A Very Long Post About a Little Dust

[nu2sea]

I am in the process of writing a highly positive review of our just completed repositioning cruise on the Mercury, but wanted to post separately on an issue that concerns us all: housekeeping, and any lack thereof.

It seems that there are two kinds of cruisers, those of us who can clearly see and describe the dung heap, and those of us who only notice the daisy struggling to grow amidst the squalor. I prefer daisies myself, but sometimes I am forced to acknowledge that the world is not as perfect as I would like it to be, and that dung by any other name is still messy.

And that was the case with my stateroom, 1037. It was, in a word, dirty. First I tried to ignore it. There was some dust that probably should not have been there, but not enough to get upset about. The next day I noticed the child’s fingerprints on the balcony windows and door. Still, I wasn’t sure that even that was enough to complain about.

But then, I really looked at the chrome trim around the bathroom door and saw some strange stuff. Finally, on the night of the last formal dinner we decided to use the Jacuzzi tub before dressing. As I was filling it, I ran my wet fingers around the inside of the tub. If you have ever cleaned a bathroom you will know that this is the sure way to detect any remaining soap scum or un-rinsed cleaning product. What I felt was not a cleaning product. So I turned off the water, washed my hands and took a shower.

Now I was faced with the necessity of complaining. Like most of us, I hate confrontation, and up to this point I kept hoping that the dirt would disappear all by itself and that I would not have to deal with this issue during my cruise. It was the last thing I wanted to do. I have sympathized with posters on this board that have had this problem. It is not easy for me to confront people over a poorly cleaned room.

First, I had to decide who to talk to. I briefly considered talking to Ana Marie, our Stateroom Attendant. But, charming as she was, I figured that she already knew that she wasn’t doing her job. Our Butler bore no responsibility, that I was aware of, so that left the Asst Chief Housekeeper, who, after all, was getting all of those tips.

At the agreed upon time Gabriella came by our suite. After ascertaining that she did in fact, make random inspections of the cabins, I proceeded to point out to her some of what I had found, which included a strange white substance that had dripped down the front of the bedside nightstand and which I had also noticed the night before. I freely admitted how difficult this interview was for me and that I really did not want to be in this position.

Her reaction to what she saw made it clear to me that no other guests had ever discussed this with her. She said that she wished I had come to her earlier so that they could have corrected the problems. I repeated that I really did not want to deal with this at all while I was on a cruise and only did so, finally, so that others, some of whom might be friends of mine, would not have to go through what I had. I also told her that I could not give the stateroom an Excellent on the Comment Form, since I did not believe it represented the way Celebrity did things. She was very gracious, but I could tell she was upset.

The painful, for me, interview was finally over, and we went to the Captain’s Club Elegant Tea in the Manhattan Dining Room. When we returned some forty-five minutes later, work on the suite had already begun. The bathroom was really, really clean, the nightstands and the dust had all been cleaned up. The windows still needed to be cleaned, but we were only gone for 45 minutes! And, there was something in her walk as she left our cabin that told me she would be inspecting some of Ana Marie’s other cabins as well.

Ana Marie did not show up for the traditional farewell on the final night of the cruise, but did receive the recommended tip, an Excellent for Attitude and Friendliness but one of the lower ratings for Service.

I tried to be fair, realizing that I could have, and perhaps should have, spoken up sooner. But it really was something I simply did not want to deal with. Hopefully it is something I won’t have to go through again.

BTW, our daughters shared 1156, a Family Ocean View cabin that was always immaculate. (Since ours was a Royal Suite, it too, should have been cleaned that well.) And I did pass that information along to Gabriella.

Thank you all for reading this long narrative. I realize that some would have had a much easier time dealing with this than I did. And that there are even some who would have delighted in it, and come on board equipped with a “blue light” and tried to hold Celebrity up for an upgrade or free trip. Unfortunately, I never seem to have enough room in my luggage to carry a my “blue light.” And no, I did not ask for, expect or would have accepted any compensation. But I felt much better for having done what I thought was the right thing to do and was always able to enjoy the daisies.

Thanks for allowing me to vent!

