Cabin steward service

[VentureMan_2000]

After reading this thread, I don't think it's a cutback... I think Carnival is catering to its passenger's desires.  There are many here that have posted that they do not want service twice a day... and some who think every other day is fine.  

Carnival is asking a prudent passenger oriented question when they ask how much room service do you want.

[xDisconnections]

6 hours ago, moondog73 said:

we ask for only morning service and always still get a towel animal.  I don't understand why people need twice a day.  If you stay at a hotel, you only get once a day.

Depends on where you stay...

[Sparky2]

14 hours ago, Cafedumonde said:

We ask for 2xs per day.  Some stewards do this, but others will blow you off.  There does not seem to be much management over the stewards unfortunately.

 

We also ask for 2 X day.  We ask for ice in AM only.  However, in the evening we only need towels changed (if used), Fun times, & towel animal.

 

If they refuse to do 2 X day, there will be no need to tip extra above prepaid gratuities.

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44 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

After reading this thread, I don't think it's a cutback... I think Carnival is catering to its passenger's desires.  There are many here that have posted that they do not want service twice a day... and some who think every other day is fine.  

Carnival is asking a prudent passenger oriented question when they ask how much room service do you want.

While they are providing a slightly more personalized experience, it actually is a cutback. The intent of the single service was to completely eliminate the option for an evening turndown service as witnessed in the beginning when stewards would refuse to provide this. The papers were only updated to signify an additional service is available after there was an extremely high level of negative feedback provided. In addition, it's also an attempt to lower the passengers' expectations and make them believe they are requiring something special should they request twice a day service.

 

It also is a cost cutting measure by saving on labor (their salary) which, as most people know, is the largest expense for most corporations. The workload of these stateroom stewards increased exponentially when they cut back on the available positions by adding a surplus of additional rooms for that particular steward to clean. All at the same time, the automatic gratuities keep increasing and you're now providing a higher amount to the steward included in his portion for receiving half of the service you received for a lower amount.

 

Most other cruise lines still service twice each day automatically.

Edited September 8, 2019 by xDisconnections

[Sparky2]

4 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

 

I remember all of this.  I'm pretty sure the chocolates were eliminated before we were given the choice of morning/evening service. 

 

But I did not know that the towel animals are coming in the morning for everyone now.  I thought they were still made in the evening for those who got service at that time.

 

I did, too.  On our B2B (19 days) this past February, we received our towel animals in the evening.   I love coming back to the cabin at night to a turned down bed, Fun Times, & towel animal.

[VentureMan_2000]

15 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

 

It also is a cost cutting measure by saving on labor (their salary) which, as most people know, is the largest expense for most corporations. The workload of these stateroom stewards increased exponentially when they cut back on the available positions by adding a surplus of additional rooms for that particular steward to clean. All at the same time, the automatic gratuities keep increasing and you're now providing a higher amount to the steward included in his portion for receiving half of the service you received for a lower amount.

 

 

Do you work for Carnival's Housekeeping division and have inside knowledge regarding pay and workload... or are you just making this stuff up.  Sounds like you are just making stuff up off the top of your head. 

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33 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

 

Do you work for Carnival's Housekeeping division and have inside knowledge regarding pay and workload... or are you just making this stuff up.  Sounds like you are just making stuff up off the top of your head. 

For the sake of the stewards, I wish I was making it up. Unfortunately though, this is all accurate information you can confirm with your steward next June.

[xDisconnections]

5 minutes ago, fyree39 said:

When I first cruised the stewards had 17 rooms. They now have 30. I don't know how they manage. I also don't know why they don't quit and go work for a better company.

Seriously though, it's way too many rooms.

 

Not only will it lead to employees being burned out, it will come at a cost where cleanliness and service standards will drop.

[VentureMan_2000]

3 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

Seriously though, it's way too many rooms.

 

Not only will it lead to employees being burned out, it will come at a cost where cleanliness and service standards will drop.

Again, I think you are making stuff up.  Just look at this site... it tells of the benefits these workers like.  It also lists the cons, which is mostly long hours.  But there are many with 12 or more years at Carnival as room stewards.

Folks boast as being able to send their kids to college, as other things.

https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Carnival-Cruise-Lines/reviews?fjobtitle=Steward

 

[xDisconnections]

4 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

Again, I think you are making stuff up.  Just look at this site... it tells of the benefits these workers like.  It also lists the cons, which is mostly long hours.  But there are many with 12 or more years at Carnival as room stewards.

Folks boast as being able to send their kids to college, as other things.

https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Carnival-Cruise-Lines/reviews?fjobtitle=Steward

 

Some cruise ship employees are living in the very top percentages in their home countries. You can share employee reviews from Indeed, Glassdoor and LinkedIn all you want but it doesn't change the fact in which these working conditions can burn people out relatively quickly. Do you think you can handle 30 rooms? Hotels usually cap around 17.

 

Based on your signature, your last Carnival cruise was in May 2007. A lot has changed on Carnival since then.

Edited September 9, 2019 by xDisconnections

[jimbo5544]

13 hours ago, fyree39 said:

Towel animals now come morning only, even if you ask for twice daily service. In the olden days (what, 3 years ago? Two?), the full service was done in the morning, with the bathroom being cleaned, bed made, vacuuming and so forth. The evening was just turn down service. I used to really enjoy this. We'd come back to the cabin at the end of the day to find the towel animal along with the next day's Fun Times, the bed linens turned down, the drapes pulled shut and the lighting turned low and romantic. Oh, and the pillow chocolates. Remember those?

 

If you want all that, you now have to cruise another line. We cruised Holland America last spring for the first time and got all the room pampering we used to enjoy on Carnival.

 

It is what it is. Carnival is absolutely the budget experience, so I've learned to accept that. Grudgingly.

When the towel animals come is a sign of a budget experience?   Hmmmm. We get once a day evening, guess when the towel animals come?  Where is the setting for the “romantic”  lighting?  

[VentureMan_2000]

1 minute ago, xDisconnections said:

Some cruise ship employees are living in the very top percentages in their home countries. You can share employee reviews from Indeed, Glassdoor and LinkedIn all you want but it doesn't change the fact in which these working conditions can burn people out relatively quickly.

 

 

Oh Whaaa… I spent 40 years in technology working crazy OT hours as well as keeping up with technology over 40 years...  Folks working in the service industry are not the only folks working the butts off.  Technology burnout is huge... lots of hours expected of you.  As you implied... working crazy hours can allow folks to live in the very top percentages in their home countries.  There are folks who are willing to work hard and long... and those that whine that everything is not fare, because they are not.

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4 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

 

Oh Whaaa… I spent 40 years in technology working crazy OT hours as well as keeping up with technology over 40 years...  Folks working in the service industry are not the only folks working the butts off.  Technology burnout is huge... lots of hours expected of you.  As you implied... working crazy hours can allow folks to live in the very top percentages in their home countries.  There are folks who are willing to work hard and long... and those that whine that everything is not fare, because they are not.

Again: do you think you can service 30+ rooms in a day?

Edited September 9, 2019 by xDisconnections

[VentureMan_2000]

4 minutes ago, xDisconnections said:

Again: do you think you can service 30+ rooms in a day?

 

Silly reply...

Do you think you or any person willing to work hard on a cruise ship can do my job ?

Apples and oranges.

But to answer your question... I think most people can service 30+ rooms in a day.  Would they want to work that hard ?  See my post above.

Edited September 9, 2019 by VentureMan_2000

[xDisconnections]

32 minutes ago, VentureMan_2000 said:

 

Silly reply...

Do you think you or any person willing to work hard on a cruise ship can do my job ?

Apples and oranges.

But to answer your question... I think most people can service 30+ rooms in a day.  Would they want to work that hard ?  See my post above.

If that's what you believe then I'm sure anyone can perform your job as well.

[Cushing985]

On 9/7/2019 at 9:57 PM, Essiesmom said:

We ask only for evening service, as my sister is never out of bed before noon...EM

 

And this is the reason why Carnival is giving you a choice.  A lot of people like to sleep in and the last thing they need is the steward knocking on their door at 8:00AM to clean.  Unfortunately, Carnival didn't bring this program out very well and there were reports of some cabin stewards trying to game the system by telling guests it was an either/or but not both proposition.

Edited September 9, 2019 by Cushing985

[Cushing985]

9 hours ago, xDisconnections said:

Again: do you think you can service 30+ rooms in a day?

 

And why is it the passenger's problem?  They're spending good money for a cruise and aren't onboard to manage staffing.

Edited September 9, 2019 by Cushing985

[Cafedumonde]

15 hours ago, fyree39 said:

I have not had that happen on any of my cruises since this whole mess started.

 

Now I'm getting all crabby again about Carnival. I've spent the afternoon looking up Viking Ocean cruises. Be still my heart!

We have been doing only carnival for about three years but are also branching out next year.  Still going on carnival but cutting back.  Biggest complaint for us is cleanliness.  We love everything  else.

[glrounds]

Once a day in the morning is fine with me. A solo cruiser, I'm used to making my bed and keeping my cabin desk and bathroom in an orderly condition. I'm seldom there, shower, change clothes and crash for a few hours if I must. I would prefer the stewards enter my room and look upon it as a "break" for a few minutes. Piece of cake.

[crzndeb]

I haven’t been on Carnival since the Vista is 2016. I don’t know when the choices started, but I have never been asked. I have 31 days coming up on the Splendor, and I think I may just ask for evening service, even if I’m not offered. With 18 sea days on the TP, I’m sure there will be days I will order early room service and just want to veg in my cabin for a few hours, before getting up and starting the day. Also being a solo traveler, I’m pretty much a neat freak.

 

I know there have been several times, I was out and about, killing time until about 11am, and come back and cabin was still not done. So no biggie to me to have it done once a day.

[xDisconnections]

3 hours ago, Cushing985 said:

 

And why is it the passenger's problem?  They're spending good money for a cruise and aren't onboard to manage staffing.

It will become the passenger's problem when cleanliness standards are sacrificed.

[canes20]

1 minute ago, fyree39 said:

On our last two Splendor cruises we weren't asked for morning or afternoon. Our steward on both occasions simply provided both. 

Same for us on last Fantasy

[crzndeb]

16 minutes ago, fyree39 said:

On our last two Splendor cruises we weren't asked for morning or afternoon. Our steward on both occasions simply provided both. 

Ok, good to know. I can always put my do not disturb sign up on some mornings. I will chat with my steward to not wait around in the morning to clean my cabin if my DND sign is up.

[Yukonjake]

Does Carnival do turn-down service in the evening as Princess does?

[buckeyefrank]

On 9/8/2019 at 9:18 AM, moondog73 said:

we ask for only morning service and always still get a towel animal.  I don't understand why people need twice a day.  If you stay at a hotel, you only get once a day.

There are a multitude of reasons a person would want service twice a day.  Specifically, if there are 3 or 4 persons in the room, you will absolutely want service twice.  In the morning to put away the sofa bed or pulldowns and at night to open them up.  You certainly don't want those open when you're getting ready for dinner... at least I don't.

 

And all this talk about each steward having to complete 30 rooms.  Where did this number come from???  I'm sorry but I don't take for 100% certainty something a steward says when he has a vested interest to make you think he's overworked.  At a minimum, the steward can make you think he doesn't have enough time and possibly guilt you into a bigger tip because you feel bad for him / her.  At the end of the day, they don't do a lot of activity in any one room.   They make the bed, a towel animal, wipe off countertops and clean the toilet.  Maybe run a vacuum if it needs it once a week.

 

I just returned from the Sunshine and didn't see our room steward except for the 1st day.  We only had him do our room once a day except for fill ice twice a day for wine bottles.  He was OK, not great.