Embarkation Day - List can make things easier for Steward

[DirtyDawg]

My own memory is worse than most folk.;)

So yes, if these things were important to me I'd write a list.

A list for myself

Then ask the steward about those not already AOK.

 

IMHO, handing a list to the steward sends all the wrong signals - as others have put it, a high-maintenance guest.

 

JB :)

 

:confused: My DW hands me a list of things to do all the time. And I don't even get a tip at the end of the week.:)

[slidergirl]

Maybe because I deal with HMGs on a daily basis, I have sworn to never behave like the HMGs I see. I have always been a LMG, even more so now that I work in hospitality. I travel with a carry-on, so the number of hangers doesn't affect me, and usually I just keep everything packed or in the drawers. If I'm missing a piece of glassware/stemware, I don't sweat it until I may use it and then I will call for it. That is what the phone is for with the button for Guest Services/Housekeeping, etc., is for ;)

Like many of us have said, it wasn't the asking for things, it was the pre-printed list that was handed to the poor steward. Doesn't matter if it was typed, printed, written, or done with cut-out magazine letters; just poor form to give a list.

[geoherb]

I would never make a list to give to the cabin steward, but I guess it would be helpful to have a list for yourself of things that are important to you.

 

I will leave a note if there's something I'd like if I don't see him the first afternoon. We've had our beds made up a singles instead of as one several times. (I think the cabin stewards assume it's a mistake that two guys want to the bed as one.) The one thing I usually have to ask for is extra pillows. If we meet the cabin steward in person, we'll also let him know we're early risers so he can look for the card requesting service on our door.

[cruzincurt]

Hmm, lately we've been on cruises where we don't even see the Steward the first day. But I prefer person to person contact, not written lists. We are very low maintenance.

 

However, one time since we hadn't seen the Steward the first day, we left a note to please remove the heavy comforter. We came back to the room that night and the bed was stripped. Yikes, a call to housekeeping got us sheets and a blanket at midnight. So be careful with your lists and notes. He must of thought we brought all our own bed linens. We just wanted sheets and a blanket.

 

I always felt it was rude for my boss to leave me written to-do lists when he went on vacation. So I don't like to do that to others.

 

Last cruise we had asked for split beds ahead of time. Once in the cabin it was a single. We watched the steward change the beds and it's quite a bit of work. So we gave him some $$ for his efforts.

Edited July 7, 2016 by cruzincurt

[CapeCodCruiser]

Writing things down just helps to not forget things. wow - y'all read so much into a simple action

[iheartbda]

Writing things down just helps to not forget things. wow - y'all read so much into a simple action

No, it's giving a list to the steward not just writing it down not to forget.

[jnc411]

We do ask our room steward for a egg crate or mattress cover pad ( if we are not sailing on one of the ship's with new mattresses ) ,I have back problems and find that this is helpful

Also when we see our steward we will ask to have the fridge items be removed, so we can use it for our water , bottle of wine, and some . Meds. We do this personally with a please and thank you.

We know the stewards work hard and have several cabins so we keep our cabin tidy, unlike some cabins we have seen.

Call me silly, but we think we should treat people the way we would like to be treated.

Happy cruising. Cori

[boltnut55]

Writing things down just helps to not forget things. wow - y'all read so much into a simple action

 

:) I actually think the list idea is great. I don't want to type up a list, figure out what's missing, and then handwrite a list so that it's looks more personable. Sometimes the steward is hardly seen, so I may not be able to speak to him on the first day, and they are so busy that first day to remember things I'm asking for. The steward can then take the list back and refer and not forget because they are human. I hardly remember anything, so I'd want to have a list for myself.

 

I've needed an extension cord before for my CPAP... first time cruising w/it so I didn't realize where the plugs were or weren't. I love ice, so I'd request the ice at night. I also feel bad when I'm reciting 5 things to someone, so it's much "quieter" to hand over a list. I'm not so sure whether they read that much into it either. They can decide if I'm high maintenance when they don't hear from me the rest of the cruise.

