Theft

[Hlitner]

16 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

You are assuming someone would know the difference. There are some really well made costume jewellery that would need an examination to see the difference. I'm guessing most of these thefts are crimes of opportunity so not exactly spending time examining the pieces they will take. Once they realise that it isn't worth much they aren't going to give it back any way. 

Cruise lines limit cabin access to a very few trusted folks including your cabin steward.  These folks go through a lot to get their jobs and you would need to assume that the cabin steward is complicit in most cabin thefts.  Any such pattern of thefts would be quickly discerned by the ship's security folks (who are quite good).  Accordingly, most cabin stewards are anal about protecting the cabins under their charge (and they do not have access to other cabins).  Even a single incident (believed by security) and they are unemployed.

 

Do thefts and other crime happen on cruise ships?  Sure.  We had a friend (retired Police Chief) who was the Security Officer on many different HAL vessels and he told us many stories of crime on the high seas by both crew and passengers.  But we also know that cabin thefts are relatively rare because it is relatively easy to solve (because of the limited number of have cabin access).  Did the OP have stuff stolen?  No reason not to believe the poster.  But isn't it interesting that with the huge number of active posters on CC and other social media cruise line sites that theft is not a common issue?

 

Hank

[NLH Arizona]

12 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

No reason not to believe the poster.  But isn't it interesting that with the huge number of active posters on CC and other social media cruise line sites that theft is not a common issue?

I just find it amazing that the OP had something stolen from their cabin on their last 2 cruises, maybe she is just getting forgetful and doesn't remember where she put the items.

 

I've never had anything stolen in my over sixty cruises.  

[gooch47]

I would think it would take extreme nerve to walk into an open cabin door and steal something.  

[ducklite]

I had two pieces of laundry go missing on my last cruise.  I don't think they were intentionally stolen, I think they were just mishandled.  Ultimately the cruise line reimbursed me for them.

 

I've left a very expensive DSLR with lenses (total value close to $10K) in the camera bag in the closet of our room as the safe was too small to store them on a couple of cruises.  They weren't touched.  They are insured through a rider on our home owners policy.  I did put the memory card wallet in the safe when the camera wasn't in use--after all the photos are the part that can't be replaced. 

 

We also left our binoculars out in the cabin--not high end by any stretch (maybe worth $150 new) and an old iPod (screen is broken so almost worthless) stuck into the dock so we'd have music in the cabin.  I leave all the costume jewelry out, and never had anything go missing or even be touched--they seem to try to clean around things like this. 

 

I lock up our passports, credit cards, cash (except I usually have an envelope with $100 in singles and fivers in a drawer for room service tips), and if I take off my wedding set before I snorkel I'll lock that up as well. 

 

Perhaps in the future you should lock your bags and store things you are concerned about in them in your cabin.

[wwcruisers]

Same here -- nearly two decades of cruising (on three separate lines) and never had a single thing go missing (knock wood). That being said, we are careful to lock our valuables into the safe (as soon as we get to the cabin). And, if I had something valuable that wouldn't fit in the safe -- I would keep it locked in my (hard-side) Samsonite suitcase, under the bed.

 

My favorite story is about how hard it is to actually throw anything, onboard a cruise ship. I've have it happen with a bathing suit, as well as a nice pair of shoes. In both cases, I decided that the item had finally 'bit the dust' and tossed it into the cabin wastebasket. Each time, I returned to the cabin to find the previously disposed-of item 'rescued' and neatly displayed, where I could see it. I finally had to resort to sticky notes that read: "Please discard!"😎

[cruznjan]

Never had a theft problem.

[bonsai3s]

Many years of happy cruising...various cruise lines...no theft problem.

[SRF]

The electronic locks used now in hotels and cruise ships log who enters each room.

 

If only your cabin steward entered and something were stolen, their room would be searched.  And stolen items found, they are fired, and put off at the next port to make their own way home.  And if they have other people involved, to hide the stolen items, this may not be found for the first few items stolen, but it WILL be figured out, and all of them fired.

 

I travel a lot internationally.  Much of it to 3rd world countries, and never had had anything stolen.  Even when I have left cash out on the desk.  Laptop, cameras, etc.

 

IMO, most "thefts" in rooms are lost or misplaced items.

