Best Steward

[lenquixote66]

The very best cabin Steward I ever had was on the RCI Grandeur In 2015. He was so good that we booked the Grandeur for 2016,same cabin and same time period hoping to have the same Steward. He was still working on the ship but on a different deck. We did not give up.We booked a cruise in 2017,same cabin and same time period. This time he was not on the ship but supposedly was going to return in 2018 so we booked the same cabin for the fourth year in a row,same time period but he was not there.

 

Have you ever had a really great Cabin Steward ?

[mom says]

Geez, that's bordering on obsessive (I'd call it stalking if he was actually there). Yes, we've had a couple of stewards who stand above the rest. But it wouldn't seen occur to us to go to such an extreme. 

[lenquixote66]

1 minute ago, mom says said:

Geez, that's bordering on obsessive (I'd call it stalking if he was actually there). Yes, we've had a couple of stewards who stand above the rest. But it wouldn't seen occur to us to go to such an extreme. 

Not even close to stalking. He was beyond great and we hoped to have the opportunity to be in a cabin where he was the Steward.He was by far the nicest person we ever encountered who worked for a cruise ship .

[ldubs]

14 minutes ago, mom says said:

Geez, that's bordering on obsessive (I'd call it stalking if he was actually there). Yes, we've had a couple of stewards who stand above the rest. But it wouldn't seen occur to us to go to such an extreme. 

 

Do you really consider this stalking?  Come on now.   If I liked a room I would book it again.  If I liked the room and the steward, even better.          

[mom says]

Booking the same ship 4 years in a row I might understand if you really love the ship/itinerary. Booking the same ship and cabin 4 years in a row because you want one particular steward? Come on. It takes all kinds, but that's more than a bit unusual.

[ldubs]

I've booked ship/room two in a row.  I would say four in a row is unusual.  But not stalking.   

[XBGuy]

We have had two truly exceptional Stewards in the last few years.  I would love to encounter them again, but I know that they do move to different areas from cruise to cruise, finish a contract and go home.  If they sign another contract, I have no reason to believe it would be on the same ship.

 

We have stumbled on to favorite restaurant servers on different cruises.  Sometimes in the same room.  Sometimes in a different room.

[Donald]

A shockingly high number of cruisers report that their Cabin Attendant's name was Stewart.

I have personally had several Stewart's cleaning my cabins, but I tend to get them mixed up.

[SRF]

7 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

The very best cabin Steward I ever had was on the RCI Grandeur In 2015. He was so good that we booked the Grandeur for 2016,same cabin and same time period hoping to have the same Steward. He was still working on the ship but on a different deck. We did not give up.We booked a cruise in 2017,same cabin and same time period. This time he was not on the ship but supposedly was going to return in 2018 so we booked the same cabin for the fourth year in a row,same time period but he was not there.

 

Have you ever had a really great Cabin Steward ?

 

Yes, funny thing, also on Grandeur.

 

She was our steward the next year and virtually the same cruise, in the same cabin (so far 3 cruises in that cabin, and 2 more booked).

 

She saw us coming down the hall and ran to give us hugs on the second cruise.

 

Unfortunately, she was not on our 3rd cruise, and had said before, that after the contract she was on for our 2nd cruise, she was not coming back.

 

We hope she changed her mind.

 

The steward for the 3rd cruise was OK, but in comparison to Evangeline, not that great.

[donaldsc]

To me, a steward is a steward is a steward.  I barely remember their names or their faces when I am on the ship and I promptly forget them when we disembark.  If they keep the cabin clean, fill up my ice bucket daily, give me clean wine glasses daily, give us 3 bath towels instead of 2 and make sure I have real soap in the shower instead of soap in a bottle - I am satisfied.  I definitely think that the OP has a steward obsession syndrome.

 

DON

[SRF]

No a good one is memorable.

 

I can remember Evangeline.  But I remember nothing about the last one, other than he was male.

 

 

[George C]

We have had many great ones, my favorite was our first grand suite on navigator about 6 years ago , of course you get many extras with the suite,  she kept bringing things in , she gave us a box which we didn’t open for a day or two, finally opened it and it was a Crystal block of the ship , with a card saying congratulations on your 420th cruise, we cruise a lot but nowhere near that , we tried to return it , she said she would check with concierge or someone, now we also have a legitimate crystal block of liberty that you get at 170 points I believe. 

[donaldsc]

12 hours ago, donaldsc said:

To me, a steward is a steward is a steward.  I barely remember their names or their faces when I am on the ship and I promptly forget them when we disembark.  If they keep the cabin clean, fill up my ice bucket daily, give me clean wine glasses daily, give us 3 bath towels instead of 2 and make sure I have real soap in the shower instead of soap in a bottle - I am satisfied.  I definitely think that the OP has a steward obsession syndrome.

 

DON

 

I should have included in my post that we always leave tips on and frequently tip extra at the end of the cruise.  Also, we are always friendly to them so it is not as if we treat them badly or make unreasonable requests.

 

DON

[ducklite]

The best one I ever had was my second week on the Windstar. He was a ghost.  I think we saw him once.  Our room was always well serviced, laundry picked up and delivered, minibar stocked with our preference of beverages, extra hand lotion left as requested.

 

He seemed to sense when we left and when we'd be back and worked around our schedule, and we appreciated his attentiveness and discretion.

[ducklite]

9 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

I should have included in my post that we always leave tips on and frequently tip extra at the end of the cruise.  Also, we are always friendly to them so it is not as if we treat them badly or make unreasonable requests.

 

DON

 

We see them as very busy people and think it's rude to take their time with chitchat that they have to be polite and pretend to be engaged in (but the reality is they are thinking to themselves, "Will this person ever shut up about their hometown and grandchildren so I can finish and take a nap before turn down begins").  Of course a polite good morning or evening and a thank you for anything special they've done is always warranted.

