Pool Towels Removed from Room by Attendant

[Goes Cruising]

When I read the posts about the hassle with pool towels, I always wonder if RCL is much stricter with their towel policy in the Caribbean. Two years ago in the Med, several times we left wet towels in our room after returning from the pool, and the attendant removed them when he cleaned up. The next day, we just checked out another towel.

 

We were never charged for towels we didn't personally return, so it leaves me wondering. Were they just not enforcing the towel charges in the Med, or will that work in the Caribbean as well? Does your room attendant check your towels back in for you?

[cruiseguy1016]

The pool towel policy they use today was not in effect two years ago. Two years ago, you just took a towel from the pool deck when you needed one. If you left it on the floor of your bathroom, your room steward would take it and (sometimes) leave you a clean one.

 

The policy has now changed. You must sign out towels on your Seapass. There is now a towel station on the pool deck. Your room steward will not take them from your room. When you want a clean one, you have to go to the towel station and either exchange your dirty one fro a clean one or sign out another clean one.

[Goes Cruising]

The pool towel policy they use today was not in effect two years ago. Two years ago, you just took a towel from the pool deck when you needed one. If you left it on the floor of your bathroom, your room steward would take it and (sometimes) leave you a clean one.

 

The policy has now changed. You must sign out towels on your Seapass. There is now a towel station on the pool deck. Your room steward will not take them from your room. When you want a clean one, you have to go to the towel station and either exchange your dirty one fro a clean one or sign out another clean one.

 

We signed them out then. It was July 09.

[cruiseguy1016]

We signed them out then. It was July 09.

 

 

We were on Adventure in March of '09 and the "new" towel policy was not in effect. We were on Majesty in March of '10 and Serenade in March of '11. The towel policy in effect on both of those cruises was as follows. You must sign out towels on your Seapass. There is now a towel station on the pool deck. Our room steward did not take them from our room. When we wanted a clean one, we had to go to the towel station and either exchange our dirty one for a clean one or sign out another clean one.

[ZoeyVictoria]

We left our wet pool towels in our cabin on the Navigator last month while we went to dinner, because there wasn't time to return/exchange them. When we returned to the cabin, the room steward had hung them up but not taken them away.

[DragonMouse]

Double post

[DragonMouse]

Not that it really matters but Carnival does this too. Sorta. You have pool towels in your room. If you use them the steward gives you a clean one if you leave it on the floor. If it's left in your cabin at the end of your cruise your fine otherwise they charge you $25. We never touched them so I don't know how strick they are if it should get stolen.

[HB Cruiser]

On our cruise this past May our cabin steward saw that our pool towels were wet and hanging in shower to dry, he picked them up and replaced them with fresh clean ones.

 

Normally, that does not happen.

 

Tim

[KansasK]

I am OK with checking out the towels on the pool deck and returning them there on sea days. On port days, when you come back to the ship, it is not convenient to go to the pool deck to check in the wet, possibly sandy, towels. I think they should have a towel check-in on the dock where we board, or just inside the ship. They would need their card swiper and computer hook up and a large bin for the towels, which would need to be replaced often with an empty one. This would be a real convenience and service for their guests. I don't think I should be asked to bring my towels to the pool deck after an excursion when I have not been on the pool deck using it. They should be serving me, not me serving them.

[cb at sea]

Really, folks....the towel issue is NOT an issue! If you leave dirty towels in your cabin, they will remove them for cleaning. You can get fresh ones...as many as you need! So what if you have to "sign" for them.....it's not like it's easy to 'lose' towels!

 

Even fancy, high-end hotels check your room key before they release towels (beach/pool) to you...not a big deal.

When you check your bill before leaving, if there's a charge, dispute it....they will remove it!

[insley]

We were on the AOS last December in the Caribbean; on our last day we had been in St Croix and had checked out two towels; when we returned to the ship we forgot to take the towels up to deck 11 to the pool and brought them back to our room. Meanwhile, we left them in the room, and got ready for dinner. When we returned from the dinner, the towels were gone.

