Sky Princess Fire/Life Safety Issue - Anyone Else Seen This?

[SargassoPirate]

While reading some reviews regarding the Sky Princess, I ran across the following comment:

 

"One issue that concerned us was scooters and wheelchairs not only parked in the hallways but parked in front of closets where fire equipment is stored. This seems very dangerous . Princess needs to enforce the policy of no equipment in the halls."

 

Storing mobility devices in the corridors (which are paths of exit travel in the event of an emergency) is prohibited by SOLAS and by Princess's own policy.  Has anyone else observed this on the Sky and what, if anything, did you do about it?

 

 

[satxdiver]

Sky is not the only ship where this is a problem but all ships.  They do police it and get the mobile devices out of the hallways fairly well.  It is a hazard not just for evacuation purposes but also general access throughout the ship.  We have not found it to be a serious problem so far however. 

[Colo Cruiser]

On the Sky there were quite a few that I would see everyday and night.

They were never moved and were quite a hindrance. One in particular was directly across from the passengers cabin that it belonged to leaving less than 2 ft to get by.

[gotta cruise again]

On Sky now, midship Caribe mini. Cabin next door, also a mini, left a wheelchair (folded) outside their door the other day. But have not seen it there since so we think they were made to keep it inside the cabin.

[Colo Cruiser]

1 minute ago, gotta cruise again said:

On Sky now, midship Caribe mini. Cabin next door, also a mini, left a wheelchair (folded) outside their door the other day. But have not seen it there since so we think they were made to keep it inside the cabin.

One could only hope.  

[gotta cruise again]

Just now, Colo Cruiser said:

One could only hope.  

 

If it shows up again, I’ll report back. We’ve spent a lot of time watching movies in the cabin (catching up!) so I imagine we’ll see it should it materialize again!!

[SargassoPirate]

One would think that blocking fire exit corridors would garner the attention of the crew and fire safety rules be enforced.  It should not be left up to the PAX to complain before anything is done.

 

 

[Pam in CA]

When I was on the Royal last May, my next door neighbor parked his scooter in the hallway every day and night. I reported it and he was warned. He kept leaving it so I went down to the Passenger Services Desk with a photo and said, “Take care of this.” They then left it in the elevator lobby. Ugly. This is how it was left all the time. The steward carts couldn’t get by, wheelchairs and other scooters couldn’t get by. 

 

[Coral]

Honestly this issue is not going away. The best thing they can do is build more handicapped cabins so that these can be kept in the cabin or build a space near each elevator lobby to store these (so they are not in the open like Pam experienced).

[CRUISEWITHH]

Parking scooters in the hallways is totally unacceptable!  My husband uses a mobility scooter and we always get a H/C stateroom for that reason.  Sometimes we have to book our cruises up to two years in advance to get the very few that they have on each cruiseship. 

 

Princess as well as other cruiselines do not build enough staterooms for the many passengers that are using mobility scooters, because the stateroom has to be larger than the usual stateroom and that is not profitable for the cruiseline. 

 

When will the cruiselines realize that, older passengers who use mobility scooters and walkers are their loyal and longtime customers and in order for us to continue cruising it is important and necessary to make our accommodations accessible.

 

[pms4104]

Princess will deal with this issue when the unthinkable occurs

 

[Outerdog]

2 hours ago, Pam in CA said:

When I was on the Royal last May, my next door neighbor parked his scooter in the hallway every day and night. I reported it and he was warned. He kept leaving it so I went down to the Passenger Services Desk with a photo and said, “Take care of this.” They then left it in the elevator lobby. Ugly. This is how it was left all the time. The steward carts couldn’t get by, wheelchairs and other scooters couldn’t get by. 

 

 

I would take it to Deck 16 aft and leave it there.

 

[Coral]

17 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

 

I would take it to Deck 16 aft and leave it there.

 

While I don't think it is appropriate in the hallway (and is considered a fire hazard), moving it in the case someone is unable to walk can be cruel and life threatening. It is best to let the ship personnel deal with it.

Edited January 1, 2020 by Coral

[Outerdog]

Pretty sure I was joking, but you bring up a good point.

 

I guess if I couldn't walk and needed mobility in an emergency (or to get to a feeding station), it would be pretty stupid of me to leave my people mover out in the hallway where someone could steal, move, or otherwise misappropriate the thing.

[pms4104]

For the safety of everyone onboard, pax and crew alike, Princess has an obligation to enforce their policies and, more importantly, SOLAS regs ... fleetwide.

 

When laws addressing disability issues were put in place, it was to provide reasonable accommodation and to level the playing field.  These laws never were enacted to create another class of entitlement.

 

 

Further, one's rights end at the 

point they interfere with others' rights.

 

Simply report to Passenger Svcs that which is prohibited.

 

 

[Brian1713]

This was also on the Royal in 2018, this was by the restrooms near the wheelhouse....... 

[billco]

3 hours ago, Outerdog said:

 

I would take it to Deck 16 aft and leave it there.

 

This is the most offensive statement I have ever seen on CC.

[Outerdog]

10 minutes ago, billco said:

This is the most offensive statement I have ever seen on CC.