Susan

[DaveFr]

Susan,

 

I'm sorry to hear about the condition of your suite. My wife and I were on the same cruise, two doors down the hall from you in 1045. Our Stateroom Attendant, Melody, and her assistant kept our suite spotless. My wife even saw our Butler, Zenobio, doing some cleaning under the dining room or living room table. Our friends in 1038 also had a spotless room although their butler was not as good as Zenobio.

 

Unfortunately, stateroom attendants vary in the quality of their work. For example, when she introduced herself, Melody asked us if we wanted any special pillows from the pillow menu. Our friends in 1038 didn't hear anything about the special pillows until we mentioned them. Once they asked their attendant about the special pillows, she brought them one of each. I guess the moral of the story is that if you speak up when you see problems, there is a good chance the problems will be fixed regardless of the quality of your stateroom attendant.

 

I'm looking forward to your review. This was our first cruise and my wife and I were very impressed with the Mercury and the overall experience.

[emcee207]

If every cruiser "complained" (not really the right word) okay, "brought to attention" to the cruise lines in the polite, professional, and well mannered way you did I think things would improve. Kudos to you. I would not hesitate to do what you did.

[TEXASMUNK]

Copy it for every person, on every cruise line, that comes home complaining.

 

Your methodology was perfect...If you had done it on day one or two, you may have been able to better enjoy your cabin.

 

By the way, you are a wordsmith too! Your choice of words and storytelling are great!

[nu2sea]

Dave, wasn't Zenobio the absolute best?!? He really made a difference to our cruise and answered the question, for me at least, of what does a butler do? As for Melody, I had read of her on these boards and really was counting on her to be our Attendant, but then our cruise would have been perfect and no lesson would have been learned.:o

 

Because my experience does come down to learning a couple of lessons.

 

First, it is much easier to suggest options on these forums than to actually act on them in the real world. (That is from someone who generally has a suggestion to make!)

 

Second, it provided the exception to a certain rule I have about procrastination. It has always amazed me how often an unpleasant task, postponed, becomes unnecessary.

 

A case on point; a light bulb in our closet kept flickering on and off. Just as I had decided, on day two or three, to report it and request its replacement, it was fixed. Magic! Clearly Ana Marie, or someone, had contacted Maintenance to have it fixed and saved me from having to deal with it. You see, I really do hate to complain, although I probably could have used the practice.

 

And if I had complained at the outset, when I first noticed the dust, she would have come in and cleaned the dust but probably not the stuff on the chrome trim or in any of the other areas. I now suspect that those would have required individual requests and then Presto, Bingo, I would be considered a constant whiner and my complaints ignored.

 

Trust me, I spent way too much time pondering my options on this before I did anything. :o

 

Thank you all for your comments, yes, they do mean a lot to me. This whole thread can be read as somewhat self-serving I realize, but hopefully others can learn from it as well.

 

Susan

[usha]

I didn't think your post was self-serving at all. I think we can all respect the fact that you weren't looking for compensation.

Hey, you had some pretty icky conditions going on in that royal suite; stuff you could clearly see without the aid of a blue light!:D

[slotaddict]

I thought yur post was very good. All things on cruises are not perfect, but at least they should meet your "expectations".

[Cindy G]

We have yet to be in a suite and have a "clean" bathtub. We also do not like to be looked at as complainers. The last cruise, on the Horizon, the first item to purchase at the first port was "Comet." We then asked for sponges and a brush to do it ourselves. We learned through all of this...they do not "scrub"...they only use a liquid cleaner. The soap scum and "whatever else" stays in the tub. Not the thing you want when longing for a nice soak in the tub using the jets. We'll be packing Comet on our future cruises.

[emcee207]

"Not for nothing" and no insult intended, but the day I bring Comet on a cruise to clean my own bathtub as opposed to getting housekeeping to do it is the day I don't cruise anymore. What the He-- are you paying them for?

Is it too much to expect clean surrondings? Me thinks not.

If it's not clean, complain in the manner the OP did as opposed to bringing your own comet??!!

[excitedofharpenden]

Susan, an excellent and well thought out post. You obviously were not comfortable with complaining (or rather bringing the matter to the attention of your hosts), but dealt with it in a very gracious and fair way. For those who may be reticent and that includes me at times, it is an excellent example of how to behave.

 

Phil

[judie43]

Susan,I applaud you on the way you handled your issue with the head housekeeper. More cruisers should have your attitude.