 

I usually pay any balance in cash on the last night. When I went to the purserr, I was informed there was a $40.00 towel charge. It took a lot of convincing, including attempted phone calls from the purser to our oom attendant to clear it up. She never did reach the attendant and eventually she was"given permission" by someone in the back room to clear the charge. Not a night way to spend the last hours on board.

[Cruiser-M]

I am OK with checking out the towels on the pool deck and returning them there on sea days. On port days, when you come back to the ship, it is not convenient to go to the pool deck to check in the wet, possibly sandy, towels. I think they should have a towel check-in on the dock where we board, or just inside the ship. They would need their card swiper and computer hook up and a large bin for the towels, which would need to be replaced often with an empty one. This would be a real convenience and service for their guests. I don't think I should be asked to bring my towels to the pool deck after an excursion when I have not been on the pool deck using it. They should be serving me, not me serving them.

When we were on the Serenade in March they had a table set up on deck 2 right were you get on and off the ship. Made it really easy to exchange towels.:)

[cruiseguy1016]

I am OK with checking out the towels on the pool deck and returning them there on sea days. On port days, when you come back to the ship, it is not convenient to go to the pool deck to check in the wet, possibly sandy, towels. I think they should have a towel check-in on the dock where we board, or just inside the ship. They would need their card swiper and computer hook up and a large bin for the towels, which would need to be replaced often with an empty one. This would be a real convenience and service for their guests. I don't think I should be asked to bring my towels to the pool deck after an excursion when I have not been on the pool deck using it. They should be serving me, not me serving them.

 

When we were on the Serenade in March they had a table set up on deck 2 right were you get on and off the ship. Made it really easy to exchange towels.:)

 

Yup, we had that too. Very convenient.

[Hackpba]

I am OK with checking out the towels on the pool deck and returning them there on sea days. On port days, when you come back to the ship, it is not convenient to go to the pool deck to check in the wet, possibly sandy, towels. I think they should have a towel check-in on the dock where we board, or just inside the ship. They would need their card swiper and computer hook up and a large bin for the towels, which would need to be replaced often with an empty one. This would be a real convenience and service for their guests. I don't think I should be asked to bring my towels to the pool deck after an excursion when I have not been on the pool deck using it. They should be serving me, not me serving them.

 

WOW, somebody is SPOILED!! I thought it was nice that they "allow" you to take their towels off the ship to begin with! If they don't keep track of them in this way they would be missing towels all over the place. I took four towels with me to Nachi Cocum in Cozumel and had no problem walking up the stairs to the pool area and returning them. You can always take the elevator if you want since they are "serving you".

 

BTW, I noticed that the Freedom of the Seas had new baby blue towels with no logo on them just the RCCL on the towels but not in any different color. We were docked next to the Voyager of the Seas and they still were using the two tone ones with the RCCL logo on them. I kind of liked the old ones better.

[Cruiseoholic000]

I love this idea!!!! I think we should start a campaign for this!

 

I am OK with checking out the towels on the pool deck and returning them there on sea days. On port days, when you come back to the ship, it is not convenient to go to the pool deck to check in the wet, possibly sandy, towels. I think they should have a towel check-in on the dock where we board, or just inside the ship. They would need their card swiper and computer hook up and a large bin for the towels, which would need to be replaced often with an empty one. This would be a real convenience and service for their guests. I don't think I should be asked to bring my towels to the pool deck after an excursion when I have not been on the pool deck using it. They should be serving me, not me serving them.

[dcdiva]

I am OK with checking out the towels on the pool deck and returning them there on sea days. On port days, when you come back to the ship, it is not convenient to go to the pool deck to check in the wet, possibly sandy, towels. I think they should have a towel check-in on the dock where we board, or just inside the ship. They would need their card swiper and computer hook up and a large bin for the towels, which would need to be replaced often with an empty one. This would be a real convenience and service for their guests. I don't think I should be asked to bring my towels to the pool deck after an excursion when I have not been on the pool deck using it. They should be serving me, not me serving them.

