Dirty Room Service Dishes Left in Hallways

[sparks1093]

This is my recollection as well. I know I have been advised on different lines to call to have the tray picked up - and specifically NOT to put it in the hall because doing so would present a safety hazard. I do not recall being advised on any line that it should be put in the hall.

 

It might help this discussion if anyone with certain knowledge could provide confirmation.

 

What sort of confirmation would you like? I have asked the room service delivery person and was told to put the tray in the hall when we were finished with it (on NCL). As previously mentioned John Heald has written that the preferred method is to place the trays in the hall. I don't mind calling to let them know that I'm done, I would mind staying in my cabin until they come to get it but I haven't encountered that yet.

[lostchild]

The next time you walk down a hall and see a tray of dirty dishes, knock on the door a few times and then just keep walking. If the people in the cabin stick their head out into the hall and ask why you knocked, tell them it's because they left their dirty dishes outside. If enough of us do this it might just stop the practice.

 

Not at a cruise but at hotels, I have had people left room service dishes outside next to my room door. And at the cruise ship the doors are so close together.. they could have just walk the dishes a few doors down and set them down.

[herbanrenewal]

Considering most hotels and cruise lines, if asked, tell you to put the dishes in the hallway and call room service to pick them up.

 

I'll continue to put my room service dishes in the hallway.

If the staff doesn't pick them up in a timely manner to suit your desire,,, too bad, so sad.

 

One difference is that hotels usually have wider hallways. A wheelchair of scooter can still get through in a modern hotel. But cruise ships economize on space so no wide halls or community room for ice machine or a rack for room service trays. Its not even easy for two people to walk in opposite directions in the hallway without adding an obstacle course. As others have pointed out most room service deliveries today come with a notice to call for removal of waste.

 

This isn't too bad, too sad...this is someone's ability to get to their own room, and potentially could be a safety hazard for everyone in the event of an emergency.

 

While it may have been a common practice at one point in time, it deserves another look at the practice. Doing as advised and calling for room service to return for the dirty dishes seems the appropriate best practice now.

[rccampbell]

I guess I do not understand the problem here.

If we have been told this is a safety hazard, which it is, then why is it necessary to continue to argue about it?

I have just heard that putting my dishes in the hallway may prevent my elderly or disabled neighbor down the hall from escaping in case of emergency. I will NOT put my dishes/tray in the hallway and be responsible for causing them harm. I am a caring human being who gives a damn about my fellow man. Why is this so hard?

Are we really this selfish? Pick up the phone and make the call, leave the dishes for the steward, take them up on deck to a bus bin (bins are all over the place on deck), take them to the buffet. Just don't leave them in the hall.

Its not that hard so lets be adults people.

[davekathy]

Some mornings my wife orders coffee from room service to have while she's getting ready for the day. When we leave for day the coffee pot and cup is left on the table. When we return later in the day it's magically gone. Sometimes I'll go to the buffet and build a cheese and cracker plate to have with wine in our cabin. When we leave for the evening the wine glasses, napkins and empty plate is left on the table. When we return later in the evening it's magically gone. I've pushed someone else's dirty dishes/glasses they've placed in the hall closer to their door with my foot. Leave them in your cabin. Plenty of room for them.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Some mornings my wife orders coffee from room service to have while she's getting ready for the day. When we leave for day the coffee pot and cup is left on the table. When we return later in the day it's magically gone. Sometimes I'll go to the buffet and build a cheese and cracker plate to have with wine in our cabin. When we leave for the evening the wine glasses, napkins and empty plate is left on the table. When we return later in the evening it's magically gone. I've pushed someone else's dirty dishes/glasses they've placed in the hall closer to their door with my foot. Leave them in your cabin. Plenty of room for them.

 

 

i wish that were my experience! On my last cruise, I was gifted a plate of treats every day of the cruise and unless I specifically asked my steward to take them, they stayed. We thought we made it obvious we were done with them, but he left them. I wonder if he would have left them the entire cruise if I hadn't said something. He was a great steward, so I know he wasn't being lazy. It's kind of a no-win situation for them. Take them and someone will yell at you. Don't take them and someone will yell at you. After a couple of times, I left a note on them so he wouldn't have to question it. I don't like putting dishes in the hallway because of the issues it can cause for those with mobility issues.

[Hey Tina]

I guess I do not understand the problem here.

If we have been told this is a safety hazard, which it is, then why is it necessary to continue to argue about it?

I have just heard that putting my dishes in the hallway may prevent my elderly or disabled neighbor down the hall from escaping in case of emergency. I will NOT put my dishes/tray in the hallway and be responsible for causing them harm. I am a caring human being who gives a damn about my fellow man. Why is this so hard?

