Cabin steward service

[buckeyefrank]

16 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

I will not belabor the point beyond this post, nobody bullied anybody into anything.  The FACTS (see how I bolded the for emphasis 😉) are Carnival gives the option for room service as: morning, evening or both. Carnival's creating the option (actually an enhancement) came about because many wanted once a day (as evidenced by replies here.  How many rooms the RS has to service (with his hired helper) is of no consequence.  That said, you (or me, or anyone else) are free to tip, tip extra, pull tips or do whatever you want.  I was just making the point that peoples justification for doing this is based not on facts...but their "perception".  Sometimes, not saying this is you, people who pull or reduce tips can find creative ways to justify their actions, but in the end we know the "real" reason.

 

I seem to have fallen prey to the media's continual liberal definition of bullied.  When introducing himself, the steward said, you just want morning service, right??  I will make the bed, change towels, etc in the morning.  He did not give the option to us at that time for afternoon service.  He did not give us the form to complete for special requests, etc.  He was doing his best to force us into morning service only.  At this point in time, I was COMPLETELY aware of what he was doing and the FACT (🙂) that we could select twice a day service.  I decided it was not worth my time or effort to get into a discussion that didn't make a difference to me.  My issue was mainly with the steward trying to impose his will on other passengers, including some rookie cruisers that were with us.  That is to further clarify my use of the term 'bully'.  

 

For the record, you and I are on the same page.  I personally consider the recommended tips as part of the cost of the cruise and would never take them off unless something completely aggregious happens.  I also don't care what others do in regards to tips, what they wear to dinner or decide to partake in when they are on vacation.  Doesn't affect me at all.

 

 

[buckeyefrank]

15 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

Curious.

Why would a stateroom steward do that?

 

😉

Hmm.  Not exactly sure, but I can think of 2 reasons quickly.  Maybe he is completely overworked and doesn't have time or maybe he sees an option for a little less work because he can.  I'm not implying he did either.  He didn't offer all of his service so we didn't offer additional tips.

[xDisconnections]

24 minutes ago, buckeyefrank said:

Hmm.  Not exactly sure, but I can think of 2 reasons quickly.  Maybe he is completely overworked and doesn't have time or maybe he sees an option for a little less work because he can.  I'm not implying he did either.  He didn't offer all of his service so we didn't offer additional tips.

Gotcha. He was probably trying to get away with sacrificing guest service satisfaction in exchange for fewer responsibilities in regards to your stateroom.

 

Honestly though, I'm in the camp of not really caring. I never have my room cleaned as a stayover service when staying in a hotel as I always either participate in the green choice option for additional loyalty points or leave a DND on my door. If the steward services my room, great. If not, it's really no big deal.

Edited September 10, 2019 by xDisconnections

[bingomamma19]

21 hours ago, fyree39 said:

When I first cruised with Carnival, the stewards had time to provide twice-daily service, chat the guests up, learn their names, knock on doors to ensure nothing else was needed, and so on.  These days, it's typical to rarely see your steward and half the time they can't remember your name. Many of the stewards just look stressed to me.

 

Believe what you want, but I know this to be true: Carnival takes terrible advantage of these people and it makes me sick. This is the ONE sticking point (cutback) that pisses me off more than anything else. 

I have not experienced any of these steward issues...they still remember our names, introduce themselves to us at the beginning, bring us ice and anything extra we ask for.  I speak to them in the hallways when I see them and they are always smiling and saying hi. 

 

I do a hybrid of a 2x a day service...clean it in the morning, but just bring us new towels and ice at night.   

 

Carnival isn't taking advantage of them.  They are employees that make a very good wage with tips at the end of the day.   They are not slaves and there were certainly be a worker shortage if it wasn't such a good job to have in the end.

[ocaladee]

can you get extra pillows or do I need to bring my own?

[VentureMan_2000]

3 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

  The mistake I make is I always spend time talking to cabin stewards so I see them as more than just a ship employee. 

 

Oh... so you are the reason why the cabin stewards fall behind with their workload...  😂

[VentureMan_2000]

23 minutes ago, ocaladee said:

can you get extra pillows or do I need to bring my own?

