Not a good cabin steward start today on the Conquest. (With once day service mention)

[bury me at sea]

E-oh, e-oh! (Sirens blaring)

 

Another chat board police officer telling people when and where they should be posting.

 

There's nothing for you to wrap YOUR head around, because it's MY vacation. See how easy that was?

 

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Amen.

[Sparky2]

We were on Conquest for B2B this past January and were in an inside cabin on deck 2. Our cabin was ready when we boarded and our steward came to greet us. I asked for service twice a day, ice in AM, and robes. When we returned after lunch, everything was there. We're not messy at all so there wasn't much to cleaning our cabin. In the 2 weeks we had a different towel animal each day.

[Fern Crest]

E-oh, e-oh! (Sirens blaring)

 

Another chat board police officer telling people when and where they should be posting.

 

There's nothing for you to wrap YOUR head around, because it's MY vacation. See how easy that was?

 

 

Hahahahaaa! Well done! :)

[Hoosierpop]

Yep, your vacation. Spend it how you want.

Edited March 7, 2017 by Hoosierpop

[KatieCharlotte]

I confess I may be in the minority but I don't feel sorry for the room stewards. If, in fact, they now clean 35 cabins then they are doing pretty well financially especially when you throw in the free room and board. They get $4.05 per non-suite cabin so that's $141.75 daily and multiply that by 7 and they get $922.25 for a standard 7 day cruise. Of course, Carnival throws in a couple of extra bucks per hour so they're not arrested for slavery.:D Many of us leave more money in the cabin as an extra tip at the end. So, bottom line...cruisers pay the majority of their salaries. We should expect and demand outstanding service. Bad cabin stewards are kind of like Bigfoot...you hear about them but most of us have never seen one.

 

 

That's $4.05 per PERSON in non-suite cabins. So, if a steward receives that full amount, doesn't have an assistant, and services 35 cabins per day, they would be making $1,984 per week in tips if the average room has two guests, or $2,976 if the average room has three guests (the average will vary depending on time of year, but it has to be somewhere over two people per room). Even if they have two months off every year to visit home, they're making about $85,000 to $100,000 in automatic tips alone each year, which seems extremely unlikely. Obviously, some people remove tips, but not enough to make the math work. The stewards either are sharing the 35 cabins with assistants, servicing far fewer cabins than many stewards are claiming (I have heard that figure many times in the last year), or not directly receiving all of the $4.05 themselves (which doesn't mean Carnival is pocketing it).

[Qchell]

On our last cruise I don't think I ever met my room steward, though my DH did. Service was decent, but noticeably lesser. However at the same point I think we noticed the difference simply due to the outstanding service we have always received prior to that.

 

In speaking with the crew on previous cruises we learned the value to them of a positive review referencing them directly, it apparently can impact on their future contracts. I would think the flip side of that would as well. Remove tips as needed, but if folks really want to see an improvement in service and issues corrected, try putting in writing any complaints, and praise, of crew members as needed... and during the cruise. In my experience Carnival seems to be much more responsive to issues presented directly to them, in writing, while there is still the opportunity to correct it.

 

OP, I would be very disappointed in that service as well and would be looking for an explanation and immediate correction. I hope your service improves the rest of the cruise as that amazing service is part of one of the things I think we all look forward to in terms of being "spoiled" for the week.

[torcruise]

they get $922.25 .

Wow so they don't have to pay anything for room and board? What about food?

[torcruise]

That's $4.05 per PERSON in non-suite cabins. So, if a steward receives that full amount, doesn't have an assistant, and services 35 cabins per day, they would be making $1,984 per week in tips if the average room has two guests, or $2,976 if the average room has three guests (the average will vary depending on time of year, but it has to be somewhere over two people per room). Even if they have two months off every year to visit home, they're making about $85,000 to $100,000 in automatic tips alone each year, which seems extremely unlikely. Obviously, some people remove tips, but not enough to make the math work. The stewards either are sharing the 35 cabins with assistants, servicing far fewer cabins than many stewards are claiming (I have heard that figure many times in the last year), or not directly receiving all of the $4.05 themselves (which doesn't mean Carnival is pocketing it).

