Our Room Steward was fired on 6/17/07 Rhapsody Cruise from Galveston

We were shocked and dismayed. How often does this happen? Does the crew have any legal support group or can they be dismissed at the whim of the company?

The background as we were told (and it could be faulty) was that a guest in an inside cabin where he was steward - reported a $1500 bracelet missing. He was also the steward for the suites and JS on that deck. He did an outstanding job for us - and we could not believe the accusation.

He told my husband that he and his cabin would be searched and this had never happened to him before but it had happened to friends of his. Supposedly nothing was found - after searching the guest cabin and his cabin, but he was terminated the final day. AFTER he was told to clean the cabins.

We talked to another crew member about the situation - who was astonished as she knew this steward and he (an older man) had been very helpful to her. But she said that this happened from time to time. One that she related to us was a young man who was accused by an older lady (guest) of sexual advances. (He was 22 - she was 55+) He was removed immediately from the ship. The crew member was astonished as he was one of her friends and she still had some of the religious books that he had lent her.

I'm certainly not trying to stir up trouble - but I'm truly curious about this procedure. The crew members - especially from 3rd world countries - truly need this work and many family members depend on the money they receive. Can any guest make any accusation and they are automatically believed? I hope this is not the case.

My understanding is that they can be dismissed at any time. There are certain big no no's for the crew on cruise ships and alot of them are there because some passengers will make a huge stink and have the cruise lines tush handed to them on a platter if they cross the line. I think most of us would agree that we like friendly room stewards but lately on my past 3 or 4 cruises I've noticed that they keep a considerable distance. I think this may have something to do w/RCI setting boundries because some passengers could accuse them of certain things and for the most part the company will always favor the passengers statement because they don't want negative publicity. Back in the day our room stewards would always be hanging around and we'd feel like buddies by day 3 - but again, I think some people take this the wrong way. :(

Laura

We were shocked and dismayed. How often does this happen? Does the crew have any legal support group or can they be dismissed at the whim of the company?

 

The background as we were told (and it could be faulty) was that a guest in an inside cabin where he was steward - reported a $1500 bracelet missing. He was also the steward for the suites and JS on that deck. He did an outstanding job for us - and we could not believe the accusation.

 

He told my husband that he and his cabin would be searched and this had never happened to him before but it had happened to friends of his. Supposedly nothing was found - after searching the guest cabin and his cabin, but he was terminated the final day. AFTER he was told to clean the cabins.

 

We talked to another crew member about the situation - who was astonished as she knew this steward and he (an older man) had been very helpful to her. But she said that this happened from time to time. One that she related to us was a young man who was accused by an older lady (guest) of sexual advances. (He was 22 - she was 55+) He was removed immediately from the ship. The crew member was astonished as he was one of her friends and she still had some of the religious books that he had lent her.

 

I'm certainly not trying to stir up trouble - but I'm truly curious about this procedure. The crew members - especially from 3rd world countries - truly need this work and many family members depend on the money they receive. Can any guest make any accusation and they are automatically believed? I hope this is not the case.

hmmm, and when she finds her bracelet in her toiletry kit, does he get his job back??

Sometimes I see rooms left wide open while the stewards are cleaning them. It would only take a second for someone else to swipe something left out in plain view while the steward steps out of the room. But even then, I think it is the steward's responsibility. they shouldn't leave the rooms open like that while cleaning. we try to make sure everything is more or less put away when we are out of the cabin to make things a little harder on the kleptos.

I suspect there may be more to the story than we will ever know........it may have nothing to do with the missing bracelet.........but there is no way we will probably ever know for certain.

the door is left open to help keep the steward above suspect, this way you would be able to see them going through personal items as you walked by. they also clean hotel rooms on land this way

We were shocked and dismayed. How often does this happen? Does the crew have any legal support group or can they be dismissed at the whim of the company?

 

The background as we were told (and it could be faulty) was that a guest in an inside cabin where he was steward - reported a $1500 bracelet missing. He was also the steward for the suites and JS on that deck. He did an outstanding job for us - and we could not believe the accusation.

