A guest is heading ashore for dinner. On her way past she unclips a heavy diamond bracelet, presses it into your hand and says "just pop that somewhere safe, darling, do not worry about the paperwork." She is already walking away. What you do in the next sixty seconds is the difference between a routine evening and the worst month of your career.
The two safes
- The guest safe in the cabin. The guest sets the code. Ideally you never know it, never open it and never put anything in it. Its contents are the guest's business.
- The ship's safe, controlled by the captain or purser, with a strictly limited list of people who hold the combination. This is where high-value items go when the vessel takes custody.
Who holds the combination is a security control, not a convenience. If you are given a code, you do not share it, write it on a whiteboard, or tell a colleague "in case".
The receipt: every time, no exceptions
The moment a guest hands you something valuable, you have taken custody. Custody must be documented before you walk away with it.
- Write it down — date, time, exact description (metal, stones, colour, brand, any damage already present), the guest's name, your name.
- Photograph it — the item, all sides, in good light, before it leaves your hands.
- Get a witness — a colleague sees the item, sees the entry, and signs.
- Give a receipt — a written, signed note handed to the guest.
- Hand it on — to the chief stew or purser, and log that transfer too.
Do this even when the guest waves it away. Especially then. The guest saying "do not bother" is not consent, it is politeness, and it will not be remembered in three days when the bracelet cannot be found.
Description discipline
| You wrote | Problem | Better |
|---|---|---|
| "Gold bracelet" | Describes ten thousand objects | "Yellow metal bracelet, approx 18cm, eleven clear stones, one setting empty" |
| "Watch" | Useless | "Steel sports watch on steel bracelet, black dial, date at 3, scratch on clasp" |
| "In good condition" | An opinion you may have to defend | Photographs, plus noted marks |
Never appraise. You are not a valuer and you must never write a value on a receipt. Describe, do not estimate.
The pre-existing damage note
If the item already has a scratch, a bent claw, a stain, a stopped movement — record it at the moment you receive it, out loud, to your witness, and in the log with a photograph. A fault you did not document is a fault you caused, as far as anyone else is concerned.
Onboard Notes
- Custody starts the second it touches your hand. Document before you move.
- Write, photograph, witness, receipt, hand over. Five steps, ninety seconds.
- "Do not worry about the paperwork" is exactly when you do the paperwork.
- Never write a value. Describe the object, not its worth.