I am looking forward to your review.....your writing make for enjoyable reading

Judie

[grandsix]

We just faced a very similar situation on the Zenith. We found crumbs in the crevices in the head of bed post. This a potential for bugs. Also looked like the same bedding from the previous guest. Found an empty bottle under the bed. When was the last time the carpet under the bed was vacuumed? MUST PEOPLE NEVER LOOK BEYOND THE SURFACE. The back of the bathroom door had dirt and black grease marks. There was some mold on the shower (do people really notice this). Phone did not work. And to top it off, the good night folded note was recycled with coffee stains. We all must look closely and not assume all is well. Unfortunatly, MOST PEOPLE NEVER LOOK BEYOND THE SERVIC. Like the poster we spoke to housekeeping. Everything was taken care of and to the credit of guest relations they followed up in writing. Still had a nice time.

[nu2sea]

Susan, an excellent and well thought out post. You obviously were not comfortable with complaining (or rather bringing the matter to the attention of your hosts), but dealt with it in a very gracious and fair way. For those who may be reticent and that includes me at times, it is an excellent example of how to behave.

 

Phil

 

Aw, gee Phil, you're makin' me blush:o

 

Actually, you are one of the main reasons that I finally did decide to speak up. It occurred to me that in a sense I owed it to you and to all of the other long time cruisers on this board that have shared so much information that has enriched my cruising experience.

 

That, and the fact that you were booked to take the Mercury within a week or two of my cruise. How could I ever face you, or any of my other virtual friends if you, or they, had to endure something that I could have helped to prevent? :eek:

 

I do hope you have half as much fun on your cruise as we had on ours and that all of the cabins are able to pass a standard white glove inspection!

 

Susan

[adegner]

Susan,

 

GREAT JOB! I know it took a lot of effort on your part to do this, but we all need to "help" Celebrity out and call to their attention any incorrect services and/or unpleasant items/experiences. We are all part of the Celebrity family and I personally want to make them the best they can be. It's with your assistance that the Cheif Housekeeper was able to know what was happenning under her nose. I am all in favor of helping Celebrity keep up their good standards.

 

I Thank you!

[CelebrityMan]

"GREAT JOB! I know it took a lot of effort on your part to do this, but we all need to "help" Celebrity out and call to their attention any incorrect services and/or unpleasant items/experiences. We are all part of the Celebrity family and I personally want to make them the best they can be. It's with your assistance that the Cheif Housekeeper was able to know what was happenning under her nose. I am all in favor of helping Celebrity keep up their good standards."

 

Hi,

 

I heartily second the above comments, and add my applause to the OP. Proof, once again, that professionalism, common courtesy and mutual respect can turn many 'confrontations' into an expression of caring.

 

We have sailed regularly with Celebrity since the late '90s. On those rare occasions when things weren't quite up to Celebrity standards, we have always found the housekeeping staff and the Guest Relations people very attentive.

 

Let's all do our part to make Celebrity cruising the happiest experience possible!

 

 

 

 

 

CM

[slotaddict]

We just faced a very similar situation on the Zenith. We found crumbs in the crevices in the head of bed post. This a potential for bugs. Also looked like the same bedding from the previous guest. Found an empty bottle under the bed. When was the last time the carpet under the bed was vacuumed? MUST PEOPLE NEVER LOOK BEYOND THE SURFACE. The back of the bathroom door had dirt and black grease marks. There was some mold on the shower (do people really notice this). Phone did not work. And to top it off, the good night folded note was recycled with coffee stains. We all must look closely and not assume all is well. Unfortunatly, MOST PEOPLE NEVER LOOK BEYOND THE SERVIC. Like the poster we spoke to housekeeping. Everything was taken care of and to the credit of guest relations they followed up in writing. Still had a nice time.

I'm surprised about the Zenith, I have read such good posts about the service and housekeeping, I will be looking under the bed when we go in January. I always look under the bed anyway that is where we store our suitcases.

[bubbie617]

It's good to hear that Celebrity is taking those kind of comments seriously now. Several years ago we were on Zenith and had a really terrible cabin steward. He never introduced himself; in fact we never saw him the entire trip. Cabin service was haphazard at best. Sometimes our towels were changed; sometimes they were not. We actually had to call late one afternoon to have someone come in a clean the cabin and make the bed because no one had touched it all day. We had been out of the cabin since 8:30 that morning with the "make up my cabin" sign left on the door.

