Just back from Ecstasy - Cabin Robbed!

[gumdrop38]

Throw the stones at me I can take it.......

lol

 

IMO.....and I am not the boss here....but I think first time cruisers look for a place to post when something has gone wrong....and thats ok...

Stealing is not a petty complaint.

 

I think in less cases after a positive cruise someone will look for a place to post a positive reivew..but it does happen.....Thats just life...

 

Sometimes people get offened when people say something negative about thier perfect kids or cruiseline.....lol

 

Have a great day......

[sdwilson]

I guess I'm out of the loop. I never knew that users looked at how many post each other had before responding to a post that the inexperienced poster made.

 

I never look to see how many posts a user has made. Should I? Is this common practice among the experienced?

 

It may look like I have only a few posts, but I also lost a lot when the system changed over, I lost at least 500 posts!! So, I look a lot more inexperienced than I am. Could this affect how my posts are viewed?

[JennSTX]

We had asked the staff for the key to the safe 3 times - each time we were told that they'd get it to us ASAP - they kept stalling. The Ecstasy has brass safe keys - not combo locks or swipe cards (boy I wish they had!). The steward suggested that we use our luggage and lock it up in there (we had luggage locks). We locked my purse and his wallet in my carryon (I had a combination luggage lock) and we stupidly left the bracelet we just purchased in a drawer. At first, when we came back we didn't notice anything as the lock was locked (they must have locked it back) and we didn't open the drawer. It was only after we searched the cabin for the money and my H realized that the bracelet was missing from the drawer as well did we know for certain that we had been robbed. (My H of course thought I had "lost" the money - yeh right !:rolleyes: ) I obviously forgot to lock my carry on or I didn't scramble the numbers when I locked it.

 

We had the receipt for the bracelet that showed the time we purchased it (11am) and we were back in the cabin by 2pm. Our room was made-up during the 2 - 3 hrs we were gone. Also, we were the very last cabin at the front of the boat. There were no cabins across from us - so the would have to walk down a long hallway and into a cul-de-sac like area with utility closets to even get to our room. A guest would never have taken the chance of being caught in our room like that with no where to run and no excuse (like I am in the wrong room). Since the room stewards were in the room at that time and the fact that the male steward was extremely hostile to us after that and couldn't look us in the eye just solidifies our position that he is the one that did it.

 

As far as the extra costs, the other guests we spoke with that were veteran cruisers (not like us) complained about the fees to use the gym or take any part in classes - as well as - the fact that while RCL also charges for coffees and bingo they don't charge to participate in contests or casino tournaments - also they charge less than CCL. One diner entered the blackjack contest where he gambled "fake" money and the best gambler did win a prize (not much) and there was an entry fee that he complained that the other cruises he had taken didn't charge. I didn't enter so I don't know how much the fee was - I just took his word on it.

[BlueHerons]

I'd have been kicking ass and taking names. That is a short window of time and only a few people, namely Carnival employees, had access to your cabin.

 

 

Hope you get this resolved and thanks for posting.:D

[K.T.B.]

Well, if you feel the room steward did it, I suggest you contact Carnival and post a formal complaint. Give them his name, the time you were on the cruise, what was stolen, etc., and don't give up in pressing the matter. Considering you attempted to complain on the cruise itself, give Carnival that info as well, including who you talked with.

[Eliot Ness]

...........I never look to see how many posts a user has made. Should I? Is this common practice among the experienced?........

I never consider post counts when determining the knowledge of a member (on any board or forum). Some might be new to a specific board but still have a wealth of knowledge about the topic at hand.

 

To discount the OP's information because it was their first post does nothing to benefit this community as a whole. I’m sure they thought they were being helpful in alerting others to the possibility of theft.

 

Those who pointed out that the charges they experienced are typical for all cruise lines were supplying a helpful (informative) reply. IMO, those members who implied the OP is posting simply to get attention will only serve to keep them from further participation in this forum.

[Kathy555]

I would like to thank the OP for reminding all of us to keep our valuables secure. Sometimes we can become very relaxed and forget. Sorry you had that experience.

