Locked in stateroom

Just now getting around to posting this...an entire year later!

We were on a sailing of Celebrity Equinox a year ago January (2015).

This was our 19th cruise and I have always been in the habit of using the deadbolt before retiring for the night.

No more.

One afternoon, we found ourselves locked in. Hubby tried unlocking deadbolt, but it would not budge.

I called guest services to get help. They sent a housekeeper who attempted to use a master key...of course that did not work. Apparently there is no deadbolt master key?

Uh oh!

So I explain as best I can through the door as to what needed to be done to unlock our door.

Finally we get a call from maintenance and stated that they would reach us by coming through our veranda and sliding glass door. To do this, they had to contact our "neighbor" to go through his stateroom, out onto his veranda

and then unlocking the veranda divider to get to us.

The guy was able to unlock our door by using a tool and jiggling something. He told us that we shouldn't try to open the door when the deadbolt is on and lots of people try that, thus causing this problem. (DOH!)

I told him sweetly that this was my 19th cruise and was well aware of that, but in all, the deadbolt should not fail like that.

In the future, no deadbolt for me.

In case of an emergency it would take far too much time for help to get to me or my husband.

From the first phone call to guest services to getting our door unlocked...15 minutes.

Did they tell you why the deadbolt failed? Scary experience.

Interesting story and deadbolts can very rarely become jammed - as can the mechanism that opens the door using the door handle. Both can jam in either an open or locked position. The door latches and deadbolts get huge use and like anything else they eventually wear out. A key does not work when the mechanism fails. Neither does a seapass card for the regular lock or the handle to open the door on the inside or outside. They do have a quicker way to open it, but that would destroy the deadbolt.

Thankfully it happens only rarely.

Once on a P&O cruise we went out on the balcony late afternoon for the last of the sunshine. Someone heard our voices and shouted out. They were 3 decks below us and had been locked out by the sliding doors for about two hours with no way to get back in the cabin and no way to make contact. After getting their cabin number we telephoned guest services who went to release them. They didn't seem the least bit surprised, it seemed like an every day, common occurrence.

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We had our deadbolt on Millennium do something similar. The difference was that we were on the other side of the door, trying desperately to retrieve our gear from the stateroom -- so we could make our shore excursion on time. :eek:

After we tried both of our cards (both were "green-lights"), our room steward came to our assistance. But his master room key-card wouldn't open the door, either. A security officer was quickly dispatched, who had master keys to the dead-bolt. He had to use a real key (not a card), but he quickly opened the cabin door -- and called for someone from Maintenance, to fix the dead-bolt, so it wouldn't self-lock again. :cool:

Wife and MIL were stuck on the veranda at our Time Share in Disney for three hours. They actually have a full time locksmith at the resort but this was Sunday, his day off. He finally came and they had to totally take out the lock, they were on the 14th floor so moving out on the veranda was not feasible. Thank goodness their bladders held out.

Stuff happens...

Once on a P&O cruise we went out on the balcony late afternoon for the last of the sunshine. Someone heard our voices and shouted out. They were 3 decks below us and had been locked out by the sliding doors for about two hours with no way to get back in the cabin and no way to make contact. After getting their cabin number we telephoned guest services who went to release them. They didn't seem the least bit surprised, it seemed like an every day, common occurrence.

 

 

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Happened to us on Constellation in 2014. Our DD was at home so we had a cell phone plan and called nightly. After dinner (during which wine and beers were flowing) we went back to the cabin to make a quick call to DD and then head to the show. Decided on go onto the balcony to see if we got a better signal and DH somehow flipped the lock and he closed the door all the way. I am paranoid about having the door all the way closed anyway, so I freaked out and told him to open it a crack. And then we discovered he had locked us out. So I was even more freaked out at that point and him being buzzed, he suggested climbing the railing to a neighboring balcony for help. No way was I letting him do that. So I just started shouting for help and fortunately it was during turn down time so one of the room stewards heard us and rescued us. To this day I am adamant about not closing the balcony door all the way. And we were only out there for 15 to 20 minutes, at most.