[NCBubbles]

Thank you, I find this list idea helpful. If you have a list then you can automatically know what you are missing, if anything. Tell the steward everything at once. It seems much more efficient than asking for ice now, realizing later you're short a towel, then at bedtime realizing you don't have the right pillow and requesting something else. How you deliver the request would require a smile and polite request, but of course.

[tbmrt]

Thank you, I find this list idea helpful. If you have a list then you can automatically know what you are missing, if anything. Tell the steward everything at once. It seems much more efficient than asking for ice now, realizing later you're short a towel, then at bedtime realizing you don't have the right pillow and requesting something else. How you deliver the request would require a smile and polite request, but of course.

 

My feeling exactly.....I always am most gracious when I do give him things on a list, explaining that I'd rather ask for these things in the beginning rather than "bothering" him w/multiple requests throughout the cruise.

 

I also give him a tip. (I know this always causes debate on these boards....I just think it is a nice thing to do when asking him for a few things in the beginning of the cruise.)

[Sadet001 sadet001]

Interesting. I've never needed an extension cord and everything else on that list has always been in my cabin already for the most past. We had to ask several time for robes and slippers in RCCL (Royal Suite so never should have had to ask!) I think extra pillows are the only thing I have ever needed, and that's because I use a minimum of four when I sleep in order to properly align my spine and hips--crucial to keep bursitis at bay. :(

 

Shampoo/conditioner, Kleenex, ice bucket (full), wine glasses--these have always been in our cabin on arrival. ???

 

 

On RCCL can you request a robe if not in a suite?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[iheartbda]

On RCCL can you request a robe if not in a suite?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Ducklite was in a suite if you didn't understand.;) They also give them to Platinum and above without being in a suite. You can ask but there's no guarantee that you'll get one.

[ducklite]

On RCCL can you request a robe if not in a suite?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

No idea. We were in the Royal Suite and shouldn't have had to ask once, let alone twice. >:(

[Dayenu]

Perhaps the OPs needs to email the cruise line pre-embarkation. Let the line know that they will be on X ship on Y dates in Z cabin. Give the list and say they will require the items on the list be in the cabin when they arrive. Ask that the chief stew meet with them at the gangway and escort them to their cabin where they will inspect the cabin to ensure that their requirements have been delivered.

 

At my hotel, we get people like this. We call them the HMG (high maintenance guests), the PIAs, the entitled twits... They take up extra time from the staff, so other guests get shorted. Staff can only work so much and someone ends up not getting service they deserve or the staff wants to provide because another "entitled" guest demands extra...

 

Sorry - had an extremely horrendous hotel-full of wedding guests this past weekend - every one of the HMGs. If you looked in the dictionary for "Momzilla" (nasty Mother-of-the-Bride), this MOB's picture would have been there...

 

Could be Hyacinth Bucket, pronounced Bouquet :D

[Sue Do-Over]

We leave a note on the bed asking for an extra duvet (to make the bed softer) and a fan, with a $5 bill. Some time during the day, they magically appear.

[slidergirl]

Could be Hyacinth Bucket, pronounced Bouquet :D

 

LOL

 

Based on the money spent on the wedding, she was definitely NOT Mrs. Bucket ;)

 

But, she sure acted like her!!! Or, like Some of the Real Housewives...

[Hflors]

Since embarkation day is always so busy for the Stewards, I decided to make up a list of things we need, i.e., extra hangers, ice, robes, etc.

 

I take this list with us and cross off anything that is already in the room.

 

If the steward greets us before muster or sailaway, I give him the list and tell him "no rush". If not, rather than having to hunt for him/her, I leave it on the bed.

 

Has always worked great for us. By the time we return to our cabin to get ready for dinner, these items have always been there.

 

Push beds together

robes

Shampoo/Conditioner

2 wine glasses

Ice (please give us daily)

Wine glasses

Ice bucket

Extension cord

Extra Hangers

Box of tissues

Different Pillows

 

Wow!!! I hope there was at least a $100.00 bill attached to this list!