[pholter]

We had asked the staff for the key to the safe 3 times - each time we were told that they'd get it to us ASAP - they kept stalling. The Ecstasy has brass safe keys - not combo locks or swipe cards (boy I wish they had!). The steward suggested that we use our luggage and lock it up in there (we had luggage locks). We locked my purse and his wallet in my carryon (I had a combination luggage lock) and we stupidly left the bracelet we just purchased in a drawer. At first, when we came back we didn't notice anything as the lock was locked (they must have locked it back) and we didn't open the drawer. It was only after we searched the cabin for the money and my H realized that the bracelet was missing from the drawer as well did we know for certain that we had been robbed. (My H of course thought I had "lost" the money - yeh right !:rolleyes: ) I obviously forgot to lock my carry on or I didn't scramble the numbers when I locked it.

 

We had the receipt for the bracelet that showed the time we purchased it (11am) and we were back in the cabin by 2pm. Our room was made-up during the 2 - 3 hrs we were gone. Also, we were the very last cabin at the front of the boat. There were no cabins across from us - so the would have to walk down a long hallway and into a cul-de-sac like area with utility closets to even get to our room. A guest would never have taken the chance of being caught in our room like that with no where to run and no excuse (like I am in the wrong room). Since the room stewards were in the room at that time and the fact that the male steward was extremely hostile to us after that and couldn't look us in the eye just solidifies our position that he is the one that did it.

 

As far as the extra costs, the other guests we spoke with that were veteran cruisers (not like us) complained about the fees to use the gym or take any part in classes - as well as - the fact that while RCL also charges for coffees and bingo they don't charge to participate in contests or casino tournaments - also they charge less than CCL. One diner entered the blackjack contest where he gambled "fake" money and the best gambler did win a prize (not much) and there was an entry fee that he complained that the other cruises he had taken didn't charge. I didn't enter so I don't know how much the fee was - I just took his word on it.

 

Thank you for coming back to the boards and clarifying your situation. All too often on this board, we will see someone come on- bash- never come back to explain the situation or discuss the thread.... I believe that's why so many who frequent this place question the validity of first time posters saying nothing but negative. I frequent several other boards where there is a huge problem with "trolls, etc" who do nothing, but waste everyone's time and energy who are trying to help others...

 

Did you have travel insurance?? When I had stuff disappear out of my luggage, I was able to get reimbursed for all of it with no deductable. You might check into that with your company as well. I'd definitely pursue Carnival until you feel satisfied with the theft situation. Unfortunately, they really can't help your other complaints because the things they charge for are no secret...

 

Good Luck!

[JennSTX]

To all the people who complained that a first time poster posted a negative post - well excuse me - but I had never cruised before so I never had anything to post! I did lurk and was well aware of the port charges, tips, etc. That was not my complaint! The extra charges were for things I thought should have been included, like yoga, spin classes, guest competitions, etc. I was not the only one on the boat who thought that.

 

I posted because I wanted to warn people to DEMAND the key to the safe and to refuse to leave the room until they give it to you. Had we done that and not assumed locking up our stuff in our luggage was safe we wouldn't have been such easy targets for the stewards. Also, the steward who we strongly suspect told us to come back to our room the very first day because it wasn't ready and that we were early (and he was rude about it). We should have went with our gut reaction that he was bad news but we blew it off.

 

I want to cruise again as I can see that so many people love it - our own dining table was made up of veteran cruisers. However, I was on the phone with Carnival Guest relations for hours yesterday and their attitudes ranged from rude to apathetic at best. In the end I was told "A letter has been generated and security is going over your claim. We are going to TRY to see if you qualify for a Bon Voyage gift the next time you sail with us."

 

When I asked what a Bon Voyage gift was the man couldn't really tell me as it would depend on the investigation (read - how much I pursue this). I realize that our only recourse will be through writing letters as we know the time our items were stolen and by the uniqueness of our cabin location we can pretty much rule out non-employees.

 

I personally will probably not sail Carnival again unless I receive a sympathetic and fair resolution.

 

To answer one posters question: We did not purchase travel insurance as we booked less then a month before the cruise and we live in Galveston (the port city). It wouldn't have mattered anyway - we were told several times that travel insurance does not protect against theft.

[K.T.B.]