 

Why do you think that is extremely unlikely?

[easyboy]

That's $4.05 per PERSON in non-suite cabins. So, if a steward receives that full amount, doesn't have an assistant, and services 35 cabins per day, they would be making $1,984 per week in tips if the average room has two guests, or $2,976 if the average room has three guests (the average will vary depending on time of year, but it has to be somewhere over two people per room). Even if they have two months off every year to visit home, they're making about $85,000 to $100,000 in automatic tips alone each year, which seems extremely unlikely. Obviously, some people remove tips, but not enough to make the math work. The stewards either are sharing the 35 cabins with assistants, servicing far fewer cabins than many stewards are claiming (I have heard that figure many times in the last year), or not directly receiving all of the $4.05 themselves (which doesn't mean Carnival is pocketing it).

And still excludes the extra cash tips given directly by guests?

[Tiger0613]

Wow so they don't have to pay anything for room and board? What about food?

 

 

According to the HR guy leading the Behind the Fun tour on the Triumph last month:

 

They don't pay for their room and food(board). They also don't pay for transportation to and from the ship after completing their first contract. I got the impression that they had to pay for transportation to the ship before starting their first contract. I don't think the HR guy said otherwise. They get free language training. They get medical care either for free or for less than us. I don't remember if anything else was covered.

 

They have to pay for alcohol, internet(at a lower cost than us), and maybe some other things(can't remember). I don't remember if they have to pay for their uniforms.

 

They have their own Sail & Sign cards(green).

 

 

 

 

On every cruise that I have ever taken the room steward has had an assistant. The room steward pays the assistant out of their own paycheck.

 

I have heard that if automatic gratuities are removed, any cash you give them replaces the automatic gratuities. I don't know if they would get to keep the cash over $4.05/person/day.

 

The employees don't pay US income taxes(with one exception). Americans have to pay US income taxes, even when they are in international waters.

[gtonda]

Just an update for those who care or inquired. Service has been on par for what i have experienced for most of my cruises. I would call it 7 out of 10. Nothing mind-blowing, but satisfactory overall. I can tell the 1st day issue was addressed with the steward as he was overly alert about asking if everything was ok and if the room was clean enough. I do feel a little bad that be probably received a talking to, but I did feel that I had to level-set expectations right away. I felt it was better to do that than risk possibly having poor service continue and be 4 days into the cruise waiting for it to change.

 

We really are pretty low maintenance. We don't need ice or robes, and don't need room service dishes removed very often. Just need an occasional vacuum, clean towels twice a day, and the beds made. All of which has been done since my discussion with GS. Part of the reason I tend to feel a bit guilty is that I am unsure if it boils down to a lazy steward, or simply Carnival expecting an unreasonable amount of work to be done in the time allotted. It may be something in which the company needs to have the onus, yet the steward takes the heat.

[Kanyon71]

I honestly don't feel you are off base in expecting your pull out bed to be pulled out and made for the extra person or persons in the room, as stated what if it was one of the ones where you have to unlock it from the ceiling and pull it down. If they only doing room servicing once a day and you pick PM then PM should be every day from the first on. It's not my fault that the room had to be turned over that first day so they had services it. The first day is usually quite hectic for everyone staff and guests included so it's always nice to know I'm going to return to my room have the beds turned down and the bed made up for my little one, have the fun times laid out and our towel animal sitting there to greet us when we return from dinner. I can tell you to this day when I walk through that door and see these things it makes me smile.

[louanne93]

Thanks for the update!

 

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[Cushing985]

That's $4.05 per PERSON in non-suite cabins. So, if a steward receives that full amount, doesn't have an assistant, and services 35 cabins per day, they would be making $1,984 per week in tips if the average room has two guests, or $2,976 if the average room has three guests (the average will vary depending on time of year, but it has to be somewhere over two people per room). Even if they have two months off every year to visit home, they're making about $85,000 to $100,000 in automatic tips alone each year, which seems extremely unlikely. Obviously, some people remove tips, but not enough to make the math work. The stewards either are sharing the 35 cabins with assistants, servicing far fewer cabins than many stewards are claiming (I have heard that figure many times in the last year), or not directly receiving all of the $4.05 themselves (which doesn't mean Carnival is pocketing it).

