Another cut being tested: Once per day cabin service

[Jasukkie]

I'm fine with once a day service. I'd probably also be fine with self service. Leave a towel pick up/drop off cart in the hallway, I can make my own bed and drop off glassware. I don't like it when I leave the room in the morning and want to come back but it hasn't been done yet so this should make this easier if we can pick evening service.

[RoperDK]

15 hours ago, Pellaz said:

lol, in my recent experience on RCCL I've gotten towel critters on maybe 30% of the days...tops.  

A bit disappointing, unless you actively hate towel critters.  

 

Couldn't help but contrast that with Carnival, where the towel animals join us in the room virtually every evening; my friend Kathy then preserves them on one of the shelves until the last day and gets a group-photo.  🙂   

 

 

Lol. I save my towel animals all week and then group them together on the bed and then they give the cash tip to the steward on the last day.  After all of these years you'd think the fun of towel animals would wear off.  

[minnie00]

I would miss the twice a day service, I like the fresh towels and the night time room prep

[Mikew0805]

1 hour ago, ballarinamom said:

Im curious as to why not Carnival? We've cruised on various lines for years. Or last cruise was Carnival. and it seems they have more/better free food options. more extended food options. Their app is amazing and MTD is actually that- you click on the app and they notify you when your table is ready. They have plenty of space in the dinning rooms for separate tables for two. he food was quality and variety in the MDR was very good but the price was good enough that he could pay for premium dining and still have money left over from the price of what we are paying for our next Royal cruise. And the clientele is beginning to look the same on both lines. So im just curios as to why so adamite about no Carnival? No trying to be rude, truly curious for your feedback. 

Agree. Far better included food options. Also, besides the design of the ship, these two lines are more alike than they are different. 

 

 

[not-enough-cruising]

3 hours ago, JCDCA said:

What is your rationale for not participating?  And how do you ensure all the different types of employees that benefit from automatic gratuities are compensated by you as they would have been but for your removal? 

First and foremost i do not agree with the vague nature of the distribution of the money, just me, but i want to know where it is going.

 

Respectfully, i am really not concerned about the dishwasher, the laundry staff, or the other non descript "behind the scenes" personnel. In my opinion, the are not tipped positions, and my cruise fare covers their guaranteed salary; the service they provide is "included"

Edited December 8, 2022 by not-enough-cruising

[maggieq]

I think once a day is fine.  We do not need anything more than enough towels per our request.  I would never decrease the gratuity. They work hard enough and not sure how they handled the amount of cabins with twice a day service originally. 

[RoperDK]

2 hours ago, ballarinamom said:

Im curious as to why not Carnival? We've cruised on various lines for years. Or last cruise was Carnival. and it seems they have more/better free food options. more extended food options. Their app is amazing and MTD is actually that- you click on the app and they notify you when your table is ready. They have plenty of space in the dinning rooms for separate tables for two. he food was quality and variety in the MDR was very good but the price was good enough that he could pay for premium dining and still have money left over from the price of what we are paying for our next Royal cruise. And the clientele is beginning to look the same on both lines. So im just curios as to why so adamite about no Carnival? No trying to be rude, truly curious for your feedback. 

My best guess is that because this is the Royal forum and therefore most people prefer Royal.  Carnival has been making many cutbacks and food downgrades, along with rowdy behavior in the news.  I think that 7 day or longer cruises on newer ships are fine on Carnival. They do have a lot of great free lunch options and good pricing.  

[Nunagoras]

Again: Understanding market segmentation is key here on this and other details. By EU land hotel standards:

 

4* - RCL, CCL (Costa, P&O and AIDA for the Europeans), NCL, MSC.

4*+ - X, Princess, Cunard, TUI.

5* - Oceania, Viking, Explora, Azamara.

5*+ - Regent, Silversea, Seabourne, Hapag Lloyd, Cristal.

 

From here one can to chose from what better suits them.

 

In land hotels here I only get 2 room services on top 4*+, on 5*/5*+ hotels, or if I'm a suite guest or top fidelity member on every other 4* class hotels. No more, no less. Sadly; 4* class is basically no frills these days.

 

On top of that, sadly, ships, like hotels are understaffed and will continue being understaffed for years. We will sadly to need compromises. Oh, guy: But I want those extra details! Read the market segmentation chart above on my post, please.

[ihate2cruise]

I really prefer they don't come in at all, unless we need something. When we stay at a hotel, I never let them in the room. I exchange my towels if needed myself and leave the trash outside the door.

 

Those that expect the twice daily service, I can understand their disappointment.

[angela12345]

On 12/7/2022 at 12:05 PM, Tenderpaw said:

5.  Carnival already does this and its fine.

On Carnival, even after they implemented this, you could still have twice/day service.  There was a little form to fill out on the first day for your steward that had a checkbox for AM and one for PM, along with a few other questions.  You could choose one time or both times AM & PM.  I haven't cruised since Covid, so don't know how they handle it now.  I believe most people would choose only one time and didn't realize you had the option to pick both.
 

[ballarinamom]

1 hour ago, RoperDK said:

My best guess is that because this is the Royal forum and therefore most people prefer Royal.  Carnival has been making many cutbacks and food downgrades, along with rowdy behavior in the news.  I think that 7 day or longer cruises on newer ships are fine on Carnival. They do have a lot of great free lunch options and good pricing.  

I agree. I think the shorter Carnival cruises tend to turn into booze cruises with the free drink package offers. I was just curious as the one comment said they were looking at other cruise lines but not Carnival.

[angela12345]

2 hours ago, RoperDK said:

Lol. I save my towel animals all week and then group them together on the bed and then they give the cash tip to the steward on the last day.  After all of these years you'd think the fun of towel animals would wear off.  

LAST DAY FUN . . . . 
 

Edited December 9, 2022 by angela12345

[angela12345]

1 hour ago, Nunagoras said:

4* - RCL, CCL (Costa, P&O and AIDA for the Europeans), NCL, MSC.

4*+ - X, Princess, Cunard, TUI.

5* - Oceania, Viking, Explora, Azamara.

5*+ - Regent, Silversea, Seabourne, Hapag Lloyd, Cristal.

Where do you put Virgin Voyages in your rankings ?
 

[angela12345]

6 hours ago, dada2199cc said:

This is hilarious.  Did you make this ? 
Or, where did you find it ?
 

[TravelGirlinDallas]

49 minutes ago, angela12345 said:

On Carnival, even after they implemented this, you could still have twice/day service.  There was a little form to fill out on the first day for your steward that had a checkbox for AM and one for PM, along with a few other questions.  You could choose one time or both times AM & PM.  I haven't cruised since Covid, so don't know how they handle it now.  I believe most people would choose only one time and didn't realize you had the option to pick both.
 

That was only in the beginning when they were first rolling out the change. Now you can only choose AM or PM, and if you choose PM, you’ll very likely get AM anyway, in my experience.

[Ocean Boy]

23 hours ago, HicksRA said:

Chip chip chipping away a little at a time.
Royal thinks you won’t notice or get upset. 
Royal Caribbean’s new motto…
We may only be the second cheapest discount cruise line, but we try harder. 

Reading these posts it would seem that Royal is right. People don't seem to care what gets cut..... thank you sir, may I have another......

[Mum2Mercury]

On 12/7/2022 at 12:18 PM, loman said:

I dont see it being an issue for me personally . 

They should reduce the gratuity amount though.

Its a cost cutting measure as i see it.

Definitely a cost cutting measure.  Totally agree that if the service is decreased, the cost should decrease too ... but that's not how cost cutting works.  

I also think this is about difficulty in finding workers.  Two things can be true.  

 

Question:  We just returned from a cruise today.  On Day 1 we found a note /QR code saying we could have pool towels delivered to our room (instead of picking them up from the towel station by the pool).  I don't think this delivery comes with a cost.  If Royal is looking to cut services /cut costs, WHY would they add such a frivolous service, which would fall upon housekeeping staff?  

 

A general note -- not aimed at anyone in particular:  fewer and less aren't interchangeable terms.  From an English teacher:  

- Fewer refers to a reduction that can be counted; for example, the cabin steward will visit fewer times each day, we will have fewer towels in our cabin, the cabin steward previously cleaned fewer rooms.  Why?  Because we can count the number of cabin visits, the number of towels, the number of rooms for which the steward is responsible.

- Less refers to a reduction that has no numerical value; for example, people are less happy with this idea, cabins will be less clean, people will be less pleased.  Why?  Because we can't accurately calculate /count how happy a person is, how generally clean a place is, or how pleased the cruising public is.  

On 12/7/2022 at 12:21 PM, reallyitsmema said:

As long as they leave more than one set of towels per person, I have no issue with this.

Good point -- but the cabin steward could leave more towels each morning.  I don't see this being a problem in a 2-person cabin, but wet towels could be problematic in a room with more guests.  

I wouldn't really mind if the trash were only emptied once a day.  

I don't think the room is actively cleaned with chemicals every day anyway; I don't see why it would be necessary.  Certainly it needs a good cleaning between guests, but -- after that -- it's mostly a matter of making the bed and keeping up the towels and trash.  I'd say floors need more cleaning than other surfaces.  And the bathrooms need a "swish clean" every other day.  

On 12/7/2022 at 12:52 PM, ldubs said:

Good point about sofa beds & pullmans ...

I hadn't thought of that, but it would be a very big deal to people who cruise with a 3rd or 4th person in the cabin. 