You can request extra pillows from your cabin steward.

[pacruise804]

You can also request robes if desired.  There should be a form where you select frequency of service and any extra items, like ice, robes, or pillows.  You will need to put the number requested if you want more than one.

[Joebucks]

My next cruise begins shortly. Things I am excited for:

- Waking up at different ports in the morning

- Tons of delicious food I do not have to cook

- The sea all around me

- Fun vibe everywhere

- Comedy club

- Drinks

- Other entertainment

 

Things I could care less about:

- Having someone making a second stop in my room for the sake of it being a second trip, and "getting my monies worth and being pampered with towels"

 

Here's something that will shock many: the vast Carnival demographic does not care about this topic. Even people who say they love it would change their tune if it cost them $10 more in cruise fare. It's a silly old school thing that the veterans want. Anyone who travels these days knows that companies are trending away from repeated, wasteful, cleaning and servicing of rooms.

 

I come back from the pool or port before dinner, and my room is made up, towels are replaced, everything is done. There is nothing else I need. I know, I know, you have a fantastic reason why you need so many towels.

[jimbo5544]

4 hours ago, JJ Sefton said:

Wow. I’ve sailed on 5 different cruise lines, including Carnival. Each ship had a method of notifying your stateroom attendant when you didn’t want or need your room serviced through some form of card or in some cases a spinning index outside the door. But now that they ask you it’s an “enhancement”.

 

I don’t have a single preference. I would be fine with once a day. But I would like mornings on port days when I’m off the ship and evenings on sea days when I decide to sleep in. And guess what, I’ve never had a problem getting this service using the already existing system. I’ll see it as something that is there for the benefit of the passenger when they put that option on their form. Otherwise I believe it only benefits the company.

Are we talking about 5 different cruise lines...thought this was a Carnival thread.. I have 3 different car manufacturers cars, guess what they all do things different.  The option is on the form...morning evening both.  Seen it many times.  Maybe when you tell them the different days you want this that and everything they do not need to show you the form.  The term enhancement was my term, not theirs,  if it floats your boat call it apple pie.

[jimbo5544]

4 hours ago, buckeyefrank said:

 

I seem to have fallen prey to the media's continual liberal definition of bullied.  When introducing himself, the steward said, you just want morning service, right??  I will make the bed, change towels, etc in the morning.  He did not give the option to us at that time for afternoon service.  He did not give us the form to complete for special requests, etc.  He was doing his best to force us into morning service only.  At this point in time, I was COMPLETELY aware of what he was doing and the FACT (🙂) that we could select twice a day service.  I decided it was not worth my time or effort to get into a discussion that didn't make a difference to me.  My issue was mainly with the steward trying to impose his will on other passengers, including some rookie cruisers that were with us.  That is to further clarify my use of the term 'bully'.  

 

For the record, you and I are on the same page.  I personally consider the recommended tips as part of the cost of the cruise and would never take them off unless something completely aggregious happens.  I also don't care what others do in regards to tips, what they wear to dinner or decide to partake in when they are on vacation.  Doesn't affect me at all.

 

 

Fair enough

[daisymay1960]

6 hours ago, ray98 said:

 

Nothing.  I keep my cabin very tidy and do my best to make their job as easy as possibly.  However, I prefer the traditional service times I have enjoyed in my two decades of cruising.  If you are willing to forego traditional service standards then go for it, my issue is with those who project how some are 'making their job harder' because they prefer traditional.

Traditionally there  would have  been less rooms per steward 

Or doesnt that count ?

[PhillyFan33579]

5 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Sometimes, not saying this is you, people who pull or reduce tips can find creative ways to justify their actions, but in the end we know the "real" reason.

 

The real reason is some people are just cheap. In my book, if you can’t afford the auto-gratuities you can’t afford the cruise. I wish they would just make gratuities mandatory, but I know there are financial reasons why they don’t do that. 

[jimbo5544]

25 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

The real reason is some people are just cheap. In my book, if you can’t afford the auto-gratuities you can’t afford the cruise. I wish they would just make gratuities mandatory, but I know there are financial reasons why they don’t do that. 

agree on all counts