Male vs Female Stateroom Attendant

[suntan]

If you would prefer a female stateroom attendant rather than a male, does anyone know if Celebrity would accommodate you? A question posed to me by a first time cruiser in the office. I've had no problem with the male stateroom attendants but I guess other females may feel more comfortable with a female attendant. I'm guessing that the stateroom attendants are assigned a specific number of staterooms on a specific deck. What say you all?

[Turtles06]

The ability to perform the job functions of a cabin attendant is completely unrelated to gender. There is no reason for Celebrity nor any other employer to "accommodate" such a request.

[Lsimon]

I would think this would be extremely difficult. The stateroom attendants are assigned a bunch of cabins in one area. The cabins they are assigned to change from time to time - we've been on b2b cruises where we had a different stateroom attendant each leg.

 

I would think that it would be impractical for them to assign a specific attendant or gender of attendant given all of this.

 

Also consider that the attendants work with an assistants and the chances of both the attendant and their assistant being female would be slim. We've seen very few female attendants and don't ever recall having a female attendant and a female assistant.

 

We've also been at least one cruise where the attendants in the area tended to work as a team. While we had the name of "our" attendant, we were just as likely to get service from one of the others in the area who were working as part of the team.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Lsimon

[yayvacation!]

It's a logistical nightmare. Since the attendants are just assigned areas, it wouldn't be easy to switch the attendant based on the preference of one cruiser.

 

Also - is it really a big deal, as in, does your co-worker understand the attendants aren't usually in the room with you and don't attend to you, but rather to the cabin?

[DavidYYC]

I think its impractical and unreasonable.

[Lady Arwen]

I really don't know why this would even be an issue or a concern.

[turning46]

I don't think that would be a reasonable accommodation. If your coworker is concerned about being in the same room with an unrelated male, she can put a "do not disturb" sign on her door whenever she is in the room so that the attendant can clean & straighten her room when she is gone.

[Texas Realtor]

The ability to perform the job functions of a cabin attendant is completely unrelated to gender. There is no reason for Celebrity nor any other employer to "accommodate" such a request.

 

I was just guessing that the PC answer would be the first one. I am so sick and tired of anyone trying to pretend that everything is supposed to be equal.

 

My wife is more concerned about where she leaves her clothes for a male attendant. It does not relate to his or her ability to do the job, nor would we request either or, but it is a logical consideration that cannot be dismissed by PC BS.

 

Equality is a form of discrimination, for anyone to pretend that we are all equal in abilities and means is silly. We all have our areas of gifts from God.

 

Where do you draw the line? What if I did not want a male giving me a massage? Does that make me a bad person?

 

Sorry for the soap box.

 

Having said that, it would be very difficult to accommodate. Serious logistical nightmare if they were allowed to do this.

[1cruiselvr]

If you would prefer a female stateroom attendant rather than a male, does anyone know if Celebrity would accommodate you? A question posed to me by a first time cruiser in the office. I've had no problem with the male stateroom attendants but I guess other females may feel more comfortable with a female attendant. I'm guessing that the stateroom attendants are assigned a specific number of staterooms on a specific deck. What say you all?

I just got off Century last week and I didn't see any female stateroom attendants on my deck. So in some cases, I don't think it's a possibility at all.

[jkgourmet]

I really don't know why this would even be an issue or a concern.

 

Probably because somebody read the recent reports about the attempted murder and rape of a 31 year old female passenger on HAL.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/19/cruise-ship-worker-raped-tried-to-toss-us-woman-31-overboard-fbi-says/

 

Sad story.

[Turtles06]

Equality is a form of discrimination

 

 

 

roflmao

Edited February 28, 2014 by Turtles06

[justcrusn]

Probably because somebody read the recent reports about the attempted murder and rape of a 31 year old female passenger on HAL.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/19/cruise-ship-worker-raped-tried-to-toss-us-woman-31-overboard-fbi-says/

 

Sad story.

 

im sure that is EXACTLY the issue. Its a horrible act of violence against a passenger.

perhaps the first time cruiser would be more comfortable with a female attendant.

 

Whatever the reason, it would be difficult to impossible to grant the request, imagine if every other cabin wanted a male or female attendant.

[Onessa]

. . . My wife is more concerned about where she leaves her clothes for a male attendant. It does not relate to his or her ability to do the job, nor would we request either or, but it is a logical consideration that cannot be dismissed by PC BS.

 

Equality is a form of discrimination, for anyone to pretend that we are all equal in abilities and means is silly. We all have our areas of gifts from God.

 

Where do you draw the line? What if I did not want a male giving me a massage? Does that make me a bad person?

. . . .

It is not political correctness, it is simply a case of can an individual do the job? Does gender really make someone more or less able to do something?

