How do I prevent unauthorized entry to my room on Princess?

[Wehwalt]

1. I've had stewards bypass the deadbolts, and by the experiences posted by others, so have they. Is this something that can vary by ship?

 

2. You need more security onshore because no one is on the ship who Princess does not want there.

 

3. Yes, they can come in whenever they want, and search whatever they want, because you are at sea and the captain is in charge (with Santa Clarita looking over his shoulder). In practice, this is not something they do very often because one way or another, they very likely have lost a customer if they do this.

 

4. Barricading your cabin is a poor idea. What I do, if I'm particularly concerned about privacy (usually I am not) is open the bathroom and closet doors (this works in a cabin where these are by the door). If I give him an obstacle course, I buy a few seconds to ask him to come back later. But you want the ship to be able to get into your cabin, and so do they. What if there's something burning? What if you are locked out on the balcony (happened to me), or lying on the floor? Do you want your cabin barricaded?

 

5. You cabin steward doesn't want trouble. He's got a lot of work to do, and he's got to do it every day, and the contracts must seem endless sometimes. Best way to deal with this is to have a talk with him, embarkation day, when he comes to introduce himself. I use that as an opportunity to tell him to use sheets to make up the bed rather than the duvet, to ask him to clean and turn down early in his schedule, and anything else I need to talk to him about. That's the time to do it.

[Woobstr112G]

If there is a ship emergency or you have a medical emergency and crew cannot get into your cabin you put yourself at risk. Don't expect someone to break down your cabin door.

 

What Joe says....,:):):)

 

Bob

[notentirelynormal]

Or put another way, why would Princess employees need more access to my room than hotel employees?

 

I am thinking of these things because of the news story about the HAL passenger.

 

Well for one thing, hotels don't normally sink. Being on the sea has different challenges to being on the land.

 

Please don't judge ship employees by this obviously mentally ill person. Crew members work hard, usually have a family and are generally wonderful people. You can get the same situation on land as happened on HAL. Then, however, it probably wouldn't be as big of a story. The news people do like to sensationalize every bad event that happens on a ship.

[Ethel5]

While I'm in the cabin, I use the dead bolt and the DND sign. Other than that, life is too short to stress about the "what ifs."

[shastatroy]

One can always stay at home in the security of their own surroundings. :)

[cdnphotogirl]

I normally travel alone so safety is key for me. I ALWAYS travel with a plastic foot (door stopper) that I place under the door while I am sleeping. When I am not in the room it actually hangs on the door handle. I have also enclosed an ice cream door stopper....you can find some fun ones on line.

[Skai]

Paranoia will destroy ya.....

[cdnphotogirl]

No paranoia for me but as a single woman who has traveled a great deal safety is key. I would not need the door stopper and have it then wake up with someone in my room...I know someone that happened to in Costa Rica.

[Skai]

No paranoia for me but as a single woman who has traveled a great deal safety is key.

 

This seems rational....especially on a land vacation while travelling alone as a single female. However, this site/thread is about safety/security while cruising.

 

Taking a singular (or extremely rare occurrence) -- out of the 100s of thousands of cruise passengers per year -- ("I am thinking of these things because of the news story about the HAL passenger.") and applying it to having strong concerns about one's own safety in their cabin is......

 

Let's just state that one has a better chance of winning the Powerball lottery jackpot than having what happened on the HAL ship occur while cruising.

 

The reality is that one's safety/security might actually be lessened by measures that could prevent/delay entry by crew in case of an emergency.

[pablo222]

At a hotel I can use a deadbolt and/or chain. Princess doors don't have this.

 

A chain can be defeated with a rubberband and a push pin.

[EddieCruzer]

At a hotel I can use a deadbolt and/or chain. Princess doors don't have this.

 

Why would I need less security at sea?

 

Or put another way, why would Princess employees need more access to my room than hotel employees?

 

Do hotels provide these security features because they have more legal liability, while ships provide less expensive door locks because they are not governed by the same laws? I don't know, I am just trying to understand why such a difference exists.

 

I have read that there are kits I can buy that will secure my door when I am in the room? Is this true? How does it work.

 

I am thinking of these things because of the news story about the HAL passenger. Of course, deadbolts, chains, or an add-on kit wouldn't have helped in her situation because the HAL employee entered her room when she wasn't there. He then hid on her balcony. Still if there is a way to improve my security with a simple kit, I might try it.

 

If you are that concerned about it, don't cruise. End of story.

[pablo222]

I normally travel alone so safety is key for me. I ALWAYS travel with a plastic foot (door stopper) that I place under the door while I am sleeping. When I am not in the room it actually hangs on the door handle. I have also enclosed an ice cream door stopper....you can find some fun ones on line.

 

In the holland american case that is in the news, the room service

attendant entered the room when it was unoccupied, and waited

for the occupant to return.