To answer one posters question: We did not purchase travel insurance as we booked less then a month before the cruise and we live in Galveston (the port city). It wouldn't have mattered anyway - we were told several times that travel insurance does not protect against theft.

Depending on the insurance, it would. Especially if you bought it on your own and not through your TA.

[kelz66]

The safe requires something with a magnetic strip to open? That is nuts!

 

 

Why wouldn't they use one like you find in a hotel room where the guest sets the combination?

 

Cr&p...I leave on sunday, and have to figure out where I'm going to keep my valuables while I'm out of my cabin.

 

How big are these safes anyway? Can they hold a digital camera or small camcorder?

[pholter]

My travel insurance has always covered theft, but I suppose there are some available with limitation.

 

As to the charge for premium classes- not everyone would know this, but I am an accountant at a private health club. We charge a premium to anyone taking yoga, pilates, and spinning on top of the hefty dues they already pay for being a Member. The instructors for those classes have to have different certifications and alot of times there is different equipment involved, etc- instructors for specialty classes make double what an aerobics instructor would at the Clubs that I know. To me, those classes kinda border on the lines of personal training which also costs extra money...

Once again, I hope you get the satisfaction you're looking for and Happy Cruising in the future be it with Carnival or other lines.

[goodml]

We had asked the staff for the key to the safe 3 times - each time we were told that they'd get it to us ASAP - they kept stalling. The Ecstasy has brass safe keys - not combo locks or swipe cards (boy I wish they had!). The steward suggested that we use our luggage and lock it up in there (we had luggage locks). We locked my purse and his wallet in my carryon (I had a combination luggage lock) and we stupidly left the bracelet we just purchased in a drawer. At first, when we came back we didn't notice anything as the lock was locked (they must have locked it back) and we didn't open the drawer. It was only after we searched the cabin for the money and my H realized that the bracelet was missing from the drawer as well did we know for certain that we had been robbed. (My H of course thought I had "lost" the money - yeh right !:rolleyes: ) I obviously forgot to lock my carry on or I didn't scramble the numbers when I locked it.

 

We had the receipt for the bracelet that showed the time we purchased it (11am) and we were back in the cabin by 2pm. Our room was made-up during the 2 - 3 hrs we were gone. Also, we were the very last cabin at the front of the boat. There were no cabins across from us - so the would have to walk down a long hallway and into a cul-de-sac like area with utility closets to even get to our room. A guest would never have taken the chance of being caught in our room like that with no where to run and no excuse (like I am in the wrong room). Since the room stewards were in the room at that time and the fact that the male steward was extremely hostile to us after that and couldn't look us in the eye just solidifies our position that he is the one that did it.

 

As far as the extra costs, the other guests we spoke with that were veteran cruisers (not like us) complained about the fees to use the gym or take any part in classes - as well as - the fact that while RCL also charges for coffees and bingo they don't charge to participate in contests or casino tournaments - also they charge less than CCL. One diner entered the blackjack contest where he gambled "fake" money and the best gambler did win a prize (not much) and there was an entry fee that he complained that the other cruises he had taken didn't charge. I didn't enter so I don't know how much the fee was - I just took his word on it.

 

I'm sorry for what happened in your room. It is absolutely inexcusable.

 

With regards to extra charges, I can tell you that we sailed RCCL's Jewel of the Seas in December and found their extra charges to be much higher than Carnival's in some cases and similar in others. We don't play much bingo but on the Carnival Victory in 03 they had some games that were $5 a card (hubby won $500 on his 1 $5 card:) ), on RCCL we never saw any games for less than $20 (gave 3 cards I think but you had to spend the $20 - couldn't choose to buy less) and the final bingo was $50. RCCL may have had games for less but I never heard or read about them on board.

 

Slot tournament on RCCL $20 fee (hubby won $572 :) - notice a pattern here - I win nothing but it's great that he does!!), blackjack tournament on RCCL $20 fee. I believe Carnival's were the same. Both lines have cheesy free games of some sort if you look for them.

 

Spin classes and pilates (maybe others - that's all I remember now) were $10 fee on RCCl as well.