 

He told my husband that he and his cabin would be searched and this had never happened to him before but it had happened to friends of his. Supposedly nothing was found - after searching the guest cabin and his cabin, but he was terminated the final day. AFTER he was told to clean the cabins.

 

We talked to another crew member about the situation - who was astonished as she knew this steward and he (an older man) had been very helpful to her. But she said that this happened from time to time. One that she related to us was a young man who was accused by an older lady (guest) of sexual advances. (He was 22 - she was 55+) He was removed immediately from the ship. The crew member was astonished as he was one of her friends and she still had some of the religious books that he had lent her.

 

I'm certainly not trying to stir up trouble - but I'm truly curious about this procedure. The crew members - especially from 3rd world countries - truly need this work and many family members depend on the money they receive. Can any guest make any accusation and they are automatically believed? I hope this is not the case.

There are two sides to everything, and while you may have really liked the cabin steward (as did the co-worker you mentioned) we have no idea how the rest of his performance stacked up. Really nice people can still do the most bizarre things, and I'm not implicating him, but I just don't believe it's our right to pass judgement on the cruiseline when we don't have all of the facts.

Alex - I have no prob w/ the door being open while they are in there cleaning. it's when they step away - and leave the door open - that I have a problem with. I have seen many cabins, door wide open, with nobody in sight (just the steward's cart nearby). I think that's just begging for trouble.

Why would anyone leave a $1500 piece of jewelry out in the open?

I'll bet she finds it later. :eek:

***

I agree jewelry should be kept in the safe. I hope there is more to this story but we'll never know. I have heard that when they terminate a person they let them off at the next port.

I suspect there may be more to the story than we will ever know........it may have nothing to do with the missing bracelet.........but there is no way we will probably ever know for certain.

Agree totally with above.....

Why would anyone leave a $1500 piece of jewelry out in the open?

 

I'll bet she finds it later. :eek:

 

***

$150 $1500 or $15000 it is OUR responsibility! not to leave it out.

For any crew member to be dismissed under most circumstances there is a three strike policy. Who knows - not us for sure.

I feel badly for the person who lost the bracelet, but good heavens, I never take my good jewelry on a cruise. I wear my very nice watch but it is on my arm all the time. Also it is not a good idea to flash such nice items while in another country. Tourists are easy marks!

Carol

The background as we were told (and it could be faulty)

.

Nuf said...

Anything more is pure speculation.

That what the room safe is for.. She probably flushed it down the head and didn't want the husband to know LOL

Why would anyone leave a $1500 piece of jewelry out in the open?

 

I'll bet she finds it later. :eek:

 

***

Gotta wonder myself. First question I have is how much insurance was on the jewelry piece. :)

Dianne

$10 bucks says the woman never owned such a bracelet in the first place and/or has it securely stored in her jewelry box at home and made the whole story up in the first place to make an insurance claim.

Yes, They can be fired on the spot.

No, not a lot they can do as it is in their contract that they can be let go at anypoint for any reason.

My bet, more to the story.

A few cruises back, I was putting our stuff away and opened a drawer to find a beautiful Hermes scarf and a fancy necklace in a velvet box. It was probably cubic zirconia but it was high quality looking so even if it was fake, some CZ can be pricey. And if it was real, I could have taken quite a few cruises on that necklace alone. Could have on the scarf too come to think of it. :) I immediately took it to Guest Relations, hoping they could get it off the ship before we left port. The GR rep brought over an envelope, had another employee witness her putting it in there and wrote down my room number. Her eyes got WIDE when she saw that necklace. I think they are extremely cautious about lost belongings.

I am sure there are two sides to the story and I hope if the steward is indeed innocent that he can clear his name. And if the woman finds it, I hope she has the decency to report that to the cruise line.

I agree - a bracelet like that should be on the arm or in the safe. Period.

Who in their right mind would leave a valuable bracelet out and not put it in the safe?

Sometimes I see rooms left wide open while the stewards are cleaning them. It would only take a second for someone else to swipe something left out in plain view while the steward steps out of the room. But even then, I think it is the steward's responsibility. they shouldn't leave the rooms open like that while cleaning. we try to make sure everything is more or less put away when we are out of the cabin to make things a little harder on the kleptos.

the door is left open to help keep the steward above suspect, this way you would be able to see them going through personal items as you walked by. they also clean hotel rooms on land this way

Alex - I have no prob w/ the door being open while they are in there cleaning. it's when they step away - and leave the door open - that I have a problem with. I have seen many cabins, door wide open, with nobody in sight (just the steward's cart nearby). I think that's just begging for trouble.

