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

[Hlitner]

Please explain the bolded. Let's say I'm in my room. If there was a bar lock (like I pictured), I agree, crew can't get in my room. But they can yell, scream, blow an air horn, whatever (that's assuming there's not access from a connecting cabin or balcony).

 

I would think any safety issue on a ship would be a safety issue at a hotel (especially a high rise). So why are the bar locks allowed in hotels?

 

Cruise ships are much different then a hotel. They are very closed environments, are upon the sea, and have to adhere to an international set of tough standards called SOLAS (which I mentioned before). Insurance carriers can also demand additional standards as part of a policy. Accordingly, a ship's crew is part of a very detailed comprehensive emergency plan that covers all kinds of issues, one of the most serious being an onboard fire. As part of the emergency evacuation plan, each crew member has assigned responsibilities. Fire crews need immediate access to any part of the ship, other crew needs immediate access to ascertain that cabins have been evacuated (which means they need master keys that override internal locks), plumbers need immediate access in case of a major water leak (this once happened in our cabin and flooded the deck below), etc. Even when in port, each ship has to maintain a minimum crew complement to assure that there are sufficient crew aboard to handle any emergency.

 

Also keep in mind that when a hotel has a fire they call 911 and all kinds of emergency personnel respond. On a cruise ship there is only the crew who are often crossed-trained in many different emergency procedures.

 

Emergency plans are constantly updated, drills our held multiple times per week, and various institutions such as the U.S. Coast Guard inspects ships and reviews these plans. Ships without appropriate emergency plans are not permitted to call at various ports around the world including anywhere in North America and Europe.

 

Hank

Edited January 11, 2015 by Hlitner

[travlnblueberries]

For the poster who said when maintenance comes in the room there's a director with them and that the maintenance person doesn't have access. Not so in the 3 cases I've experienced. They did have access and there was no director with them. On another note. My gf and I went on a cruise with 6 other friends. I ended up getting sea sick and not going to dinner. I told gf to go without me. A room steward from down the hall actually used his key to come in my room. So can it happen, yes it can and did in my case.

[Hlitner]

For the poster who said when maintenance comes in the room there's a director with them and that the maintenance person doesn't have access. Not so in the 3 cases I've experienced. They did have access and there was no director with them. On another note. My gf and I went on a cruise with 6 other friends. I ended up getting sea sick and not going to dinner. I told gf to go without me. A room steward from down the hall actually used his key to come in my room. So can it happen, yes it can and did in my case.

 

Agree. DW and I have spent nearly 4 years on over 60 different cruise ships and have many times had maintenance folks in our cabin with no supervision.

 

Hank

[donaldsc]

The number of people who have been attacked inside their cabin by an off duty employee is extremely low. I have more higher risk dangers to worry about such as being hit by a meteor or being struck by lightning.

 

DON

[S.A.M.J.R.]

Cruise ships are much different then a hotel. They are very closed environments, are upon the sea, and have to adhere to an international set of tough standards called SOLAS (which I mentioned before). Insurance carriers can also demand additional standards as part of a policy. Accordingly, a ship's crew is part of a very detailed comprehensive emergency plan that covers all kinds of issues, one of the most serious being an onboard fire. As part of the emergency evacuation plan, each crew member has assigned responsibilities. Fire crews need immediate access to any part of the ship, other crew needs immediate access to ascertain that cabins have been evacuated (which means they need master keys that override internal locks), plumbers need immediate access in case of a major water leak (this once happened in our cabin and flooded the deck below), etc. Even when in port, each ship has to maintain a minimum crew complement to assure that there are sufficient crew aboard to handle any emergency.

 

Also keep in mind that when a hotel has a fire they call 911 and all kinds of emergency personnel respond. On a cruise ship there is only the crew who are often crossed-trained in many different emergency procedures.

 

Emergency plans are constantly updated, drills our held multiple times per week, and various institutions such as the U.S. Coast Guard inspects ships and reviews these plans. Ships without appropriate emergency plans are not permitted to call at various ports around the world including anywhere in North America and Europe.

 

Hank

I'll take your word about the standards. My point is IMO the "lock bars" ALSO help keep passengers safe... from unwanted people getting into the rooms. Are the odds slim someone with a master key is going to use that key to attack a passenger? Yes. What are the odds of a ship board fire or a massive water leak that would require crew to barge into an occupied room?

 

Again, the bars can only be activated from inside. Which means someone MUST be in the room.

[Hlitner]

I'll take your word about the standards. My point is IMO the "lock bars" ALSO help keep passengers safe... from unwanted people getting into the rooms. Are the odds slim someone with a master key is going to use that key to attack a passenger? Yes. What are the odds of a ship board fire or a massive water leak that would require crew to barge into an occupied room?

 

Again, the bars can only be activated from inside. Which means someone MUST be in the room.

 

The HAL assault/near murder kind of defies the "odds" as you call them. The perpetrator actually let himself into the cabin when it was empty and then hid out on the balcony. So one could have had a vault lock on the cabin door and it would have done no good other then make it more difficult for the passengers to escape out into the corridor (which is how she eventually saved her own life).

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

I'll take your word about the standards. My point is IMO the "lock bars" ALSO help keep passengers safe... from unwanted people getting into the rooms. Are the odds slim someone with a master key is going to use that key to attack a passenger? Yes. What are the odds of a ship board fire or a massive water leak that would require crew to barge into an occupied room?

 

Again, the bars can only be activated from inside. Which means someone MUST be in the room.

 

The HAL assault/near murder kind of defies the "odds" as you call them. The perpetrator actually let himself into the cabin when it was empty and then hid out on the balcony. So one could have had a vault lock on the cabin door and it would have done no good other then make it more difficult for the passengers to escape out into the corridor (which is how she eventually saved her own life). As to crew getting into cabins in an emergency, some of the dead folks on the Costa Concordia were found to have drowned in their cabin. Unfortunately, the crew failed to do its proper duty and they did not search the cabins (or perhaps they could not open a door because of a "bar").

 

Hank

 

Hank