Did they tell you why the deadbolt failed? Scary experience.

The maintenance man said it was because 'people were always trying to open their stateroom doors with the deadbolt locked'.....That made no sense to me then, nor does it now....:rolleyes:

I'm a retired hotelier and can tell you he wasn't lying. This stresses the deadbolt and will eventually lead to failure. Worse are the people that set the deadbolt to prevent the door from closing and let the door swing shut with only the deadbolt to stop it. It wasn't your fault really, yours was just the last of likely tens of thousands of such jolts to the mechanism.

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After 20 cruises, it finally happened to us...locked out of the room from the balcony. DH knew it immedietly that he did not take the proper precautions. Not a soul around so DH lifted up on the glass sliding door and it popped open. Whew!

If you had taken your allowed two bottles of wine out onto the balcony, you could have stayed there for the evening. Unless you forgot the corkscrew!

After 20 cruises, it finally happened to us...locked out of the room from the balcony. DH knew it immedietly that he did not take the proper precautions. Not a soul around so DH lifted up on the glass sliding door and it popped open. Whew!

Which then, of course, raises a huge security flag.

Given the choice, think we'd rather be locked in our cabin than out on our balcony. :o

We were in the newly refurbished Royal suite on the Infinity in December. Our daughter went into the bathroom and locked the door. Then when she went to leave she found the lock had got broken and she was stuck. Our butler spent 15 minutes pushing and pulling until it finally opened. We all had a good laugh and maintenance came and replaced the lock.

So let me ask a very general question or so

15 minutes from the Picking up the phone to getting the Door open? That must felt like forever?

you were what room Deck 12 Forward, and Maintenance was Deck 2 Aft.

And Please forgive me, put yourself in their shoes How fast will it take you to get from the Aft to forward I say maybe a few minutes faster, forgetting you needed the right essentials?

I don't Blame you or them I say the Locksmith did their job promptly and pretty fast from the first phone call, finding a person stopping what may have been more important if he or she was taking care of an emergency..

I bet if you Had AAA and a flat you be waiting a lot longer, than 15 minutes... again not punning

sometimes something is simply overlooked and you say wow I did that

glad you stopped using a deadbolt bring a door stopper (joking)

I seem to remember quite a few ship doors automatically switch the deadbolt to unlock AS you open the door, if you forget to unlock them first. So it only acts as dead lot from the outside, I guess. This seems like a good compromise to assist those of us who forget to unlock it before trying to open the door. I can't remember if any of these were on Celebrity ships, though!

I seem to remember quite a few ship doors automatically switch the deadbolt to unlock AS you open the door, if you forget to unlock them first. So it only acts as dead lot from the outside, I guess. This seems like a good compromise to assist those of us who forget to unlock it before trying to open the door. I can't remember if any of these were on Celebrity ships, though!

My wife always locks the deadbolt prior to going to sleep. It prevents the stateroom attendant or anyone from the outside to enter the room at night. As I'm up first in the morning for my double espresso, I just push down on the door handle, and the deadbolt releases automatically allowing me to exit the stateroom without having to turn the deadbolt in the open position ahead of time.

Isn't it how that mechanism is supposed to work? I've never heard of it jamming in the locked position before reading this thread. :confused:

Actually yes, but. If you do not release the deadbolt first the door handle has a pin inside the mechanism the releases the deadbolt for you. The problem is that pin over time wears so that eventually the handle cannot completely release the bolt. When this happens the bolt can jam. As the motel person stated it happens all the time. Door latches while they have electronic components are still mostly mechanical devices and they wear out after X number of repetitions. Try an internet search of jammed deadbolts and you will find it is not a rare happening.

So let me ask a very general question or so

15 minutes from the Picking up the phone to getting the Door open? That must felt like forever?

you were what room Deck 12 Forward, and Maintenance was Deck 2 Aft.

And Please forgive me, put yourself in their shoes How fast will it take you to get from the Aft to forward I say maybe a few minutes faster, forgetting you needed the right essentials?

