Should Cruise Line Employees have access to your Cabin if they are off duty?

I believe it happened on Holland America where a ship employee felt a guest had belittled him so he used his badge, even though he was off duty, to enter her room to wait for her return to kill her.

Since reading this earlier this year then again about a month ago it gives me a very uneasy feeling. I actually thought that if an employee was off the clock their room entry keys would not work. Boy was I wrong.

I think it is time for the cruise line companies to make sure if an employee is off the clock they should not have access to our state rooms. This could happen over and over very easily.

Any opinions?

Yes, in some ways they should not be permitted; however, their access is necessary because all stateroom stewards are also the ones to ensure we get out of our cabin to a muster station in case of an emergency. They would have to search each cabin in their section to make sure the cabin was empty or to get the passengers up and out.

How to control their access to the cabin after their day is done may well be impossible. I know we can lock the door when we retire for the night, but as long as there is a master key, then anyone with that master key can enter and lie in wait for you to return.

I believe it happened on Holland America where a ship employee felt a guest had belittled him so he used his badge, even though he was off duty, to enter her room to wait for her return to kill her.

 

Since reading this earlier this year then again about a month ago it gives me a very uneasy feeling. I actually thought that if an employee was off the clock their room entry keys would not work. Boy was I wrong.

 

I think it is time for the cruise line companies to make sure if an employee is off the clock they should not have access to our state rooms. This could happen over and over very easily.

 

Any opinions?

How would that be enforced? Not sure about the cruise cabins, but hotels keep a record of every key that opens the electronic locks, so the hotels know whose key is used. I suspect it's the same for cruise ships. But how would you prevent an off duty employee who has a master key from using it? In general those with keys, security, cabin stewards, supervisors, and likely maintenance, are really never off duty. Good idea but tough to enforce.

Other than emergency they shouldnt have access to your cabin when off duty

This is just something that never really came up until this happened. It is a safety issue. I agree I do not know how to enforce it but I think this is something that should be investigated to being done.

I feel they should barely even have any access when they are on duty. Sure, the stateroom steward has to do his job and all, but I feel the access of all employees (when on and off duty) should be more limited.

At hotels, I elect to make a green choice, which denies all housekeeping services and give me a couple extra Starpoints. The first thing I do when entering a hotel room is to leave a do not disturb sign on the door and it doesn't get removed until I'm about to checkout. If this gets violated, I always open a corporate file complaint with Starwood.

I feel they should barely even have any access when they are on duty. Sure, the stateroom steward has to do his job and all, but I feel the access of all employees (when on and off duty) should be more limited.

 

At hotels, I elect to make a green choice, which denies all housekeeping services and give me a couple extra Starpoints. The first thing I do when entering a hotel room is to leave a do not disturb sign on the door and it doesn't get removed until I'm about to checkout. If this gets violated, I always open a corporate file complaint with Starwood.

For one day can see doing this but for the second and succeeding day figure we want clean towels, etc

It is a highly unusual situation for a crew member to want to harm a passenger but in reality act of violence do occur in every situation and nothing will prevent all acts of violence. There is an electronic map of every time a staff members uses their key card.

For one day can see doing this but for the second and succeeding day figure we want clean towels, etc

We only leave the DND up at hotels. We just ask the housekeeper for new towels and whatever we need replaced. ;)

If someone is willing to KILL you, I doubt they would obey any rules, anyhow!

Aside from my cabin attendant, (and once, the maintenance folks), I don't know of anyone else who's come into our cabins!!

Although this is a horrific event, I don't think that limiting key access to off duty employees would have prevented someone that sick in the head from committing such a crime. If they're going to do it, they'll find a way to do it.

Another thing to keep in mind is that (thankfully) this type of crime is extremely rare. I'm guessing that statistically I have a better chance of winning the lottery than of being murdered by a cabin steward in my own cabin. Although nobody would like to be a victim, I think it's irrational to live in fear that a cabin steward is going to kill them and thus request that all access to staterooms be prohibited throughout the entire cruise industry.

If someone is willing to KILL you, I doubt they would obey any rules, anyhow!

 

Aside from my cabin attendant, (and once, the maintenance folks), I don't know of anyone else who's come into our cabins!!

lol I agree! Seriously. If the rules had been different, it wouldn't have stopped a deranged nut.

I'm keenly aware anytime I stay onboard, at a hotel, etc. that certain staff has access to the room. I don't worry about being killed or robbed or anything like that. I want my room cleaned, bed made, etc. It's part of the benefit I'm paying for.

How does the hotel (cruise ship) know how many times your cabin door has been opened?

Unless there is an electronic imprint on master room keys.

Might be a +1 for wrist bands.:p:p

Think about really. If they wanted in your room to kill you would it really matter whether they where off duty or on duty ? Also if your not the kind to belittle anyone then there would be nothing to worry about... Just sayin'

Off duty - NO

Limiting access is easy.

