Who Has Access to my Stateroom?

[TBone2K]

This comes out of another thread, but I wanted to make this a separate conversation... Who has access to your stateroom?

 

• Room Steward (obviously)
  
• Bar services (check/restock your minibar)
  
• Maintenance (They sometime come to fix things while you are away. Doesn't have to be at your request either. I've had them show up to fix things reported by the room steward.)
  
• Security? (Just a guess, but generally someone in security needs access everywhere).
  

Any others?

[CRUZBUDS]

I've seen housekeeping supervisors in cabins with the steward - apparently inspecting the steward's work.

[Ken076]

Possibly a Housekeeping Supervisor/Inspector and the workers who haul the towels and linens have access to the cabins while they're open and being cleaned. ken

[CVU]

Food and beverage staff- as some people get C&A plates of nibbles delivered.

Anyone with a Pass Key I imagine.

[LuvBNatC]

I've seen officers enter cabins when it appeared the occupants weren't inside. Have no idea why, but it probably wasn't a social call. :eek:

[chengkp75]

This comes out of another thread, but I wanted to make this a separate conversation... Who has access to your stateroom?

 

• Room Steward (obviously)
  
• Bar services (check/restock your minibar)
  
• Maintenance (They sometime come to fix things while you are away. Doesn't have to be at your request either. I've had them show up to fix things reported by the room steward.)
  
• Security? (Just a guess, but generally someone in security needs access everywhere).
  

Any others?

 

A few things to remember about cabin access and security. The door lock records the identity of the card used to open the door every time it is used, and the date/time. If you find something missing, security can bring a tablet and download about a year's worth of cabin access.

 

This is how keycards are generally allocated.

 

The room stewards are only given cards that will access those cabins they are assigned to (this varies by line), which is why sometimes they cannot help you when you've locked yourself out. If a problem arises, use of a cabin attendant key when they are off duty would raise a flag and trigger questioning of the steward.

 

Bar service or room service have keys for all guest cabins, but not everyone in the department has these. These would trigger questioning if used outside normal hours, or if no record of room service was found.

 

Maintenance, as well, limits the key cards for guest cabins. Most lines double check maintenance access to corresponding work orders for repairs. My repairmen were instructed never to open a cabin without having the work order number in hand first.

 

Security will have access to all guest cabins. They normally keep a log of what cabins they have accessed, and why, even just to renew batteries, etc.

 

There is generally a set of master keys in the safe, for use during drills and emergencies, so that crew assigned to checking cabins, can access cabins to check for guests. These are labeled as such, for access documentation.

 

Most hotel supervisors will have master keys. Very senior officers (Captain, Staff Captain, Staff Chief Engineer, Hotel Director and Security Officer) will have a "hard key" that overrides the deadbolt and can also work when the battery in the card lock fails. Fire teams will be issued with hard keys from a special case kept on the bridge for use in emergencies. While there is no corresponding documentation to log access by supervisors/officers, surveillance cameras are used whenever there has been a security problem in a cabin.

 

Also remember that your cruise ticket contract gives the line the right to search your cabin and baggage at any time, with or without you being present.

Edited May 13, 2014 by chengkp75

[steveru621]

There is a remote possibility anyone walking by will have access to your cabin. I have seen with my own cabin, and others, where the cabin attendant has propped open the door while cleaning, then gone off to retrieve something down the hall.

 

Someone would need to be a brazen opportunist to pull it off!

[WishIwerethere]

Might be easier to figure out who doesn't

[Margy23]

A shout-out to chengkp75 for sharing your knowledge and experience with us.

 

Thanks!

 

Margy

[lady_cruiser]

I too have seen a couple in our cabin while the cabin attendant propped open our cabin door then left to go get something from the supply cabin. I just happened to go back to my cabin to get something I forgot (my Kindle) and found a couple walking around the balcony. When I questioned them they off-handily said they were just "curious" about what a Jr. Suite looked like and wanted to see how big the balcony was. When I ask them politely to leave they gave me an attitude.

 

This was the last time the cabin attendant left our cabin door open when we wasn't in there. I quietly reminded him that if that couple decided to take my Kindle neither one of us would have known they were in there and then naturally he would have been the first one I thought took my Kindle.

[xnavydoc2]

A shout-out to chengkp75 for sharing your knowledge and experience with us.

