How to address problem with cabin steward

We just completed our first cruise, on the Gem. We did not go aboard looking for things to be critical of...we were prepared to be very happy, and with most features of the cruise, we were. But our cabin steward was another thing.

We didn't expect perfection, and it wasn't horrible, but things like the bathroom sink being cleaned only once (we were shocked at how shiny it was on Friday, so it clearly was a first real cleaning.) and having to clean the toilet closet myself the first day to get rid of the smell of urine...then later finding some crud I don't want to describe on the toilet that was left by a dirty cleaning tool of some kind, probably...used glasses with the old water still in them with the paper caps put back on instead of replacing them with clean ones...a very dirty bath mat left in place of the cleaner used one...that sort of thing the whole week made it clear this steward was in the wrong job.

We wrote several "vacation hero" cards for others, but we find no way to address the poor work done by our cabin steward. We did not complain on board because, as a former restaurant worker and a current restaurant critic, I know service workers find ways to retaliate that you dont't even what to think about. We knew we were stuck with this guy, so we made the best of it.

But that doesn't mean he shouldn't be reassigned so someone else doesn't have to make the best of it after us. So how do we go about that? I find no survey online. There was none offered on board. This man needs to be reassigned to a job he can do well.

Any suggestions?

You should get an email soon with a survey, but that won't do any good. I would call NCL and ask them how to process my concerns.

Never mind the survey we filled it out for a terrible cabin steward as well and waited and heard nothing! Called Norwegian months later and was told to email them with the complaints and we got a response within 7 days and credits towards another cruise! Those surveys go to a company not Norwegian.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Never mind the survey we filled it out for a terrible cabin steward as well and waited and heard nothing! Called Norwegian months later and was told to email them with the complaints and we got a response within 7 days and credits towards another cruise! Those surveys go to a company not Norwegian.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks very much for the practical advice. I will follow it. Are you able to give me the email address that worked for you?

Thanks very much for the practical advice. I will follow it. Are you able to give me the email address that worked for you?

I honestly no longer have it but call them up and ask for it.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We just completed our first cruise, on the Gem. We did not go aboard looking for things to be critical of...we were prepared to be very happy, and with most features of the cruise, we were. But our cabin steward was another thing.

 

We didn't expect perfection, and it wasn't horrible, but things like the bathroom sink being cleaned only once (we were shocked at how shiny it was on Friday, so it clearly was a first real cleaning.) and having to clean the toilet closet myself the first day to get rid of the smell of urine...then later finding some crud I don't want to describe on the toilet that was left by a dirty cleaning tool of some kind, probably...used glasses with the old water still in them with the paper caps put back on instead of replacing them with clean ones...a very dirty bath mat left in place of the cleaner used one...that sort of thing the whole week made it clear this steward was in the wrong job.

 

We wrote several "vacation hero" cards for others, but we find no way to address the poor work done by our cabin steward. We did not complain on board because, as a former restaurant worker and a current restaurant critic, I know service workers find ways to retaliate that you dont't even what to think about. We knew we were stuck with this guy, so we made the best of it.

 

But that doesn't mean he shouldn't be reassigned so someone else doesn't have to make the best of it after us. So how do we go about that? I find no survey online. There was none offered on board. This man needs to be reassigned to a job he can do well.

 

Any suggestions?

HI, sorry about your cabin steward experience. Hopefully it did not turn you off from cruising. The answer to your question is Guest Relations or the Hotel Director while on board. When you found the "crud", you should have picked up the phone and called guest relations. They would have sent someone to check it out. There also is a person in charge of the room stewards, I have forgotten the title. The hotel director is in charge of everything "hotel". While I will over look some o f the little things, Steward having a bad day or week, family problems back at home, etc...things you described should be reported while on board.

Another suggestion for your next cruise is to join the "roll call" for your cruise here on cruise critic. If you go to the meet and greet you usually get a list of the officers and phone numbers. If the officers can attend the meet and greet, they will let you know what they are in charge of. If you have to contact an officer, mention you are a member of cruise critic. Does not get you anything extra but may help get a quicker response.

