What does "above and beyond" mean to you?

[LMaxwell]

I read so many reviews that talk about room stewards going "above and beyond" and then mentions things like replenishing ice or leaving extra towels. Those things are pretty much the basics of the service and what I'd expect from normal service.

 

So what does 'Above and beyond' mean to you? What services have you received that met this descriptor? We don't ask for much besides ice; we haven't even asked for bathrobes the last few times.

 

I'd like this to be a positive post and hear about the ways a room attendant has really gone out of their way to leave a memorable impression or improve your vacation.

[Clarea]

Putting a pool lounger on the balcony.

[LMaxwell]

Putting a pool lounger on the balcony.

 

Yes, that's a great example! That would be worth some gratitude on the spot for me.

[papaflamingo]

Years ago when the "secret balcony" was still on Allure, we had a large group cruise, about 12 of us. My wife and I brought champaign onboard and we decided, one day, to all meet on the secret balcony (we were in Boardwalk Balconies) at the end of our hall. We got some snacks, cheese, etc. from the Windjammer, we had some other snacks we brought on board, etc. I asked our Cabin Steward for 2 ice buckets and champaign glasses. We told him where we were going and he said "leave this for me, I'll get the glasses and ice and bring it out." So out we went. Shortly later he showed up with the champaign on ice, the glasses and snacks set up all on a cart with a table cloth covering it. He then told us to leave it when we were done and he'd clean it up, which he did. He wasn't the cabin steward for anyone else in our party as we were spread out. We were also quite a ways forward so we weren't even close to the door to the balcony. In my opinion, this would be an extreme example of "above, above and beyond." Oh yeah, I'm a generous tipper anyway. Rest assured he was very well rewarded that week for ALL he did for us.

[Ocean Boy]

On one cruise I forgot the case from my contact lenses. I asked our steward if he could bring me 2 glasses that I could possibly keep them in for the week. A short time later he comes back with 2 shot glasses and said he brought two differently shaped ones so that I wouldn't mix up my right and left lenses. I thought that was above and beyond.

[cb at sea]

Once, she found hubby's wedding ring that we thought was gone for good...searched and searched, gave it up for lost. Came back from dinner, and it was on the desk with a note that she'd found it for us! Bless her heart!

[Clarea]

Forgot what ship, but we found the mattress very hard. Asked for the foam pad, but the stateroom attendant said they didn't have any. So he doubled up on blankets under the sheet. Still was too hard for one of us, so next time we enter the room, he's got an extra mattress on the bed. Now the bed is pretty high, and the sheets are not fitting well, but I'm afraid to say anything else for fear of what might show up. This guy was not going to quit trying.

[Wordell1]

In a hotel, the cleaning staff is rarely seen and basically makes up your room. For me, anything above this is a bonus. If your cabin attendant is interacting with you and is available for extras like ice and towels (even if you don't need them) I think that qualifies as "Above and Beyond".

[irishgal432]

One time we were in a GS on Oasis and my teenage kids were in a balcony in a different part of the ship. This was when they were still giving out chocolates for suites. She knew we had the other boys and left extra mints for them. A few years later we were in a CLS and she was up there and remembered us.

 

Just recently we were on Independence with my daughter and her friend and a room steward, (Not ours) was in the hall with his cart. He moved out of the way and held his feather duster over us so we could limbo under it. Everytime we passed later he ran to his cart and got his feather duster for us.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Button came off a shirt when getting dressed. Had forgotten to pack sewing kit. Asked steward if he could possibly get me a needle and thread and leave on desk. He took the shirt and returned later with the button well sewn on and shirt on a hanger. Very much appreciated.

[Ourusualbeach]

When the kids were younger one steward we had spent about half an hour with my daughter showing her how to make some towel animals.

[phabric]

On a cruise with my elderly mom, the cabin attendant noticed her shoe lace was undone, he bend down and tied it.

[LMaxwell]

In a hotel, the cleaning staff is rarely seen and basically makes up your room. For me, anything above this is a bonus. If your cabin attendant is interacting with you and is available for extras like ice and towels (even if you don't need them) I think that qualifies as "Above and Beyond".

Sorry, no way is ice and towels above and beyond. that's the basics.

[AnnaDarel]

Our attendant always rushed to open our door for us if we came back to the room and she was around. I thought that was nice.

[long time lurker]

I was on a Celebrity cruise over Valentine’s Day and roses were given to the ladies. I hap placed mine in a water bottle to keep it fresh. I returned to my cabin the next day and found the flower had been placed in a bud vase without my asking for it. This was just something she just noticed and fixed for me. Great attention to detail!

[OCruisers]

Always without fail taking care of "the basics" plus a few extra requests and cheerfully asking if there's anything else we'd like. :)

[Wine-O]

Our attendant always rushed to open our door for us if we came back to the room and she was around. I thought that was nice.

 

We had one of those during a transatlantic. It was nice at first, especially if we had drinks in our hands, but after a while, it got very annoying.

[bdstiles]

We always ask for the robes and ice. It all depends on their attitude if it is above and beyond. My husbands likes to talk to them and get to know them. On the first port day he ask if they are getting off the ship. He gives them some money and tells them to buy their lunch. A lot of times they come back and tell us what they ate and thank you. We also leave something else at the end of the cruise. You would be surprised they remember you even if you see them on other ships.

 

 

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[AAA75]

We had a barista who was on another ship that remembered my wife’s favorite drink.

[motherof]

Not the cabin steward, but the waiter on my first cruise on Enchantment brewed different blends of decaf iced tea for me every dinner after I asked if they had any decaf iced tea.

[WeatherFx]

This is what I call above and beyond. We were on the Vision Of The Seas. This was back when they still had the slide on/off switches on the hair dryers, the hair dryer quit in our stateroom and we told our attendant. She replaced it with one of the new styles (standard now) where you have to keep the button pressed to make it work. My DW is petite with thick hair so it was difficult to hold the button that long to dry her hair without her hand cramping. We asked our attendant if we could get one with the slide on/off switch. She said she would check. When we saw her later that evening, she said that the older styles with the slide on/off switches were no longer available, therefore she gave us her own personal hair dryer to use for the rest of the cruise. (It was purple and white, not your generic hotel/stateroom dryer.) On a different cruise we also had one of those attendants who would run down the hall to open the door for us.

[CarrieAP]

On Carnival our daughters 13 and 15 were in cabin next to us for their 1st cruise. Our cabin steward kept an eye out for them and let us know when they were in or out, very sweet. More significantly, she cleaned up their messes. Didn’t realize till halfway thru that they were being total slobs leaving clothes and belongings on every surface because every time we’d seen their cabin it looked spic and span. They of course got a tongue lashing while our steward got a huge tip.

 

 

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[reallyhooked]

Our room Stewart

We were on Anthem for our 25th anniversary. We got back from dinner, there was a towel cake 3 tier, a heart, and he also had a lovely card for us. He made that day even more special. Also the schooner bartender that gave us champagne. We were both having some issues that week

the staff in Windjammer who helped us

[CrossBluePerchance]

Donating a kidney?

[colocop004]

We wanted to host a cocktail party in our suite and the concierge told us we would have to pay for the booze, appetizers and bartenders, which we were totally happy to do. Our room steward told us he would take care of everything. He set everything up and served our group at no charge. For anything! There were about 20 of us. He was awesome and we definitely took care of him for the week!

 

 

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