Travel writer Peter Greenberg comes to HAL cruisers rescue

[donaldsc]

So, I put on the robe, grabbed a bar of soap, and went up on deck to take a shower at the outdoor shower near the pool (had a swimsuit on). Then, still dripping wet I went down to the guest relations desk. It was already about 6:30 so there were many folks in the atrium in formal wear and here I was in a robe and still dripping. I explained to the hotel manager (who quickly appeared at the desk) our problem and said I would shower every day at the pool and stop by the guest relations desk every evening until the problem was fixed. I also explained we were dining with the Captain and I certainly needed to shower for such an event.

 

Hank

 

Although you and I would probably not have the chutzpah to do it, it would have been a hoot if you walked up the the guest relations desk dripping wet in the clocks (or lack, thereof) that you usually take showers in.

 

DON

[donaldsc]

Although you and I would probably not have the chutzpah to do it, it would have been a hoot if you walked up the the guest relations desk dripping wet in the clocks (or lack, thereof) that you usually take showers in.

 

DON

 

Change "clocks" to "clothes". Bad proofreading.

 

DON

[Opinions]

Smoke detectors can also go off when there is too much steam from the bathroom hot water use. This story does need more facts.

 

She was awaken in the middle of the night!!!..That's enough fact for me.

[Cybergoth]

There are times when cruisers need to be more assertive onboard a ship. After about forty years of cruising (at least 2 years on cruise ships) we have only had a few instances when it was necessary to force a solution on board. In one situation on Princess we had a cabin shower that barely worked (kind of went drip drip). After complaining that first night (even our cabin steward made several phone calls to engineering) nothing was done. The 2nd night was a formal night and we were invited to the Captains table. When I went to take a shower it just went drip drip drip. So, I put on the robe, grabbed a bar of soap, and went up on deck to take a shower at the outdoor shower near the pool (had a swimsuit on). Then, still dripping wet I went down to the guest relations desk. It was already about 6:30 so there were many folks in the atrium in formal wear and here I was in a robe and still dripping. I explained to the hotel manager (who quickly appeared at the desk) our problem and said I would shower every day at the pool and stop by the guest relations desk every evening until the problem was fixed. I also explained we were dining with the Captain and I certainly needed to shower for such an event. Within an hour the a plumber was in the cabin and the problem was repaired. On one other cruise we had something rolling around inside our ceiling which made it impossible to sleep. After two days with nothing being done we found a solution. Late at night I appeared near the pursers desk with a blanket and pillow...cuddled up in a comfy chair and went to sleep. Within a few minutes the security officer came over to find out why we were sleeping in the lobby and we explained that we could not get any sleep in our cabin. The next morning two crewman tore our entire ceiling apart and found a piece of loose metal that was the culprit. There are times where drastic situations call for action and the OPs situation with the faulty smoke alarm certainly qualifies. Having an entire cruise ruined because of such a problem is ridiculous...but the time to deal with that kind of problem is at that time...not after you get home.

 

Hank

 

I like the cut of your jib sir! :D

[Cybergoth]

Something doesn't make sense here. If it was a battery, that's a quick fix. If the alarm had become defective, they'd have replacement smoke detectors which their electricians could quickly exchange. With the number of cabins and smoke detectors in each cabin and elsewhere on the ship, replacement detectors would certainly be a stocked item. Maybe they changed batteries, the sound stopped for quite a while and then started up again. That happens. Or maybe this was simply a smoke detector being sensitive to excessive smoking.

 

I'm not an engineer - I thought these things would be hardwired to the ships' electrical system?

[billie5]

Much more likely than a battery!!

 

Bill

[kazu]

