Money & Jewelry Taken From Safes On Century

[newmexicoNita]

I don't trust cabin safes or hotel safes. Therefore, I do not take any expensive jewellery.

I was having a discussion on our last cruise with a woman at our table that had some beautiful pieces of jewellery with her. I asked her if she wasn't nervous travelling with them. She said she tried to wear them all the time, even at ports. Personally, I don't want someone cutting of my fingers to get at a ring. It sounds like a huge exaggeration but at some ports you just don't know.

So I just wear "Fabulous Fakes" that I buy on board the ship or at home.

Gee I don't have much expensive jewelry, I don't have to worry. LOL

[newmexicoNita]

This has me EXTREMELY concerned! We are sailing the Infinity in July. I guess the safest thing to do is get cash from the casino using your credit card??:confused: I don't want to carry cash with us everywhere we go on the ship! Can I ask, was it taken while you were on the ship or while you were in port, or do you know?

WE never travel with much cash: use the casino or get travelers checks or a little of both. NMNita

[RhondaPerr]

I have been on many cruises and I have never had anything taken ever. Infact, on one of our last cruises we had cleaned out our safe, but a good sum of money and our travellers checks( had fallen sideways against the side of the safe ( the travellers checks wallet blended in with the carpet in the safe) and I left them there. We called the ship when we got home and they told us that they would check with the room steward. Sure enough he had found it, and had gone to report it. A few days later we got back every cent.

 

Did this happen because we had the best steward ever, and had more than doubled his tip, we will never know...but we were so grateful. Another time an earring fell out of my jewel pouch and the steward made sure it got to us at home. After reading what people have been posting though I think that even though its a pain in the neck I will use the Pursers safe.

[thomasale]

my wife lost her engagement ring in the room once and we had that returned by Celebrity staff after we had left the ship...we were amazed. I have always left my casino chips on our desk along with my wallet and other valuables and have never had a problem. I guess we are lucky

[Nliedel]

What disturbs me is the mention that perhaps people should leave jewelry at home and not wear it on a cruise. In my opinion if you take reasonable precautions and don't wear it in port then why not? Why shouldn't I feel safe using the cabin safes? Isn't that what they are there for? Why own something I cannot wear?

 

While Celebrity should not have to watchdog everyone clearly the OP is in the right here. They have a legitimate complaint, are not threatening to sue for millions nor asking for something for nothing. Just that reasonable steps be taken to find whoever took this and cover the costs that homeowners insurance will not. RCI dodging this, and I am a long time line loyalist, seems more than fishy and is a great disappointment to me.

[EGG]

What a nightmare scenario for the cruise operators.

 

On our last cruise (our 8th) we came back to our room early in the trip to see that we had left the safe open. Later in the trip my husband (who is great at keeping a budget) realized that 100 euros was missing. Did we leave it home since I had made several trips to my credit union to buy euros (they had a limit)? Did we lose it along the way (doubtful since we had used bellybags)? Did someone steal it out of the safe in the hotel (At that time, I didn't know they could steal money out of the safe)? Was it accidentally stuck to another bill when we paid cash to the limo driver, gelato seller, etc.? Were we wrong in our calculations? We decided to just forget it and enjoy the trip. We went ahead and gave our cabin stewards the standard tip. I thought about telling Celebrity to see if there were any complaints against either of the stewards but I just didn't know.

 

When we got off the ship in Barcelona my husband found a 50 euro note lying in the street at the limo pickup.

 

The moral to this story is that some other passenger may think that 50 euros was stolen from them.

 

Think of the nightmare for Celebrity having to reimburse everyone who says they lost money, everyone who's memory is not quite as good as it should be, people who drink too much, gamble too much, carry a wallet and put it down somewhere and aren't careful. If you don't think there are people who will say money was stolen from their cabin just to be reimbursed you are dreaming.

 

I fully believe the person who started this tread when they say their stuff was taken. And when 8 cabins in the same area have a problem that is something that should not be ignored. At the very least, if the cruise operatiors kept a log of complaints they might either see a pattern or the stewards would be more honest. Unfortunately we are used to seeing all these crimes solved on tv and we think it is easy.

