Room Stewards & Blankets on the Floor

[OrlandoMom55]

I am not a picky traveler by any stretch. I've done seriously no frills trips internationally and have very few needs on the ship.

 

2 weeks ago, I was on the Enchantment with my 11 year old daughter.

 

The second day of the cruise my daughter was not feeling well. We came back from Nassau and went to our room. Her bed didn't have a blanket on it- it had been made up with no blanket and only a sheet. We called housekeeping, asked a room steward in the hall for one, and never got one.

 

She used mine that afternoon. Later, after dinner and turn-down with still no blanket, we called housekeeping again and were given one.

 

Our room steward came in at that point (first time meeting her) and said "if you leave your blanket on the floor, that means you don't want it. I took it away. If you want a blanket in the future, don't put it on the floor."

 

I was stunned. I asked if she could please have it back as she didn't feel well and apologized for it being on the floor. I have no idea if it was on the floor- she's a kid and probably did leave it in a heap next to her bed.

 

The next day, we were both asleep in the cabin and our room steward came in, turned the lights on, saw we were both asleep, and came over, turned the lights on next to our bed (!!) and started cleaning!!!

 

We are pretty zen people and laughed about all of this, but I have NEVER heard of the blanket on the floor rule! And I'm pretty sure if someone is asleep you don't turn the lights on!

 

Is the blanket on the floor thing a real thing??

[Sunkissed Mommy]

I know that leaving your towels on the floor indicates you don't want those anymore and they will bring fresh ones. I had never heard of blankets too. Although, I only remember seeing the decorative comforter on the bed on day 1. They usually remove them for the remainder of the trip and leave just the sheet and thick duvet.

 

Was it the duvet that was gone??

 

I don't think they are supposed to clean while you're laying in your bed! Whenever I have had a steward walk in the room (only twice in my many experiences) they apologize and state that they will come back at a better time.

 

Odd!

 

I'm going on a mother/daughter trip on the Enchantment in just under a month. Hope I dont get the same person!!!

[OrlandoMom55]

It wasn't a decorative blanket- it was the regular blanket (a comforter in a white cover)

 

All she had on her bed was just a sheet (bottom sheet and top sheet). It was neatly made... just only had a sheet.

[Beachcampin]

Both of those things are very strange. I would let RCI know about your experience. Maybe that room steward is getting a little too stressed out to do his job.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Beachcampin

[firestopr]

Do the Ship doors have the privacy chains?

[OrlandoMom55]

I didn't see one, Firestopr. It is possible I did something wrong though. I know at night with just the 2 of us I was looking for a way to lock up better.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[trev71]

Ive never heard of the blanket thing. But i would have not been impressed if they came in and started to clean my room with me in there sleeping.

 

No extra tip for her i am guessing :confused:

[Tweety2]

We just returned from a Princess cruise and they had a little card that you put in the door when you want privacy or would like your cabin refreshed. I had also read somewhere on Cruise Critic to get a rubber door stopper for added security.

[TBone2K]

Do the Ship doors have the privacy chains?

 

I can't remember if they do or not. However, like a hotel, there is a lock on the door that can only be locked/unlocked from the inside without a key. We use that in combination with the "do not disturb" sign is enough to clue in the SA that we are in the room.

[Big_G]

Bizarre behavior by the steward. I hope you either reported it to Guest Services or at least noted it on your survey. If one started cleaning my cabin while I was sleeping they would have been rudely sent packing. That's just weird.

[Kellie Poodle]

I think you need to report this to RCI. It's my feeling that the room attendant may have been unhappy with you for asking twice for a blanket that should have been there. That would explain coming in to clean while you were sleeping.

 

Waking up a sleeping guest is way beyond normal practice.

 

If that cabin attendant was so vindictive, maybe she shouldn't be working for RCI any more.

[Kellie Poodle]

Do the Ship doors have the privacy chains?

 

None that I've ever sailed on.

 

There is a deadbolt lock on the door where you twist the knob. I don't know if they have keys for these, but if one is turned, it's my guess that the cabin attendants know to not open them.

[OrlandoMom55]

I think you need to report this to RCI. It's my feeling that the room attendant may have been unhappy with you for asking twice for a blanket that should have been there. That would explain coming in to clean while you were sleeping.

 

Waking up a sleeping guest is way beyond normal practice.

 

If that cabin attendant was so vindictive, maybe she shouldn't be working for RCI any more.

 

You know, I wondered about this! I wondered if she got in trouble when I called housekeeping the second time and asked for the blanket and explained that I had asked several times at that point. She might have gotten a lecture and been upset.

 

I plan to mark it on my post-cruise survey if it is ever sent to me. ;)

[Cruisegirl6]

I been on 52 cruises so far and NEVER did any of my cabin stewards enter my stateroom when I/we were inside unless we asked for something special. I can't understand why the room steward just walked in and cleaned while you were in bed unless he knocked you didn't hear him he walked and and just started cleaning and didn't realize you were there.