Please remember to contact those officers when service or food is great also. I have let Hotel Directors know when staff speaks highly of them. I have sent notes to the Head Chef telling him a meal was really enjoyable. I have also let them know when I have seen managers reprimand staff in front of guests (IMHO a very bad move).

Thanks very much for the practical advice. I will follow it. Are you able to give me the email address that worked for you?

"Guest relations, after the cruise"

https://www.ncl.com/about/contact-us

We just completed our first cruise, on the Gem. We did not go aboard looking for things to be critical of...we were prepared to be very happy, and with most features of the cruise, we were. But our cabin steward was another thing.

 

We didn't expect perfection, and it wasn't horrible, but things like the bathroom sink being cleaned only once (we were shocked at how shiny it was on Friday, so it clearly was a first real cleaning.) and having to clean the toilet closet myself the first day to get rid of the smell of urine...then later finding some crud I don't want to describe on the toilet that was left by a dirty cleaning tool of some kind, probably...used glasses with the old water still in them with the paper caps put back on instead of replacing them with clean ones...a very dirty bath mat left in place of the cleaner used one...that sort of thing the whole week made it clear this steward was in the wrong job.

 

We wrote several "vacation hero" cards for others, but we find no way to address the poor work done by our cabin steward. We did not complain on board because, as a former restaurant worker and a current restaurant critic, I know service workers find ways to retaliate that you dont't even what to think about. We knew we were stuck with this guy, so we made the best of it.

 

But that doesn't mean he shouldn't be reassigned so someone else doesn't have to make the best of it after us. So how do we go about that? I find no survey online. There was none offered on board. This man needs to be reassigned to a job he can do well.

 

Any suggestions?

I understand your concern about retaliation but you still should have complained while still aboard ship since there's not really anything you can do about it now. You can email someone in Miami but who knows if it will get to someone who can do something about it.

If you didn't want to complain to head housekeeper or Hotel Director while aboard, even on the last full day aboard you could have left a note for one of them at Guest Services before you disembarked.

This issue should have been handled on board. There is always a box near the Guest Services desk, that has the name of the Hotel director on it. He/She reads EVERY NOTE in the box and takes appropriate action privately whether the comment made was positive or negative.

With the Corporate Offices being closed most of last week and the week before because of Hurricane Irma, it will take awhile to clear all the backlog.

We just completed our first cruise, on the Gem. We did not go aboard looking for things to be critical of...we were prepared to be very happy, and with most features of the cruise, we were. But our cabin steward was another thing.

 

We didn't expect perfection, and it wasn't horrible, but things like the bathroom sink being cleaned only once (we were shocked at how shiny it was on Friday, so it clearly was a first real cleaning.) and having to clean the toilet closet myself the first day to get rid of the smell of urine...then later finding some crud I don't want to describe on the toilet that was left by a dirty cleaning tool of some kind, probably...used glasses with the old water still in them with the paper caps put back on instead of replacing them with clean ones...a very dirty bath mat left in place of the cleaner used one...that sort of thing the whole week made it clear this steward was in the wrong job.

 

We wrote several "vacation hero" cards for others, but we find no way to address the poor work done by our cabin steward. We did not complain on board because, as a former restaurant worker and a current restaurant critic, I know service workers find ways to retaliate that you dont't even what to think about. We knew we were stuck with this guy, so we made the best of it.

 

But that doesn't mean he shouldn't be reassigned so someone else doesn't have to make the best of it after us. So how do we go about that? I find no survey online. There was none offered on board. This man needs to be reassigned to a job he can do well.

 

Any suggestions?

A couple things come to mind, he could be relatively new and not quite sure of what he is and isn't supposed to do, but this is no excuse: he could just be lazy or he could be affected in some way by the storms. I do know one thing, we only had one stewatd in the 40 plus cruises we have taken that was truely below par. We informed the hotel director. We should have done it early in the criuse, but we didn't. The hotel director told me we should have said something sooner. I did report bad service in Le Bistro a few years ago. We got an apology, a free meal and the same wait person who bent over backwards to give us good service. Complaining after the crise is over will serve no purpose. I am going to say, if you handle a complain the right way I don't think you have to worry about relalination. That is a bit over the top. I hope your next cruise you get the cream of the crop.

