Towel Rant

[retiredonthesea]

Just bk a suite and you never have to worry about the towel exchange!!:D

[DarthGrady]

I TOTALLY AGREE!!

 

We just returned from Celebrity and the towels were out for the taking. How refreshing and civilized. I felt like a human being again.

 

DOWN w/the current towel "system". And grouchy attendants too. I know it's a thankless job, so ditch it.

 

Agree! One of the little perks I liked about X.

 

To the OP:

 

If RCI isn't willing to just put towels out there, maybe they could follow Carnival's system. On CCL they put blue towels in your cabin to use whenever you want. The pool towels can be checked out, and are tan so they can be kept separate. You still get charged of you steal or lose them, but you can use your cabin towels if you don't want to wait to check one out.

[crusinmama06]

I've been dealing with the towel exchange since Freedom in 2007 and I have to say I have never seen the lines that you are talking about. We get the towels (4 of them) when we get to the pool in the morning and we hand them back in (soaking wet) when we leave in the afternoon. Pretty easy for us. I would rather not carry soaking wet towels back to the cabin with me.

 

We do this pick up and exchange every day. Never been more than a couple of people in line. Have done this on Freedom, Indy and Grandeur. I just don't have a problem with it. :confused:

[critterchick]

Jean, it's a small detail, but it makes the story even worse.

 

She was overheard bragging that she had stolen SEVEN towels!!!!! :eek: :eek:

 

I couldn't remember the exact number and didn't want to exaggerate. But I'm sure you're correct.:mad:

[Gilgo Surfer]

I never had to wait on a long line for towels, just lucky I guess.

 

One problem I did have was a $40 charge for unreturned towels. After a visit to the front desk, that charge was refunded.:)

[Jolimont]

The system is better on Carnival. Upon arrival your room steward brings you pool towels (which are blue and a tad nicer/bigger than on the Adventure) and is responsible to exchange it for clean pool towels throughout the cruise. Since stewards come into your room at least twice a day, there are lots of opportunity to get a clean pool towel. Or you could ask any steward in the hall or go to the spa for an exchange. Steward keeps track of who's not returned pool towels at the end of the cruise and also gathers up extras that just show up for no reason. So if you lose a pool towel tell him/her and they will fix you up by using one of the "extras".

 

I don't think most people want to steal pool towels, they're not that nice. But I know my kid has gotten confused and showed up in the cabin with yet another pool towel that didn't belong to her. I just give it to the steward and point out that she's blond and on vacation, they understand ;-) In the end nobody gets charged because the count works out overall.

 

I always mean to bring my own pool towels, but there's never enough room. And then how do you get it washed?

[melbur]

I agree. The waiting in line has been getting on our nerves. As well as having to go up to the Lido deck to get towels on our way out for an excursion (yes, I know, we should know by now to get fresh towels the day before, but still!). The whole process is just inconvenient. A minor one in the grand scheme of things, but it sure was nice when the towels were delivered to the cabin. I had almost forgotten how nice it was until we got our first (and probably last) upgrade to a suite last month. I didn't even know that towels in the cabin was one of the suite perks, but I liked it! :D

 

Have never had to deal with line-ups, and webchange our towels daily. We did not need to go upstairs before an excursion on Serenade, there was a towel station right by where you disembark to either hand in or get towels.

[cruiserone]

FLhugh, love your suggestion!!!

[Mark_K]

I have not been on RCCL in about 5 years. I cannot believe that they are doing this. Are there that many towels being stolen every week? Why would someone want to take those towels home? to wash the dog or cat?

The main problem was not people taking them home, it was people taking them on shore excursions and not bothering to bring them back to the ship.

[10-96]

I guess having a clean fresh towel is something some can overlook ;)

 

Well, that didn't take long, my very first insult, and a passive aggressive one at that. That's okay, my skin is thick, however, I would have had a lot more respect for you if you just came right out and said that I was dirty. ;)

 

Anyhooooo, back on topic, I forgot that I was posting on the RCI thread. My last couple of cruises were on Carnival and Disney, and they have self serve laundry rooms on board, so I've always been able to wash them if needed. It slipped my mind that RCI doesn't have them.

[Shomari]

I also don't like the new logo towels as they are smaller than the old beige/yellow ones. Please make them larger again! Also, the dark blue fades in the wash. Maybe make beige/yellow ones with the RCCL logo on them in darker blue.

 

^^^ They probably opted for a darker colour cuz it's harder for you to see the stains left behind (i.e.: from someone's bad dye job, sand, bbq sauce, etc.)

[fitbix]

does that hold true for a junior suite as well??

[JaxieWaxie]

When on the Jewel, I like to go up to the Solarium with a (plastic) glass of wine and my Nook to chill late at night, and am always surprised how often you'll see a towel abandoned on one of the lounge chairs. At $25 a pop if I don't turn it in, I'm pretty sure that's the last thing I'd forget to take back to the stateroom.

[Addict]

Interesting - our last two cruises have been in suites on AOS and we haven't had pool towels in our cabin. We got them on the pool deck then returned them to the same place after use. Is the cabin steward meant to leave pool towels in the cabin for you? Would be nice to know if this is a fleetwide rule as we have another GS in May and will know to ask if they are not in the cabin.

[sjb317]

I've been dealing with the towel exchange since Freedom in 2007 and I have to say I have never seen the lines that you are talking about. We get the towels (4 of them) when we get to the pool in the morning and we hand them back in (soaking wet) when we leave in the afternoon. Pretty easy for us. I would rather not carry soaking wet towels back to the cabin with me.