 

We had to call a few days about the lack of cabin cleaning. We spoke to the housekeeping supervisor to no avail. After things got no better, we finally made an appointment with the Hotel Manager and met with him in his office. We explained what had been going on all week and that no matter what we did, nothing was getting resolved.

 

I wasn't asking for any compensation in any way. I simply wanted someone reliable to be responsible for cleaning my cabin. To make a long story short, we got nowhere.

 

On the last night when we were left envelopes for tips, I was furious to see that there was an envelope for the Housekeeping Supervisor (I forget what the official title is.) I left nothing in the envelope, but wrote a note on the outside that said something like, "The enclosed tip is commensurate with the service you provided us." I'm not usually sarcastic, but we had really had it. Their lack of service over the 10 days of the trip was unbelieveable.

 

While we always tip an additional amount over and above what the guidelines are, this was the first and only time in the many many cruises we have taken that we tipped UNDER the recommended amount. That cabin steward deserved even less than we gave him, but I didn't have the heart to give him less than we did.

 

We finally are going back on Celebrity in a few weeks, this time on Infinity. I'm looking forward to better service than we received last time.

[KevBew]

Susan:

You are truly diplomatic in your approach and your level of professionalism. I appreciate your concern for future passengers over your own enjoyment. You have done a service for all of us, thank you!

[CaliforniaDreamin]

a Suite, especially with the revenue that it should be generating. The cabins I have stayed in have been kept clean, some not spotless though.

[excitedofharpenden]

Actually, you are one of the main reasons that I finally did decide to speak up. It occurred to me that in a sense I owed it to you and to all of the other long time cruisers on this board that have shared so much information that has enriched my cruising experience.

 

That, and the fact that you were booked to take the Mercury within a week or two of my cruise. How could I ever face you, or any of my other virtual friends if you, or they, had to endure something that I could have helped to prevent? :eek:

 

Susan

Thanks Susan. I really appreciate it and we will all have a great time I'm sure:)

 

Phil

[brigittetom]

Hi Susan, That's really unbelievable. Good for you that you finally got the @#**$ to complain. We've always had perfect housekeeping experiences with Celebrity until the cruise where I decided to tell the "non english speaking" assistant cabin attendant to please feel free to skip our cabin if he has the opportunity to go into port since I like to sleep in. We never had morning cabin service the entire cruise even if we were both out of the cabin by 8am. It wasn't important, we had a lowly inside cabin and we always had excellent evening service. I always knew that this could have been rectified but we just didn't care enough to complain. On the other hand, the cabin was clean, the bathroom was spotless. Logically at sea, there shouldn't have been any dust. Yuck

 

Personal note to Susan. I'm busy looking for my Noah's Ark. :)

[superjerryw]

The OP definitely did the right thing. No one should have to cruise in a dirty cabin. We all know that the staff is overworked and I guess many people feel guilty about complaining if things are not up to par because the staff members might be disciplined. The bottom line though is that we paid for the cruise and we are entitled to reasonable service. If we are not getting that service and we fail to report it the lack of service will continue and the next batch of passengers will probably find things just a little bit dirtier and so on.

[flagger]

I was told after my last cruise that I should have notified someone on the ship, however I am of the personal opinion there are some things which should just be taken care of without having to HAVE to speak up. I also believe that there is a possibility of retribution by the staff against someone who complains during the cruise. We had a horrible attendant on our Infinity cruise. She was pregnant and going home in November. It was obvious she was doing just the bare minimum and had to be asked twice for certain things. Her poor report on the comment card was a reflection of her lack of service. I think there is a balance between living with it or possibly facing a miserable experience for the remainder of the cruise.

[WeBeCruisin']

It was obvious she was doing just the bare minimum and had to be asked twice for certain things. .

 

Or maybe she had heard about your policy of refusing to ever tip anyone on a cruise. :D

 

Allen

[cruising with marti]

Or maybe she had heard about your policy of refusing to ever tip anyone on a cruise. :D

 

Allen

 

lol' date=' good one Allen[/b']

 

 

Phil