[Gwendy]

16 hours ago, wwcruisers said:

Same here -- nearly two decades of cruising (on three separate lines) and never had a single thing go missing (knock wood). That being said, we are careful to lock our valuables into the safe (as soon as we get to the cabin). And, if I had something valuable that wouldn't fit in the safe -- I would keep it locked in my (hard-side) Samsonite suitcase, under the bed.

 

My favorite story is about how hard it is to actually throw anything, onboard a cruise ship. I've have it happen with a bathing suit, as well as a nice pair of shoes. In both cases, I decided that the item had finally 'bit the dust' and tossed it into the cabin wastebasket. Each time, I returned to the cabin to find the previously disposed-of item 'rescued' and neatly displayed, where I could see it. I finally had to resort to sticky notes that read: "Please discard!"😎

Had this happen to us, pair of high heel shoes, placed in rubbish bin in cabin.  Returned to find them neatly put beside the desk.  Same as you, had to put a note on them.  I put money, passports in safe everything else left out.  Over 35 cruises, 8 different cruise lines, never a problem.

[donaldsc]

12 hours ago, SRF said:

The electronic locks used now in hotels and cruise ships log who enters each room.

 

If only your cabin steward entered and something were stolen, their room would be searched.  And stolen items found, they are fired, and put off at the next port to make their own way home.  And if they have other people involved, to hide the stolen items, this may not be found for the first few items stolen, but it WILL be figured out, and all of them fired.

 

I travel a lot internationally.  Much of it to 3rd world countries, and never had had anything stolen.  Even when I have left cash out on the desk.  Laptop, cameras, etc.

 

IMO, most "thefts" in rooms are lost or misplaced items.

 

Lost as in "my camera is old and I need a new one" so it got stolen or really lost?

 

DON

[Aquahound]

Theft on cruise ships is more common than many want to admit, or are willing to accept.  This thread has a lot of responses from people suggesting that because they've never been robbed, it must not happen....or it must be the OP's fault.  Well, I've never been the victim of a breaking and entering home burglary, but that does not mean it doesn't happen.  

 

Maritime criminal investigations is my field of expertise and the 2 most common reports I see from cruises are theft and assaults.  

[ducklite]

3 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

Theft on cruise ships is more common than many want to admit, or are willing to accept.  This thread has a lot of responses from people suggesting that because they've never been robbed, it must not happen....or it must be the OP's fault.  Well, I've never been the victim of a breaking and entering home burglary, but that does not mean it doesn't happen.  

 

Maritime criminal investigations is my field of expertise and the 2 most common reports I see from cruises are theft and assaults.  

 

Having worked in insurance for a number of years, I've also seen far too many reports of theft that turned out to be a misplaced item, or flat out fraud.

[Aquahound]

5 minutes ago, ducklite said:

 

Having worked in insurance for a number of years, I've also seen far too many reports of theft that turned out to be a misplaced item, or flat out fraud.

 

I'm sure you have.  As have I.  But that still doesn't mean theft doesn't occur.  We have the benefit of exploiting hundreds of cameras on ships.  Stateroom thefts are rather difficult to prove but public area thefts are very easy to prove, and it happens a lot.  As I'm sure you can imagine, it occurs on certain cruise lines more than others.  

Edited December 30, 2019 by Aquahound

[ilikeanswers]

8 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

Maritime criminal investigations is my field of expertise and the 2 most common reports I see from cruises are theft and assaults.  

 

Is the this after they found the culprit or just a report of missing items? 

[mom says]

12 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

Maritime criminal investigations is my field of expertise and the 2 most common reports I see from cruises are theft and assaults.  

However, what percentage of those theft reports turned out to be, in fact, thefts?

[Aquahound]

6 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

Is the this after they found the culprit or just a report of missing items? 

 

Both.

 

6 minutes ago, mom says said:

However, what percentage of those theft reports turned out to be, in fact, thefts?

 

It's hard to say because when it's not caught on camera, theft is very difficult to prove.  Unfortunately, it's a pretty low stat of subjects actually being caught, so there's no way to say what percentage is legit and what isn't.    

