I saw a man steal a bathroom!

[sally r]

I could not believe what I saw at disembarkation from the Radiance on May 27th. A passenger had a luggage cart heaped with bags and one was a large, clear beach type tote. It was in very plain view. I coud easily make out several towels, soap, a roll of toilet paper and several of the bags for feminine products disposal. It all appeared to be from the ship. I was in such shock I didn't think to take a picture. I would bet my next cruise that there was more in that bag. I think he (they) stripped the cabin of everything that was not nailed down.

 

Anyone else ever see something like this?

[PhoenixCruiser]

Not on a cruise ship, however I used to work in Human Resources of a 5 Star Resort. Occasionally we would do locker checks of the uniformed employees. What I found was amazing -- 5 rolls of TP, A1 bottles, Salt and Pepper Shakers and that was in one locker alone - a salaried Manager. Some people just amaze me :eek:

 

###

[cb at sea]

Let's just hope the items were from his own cabin--and the charge for the items were put on his credit card!!!

[Alexis]

I could not believe what I saw at disembarkation from the Radiance on May 27th. A passenger had a luggage cart heaped with bags and one was a large, clear beach type tote. It was in very plain view. I coud easily make out several towels, soap, a roll of toilet paper and several of the bags for feminine products disposal. It all appeared to be from the ship. I was in such shock I didn't think to take a picture. I would bet my next cruise that there was more in that bag. I think he (they) stripped the cabin of everything that was not nailed down.

 

Anyone else ever see something like this?

 

Yes, we have seen people take things. The worst was:

We sailed on the Adventure in 2001 when she was just than 2 months old. On the last night of the cruise, the dining room was at least 50 - 75% or more empty of people. No people, no tips for the waiters and such.

This was confirmed by our assistant waiter.

The next morning while waiting to be called for disembarkation, we sat in the Promenade. We saw our assistant waiter who had been assigned to do the coffee/sandwich snack bar in the Promenade for her next weeks assignment. She came over to sit and talk to us. While we were there, the passengers came to that area and took every single thing they could steal. The sugar packets, the tea bags, the cocoa packets, stirrers, cups, creamers, the napkins. They cleaned out every single thing they could find. It was like a stealing frenzy.

We were told that this happened every cruise, all over the ship where there were such items. In the Windjammer at breakfast it was a thief's delight.

As we were sitting there, the couples at our table, who did not show up on the last night, started to walk past us to leave. They saw our assistant waiter sitting with us and they turned around and ran the other way. They had been seen by her too. That is when she told us that this is the normal behavior on the Adventure on every cruise. No tips and a lot of things being taken.

That was in 2001. What it is like today, I do not know.

[time4u2go]

Let's just hope the items were from his own cabin--and the charge for the items were put on his credit card!!!

I would hope so, but I would bet not.:( I'm guessing that people taking stuff is pretty common, and the stewards are probably so busy turning around the cabins for the next cruise that they don't bother. Too bad.

[Laoghaire]

HI...How about someone stealing a LAMP from one of the sitting areas?? This happened on our Sovereign OTS cruise way back in 1988! DH was walking through the area and saw this older woman trying to stuff one of the lamps in a big carryon. Fortunately, she was seen and stopped. My, oh, my!

Helen

[windjamming]

HI...How about someone stealing a LAMP from one of the sitting areas?? This happened on our Sovereign OTS cruise way back in 1988! DH was walking through the area and saw this older woman trying to stuff one of the lamps in a big carryon. Fortunately, she was seen and stopped. My, oh, my!

Helen

 

ROFL!!! What's scary about these incidents isn't so much that they're stealing things (which is bad enough) it's that they're doing it in plain sight like there's nothing wrong with it.

[MrsPete]

Not on a cruise ship, however I used to work in Human Resources of a 5 Star Resort. Occasionally we would do locker checks of the uniformed employees. What I found was amazing -- 5 rolls of TP, A1 bottles, Salt and Pepper Shakers and that was in one locker alone - a salaried Manager. Some people just amaze me :eek:

 

###

A couple years ago I caught a student stealing toilet paper from the high school where I teach. Thinking that he was up to no good and planned to "TP" someone's house, I confronted him. He broke down in tears and told me that he didn't have toilet paper at his house. I allowed him to take the stuff home.