 

We do this pick up and exchange every day. Never been more than a couple of people in line. Have done this on Freedom, Indy and Grandeur. I just don't have a problem with it. :confused:

 

I have to agree with you, we have not had any issues with the towel exchange. I also like not having to take wet towels back to the stateroom. We exchange towels everyday, usually around 3or 4pm and have never experienced a line.

 

One thing I've noticed since the towel program was instituted is they always seem to be short of towels in the sauna/steam room area. There use to be stacks of towels, now I'm lucky if there is one or two. When I asked the spa attendant for towels, she brought me one & did not bring any for the locker area!

 

Sherri:)

[Buckeye060]

I have to agree with you, we have not had any issues with the towel exchange. I also like not having to take wet towels back to the stateroom. We exchange towels everyday, usually around 3or 4pm and have never experienced a line.

 

One thing I've noticed since the towel program was instituted is they always seem to be short of towels in the sauna/steam room area. There use to be stacks of towels, now I'm lucky if there is one or two. When I asked the spa attendant for towels, she brought me one & did not bring any for the locker area!

 

Sherri:)

Maybe towels would be available if the people going to the pool would get towels at the pool instead of the spa.

[griffy116]

I read an article about how many towels "walk" off the ship with passengers. I'm sure it's true. We were on the pool deck one afternoon when the mother of three small children came running up. The Mother had spotted a few unattended towels. She instructed the kids to take the towels to the pool attendant and exchange them for clean towels. The kids came running back and she admonished them for coming to her with.."why are you bringing them to me? Take them to the room and put them in the suitcase with the others." :eek: Our mouths fell open and we were staring at her but she just put her sunglasses back on and laid back on the lounge as her children ran their little errand. This woman was not dressed inexpensively either so I don't think it was like she didn't have any towels at home but apparently she was stocking up on RCCL towels. I hate to think how many she was carrying home before having to depend on unattended towels left on the deck, and before her children could help steal them. I'm sure they still have those towels walking off, but maybe the number has decreased. I don't have a problem with signing them out and back in.

[Raptor2010]

I am curious as to the suite guest....is this accurate? The lines last year on Oasis were absurd and we will have a suite on Allure, so this would be nice if it's true.

 

We had a CL suite on the Oasis last year and every day there were clean beach towels on our balcony loungers and we simply used those for going to the pool and excursions. We never had to get a towel or return said towel to anyone. We brought them back to the room and our attendant took care of everything.

[retiredonthesea]

Interesting - our last two cruises have been in suites on AOS and we haven't had pool towels in our cabin. We got them on the pool deck then returned them to the same place after use. Is the cabin steward meant to leave pool towels in the cabin for you? Would be nice to know if this is a fleetwide rule as we have another GS in May and will know to ask if they are not in the cabin.

 

We have bk'd GS's on our last two FOS cruises and have always had beach/pool towels in our bathroom w/ a note mentioning that these where for such use. Sometimes we would have four as our steward new we used the lounge chairs on the balcony and he left extra. It seems that each cabin steward had his/her own rules.:rolleyes:

 

Have a great cruise in May!! Don't be afraid to ask for the towels if they are not in your suite!!;)

[Addict]

We have bk'd GS's on our last two FOS cruises and have always had beach/pool towels in our bathroom w/ a note mentioning that these where for such use. Sometimes we would have four as our steward new we used the lounge chairs on the balcony and he left extra. It seems that each cabin steward had his/her own rules.:rolleyes:

 

Have a great cruise in May!! Don't be afraid to ask for the towels if they are not in your suite!!;)

 

Thank you - I never realised! I will make sure we ask for them - even if it's only for the lounger/chairs on the balcony - they do get covered with salt.

[koterry]

I've been dealing with the towel exchange since Freedom in 2007 and I have to say I have never seen the lines that you are talking about. We get the towels (4 of them) when we get to the pool in the morning and we hand them back in (soaking wet) when we leave in the afternoon. Pretty easy for us. I would rather not carry soaking wet towels back to the cabin with me.

 

We do this pick up and exchange every day. Never been more than a couple of people in line. Have done this on Freedom, Indy and Grandeur. I just don't have a problem with it. :confused:

hAVE NEVER EVER SEEN A "LONG" line for the towel return unless you consider three people in line long????:rolleyes:

[Tazsamp]

I agree with others in that I've never had to wait more than maybe a couple of minutes to exchange my towel. A few times I even got ones that were still warm from the dryer...awesome!

[carribeanpirate18]

I have been on multiple RC cruises the past few years and never have had to wait more then a minute or two at most to return towels.

 

if this is the biggest problem on your cruise, then you must have had a WONDERFUL time!!!

[Crewzer33]

Turned our towels in the last night on Oasis over Christmas. I asked the "towel man" very nice and politely, "Are you sure these are credited to our account?" Answer, "Yes." Guess what showed up on the bill???? Then I had to wait in the longgg line at Guest Services the last morning of the cruise! I was really annoyed by that (and it happened to us on one other cruise too). I'm not sure what the correct answer to the towel situation, but there must be something better than the present system.

[constable145]

My issue was that last year on the LOS they only had one of the two towel stations open. The starboard towel station was never open which obviously increased the size of the line. Aside from that, I have no issues with their towel system. It is very similar to what many all-inclusive resorts use.