 

No security chain, deadbolt or doorstop would have had any effect

in preventing this.

[gooch47]

I guess I am just too trusting. Not terribly modest, either. It wouldn't ruin me for life if a steward walked in on me when I wasn't clothed, either.

 

But then, I am not traveling as a single female. Perhaps I'd be more concerned then.

[gooch47]

My loving husband just said it might ruin the steward for life, though. LOL

[geoherb]

When a friend of mine was unresponsive in a hotel room, I had to get security to come. There was a special key that the manager had to bypass the deadbolt and the security guy had a tool that would open the bar lock on the door. Fortunately my friend woke up from his stupor when he heard us talking. He was drunk but did not need medical attention.

[Loonbeam]

The short answer is if someone REALLY wants to come in your cabin, they can. The balcony key is a giant hex wrench that can be bought at home depot.com. But 99.999999 percent of staff do not want to unless related to their job.

 

The vast majority of accidental intrusions are due either to the steward missing a DND sign, the DND sign not being put out, or someone playing a prank and moving or flipping the DND sign. These can be scary and/or embarrassing, but not typically dangerous.

 

There is one huge difference between land and sea facilities. Even if someone does access your cabin for nefarious purposes, once done, they have no where to go! The halls are video monitored, etc. On land its out the door and gone. This is a very strong deterrent to most malicious acts, especially by crew who are fully aware of the limitations.

 

The provided deadbolt and balcony locks will provide the necessary security in pretty much every feasible scenario. Anything else is primarily for piece of mind, but wont make a substantive contribution to safety.

 

This falls under the same scenarios as airline crashes, Concordia/Triumph disasters, etc. They happen, and its not a bad idea to have a mental plan for what to do if it does happen, and maybe take a reasonable precaution or two (like always having a flashlight in your gear bag - or a door stopper). But they also should not be something to fear...

[CI66774]

I've traveled solo on many occasions and always take (what I consider to be) reasonable precautions. I'm alert, check my hotel room (under the bed, etc.), know who's walking behind me, etc. but I don't let my safety awareness diminish my vacation. You can take all reasonable precautions and, still, something may happen. I think the key (for me) is to be alert about the potential for something bad to happen - but not be consumed by it.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I've traveled solo on many occasions and always take (what I consider to be) reasonable precautions. I'm alert, check my hotel room (under the bed, etc.), know who's walking behind me, etc. but I don't let my safety awareness diminish my vacation. You can take all reasonable precautions and, still, something may happen. I think the key (for me) is to be alert about the potential for something bad to happen - but not be consumed by it.

 

Exactly. You learn to be aware and not do stupid things. I wait until DH is traveling with me to do those. :D

[cherylandtk]

I just want to make a comment to the several of you that think there is a special key needed to over ride the deadbolt. Posts from other members prove that is NOT correct. Please read the following threads and decide if you need to re-think your personal safety concerns or not, but that keyhole below the card slot has not been in use since 2006.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1949124

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=458198

[Colo Cruiser]

I just want to make a comment to the several of you that think there is a special key needed to over ride the deadbolt. Posts from other members prove that is NOT correct. Please read the following threads and decide if you need to re-think your personal safety concerns or not, but that keyhole below the card slot has not been in use since 2006.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1949124

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=458198

 

With no search function how did you dig up an 8 year old thread??? :eek:

[Dudleydog73]

With no search function how did you dig up an 8 year old thread??? :eek:

 

Search seems to be enabled again at least on my side.

[Colo Cruiser]

Search seems to be enabled again at least on my side.

 

 

Thanks thought it was still down

[cherylandtk]

With no search function how did you dig up an 8 year old thread??? :eek:

Google, which is what many of have been using while search is not functioning. I picked the 2006 thread because it was the first time that I am aware of that this card key entry over the deadbolt had been reported. The other is a much more recent thread from four months ago, which shows the stewards are still walking in on folks with the deadbolt on.

[bdjam]

A chain can be defeated with a rubberband and a push pin.

 

Really? I wish I had known that...my mother was incapacitated inside her house and I couldn't get in because of the chain on the door...needless to say we had to repair the door and the doorframe.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Well for one thing, hotels don't normally sink. Being on the sea has different challenges to being on the land.

 

Please don't judge ship employees by this obviously mentally ill person. Crew members work hard, usually have a family and are generally wonderful people. You can get the same situation on land as happened on HAL. Then, however, it probably wouldn't be as big of a story. The news people do like to sensationalize every bad event that happens on a ship.

 

When I read a news story that came up when I googled, I got the same impression. Maybe already unhinged, been at sea too long, or something going on in his personal life. Generally, crew members have been trained to just smile and not take what rude passengers say personally. Maybe this passenger was frustrated about something and the comment just came out. We don't know any sides of the story, just what was reported. For the most part, crew members try to be pleasant as their continued employment depends on not getting reported by a passenger.