We did not complain on board because, as a former restaurant worker and a current restaurant critic, I know service workers find ways to retaliate that you dont't even what to think about. We knew we were stuck with this guy, so we made the best of it.

 

But that doesn't mean he shouldn't be reassigned so someone else doesn't have to make the best of it after us. So how do we go about that?

Although I would have made a complaint at the first sign of trouble (as suggested by ColinIllinois), you could have made a complaint on the morning of disembarkation. Your "stuff" would no longer be in the stateroom and the specific steward would have been be noted. You could have also taken pictures with your phone to show what the problems were.

Although I would have made a complaint at the first sign of trouble (as suggested by ColinIllinois), you could have made a complaint on the morning of disembarkation. Your "stuff" would no longer be in the stateroom and the specific steward would have been be noted. You could have also taken pictures with your phone to show what the problems were.

I agree.

I will tell you exactly what response you will get.

Short version:

Thanks for cruising with us. Thanks for point this out. We are sorry. We will take this up with the staff member and supervisor.

Sorry again.

May or may not get the proper response.

I get why you may not want to deal with him onboard,but unless it is addressed then, it never happened.

You should put the dates of your cruise and room # in your post. We know for a fact NCL follows cruise critic. Even though you may not get a response it might have been addressed.

You should let this pass. At this point you are simply one passenger trying to get someone fired/reassigned for your perception of their service. Sure, you can note your dissatisfaction in your survey, but leave it at that. Your opportunity to address the situation was while you were onboard. The concierge, executive housekeeper and finally the hotel director was your complaint chain of command. Don't be petty, move on.

If you are concerned about retaliation (and its a valid concern if someone is at the end of contract and doesn't plan to renew, etc - minimal risk) and the issue is bad enough, you can request the Hotel Director to change your steward. They may be reluctant to do so initially but they will if its warranted. You can also request no action be taken until end of cruise as an option.

It is truly important to address on board if you can, even if its just notifying and requesting a delayed response. After the cruise communications can take days if not weeks to reach the ship and arrive to a staff member dealing with onboard issues.

"Guest relations, after the cruise"

 

https://www.ncl.com/about/contact-us

Thank you very much. I've sent the message.

These are things you address immediately while on the cruise. You don't wait until after the cruise to resolve issues that should be resolved immediately. This is common sense.

When the toilet is dirty, you don't clean it yourself on the first day. You wait until you see your cabin steward and show him. "This is really dirty and it stinks. It needs a thorough cleaning. Thank you". You do that on the first night.....you don't clean it yourself.

Then the second issue, you might give him another chance......You see him and you say...."Hey, there are dirty glasses left on the counter from the previous guests. There's still water in them and they are obviously used. Can you clean those up right away."

The third issue.....You walk directly to the main desk and you ask to speak to someone about your state room, you rattle off your issues and ask that they have a manager come and inspect the cabin for cleanliness.

What you don't do is wait until you get home and think it's going to be resolved somehow with an email. They are going to apologize and tell you they are disappointed you didn't bring it to their attention at the appropriate time so they could correct it as necessary.

I will repeat what others have already said. This should have been handled onboard. Nothing can be done now except complaining just for the sake of complaining.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If I understand you correctly you were afraid of the room steward getting back at you for complaining. That said, in all probability the room steward was new, tired, etc. and a friendly hello with a nice request to fix the things that needed fixing would have probably yielded good non-"get back at you" type of results. Most of the stewards are so overworked especially on turn around day that it is almost to be expected that things aren't "perfect" As for what to do after the fact, I think it is too late but perhaps a letter will yield a small OBC towards another cruise.

We just completed our first cruise, on the Gem. We did not go aboard looking for things to be critical of...we were prepared to be very happy, and with most features of the cruise, we were. But our cabin steward was another thing.

 

We didn't expect perfection, and it wasn't horrible, but things like the bathroom sink being cleaned only once (we were shocked at how shiny it was on Friday, so it clearly was a first real cleaning.) and having to clean the toilet closet myself the first day to get rid of the smell of urine...then later finding some crud I don't want to describe on the toilet that was left by a dirty cleaning tool of some kind, probably...used glasses with the old water still in them with the paper caps put back on instead of replacing them with clean ones...a very dirty bath mat left in place of the cleaner used one...that sort of thing the whole week made it clear this steward was in the wrong job.

 

We wrote several "vacation hero" cards for others, but we find no way to address the poor work done by our cabin steward. We did not complain on board because, as a former restaurant worker and a current restaurant critic, I know service workers find ways to retaliate that you dont't even what to think about. We knew we were stuck with this guy, so we made the best of it.

 

But that doesn't mean he shouldn't be reassigned so someone else doesn't have to make the best of it after us. So how do we go about that? I find no survey online. There was none offered on board. This man needs to be reassigned to a job he can do well.

 

Any suggestions?

While you can make mention of it if you get a survey, once you are off the ship there is not really anything that you can do. If it ever happens again you need to address it immediately so that the unboard crew can deal with the issue.

The answer you seek is probably buried in several replies here.

Simply put the time to correct the deficiency is when it occurs or as soon there after as possible !

You do not have to spend the rest of your cruise living in distress or being inconvenienced by

what ever the problem maybe.

After the cruise come to CC with the resolution and let us know some of the details of date of sailing - ship - cabin.

With enough replies - if a pattern is seen forming about a specific ship or general procedure NCL can

be contacted for an explanation.

I can't comment for sure about NCL monitoring or reading our posts here at CC - BUT - I have a feeling

that they do. When attending a Meet & Greet (Mingle) party the crew respects feedback and I have heard

it often "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" they are interested in any problems you may have and

want the problems that happen to stay on the ship and CORRECTED !

OP, what would you like the outcome to be at this point? What is a satisfactory result for you?

We just completed our first cruise, on the Gem. We did not go aboard looking for things to be critical of...we were prepared to be very happy, and with most features of the cruise, we were. But our cabin steward was another thing.

 

We didn't expect perfection, and it wasn't horrible, but things like the bathroom sink being cleaned only once (we were shocked at how shiny it was on Friday, so it clearly was a first real cleaning.) and having to clean the toilet closet myself the first day to get rid of the smell of urine...then later finding some crud I don't want to describe on the toilet that was left by a dirty cleaning tool of some kind, probably...used glasses with the old water still in them with the paper caps put back on instead of replacing them with clean ones...a very dirty bath mat left in place of the cleaner used one...that sort of thing the whole week made it clear this steward was in the wrong job.

 

We wrote several "vacation hero" cards for others, but we find no way to address the poor work done by our cabin steward. We did not complain on board because, as a former restaurant worker and a current restaurant critic, I know service workers find ways to retaliate that you dont't even what to think about. We knew we were stuck with this guy, so we made the best of it.

 

But that doesn't mean he shouldn't be reassigned so someone else doesn't have to make the best of it after us. So how do we go about that? I find no survey online. There was none offered on board. This man needs to be reassigned to a job he can do well.

 

Any suggestions?

I'm with you on this one. Anyone who has worked in hospitality knows better than to complain or send something back...just saying. Sure, it doesn't always happen, but, I'm not prepared to take the risk!

I would probably leave a note at the front desk before debarkation.

Agreed.

There are a few naive posters here who don't understand what happens in the real world. A room steward who's at the end of a contract or just plain resentful and has access to your drinking glasses, toothbrushes etc. can do things to them you'll never know about. As anyone in law enforcement knows, when in uniform and visiting a restaurant it's always good to know the list of "do not eat at" restaurants. Reason: often a short order cook or wait staff has been previously arrested and might want to add some spit (or worse) to your drink or food. There are many instances where cooks have been caught on videotape inserting disgusting things onto people's food in retaliation for a perceived slight.

While it's unlikely the room steward would retaliate, it's certainly a valid concern and I understand why someone would hesitate reporting the room steward until the cruise is almost over and they're headed off the ship.