 

How offensive do you think the photos in post #16 are?

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I usually move the impeding item directly in front of the nearest cabin door.  If I put it in front of the wrong cabin you can bet the neighbor of the offending party will have something to say to them about it!  I know if I went to leave my cabin and a scooter/wheelchair was parked right in front of my door I'd be knocking, and loudly, on my neighbors door to  see if it belonged to them, and if so, give them a piece of my mind.  I respect that people have mobility issues and a right to use mobility aides.  They however DO NOT have the right to impede my access through public corridors by improperly stowing said aides when not in use, especially in the case of an emergency!

 

Edited to add that I usually GO TO guest relations and ask to speak to a member of the security staff and tell them where I found the item in question and notify them that I moved it in front of cabin #xxx to be able to move down the hall unimpeded.  If asked I will gladly provide my cabin number to the security staff.

 

I take this stuff seriously!

Edited January 1, 2020 by AtlantaCruiser72

[Hlitner]

I was hoping that CheungKP would jump in on this post.  Since he is absent I will make it clear that the parking of scooters (or wheelchairs) in the corridors is a serious violation of the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Regulations.  It is up to the cruise ship's staff to deal with the problem and have those scooters moved to inside the cabins or to another place where it would not impede any traffic flow (or block access to fire equipment).

 

We have been on some cruises where the staff is reluctant to intervene.  But if I see a scooter or wheelchair parked in the corridor at night I will usually bring it to the attention of staff (even if it means calling Guest Relations) and insisting it be moved.  Why?  I guess it goes back to my volunteer fire fighter days (about a century ago).  I do not appreciate somebody else taking it upon themselves to endanger my own safety.  I would emphasize that the ship/crew has no option.  It is absolutely prohibited to park those scooters in a corridor.  

 

We could also get into the topic of reckless scooter drivers, but that opens up another can of worms not to mention broken toes, ankles, and other injuries. 

 

Hank

[SargassoPirate]

22 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I was hoping that CheungKP would jump in on this post.  Since he is absent I will make it clear that the parking of scooters (or wheelchairs) in the corridors is a serious violation of the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) Regulations.  It is up to the cruise ship's staff to deal with the problem and have those scooters moved to inside the cabins or to another place where it would not impede any traffic flow (or block access to fire equipment).

 

We have been on some cruises where the staff is reluctant to intervene.  But if I see a scooter or wheelchair parked in the corridor at night I will usually bring it to the attention of staff (even if it means calling Guest Relations) and insisting it be moved.  Why?  I guess it goes back to my volunteer fire fighter days (about a century ago).  I do not appreciate somebody else taking it upon themselves to endanger my own safety.  I would emphasize that the ship/crew has no option.  It is absolutely prohibited to park those scooters in a corridor.  

 

We could also get into the topic of reckless scooter drivers, but that opens up another can of worms not to mention broken toes, ankles, and other injuries. 

 

Hank

Hank, I am a former professional firefighter, from back in the days when we rode the tailboard.

 

I have seen the results of blocked exits, and zipped more than one into a body bag.

 

Sadly, it will probably take a few bags on Princess and other lines until the staff start enforcing their own policies designed to protect us all.

 

 

[CruiseVA]

I'd be tempted to move it to the closest elevator area, and put a sign up in the hall pointing to where I moved it. But, i'd probably just call guest services to let them know about it. 😃

[Hlitner]

13 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Hank, I am a former professional firefighter, from back in the days when we rode the tailboard.

 

I have seen the results of blocked exits, and zipped more than one into a body bag.

 

Sadly, it will probably take a few bags on Princess and other lines until the staff start enforcing their own policies designed to protect us all.

 

 

The thing is that it not about "policy" but International Maritime Regulation!  Failure to enforce those SOLAS regulations are very serious violations.  There is no discretion...the rules are very clear!  Complaints to the USCG might bring some interesting consequences.  If nothing else the USCG could make a cruise line's life very miserable with constant inspections whenever their ships are in US ports.  When it happened a few times on another cruise line I mentioned to the Guest Relations Supervisor I was going to send an e-mail to the USCG (we were headed to a US Port).  That scooter was gone within a few minutes and was never seen again :).

 

 When we are cruising we try to avoid whining about anything.  Our philosophy is to enjoy ourselves and deal with most negative issues by later expressing our outrage here on CC and in our post cruise survey.  But issues related to life/safety are a different situation and I do not care who we alienate in an effort to get the situation quickly rectified.  The rules are clear, those scooters should be stored in the passenger's cabin.  You and I both know what happens in a fire (especially with heavy smoke) and I sure do not want to die because some idiot (and that is what they are) leaves their scooter in the corridor.  But passengers may not know better and it is on the crew to enforce safety rules.

 

Hank

[hobbyfarmer2]

6 hours ago, pms4104 said:

Princess will deal with this issue when the unthinkable occurs

 

Agree.  DW and I think it is most likely just a matter of time.

[billco]

It seems to me one solution might be to have a central place to store scooters. When one needs their scooter they could call room service. I believe the responsibility is with the cruise line if scooters are allowed, they should be accommodated.