 

On Majesty in April, we also had a towel check-out at the gangway as we disembarked, along with a towel return just on the same deck as we returned to the ship. No need to return towels to the pool deck.

[sungifts]

I am OK with checking out the towels on the pool deck and returning them there on sea days. On port days, when you come back to the ship, it is not convenient to go to the pool deck to check in the wet, possibly sandy, towels. I think they should have a towel check-in on the dock where we board, or just inside the ship. They would need their card swiper and computer hook up and a large bin for the towels, which would need to be replaced often with an empty one. This would be a real convenience and service for their guests. I don't think I should be asked to bring my towels to the pool deck after an excursion when I have not been on the pool deck using it. They should be serving me, not me serving them.

 

They did have this on FOS last week as soon as you walked back on the ship from port. BUT - I had 2 towels checked out and only used 1 - they wouldn't let me just turn in the one - they wanted me to turn in both. I didn't see the need to turn in a clean towel so I just kept the wet one and exchanged it later on the pool deck.

 

 

Really, folks....the towel issue is NOT an issue!If you leave dirty towels in your cabin, they will remove them for cleaning. You can get fresh ones...as many as you need! So what if you have to "sign" for them.....it's not like it's easy to 'lose' towels!

 

Not true on FOS - The room attendants do not touch the beach towels. I asked and was told they are not allowed to mess with them since we are responsible for them if not turned in.

[matj2000]

The $25 is mainly a scare.

We lost serveral and just went up to the towel guy and he took them off the computer. It was no issue at all.

If someone did wind up paying, they are a horrible negotiator...

[Sequim88]

he picked them up and replaced them with fresh clean ones.

 

I would not mind them doing this at all. As long as I have a towel to turn in and clear the account.

 

Bigger fear than attendant taking towl is leaving towel on chair and having someone else who "lost" theirs turn mine in on their SeaPass while I am in pool for getting a drink.

 

It became our routine on Serenade to pick up towl on deck 2 between the inboard elevators and return them there after visiting port or beach. On prior cruise in 2008 we never used a towel so did not know what the old process was (too cold in North Atlantic) so on Serenade the process seemed pretty slick and convenient.

[negrilbride]

We left our wet pool towels in our cabin on the Navigator last month while we went to dinner, because there wasn't time to return/exchange them. When we returned to the cabin, the room steward had hung them up but not taken them away.

 

This is what happened to us also on Oasis. They just hung them up.

[fdthird]

The $25 is mainly a scare.

 

We lost serveral and just went up to the towel guy and he took them off the computer. It was no issue at all.

 

If someone did wind up paying, they are a horrible negotiator...

 

And now you know why they have the $25 charge!

[matj2000]

And now you know why they have the $25 charge!

 

Your answer does not make sense??

[marci22]

We were never charged for towels we didn't personally return, so it leaves me wondering. Were they just not enforcing the towel charges in the Med, or will that work in the Caribbean as well? Does your room attendant check your towels back in for you?

 

I'm sure it's a cost-saving policy change. Now you have to be responsible for replacing the towels, instead of the room steward. This way each room steward has more time to do more rooms (less employees to pay). They also used to replace the ice buckets automatically 2x per day and now it is by request. That's probably also why they encourage you to save the waves: less work per room for the room steward.

[fdthird]

It does to me!

[matj2000]

It does to me!

 

Maybe you should elaberate because it sounds like your implying that I took the towels.

When I said I lost them, that means they were put in a laundry bin in the hallway by someone who did not know they were checked out.

I didn't include this part in my story just to keep it short.

From now on I need to remember that people need to be hand held through the entire story just to reassure them there is no wrong doing...

And do you really think anyone want those dingy brown RC towels?