 

RCCL charged for cappucino in the dining room after dinner - Carnival did not. I definitely found RCCL's wine & drink prices to be much higher than Carnival's and my brother who has sailed 4 or 5 times with Princess and then once this year with RCCL, said he was really surprised how much higher they were than Princess also.

 

I think you'll find that in many ways the mass market lines are all pretty similar in the extra fee department. Cruises got so inexpensive for a while there that all the charging for extras has gone through the roof. It will be interesting to see if any of that goes away now that rates are getting higher. (Yeah right!:) ).

 

Anyway, I hope that you follow up on your losses with Carnival's corporate offices and that you are satisfied with the outcome.

[JennSTX]

Also, our cabin was searched by two security men thoroughly and we filled out paperwork.

 

We asked repeatedly what the next step was and we were told we would have to wait until Friday (the last day) and that they would do an investigation. My H was definately (to quote another poster) in the kicking a*& and taking names mode but we were told nothing could happen until Friday. On Thursday night a letter was slipped under our door consisting of four sentences that said "we have concluded our investigation....we have been unable to find your cash or bracelet...we are sorry.....you must contact Guest Relations after the cruise has concluded. Guest Relations 1-800-929-6400...blah blah"

 

Basically, they made it very clear that no matter how many times we went to the pursurs (sp?) desk there would be no resolution during our cruise. Everything they said to us seemed like they had said it a million times before so we definately didn't get a good vibe from the "been there, done that - this happens all the time" attitude.

[gumdrop38]

Bon voyage gift= $120 and new bracelet compliments of carnival....lol

Thats crappy you had to spend part of you vacation getting this resolved.....

When you had proof of time frame they had to narrow it down...and have idea who it was...............

Geeze if it were one of our kids we would have it resolved...lol

[goodml]

Also to Jenn, those front line customer service people are notoriously horrible at most of the cruise lines. If you read some of the other boards on here you'll see that almost everyone that has had to deal with them for a complaint find it really frustrating and you have to get past them to gain any satisfaction. Please write a letter to corporate offices - maybe someone here can tell you who to direct it to and where - and send it registered mail so you know it arrives. Keep it brief and to the point regarding the theft (and honestly, leave out the extra charge thing - it really is no different on the other lines)and keep a cool head even though it's very frustrating. I will tell you that back in 03, three days before we cruised I had an issue that customer service did not rectify. I sent a factual email to Bob Dickinson with the name of the customer service rep and the details of our problem, asking him for some assistance with our issue. Believe it or not I received a response from one of his assistants two and a half hours later and the situation was rectified. I was shocked. I still feel though, that after the cruise, snail mail to the proper department is the better way to go. Good luck.

[tigermaroon2]

Although I didn't have anything "stolen", I got some similar apathetic attitudes on my last cruise.

 

In June of 2004 we sailed on the Fascination. My youngest child, then age 5, uses one of those "booster" seats in the car...not the kind that straps onto the seat, but the kind that sits her up higher. We checked it at the airport and picked it up at the Ft Lauderdale airport after our flight landed. She rode in it inside the cab to the port.

 

When we got out, I made sure it had a luggage tag on it and watched as the porter put it, along with all our other luggage, onto the cart. Satisfied we'd left nothing in the cab after a search and a quick check around our area, we proceeded to check in and embark.

 

Later that evening our luggage started arriving...a piece or two at a time. This continued for several hours as we'd leave the room and periodically check back and find another bag in the hallway. There were 8 of us in two rooms so you can imagine the amount of luggage.

 

Anyway, we did not miss the booster seat until we started trying to gather things up on Thursday evening in an effort to not be packing all day on Friday. At that point, it became apparent the booster seat was missing.

 

I called down to the purser's desk and was asked a million questions and told I'd need to come down and fill out a form. I proceeded down to the desk and waited in a line for more than an hour before a girl, who could barely speak English, proceeded to all but accuse me of leaving the booster seat in the cab or at the airport. I assured her that was NOT the case as I had watched it being put on the cart....but she said there was no booster seat in lost/found or found baggage and that I had to have left it. She continuously questioned/interrogated me for 20 minutes like this as I tried to fill out the form and describe what the booster seat looked like.