 

To cruisers:

Celebrity charges nothing to cash travelers checks. Since travelers checks are free from almost every bank, that is a good choice for part of your money. I also have nothing against charging to my sea bill. I get frequent flyer miles when I pay the credit card bill.

 

Jewelry should be insured. Otherwise leave it home or worry about your every move. Most of us don't care what jewelry you wear.

 

To the cruise ship operators:

Keep a log of complaints so you can look for a pattern. If people complain about their safes not working properly, fix it. Be a little more responsive.

 

Okay, there's my two cents.

[Eleris]

EGG your post says it all - we make mistakes and any pattern should be dealt with. Use some intelligence when traveling and have some accountability for your actions or lack of. Good points made all around!

[LindaandJeff]

A $2,600 diamond bracelet was stolen from my carry-on bag the final day of a weeklong Royal Caribbean cruise. I had taken the bracelet out of the safe, tucked it into my carry-on bag and grabbed a quick breakfast. I was only gone an hour and assumed the bracelet would be safe because the ship said there would be no cabin service that day. When I arrived home, I discovered the bracelet missing.

 

Why (and I am not trying to flame here...I'm only trying to understand) oh why would anyone casually tuck a $2,600 bracelet into a carryon and not have it in a jewelry bag or other proper container? If the owner didn't notice it was missing until she got home, how does she know that she didn't lose it on the plane, going through security in the airport, in a restroom, in the cab, car, bus, or a snack bar or that it didn't fall out of her purse any of the million other times that her purse probably tipped over or was laid down on a travel day? :confused:

[Eleris]

LindaandJeff you hit it right on the head! I never bought the story to begin with. Who would put an expensive piece of jewelery in an outside pocket unlocked in a suitcase. Women either wear the jewelery or put it in their purse! Why would you leave anything of value like that unattended unless you didn't own it to begin with and you are looking for freebies from the cruiseline. It doesn't add up. :confused:

[hollym]

Always a disturbing trend on these message boards and this thread is, after all, about the OP who experienced a theft from a locked cabin safe not the woman who lost her bracelet from her carryon.:mad:

 

DH and I have always put our valuables (passports, wallets, cash and jewelry) into the Celebrity safes and assumed all was just that, SAFE. :( I don't believe I will ever do so again, given your experience. Thanks for posting this important 'heads up' to the boards.

 

I am appalled at the runaround you've gotten from Celebrity home office about this. It certainly appears they are hoping you'll just get frustrated and go away so obviously your business isn't that important to them. Keep that in mind the next time you book a cruise.:p Please keep posting so if there is an eventual outcome, we'll know it.

[bassque]

Always a disturbing trend on these message boards and this thread is, after all, about the OP who experienced a theft from a locked cabin safe not the woman who lost her bracelet from her carryon.:mad:

 

DH and I have always put our valuables (passports, wallets, cash and jewelry) into the Celebrity safes and assumed all was just that, SAFE. :( I don't believe I will ever do so again, given your experience. Thanks for posting this important 'heads up' to the boards.

 

I am appalled at the runaround you've gotten from Celebrity home office about this. It certainly appears they are hoping you'll just get frustrated and go away so obviously your business isn't that important to them. Keep that in mind the next time you book a cruise.:p Please keep posting so if there is an eventual outcome, we'll know it.

 

HollyM, Thanks for getting this back on track. We have learned quite a bit from this experience and from these posts regarding safes, extra cash and expensive jewelry but we had NEVER had a problem before and are/were EXTREMELY LOYAL X and RCCL cruisers. Our whole intent was simply to let fellow X cruisers know two main things: The "safes" aren't always safe and how Celebrity was treating 30 year customers regarding this matter. Our latest run-around happened yesterday when our letter to Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean, came back to us as "undeliverable to this address" and "unable to forward." The only mistake I could see on the address was that we referred to Mr. Fain as "President" of RCCI and not Chairman and CEO. However, I think the main office could have figured out that mistake. Everything else was correct. So, we re-addressed it and sent it off again. Stay tuned.

[lysolqn]

I came across this thread on Cruise Critic prior to leaving on a cruise from which we've just returned. Needless to say, I was disturbed by the original post because we always leave cash, wallets, passports and jewelry in the cabin safe. After 30+ cruises, I began to wonder just how safe the cabin safes we've been using really were. As luck would have it, the safe in our cabin on this most recent cruise wouldn't accept the code we entered and we had to call for assistance. We watched as the "fix-it" man remedied the problem and happened to notice the code he used to open and lock the safe prior to asking us to program our own code. Trust me when I say it wouldn't take a brain surgeon to figure out the pass code he used. Clearly, once gaining access to a cabin, an unscrupulous crew member or fellow passenger inclined to "break and enter" could do so without much trouble. Fortunately for the vast majority of passengers who rely on cabin safes (as we continue to do), the safes are fine, but we should all be mindful that they're not necessarily 100% secure.

[frugal one]

I HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE AS THE ABOVE POSTER. I ENTERED MY CODE AND THEN PROCEEDED TO GET LOCKED OUT. MUST'VE ENTERED IT WRONG.

 

CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE AND THE CREW MEMBER ENTERED THE "MASTER" CODE RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY EYEBALLS!!!

 

I LOOKED AT HUBBY AND HUBBY LOOKED AT ME WITH COMPLETE DISBELIEF. ANY UNSCRUPULOUS PERSON COULD JUST SAY THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO OPEN THE SAFE, HAVE SECURITY COME, AND THEN HAVE THE MASTER CODE :confused: :eek:

 

SOLUTION: TRAVELORS CHECK AND LEAVE VALUABLES AT HOME :)

[bassque]

I HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE AS THE ABOVE POSTER. I ENTERED MY CODE AND THEN PROCEEDED TO GET LOCKED OUT. MUST'VE ENTERED IT WRONG.

 

CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE AND THE CREW MEMBER ENTERED THE "MASTER" CODE RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY EYEBALLS!!!

 

I LOOKED AT HUBBY AND HUBBY LOOKED AT ME WITH COMPLETE DISBELIEF. ANY UNSCRUPULOUS PERSON COULD JUST SAY THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO OPEN THE SAFE, HAVE SECURITY COME, AND THEN HAVE THE MASTER CODE :confused: :eek:

 

SOLUTION: TRAVELORS CHECK AND LEAVE VALUABLES AT HOME :)

 

Frugal one, We found out after the cruise when contacting the other person on our deck who's safe was burglarized that the security officer they talked to on Century had the nerve to tell them that each time shipboard personnel has to open a safe that is giving a customer problems that they have to call the safe company, give that company the serial number off the particular safe and then get a code to open that particular safe. Pretty amazing story, eh? When the cruisers scoffed at this fabrication and asked what happens on a holiday or in the middle of the night they said the security officer became very defensive and ended the conversation.

Your post really shows that the security officer wasn't being truthful to them. Thanks for your information and your solution.

[turquoisesea]

This thread certainly is an eye-opener. There is mention of this subject right now on the Princess board and someone there also suggested using the safety deposit boxes at the pursers desk. Does anyone know - do they still have them on the newer ships? Back in the old days (80's) we used the boexes at the purser's desk because there were no room safes. It never occurred to me that the newer mega ships would also have safety deposit boxes. Anyone know??

[bassque]

UPDATE ON X'S ATTITUDE REGARDING OUR BURGLARY--Yesterday we got a letter (Our first contact from X) from an "Adjuster/Personal Property Representative" in the Guest Claims Department of Celebrity Cruises.

The first sentence of her letter should give any reader a clear understanding of X's attitude. The sentence was, "We are in receipt of your letter regarding your allegation for missing money."

She went on to state that the money and jewelry we "allegedly" lost were valuables and X is not responsible for their loss according to our ticket contract.

She also said they had "no evidence that any member of the ship's staff had accessed our safe so they cannot assume liability for our loss. We are denying your claim..."

SOMEONE ENTERED OUR ROOM, OPENED OUR SAFE AND TOOK MONEY AND JEWELRY. This is not an "allegaiton," it is a fact. That someone was very probably a crew member. How could a fellow passenger get access, not only to our room and safe, but to at least one other cabin and safe?

She did say that, "We have reported your allegation to the FBI, Miami."

There were no "we're sorrys" or "if there's anything else we can do to help" included in the letter. This is so sad because X and RCCL were our favorite ships. It's obvious they don't give a rip about us after 30 years of cruising.

This has been a very eye-opening experience that, hopefully, no one else will have to endure. However, I wouldn't hold my breath.......

[Nliedel]

With everything you did to bring this to their attention I am shocked by their attitude. I suppose I should not be surprised but that darn Pollyanna attitude dies harder than I like to admit.

 

I am so terribly sorry about that letter.

[hermang]

UPDATE ON X'S ATTITUDE REGARDING OUR BURGLARY--Yesterday we got a letter (Our first contact from X) from an "Adjuster/Personal Property Representative" in the Guest Claims Department of Celebrity Cruises.

The first sentence of her letter should give any reader a clear understanding of X's attitude. The sentence was, "We are in receipt of your letter regarding your allegation for missing money."

She went on to state that the money and jewelry we "allegedly" lost were valuables and X is not responsible for their loss according to our ticket contract.

She also said they had "no evidence that any member of the ship's staff had accessed our safe so they cannot assume liability for our loss. We are denying your claim..."

SOMEONE ENTERED OUR ROOM, OPENED OUR SAFE AND TOOK MONEY AND JEWELRY. This is not an "allegaiton," it is a fact. That someone was very probably a crew member. How could a fellow passenger get access, not only to our room and safe, but to at least one other cabin and safe?

She did say that, "We have reported your allegation to the FBI, Miami."

There were no "we're sorrys" or "if there's anything else we can do to help" included in the letter. This is so sad because X and RCCL were our favorite ships. It's obvious they don't give a rip about us after 30 years of cruising.

This has been a very eye-opening experience that, hopefully, no one else will have to endure. However, I wouldn't hold my breath.......

IMHO what you received was a form letter from some flack at the office doing what she was told to do by another super flack. I would copy the letter and send to Dan Hanrahan and Richard Fain and politely tell them your rebuttal namely that Celebrity can very easily tell who entered the room and if they are not responsible - why put a safe in the room in the first place

[thomasale]

Once again the "ticket contract" comes into play. I believe that this attitude by X is based on people's tendencies to get what they can. While I certainly believe your story if they were to compensate you the lineup of "thefts" would be neverending. Sorry for you and your loss...

[hollym]

Bassque,

Celebrity has changed their executives so often in the last couple of years I have trouble keeping up with them, so its no wonder your letter was returned. ;) Maybe people in the home office just don't know who's running the show. :rolleyes:

 

The posts to this board about how ship's personnel opened safes with a code and weren't at all discreet about it, is a real eye opener. I'm never going to approach a hotel or cruise ship safe as a secure place again. Sorry that your experience brought you no resolution, but it sure wizened me up. Thanks for that!

 

Were I you, I'd find another cruise line. Celebrity could have offered you coupons for a discount on a future cruise, and chose instead to fall back on their legal team. Legal yes, sensible no! Its not good business to p..s off the long time loyal passengers. P.S. My next cruise is on NCL.:eek:

[tangerinebunny]

Can you at least double check with the Miami FBI to see that the report was made?

[bassque]

Can you at least double check with the Miami FBI to see that the report was made?

 

I have yet to be able to get through to the FBI in Miami. Thanks for your suggestion. I'll keep trying next week.

[Squirtreena]

Wow i have always thought my stuff was totally safe in a safe that i chose the combination to...how awful...

[Host Kewlguy]

Personally, I'm always suspicious of people with 0 posts who tell negative stories on this web site.

[Host Kewlguy]

HollyM, Thanks for getting this back on track. We have learned quite a bit from this experience and from these posts regarding safes, extra cash and expensive jewelry but we had NEVER had a problem before and are/were EXTREMELY LOYAL X and RCCL cruisers. Our whole intent was simply to let fellow X cruisers know two main things: The "safes" aren't always safe and how Celebrity was treating 30 year customers regarding this matter.

 

30 year customers and you are only select members? That seems odd. I would have thought you would at least be at the elite level after three decades of sailing with RCCL/X. Also the cabin you mentioned being in is on deck 9. Century has no deck 12.