Cabin Service Decrease

[jimbo5544]

I haven't read every post on this thread, however, I quickly wanted to say that I sailed on Victory over New Year's and our room steward explained that we could choose morning service, evening service, or both. She gave me a card, where I noted that I wanted both morning and evening. It was no issue, even with 4 grandchildren who rotated spending a night each with us. We're on the Breeze in a few weeks; don't know if we'll experience the same thing or not.

 

 

It is nice to know that nothing has changed.

[MCFTJCH2V]

This is a castrophe in the making since the on set. It kind of reminds me of the launch of the Cheers program. Unlimited drinks for a low low price. People coming back and reporting they were getting limited. We were told HOGWASH. Then we're told there was no such limit. People continued to come back saying they were getting limited or cutoff. They were called idiots for posting such nonsense, as they were repeating what they were being told on Facebook.

 

It's quite apparent that Carnival wants to have once a day service, even in the face of 99% wanting and expecting twice a day service. It continues MONTHS LATER after first being reported that some are STILL experiencing non conformity; no change, a card, a card and being told its one or the other.these cards should have been dumped as soon as the issue was identified. It's done all the time. But somehow some are believing the bunk.

 

And for the last two days, I'm watching Facebook posts where Carnival is being called out disappearing from John Healds page, as well as the Carnival page. And being called idiots by the 20 or so that have ruined those two pages.

Edited January 20, 2016 by MCFTJCH2V

[sparks1093]

As you said' date=' newbie cruises will think it is either or and not know any better. Carnival will than tell us that the vast majority of cruisers are not interesting in twice daily service so we will all get one time service.[/quote']

 

If I'm presented the card shown earlier in the thread, and I am given the opportunity to pick, I'll pick both. I think this has been blown way out of proportion.

 

It isn't a big deal in the overall scheme of things but I can see CCL pulling something like Micah's Grandad suggests. The other thing to keep in mind is that the tips we pay to the steward are for twice a day service, so if the steward (or CCL) says it's only one or the other the steward is getting the same money for half the work. Not a deal breaker but still an irritant that is self-inflicted by CCL on itself and its passengers.

[sparks1093]

Lol. Gotta give it to you Jana' date=' you're very persistent. Between my job and vacations I've stayed at hundreds of hotels and resorts over the past 20 years where my room was only cleaned up once a day. And since I've been cruising Carnival since the 90's I'd consider myself an experienced cruiser and this like the smoking changes and that American table change, I just go with the flow because Carnival makes up for that stuff with the overall vacation experience in my eyes. With that said I did see your surveys and it is important to lots of people so I'm going to go ahead and wish you luck. I can't argue with you on the fact Carnival is trying to be sneaky on this one. [emoji4']

 

And in those hundreds of resorts and hotels how much did the company add to your bill for tipping? Probably nothing, if they are at all similar to the ones I've stayed in. I do not tip as much in a hotel as I tip on the ship because the room is serviced once a day. The tips are established on the ship with twice a day service in mind as the standard. Again, this isn't an end of the world matter by any means but yes, new cruisers should be told that they are entitled to having their room serviced twice a day.

[TomAceEsq]

We're going on our first Carnival cruise in five weeks.

 

I couldn't care less if my room is serviced once or twice.

[Jana60]

We're going on our first Carnival cruise in five weeks.

 

I couldn't care less if my room is serviced once or twice.

 

Now at least you are aware that you have the choice. And if you choose morning service when you come back from the beach and take a nap you'll get to sleep on and walk on that sand you tracked in all night long. If you choose evening then you take a bedtime shower after being in the hot Sun all day long you won't have any dry towels the next morning to wash up with! The difference between a cruise ship and a hotel is that you have very limited space to function in which makes any mess amplified. Also consider as some people have stated that the work you give the cabin stewards is their job security. Carnival is not going to decrease your price no matter how little service you're willing to accept. But they will layoff half their crew if they think they can save a few bucks and get away with it!

Edited January 20, 2016 by Jana60

[KatieCharlotte]

And in those hundreds of resorts and hotels how much did the company add to your bill for tipping? Probably nothing, if they are at all similar to the ones I've stayed in. I do not tip as much in a hotel as I tip on the ship because the room is serviced once a day. The tips are established on the ship with twice a day service in mind as the standard. Again, this isn't an end of the world matter by any means but yes, new cruisers should be told that they are entitled to having their room serviced twice a day.

 

Based on the tip breakdown on the Carnival FAQ, my family is paying $19.50 per day just for the steward service in prepaid tips, plus an extra $2 to $10+ per day in cash depending on the service we receive. We certainly do not tip that much in a hotel, even those rare hotels that provide twice-a-day service. We are very happy to tip that much, but we want our steward to continue having the time to provide the services we are paying for.