I can see that it´s done to keep the steward above suspect, however in Hotels the cart is usually placed in the door in a way making it hard to sneak in and out. This is not the case on ships.

I remember times when I went out of the room for dinner and the stewart started cleaning it and I had forgotten something. I multiple times got into my own room when the door was wide open to pick something up without the steward ever would have known somebody was in there.

I agree completely with the response fro NRH322, I bet there never was a bracelet. Quick way to file an insurance claim and get your cruise paid for.

You wouldn't believe the schemes and lies that I have seen regarding credit cards and insurance fraud (I worked in the industry), not to mention the medical claim fraud and worker's compensation.

This is just my opinion. If you think about it, what on earth would an employee of a cruise ship want with something like that? Where could he pawn it? Where could he get money for it? And most of all, IF, and I said IF he/she was stupid enough to do something like that, they KNEW the consequences! These people are on these cruise ships for a number of months from what I am told and rarely get a chance to leave the ship - thus my question, what could he/she do with an expensive piece of jewelry?

Yep, I would go for the "they never had it in the first place". JMHO

The clasp could've popped opened and she actually lost it while drunk the night before....is there a code for BRACELET OVERBOARD...BRACELET OVERBOARD! Now RCI won't let us wear expensive jewelry onboard, it'll be confiscated and returned to us the night before.

We never take our real jewelry on a cruise. Not because we are worried that someone will steal it on the ship cause that is what the safes and the purser's desk is for. Our concern was always showing it when we are in port. When you go to some of the shops in town and you are wearing nice jewelry, they really hawk you to buy somethink in their jewelry stores because they know the difference between real and fake. When we starting wearing our fake jewelry (still looks nice to me), the store clerks never bother us at all and if we were interested in something it was more difficult to get someone to assist us.

Mike

Come on people it is very likely that someone could have an item stolen from their cabin., whether it be 10 cents or 10K. If I had an item missing from my cabin such as a costly item, I too would report the incident. Was it her responsibilty to secure her valuable items, yes it was. Just because the individual was negligent of handling the item and securing it, does not mean it wasn't missing! She may have misplaced it, and will find it, in which at that time she could contact Rc and hopefully the cabin steward can be reunited with RC. As for what would the steward want with the item, there are a lot of possibilities. Maybe it was his anniversary and wanted to send it to his wife, maybe he would sell it for extra cash to someone, etc.. Whether these 3rd world people would risk losing their jobs (knowing thats in the contract) I highly doubt it. But they are human just like everyone else!!I have a nephew in Iraq who bought 2 Rolex watches at a reasonable cost. Were they hot, stolen from a pax on a cruise ship, etc.. Who knows but the price was right for him and he bought them...

I have to agree that the idiot should have put it in the safe:rolleyes: .....They are there for a reason.....On second thought, I don't think I would bring a piece of jewelry on a cruise that was worth that much unless it was on my body 24/7 (ie. Wedding Rings). :cool:

I once thought I lost a good gold earring (just one!!) searched the whole cabin, couldn't find it, figured it had fallen out while I was out on deck. Found it when I got home and was unpacking...it had fallen into my suitcase and gotten under the fabric lining. Didn't report it missing except at the pursers....asking if anybody turned one in that they found around the ship to call me so I could check it.

Once, on the Island Princess, we found a wallet organizer under the bed. It had credit cards, written prescriptions, etc, in it, plus a $100 bill. We turned it into the purser, they put it in an envelope and had us sign the seal, and they gave us a written inventory of what we handed over. when we got to Hawaii, we called the folks whose name was on the checks inside the wallet...)their number was on the checks)....just to let them know we found it and turned it in, cause sometimes corporate offices take a while to make contact. We got their answering machine. We left our number but they never called us back...hope they got it OK!!

Hopefully she found the bracelet when she got home, and will contact RCI.