Duties of a cabin steward(?)

[NMLady]

I just read a review that panned NCL's sevice...from the waiters to the cabin stewards. For that reason they are returning to RC. Fine! Different strokes. etc., etc.. However, having been on a few RC cruises, they are not perfect either!

 

But back to cabin stewards...she said they left a glass of soda on her night table for 4 days until she 'reported' it and that they did not pickup/fold any clothes laying around. (First, how would they know this was a 'disposable' drink? I'd have left it too!)

 

I have never expected a cabin steward to do anything other than make the bed, leave ice, clean the bathroom a little and leave clean towels, and dump the trash. For that reason I keep the cabin ship-shape (pun intended) and nothing out-of-place or laying around. I consider him/her a cabin steward, not my personal maid.

 

Am I in the majority or the minority?? Just wondering...........

 

I agree with you. It is not the job of the cabin steward to take care of a passenger's clothes. And I agree that when a partly filled glass is on a

night table, the steward might think the person is saving it. Just because a cabin steward leaves it there is no reason to complain imo.

Cabin stewards have so much to do and so many cabins to do that I marvel they get it all done with such a pleasant attitude.

They are 'cabin' stewards not 'personal' stewards, so you're right that hanging up clothes is NOT part of their job.

[lgfromdg]

It always amazes me when I walk past an open room, on a ship or in a hotel, and see how messy some people leave their rooms. I don't think anyone who cleans a room should have to pick up people's messes.

[Travelingclerk]

I just read a review that panned NCL's sevice...from the waiters to the cabin stewards. For that reason they are returning to RC. Fine! Different strokes. etc., etc.. However, having been on a few RC cruises, they are not perfect either!

 

But back to cabin stewards...she said they left a glass of soda on her night table for 4 days until she 'reported' it and that they did not pickup/fold any clothes laying around. (First, how would they know this was a 'disposable' drink? I'd have left it too!)

 

I have never expected a cabin steward to do anything other than make the bed, leave ice, clean the bathroom a little and leave clean towels, and dump the trash. For that reason I keep the cabin ship-shape (pun intended) and nothing out-of-place or laying around. I consider him/her a cabin steward, not my personal maid.

 

Am I in the majority or the minority?? Just wondering...........

 

I don't care what cruise line you use that attitude is just WRONG. If she wanted a maid she should have brought one with her!

[2Cruise4Ever]

I don't care what cruise line you use that attitude is just WRONG. If she wanted a maid she should have brought one with her!

 

I agree... and to think she reduced her DSC because of it... that's what really irks me. These people work so hard... and usually send most of their money home to support their families... it sickens me to think someone who is THAT picky was taking food away from someone's family member.

 

On our last cruise on the Jewel, after a beach day, we came back to the cabin after dinner to find that our Cabin Steward, David, had cleaned our pool shoes!!! :D THAT we did not expect. I was planning to wash them out myself. We gave him an EXTRA tip at the end.

[gooch47]

I can't stand it when the cabin is even a little bit messy. So we keep it pretty much picked up. But my hubby often leaves out a shirt that he intends to wear again, usually draped over the chair. I am always impressed to find it neatly folded. If I could just train the DH to do that.

[redpatti]

I think these folks work very hard and that if you treat them well, they will do their best to be good to you as well. Kindness and a smile will go a long way. Bet if more people started out this way, they would be much happier with the service they receive. :)

[chrisc71]

The same review also talked about chair saving. I have yet to read which line this is not an issue on at some point.

[buckirj1]

For a real education, take a walk down the hallway when the stewards are busy in the cabins and have the doors propped open:eek: Some of those cabins look like hazmat areas. I don't get it; cabins are small enough without leaving your junk lie wherever you dropped it.

 

I don't even need service every day. Usually once during the cruise, I leave the dial set to "do not disturb" and hang out in the cabin most of the day watching movies. It's a rare treat for me.

 

I also tend to re-use towels, just like I do at home. I bring my own washcloth (I can't stand the heavy thick ones cruiselines use--makes me feel like I'm not scrubbing myself properly) and fold it neatly over the shower rod, just like home. The stewards have never bothered it.

[Bug & Sprouts]

 

If I had room service I leave the dishes out in the hall.

 

 

If you call room service when you're done with your dishes they will come pick them up right away. On our cruise when we had some good swells, we saw people tripping over dishes people left on trays out in the hallways. One was an elderly lady that did fall cause her cane caught on the tray as she side-stepped from the waves. So this is really not a good idea.

[cod]

I asked our cabin steward which to do, outside the door (I've never done that but see a lot of folks do) or in the room. He said 'whatever you want to do'. We only have coffee + from RS in the morning so when we leave the cabin, it's on the desk for when he makes up the room...we've never had anything delivered during the day that we might have to look at the dirty dishes from for a long time! I might have to go to a plan B were that the case.

 

Someone mentioned hanging up their towels for reuse. We always do (very neatly I might add) and usually they are not replaced. On a couple of cruises though they were taken down and clean ones put in their place. Never quite understood that.

[GriffinAlexander]

We just got back from the Epic on a week long cruise , 4/7-4-14. We had a great steward, and treated him with courtesy, kindness and respect (and tips).

 

We asked for plenty of ice. Probably more questions than he was equipped to answer being our first cruise. We didn't ask for help putting away our luggage or anything like that. Any time we had food in our room during the week, if it was there overnight he'd take it away the next day and make a point of mentioning it to us in the hall or when he saw us to see if it was ok that he took it. If we wanted something to stay, like fruit or something like a dessert, we'd cover it in plastic so he knew not to take it. He was very appreciative of the tips he received.

 

I know these guys make about 800 bucks a month, which is a lot of money for where they live. But they also are usually supporting children and wives back home and spend 9 months at a time away from them. It's not easy on them to smile at everyone and be nice to everyone when they are working hard to keep everyone happy and so far from their own families and friends. We took a little time to let our steward know that we understood how hard it must be for him and how much he was appreciated. These are good people. They don't do anything bad, they sacrifice their lives with their families to give their families a better life.

 

I play the slots, and the nights I did well, I'd tip my steward a 20. He ended up with 80 bucks for the week for a balcony room for 2. He didn't have to do anything out of the ordinary except maybe give us some directions the first few days. I think he liked us too, because when i was stuck in my room with a migraine, he came in to turn down the bed. I told him I'd go out to the balcony so he could do what he needed to. After he was done he called me in to show me how he makes his towel animals. I think that having guests who are sincerely willing to be friendly with them and talk for a few minutes once in awhile helps make them less lonely on that ship.

 

We filled out 2 comment cards praising our steward, Edwin, because he did such a good job and made us feel so welcome that we wanted to come back, and indeed booked the same room in the hopes that we'd get him again as our steward. We also know from talking to him that some of the guests treat the stewards like crap, expect a lot more than what they're supposed to do. They usually do whatever is asked of them, but I know they don't like it when they're treated poorly. They are people. People who are doing a lot more than many of us have had to do for our families, and who are happy to do it in order to improve the lot of their people. If someone feels the need to ask more than they should of their steward, at the very least they should show them some appreciation both verbally and financially. This is just my opinion, and I'm certain others will differ. I've already heard from someone on the ship, a frequent cruiser, who is of the opinion that the daily tip charged to the guests is enough. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. This is just mine. I'd rather err on the side of empathy any day, and make someone happy. If I were in the position where I couldn't afford to tip much, I'd offer a smaller tip and tell the steward that this is all I can afford, even if it were only 5 bucks.

 

For what it's worth my steward was named Edwin Ferrer, and the one next to him seemed like a gem too. I don't know the other's name, but called him smiley for obvious reasons. These people can tell good people right away, because they deal w/ different people every week. One said to me "I make friends, then they go and new friends come in next week". I'm sure not all the stewards are this good, but I was fortunate to have found 2 good ones next to each other, either of whom I'd be happy to have as my steward next time around on the Epic.

 

One last thing: I forgot to lock my safe on the first day of excursions and had a lot of money in cash left in the open safe. it was there when I got back, like 1400 plus jewelry and passports. I guess I rushed to put the passports into the safe before disembarkation and forgot to lock the safe, came back and was shocked to find it unlocked. Had an "oh sh&t" moment then realized everything was there. My steward could've snatched a few hundred and claimed ignorance with no way for me to prove otherwise, but didn't.