 

I was told that they would investigate and that it would probably be after the cruise ended before I heard anything.

 

On Friday evening, as we put our bags out in the hallway for pickup we looked directly across the hall...and there, sitting outside the room across from us with those folk's luggage was the booster seat. It had apparently been delivered to the wrong room on Saturday evening, as best we could figure. It didn't make sense as to why those people wouldn't have just knocked on our door and said "we mistakenly were given this" or just left it in the hallway for us to find, but at least we recovered it.

 

I went back down to the pursers desk and informed them I'd found the seat and told them what had apparently happened. I was very polite and they were very apologetic and I explained to them that I had been interrogated by the girl working there the day before. Again they apologized and said they'd cancel the investigation.

 

You know what happened next? About ten days later I got a letter from Carnival that the investigation had been completed and they had not been able to locate my missing article and that they were sorry....yadda yadda yadda. I found that pretty humorous.

 

I'm sorry to hear of a cabin being robbed....and I guess this posters experience should be a lesson to everyone. I have never ran into any crew member that I didn't find very pleasurable (except the one girl at the pursers desk) and I've never felt I couldn't trust them. However, and not to be prejudicial or even stereotypical, but most of these people come from some pretty poor countries...and their wages aren't great....so I'm sure with a few bad apples the temptation is there. Lesson should be here LOCK IT ALL UP somewhere...hide it under the bed...or in the corner cabinet where the life presevers are...or in shoes...or in pockets...if you can't get the safe to work.

[glrounds]

The safe requires something with a magnetic strip to open? That is nuts!

Why wouldn't they use one like you find in a hotel room where the guest sets the combination?

Cr&p...I leave on sunday, and have to figure out where I'm going to keep my valuables while I'm out of my cabin.

How big are these safes anyway? Can they hold a digital camera or small camcorder?

 

ONLY the magnetic strip of the particular card you use to lock the safe will open it (driver's license, library card, market shopping card, credit card, etc.).

 

Combination-style safes tend to have the passengers "forget" the combination, thus requiring security to be present when Carnival opens the safe (lots of drinking going on :D ).

 

Safes will easily hold a digital camera or a small compact camcorder (provided you're not Ansel Adams :) ). Sorry, I wish I could give you the actual dimensions.

 

Have a great cruise ! Build us a great review when you return. :)

[tribbs1]

I suppose the best thing that can be said of all this is, "YOU NEED TO TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR VALUABLES!!!" This post has made my final decision for me regarding what jewelry, etc. I will bring along on my cruise on Sunday 6/12. I will take nothing that wont crush me if it is lost or stolen. As for locking up digital cameras and laptops. How about using a luggage lock w/a key? It has worked for us on vacation. Just be sure not to leave the key laying around - LOL!! As a first time Carnival cruiser I enjoy reading the good w/the bad reviews. You have to take each post w/ a grain of salt. Everyone's expectations are different and thus their experiences are different. To the OP I say thanks for your review. Post a thorough review in the ship review section. I checked those before I booked and found them to be helpful. I'm sure someone else would too.

[lil nemo]

we have found carnival less than helpful in locating lost anything!

our first cruise ever my sons luggage was never delivered. after a gazillion times talking to the purser at midnight my son set out to walk every floor looking for it finally he found it in a remote location/hallway back of the boat 3 floors from ours. all the tags were missing!!!!! all tags? we double tag luggage with cabin info, and have inside paper info! also outside tags of the airline and also regualr tags, probably around 6-8 tag identifiers on each bag, all were missing!! We figured some lazy worker didn't want to deliver it to the correct place stripped the bag of tags and left it! it hAD NOT BEEN OPENED AND NOTHING WAS MISSING! we couldn't figure out why carnival workers couldn't do what my son did?

then same cruise, my dd patent leather dress shoes mysteriously were missing she wore them 1st night to formal and then by the 2nd formal night they were no where, it was no coinstanence that the steward had admired them, & spoke to my dd about them. which we thought innocent until they were gone! there was no explaination where they could have diappeard to, we turned the cabin inside out.

in my mind he stole them! period. we did not file a claim, not expensive shoes, but, my dd had to where her funky sandals with her formal dress looked terrible!