 

I think they would prefer that over someone who thinks they are a new best friend after a seven day cruise.

 

 

[DarrenM]

Is it really necessary to have the room cleaned and the best made for you every day?

 

I am in hotels 4 nights every week for work and I put the so not disturb sign up every morning. 

 

I make my own best and reuse the towels etc.

 

Apparently it's good for the environment.

 

So I do it.

 

I am not sure there was an option to fo this on the cruise. So I broke my own rules

[ducklite]

2 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

Is it really necessary to have the room cleaned and the best made for you every day?

 

I am in hotels 4 nights every week for work and I put the so not disturb sign up every morning. 

 

I make my own best and reuse the towels etc.

 

Apparently it's good for the environment.

 

So I do it.

 

I am not sure there was an option to fo this on the cruise. So I broke my own rules

When traveling on business I leave the DND sign from the moment I step into the room until I leave to check out.  I reuse the towels a couple of times, if I'm there over a week I usually ask housekeeping to leave a few extras as well as an extra trash bag or two with the front desk.  

 

On a cruise I want my room serviced daily.  Towels tend to not dry very fast in those small bathrooms and there's really no place to take the trash (there's often a large trash can in the vending room in a hotel).  Additionally I want the information sheets left in my cabin while I'm at dinner each night.

 

[jocap]

They all merge together in my mind...

Except one, who was new to the ship, and had never been out of his country before. He was so excited because he'd spent a night in London, and now was in Southampton (which, in January, was looking rather seedy)! He kept up the excitement for the whole cruise, even with the wintry weather we had for the first -and last- few days.

Valentine's Day fell  towards the end of the cruise, and the custom on board was to present each woman with a red rose (artificial). My husband answered the door to our excitable steward, who insisted that he came in and gave "Madam Jo" the flower personally.

I'll not forget him, but I haven't looked for him since. I hope the excitement remains with him.

[donaldsc]

2 hours ago, ducklite said:

The best one I ever had was my second week on the Windstar. He was a ghost.  I think we saw him once.  Our room was always well serviced, laundry picked up and delivered, minibar stocked with our preference of beverages, extra hand lotion left as requested.

 

He seemed to sense when we left and when we'd be back and worked around our schedule, and we appreciated his attentiveness and discretion.

 

My idea of a perfect steward.

 

DON

[Heidi13]

Compared to our Officer Stewards, these days, the passenger stewards,  have so many cabins that it's really tough for them to provide many extras. However, we remember the ones that quickly learn our routine and are virtually invisible, with the exception of passing them in the alleyway. 

 

We find most of the cabin stewards to be very pleasant and do a good job cleaning the cabin, making the bed, supplying ice, etc, a couple were simply going through the motions and a few were better than average.

 

However, as a passenger, I have never experienced the exceptional service we received from our Goanese stewards, when I worked on the ships.

[lenquixote66]

17 hours ago, donaldsc said:

To me, a steward is a steward is a steward.  I barely remember their names or their faces when I am on the ship and I promptly forget them when we disembark.  If they keep the cabin clean, fill up my ice bucket daily, give me clean wine glasses daily, give us 3 bath towels instead of 2 and make sure I have real soap in the shower instead of soap in a bottle - I am satisfied.  I definitely think that the OP has a steward obsession syndrome.

 

DON

There is no such thing as a Steward obsession syndrome.

[cb at sea]

The BEST steward we ever had was one whom we NEVER saw!  Still don't know if it was a man or woman...but our cabin remained immaculate as if by magic.  They never introduced themselves, or knocked on the door....yet every time we returned, the cabin had been cleaned perfectly....fresh sheets!  Clean towels...everything wiped down!

 

I don't feel the need to have a personal relationship with a housekeeper in a hotel, or the cabin attendant on a ship. If we see them, we are friendly  and appreciative, but that's about it.  Some of the worst were the most "chatty"....and if you develop some sort of "friendship" with them, when they slack off, you're a bit hesitant to say anything.....so we simply prefer them to do their job without all the interaction!

[slidergirl]

My favorite steward is invisible.   The steward does the cleaning and re-provisioning of my cabin as needed.  I'm very low-maintenance, so I don't give a list of "please do" for the steward.  I don't need to engage with them, learn their family history, if they like chocolate bars or if they'd like a photo of me to put on their bunk wall.  I'll smile and say "hello" if I pass in the hallway, but, that's about it.   I don't make a personal connection with my housekeeper in a hotel if I'm there for a week, I don't feel the need to make a personal connection with my room steward on a cruise.

[SRF]

On 8/24/2019 at 3:15 AM, ducklite said:

 

We see them as very busy people and think it's rude to take their time with chitchat that they have to be polite and pretend to be engaged in (but the reality is they are thinking to themselves, "Will this person ever shut up about their hometown and grandchildren so I can finish and take a nap before turn down begins").  Of course a polite good morning or evening and a thank you for anything special they've done is always warranted.

 

I think they would prefer that over someone who thinks they are a new best friend after a seven day cruise.

 

So when they stop me in the hall to chat and ask about my day, I am supposed to ignore them??????

 

 

[SRF]

On 8/24/2019 at 9:02 PM, fyree39 said:

The best steward we had not only did a fine job cleaning the room, but he was very personable, happy and honestly seemed to enjoy doing what he did.  He remembered our names from the first day and would call out a hello anytime he saw us in the passageway. He was just so much fun. I have no idea now what his name was or even what ship we were on.

 

This is who Evangeline (mentioned previously) was.  And the same, if not more, the second cruise.