 for that to dry you can than use the floors. Wasn't willing to spend 4 days in a hotel to have white grout.  Then repeat every couple of years.  We decided we could live with brown grout.

[CineGraphic]

10 minutes ago, franktown said:

We decided we could live with brown grout.

In your own kitchen, that's fine, but what about in a bathroom that's been used by countless thousands over the years?

[Reader0108598]

9 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

In your own kitchen, that's fine, but what about in a bathroom that's been used by countless thousands over the years?

 So has the bed you sleep in the pillows you use ...get my drift! Just use slippers or shower shoes!

Edited October 9, 2019 by Reader0108598

[greenie082756]

I understand your concern. But like others I know that there were thousands of people using that cabin before I got there.

I do not think the stewards really have that much time other than to do a spit and shine.

Like others I bring Clorox wipes and take care of what I feel could cause the most problem.

I am always having my feet covered except when standing in the shower. I am a diabetic and have always (even at home) protected my feet with socks, slippers or shoes at all times.

I agree the grout (like my 30 year old home) is not that pretty to look at. I'd rather hope they mopped it with bleach in between customers.

 

[suzyed]

Although we may not be as alarmed as the OP and most of us don't intend to photograph or clean our bathroom tile....
I would bet that MOST of us are going to look at it more critically now!   🤔