 

The specific tasks for a job may make one gender, in general, more likely to have the aptitude to do those tasks -- but that does not mean that there are not members of the "dominant" sex for that task that are not up to it, and it does not mean that there are not members of the non-"dominant" sex that are not capable.

 

If a job requires that the employee must be able to lift heavy boxes onto a shelf that is at a height of 7' -- well while there will be more men capable of performing that task, there will be 5'4" men who would not be able to make the height requirement (even though they could lift the weight), there will be 6'2" men who cannot lift that much (although can acheive the height), and there will be 5'11" females who work out who will be capable of both components.

 

To your examples - the fact that your wife has issues with leaving certain peices of clothing out if you have a male cabin attendant, is your wife's problem. It has nothing to do with whether the male cabin attendant is capable of performing the tasks associated with cabin attending.The attendant is perfectly able to do his/her job. What if a pax was "uncomfortable" with a Hispanic person doing a particular task? Would that pax concerns be "understandable"? What if a pax was "uncomfortable" with a person from Ireland performing a particular task? How about a cabin attendant who is overweight? Or an attendant with a limp? There is nothing "logical" about bias.

 

Similarly with the massuse (sp?) - if the male massuse can do the job, what is the issue? The massuse is doing his/her job and really doesn't care if you are male or female, if you are black or white, if you are tall or short (particularly if they are paid by the time increment rather than by the customer. A taller customer might take longer! :D)

 

My DH was once "warned" that the doctor was a woman (exact word "just a warning" - really?). He asked if he had a license to practice medicine - and he was assured that she did. He was satisfied. A female GP, a male GP -- they are just doing their jobs.

 

To the OP I can understand that from a saftey perspective, we are all concerned. I am most concerned that the company I trust myself to has good screening practices to identify potential threats, and good personnel practices to assure that the employee who boards the ship is the same person they vetted, and good leadership that if an employee demonstrates any behavior that may not be appropriate that it is dealt with promptly.

 

Are men disproportionately more likely to be perpetrators of assults than women -- yes. But just because one male employee commits a crime against a pax does not mean that all male employees are "suspect"

 

All of us, need to take some responsiblity for our safety. Practical things - dead bolt and secuity "chain" doors when you are in your cabin. Pay attention to what is going on around you. Stay sober enough and awake enough to know what's going on. Bad things might still happen, but you are controlling the risks you can control.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Onessa

[Karen@Steve]

The only way I see this happening (getting a female stateroom attendant) would be to be one of the first on the ship and go to guest relations and find out if there is a cabin available with a female attendant. Not much chance but possible. It may help if the person requesting the change had a really nice cablin that they were willing to trade and pretty much be agreeable to take anything available.

 

I don't worry about it (male vs female) but I can see how it could a culturally or personally sensitve topic.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

If this person is that uncomfortable with a male cabin attendant, she should not be cruising. Probably everything will make her uncomfortable.

 

I've had both male and female cabin attendants over the years. Worst cabin attendant I ever had was a woman. I would prefer that cabin attendants be picked by their pleasant personalities and their ability to do the job and get you what you need. Gender has nothing to do with this.

 

Generally, the cabin attendants are not in your cabin when you are. If you return to the cabin while they are cleaning, they will leave. They're usually only there to introduce themselves at the beginning of the cruise and then to deliver ice or room service, although often room service and ice are delivered by others.

 

As for being uncomfortable about clothing, why are people leaving clothing lying about? Put your clothes away--no problem then. Cabins are small--staying shipshape makes them seem not so small.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Happy Cruiser 6143

[drarill]

I think its impractical and unreasonable.

 

Ditto

[Wilde_37]

Equality is a form of discrimination

 

 

I think I will have a t-shirt made with this slogan. :rolleyes:

[dinosaurdem]

The ability to perform the job functions of a cabin attendant is completely unrelated to gender. There is no reason for Celebrity nor any other employer to "accommodate" such a request.

 

Amen.

[rjrpar]

It is not political correctness, it is simply a case of can an individual do the job? Does gender really make someone more or less able to do something?

 

The specific tasks for a job may make one gender, in general, more likely to have the aptitude to do those tasks -- but that does not mean that there are not members of the "dominant" sex for that task that are not up to it, and it does not mean that there are not members of the non-"dominant" sex that are not capable.

 

If a job requires that the employee must be able to lift heavy boxes onto a shelf that is at a height of 7' -- well while there will be more men capable of performing that task, there will be 5'4" men who would not be able to make the height requirement (even though they could lift the weight), there will be 6'2" men who cannot lift that much (although can acheive the height), and there will be 5'11" females who work out who will be capable of both components.