Shift supervisor has say 5 stewards on shift. Could be more, could be less, I don't know how many room each steward gets, my guess is 5. (5 rms, 10 minutes each and a 10 minute break is 1 hour, not too unreasonable, were talking about 180sq ft)

Shift supervisor has 5 "master keys"

Each employee has nothing but a employee id. No assigned master key.

Shift supervisor has to be on the floor while his/her minions are doing their hourly service.

Each key works once per hour, unless it authorized by the shift supervisor. His only works once an hour. If they have to enter the room a 3rd time, it must be with 2 supervisors present and be a legit reason. (None of that "I forgot the mint on the pillow")

If your working and you allow the off watch in the room, you and the off watch are fired. Zero tolerance. Put off in the next port.

If this is a frequent occurrence(can't grasp the concept of 10minute cleaning of a room, open door, secure door, clean room, close and lock door) with a particular employee, they need a new job. On another ship at another company.

With the technology onboard these ships, it wouldn't be very hard or very expensive to get this system in place. Nor would it take very long to send a message to the other staff- do your job, correctly and competently, or you go home.

Now with that said, you cannot control crime completely. People have bad days and snap, others are alway "unpleasant"(some of the customers) and talk down to the staff. I've seen it and call people out on it.

Go on vacation, have a good time, treat everyone like a human and I don't think you will have any issues with the killer stewards. I've always had the best ones, pleasant, smiling faces- doing there best to please the customers. I relate to these people because I work on a ship as well, it's tough being gone from home 2-4-6 months at a time.

I believe it happened on Holland America where a ship employee felt a guest had belittled him so he used his badge, even though he was off duty, to enter her room to wait for her return to kill her.

 

Since reading this earlier this year then again about a month ago it gives me a very uneasy feeling. I actually thought that if an employee was off the clock their room entry keys would not work. Boy was I wrong.

 

I think it is time for the cruise line companies to make sure if an employee is off the clock they should not have access to our state rooms. This could happen over and over very easily.

 

Any opinions?

My opinion is that this is hearsay.

I believe that there should be proof in posts like this.

I have to say ... There are a few things on vacation I might worry about, but getting killed by my cabin steward is not one of them!!

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My opinion is that this is hearsay.

 

I believe that there should be proof in posts like this.

The cruise line employee referenced above admitted to what was described.

.

Then again, it's always possible that some deranged person can break into your house and get to you. If someone is deranged, the idea of getting arrested and punished is far from their mind, which undoubtedly was the case with this employee.

My opinion is that this is hearsay.

 

I believe that there should be proof in posts like this.

This did actually happen, although it was sexual assault and attempted murder, and he entered a guilty plea. The female victim did survive. I believe the trial was in September 2014.

There are bad people everywhere, all we have to do is read a newspaper or listen to the 10PM news.

Treat people with respect and be smart and aware. I believe this was an extremely rare occurrence for a cruise ship.

There are portable travel door locks on the market. If you want a little measure of extra peace of mind, look into theses. Now, obviously, they only work when you are IN the room, but some of you may like them.

I work in the hospitality business. At my hotel, when we have a guest suggest that someone entered the room inappropriately, we can run the lock log and see if any employee cards were used and the time it was used. All the cards are mapped to one person, so it's easy to find the offending card. If it is not an employee card, we can only see that a card was used to open the door at a particular time. As for turning a card on/off - I haven't seen any card software that is that level of sophistication; only ones where we can set it to be invalid after a certain time/date. That's why, if you are at a hotel and you ask for an extended check-out time, you original card may not work after the hotel's standard check-out time.

Electronic key cards leave a trail. They can trace each time a door was opened and know whose card was used.

Then again' date=' it's always possible that some deranged person can break into your house and get to you. If someone is deranged, the idea of getting arrested and punished is far from their mind, which undoubtedly was the case with this employee.[/quote']

 

Very true but, at least while at home, I have the option of being armed. :p

 

With that said, I, too, think this is probably an isolated incident and isn't something that should be over-analyzed or worried about. While it *could* happen, it's not something I'd let keep me up at night. :)

 

 

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Off duty - NO

 

Limiting access is easy.

 

Shift supervisor has say 5 stewards on shift. Could be more, could be less, I don't know how many room each steward gets, my guess is 5 ... .

You are way off. Cabin stewards have closer to 10 or more, often 15, cabins that they are responsible for. If they work in pairs they sometimes have 30 cabins.

My opinion is that this is hearsay.

 

I believe that there should be proof in posts like this.

This happened, it is not hearsay. It didn't happen on a Carnival ship so it wasn't front page news like smaller incidents do.

Regardless, I don't see how the rules the OP is proposing can stop this sort of thing. This guy was a lunatic intent on causing harm. If he hadn't gotten into her cabin, he may have gotten to her some other way. Perhaps followed her into port...

Sad situation all around. Glad the woman survived. He attempted to throw her overboard.