Steward carts in the halls.

[Loonbeam]

I actually wonder if the stewards stage the carts, or as is more common in larger hotels, theres a team of back of house staff that load/reload towels etc and then deliver them to specific floor locations, allowing housekeeping to service more rooms quickly.

[Greyhound3]

I actually wonder if the stewards stage the carts, or as is more common in larger hotels, theres a team of back of house staff that load/reload towels etc and then deliver them to specific floor locations, allowing housekeeping to service more rooms quickly.

 

That would make sense... I think you're on to something.

 

 

Grey

[CineGraphic]

This is nitpicking. Where are they supposed to hide?

[avcruz]

Complaining about potential safety issues does not strike me as a frivolous endeavor.

 

 

Given that they are moveable, how are the carts a potential safety issue?

[shredie]

Given that they are moveable, how are the carts a potential safety issue?

 

Does something have to be stationary to be a potential safety issue? Odd logic, that.

[UpcountryTravelers]

I've never understood why people would put their dirty dishes out in the hallway. We leave ours in the stateroom and they are always gone when we return.

[broberts]

Given that they are moveable, how are the carts a potential safety issue?

 

When I made the post my principal thinking concerned those with mobility challenges. While I do not have to cope with them, I regularly travel with those that do. I have become convinced that anyone designing and maintaining areas that are supposed to be accessible to the mobility challenged should have to spend a week or two with physical restrictions. It presents an immediate education of just how poor a job we do making and keeping places accessible friendly.

 

Carts in hallways block access to rails; narrow corridors making movement with a walker very difficult; and block wheelchairs & scooters. Staff are generally very good at moving carts in these situations, often anticipating passenger movement. But there are times when that is not possible. And sometimes simply standing, waiting for a cart to be moved can cause discomfort.

[Kingofcool1947]

Not going to let it bother me this time.

 

My last trip to Alaska and first Princess cruise I discovered an anomaly not experienced previously by me while traveling on other cruise lines. A lot had changed in 9 years of not cruising.

 

Carts in the hallways. Why? Now one could say, "how do you think your rooms get cleaned". Sure they need access to products and linens to clean. A cart might just be the best way to accomplish this. I am all for anything that makes my stewards life easier. I just do not know how the other lines I have cruised on hides them. Do others take it into the room they are cleaning? Do other lines use more people to expedite the time carts are needed in the halls? Do other lines have cart only alcoves that hide them from the passengers? I can only guess. I do know I found them horribly littered in every hallway I traveled in most every time I traveled in one.

 

Whatever the reason, I am not going to let the carts left in the halls bother me on my next Princess cruise.

 

It does not bother me. It gives me the opportunity to say hello to the stateroom steward.

Edited January 1, 2016 by Kingofcool1947

[RAPM5856]

The only time the cart in the hall was a problem was the time my DW took a tumble because the steward had left a bottom drawer on the cart open and she didn't see it as it was just outside our cabin. Edited January 1, 2016 by RAPM5856

[FritzG]

Cruising must be great if all we have to complain about is the steward carts.

 

If you had mobility issues you'd see that this is not a petty complaint.

[timetravler]

What irks me to no end is plates of food in the hall way, YUCK! Princess absolutely needs to put a notice both on the beds and in the patter not to leave food in the hall way and if seen will be put right back into your cabin. Also what I saw on my last cruise was people leaving large strollers in the hall way. If a cart happens to be there and a stroller is left there, then a wheelchair CAN NOT get by. Once again Princess needs to enforce their own rules.

[moki'smommy]

Also what I saw on my last cruise was people leaving large strollers in the hall way. If a cart happens to be there and a stroller is left there, then a wheelchair CAN NOT get by. Once again Princess needs to enforce their own rules.

 

We did not experience this on our recent Princess cruise, but it has been a big problem for us on Disney. As you pointed out, a wheelchair or walker cannot get past a stroller. My approach to that is to knock on the door and ask the offender to move it, pointing out that they have rented a cabin, not a chunk of hallway. If it interferes with my traveling companion's use of the hallway a second time, I report it with the cabin number and my attempt at discussion.

 

While I've never done it, my next step would be that the stroller takes a stroll. I have to move it out of the way to get the wheelchair past....the nearest place to leave it would be by the elevator, right?

[sunsetbeachgal]

I'm not really sure how they do this, but the HOlland America stewards do not use a cart. They work in teams of two and carry their vacuums around along with a hand cart/basket with cleaning supplies, brushes, etc. I think they go back and forth to a supply area for towels, soap, sheets, etc. It is so nice not to have those huge carts in the halls.

 

Agree that I would like to see statements in the Patter instructing guests that nothing is to be left in the halls. Repeat, nothing!

Edited January 1, 2016 by sunsetbeachgal

[wmwmarmstrong]

I've never understood why people would put their dirty dishes out in the hallway. We leave ours in the stateroom and they are always gone when we return.

 

What is really unpleasant is when your "neighbor" stacks them close to your door. They had three trays full and most of the food was wasted.

