Written by Chillie Falls, AccessAdventure.net, February 5, 2025
Today, award-winning journalist and researcher Catie Kovelman published an article on Cruise Hive about basic cruise ship etiquette that all cruisers should follow. (https://www.cruisehive.com/friendly-reminder-stop-leaving-cutlery-all-over-your-cruise-ship/159125)
Basically, I agree with Catie’s premise and conclusion.
However, I must object to one area of the article.
When discussing the need to return dishes and cutlery to where you got them and not leave the dirty dishes scattered all over the ship, Catie says, “The exception to this is if you order room service. The cabin stewards usually expect guests to leave their cutlery in the hallway when they are done and will collect the remnants of their meals as they spot them.”
This is problematic for anyone in the disabled community. Whether on a scooter, or like me, on a power wheelchair, those dirty dishes on the floor of the corridors on cruise ships present another unnecessary blockade to our getting around.
Allow me to explain from the above photo. I have rolled down the hallway. Keep in mind, I may have encountered several people walking in either direction. I may have had to navigate around the housekeeping carts and equipment being used to clean the rooms. Sometimes my chair does not fit past those carts. And I roll up to this mess in the floor that I can not get around. Remember, from my chair, I can not bend down and move the tray out of my way. All of that and I am just trying to get to the elevator.
Even worse, let’s say I came up to a housekeeping cart I could not get around, and had to back up to a turning point to turn the chair around. I cannot see behind me. And your tray is there. I hit it and food, dishes and glasses go up in the air and probably broken.
We, as a community, have enough barriers to deal with. Let’s not create barriers that are unnecessary. Why not place your dirty dishes in the doorway corner inside your stateroom and housekeeping can remove them. That is what I do.