[sugar n spice]

I'm so sorry you had all this trouble on your cruise. A first cruise is so special too! Thank you for posting your experience. I will certainly be more careful in the future. We have always left our purses, cameras, items bought on ship or in port, etc. in the closets and never had anything bothered. We always locked our jewelry, cash, credit cards, check book, driver's license, etc. in the safe (always had one that used the magnetic strip so an "empty" Walmart card worked just fine). I have even left cash lying on the dresser (tips for the room stewards) but it was never touched, not even if I laid the money on top of a note telling them the money was for them. If I didn't personally hand the money to the steward(s), they didn't touch it. I guess I just lulled myself into a sense of false security with my past experience. I will definitely be more careful from now on though. Again, thanks for posting. You may have saved someone else some grief.

[DreadPirateRobert]

In a perfect world we'd have every right to the reasonable expectation that our posessions would be safe in drawers or suitcases. The hard reality is they aren't. We as passengers need to remove temptation from a crew member who is willing to steal.

I have nothing to base this on but suspect that part of the problem and thus Carnival's inability to solve this crime is that more people have access to our cabins than we would like to think.

Secondly, there are far too many places for a thief to hide the goods. After questioning the cabin steward who is obviously going to deny the crime, there really isn't much they can do.

I will say this one thing though. I would never have left cash or jewelry in the room unless it was locked in a safe. I'd have made a polite but big fuss until I got my keys.

Until I had my safe keys on the old Jubilee we carried all our cash and jewelry.

[glrounds]

 

what secret hints do you use to differentiate between first time negative posters who are trolls and those who are not? If you could clarify this for us ,I'm sure it would make things easier for us unfortunate people who don't have enough posts on cruise critic yet to have developed the 'basic mistrust' that you have.

(my emphasis)

 

Sorry you feel you're "unfortunate". I can't do anything about that.

 

I "secretly" thought the OP was legitimate because she spoke of the key used for the safe on older ships. Most trolls come from other forums (competitors to Carnival) and aren't aware of this. Also, Jenn was not vitriolic in her original post. She was surprised, hurt, infuriated (pick one) of the "extra" charges for certain things. This indicated to me a legitimate first-time cruiser that isn't aware almost ALL cruiselines charge for these things in some form or another. A troll from another forum or competitive website would most likely know this and not harp on this.

 

Most trolls do "drive-bys" and not just on Carnival forums. All forums have this problem. That is, they start a negative thread and they never post again. They don't answer questions posters ask to clarify the problem, etc. Its too easy to trap a troll and they know it (wrong ship for the itinerary, date, menu, cabin category, activity, etc.) They just sit back and safely watch the mayhem by not responding to questions. See post #53 and #59 where Jenn responds and clarifies some of her points for other posters.

 

As to post count. Its meaningless. Posters get "credit" for a post count by merely posting a :D to a previous post. Some even have CC give them credit for their posts previous to the switch-over. But, more often, than not, trolls have a low post count, which incidentally, I'll concede so do first-time posters.

 

And still others, parse words and dissect phrases of the posts of those responding to a thread in hopes of finding some logical flaw in their thinking that would make them appear as "numbskulls". :rolleyes: These posters neither give or get anything from Cruise Critic.

 

Enough said.

[cobra46]

Jenn STX,

 

 

I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience.

 

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of a tip did you leave for the attandents? Did you talk to any of the other cabin occupants that this steward serviced? Although it would have taken considerable effort, you may have been able to get a group no tip policy in place unless the missing items were returned. The tips from a group of cabins would be a large sum of money taken out of the stewards pocket.

 

I might have taken the suspected persons picture and told him it would be put on the internet as a warning to others. If I were very certain of who did it, I may have even considered physically intimadating the person and telling them it would get worse if the property wasn't returned. But be sure to tell them that nothing would be done if it were. After all, it would be your word against theirs if they reported your actions.

 

I wonder if Carnival has the right to search the workers personal cabins for stolen property?

 

Go ahead let the flaming begin.

[corina27]

JennStx,Thanks for returning.I wish you luck and i hope your next cruise is wonderfull.:)

As for the one poster that thought she was just trying to get attention..Shame on you!:eek: