What's up with the "No Top Sheet" thing, anyway?

[wizard-of-roz]

What a great idea. Do you ask when you first go on board or do you request it beforehand?

 

Jennie

 

When you get onboard there will be a card on your desk [usually near the phone] with your Stewards pager number on it. Page him/her and request whatever it is that you need. Pillows/towels/egg crate/top sheet/pillows/blankets/beds separated, etc., etc.

Usually, the Steward will wait until you have left the cabin [i swear they have mini cameras in the hallways] and, he/she will come in [like very quiet pixie's] and, you will find everything you've asked for. ;)

Asking for top sheets before you cruise is simply not done.

[Toto2Kansas]

I hadn't even thought about the lounges.......Yikes! Is nothing sacred anymore?

 

And, now that I think about it - the duvet's do not have a "slip-cover" type covering. Do you really think they're going to change-out the duvet's after every customer? I bet the Steward is told to do a cursary inspection of the duvet and if it doesn't look dirty he/she simply places it back on the bed for the next customer.........

 

Oh! Top Sheet, FOR SURE!!!!!! :eek:

I have checked the duvets and the cover is removeable, and also seen the cabin steward changing the cover on them. Honestly, they do remove the cover and put on a fresh one, I have seen them do it with my own eyes when we return to the cabin earlier than expected.

[wizard-of-roz]

I have checked the duvets and the cover is removeable, and also seen the cabin steward changing the cover on them. Honestly, they do remove the cover and put on a fresh one, I have seen them do it with my own eyes when we return to the cabin earlier than expected.

 

How is the cover to the duvets "removeable?" Is one edge tucked into another because there is no zipper.

[Toto2Kansas]

There is no zipper at all, they tuck in a flap to close them. ;)

[Rob & Beckys mom]

There is no zipper at all, they tuck in a flap to close them. ;)

 

do you know where they can be purchased?

[Toto2Kansas]

do you know where they can be purchased?

Sorry no, I have no idea. Have you asked onboard??

But I searched here on CC, and it seems they say they are the same as Carnival uses and those can be purchased online. See this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=667428

[rdsqrl]

Hi Patsy...Not much difference between the two. I think with a comforter the cover is more optional. They can sometimes be decorative. The duvet is generall all white and sort of a bag with feathers, down or synthetic filling. All the duvets I have known need to be shaken to properly distribute the contents. Comforters are constructed more like quilts and the filling stays put.

 

I Think. Woulsd love to hear from others on this....

I would concur with this analysis!

[Toto2Kansas]

Here is a direct link to the Carnival Duvets, and I agree, they look identical to the ones Princess uses. http://www.carnivalcomfortcollection.com/store/index.cfm?fa=list&CategoryID=4

They sell both the duvet, and the duvet insert (which fits inside the duvet, for those that don't think that just the outer shell can be washed lol).

[boone2]

We have used duvets for nearly 40 years, our kids don;t know what blankets are. Duvets originated in Scandinavia I believe, There are different weights aand qualities You can get summer and winter weights. The best ones are filled with down. The more expensive the better quality. You can get some filled with synthetic materials which can be just as warm, sort of like the difference you get in pillows, these can be washed, down ones should be dry cleaned Comforters are more like quilts or as we used to call them in in the UK, eiderdowns. The duvets are covered with duvet covers, just like a pillow case and washed - in our house- every few days. The covers can be fastened with fasteners, zips or just folded envelope style. We have never used a top sheet. Here endeth the duvet lesson PS Ikea has great ranges of duvets, they also carry covers which I;m not as keen on

Terry

[Ethel5]

IKEA has a wide assortment of duvets in many different weights.

[ILVTX]

It's amazing how much one can learn on these forums. The OP got a lot more than the answer to the question!

 

I love our down comforter for our cool Texas winter nights. If I have to get up in the night, my bed is still toasty when I return! I don't think the duvets on Princess are as insulating as down, though. But they do the job. I have not missed a top sheet, but understand how some would want it if the cabin is warm.

 

Our down comforter is very expensive to get dry-cleaned, so we use a washable cover.

 

I've enjoyed the other posters' comments about their duvets.

 

Patsy

[cruisingcanadian]

I have a bit different problem when on a cruise or in a hotel in North America:I grew up in a European country,and was used to duvet with it's cover only. When I discovered the way a North American bed is made, I could not believe that people can sleep with the top sheet tucked in the corners,being under the covers like in "prison";).I can never do it,and first thing what I do is to ask/or leave a note for the room stewart / housekeeping not to tuck the top sheet.And if they still do,I have to pulled it out and "free" myself.

So-cultural differences,right?

 

And-all of you can believe me-the duvet cover gets washed!!!:D

 

Suzy

[Mist_ynight]

I got my parents to buy me a down duvet for Christmas one year. I rarely used it, it was way to warm for my liking and where I live it goes down to -40 and below at night. When I use it I don't use the top sheet. They gave me two covers as well, a light one and a heavy quilted one. The heavy one was so warm I use it as a blanket, with a top sheet of course. I can't sleep if my top sheet is not tucked in nice and tight. I'll be requesting the top sheet on my up coming cruise for sure.

[CrusinAgain]

As I stated earlier, they wash the duvet covers every three days in all cabin but with suites, they was them daily. We did the ships tour and I asked how often they get laundered.

 

I can't speak about our last cruise duvet covers if they got washed or not, I can speak that our sheets were never changed and this was a 13 night cruise. That was the first time that ever happened. Only saw a selected few one day get changed when we saw the dirty sheets in the carts.

[JPRLHR]

I could not believe that people can sleep with the top sheet tucked in the corners,being under the covers like in "prison";).I can never do it,and first thing what I do is to ask/or leave a note for the room stewart / housekeeping not to tuck the top sheet.And if they still do,I have to pulled it out and "free" myself.

 

Me too... I just have to be able to have my feet and arms out of the bed so as soon as I get into any bed where the sheets have been tucked in, I kick around from inside until every part of the sheets are hanging loose . My missus thinks I'm having a turn..!! :D

[u2cruiser]

We have used duvets for nearly 40 years, our kids don;t know what blankets are. Duvets originated in Scandinavia I believe, There are different weights aand qualities You can get summer and winter weights. The best ones are filled with down. The more expensive the better quality. You can get some filled with synthetic materials which can be just as warm, sort of like the difference you get in pillows, these can be washed, down ones should be dry cleaned Comforters are more like quilts or as we used to call them in in the UK, eiderdowns. The duvets are covered with duvet covers, just like a pillow case and washed - in our house- every few days. The covers can be fastened with fasteners, zips or just folded envelope style. We have never used a top sheet. Here endeth the duvet lesson PS Ikea has great ranges of duvets, they also carry covers which I;m not as keen on

Terry

 

I was wondering whether what you call comforters are what we call eiderdowns. We have only ever had duvets in our home, with removable covers, in fact, most people I know have the same thing. Some elderly people still use sheets, blankets and eiderdowns. Our eiderdowns are now more decorative than anything and very popular folded and placed across the bottom of the bed.

 

We have combination duvets with 2 different weights joined together. In the summer you can remove the thick one and just use the lightweight one but that's never warm enough for me.

 

Princess definitely has removeable duvet covers. To wash the whole duvet everytime would take too long, too much space in dryers and cost a fortune in energy. It's no different to using a pillow case.

 

Using a top sheet prevents the duvet doing its job as it needs to settle around you, but they can be too warm, so I can understand people wanting a top sheet instead on warm cruises. Having a sheet tucked in is a nightmare :p you can't move your feet.

[cruiseron36]

I can't speak about our last cruise duvet covers if they got washed or not, I can speak that our sheets were never changed and this was a 13 night cruise. That was the first time that ever happened. Only saw a selected few one day get changed when we saw the dirty sheets in the carts.

 

How do you know that they were not changed for the entire cruise? If this was the 13 day Crown last October we were on it and I know for a fact our sheets were changed every three days. If yours were not changed you should have made a complaint at the time rather than let it ride.

[lovesublime]

How do you know that they were not changed for the entire cruise? If this was the 13 day Crown last October we were on it and I know for a fact our sheets were changed every three days. If yours were not changed you should have made a complaint at the time rather than let it ride.

 

 

 

Our sheets and duvet cover on our 10 day Island cruise last year were not changed the entire cruise. How do I know? I bled a tiny pinpoint drop of blood on the bottom sheet (from leg shaving). DH spilled oj on the duvet. Neither were ever changed.

[cruiseron36]

Our sheets and duvet cover on our 10 day Island cruise last year were not changed the entire cruise. How do I know? I bled a tiny pinpoint drop of blood on the bottom sheet (from leg shaving). DH spilled oj on the duvet. Neither were ever changed.

 

Did you make a complaint at the time? They are supposed to be changed every three days. I see the cart full of new linens in the hallway every three days - are they just pushing it around for exercise?

[uppitycats]

I'd be distressed if our duvet covers were not changed at least once during a 13 day cruise! I, too, have seen it done every 3 days, and in fact they'll do it on request, like if you spill something on it, and they don't notice...we spilled coffee, and it was changed the next time they made up the bed.

 

We have 4 cats who sleep on the bed. The duvet covers are wonderful; I don't have to keep washing blankets and quilts, just replace the covers with fresh ones, and wash those.

 

Since we have always lived in the midwest where it's plenty cold in winter, I have a linen closet-ful of various weight blankets, quilts and comforters, so rather than toss them out, I just use the covers. I've got some that fold in like an envelope, some that button at the bottom, and some that are just open like an open pillow case. All of them have ties inside. I sewed on ties on the corners of the blanks and quilts I use inside them. So when it comes time to change them its' a matter of untie-ing the ties, slipping off the cover, slipping on a fresh one. After doing it a couple of times, it's no harder than changing sheets, and MUCH easier on the blankets and quilts. And once I got used to not having everything tucked in at the bottom, I realized just how comfortable that was!

[gooch47]

A little off subject, but we watched them making duvets with silk as the filler when we were in China last summer:

 

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq279/gooch47/IMG_1020.jpg

 

They would take a single silkworm cocoon and somehow separate and stretch the silk. It was very, very strong.

[u2cruiser]

A little off subject, but we watched them making duvets with silk as the filler when we were in China last summer:

 

http://i455.photobucket.com/albums/qq279/gooch47/IMG_1020.jpg

 

I'd never want to get out of bed!! :eek: Imagine how light that would be?

[gooch47]

Unfortunately it was the very first stop on the cruise and I didn't want to lug it or deal with it at the airport. It wasn't all cruise. We had two intra-China airflights and 4-5 nights at hotels.

 

I can't remember if they offered to ship it home or not. The price was not unreasonable.

[Putterdude]

We quite enjoy the duvets and there covers, the covers seem to get changed at every 3 to 4 days and obviously on turnaround day. I can see the merit in asking for a top sheet in the Caribbean but we haven't bothered as yet.

[cruisemom42]

Unfortunately it was the very first stop on the cruise and I didn't want to lug it or deal with it at the airport. It wasn't all cruise. We had two intra-China airflights and 4-5 nights at hotels.

 

I can't remember if they offered to ship it home or not. The price was not unreasonable.

 

A friend of mine had the same experience. She had hers shipped home. Now she loves it so much that when she found out I was planning to visit China soon, she asked me if I would order another one for her.