There are times when cruisers need to be more assertive onboard a ship. After about forty years of cruising (at least 2 years on cruise ships) we have only had a few instances when it was necessary to force a solution on board. In one situation on Princess we had a cabin shower that barely worked (kind of went drip drip). After complaining that first night (even our cabin steward made several phone calls to engineering) nothing was done. The 2nd night was a formal night and we were invited to the Captains table. When I went to take a shower it just went drip drip drip. So, I put on the robe, grabbed a bar of soap, and went up on deck to take a shower at the outdoor shower near the pool (had a swimsuit on). Then, still dripping wet I went down to the guest relations desk. It was already about 6:30 so there were many folks in the atrium in formal wear and here I was in a robe and still dripping. I explained to the hotel manager (who quickly appeared at the desk) our problem and said I would shower every day at the pool and stop by the guest relations desk every evening until the problem was fixed. I also explained we were dining with the Captain and I certainly needed to shower for such an event. Within an hour the a plumber was in the cabin and the problem was repaired. On one other cruise we had something rolling around inside our ceiling which made it impossible to sleep. After two days with nothing being done we found a solution. Late at night I appeared near the pursers desk with a blanket and pillow...cuddled up in a comfy chair and went to sleep. Within a few minutes the security officer came over to find out why we were sleeping in the lobby and we explained that we could not get any sleep in our cabin. The next morning two crewman tore our entire ceiling apart and found a piece of loose metal that was the culprit. There are times where drastic situations call for action and the OPs situation with the faulty smoke alarm certainly qualifies. Having an entire cruise ruined because of such a problem is ridiculous...but the time to deal with that kind of problem is at that time...not after you get home.

 

Hank

 

Hank, I agree with 100%. if there is a serious issue, it needs to be dealt with immediately. No point in something ruining your entire cruise.

 

and sometimes you have to be assertive - or go up the ladder to the hotel manager.

[m steve]

middle of the night at home with constant beeping. Should I sell my house and move?:rolleyes:

[Jemima]

middle of the night at home with constant beeping. Should I sell my house and move?:rolleyes:

 

I almost considered it with one of mine. (We finally discovered it had been installed with the wiring pushed back into the wall unattached.) Mine are all wired and have a battery. I'm confused by a couple of the previous comments. Wouldn't cabin smoke detectors also be wired and have batteries?

[IRL_Joanie]

I almost considered it with one of mine. (We finally discovered it had been installed with the wiring pushed back into the wall unattached.) Mine are all wired and have a battery. I'm confused by a couple of the previous comments. Wouldn't cabin smoke detectors also be wired and have batteries?

 

You are correct. Here is a photo of one on the Oosterdam Stateroom 7028. You can see the tab (do not know what else to call it) that would be used to open it to replace the battery(s) http://joanjett2000.topcities.com/HAL/Oosterdam/7078_alexandria-4.jpg

 

Joanie

[HappyInVan]

Let's make the reasonable assumption that the OP is a responsible adult, and reporting the problem without exaggeration. That is, they did lose sleep because of the smoke alarm. Would you stay another night in a hotel room with this problem?

 

 

Let's assume that the OP are intelligent people. They wouldn't keep smoking in the cabin if it sets off the alarm, particularly if the alarm sounds during bedtime!

 

 

What's happening here? Why didn't the front desk/facilities people arrange to modify or replace the alarm? Why didn't they offer fair compensation? This is a sign of a bureaucratic culture.

 

 

The first responders are authorized to make a nominal OBC to complaining customers. This they did.

 

 

What they didn't do was to push the problem upstairs or sideways. The left hand doesn't work with the right hand. The organization isn't align with the customer. Parts of the organization do things that are convenient to them.

 

That is why HAL claims to have a Signature of Excellence, but unspeakable things happen to customers!

 

 

That is why some cabins are without AC for 20 days, before the passengers alert the Chief Engineer. That is why leaky cabins are rented out repeatedly, and mold is forming throughout the superstructure.

 

 

Is price an indication of quality? Does it matter if you travel in a deluxe suite instead of steerage?

 

 

You do pay more for a larger cabin, and for peaks and a concierge. But, the concierge can't fight effectively for you when other parts of the organization are fighting back!

 

 

You only get quality from a quality-focused organization.

 

 

Compare that to Toyota's commitment to the customer. You can buy a low-end Yaris for the same price as a GM Aveo in Canada. Toyota has included stability control and ABS, while GM offers ABS as an $600 option.

 

 

That is why I would prefer to travel in the lowest category of a luxury ship, than a penthouse on a budget ship!

[bepsf]

I'm not an engineer - I thought these things would be hardwired to the ships' electrical system?

 

Yes, they are -

That's how the are alerted at the firestation on the Bridge where there's a fire aboard the vessel and can send out a squad to put it out.

[tcook052]

Let's assume that the OP are intelligent people. They wouldn't keep smoking in the cabin if it sets off the alarm, particularly if the alarm sounds during bedtime!