Are we really this selfish? Pick up the phone and make the call, leave the dishes for the steward, take them up on deck to a bus bin (bins are all over the place on deck), take them to the buffet. Just don't leave them in the hall.

Its not that hard so lets be adults people.

 

If the cruise line says "call and leave it in the hall" then I'm gonna call and leave it in the hall. If that makes me not care about my fellow man then so be it.

[navybankerteacher]

What sort of confirmation would you like? I have asked the room service delivery person and was told to put the tray in the hall when we were finished with it (on NCL). As previously mentioned John Heald has written that the preferred method is to place the trays in the hall. I don't mind calling to let them know that I'm done, I would mind staying in my cabin until they come to get it but I haven't encountered that yet.

 

Obviously, a "Confirmation" is more than a general impression or a recollection of what someone may have read or heard: when it comes to dress codes and many other on-board matters, it is possible to refer to some web site. Because I have distinct recollection of having been advised not to put them in the hall, I am not going to be impressed by some recollection of an anonymous CC poster. And - the fact that placing such trays in the hall is an apparent, if not blatantly obvious safety hazard,

 

It certainly is not a question of having to wait in your cabin until that are picked up - surely you do not do that to monitor your cabin steward every time he enters.

[Travelcat2]

I have never seen trays left outside in the halls on Oceania, thank God.

I have only ever seen it once, at the Royal York in Toronto, and it was GROSS!

We wouldn't DREAM of putting dirty dishes outside the door...keep it in the room until the next AM!

 

Agree with you 1000%!!! I assume that you could call someone to pick up dirty dishes. Putting dishes on a floor makes the ship look like a dump (have only seen this done once - on a luxury cruise line). Perhaps if children put their dishes on the floor after dinner, their parents would "get it".

[rccampbell]

If the cruise line says "call and leave it in the hall" then I'm gonna call and leave it in the hall. If that makes me not care about my fellow man then so be it.

 

Yes I am sorry, but that's exactly what it sounds like. So sad.:(

I am a health and safety officer for my company and if you see something, you say something. Just because that's the way it always has been, does not mean that's the way it should always be. Even companies can learn things from their employees. Cruise companies can also learn from their customers.

[cruise47]

just pick-up the phone and asked to have the dirty items remove.

[Hey Tina]

Yes I am sorry, but that's exactly what it sounds like. So sad.:(

I am a health and safety officer for my company and if you see something, you say something. Just because that's the way it always has been, does not mean that's the way it should always be. Even companies can learn things from their employees. Cruise companies can also learn from their customers.

 

So sad. Cheer up. :(

[bUU]

If the cruise line says "call and leave it in the hall" then I'm gonna call and leave it in the hall. If that makes me not care about my fellow man then so be it.

It doesn't. The previous poster's comment is afflicted with binary thinking, that either something is true or it is not, rather than the reality, that there are shades of gray. I could tell you about how consuming factory-farmed meat, pork and poultry is consuming the misery of other sentient beings, and that would be honest and accurate, but how I regard the misery of those animals and how you regard their misery is not necessarily the same. We live in community with each other despite our differences of perspective and how that results in shades of gray with regard to who will eat what kind of food. The criticality of the danger of leaving trays out in the hall works the same way. In that case, though, there is a final arbiter that we have all agreed to abide: The ship's safety officer. No one else's opinion prevails over anyone else's opinion about this.

[sparks1093]

Obviously, a "Confirmation" is more than a general impression or a recollection of what someone may have read or heard: when it comes to dress codes and many other on-board matters, it is possible to refer to some web site. Because I have distinct recollection of having been advised not to put them in the hall, I am not going to be impressed by some recollection of an anonymous CC poster. And - the fact that placing such trays in the hall is an apparent, if not blatantly obvious safety hazard,

 

It certainly is not a question of having to wait in your cabin until that are picked up - surely you do not do that to monitor your cabin steward every time he enters.

 

No, I don't do that to monitor the steward but the room service personnel (who would be picking up the trays) do not have access to my cabin, nor would I want them to (even the cruise line limits who has access to your cabin when you aren't in it). I was told to put them in the hallway and while that particular room service person may have gotten it wrong other people's experience seems to suggest otherwise. If it were that obvious a safety hazard then written instructions would be provided in multiple places, including on the room service menu itself, as to what to do with the trays. The cruise lines would take the guess work out of the equation and we wouldn't be having this discussion.

[slidergirl]

You can speak for yourself but I wouldn't say that EVERYONE puts their dirty stuff in the hall in hotels. I have NEVER done that and never will! Stack your dirty dishes neatly in your room and they will be picked up next time your room is serviced.

