Twice a day service...

Jimbo was correct in posting many pages back that this is a touchy subject.

If a person is content with cabin service only once a day, fine.

Some of us who have cruised for many years, and enjoyed showering twice a day, particularly on hot port days, and enjoyed the calm aspect of returning to the cabin after dinner to find fresh towels and evening turndown and lighting, tend to view it as an underhanded push toward "a cutback."

From the first time this issue raised its ugly head a couple of years ago, a line seems to have been drawn in the sand dividing those who resent the change, and those who honestly don't mind the difference.

It's no wonder that Carnival is desperately trying to contain costs. It's also no wonder that cruisers value different aspects of cruising. It's also no wonder that some of us feel there has been a concerted effort by Carnival to convince relatively new cruisers to accept less by presenting cutbacks as options.

The handwriting is on the wall. Some few of us are too old / stubborn to accept it quietly.

Jimbo was correct in posting many pages back that this is a touchy subject.

 

 

 

If a person is content with cabin service only once a day, fine.

 

 

 

Some of us who have cruised for many years, and enjoyed showering twice a day, particularly on hot port days, and enjoyed the calm aspect of returning to the cabin after dinner to find fresh towels and evening turndown and lighting, to view it as an underhanded push toward "a cutback."

 

 

 

From the first time this issue raised its ugly head a couple of years ago, a line seems to have been drawn in the sand dividing those who resent the change, and those who honestly don't mind the difference.

 

 

 

It's no wonder that Carnival is desperately trying to contain costs. It's also no wonder that cruisers value different aspects of cruising. It's also no wonder that some of us feel there has been a concerted effort by Carnival to convince relatively new cruisers to accept less by presenting cutbacks as options.

 

 

 

The handwriting is on the wall. Some few of us are too old / stubborn to accept it quietly.

It is a touchy one (I am pretty smart arn’t I...but I digress). I agree with most of your post, with a couple of small differences. I know. You feel strongly on the subject (would still like to cruise with you one day...) as does Stu, but there is genius in their madness. There is a portion, maybe a significant one, that wants or has no opinion on having once a day. For those, it is a win win. Once they got over the room steward way of asking (and I really think they have) the system really works. Card with 3 options, the cruiser decides. All this fluff about “I don’t think I can have the same relationship with my RS” is well....fluff. If you (the cruiser) want twice a day when they ask...then say so. Don’t worry about their feelings on whether they are getting paid enough salary....just more fluff.

Now I will say, that we have tried once a day on our four last cruises and were fine with it (honestly, I think we got 2/day on two of them because we are diamond but it really does not matter) but that is us.

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Jimbo, I would be happy to buy you and your wife a drink, and to chat with you both on board.

We all obviously enjoy cruising with Carnival.

Our biggest difference seems to be that I don't accept change gracefully and you SEEM to think every change has a bright side.

I like Carnival. I don't like every change it makes.

If we are ever on the same cruise I would be happy to buy you a Brandy Alexander, discuss why it isn't very good without cream, and hear your opinion.

Twice a day cabin service, cheerfully provided, is imperative to me. I am interested to hear what is imperative to you.

It is a touchy one (I am pretty smart arn’t I...but I digress). I agree with most of your post, with a couple of small differences. I know. You feel strongly on the subject (would still like to cruise with you one day...) as does Stu, but there is genius in their madness. There is a portion, maybe a significant one, that wants or has no opinion on having once a day. For those, it is a win win. Once they got over the room steward way of asking (and I really think they have) the system really works. Card with 3 options, the cruiser decides. All this fluff about “I don’t think I can have the same relationship with my RS” is well....fluff. If you (the cruiser) want twice a day when they ask...then say so. Don’t worry about their feelings on whether they are getting paid enough salary....just more fluff.

 

Now I will say, that we have tried once a day on our four last cruises and were fine with it (honestly, I think we got 2/day on two of them because we are diamond but it really does not matter) but that is us.

 

 

 

 

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Still believe that newer cruisers will not know the difference and will easily agree to 1x service.

After awhile carnival will tell us that the vast majority of their customers prefer 1x and presto everyone gets 1x unless you want to pay a small upcharge for that extra service..

Suspect exception will be that they will gratiously announce that plats and diamonds can get tradition 2x.

Jimbo, I would be happy to buy you and your wife a drink, and to chat with you both on board.

 

 

 

We all obviously enjoy cruising with Carnival.

 

 

 

Our biggest difference seems to be that I don't accept change gracefully and you SEEM to think every change has a bright side.

 

 

 

I like Carnival. I don't like every change it makes.

 

 

 

If we are ever on the same cruise I would be happy to buy you a Brandy Alexander, discuss why it isn't very good without cream, and hear your opinion.

 

 

 

Twice a day cabin service, cheerfully provided, is imperative to me. I am interested to hear what is imperative to you.