 

To your examples - the fact that your wife has issues with leaving certain peices of clothing out if you have a male cabin attendant, is your wife's problem. It has nothing to do with whether the male cabin attendant is capable of performing the tasks associated with cabin attending.The attendant is perfectly able to do his/her job. What if a pax was "uncomfortable" with a Hispanic person doing a particular task? Would that pax concerns be "understandable"? What if a pax was "uncomfortable" with a person from Ireland performing a particular task? How about a cabin attendant who is overweight? Or an attendant with a limp? There is nothing "logical" about bias.

 

Similarly with the massuse (sp?) - if the male massuse can do the job, what is the issue? The massuse is doing his/her job and really doesn't care if you are male or female, if you are black or white, if you are tall or short (particularly if they are paid by the time increment rather than by the customer. A taller customer might take longer! :D)

 

My DH was once "warned" that the doctor was a woman (exact word "just a warning" - really?). He asked if he had a license to practice medicine - and he was assured that she did. He was satisfied. A female GP, a male GP -- they are just doing their jobs.

 

To the OP I can understand that from a saftey perspective, we are all concerned. I am most concerned that the company I trust myself to has good screening practices to identify potential threats, and good personnel practices to assure that the employee who boards the ship is the same person they vetted, and good leadership that if an employee demonstrates any behavior that may not be appropriate that it is dealt with promptly.

 

Are men disproportionately more likely to be perpetrators of assults than women -- yes. But just because one male employee commits a crime against a pax does not mean that all male employees are "suspect"

 

All of us, need to take some responsiblity for our safety. Practical things - dead bolt and secuity "chain" doors when you are in your cabin. Pay attention to what is going on around you. Stay sober enough and awake enough to know what's going on. Bad things might still happen, but you are controlling the risks you can control.

 

Thanks for the lecture but life is not as simple as you might think. If the lady has security concerns, she should at least inquire with the cruise line if her special request can be met.

[simon stingray]

Probably because somebody read the recent reports about the attempted murder and rape of a 31 year old female passenger on HAL.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/19/cruise-ship-worker-raped-tried-to-toss-us-woman-31-overboard-fbi-says/

 

Sad story.

 

My understanding of that story is that the perpetrator was not the victims stateroom attendant but a crew member who had been assigned to deliver room service orders, who obviously had access to a pass key for all staterooms.

[Clydesmom7865]

As for being uncomfortable about clothing, why are people leaving clothing lying about? Put your clothes away--no problem then.

 

Both my cabin attendants have been male and did an outstanding job. It NEVER occurred to me to request one gender over another. That said with regard to clothing I have to agree about putting items you don't wish tended to away.

 

I learned this the hard way on my very first cruise. It was 11 days and by day 3 I had a routine that the cabin steward was in tune to. Day 4 I headed out to an early breakfast and then napped in a hammock chair for a couple of hours. Knowing that the cabin attendant had already done the room I headed back and changed for the pool and to meet friends. In the process flinging clothing willy nilly planning to pick it up later. I returned to the cabin hours later to find it all picked up and neatly folded on the bed. Boy was I embarrassed! :o Had I known he would return to check the cabin after I was there I would NEVER have done that!

 

Lesson learned.

 

My wife is more concerned about where she leaves her clothes for a male attendant. It does not relate to his or her ability to do the job, nor would we request either or, but it is a logical consideration that cannot be dismissed by PC BS.

 

Then the logical consideration is not to leave any garments she doesn't want them to handle out where they have to disturb them to do their job. Seriously, whether the attendant is male or female is irrelevant if your underwear is in the drawers or suitcase.

 

What if I did not want a male giving me a massage? Does that make me a bad person?

 

There is a MAJOR difference between an attendant cleaning your room who is not allowed to even be in there when the passenger is in the room and a masseuse who will be touching your personally for an hour or more. It doesn't make you a bad person but I don't understand it. I am a woman and I prefer a male masseuse not for gender or titillating reasons but because they are able to exert the level of pressure I prefer over their female colleagues.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Clydesmom7865

[mafig]

almost always have had male stateroom attendants.

 

However, we did have a female on one of our RCI cruises that I recall (Oasis). We had one of the large ocean view balconies .... where we had two small chairs and a tiny table on a large balcony. At the time, people were suggesting the possibility of getting a lounge chair if only you asked your stateroom attendant. I didn't ask. I didn't ask because she was female and I thought it would be too much for her to carry. If I had a male I would have.

[cherylroslyn]

If you would prefer a female stateroom attendant rather than a male, does anyone know if Celebrity would accommodate you? A question posed to me by a first time cruiser in the office. I've had no problem with the male stateroom attendants but I guess other females may feel more comfortable with a female attendant. I'm guessing that the stateroom attendants are assigned a specific number of staterooms on a specific deck. What say you all?