I don't Blame you or them I say the Locksmith did their job promptly and pretty fast from the first phone call, finding a person stopping what may have been more important if he or she was taking care of an emergency..

I bet if you Had AAA and a flat you be waiting a lot longer, than 15 minutes... again not punning

sometimes something is simply overlooked and you say wow I did that

glad you stopped using a deadbolt bring a door stopper (joking)

Apparently you failed (or I failed) to deliver the proper message...in that I was fully aware that our situation (at the time) was not an emergency when we ended up locked in our stateroom. Better our stateroom than being stuck out on the verandah:eek:

I stated the time only so people here would know how long it took to unlock the door.

Now, 15 minutes is not bad and is actually pretty quick. However, if someone had been in hiding in my stateroom and was beating me up (which did occur and was in the news) or if there had been a fire or other ship emergency....15 minutes is a long time.

My goal in posting was to let folks know my particular scenario and be fully aware of potential (rare) problem in setting the deadbolt.

After 20 cruises, I have made the decision not to "deadbolt' my cabin door in the future. And I still enjoy cruising.:D

My wife always locks the deadbolt prior to going to sleep. It prevents the stateroom attendant or anyone from the outside to enter the room at night... :confused:

I'm sorry to be the one to break the bad news, but that is 100% WRONG!!

There was another thread here discussing the exact same thing, and we cruised the week after I read about it.

I tested it and can verify (at least on the Silhouette), the deadbolt does NOTHING to prevent opening of the door from the outside with a room key!!

I really have no idea why there is a deadbolt?

Better our stateroom than being stuck out on the verandah:eek:

 

D

Several years ago my sister and I were having a sailaway cocktail on the veranda when the steward brought in the ice and Concierge Class cheese and crackers (back before when you had to answer the door to get them).

Anyway, we all smiled and waved, and off he went on his rounds.

We never noticed that, out of habit, he locked the veranda door. We were able to call up to some ladies also on their veranda a few decks up, and they phoned the front desk for us.

The steward came back pronto and was appalled and so very apologetic, but we laughed about it, and still do to this day.

Apparently you failed (or I failed) to deliver the proper message...in that I was fully aware that our situation (at the time) was not an emergency when we ended up locked in our stateroom. Better our stateroom than being stuck out on the verandah:eek:

 

I stated the time only so people here would know how long it took to unlock the door.

 

Now, 15 minutes is not bad and is actually pretty quick. However, if someone had been in hiding in my stateroom and was beating me up (which did occur and was in the news) or if there had been a fire or other ship emergency....15 minutes is a long time.

 

My goal in posting was to let folks know my particular scenario and be fully aware of potential (rare) problem in setting the deadbolt.

 

After 20 cruises, I have made the decision not to "deadbolt' my cabin door in the future. And I still enjoy cruising.:D

no pun was intended..

if you were stuck outside you have to wave to the camera's or yell Secure, secure.

If you got locked out on the balcony then you should not be cruising Lol

I'm sorry to be the one to break the bad news, but that is 100% WRONG!!

 

There was another thread here discussing the exact same thing, and we cruised the week after I read about it.

 

I tested it and can verify (at least on the Silhouette), the deadbolt does NOTHING to prevent opening of the door from the outside with a room key!!

 

I really have no idea why there is a deadbolt?

Wow! Didn't know that. I'll try it out on my next cruise on Constellation.

I was briefly stuck on my balcony on the Constellation a few weeks ago during the storm in Key West I closed to door behind me and the suction from the wind going through the ship caused the door to stick, man I had to use a lot of force to get it open, and then room service arrived, I forgot to close the balcony door and opened the cabin door which nearly blew the room service attendant and the tray of food down the hall lmao.

On some sliding veranda doors, the open position of the handle is at 12 o'clock, and it can happen that for whatever reason the handle will fall and lock the door. If the handle is left in the down position, the door will not accidentally lock, but it will slide open and slam shut depending on sea state. There are ways to prevent this, use of towels in the track, for example, but it is an annoyance exceeded only be being locked out on the veranda.