Turn Down Service

[geocruiser]

2 hours ago, MissP22 said:

From what I've seen in some cabins when passing by, there are some people who almost require a butler to pick up behind them constantly.  Their cabin are in total shambles with clothing thrown about & it's almost impossible to see the desk top.

They must live like that at home also.

I can only imagine what the bathroom looks like. 💩

I have seen that too.  It is awful..  There is nothing left messy in our cabin.  Even the dirty towels I fold and leave on the bathroom floor. Even to leave the dirty towels on the floor goes against me.  But that is what they say to do.

The closet on Princess, I feel is large. But  I could use more drawers space.  I bring a hanging "thing"(I don't know what I call it) to put extra toiled articles in.  I also use packing cubes.  I just unzip them and put them in the closet.  I bring a folding laundry basket to put on the closet floor for dirty clothing. In the bathroom the sink counter has nothing on it but a pump bottle of soft soap.

I just can't live is a mess, on ship or off..

[JF - retired RRT]

6 hours ago, Cruise Puss said:

I didn't know you could request it on the keypad, so thank you for letting me know. ☺️

 

It took us a little experimenting to figure out how to do it.

If we got it right...you keep the door from closing, press the icon for "service" or "do not disturb", then let the door close.

Could someone in the know tell us if that's correct?

[insidecabin]

March Sky on request.

 

June Emerald standard 

 

We usually drop a few evening and morning one service on a longer cruise.

 

Get spare towels first day to not run out, can always grab some more the carts are in the corridors for ages.

[GloriaF]

21 hours ago, antsp said:

For some rediculous reason you now have to request, more cheapening of the product

Our cabin steward, Vinton, offered turn down service each day as the norm.  Some days we used the service and others we didn't, just depending on our schedules.

 

The beds on Crown, at least in our cabin, were heavenly with fluffy mattress pad, comforter, and 2 pillows ~ it felt like sinking down into a cloud and being rocked to sleep with the gentle movement of the ship.  The towels, hand towels, washcloths, and shower mat were thick and new, none frayed, and the label had Princess Cruises name.  Also the robes were heavier, bigger and seemed new.  It all added up to make a very nice cabin experience.

Edited June 23, 2022 by GloriaF

[MissP22]

6 hours ago, geocruiser said:

I have seen that too.  It is awful..  There is nothing left messy in our cabin.  Even the dirty towels I fold and leave on the bathroom floor. Even to leave the dirty towels on the floor goes against me.  But that is what they say to do.

The closet on Princess, I feel is large. But  I could use more drawers space.  I bring a hanging "thing"(I don't know what I call it) to put extra toiled articles in.  I also use packing cubes.  I just unzip them and put them in the closet.  I bring a folding laundry basket to put on the closet floor for dirty clothing. In the bathroom the sink counter has nothing on it but a pump bottle of soft soap.

I just can't live is a mess, on ship or off..

I can only imagine what the cabin steward thinks at the beginning of the cruise when he sees a bunch of kids arriving in his section. 😒

[karatemom2]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

I can only imagine what the cabin steward thinks at the beginning of the cruise when he sees a bunch of kids arriving in his section. 😒

 

Our kids have traveled with us on cruises since they were little. They are adults now. We always picked up after them and were considerate. This seems like a bit of an unfair and judgmental comment regarding families on cruises. Most parents we have met on our cruises are very considerate and engaged and no more cause for concern from a room steward then any other passenger. Not sure what you are implying with this observation. Plus, the steward receives additional gratuities for each person in the room, including children, so a room with four people is much more lucrative and likely not that much more work. Perhaps a cabin steward with many children in his or her section would be thrilled as they will be receiving higher compensation.

[Thrak]

Royal Princess in May 2022. Steward made a point of letting us know he could do nightly turn down if we liked. We told him we didn't need the regular turn down service but would appreciate a paper version of the Patter. It was on the bed each evening when we returned to the cabin.

 

Edit: Personally, I liked the evening turn down service but...

Edited June 23, 2022 by Thrak

[PacnGoNow]

24 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Royal Princess in May 2022. Steward made a point of letting us know he could do nightly turn down if we liked. We told him we didn't need the regular turn down service but would appreciate a paper version of the Patter. It was on the bed each evening when we returned to the cabin.

 

Edit: Personally, I liked the evening turn down service but...

On the CB we were told he could only service the cabin once a day, would we like morn or eve?  I knew they were short staffed, and said we only needed the morning service.  I knew we could get both, but not important to us. 

[Dunk]

On 6/22/2022 at 12:08 PM, Alaskanb said:

It's up to you. Just let "Stewart" know of your preferences. 

It's amazing to me how many Cabin Stewards are named "Stewart". As Bugs Bunny would say, "What a koinky-dink!"

Edited June 23, 2022 by Dunk
Typo

[rbtan]

2 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

 

Our kids have traveled with us on cruises since they were little. They are adults now. We always picked up after them and were considerate. This seems like a bit of an unfair and judgmental comment regarding families on cruises. Most parents we have met on our cruises are very considerate and engaged and no more cause for concern from a room steward then any other passenger. Not sure what you are implying with this observation. Plus, the steward receives additional gratuities for each person in the room, including children, so a room with four people is much more lucrative and likely not that much more work. Perhaps a cabin steward with many children in his or her section would be thrilled as they will be receiving higher compensation.

I have to say that on our first Princess cruise in 2016 on the Regal, the kids were generally much better behaved on the first part of our B2B. It was superbowl week & it was the Carolina Panthers. We never saw so many disgustingly drunk & ill behaved pax before or since. My spouse, who really tells it as it is, said I feel like we're at at trailer trash jamboree. The second week most of those pax were gone & the second leg was very nice. The kids were well behaved & generally better dressed than their parents, especially the boys. It's pretty obvious the boys were more interested in impressing "someone else" other than their parents.

[MommyOTwins]

7 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

 

Our kids have traveled with us on cruises since they were little. They are adults now. We always picked up after them and were considerate. This seems like a bit of an unfair and judgmental comment regarding families on cruises. Most parents we have met on our cruises are very considerate and engaged and no more cause for concern from a room steward then any other passenger. Not sure what you are implying with this observation. Plus, the steward receives additional gratuities for each person in the room, including children, so a room with four people is much more lucrative and likely not that much more work. Perhaps a cabin steward with many children in his or her section would be thrilled as they will be receiving higher compensation.

Guilty as charged.  I have three little  boys and one husband and they are MESSY.  Vacation is my escape.  I love for once not having to tidy up and clean by myself—and I tip insanely well.

 

I fail to see why it is offensive to have room stewards tidy the room they are paid to tidy, especially if I tip generously.  I do it all at home every day after I finish my day job and don’t get paid a cent.

[Roberto256]

On 6/22/2022 at 5:41 PM, Doug R. said:

Proof positive that some people will gripe about the littlest thing.

And that some people will defend princess, no matter what.

 

I think my cruise experiences have been made up of a lot of 'little things'

Each one nice, and different than something I do or eat at home.

 

As these disappear, the little things begin to add up.

 

I am ambivalent about turn-down service.  But a little thing I miss...

parmasian bowls in the dining room.

 

[MissP22]

12 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

 

Our kids have traveled with us on cruises since they were little. They are adults now. We always picked up after them and were considerate. This seems like a bit of an unfair and judgmental comment regarding families on cruises. Most parents we have met on our cruises are very considerate and engaged and no more cause for concern from a room steward then any other passenger. Not sure what you are implying with this observation. Plus, the steward receives additional gratuities for each person in the room, including children, so a room with four people is much more lucrative and likely not that much more work. Perhaps a cabin steward with many children in his or her section would be thrilled as they will be receiving higher compensation.

Perhaps your kids are better than most but the stewards we've encountered would prefer not to deal with them if they were given a choice. It sounds like you've inspected those cabins of people who travel with kids. 😄

All I can say is that those nearby cabins in complete disarray I've seen on my cruises are those with children and no matter what gratuities are assigned for them, the stewards dread cleaning up after them.

 

[geocruiser]

7 hours ago, MommyOTwins said:

Guilty as charged.  I have three little  boys and one husband and they are MESSY.  Vacation is my escape.  I love for once not having to tidy up and clean by myself—and I tip insanely well.

 

I fail to see why it is offensive to have room stewards tidy the room they are paid to tidy, especially if I tip generously.  I do it all at home every day after I finish my day job and don’t get paid a cent.

I just would like to know what you mean by tidy up?  My cabin  steward vacuums, make the bed, cleans up the bathroom etc.  But he does not have to put away any of our personal property in our cabin, that is taken care of by us.  And yes, I tip well too.

[MommyOTwins]

6 hours ago, geocruiser said:

I just would like to know what you mean by tidy up?  My cabin  steward vacuums, make the bed, cleans up the bathroom etc.  But he does not have to put away any of our personal property in our cabin, that is taken care of by us.  And yes, I tip well too.

Whenever we have cruised before (granted has always been on Disney Cruise Line, trying princess for the first time next month), we leave the cabin in the morning and when we come back, it is spotless: parents bed is made, and kids beds are turned back into the wall/couch, any loose items (books, bedtime stuffed animals, ipads) are neatly arranged on the desk, toiletries are reorganized, shoes are lined up in a neat row against the wall, towels are replaced, trash is emptied, any kids’ clothes left on the floor or bed are folded in a pile.

 

Then over the course of the day the room gets messy again: we’ll go swim and come back and now towels are wet again, bed is unmade from kids taking an afternoon nap, trash accumulates in the trash can from snacks and paper drink cups and packaging for souvenirs bought onshore.  Without the turndown at night it would not be nearly as pleasant to come back to the room in the evening.
 

I worked as a waitress in a restaurant and I loved having families with small kids even though I had to sweep up crumbs and spills and shredded napkin paper, because parents know kids aren’t easy and tip well.  Never would have thought someone rude for having messy kids—it is part of the job!

[Cruise Raider]

We have been cruising about once a month since the return to service last July.  I didn’t mind that they never came for the evening turndown service but guess what, I think it may have returned, regardless of requesting it.  On our last two cruises, we had our towels changed out in the evening after telling our stewards that we didn’t need our room serviced twice a day.  It was just always done!  We tend to take our shower in the late afternoon prior to dinner instead of the morning but our towels were always swapped out for clean ones, our dirty dishes / glasses were taken away if we had any and our sheets were turned down.  We always leave a little gift for our steward when we leave the room, maybe that was the reason.  But honestly, I think it was just that they’ve returned the nightly turn down service.  
Like I said, we to,d them it was fine to have our room freshened up just once a day but I also understand why some people might like it twice a day. Ours was done without the request.  

[PacnGoNow]

22 minutes ago, MommyOTwins said:

Whenever we have cruised before (granted has always been on Disney Cruise Line, trying princess for the first time next month), we leave the cabin in the morning and when we come back, it is spotless: parents bed is made, and kids beds are turned back into the wall/couch, any loose items (books, bedtime stuffed animals, ipads) are neatly arranged on the desk, toiletries are reorganized, shoes are lined up in a neat row against the wall, towels are replaced, trash is emptied, any kids’ clothes left on the floor or bed are folded in a pile.

 

Then over the course of the day the room gets messy again: we’ll go swim and come back and now towels are wet again, bed is unmade from kids taking an afternoon nap, trash accumulates in the trash can from snacks and paper drink cups and packaging for souvenirs bought onshore.  Without the turndown at night it would not be nearly as pleasant to come back to the room in the evening.
 

I worked as a waitress in a restaurant and I loved having families with small kids even though I had to sweep up crumbs and spills and shredded napkin paper, because parents know kids aren’t easy and tip well.  Never would have thought someone rude for having messy kids—it is part of the job!

That’s just part of traveling with kids. My daughter has 3 little ones and definitely appreciates the cabin steward.  Triplets are a lot of work, but they deserve a vacation too!  Cabin stewards have always been wonderful with the kids too on PCL.

[doog442]

On 6/22/2022 at 11:24 PM, mom says said:

I've never understood the need for turndown service, personally. Unless one has a serious handicap, the average adult should be capable of pulling down their own sheet and duvet. Nor do I need my bathroom cleaned every evening. Once daily is sufficient. I don't change out our towels multiple times a day at home, so why would I expect that on my cruise? As for the pillow chocolates - ours ended up in a plastic bag that can home with us, and eventually ended up in the trash when I spring cleaned  the cupboard. (Shrug) ymmv

 

I guess some people need that so they can feel special. 

 

I won't jump on the bandwagon and have a go at you. We do far more AI land based holidays where a turn down service is fully appreciated (notwithstanding we like to feel just a little bit 'special')....we always leave the room tidy but sand, sailing, sun and drinks glasses, towels trying to desperately dry before the morning....Its lovely to find some of these things addressed.

 

At our price point on a cruise I would expect it, although I fully accept I might not need it. 

[Thrak]

It's easy to say it's just a little thing but the little things they keep chipping away add up.

 

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

[dakacz]

We appreciate the turn down service.  It helps make the cruise experience special as I feel I always have a fresh  clean cabin .  I frequently take a shower prior to dinner and like new towels.  Since I started cruiseing things keep getting cut.   Each thing may be small in itself but they add up.

[PacnGoNow]

34 minutes ago, dakacz said:

We appreciate the turn down service.  It helps make the cruise experience special as I feel I always have a fresh  clean cabin .  I frequently take a shower prior to dinner and like new towels.  Since I started cruiseing things keep getting cut.   Each thing may be small in itself but they add up.

You can still request it. Not a problem if you want it.

[antsp]

2 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

You can still request it. Not a problem if you want it.

You should not have to request it, it should be standard 

[MissP22]

6 hours ago, dakacz said:

We appreciate the turn down service.  It helps make the cruise experience special as I feel I always have a fresh  clean cabin .  I frequently take a shower prior to dinner and like new towels.  Since I started cruiseing things keep getting cut.   Each thing may be small in itself but they add up.

You can still request fresh towels without having the bathroom cleaned at night.

[Cruise Raider]

20 hours ago, antsp said:

You should not have to request it, it should be standard 

 

It may be standard already but is takes all of 10 seconds to request it.   

[Cruise Raider]

17 hours ago, MissP22 said:

You can still request fresh towels without having the bathroom cleaned at night.

 

We just asked for two extra towels and we never had to use them as we got evening service without even requesting it.