[Host CJSKIDS]

What is really unpleasant is when your "neighbor" stacks them close to your door. They had three trays full and most of the food was wasted.

 

Amen to that. We had a large space in the corner next to our mini-suite last time and the people either next door or from across the hallway kept placing their leftover room service trays over by my door and not theirs. Didn't care for the fact that we had to keep stepping around leftover food to get out of my room.

[damiross]

... Princess absolutely needs to put a notice both on the beds and in the patter not to leave food in the hall way....

I agree. The person isn't helping the steward by putting it into the hallway and it looks tacky.

[damiross]

Amen to that. We had a large space in the corner next to our mini-suite last time and the people either next door or from across the hallway kept placing their leftover room service trays over by my door and not theirs. Didn't care for the fact that we had to keep stepping around leftover food to get out of my room.

That food would be moved back to the offending party's room so fast it would melt.

[Loonbeam]

Some of the HAL ships have small housekeeping closets placed along the hallways. This is going away on any new builds from what I understand. They were designed to help promote a more luxury feel, but in the current environment they will most likely be swapped out for more insides and new builds will go to carts.

 

This is one of those no-good-solution areas. Doing a solution like HAL means either less cabins (and slightly higher fares) or bigger builds. Using carts is far more efficient, but can pose a mobility risk.

 

Smaller carts mean more restock/empty trips and still pose a mobility issue.

 

Alcoves to store the carts - same issue as HAL cubbies

 

The only practical solution is to reduce cabin load on the stewards to either limit time in halls or reduce cart size, but that adds to costs and also fares....

 

There's no solution here that will work for everyone.

 

As to the strollers. I understand if someone leaves a stroller in the hall while going in for a quick diaper/swimsuit change during the day. If its more than 15 mins, take it in. From what I understand, crew are supposed to take unattended vehicles (strollers, scooters, etc) to guest services for eventual pickup, but most stewards are unwilling to risk a confrontation with people who tip them and/or can file a bad comment. Unfortunately, most other crew don't traverse those areas enough to notice. Not sure if there is a good solution to this other than to report a chronic offender and see what happens.

 

Food. Per Princess at least, the official 'policy' is that you should call to have someone pick up your tray if you will be in the room for them to do so. Your steward can also call when they come to make up the room and room service will meet them to get the dirty plates. If you are leaving your cabin and don't want to leave food around (depending on what it was), still call room service and let them know you are leaving the tray outside and someone will come and get it as soon as possible. The hallway issue is caused when people just put things out and never call, assuming the room service fairly will magically appear and clean up (possibly because they feel the need to tip the pickup person). Then, since the steward needs to move carts, they have to pile stuff up until room service can get there. Room service does NOT do scheduled sweeps of hallways unless things are very quiet. Princess could do a better job of communicating this, as with many other things.

 

And of course, if you bring food back from the buffet, either take the plates back or call room service to pick them up (and yes, in this case a tip to the pickup person IS warranted), or your steward will call per above. Remember however the steward only comes in 2x per day max.

 

 

 

 

I'm not really sure how they do this, but the HOlland America stewards do not use a cart. They work in teams of two and carry their vacuums around along with a hand cart/basket with cleaning supplies, brushes, etc. I think they go back and forth to a supply area for towels, soap, sheets, etc. It is so nice not to have those huge carts in the halls.

 

Agree that I would like to see statements in the Patter instructing guests that nothing is to be left in the halls. Repeat, nothing!

[PescadoAmarillo]

On the Princess ships we've been on recently, Room Service has told us that the cabin steward is responsible for the removal of room service trays and dishes.

[Loonbeam]

Technically yes, they pile them up and then ping a room service server to do the actual haulaway so they don't have to leave their deck. On some ships they may take them to a staging area to a housekeeping room. And if the pile is large in a room or messy they can call room service direct.

 

So they handle it, but don't do the physical transport in most cases (I am sure there are times they do for various reasons).

On the Princess ships we've been on recently, Room Service has told us that the cabin steward is responsible for the removal of room service trays and dishes.

[Colo Cruiser]

cruising must be great if all we have to complain about is the steward carts.

 

 

+1.

[wmwmarmstrong]

That food would be moved back to the offending party's room so fast it would melt.

 

HaHa I told my DH to push it back but he didn't know if it was the "neighbor" to the side or across the hall.

 

The trays sat there for hours and it was so embarrassing to me, thinking people walking by or our room steward thinking we are so uncouth and wasteful!

[damiross]

HaHa I told my DH to push it back but he didn't know if it was the "neighbor" to the side or across the hall.

Split the difference - divide it in half and place by both.:D

[jollyjones]

Or you could have called room service yourself and asked to have it removed.

[joe d]

Lets face it, to most of us the carts are a minor problem. To me the real issue is that they could be a major problem in the event of an emergency. There is no question that they definitely slow things down and all it would take is one person getting tangled up with a cart and it would block the hall for all those behind.