Amsterdam cabin attendants

[coffeeclutch1]

I have read where these hard working cabin attendants were changed from 8 rooms to 30. This sounds absurd is anyone going that could ask the attendants themselves? This is slave labor!:eek:

[fsdj1097]

I have read where these hard working cabin attendants were changed from 8 rooms to 30. This sounds absurd is anyone going that could ask the attendants themselves? This is slave labor!:eek:

 

Our cabin steward (Oka) did not appear to be over worked. He always had a smile and time to visit.

 

While I did not ask him directly how many cabins he took care of, I could see stewards working aft and forward of our cabin and I would guestimate that he was taking care of 10-12 cabins.

 

We made sure to mention his hard work on the comment card and we left him a small token of our appreciation.

[Starr Mtn]

Today I read on the Disabled section that on the Maasdam - the cabin

attendants were now using carts. Has anyone experienced this ?

It certainly makes it difficult for the disabled to get down a hallway !

Especially since on the Amsterdam the 2 handicap accessible suites

are at the very end of the hall.........

 

Hoping this is now a new trend .

[PopPop3]

We were on the Volendam a couple of weeks ago and got to know our steward a bit. He always had a big smile for us and a spring in his step. Not once did I detect that he was overworked or stressed with too many suites to keep up.

 

You have to remember that these workers are the best of the best and they greatly appreciate the opportunity to work on a 10 month contract, send precious dollars home, and spend a couple of months with their families.

 

Yes, they work very hard for their pay, but they make considerably more working on a HAL ship than they would working in their homeland. And their work ethic bespeaks of this fact.

 

And, to acknowledge their efforts, many of us (cruisers) give them a nice tip on top of the amount HAL takes out per person per day.

[CowPrincess]

In the past, a cabin steward had sole responsibility for a group of cabins, somewhere around 12 or 14 I think. Now there are 2 stewards who work as a team, and the team is now responsible for around 30 cabins. So there has not been a doubling of the number of cabins each steward cares for.

[richie5817]

we were in 6183 our cabin guy was named HAPPY.and he was, always a smile on his face morning,noon and night...he had between 10-12 rooms to do

[NetwrkEng]

At least on the Oosterdam last June and again in Dec the change was from one steward doing a fixed number of cabins to a team of two doing a group of cabins.

 

I believe there is an increase, maybe 12 each to 30 for the two, but certainly no one steward that had 8 is now doing 30. Or at least I certainly hope not.

[Copper10-8]

What HAL did is take one room steward with, say 8-10 cabins and another one with the same amount, put them together as a team, and give them 16-20 cabins (don't know about 30). My understanding is that one is the 'senior' and the other, the 'assistant' (that's how they've introduced themselves). They divide up duties in a cabin with one (the lucky one) getting the bathrooms, the other doing the remainder of the cabin. I believe they make the bed/change the linens as a team.

[coffeeclutch1]

Thanks for your replies. When cruising 2 years ago I found them to be wonderful, cheerful, hardworking people. I cruise in Sept and now I don't have to feel guilty just wonderful because I get to go again. YEA!

[Copper10-8]

Thanks for your replies. When cruising 2 years ago I found them to be wonderful, cheerful, hardworking people. I cruise in Sept and now I don't have to feel guilty just wonderful because I get to go again. YEA!

 

 

Have a great cruise!:)

[garydm]

I thought our cabin steward on Ryndam said he and his partner had 31 cabins. They must split them up as we rarely saw the other steward. Or, perhaps the other guy is bringing up towels, etc. while one is cleaning.

 

Gary

[jtl513]

... and give them 16-20 cabins (don't know about 30). My understanding is that one is the 'senior' and the other, the 'assistant' (that's how they've introduced themselves). They divide up duties in a cabin with one (the lucky one) getting the bathrooms, the other doing the remainder of the cabin. I believe they make the bed/change the linens as a team.

Yes, on the Noordam our team had everything from 8001 to to 8071, including the insides!! One day I was in the cabin when they serviced the room, and the "junior" did the bathroom while the "senior" did the rest, including making the bed alone.

[RuthC]

Thirty cabins is what my team has serviced on my last couple of cruises; that was in January and February this year. Prior to that I've been used to them having about 15 cabins each.

Shortly before 9/11 my steward had 12 cabins (I disembarked 9/7/01), and a few months later my steward had 18 (1/02). There had been staff cutbacks after 9/11, as passengers were canceling in droves. When passengers started returning it took a while for staffing levels to be brought back up. They were not brought back to the previous level, though.

[pms4104]

Yes, on the Noordam our team had everything from 8001 to to 8071, including the insides!! One day I was in the cabin when they serviced the room, and the "junior" did the bathroom while the "senior" did the rest, including making the bed alone.

 

I find that interesting, as we were told by the Housekeeping Mgr. on the Statendam in December that the reason for a team of stewards was because it was so difficult for one steward to make the bed alone. I have believed all along that the steward team is a cost-cutting step but, of course, management will spin the story to make it seem that the team concept is in consideration of the health and welfare of the stewards who, in the past, may have had issues when working alone. In fact, she stated that the two of them making the beds together has cut down on injuries.

[Copper10-8]

Yes, on the Noordam our team had everything from 8001 to to 8071, including the insides!! One day I was in the cabin when they serviced the room, and the "junior" did the bathroom while the "senior" did the rest, including making the bed alone.

 

I guess it pays to be the King, I mean the senior!

[jtl513]

I find that interesting, as we were told by the Housekeeping Mgr. on the Statendam in December that the reason for a team of stewards was because it was so difficult for one steward to make the bed alone. I have believed all along that the steward team is a cost-cutting step but, of course, management will spin the story to make it seem that the team concept is in consideration of the health and welfare of the stewards who, in the past, may have had issues when working alone. In fact, she stated that the two of them making the beds together has cut down on injuries.

I can believe if a bed changing was due they might have worked together, but in this case he just made it up -- straightening and smoothing on one side and then the other.

I got the impression that the team concept was partly to give OJT for the "junior" guy.

I should have said in my other post that they had the starboard side only, so they had about 36 cabins, not 71!

[Jemima]

The 2 man team also didn't work exactly the same times on our Feb. cruise. They seemed to have dinner at different times and possibly some other breaks differed.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On the Eurodam we had 2 cabin stewards and they had 30 cabins to take care. We saw both of them many times working in our cabin -- and not just on sheet changing days.

It was the same thing on the Noordam -- saw them constantly. One would do the bathroom while the other one made the bed. One would do the glasses and ice while the other one vaccumed.

And again on the Westerdam -- every day we saw both of them making up and working on our cabin at the same time.

[bcd2010]

Actually, there might be another consideration (or maybe just a beneficial consequece) -- 2 working together take less time in any given cabin, thus, it's less intrusive. Doesn't matter to me because I'm always anxious to get out, I don't spend much time in the cabin, but some people do and may appreciate a quicker cleaning.

[Down-Unders]

We were on the Volendam a couple of weeks ago and got to know our steward a bit. He always had a big smile for us and a spring in his step. Not once did I detect that he was overworked or stressed with too many suites to keep up.

 

You have to remember that these workers are the best of the best and they greatly appreciate the opportunity to work on a 10 month contract, send precious dollars home, and spend a couple of months with their families.

 

Yes, they work very hard for their pay, but they make considerably more working on a HAL ship than they would working in their homeland. And their work ethic bespeaks of this fact.

 

And, to acknowledge their efforts, many of us (cruisers) give them a nice tip on top of the amount HAL takes out per person per day.

 

 

 

Any crew that we talk to never ever ever want to be on a 10 month contract 7 days a week, away from their families and especially if some one is ill. Would you?

[Boytjie]

I have read where these hard working cabin attendants were changed from 8 rooms to 30. This sounds absurd is anyone going that could ask the attendants themselves? This is slave labor!:eek:

 

The stewards are now working in teams of two, so they got more cabins in total.

[Owl47]

We were on the 5/30 Amsterdam sailing with Happy as our main steward. He did complain that his work load had gone from 10 rooms to 30 rooms. He did not explain that he had formerly worked alone and now has an assistant (which he does).

They did a great job and we have no complaints.

[suse]

This is why I like to keep my cabin very, very neat. I like to think it lightens their workload, don't you? Sometimes, I notice some very messy cabins and I think, how can people live like that? Ick.:eek: