Another cut being tested: Once per day cabin service

[Morecruisesplz]

On 1/4/2023 at 10:58 AM, fredmdcruisers said:

On Explorer for 3 sailings. Cabin attendants are aware of the test but no news of when a decision will be made. They would go from 18 cabins up to 25 each. They are not happy. 

2nd cabin cleaning did take place and cabin attendants are out this evening. Guess I have no idea why the magnets to let them know when you are in your cabin have been removed. 

[brillohead]

32 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

2nd cabin cleaning did take place and cabin attendants are out this evening. Guess I have no idea why the magnets to let them know when you are in your cabin have been removed. 

Maybe by kids causing trouble, instead of by management?

Did you ask the attendant for a replacement magnet?

[Morecruisesplz]

45 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Maybe by kids causing trouble, instead of by management?

Did you ask the attendant for a replacement magnet?

Yes. I have cruised before. 😃 

[brillohead]

4 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Yes. I have cruised before. 😃 

And did the attendant refuse to replace the magnet?

[DallasGuy75219]

9 hours ago, Mikew0805 said:

Why would they get rid of those magnets? I am okay with once per day service, but I am still not okay with being woke up before I am ready for them to come in.

Carnival did the same several years ago.  One side of the door hanger was "Snoozing" (do not disturb) and the other was "Cruising" (please make up my room).  Now the door hangers say "Snoozing" (do not disturb) on both sides.  

 

Removing the "please make up my room" option reduces the expectation that the steward come back if the "do not disturb" sign was up earlier.  If a passenger puts up "please make up my room" and the steward doesn't, they're essentially ignoring a passenger request.  Take away that option and it's easier to justify not coming back after the "do not disturb" sign is gone (i.e., "Sorry, I didn't notice the do not disturb sign was gone").

 

 

 

 

[Coralc]

17 hours ago, Longford said:

The comments in this discussion thread - overall - raise the question in my mind:  How many of us tip the housekeeping staff - the maids- who clean the hotel rooms we stay in when we travel on land?  Do we tip - or always tip - the maid at the Holiday Inn or Comfort Suites?  And the hotels don't ask for pre-paid gratuities that are shared amongst all employees.

I generally always tip hotel housekeeping $5/day. I didn't leave a tip at all for our last 2-night stay in Lake Tahoe in July, because there was no housekeeping service. You could only communicate with them by text, if you needed something. It was not my idea of service, for what we were paying. (Which was more than cruise costs) 🙄

[Coralc]

1 hour ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Carnival did the same several years ago.  One side of the door hanger was "Snoozing" (do not disturb) and the other was "Cruising" (please make up my room).  Now the door hangers say "Snoozing" (do not disturb) on both sides.  

 

Removing the "please make up my room" option reduces the expectation that the steward come back if the "do not disturb" sign was up earlier.  If a passenger puts up "please make up my room" and the steward doesn't, they're essentially ignoring a passenger request.  Take away that option and it's easier to justify not coming back after the "do not disturb" sign is gone (i.e., "Sorry, I didn't notice the do not disturb sign was gone").

 

 

The ones on RC say something like "Sleeping off the Excitement" and "Out Enjoying the Thrills". I never looked at them as a request to make up the stateroom, just to let them know when your cabin is unoccupied. We like to sleep late, and don't really care if the cabin is made up once or twice a day. Fresh towels, bed made, and trash can empty, and we are satisfied.

 

I suppose we could have "texted" them in Lake Tahoe to come and get the trash, and replace the towels, but it wasn't worth it. 

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Carnival did the same several years ago.  One side of the door hanger was "Snoozing" (do not disturb) and the other was "Cruising" (please make up my room).  Now the door hangers say "Snoozing" (do not disturb) on both sides.  

 

Removing the "please make up my room" option reduces the expectation that the steward come back if the "do not disturb" sign was up earlier.  If a passenger puts up "please make up my room" and the steward doesn't, they're essentially ignoring a passenger request.  Take away that option and it's easier to justify not coming back after the "do not disturb" sign is gone (i.e., "Sorry, I didn't notice the do not disturb sign was gone").

 

 

 

 

I get up very early. I always thought I was doing the steward a favor by putting the tag out to make up the cabin. By doing so when they get to the floor they know they can start working somewhere and not be concerned that someone is in the cabin.

[Tenderpaw]

And its happening, just as predicted.

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2023/03/royal-caribbean-international-trimming-housekeeping-services/

 

All in the name of "sustainability".  Raise the per diem, lower the service.

[Vibe]

On 1/5/2023 at 8:50 PM, fredmdcruisers said:

2nd cabin cleaning did take place and cabin attendants are out this evening. Guess I have no idea why the magnets to let them know when you are in your cabin have been removed. 