Fair enough, imperative to me is a fair question. To be honest, I think the product has become diluted, the entire product - all brands. There is saturation of markets, profits at almost any cost and out of control ship building.

Just this evening, I had a conversation across the dinner table with two of my son in laws about our recent Horizon cruise. They feel that the product is in peril and question whether cruising is for them anymore. The also feel the ships are staffed for optimal efficiency and when any variable goes awry, customer service is in jeopardy.

A fair amount of our group was not overjoyed with the MDR service (not bad but def not as good as in the past). These happened to not be at our seating. When I asked if they brought it to the head waiter or asst Maitre’d attention, they said no, they would just comment on the survey. I did a mini melt down (we were hooking up with them after their dinner) and walked them back in and had a conversation with the asst Maitre’d. It was fixed, but the point is the staff in the MDR has a formula that only works when a certain % of people go to Lido, Steakhouse, Cucina, Jiji’s, Tenyaki, etc.

When we were asked about cabin service, she was fine and would have been no matter what we said. I got the distinct impression she expected us to say 2/day. When we said evenings was fine her head popped up.

I will have the opportunity to review this with mgt in the next month and will do so. I do not expect massive changes based on me, but I will have their ears.

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Still believe that newer cruisers will not know the difference and will easily agree to 1x service.

 

 

 

After awhile carnival will tell us that the vast majority of their customers prefer 1x and presto everyone gets 1x unless you want to pay a small upcharge for that extra service..

 

 

 

Suspect exception will be that they will gratiously announce that plats and diamonds can get tradition 2x.

Who knows' date=' you maybe right. I do not know if that is necessarily a terrible thing. You (experienced cruiser) get what you expect and the majority get what they expect. What was it PT Barnum said?

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On my Feb. cruise on Pride I was fully prepared to be asked and I would have said twice a day. But had twice a day without having to ask. As a seasoned cruiser,twice a day is what I expect. If they do at some point change it to once a day then that is what I will get. It would not stop me from cruising.

Laura

I did, I should have quoted hers

 

 

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Okay, well I made that mistake once (that I know of).

Okay, well I made that mistake once (that I know of).

Better man than me then (on the mistake front....)

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Still believe that newer cruisers will not know the difference and will easily agree to 1x service.

 

After awhile carnival will tell us that the vast majority of their customers prefer 1x and presto everyone gets 1x unless you want to pay a small upcharge for that extra service..

 

Suspect exception will be that they will gratiously announce that plats and diamonds can get tradition 2x.

So 2x becomes a perk?

So 2x becomes a perk?

I think that is the direction they may well be heading

Who knows, you maybe right. I do not know if that is necessarily a terrible thing. You (experienced cruiser) get what you expect and the majority get what they expect. What was it PT Barnum said?

 

 

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Once upon a time cruising was an affordable luxury. They keep pricing on the low side but at a cost that increasing leads us elsewhere

Jimbo was correct in posting many pages back that this is a touchy subject.

 

If a person is content with cabin service only once a day, fine.

 

Some of us who have cruised for many years, and enjoyed showering twice a day, particularly on hot port days, and enjoyed the calm aspect of returning to the cabin after dinner to find fresh towels and evening turndown and lighting, tend to view it as an underhanded push toward "a cutback."

 

From the first time this issue raised its ugly head a couple of years ago, a line seems to have been drawn in the sand dividing those who resent the change, and those who honestly don't mind the difference.

 

It's no wonder that Carnival is desperately trying to contain costs. It's also no wonder that cruisers value different aspects of cruising. It's also no wonder that some of us feel there has been a concerted effort by Carnival to convince relatively new cruisers to accept less by presenting cutbacks as options.

 

The handwriting is on the wall. Some few of us are too old / stubborn to accept it quietly.

I don't really understand the bolded. Desperate? Why? Carnival Corp. (including all cruiselines) achieved a NET profit of 2.6 billion dollars in 2017.

Fair enough, imperative to me is a fair question. To be honest, I think the product has become diluted, the entire product - all brands. There is saturation of markets, profits at almost any cost and out of control ship building.

 

Just this evening, I had a conversation across the dinner table with two of my son in laws about our recent Horizon cruise. They feel that the product is in peril and question whether cruising is for them anymore. The also feel the ships are staffed for optimal efficiency and when any variable goes awry, customer service is in jeopardy.

 

A fair amount of our group was not overjoyed with the MDR service (not bad but def not as good as in the past). These happened to not be at our seating. When I asked if they brought it to the head waiter or asst Maitre’d attention, they said no, they would just comment on the survey. I did a mini melt down (we were hooking up with them after their dinner) and walked them back in and had a conversation with the asst Maitre’d. It was fixed, but the point is the staff in the MDR has a formula that only works when a certain % of people go to Lido, Steakhouse, Cucina, Jiji’s, Tenyaki, etc.

 

When we were asked about cabin service, she was fine and would have been no matter what we said. I got the distinct impression she expected us to say 2/day. When we said evenings was fine her head popped up.

 

I will have the opportunity to review this with mgt in the next month and will do so. I do not expect massive changes based on me, but I will have their ears.

 

 

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I appreciate your thoughtful response.

The product has definitely been diluted, most noticeably in reductions in staffing.

And while it sounds as though I am contradicting myself, the staff is Carnival's greatest asset.

Happy sailing.

From the first time this issue raised its ugly head a couple of years ago, a line seems to have been drawn in the sand dividing those who resent the change, and those who honestly don't mind the difference.

 

It's no wonder that Carnival is desperately trying to contain costs. It's also no wonder that cruisers value different aspects of cruising. It's also no wonder that some of us feel there has been a concerted effort by Carnival to convince relatively new cruisers to accept less by presenting cutbacks as options.

 

The handwriting is on the wall. Some few of us are too old / stubborn to accept it quietly.

Ultimately, most large companies need two things to stay large: low prices and good returns to shareholders. Easier said than done. If everything stayed "the way it was" they would fail. That is a fact. Businesses have to change. Overwhelmingly, price wins in the mass-market over service.

This is a serious question-when you have twice a day service are they cleaning the entire cabin twice? I always assumed that the evening service was more of a wipe down the bathroom counters, replace towels, turn down the bed and go type of thing. If they're vacuuming and cleaning windows twice a day, that's a LOT more work than I thought.

I guess I figured it was like a hotel-evening service was basically turndown, not a full second room cleaning.

This is a serious question-when you have twice a day service are they cleaning the entire cabin twice? I always assumed that the evening service was more of a wipe down the bathroom counters, replace towels, turn down the bed and go type of thing. If they're vacuuming and cleaning windows twice a day, that's a LOT more work than I thought.

 

I guess I figured it was like a hotel-evening service was basically turndown, not a full second room cleaning.

With twice a day service, the evening service is just a turndown service.

With twice a day service, the evening service is just a turndown service.

Actually it's more than that . The steward will clean the bathroom if needed and replace dirty towels and so forth. Clean the counter and remove any items left discarded.

Actually it's more than that . The steward will clean the bathroom if needed and replace dirty towels and so forth. Clean the counter and remove any items left discarded.

agreed, why would I want to come back to our cabin with dirty towels hanging in bathroom?

Actually it's more than that . The steward will clean the bathroom if needed and replace dirty towels and so forth. Clean the counter and remove any items left discarded.

I guess that’s just what I’ve come to expect from hotels I frequently visit that offer turndown service and advertise it as such. It wouldn’t have dawned to me that was considered extra on top of what turndown service is because it’s always been done that way, for me, without asking in hotels where turndown service was the norm.

I wouldn’t expect the room to be vacuumed or the bedding stripped during the second service of the day which is what I meant to imply.

My apologies for any misinformation as my expectations are different.

agreed' date=' why would I want to come back to our cabin with dirty towels hanging in bathroom?[/quote']

 

If the towels are dirty, you are supposed to leave them on the floor.

We like 2x daily since there is not passenger access to ice machines and fresh towels. There is nowhere in the tiny bathrooms to hang towels to dry before the next shower.

We expect cleaning, ice, and fresh towels if needed in the morning service. We are tidy so we make sure all surfaces are cleared of junk, trash in the trash can and no dirty clothes laying around before we leave the cabin for the day.

In the PM service we do not expect cleaning. We do expect ice, the Fun Times delivered and fresh towels replacing those used during the day.

If the towels are dirty, you are supposed to leave them on the floor.

We do, guess I mispoke a bit. In other words who wants to come back to cabin with dirty towels on the floor and no clean ones to shower in the morning

the last cruise we went on i asked for cleaning only in the evening because my teenage son, who has major insomnia, for some reason sleeps really well on ships.

I love when he goes to the cabin after brunch for a morning nap, or sleeps through breakfast. This is because i always worry about his sleep. Anyway, it was better for us to only have room cleaned once per day. But i did not tip any less than i always do when i prepay. I did not give extra that cruise though because a couple of nights the kids were gathered in the bunks watching TV and i just stepped outside and asked for clean towels and told them no service was necessary that evening.

That being said.... im a clean freak and my kids know whats expected as far as keeping the cabin organized and being thoughtful of others.

So ... no problems for us.

Actually it's more than that . The steward will clean the bathroom if needed and replace dirty towels and so forth. Clean the counter and remove any items left discarded.

fill the ice bucket, etc.

whether or not you have evening service, they will still leave Fun Time and flyers somewhere, so they are still visiting the same number of cabins.