What I would HATE, but I could see it happening:  A second visit each day at additional cost.  That would be quite unfair, given that the 3rd and 4th person are paying additional gratuity ... so the cabin steward already "gets paid more" for more people, but it's also more work for him.  

On 12/7/2022 at 1:22 PM, pcur said:

Even though my cabin may only be cleaned once a day, I will still use the same amount of towels, sheets.  I would think that will remain a constant. The frequency of room cleaning has nothing to do with it.

 

I figure the cabin steward gets about $7.50 per day of the daily gratuity charged.  I think it's perfectly OK to pay that with one room cleaning. I imagine the attention to detail and personal requests will improve, too. 

I have this saved in my cruise-stuff -- it is outdated now, but imagine each category is bumped up a little:

Daily gratuity is $14.50/person 

Stateroom attendant gets $3.55 (which means the cabin steward gets $7.10/day for a 2-person cabin)

Dining staff get $6.25 

Other hotel services get $4.70 

On 12/7/2022 at 6:07 PM, SargassoPirate said:

Sit and watch food handlers wearing the same gloves while they touch multiple surfaces.  There is a HUGE misperception that rubber gloves do something special when all they do is keep the wearers hands clean.

Why would anyone think rubber gloves keep surfaces clean?  The cleanliness is in changing the gloves between surfaces /chemicals /whatever else.  

On 12/7/2022 at 6:48 PM, RoperDK said:

Oh my, I have mixed feelings about this. First of all, they don't CLEAN the cabin twice a day.  The second visit is for touch up....fresh towels, empty trash, ice, and the elusive paper copy of the daily activities (if available).  The gratuity rate is going up and the services offered is going down.  

I also have mixed feelings. 

Agree that the second visit is a touch-up, and that's adequate. 

I don't care about ice, but I care very much about a paper Compass.  

And I care about money.  If the amount of service decreases, the cost of service needs to decrease too.  

An idea:  We have magnets that say "Out Catching Thrills" / "Sleeping off the Adventure" to signal the cabin steward whether we're in the room.  Maybe they could add magnets that say "Need more towels please" or whatever for afternoon service.  

 

22 hours ago, prmssk said:

... take away any glasses or dishes ...

I forgot about taking away dishes.  My husband brings coffee cups and pizza plates too often, and I don't like them hanging around the room, but I don't like putting them out in the hall either.  If service drops to once a day, we need a system for removal of dishes.  

20 hours ago, CanHardlyWait4NextYear said:

Anyone who is constantly and endlessly OK with cut backs is going to be sorry when it hits the thing they care about. Cut backs are NOT OK. It will never end if people stay passive. My auto gratuities are gone because of this. Royal isn't the only one who will be saving money. Give me less service, get less $$$ from me. Trips are paid for and non refundable for 23 and 24. My tip muscle is all I have left to flex and I will. Do little to nothing for me and get nothing from me. Staff will hate this system long run and Royal will have some thinking to do, if they ever want to retain staff. Not to mention customers.

I agree with in theory but not with your plan to stiff the cabin stewards for something they can't control.  Royal wouldn't even recognize you're "taking a stand" in this way.  Hurting the little guy is an excuse for cheapness.  

Your "tip muscle" isn't the only flex you have left.  You can write to Royal and let them know how you feel, and -- if this is really a line in the sand for you -- you can vote with your vacation dollar.  

[ReneeFLL]

22 hours ago, CanHardlyWait4NextYear said:

Again, I am upset that right after I paid for next 2 years non refundable trips, the cuts started almost daily and over the weeks haven't stopped or showed signs of stopping. And I'm stuck having paid for more then the services I believed I was to receive. 

Next time buy insurance or get refundable. That’s what they are for. Exactly what cutbacks have they done since you booked the cruises?

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by ReneeFLL

[ReneeFLL]

On 12/7/2022 at 1:48 PM, jrapps said:

My biggest concern here is the pull out bed. As a family of 4 that usually sails in a single cabin, the room is not usable during the daytime unless that pullout bed is put back away. How do they intend to handle that, regardless of if I select morning or evening service, they will have to leave the pull-out set up all the time.

It really isn’t hard to put away. It takes very little effort.

 

On 12/7/2022 at 6:00 PM, SG65CB said:

When we have more than two people in the cabin the attendant opens the extra bed at night - whether it's a sleeper sofa or a pullman bed, and in the morning they put the bed away for the day. I would expect this twice-daily service to continue. I don't want to have to figure out how to put a pullman bed away and not have it drop on someone's head, and what height and strength are even needed to get it up into the ceiling?

 

Cruise Compass and other documents are delivered in the evening with all the information for the next day. 

 

I vote to continue twice-daily cabin service. 

Its really easy to put away. Kids do it all the time.

[Tin can]

7 hours ago, Nunagoras said:

Again: Understanding market segmentation is key here on this and other details. By EU land hotel standards:

 

4* - RCL, CCL (Costa, P&O and AIDA for the Europeans), NCL, MSC.

4*+ - X, Princess, Cunard, TUI.

5* - Oceania, Viking, Explora, Azamara.

5*+ - Regent, Silversea, Seabourne, Hapag Lloyd, Cristal.

 

From here one can to chose from what better suits them.

 

In land hotels here I only get 2 room services on top 4*+, on 5*/5*+ hotels, or if I'm a suite guest or top fidelity member on every other 4* class hotels. No more, no less. Sadly; 4* class is basically no frills these days.

 

On top of that, sadly, ships, like hotels are understaffed and will continue being understaffed for years. We will sadly to need compromises. Oh, guy: But I want those extra details! Read the market segmentation chart above on my post, please.

 

I'm not sure I would put TUI 4*+ with Cunard and above Royal personally but its all opinions I guess. 

[ONECRUISER]

4 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

We just returned from a cruise today.  On Day 1 we found a note /QR code saying we could have pool towels delivered to our room (instead of picking them up from the towel station by the pool).  I don't think this delivery comes with a cost.  If Royal is looking to cut services /cut costs, WHY would they add such a frivolous service, which would fall upon housekeeping staff?  

Daily gratuity is $14.50/person 

Stateroom attendant gets $3.55 (which means the cabin steward gets $7.10/day for a 2-person cabin)

Dining staff get $6.25 

Other hotel services get $4.70 

 

Royal use to always put Pool Towels in Cabins before Port Stop yrs ago, one things that was done away with. Though few months ago was surprised Attendant put towels in Cabin nite before our Labadee stop. Daughter/Family also got them same nite for different RA & Cabin... I remember when it was lot less. Was approx $4.75 per person, per day. Think was $2.00 for Room Attendant, $2.00 for our Waiter and $.75 for Asst Waiter.  Was no other Hotel Services $$$. Anyone remember what exact amount was 35yrs ago? My onboard Bills and Royal Brochures are packed in a couple Tubs in AZ.

[BennyandBo]

First, this makes me sad. Coming back to the cabin at the end of the night to a fresh room, empty trash can, fresh towels, towel animals, ice, etc always felt so special. 

 

Second, I can see calling for towels or ice and getting nothing but a ring with nobody answering, being put on hold, etc. Then waiting too long before items are delivered. Lots of hassle for stuff that use to just show up at night.

 

And yes I need ice and more towels each night. Caribbean heat and changing clothes from pool to beach to lunch to dinner etc all requires a lot of showers. 

 

Then there are people who have plates of half eaten food still in their cabins from hours before. Sometimes the best way to get the smell out is when staff is cleaning and has door proped open for 5 minutes. It's a good airing out time. 

 

Basically I just see this new system as a hassle and not so special anymore. Plus maybe a little gross. Your only as clean as your neighbors.

[Nunagoras]

11 hours ago, angela12345 said:

Where do you put Virgin Voyages in your rankings ?
 

No solid information to definitely rank them, once they're a new build trying to settle down in the market. I'd say 4*+, despite them being quite on the rampant side of the pond in certain areas. I forgot to put HAL sort on the top side of the 4*+ segment as well.

[Nunagoras]

5 hours ago, Tin can said:

 

I'm not sure I would put TUI 4*+ with Cunard and above Royal personally but its all opinions I guess. 

Actually this chart reflects some 20+ years of working in the financial market analysis field as well as my personal experience, not only cruising, but visiting cruise ships in my own town cruise terminal for work purposes. I'd say TUI (TUI Germany with their "Mein Shiff" fleet, not TUI UK now known as Marella Cruises! Marella is 3* cruising, surely!) is X for the Germans (like AIDA is Carnival for the Germans) and a few other Europeans. TUI is almost at least half inclusive, priced at X level, with ships with X sophistication and product specification, maybe, even a little notch above that. Cunard is a particular case, like it or not, part of the same segment for various reasons, with a top section ranging the top of the tops in the whole market. Both above RCI for certain!

[Tin can]

23 minutes ago, Nunagoras said:

Actually this chart reflects some 20+ years of working in the financial market analysis field as well as my personal experience, not only cruising, but visiting cruise ships in my own town cruise terminal for work purposes. I'd say TUI (TUI Germany with their "Mein Shiff" fleet, not TUI UK now known as Marella Cruises! Marella is 3* cruising, surely!) is X for the Germans (like AIDA is Carnival for the Germans) and a few other Europeans. TUI is almost at least half inclusive, priced at X level, with ships with X sophistication and product specification, maybe, even a little notch above that. Cunard is a particular case, like it or not, part of the same segment for various reasons, with a top section ranging the top of the tops in the whole market. Both above RCI for certain!

 

Interesting, I have never been on a Mein Shiff ship so I can't comment really. The TUI cruises are great in the UK for the money but not on a level with Royal, P & O or MSC.