Always thought that those magnets were helpful to the stewards 

Edited March 6, 2023 by Vibe

[John&LaLa]

On 1/5/2023 at 12:07 PM, Ret MP said:

.  Good/professional tip earners in good tip generating venues (Restaurants, Valet Parking Attendants, Grocery Baggers, ........) control their own wage.  Minimum producers don't, not generally.  Many, especially the overachievers make a lot more than minimum/living wage, a lot more.

 

Grocery baggers?

 

Only place I've seen that is at a base commissary, and thats a bit of a racket.😉

 

But I complied, it was just weird

[John&LaLa]

On 1/6/2023 at 5:32 AM, Ocean Boy said:

I get up very early. I always thought I was doing the steward a favor by putting the tag out to make up the cabin. By doing so when they get to the floor they know they can start working somewhere and not be concerned that someone is in the cabin.

 

In the past we always set expectations on Day 1 meet and greet.

 

Please do our cabin first. We eat as soon as breakfast opens, and like to come back and find it done

 

Eventually Laura felt they weren't consistent on complying with that. (Seriously, why do their hours vary beyween port and sea days anyway.) And now tells them our dinner schedule, and would they please do the cabin during dinner.

 

Once a day has been fine ever since

[S.A.M.J.R.]

Here's something I don't understand...

 

Based on posts, stewards were responsible for 18 cabins twice a day.  Going forward, they'll be responsible for 25 cabins.

 

Let's say there are 1800 cabins on a ship (I don't know, just making up a number to do the math).  So there were 100 stewards on the ship.   But, by going to 25 cabins/steward, you now only need 72 stewards.  So, what happened to the other 28?

 

A) Never came back from covid (so stewards were covering more cabins)?

B) Being cut by Royal

C) Being redeployed by Royal to cover other vacancies.

 

On a related note, if they were cleaning 18 cabins twice a day, that's 36 "cleanings".  Over an eight hour day, that would be one cabin every 13 minutes.  Now going to 25 cabins, and let's call it 1.5 cleanings a day (to allow for putting 3rd bed out/up, maybe ice), and that's 38 "cleanings".  More work?  Yes, slightly.  In reality?  Probably not as bad as they think it's going to be.  Sure, it sounds like almost 40% more work (from 18 to 25), but is it really? 

[John&LaLa]

Doubt they work 8 hour days

[xtremegk]

2 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

Here's something I don't understand...

 

Based on posts, stewards were responsible for 18 cabins twice a day.  Going forward, they'll be responsible for 25 cabins.

 

Let's say there are 1800 cabins on a ship (I don't know, just making up a number to do the math).  So there were 100 stewards on the ship.   But, by going to 25 cabins/steward, you now only need 72 stewards.  So, what happened to the other 28?

 

A) Never came back from covid (so stewards were covering more cabins)?

B) Being cut by Royal

C) Being redeployed by Royal to cover other vacancies.

 

On a related note, if they were cleaning 18 cabins twice a day, that's 36 "cleanings".  Over an eight hour day, that would be one cabin every 13 minutes.  Now going to 25 cabins, and let's call it 1.5 cleanings a day (to allow for putting 3rd bed out/up, maybe ice), and that's 38 "cleanings".  More work?  Yes, slightly.  In reality?  Probably not as bad as they think it's going to be.  Sure, it sounds like almost 40% more work (from 18 to 25), but is it really? 

 

I'd hesitate to call their previous schedule 2 cleanings -- it was more like 1 cleaning, 1 freshen up...rather than try to call it by "cleanings" or "cycles," let's say a regular cabin cleaning takes the steward 15 minutes, a freshen up takes 5. Under the old method, that'd equate to about 360 minutes...the new setup is 375 (without popping in for 3+ and ice, etc.).

 

And my guess, purely guessing, is mixture of A & B. Some didn't come back, Visa delays are excessive, and Royal needs to pay back a ton of debt.

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

 

Eventually Laura felt they weren't consistent on complying with that. (Seriously, why do their hours vary beyween port and sea days anyway.) And now tells them our dinner schedule, and would they please do the cabin during dinner.

 

Well, if you eat as soon as breakfast opens you must know that many more people are up and around earlier on port days than sea days. So it would make sense that stewards might vary their start time by when people are up and out vs. sleeping in.

[John&LaLa]

1 minute ago, Ocean Boy said:

Well, if you eat as soon as breakfast opens you must know that many more people are up and around earlier on port days than sea days. So it would make sense that stewards might vary their start time by when people are up and out vs. sleeping in.

 

True, but Plenty of signs up to make up cabin when we head out. Personally, I'd prefer to start early.

 

 

[Ocean Boy]

19 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

True, but Plenty of signs up to make up cabin when we head out. Personally, I'd prefer to start early.

 

 

Well, when I get up I don't see any signs to make up cabins.

[Joebucks]

I love busybody math. Just give it a rest.

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Well, when I get up I don't see any signs to make up cabins.

 

Laura heads out way earlier than me, but rarely after 6am. I typically meet her around 7am for a cappuccino before heading to breakfast. 

 

Lately it's been Chops, they follow the posted MDR hours