 

Thanks!

 

Margy

 

I would second that. Very interesting.

[iheartbda]

I too have seen a couple in our cabin while the cabin attendant propped open our cabin door then left to go get something from the supply cabin. I just happened to go back to my cabin to get something I forgot (my Kindle) and found a couple walking around the balcony. When I questioned them they off-handily said they were just "curious" about what a Jr. Suite looked like and wanted to see how big the balcony was. When I ask them politely to leave they gave me an attitude.

 

This was the last time the cabin attendant left our cabin door open when we wasn't in there. I quietly reminded him that if that couple decided to take my Kindle neither one of us would have known they were in there and then naturally he would have been the first one I thought took my Kindle.

The absolute nerve of some people never ceases to amaze me and then to give you attitude on top.:mad:

[navybankerteacher]

The absolute nerve of some people never ceases to amaze me and then to give you attitude on top.:mad:

 

Of course the "attitude" was essential. The best defense (and they clearly needed to find some) is to go on the offensive.

[lady_cruiser]

Of course the "attitude" was essential. The best defense (and they clearly needed to find some) is to go on the offensive.

 

I know but I am one of these old ladies that hate confrontations.

[LuvBNatC]

I know but I am one of these old ladies that hate confrontations.

 

I wonder if the couple would have been so cheeky if, instead of speaking to them politely, you'd taken one look at them, started screaming at the top of your lungs, and had Security come running. :D

 

PS: I third the kudos to chengkp75 for sharing his in-depth knowledge of the workings of cruise ships here and on so many other threads.

[TBone2K]

...I just happened to go back to my cabin to get something I forgot (my Kindle) and found a couple walking around the balcony. When I questioned them they off-handily said they were just "curious" about what a Jr. Suite looked like and wanted to see how big the balcony was.

 

On our last cruise I discovered that the door was not latching properly. Always pays to give it a push after you close it.

 

I thought I'd walked into the wrong room once, but it turned out the SA had just made a "towel man" using my jacket, cap and sunglasses.:rolleyes:

 

I sometimes wish RC would offer room tours. Maybe at the end of the cruise or the very beginning before people are called to their rooms.

[Bonnie J.]

Your room stewards get the master 'key' every morning. Not sure if they turn them in before night time turn downs but they do not have them all the time. The housekeeping director hands them out along with key to pull down a bunk bed if necessary.

They also hand out cleaning supplies, often the wet buckets of cleaning stuff for those wiping and cleaning different parts of the ship.

Sometime your steward is present when maintenance is in your cabin.

[beshears]

I would say the attendant who takes care of your room, and anyone else, that YOU let in for whatever reason.

[EdmPair]

Two more notes. I work in lock trade to give my comments some context.

 

Many -- but not all -- of the hotel locks on cruise ships record a key opening with a time stamp into the audit trail. As time goes by more and more will do this.

 

Master keying allows many different levels. Your room attendant will have a master for a portion of that floor. It is not a master for all rooms. The housekeeping manager will have a more senior master key to get into all rooms but not food service areas. The hotel manager will have a master key to get into all guest rooms AND all food service areas. And you see I can go on. (Sorry.)

 

In the event of a fire or other crisis, physical keys are ready as you can not rely on batteries but I would guess only security would ever move with those. if you pulled large numbers of staff together in a crisis, it is still better to pass out master key CARDS. If one is lost, it can be cancelled.

 

To the OP, there is no way to give a firm number for how many people have a key to open your room but I would estimate it at 30-40 at any moment. I also know this would be about the same in any big hotel or resort.

 

Later,

M

[jevvv]

...and found a couple walking around the balcony. When I questioned them they off-handily said they were just "curious" about what a Jr. Suite looked like and wanted to see how big the balcony was. When I ask them politely to leave they gave me an attitude....

 

Would have been fun to take one of them by the arm and said "Now my turn to look at your room, lets go" :p

[Sue Do-Over]

Not sure about room service/bar service - that is, we've had plates of berries or a cake delivered to the cabin, but room service will knock and wait for you, if nobody answers they don't come in.

 

We've experienced, and have had friends who did -- ordered room service and either were in the shower, asleep, or had stepped into a nearby cabin when the food was delivered. They didn't come in, or leave the tray -- they took it back to the kitchen. It took a long time to get the second tray delivered.