 

Rule of thumb in cruises and many hotels are if you leave your towels on the floor or in the shower after you use them, they will he replaced....if you leave them hanging they won't be replaced.....blankets/duvets and such if you leave on a chair, sofa or even the floor they think you do not want them. I usually take off that heavy bedding that RC gives us on the beds, and I place a note if I don't see the cabin steward the first day, asking for a regular blanket with the sheet. I hate heavy and warm bedding.

[The Sunset Glow]

Coming into your room to clean while you are sleeping is not accepable and should have been reported when it happened. If you did not report it you should still do so.

 

I've never heard of the blanket thing....sounds odd.

 

Sounds like you were dealing with a disgruntled or vindictive room steward who needs some time off.

[Willman]

 

 

The next day, we were both asleep in the cabin and our room steward came in, turned the lights on, saw we were both asleep, and came over, turned the lights on next to our bed (!!) and started cleaning!!!

 

That is really creepy and way wrong. If that happened to me I would have insisted on a new steward and requested he be canned.

[EmpressofPurple]

I am not a picky traveler by any stretch. I've done seriously no frills trips internationally and have very few needs on the ship.

 

2 weeks ago, I was on the Enchantment with my 11 year old daughter.

 

The second day of the cruise my daughter was not feeling well. We came back from Nassau and went to our room. Her bed didn't have a blanket on it- it had been made up with no blanket and only a sheet. We called housekeeping, asked a room steward in the hall for one, and never got one.

 

She used mine that afternoon. Later, after dinner and turn-down with still no blanket, we called housekeeping again and were given one.

 

Our room steward came in at that point (first time meeting her) and said "if you leave your blanket on the floor, that means you don't want it. I took it away. If you want a blanket in the future, don't put it on the floor."

 

I was stunned. I asked if she could please have it back as she didn't feel well and apologized for it being on the floor. I have no idea if it was on the floor- she's a kid and probably did leave it in a heap next to her bed.

 

The next day, we were both asleep in the cabin and our room steward came in, turned the lights on, saw we were both asleep, and came over, turned the lights on next to our bed (!!) and started cleaning!!!

 

We are pretty zen people and laughed about all of this, but I have NEVER heard of the blanket on the floor rule! And I'm pretty sure if someone is asleep you don't turn the lights on!

 

Is the blanket on the floor thing a real thing??

 

This is pretty creepy... I can't imagine someone coming in to clean while you're in the room at all, much less waking you up while you're sleeping!!!

 

May I ask how you handled it? Did you ask for them to leave and come back later when you weren't in the cabin? (That's what I would have done, if I weren't too freaked out by the entire episode.)

 

And yes, you can turn the lock on the door and put the "do not disturb" sign in the slot to assure privacy... but if you neglect to do either of those things, still the room attendant should NOT enter without your invitation, and certainly should not be cleaning while you are present.

 

The blanket thing seems a bit odd... a few others have posted that they have heard that if you leave it off the bed that means you don't want it... but even you inadvertently made this unknown signal, why should there be any problem in replacing it IMMEDIATELY once it was clear that was not what you intended?

 

In any event, I would not wait for a post-cruise survey (now sent by e-mail) but reach out to customer service for your ship and report this behavior. It is, frankly, rude and unsafe, and gives rise to other concerns about misbehavior by a staff member who is so unaware of basic courtesy and respect.

[OrlandoMom55]

Honestly, I sat up and said "WHAT THE H*LL ARE YOU DOING!?!? We were asleep!"

 

She left and didn't say anything.

 

When the first light came on, it woke me but I thought it was my daughter and then when the light came on by me, I woke up all the way and sat up and yelled that.

[Cruisegirl6]

Ok, seems that she didn't know you were there BUT no excuse that should never happened and good for you yelling at her. Did she ever apologize?

[OrlandoMom55]

I never saw her again on the cruise. It was kind of weird! Maybe we've had overly attentive stewards in the past, but they always said hi, dropped by and introduced themselves.

 

I'm glad that most people didn't know about the blanket rule! I was hoping I wasn't just being ignorant!

[saurian]

I have never heard of the blanket on the floor thing either. When we do move a blanket, or the duvet, off the bed they usually store it in the room above all the cabinets or closet, but it stays in the room.

 

The towels on the floor thing is marked on cards in the bathroom, but even though we hang all our towels back up they usually replace them anyway after a day or so (I even stow away the foot towel to get it off the floor), which I think is a waste, as we can easily have towels last us 3 days and save on laundry and energy, not to mention the attendant's precious time!

[Cruisegirl6]

Ok, seems that she didn't know you were there BUT no excuse that should never happened and good for you yelling at her. Did she ever apologize?

[luvscruising2007]

This is a good lesson in always using the do not disturb/make up the room now card that fits in the outside slot of your cabin door.

Our very 1st cabin attendant explained this to us and we have never had a problem. When we leave we use the side that says make up room, when we return we use the do not disturb side. Works very well.

[Cruisegirl6]

Perhaps thats why I never have a problem most of the time we use the inside lock but we usually always have the do not disturb sign on the door.

[OrlandoMom55]

Trust me- I used the Do Not Disturb sign after that! :)