A letter sent to passengers on one Royal Caribbean sailing about decorating cabin doors sparked a flurry of intrigue, but the general policy hasn't changed.
Decorating cruise ship cabin doors has been a fun tradition among passengers who like to share in their excitement of being on vacation. Plus, it's a way to personalize their temporary home.
When a letter was sent to guests on a Symphony of the Seas sailing about guidelines for decorating doors, it caught a lot of people's attention.
The letter was posted on Facebook, but has since been shared over and over out of context to the point it was recently picked up by Fox News and the New York Post. They reported it as a cruise line policy change, which it is not.
Here's what happened on Symphony of the Seas and what it means for decorating your cruise ship cabin door going forward.
What the letter actually means
The letter was sent on a recent Symphony of the Seas sailing earlier this year after multiple incidents on that particular sailing where cruise ship decorations were stolen or vandalized by other passengers.
This sort of behavior is not uncommon, but evidently on that one cruise, enough passengers complained to Guest Services about the issue that a ship-wide letter was necessary.
As a friendly reminder, stateroom door decorations must NOT:
• Use a lithium-powered light
• Cover the peep hole
• Pose a fire hazard
• Touch the door framePro-Tip: Magnetic decorations are an easy and fun way to adorn your stateroom!
Please Note: We expect guests to be mindful of your door display, but any decoration displayed outside of your stateroom door is done at your own risk. Royal Caribbean International is not responsible for any items on display that go missing outside of your room.
To be clear, Royal Caribbean did not ban or prohibit decorating your cabin door.
The intent of the letter is to explain to passengers crew members are not going to police when door decorations go missing for any reason. Essentially, decorate your cabin door at your own risk.
Royal Caribbean will not be responsible if/when your door decorations go missing or lost, and the ship's security team will not review security footage to see who exactly took anything off a stateroom door.
Royal Caribbean's door decorating policy remains unchanged
The cruise line's website lists decorating your door as permissible, as long as you don't damage the door or walls.
Specifically, you cannot use any adhesives that could damage the paint or look of the room. It's why magnets are preferred, since the door is made out of metal.
However, as the letter explains, you cannot use a lithium-powered light, anything that blocks the peep hole, or employ something that is a fire hazard.
The news sites went one step further and referenced a line in Royal Caribbean's Guest Conduct policy that says, "placing materials anywhere on the interior of the ship (including stateroom doors, along corridors, etc.), but that rule is taken out of context and misreported incorrectly.
That rule refers to the "inappropriate or abusive behavior" policy, meaning you cannot put up signs or banners anywhere on the ship deemed by ship management as inappropriate, or any other illegal or offensive conduct.
Basically, you can put up a sign on your door, unless it's inappropriate or offensive.
How to decorate your cruise ship door
In my over 20 years of cruising with Royal Caribbean, I've found door decorations can be a very fun way to share the excitement of being on vacation.
The easiest start is simply to buy or make magnets that tell folks who you are, what you're celebrating, or some other distinctive display.
In fact, Royal Caribbean sells cabin decorations that you can purchase pre-cruise to be put up on your door and inside your stateroom.
Perhaps the top reason to decorate your room is for a birthday.
It might seem silly, but a lot of other passengers will be decorating their doors and it becomes a fun way to personalize your room.
Some cruisers get very creative with magnets and will add a lot more pizazz. I've seen magnetic Scrabble games, dry erase boards, mailboxes and more.
Just remember, some people are inconsiderate and will walk by and do steal or move your magnets around. It's usually spur-of-the-moment stupidity, but people think they're funny. At any rate, don't put any decorations out there that you truly care about.
It's unlikely that will happen to your door, but it has occurred in the past. My advice is embrace the fun of going on a trip and decorate your room and hope for the best. But don't bother going to Guest Services if someone takes a magnet.