 

You are correct but that just reinforces my point...they're not suffering financially. I'm going to apply for a job as a room steward and be sure I tell cruisers how overworked I am, how much I miss my family and how evil Carnival is!:D

[TDCRose]

We had Clifford as a stewart-he was terrible

[megbowlstrike]

I didn't understand what you meant by Weird. I don't want the sofa turned into a bed until evening. I would like it to be a sofa during the day so that we can use it as a sofa when we are in and out of the room.

 

Do you do this just on the first day or on other days, too? I usually cruise with 2 other people and I end up with the sofa bed. I like it but it'd be nice to be able to use it as a couch during the days and then turn it into a bed each night. Is this an option? I don't want to create more work for them but I guess I've never thought to ask this!

[easyboy]

Do you do this just on the first day or on other days, too? I usually cruise with 2 other people and I end up with the sofa bed. I like it but it'd be nice to be able to use it as a couch during the days and then turn it into a bed each night. Is this an option? I don't want to create more work for them but I guess I've never thought to ask this!

You can ask your steward to make up your sofa every morning.

[RWolver672]

We had Clifford as a stewart-he was terrible

That was who we had too and I agree. We told him that we had sand in the shower from an excursion and would like it removed before we showered. DW finally picked up most of it because he never did show up to clean it.

[Alikan]

Why do you bother posting here?

 

 

Obviously has an axe to grind.

[Thrilled2012]

That's $4.05 per PERSON in non-suite cabins. So, if a steward receives that full amount, doesn't have an assistant, and services 35 cabins per day, they would be making $1,984 per week in tips if the average room has two guests, or $2,976 if the average room has three guests (the average will vary depending on time of year, but it has to be somewhere over two people per room). Even if they have two months off every year to visit home, they're making about $85,000 to $100,000 in automatic tips alone each year, which seems extremely unlikely. Obviously, some people remove tips, but not enough to make the math work. The stewards either are sharing the 35 cabins with assistants, servicing far fewer cabins than many stewards are claiming (I have heard that figure many times in the last year), or not directly receiving all of the $4.05 themselves (which doesn't mean Carnival is pocketing it).

 

Exactly. I am not trying to play Devil's advocate and this is bit off topic. But I used to work as a stewardess on charter yachts, based in St Maarten. I cannot pretend to tell anyone what Carnival stewards make but I imagine that it is more than what most people think. At the time I had a graduate degree but was making far more money cleaning up after people and attending to their needs than I ever could make with my degree. I am now working in the profession that I went to school for (as I now have children) so many years for, but I miss the money that I used to make as a stewardess. I'm sure that many of the people that I served were thinking something like "aww, poor girl that she has to have this inane job", but it was my choice and I loved it and I loved the money even more, even if it meant long hours and guests that had off the wall requests. I think that in the US, our teachers, social workers, etc are more underpaid. I don't buy that this job cannot be done to a higher degree/quality than some posters are reporting is happening. I don't feel bad about complaining when certain things are not done. And as someone who made most of her money from gratuities for the first couple of decades of her adult working life, I also have no problem with withdrawing gratuities if I have asked a few times for things that are important to me and I was still not accommodated (although I would be sure to make sure that I compensated those that did do a good job with cash tips...MDR servers, bartenders, etc). I would never have neglected a guest like that even if it meant that I had to work longer hours.

[Sitzmark]

Do you do this just on the first day or on other days, too? I usually cruise with 2 other people and I end up with the sofa bed. I like it but it'd be nice to be able to use it as a couch during the days and then turn it into a bed each night. Is this an option? I don't want to create more work for them but I guess I've never thought to ask this!

 

On our Oasis cruise our steward would turn it back into a couch in the morning but couldn't be bothered to make it into a bed in the evening so I ended up doing it myself.