 

Where does it say the OP was smoking in her cabin? It doesn't anywhere in the article I linked so I wouldn't say that's at all a safe assumption.

[donaldsc]

[quote name=HappyInVan;27582599

 

Compare that to Toyota's commitment to the customer. You can buy a low-end Yaris for the same price as a GM Aveo in Canada. Toyota has included stability control and ABS' date=' while GM offers ABS as an $600 option.

 

 

[/quote]

 

You put your foot in it on this one. What about Toyota's myriad of problems recently with unintended acceleration and other car problem?

 

They has a reputation for quality but they blew it.

 

DON

[jcrandle]

middle of the night at home with constant beeping. Should I sell my house and move?:rolleyes:

 

If it is your smoke detector in YOUR house, it is YOUR problem to handle. If it is in a hotel, or a ship's cabin, it should be handled by their staff!

[Hlitner]

[quote name='donaldsc']Although you and I would probably not have the chutzpah to do it, it would have been a hoot if you walked up the the guest relations desk dripping wet in the clocks (or lack, thereof) that you usually take showers in.

DON[/QUOTE]

My goodness Don. If I had done that they would have been abondoning the ship for real :) Trust me that women and children (and even men) would have gone running and screaming to the lifeboats.

Hank

[billie5]

Yes, there are batteries as backups for hard-wired smoke detectors, but they play a role only if power is lost to the smoke detector. That is obviously important both in homes and on ships. Otherwise, while the ship or home is without power (as after an ice storm for a house, where one might be without power for days, or as in the NCL Spirit in 11/09, where we drifted in the Atlantic for hours without any power), one would have no alert for a fire.

Bill

[HappyInVan]

[quote name='tcook052']Where does it say the OP was smoking in her cabin? It doesn't anywhere in the article I linked so I wouldn't say that's at all a safe assumption.[/quote]


Dear Tcook,


Jemima (Post 15) mentioned the possibility of 'excessive smoking'. My take is that the OP is a responsible and intelligent passenger. That is why HAL offered $400 cash after an investigation!


Therefore, a bureaucratic culture is the obvious culprit. That is why passengers can go for 20 days without HVAC (Rotterdam). And, wet cabins are resold repeatedly (Rotterdam).


In the face of this intractable problem, senior managers prefer to offer compensation to the few passengers who escalate their complaint. Of course, it doesn't address the issue of passengers who don't complain, and who just vote with their feet.


Penny wise, and pound foolish.

[KirkNC]

[quote name='Pete Jackson']If [B]that had been me in the cabin, HAL's smoke detector would now be lying somewhere at the bottom of the Inside Passage! If they tried to bill me for it, I would counterbill for lost enjoyment.[/B]

[/quote]

Amen, I would have disabled the thing somehow even if that meant throwing it overboard.

Kirk

[m steve]

The chirping smoke detector in the middle of the night is very annoying whether on board or at home.

[SwissMyst]

On a Crystal cruise we did see one of their new gooseneck reading lights in the housekeepers cart, which had been obviously ripped out from the wall because they had an impossible on off switch no one could figure out.

It did not respond right away so you didn't know if what you did turned it off, so you re-did it again and it still did not go off until you lost total track of what you needed to do. No were their any explanations and it was totally devoid of any obvious on or off knobs or switches.

I think it kind of turned vaguely to get the level of light but it was full circle with no definite stop or start and the delay made it impossible to know when you reached the off point. Just crazy. The basic idea was fine - a flexible, variable intensity reading lamp. (HALs are silly and useless so no favors here)

We finally figured our out and left it alone for the rest of the trip. This other passenger took matters into his own hands and dismantled it totally. Which would not have been easy. I noticed in later Crystal cabin photos, there were no more gooseneck reading lamps.

[bepsf]

[quote name='tcook052']Where does it say the OP was smoking in her cabin? It doesn't anywhere in the article I linked so I wouldn't say that's at all a safe assumption.[/quote]

[FONT=Garamond][SIZE=4]There's no reason to believe that smoking would set off the alarm anyway - otherwise they'd be going off all over the place![/SIZE][/FONT]

[tcook052]

[quote name='bepsf'][FONT=Garamond][SIZE=4]There's no reason to believe that smoking would set off the alarm anyway - otherwise they'd be going off all over the place![/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]

Exactly so don't quite understand why other posters were speculating about that being a cause.