 

We also don't want to be making up for guests who aren't tipping. I would love to know whether the percentage of people who remove their tips has increased in recent years and whether that's the cause or result of decreases in service. Preventing tip removal has also been a recent topic on that site that shall remain nameless. My last cruise was the first time that I heard multiple people talking about removing tips merely because they did not want to pay. :mad:

[Cushing985]

There is a lot of hate and discontent on this thread about the number of times a room steward cleans your room. We have a cruise scheduled for April onboard the Dream and I do expect both morning and evening service. If the steward tells me I have to choose on or the other I will make a call to Housekeeping or Guest Services while he is in the cabin and have them explain to him/her I can have both.

 

That should settle it but if it doesn't I will adjust my tips to make up for the once a day cleaning vs twice. I've never made adjustments before but, then again, I've always had cabin service twice a day.

[Jana60]

There is a lot of hate and discontent on this thread about the number of times a room steward cleans your room. We have a cruise scheduled for April onboard the Dream and I do expect both morning and evening service. If the steward tells me I have to choose on or the other I will make a call to Housekeeping or Guest Services while he is in the cabin and have them explain to him/her I can have both.

 

That should settle it but if it doesn't I will adjust my tips to make up for the once a day cleaning vs twice. I've never made adjustments before but, then again, I've always had cabin service twice a day.

 

I don't know that I would use the term hate and discontent! It's more a matter of being persistent. I have family members who call it being stubborn but I prefer the term persistent! I actually really love Carnival. Like I said earlier in this thread I have cruised with Carnival 20x and have 3 more cruises booked taking place next month. I jokingly refer to Carnival as my winter home. In the past Carnival has had the friendliest crew and the best service afloat. I just want that to continue to be the case!

Edited January 20, 2016 by Jana60

[jimbo5544]

I don't know that I would use the term hate and discontent! It's more a matter of being persistent. I have family members who call it being stubborn but I prefer the term persistent! I actually really love Carnival. Like I said earlier in this thread I have cruised with Carnival 20x and have 3 more cruises booked taking place next month. I jokingly refer to Carnival as my winter home. In the past Carnival has had the friendliest crew and the best service afloat. I just want that to continue to be the case!

 

I have seen nothing to indicate that would change.....at least on Carnival's part. I would love to hear back from you after your next cruise that all is well

[jimbo5544]

There is a lot of hate and discontent on this thread .

 

That should settle it but if it doesn't I will adjust my tips to make up for the once a day cleaning vs twice. I've never made adjustments before but, then again, I've always had cabin service twice a day.

Hate and discontent?? I don't see that, I see discussions with two different sides. On your next cruise, all will be well and you can put away the "remove the tips dagger".

[katiel53]

When we sailed on Dream, there was a card in our cabin and I checked off morning and evening. When our steward came to introduce himself, I told him I wanted both and he said that was what he would do. No questions, no problems.

 

I am wondering if he was so willing because that's what he thought most would want or because we are Platinum. I remember when this trial first started, most people felt they could only pick one or the other. I think that is still the way of most thinking and I very seriously doubt the cards are going to be changed to read both. Carnival wants to have the cabin servicing done only once per day.

 

I think one of the biggest complaints was that there wouldn't be the towel animals if only morning service, so people were asking the stewards for both. Now, if you want only AM service, towel animals will be provided in the morning. I think the stewards are telling that to guests or if not yet, will soon be to encourage the once a day servicing.

[Jana60]

When we sailed on Dream, there was a card in our cabin and I checked off morning and evening. When our steward came to introduce himself, I told him I wanted both and he said that was what he would do. No questions, no problems.

 

I am wondering if he was so willing because that's what he thought most would want or because we are Platinum. I remember when this trial first started, most people felt they could only pick one or the other. I think that is still the way of most thinking and I very seriously doubt the cards are going to be changed to read both. Carnival wants to have the cabin servicing done only once per day.

 

I think one of the biggest complaints was that there wouldn't be the towel animals if only morning service, so people were asking the stewards for both. Now, if you want only AM service, towel animals will be provided in the morning. I think the stewards are telling that to guests or if not yet, will soon be to encourage the once a day servicing.

 

I think like a few other things that have been greatly protested, Carnaval will be compelled to supply the card with the 3rd checkbox. I don't think they truly realized how important the service is to most people. And yes for those of you who try to say its not very important the three surveys given by John Heald provide plenty of evidence that it is important to the majority.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Jana60

[curlygirl18]

Personally I'd be okay with just AM service, if that portion of the gratuities was then cut in half. I'm really not in the room at all besides sleeping and showering, so having the bed made in the morning, garbage emptied, and fresh towels is all I need. Sure the nightly turn down service of untucking the bed and a new animal is nice, but not totally necessary for me.

 

Be careful what you wish for. It's far more likely that Carnival would consider the option of charging people more for two-a-day service, than they would charging people less for once a day. I know people on cruise critic and JH's page may be more passionate about this, but the vast majority of cruisers likely don't know any better and it's highly unlikely that the overall cruise experience would be negatively affected by this.

[jimbo5544]

I think like a few other things that have been greatly protested, Carnaval will be compelled to supply the card with the 3rd checkbox. I don't think they truly realized how important the service is to most people. And yes for those of you who try to say its not very important the three surveys given by John Heald provide plenty of evidence that it is important to the majority.

 

It totally resonates with me that they though by having two boxes (and the ability to check both) was a valid way to approach it. Regardless of whether me and or anyone else thought John asking three times was needed or not, it was done (not sure what constitutes a majority, but the point is moot).

 

At the end of the day, Carnival wants their cruisers to be happy and to continue to sail with them. If adding a box (as opposed to just checking off both boxes) works then so be it.

[bobsfamily]

Wow, what passion!

 

I for one will be looking forward to 2 a day service in less than 20 days for a nice week long cruise away from cold. I hope I am not asked and it just happens but if I am either in person or by card it will be "c" that I choose.

 

I do think the Carnival is trying to pull a fast one...

[jimbo5544]

Wow, what passion!

 

I for one will be looking forward to 2 a day service in less than 20 days for a nice week long cruise away from cold. I hope I am not asked and it just happens but if I am either in person or by card it will be "c" that I choose.

 

I do think the Carnival is trying to pull a fast one...

 

I think they are trying to get you to make up your own cabin, so they can only bring the staff on for a couple of hours at home ports.;)

[Jana60]

At the end of the day, Carnival wants their cruisers to be happy and to continue to sail with them. If adding a box (as opposed to just checking off both boxes) works then so be it.

 

That's the attitude I was hoping for from Carnival! I'll try to remember and come back to this thread and update everybody on what I experience on my 3 cruises in February.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Jana60

[Podna's]

I think they are trying to get you to make up your own cabin, so they can only bring the staff on for a couple of hours at home ports.;)

 

 

Lol, funny thing is there are some here that actual believe that's what they want to do.

[Podna's]

That's the attitude I was hoping for from Carnival! I'll try to remember and come back to this thread and update everybody on what I experience on my 3 cruises in February.

 

 

I'm going to go out on s limb and say whether you have 1 box or 20 boxes to check off, you'll get your twice daily service with absolutely no problem. I just hope you enjoy your cruises instead of going door to door the let new cruisers know how many times they are entitled to have their room serviced.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Podna's

[sparks1093]

It totally resonates with me that they though by having two boxes (and the ability to check both) was a valid way to approach it. Regardless of whether me and or anyone else thought John asking three times was needed or not, it was done (not sure what constitutes a majority, but the point is moot).

 

At the end of the day, Carnival wants their cruisers to be happy and to continue to sail with them. If adding a box (as opposed to just checking off both boxes) works then so be it.

 

I think many people (maybe the majority but certainly a statistically valid percentage in any case) when presented with a form with only two check boxes will assume that it is a one or the other type of choice unless there is something on the form to the contrary (such as an instruction "check all that apply").

[sanmarcosman]

 

As 4 of us share a balcony cabin, it would be a deal breaker for us to only have the 1 service per day ....as this would mean the children's beds including the pull-down one would be out all day making the room totally impractical for day use.

 

Thank you for mentioning this. These are not hotel rooms. They are cabins that need to be converted into a day room and a night room.

[Jana60]

Lol' date=' funny thing is there are some here that actual believe that's what they want to do.[/quote']

 

Yeah that's really funny!

 

Almost as funny as it would be to think they might decrease the number of singers and dancers by almost half and have them sing to canned karaoke music instead of with a live orchestra in the main show lounge.

 

Almost as funny as replacing half of the evening production shows on a given cruise with an audience participation game show.

 

Almost as funny as getting rid of the live band at the sail away party and replace them with a DJ playing CDs.

 

Almost as funny as doing away with even putting a cheap chocolate on your pillow.

 

Oh wait!!! They did every one of these things! So maybe not so funny after all!!!

[Jana60]

I'm going to go out on s limb and say whether you have 1 box or 20 boxes to check off' date=' you'll get your twice daily service with absolutely no problem. I just hope you enjoy your cruises instead of going door to door the let new cruisers know how many times they are entitled to have their room serviced.[/quote']

 

Well I'm not a door-to-door kind of gal but why would you even care unless you work for the cruise line! You are correct when you say I will have the twice daily service however I prefer not to have to fight for it when I'm on vacation. If you do work for the cruise line please take the information you are learning here with you!

Edited January 20, 2016 by Jana60

[Podna's]

Yeah that's really funny!

 

Almost as funny as it would be to think they might decrease the number of singers and dancers by almost half and have them sing to canned karaoke music instead of with a live orchestra in the main show lounge.

 

Almost as funny as replacing half of the evening production shows on a given cruise with an audience participation game show.

 

Almost as funny as getting rid of the live band at the sail away party and replace them with a DJ playing CDs.

 

Almost as funny as doing away with even putting a cheap chocolate on your pillow.

 

Oh wait!!! They did every one of these things! So maybe not so funny after all!!!

 

 

Yet you have 3 more cruises booked with them.