 

 

PLEASE - DO NOT CHECK OUT OF A HOTEL AND LEAVE YOUR DIRTY DISHES IN THE ROOM!!! Either leave them outside the door or tell the Front Desk you have dishes that should be removed when you check out. Hotels are not turned over like ships are. Not every room is cleaned every day. I've been knocked over by the odor of rancid, left over food when I've gone into a room to look for an item left by a guest; someone had dinner, checked out the next day, room was on the drop list and not looked at until a day later.

 

All kinds of "police" here on CC; dress police, bacon police, chair police, now room service police ;) Just because some on CC say one thing, does not mean their word is gospel across all cruise lines, all ships, all passengers.

[NLH Arizona]

Just because some on CC say one thing, does not mean their word is gospel across all cruise lines, all ships, all passengers.

Amen to this. Apparently some have been told to leave the dishes in the room or call Room Service to remove them by their cruise line and others have been told to leave them in the hall by their cruise line. Best to check with your cruise line's Room Service Attendant/Cabin Steward what your cruise line would have you do, instead of just relying what is posted on here.

[Crusingdiva62]

Well my room steward said they go outside the door and that's where they will continue to go period!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[sparks1093]

Amen to this. Apparently some have been told to leave the dishes in the room or call Room Service to remove them by their cruise line and others have been told to leave them in the hall by their cruise line. Best to check with your cruise line's Room Service Attendant/Cabin Steward what your cruise line would have you do, instead of just relying what is posted on here.

 

Which is exactly what I do on those rare instances when I use room service (ashore or at sea).

[SteadyBetty]

. . . Here's one thing that might stop people from doing this. The next time you walk down a hall and see a tray of dirty dishes, knock on the door a few times and then just keep walking. If the people in the cabin stick their head out into the hall and ask why you knocked, tell them it's because they left their dirty dishes outside.

 

Here's the flaw with this suggestion (and I've seen this happen in hotels and on a cruise): a passenger/guest will put their food tray in front of SOMEONE ELSE'S door - next door or a few doors down.

 

So if you are the unfortunate recipient of an errant tray in front of your door and some aggressive comes-a-knocking to berate you for the misdeed, imagine the exchange. Just sayin'.

[Azure Moon]

I guess I do not understand the problem here.

If we have been told this is a safety hazard, which it is, then why is it necessary to continue to argue about it?

I have just heard that putting my dishes in the hallway may prevent my elderly or disabled neighbor down the hall from escaping in case of emergency. I will NOT put my dishes/tray in the hallway and be responsible for causing them harm. I am a caring human being who gives a damn about my fellow man. Why is this so hard?

Are we really this selfish? Pick up the phone and make the call, leave the dishes for the steward, take them up on deck to a bus bin (bins are all over the place on deck), take them to the buffet. Just don't leave them in the hall.

Its not that hard so lets be adults people.

Good post!

I do the suggestions you mentioned. My mother had limited mobility issues on her last two cruises so had to use various aids based on her needs at the time (either a cane, using the handrail, walker, or wheelchair) and it could get tough trying to get to and from the cabin at times just with passing people in the hall, housekeeping carts, trays of dishes on the floor. Passengers and housekeeping carts are understandable obstacles, trays of dishes are not.

 

Yes I am sorry, but that's exactly what it sounds like. So sad.:(

I am a health and safety officer for my company and if you see something, you say something. Just because that's the way it always has been, does not mean that's the way it should always be. Even companies can learn things from their employees. Cruise companies can also learn from their customers.

 

Another good post.

I totally agree with you! Companies can and should update policies when it makes sense, and I agree trays of dishes on the floor should not be allowed any longer.

[happy cruzer]

Also the dishes sometimes are not room service dishes. There were brought by the cruiser from the buffet, food eaten in room, and left outside the door. Yuck.

[DirtyDawg]

I've never ordered from room service on a ship. Instead of relying of the various opinions posted in this thread I'll just ask the room service folks or my cabin steward if I ever do order room service. Get it from the horse's mouth as it were.

[dartnut]

Just wondering why the security cameras on each level that are monitoring what's going on are not picking up on this and notifying housekeeping. If you can pick up the phone to call room service, they must be anticipating dirty dishes being needed to be picked up afterwards. After all is said and done, a waitress/waiter who brings a meal to your table in a restaurant doesn't let them sit there all night after you have eaten the meal. Safety and housekeeping go hand in hand, a place for everything and everything in its place, that's definitely not outside your door in a narrow passageway.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums