HappyTexan44

They I said earlier, I've stayed in hotels and now that I think on it, one ship. For many years I travelled for work, around 180 hotel nights and around 30 round trips each year. So I'm extremely familiar with hotels. But I recognize that a cruise is hopefully better. Nobody has discussed the shocking stuff that they found between the sheets on the first day, so it has to be better. If they actually vacuum, I'll need to make sure that our stuff stays off the floor. If they wipe down the bathroom sink counter space I'll need to make sure we put our hygiene stuff up. etc. My one vacation on a ship was a week-long scuba live-aboard and they never entered my room, nor did I expect them too. But then live-aboard trips are unique.

I've been watching mine. In precisely a year, I'll be on the cruise. I hope to book stuff as soon as they become available since this inflation will only get worse. At first there was one excursion at one port, and then an after-the-cruise excursion was added. Nothing else. I added a note to my outlook calendar for every few weeks to check.

I agree with you. I also want to add that the waste of government resources (i.e. my money) happened when they lost the application. Someone wouldn't have had to go searching for it if it had been handled to minimum standards to begin with.

That would have been with the twice-a-day service. Someone reported that it does happen on Carnival since they changed to once-a-day. When the plan is for once-a-day, they can do the big clean when they come through again.

The problem with the Do Not Disturb sign is that your room could be moved to the end of the list and possibly not get done at all. With twice a day it wouldn't be a big deal because they could do the big clean on the second clean.

My evil grandparents were worse. They usually didn't tip at all! I didn't notice this until I was a teen and waiting tables myself. I suspect that they ate a lot of spit since they went to the same places all the time.

Bartenders get tipped based on the alcohol sold, whoever cleans the tables get tipped based on food sold. When I waited tables the standard was 15%. You passed on 15% of that 15%. Cooks, dishwashers etc. weren't tipped. I'd also worked as a dishwasher and I wasn't tipped, nor did I expect one.

I am very pro-tipping, but this bugs me. Tipping should be for customer-facing jobs where what they do isn't pass-fail. For example, washing sheets is pass-fail. They either do their job, or they don't. The sheets are clean or they aren't. There isn't a super-sparkly clean on sheets. But room stewards, it is possible to do a minimal job and it is possible to do a super-sparkly job. For waiters, it is possible to do more than minimal.

One idea would be bring cash for the auto-gratuity amount. Then ask the steward who will be left out. For example, the steward probably knows who in the windjammer could be trusted to spread out a lump sum tip.

Does anyone really think that the stewards will be getting more money? That amount they get from each room isn't cast in stone. They'll give each steward less from each room and add that amount to the "Other" category.

Maybe I'm cynical, ok yes I am, but I'll be shocked if they didn't half the amount of tips that the stewards get from each cabin. Royal's logic will be that they are doing the same amount of work (theoretically) as before.

You might expect it, but they don't. It is rare that they even have a vacuum cleaner with them. My knowledge is from pre-Covid. Mostly Marriott, all levels.

I suspect that the room stewards will get the same amount as before and they'll use the money to pay non-customer facing people. I've been on the fence about dropping the pre-paid gratuities and bringing a bit more than that amount onboard for cash tips. Still undecided but the once-a-day change makes cash tips a little better idea since they must be working even harder than before and not getting more money. (Also to make sure my rooms aren't one of the ones skipped entirely)

I haven't been to the one in Cozumel, but look into Snuba in Cozumel. It is a cross between scuba and snorkeling and no certification is required. There will be something floating on the surface with equipment on it, then there will be long air hoses dangling with mouth pieces on the end. So it is like snorkeling without the bother of returning to the surface. The Cozumel place allows you to hang out afterward and snorkel as long as you want. There aren't many places that do that. We did the one in Destin, FL to introduce DD to scuba. Apparently that is a fairly normal thing. A family shows up and at least one parents have well-used scuba goggles.

Honestly, he wouldn't notice. He has a ton of ratty clothes. I do sometimes throw them out when as we joke, "They get too religious" i.e. Holey. I've also developed selective eyesight which seems like a good thing in a marriage. Like that dent in the back bumper on my (our nice) car that he put there.

If you tell special needs that you need a fridge, this is a photo of what was given. This isn't my photo. I copy/pasted this from a different thread.

He is really a great guy. It used to bug me, then many years ago, I stopped doing his laundry unless he put it in the hamper. He puts his nice clothes in the hamper because I'll wash it nicely and hang it up. But otherwise I don't notice his clothes anymore and often walk on them. If people are coming over, I tell him to take care of his clothes and he'll gather them up.

Nope, I am intel gathering for our first cruise in a year. I've picked up some gems. 🙂 For example, if they don't vacuum daily, then a pile of dirty clothes in the corner won't be a problem. If they do, I'll have to fuss at DH to actually use the pop-up hamper we'll have.

I didn't know, that is why I asked. What I have to go on is hotel experience. I expect cruise cleaning to be better, but I wasn't sure how much.

They do all that every day? So they vacuum every day for example? Or is some of that just for the between cruise cleanings?

I am trying to set my expectation. Things people have mentioned that is done during the room cleaning Take dirty towels and leave clean towels. Take away dirty dishes. Make the bed. Leave ice if requested. Leave towel animals (maybe no longer?) Leave the Cruise Compass in the evening (probably no longer) Put up and later down the non-standard beds. (probably no longer) Do they ever? change the sheets? Vacuum? Clean the bathroom?

I'd choose evening. If I were solo I'd choose morning. But DH sleeps late.

This is the reason we live on an acre, own and rent out one house next to us and have a standing offer to buy the other. Both DH and I found apartment living stressful.

It is the opposite. Being able to *use* technology and being able to *create* technology are two entirely different things. Particularly for preschoolers, early technology can cause focus problems because the flashy colors and quick movements encourage the reactive focus of babies to be retained at the expense of deliberate focus. Don't we all know kids who can't focus to do their schoolwork but have amazing focus at video games? That is the result. Life isn't video games. The reason the pandemic generation fell behind during the lockdown wasn't because they were technically-challenged. It was a combination of that many people, including smart adults, just can't learn effectively online, and time spent on the computer doing anything *but* schoolwork. It was so bad that for the Final Exam Spring of 2021 the teachers in more than one school district near me were told to give anyone that just put their name on the paper, they got a 50. Anyone that got at least one problem correct started at 70. None of those kids were technically challenged.

Another gem to add to my cruise advice notes. I plan on making Sangria in my room and the flavors need to meld while chilled. I'd planned on using ice buckets if we only got a cooler. But this will be much better, and the ice will last longer.