 

I checked with the guidance office later to see if he was lying to me, and his counselor told me that this kid was indeed living in dire, dire poverty and his story probably was true.

 

Of course, that has nothing to do with cruisers taking everything off the ship, nor does it have anything to do with adults stealing from their employers. But I feel horrible for kids who grow up in these situations. I thought I grew up poor, but we always had toilet paper -- and we didn't have to steal it.

[Alexis]

I just remembered the funniest thing I saw someone try to steal. We were on the Cunard Countess and it was the Grand Buffet night. They had all these great looking things made out of bread. You could see that they had like a varnish on them and that they were not edible. Just decorations.

This little old, and I mean old lady, walked up to the table and took this "bread " alligator that was about 3 feet long. She started to walk away with it and one of the chefs ran after her and tried to take it back. She would not let go of it and said that it was on a buffet table and therefore she could take it. It was a tug of war.

He kept telling her that it was for display only, but she just kept clutching that alligator saying it was hers and would not listen.

Finally the Head Waiter came over and politely told her that she must let go of it and put it back. She finally gave it up and stormed off really mad.

I have to say, that was the funniest thing I have seen someone try to take.

Every time I see those bread things on a cruise buffet, I think of that little old lady. :)

[Fun1]

HI...How about someone stealing a LAMP from one of the sitting areas?? This happened on our Sovereign OTS cruise way back in 1988! DH was walking through the area and saw this older woman trying to stuff one of the lamps in a big carryon. Fortunately, she was seen and stopped. My, oh, my!

Helen

If my memory serves me, I remember hearing about that when I was on the SOS in 1988. I also saw a man dive over the top sun deck, notified the front desk, and they did nothing. They weren't alarmed.

[Treven]

I remember reading on one of these boards about this one old lady who at every meal would steal some dish/plate off the table. It seemed she took several cruises on the same ship & she was putting together a service for 8 for her home. It takes all kinds.

[Cruise Gopher]

A Friend of Mine took a bunch of bathroom stuff from a Holland America Cruise. His main floor bathroom is now totally decked out in HAL memorabilia. It is pretty cool.

[ImpulsivePuppy]

ok, the only thing i ever took from a ship was a tiny tea-stirring spoon. and the only reason was for our ds who was barely a year at the time. we had been looking for something exactly that size. i know it was wrong, but after hearing about the lady trying to stuff a lamp in her purse :eek: i feel an eensy bit less guilty.

[Ericknow32]

Since we are confessing, I once walked by the steward's cart and stole a handful of pillow chocolates.

 

The funny thing is that at the end of the cruise my steward gave me a bagful of them to take home.

[pharaoh]

Unrelated to cruises, but I once stole a roll of toilet paper from a men's bathroom in the poolhouse of an apartment complex I lived at....

 

Its okay, though. Karma kicked me in the butt when I broke my house key in half while trying to get it out. Don't even ask how that happened haha.

 

We are all shameful people. But at least none of us have tried to steal a lamp :cool:

[Polish Falcon]

In the Serenades first year, we cruised with a couple who took everything that was not nailed down!

 

All the usual items - Hot Choc Packs, sugar packs, TP, Pillow Mints, Towels, etc...

We noticed this and he said "they expect you to take these"...........

 

Unusual Items - They constantly called for Ice to make drinks with their smuggled boooze and kept all the buckets! They had a 3 foot long stack of them!

Robes - They stole their Robes!

They were given a FREE Upgrade from Balcony GTY to JS and they stole the Robes from the cabin!!!!!!!!!

 

PS - Because you get a key to the conceirege lounge with a JS we hardly ever saw this couple. It was a 5 night cruise and they never made it to the DR the whole cruise.

They spent their whole cruise on their balcony, casino or watching the World Series - drinking their smuggled booze and free drinks from the CL and eating room service and trays of food he carried down from the Windjammer.......Yikes - that was our last cruise with them..........

[Nliedel]

I have a family member who used to send me soaps from hotels and things for Christmas every year. They would steal them off the maids carts. I asked this person to please stop and was upbraided for being, "ungrateful." It caused a huge problem (I just mentioned that I was not comfortable, but it got out to the rest of the family in a rather unflattering way) in my family. We agreed to stop exchanging gifts after that. I stopped eating out with this person because of all the things they grabbed off the tables. I just felt embarrassed every time.

[zotzer]

This little old, and I mean old lady, walked up to the table and took this "bread " alligator that was about 3 feet long.

 

Oh Alexis, what a wonderful visual! This one will stick with me, and I'll pull it out of the memory banks every time I need a smile! :)

 

Tracy

[RevSmith]

I honestly don't know what is happening to people...have some become viod of any moral or ethical judgement. I know that many do not see their own errors and are always pointing fingers and making judgements...but it seems that now a days, stealing, lieing, denying and such are normal, even with our public figuers like sports people and tv and movie people and of corse it's now only natural to expect politicians to lie! What has become of us? Why does the common thought seem to be what's in it for me...or what can I get? It is so sad...not funny, sad!

[isujim]

I personally have never seen any of this going on........on any of our cruises...........how sad..........

 

But it sounds like there may be some new "Quest" categories if it continues.:rolleyes:

[cruznsugs]

I remember as a kid (about 8 or 9) my grandmother took me to a dinner theater called 3 little bakers. I never saw so many people with food and pastries piled so high on their plate. As soon as the lights went down and the play began. All you heard was the rustling of aluminum foil and seran wrap. These woman brought their own and would stuff their purses with anything they can get their hands on. Talk about being mortified as a kid.

[judy&steve]

We were on the Serenade earlier this year and I use Splenda in my coffee. Because I am well aware that most places still don't offer Splenda, I carry my own with me. When the waiter came by to fill our coffee I noticed that there was a yellow packet of splenda on the bottom of her cart. I asked about it and she told me that the ship stocks Splenda, but on request only. She said that people steal it and it is so expensive that they have to hide it.

When I was a kid, it was always a big deal about stealing towels from hotels. I remember being told years later that when a hotel logo is on an item, i.e., soap, shampoo, ashtrays, it is advertising and they expect people to take them. Towels, sheets, etc. are usually unmarked and therefore not advertising.

This is why the art on the walls and the lamps on the tables are bolted down. I must confess that I have removed a box of Kleenex or two from a hotel or ship upon occasion. Nothing else.

Trust me, whoever stole the robes from the cabin got charged for them.

They must have been convincing liars, because they didn't get Concierge lounge privileges with a JS.

--Judy

[JoFromFL]

I remember as a kid (about 8 or 9) my grandmother took me to a dinner theater called 3 little bakers. I never saw so many people with food and pastries piled so high on their plate. As soon as the lights went down and the play began. All you heard was the rustling of aluminum foil and seran wrap. These woman brought their own and would stuff their purses with anything they can get their hands on. Talk about being mortified as a kid.

 

Boy did this bring back memories! When I was a teenager, I went to a buffet dinner with my boyfriend's family. Going through the line, everyone kept telling me to "have some chicken." I kept politely refusing, not wanting any chicken. Finally, his mother told me very sternly to "HAVE SOME CHICKEN!" So, I added two pieces of chicken to my plate. As we sat down to eat, I felt a hand tap my leg and heard a strange noise. I looked down to discover they were passing a plastic bag under the table for everyone to deposit the fried chicken into. I was horrified and really embarassed. Later that night, on the drive home, they broke out the bag of chicken in the car and started passing it around.

 

Did I mention that these people had a very comfortable income and had paid cash for their very nice 6 bedroom house? :eek: I guess that's how they did it.

[Alexis]

Oh Alexis, what a wonderful visual! This one will stick with me, and I'll pull it out of the memory banks every time I need a smile! :)

 

Tracy

 

On your next cruise and every single one after that, you will smile if they have those "varnished bread items" on the Grand Buffets. :D

[Polish Falcon]

They did have a key to the lounge because I went with him one morning to get coffee from there.

 

Maybe it was a GS or if it was JS they gave them the key because they moved them out of their original cabin because their neighbors complained about cigarette smoke.

 

But he DID have a key.............