Edited December 30, 2019 by Aquahound

[Luckiestmanonearth]

I had $500 stolen from me in the casino last year while I was at the BlackJack table

😝

Edited December 30, 2019 by Luckiestmanonearth

[clo]

On 12/27/2019 at 5:25 AM, ilikeanswers said:

 

There is one brand I know whose prices range in the hundreds. I would consider that pretty expensive considering it doesn't use precious metals or gemstones🤔.

There's vintage costume jewelry that can be quite collectable.  But why wouldn't anyone use the safe for anything they cared about.

[awhcruiser]

1 hour ago, clo said:

There's vintage costume jewelry that can be quite collectable.  But why wouldn't anyone use the safe for anything they cared about.

Exactly.  

[#1TravelMom]

65+ cruises.  We've never had anything stolen.  I often let my jewelry bag out of the safe - nothing extremely valuable.  I do have a gold chain and hoops.  I never bother to put them away.  I never take anything that can't be replaced.  However, I understand that having things go missing would be frustrating. 

[crazyank]

On 9/28/2018 at 10:39 AM, donaldsc said:

Never. And I leave all my expensive photo equipment and all my electronics out. The only thing that goes into the safe are jewelry, passports and money.

 

Has anyone considered that the OP w only 11 posts is a troll or someone who is trying to establish a pattern so that they can establish an insurance claim.

 

DON

Yes,  and I think it's very doubtful that one person has something stolen on three different cruises.  Sounds like careless misplacing to me.

[SRF]

10 hours ago, Aquahound said:

Theft on cruise ships is more common than many want to admit, or are willing to accept.  This thread has a lot of responses from people suggesting that because they've never been robbed, it must not happen....or it must be the OP's fault.  Well, I've never been the victim of a breaking and entering home burglary, but that does not mean it doesn't happen.  

 

Maritime criminal investigations is my field of expertise and the 2 most common reports I see from cruises are theft and assaults.  

 

OK, then how many?
 

And how many get solved?

 

And how many turn out to NOT be thefts?

[SRF]

10 hours ago, Aquahound said:

 

I'm sure you have.  As have I.  But that still doesn't mean theft doesn't occur.  We have the benefit of exploiting hundreds of cameras on ships.  Stateroom thefts are rather difficult to prove but public area thefts are very easy to prove, and it happens a lot.  As I'm sure you can imagine, it occurs on certain cruise lines more than others.  

 

Public area thefts I can see.  Those are other passengers grabbing things.

 

In room thefts are unlikely to be other passengers, unless you or staff are VERY careless about leaving doors open.

 

In most hotels, if they are cleaning my room and I want to get it, they close the door and make me unlock it.  On the ship, they tend to recognize that this is my room.

[ducklite]

2 hours ago, SRF said:

 

Public area thefts I can see.  Those are other passengers grabbing things.

 

In room thefts are unlikely to be other passengers, unless you or staff are VERY careless about leaving doors open.

 

In most hotels, if they are cleaning my room and I want to get it, they close the door and make me unlock it.  On the ship, they tend to recognize that this is my room.

My biggest pet peeve in hotels or on ships is housekeepers who do leave doors open to run down the hall for something or to have a chat with their friend who is cleaning the room next door.

 

I've returned to find my hotel room left open with no one around a few times.  Once in one of the finest hotels in San Francisco.  I was quite annoyed.  Fortunately I had my camera with me, and we had nothing other than some clothing, toiletries, and a few odds and ends like a book and travel alarm in the room.  As I told the GM, what if a man had come into the room and closed the door, and I was traveling alone and entered my room to find him waiting?  That would have been a multi-million dollar lawsuit settlement against them for their negligence.

 

I have no problem with housekeepers leaving doors open while they are in the room cleaning.  I do have a problem with them leaving the door open unless they are at their cart immediately in front of the door.  Otherwise the door should be closed behind them.  ALWAYS.

 

This is one of the reasons we like to rent self-catering flats when we travel.  No one comes in or out but us during the rental period.  

[ilikeanswers]

36 minutes ago, ducklite said:

This is one of the reasons we like to rent self-catering flats when we travel.  No one comes in or out but us during the rental period.  

 

If I don't want someone entering my hotel room I will put up the Do Not Disturb sign. So far it has been respected😀 though I have a friend who said she did that once in Dubai and came back to find her room cleaned😆.