Cabin Steward & Pool Towels

[steelersfan4ever]

I like to use a pool towel for my shower and I always bring a clean one from the pool deck.  On all of my previous cruises I have left the dirty pool towel on the floor and the steward would exchange it for a clean dry one.  But on my last cruise the steward would remove it but did not return it with a clean one, was he wrong in not doing so or have I just been lucky with all the other ones? 

[Paul Bogle]

It seems the room stewards are no longer involved with pool towels. On our recent cruise we had to check them out on the pool deck and return them to the same. In some port calls we could check them out on the pier and return them there.

[julig22]

In the past, there were pool towels in your room, so they got exchanged there.  NCL changed to poolside towels sometime last summer I think, so what Paul just said.

[MeHeartCruising]

I don't think the cabin stewards have a supply of beach towels on their carts any longer since they've moved to the model of needing to get them from the pool deck.  

[Gershep]

You now have to exchange your pool towels yourself.

[ziggyuk]

Do you not get charged for them if you check the out and never return them?

 

For example, you check them out and the steward takes it from your room.

[casofilia]

I tend to go late for a spa and just pick up 2 towels.  I leave them in the room and they always seem to disappear!!   The next evening I get two more.

The other use for them is to use those to dry the clothes washing my wife does in the morning before the steward arrives!!!

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, steelersfan4ever said:

I like to use a pool towel for my shower and I always bring a clean one from the pool deck.  On all of my previous cruises I have left the dirty pool towel on the floor and the steward would exchange it for a clean dry one.  But on my last cruise the steward would remove it but did not return it with a clean one, was he wrong in not doing so or have I just been lucky with all the other ones? 

Yup. A recent change on NCL where beach towels are not in the room and the stewards don't have them on their carts. 

[smplybcause]

It's been slowly phasing out in my experience. Over the last 4 years it was hit or miss whether the stewards left pool towels in my room. Though in 2019 it was a solid no across the board. They'll take them up if you leave em in your room, but you can only get them from the pool deck or the tents set up on the dock on port days (or inside somewhere I'm sure on a tender day, it's been a bit since I've tendered).

[SailawayOZ]

You only get pool towels when you're in a suite.

Otherwise they are on the pool deck or on the port if you're using them for shore excursions, and you sign them in & out.

[hallux]

8 hours ago, smplybcause said:

Though in 2019 it was a solid no across the board.

I was on the Bliss in April and had one in my Studio cabin.  In October, in a balcony, no pool towel.

[disneylover89]

Is the pool deck where you get the blankets for movies?  Going on a cruise to Alaska and would love a few blankets for our balconies.

[smplybcause]

3 hours ago, hallux said:

I was on the Bliss in April and had one in my Studio cabin.  In October, in a balcony, no pool towel.

 

Interesting. I didn't get one on Bliss in May in a studio. Thought it was Alaska 😂 I did go in the hot tub a few times though, so I did use towels.

Edited February 5, 2020 by smplybcause

[dgreeney]

Why do they have you sign towels in and out at the pool if you can just leave them in the room and have the steward pick them up?

[kdmbluerzr]

We just returned from a western Caribbean on the Getaway. No pool towels in the rooms. You check them out at a specified area near the pools, crew member takes down your cabin #, signs are posted stating if you do not return the towel your ship account will be charged $25 per towel. So you need to return your towel back to that location and the crew member again takes down your cabin # to ensure you returned your towels. It appears the cabin stewards no longer have anything to do with accountability of pool towels.  The towels were also available to check out at ports of call at a table dockside outside of the ship. When you returned to the ship you had to check the towels back in or get charged for them. Too many people walking off with or loosing these towels. 

[smplybcause]

23 minutes ago, dgreeney said:

Why do they have you sign towels in and out at the pool if you can just leave them in the room and have the steward pick them up?

 

It's a loss prevention + psychology thing. If people perceive that you're actually keeping track than it doesn't matter if you actually are keeping track - they think you are so they will act as if you are. Enough see that they write down your cabin number, so then they return it to where they write down that you return it. I freaked out my first NCL cruise (after sailing Royal previously where they do actually track) when my steward took it from my cabin, but Guest Services was like don't worry about it.