I am a female and I travel almost exclusively solo. I am also quite a bit younger than many of the other passengers on Celebrity, although the crowd seems to be getting younger lately.

 

Celebrity has the most professional staff of any cruise line I have traveled on. Celebrity is extremely strict with the rules regarding passenger/crew fraternization, and in light of the hard line that Celebrity takes I find the male crew members are very very careful not to put themselves into compromising positions with female passengers, and to not put themselves in positions where there actions could be misinterpreted as an advance.

 

On one of the other cruise lines I have traveled on I have had a male crew member show up at my door uninvited, and on another I have had a drink server repeatedly ask if he could come to my room later in the evening.

 

 

So of the four lines I have traveled, only on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean have I felt completely secure.

 

However, just so everyone realizes that it is not just staff that can be a concern, I should also add, that I have had a married male passenger show up at my door as well.......oh and the kicker.....he was from cruisecritic. And security had to move me on a cruise because of a harassing phone call.

[suntan]

I was just guessing that the PC answer would be the first one. I am so sick and tired of anyone trying to pretend that everything is supposed to be equal.

 

My wife is more concerned about where she leaves her clothes for a male attendant. It does not relate to his or her ability to do the job, nor would we request either or, but it is a logical consideration that cannot be dismissed by PC BS.

 

Equality is a form of discrimination, for anyone to pretend that we are all equal in abilities and means is silly. We all have our areas of gifts from God.

 

Where do you draw the line? What if I did not want a male giving me a massage? Does that make me a bad person?

 

Sorry for the soap box.

 

Having said that, it would be very difficult to accommodate. Serious logistical nightmare if they were allowed to do this.

 

Thank you for your common sense thinking to my co-workers problem. It's nothing to do with the ability of the person doing the job. I too am concerned if I leave a bra out by mistake if there is a male attendant as opposed to if there was a female attendant. Who knows he may try it on! :D I have spoken to my co-worker and told her not to worry about getting a male attendant as someone has already said they are rarely in the room when you are and if they are, and this has happened to me and to you probably also, if you go back to your room after breakfast they may be in there cleaning but they've always stepped outside until you're finished.

[The_Big_M]

It is not political correctness, it is simply a case of can an individual do the job? Does gender really make someone more or less able to do something?

 

The specific tasks for a job may make one gender, in general, more likely to have the aptitude to do those tasks -- but that does not mean that there are not members of the "dominant" sex for that task that are not up to it, and it does not mean that there are not members of the non-"dominant" sex that are not capable.

 

If a job requires that the employee must be able to lift heavy boxes onto a shelf that is at a height of 7' -- well while there will be more men capable of performing that task, there will be 5'4" men who would not be able to make the height requirement (even though they could lift the weight), there will be 6'2" men who cannot lift that much (although can acheive the height), and there will be 5'11" females who work out who will be capable of both components.

 

To your examples - the fact that your wife has issues with leaving certain peices of clothing out if you have a male cabin attendant, is your wife's problem. It has nothing to do with whether the male cabin attendant is capable of performing the tasks associated with cabin attending.The attendant is perfectly able to do his/her job. What if a pax was "uncomfortable" with a Hispanic person doing a particular task? Would that pax concerns be "understandable"? What if a pax was "uncomfortable" with a person from Ireland performing a particular task? How about a cabin attendant who is overweight? Or an attendant with a limp? There is nothing "logical" about bias.

 

Similarly with the massuse (sp?) - if the male massuse can do the job, what is the issue? The massuse is doing his/her job and really doesn't care if you are male or female, if you are black or white, if you are tall or short (particularly if they are paid by the time increment rather than by the customer. A taller customer might take longer! :D)

 

My DH was once "warned" that the doctor was a woman (exact word "just a warning" - really?). He asked if he had a license to practice medicine - and he was assured that she did. He was satisfied. A female GP, a male GP -- they are just doing their jobs.

 

To the OP I can understand that from a saftey perspective, we are all concerned. I am most concerned that the company I trust myself to has good screening practices to identify potential threats, and good personnel practices to assure that the employee who boards the ship is the same person they vetted, and good leadership that if an employee demonstrates any behavior that may not be appropriate that it is dealt with promptly.

 

Are men disproportionately more likely to be perpetrators of assults than women -- yes. But just because one male employee commits a crime against a pax does not mean that all male employees are "suspect"

 

All of us, need to take some responsiblity for our safety. Practical things - dead bolt and secuity "chain" doors when you are in your cabin. Pay attention to what is going on around you. Stay sober enough and awake enough to know what's going on. Bad things might still happen, but you are controlling the risks you can control.

 

Great post onessa.