Cabin service only once a day??

[LMaxwell]

Let's take Dream; just over 1800 cabins. Can hold 3600-4400 guests.

 

So let's say there is 4K guests.

 

4K x 3.90 = $15,600 per day for room stewards.

 

$109,200 per 7 day cruise.

 

35 cabins per steward = 52 stewards.

 

Does anyone think for a second that 52 stewards are sharing in $109,200 per week?

 

Let's be generous and say there are 50 assistants.

 

Does anyone think 102 room attendant staff are sharing in $109,200 per week?

 

come on people, do the math....

[RuthlessBoss]

I'm good with once a day..All I really need are towels and ice...take the trash..I'm good.

 

I don't see people needing anymore than that other than those needing help with bunks. Actually I don't require a trash pickup. When people say they want 2xday cleaning, that's ridiculous. What do they think is being done? No cabin needs it.

[angela12345]

Maxwell, you were probably typing your post as I was typing my post ... It's not $3.90 per day. Evidently, the stewards only get $2.25 per day with 1.50 to head and .75 to assistant. So, Carnival makes an extra 3.90 - 2.25 = $1.65 per day ?

[LMaxwell]

I don't see people needing anymore than that other than those needing help with bunks. Actually I don't require a trash pickup. When people say they want 2xday cleaning, that's ridiculous. What do they think is being done? No cabin needs it.

 

Towels and Ice twice daily is what I'd like. As I said, our cabin doesn't need "cleaning" twice a day. But I really don't want to have to call housekeeping or room service every day to get these items. If the steward wants to clean 1X daily and drop off towels and ice twice I'm A-OK with that.

[Savlamara]

Let's take Dream; just over 1800 cabins. Can hold 3600-4400 guests.

 

So let's say there is 4K guests.

 

4K x 3.90 = $15,600 per day for room stewards.

 

$109,200 per 7 day cruise.

 

35 cabins per steward = 52 stewards.

 

Does anyone think for a second that 52 stewards are sharing in $109,200 per week?

 

Let's be generous and say there are 50 assistants.

 

Does anyone think 102 room attendant staff are sharing in $109,200 per week?

 

come on people, do the math....

 

 

If you honestly believe the stewards get this much, I have a bridge I can sell you real cheap! :rolleyes:

 

Room stewards (and waiters) are among the lowest paid on the ship. Making about a quarter of minimum wage. They depend on tips to get by. Much like the waiters in restaurants in the US make $2/hr and depend on tips to survive. The crew onboard these ships actually are paid LESS. I was told like $50-100 per month.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Savlamara

[LMaxwell]

If you honestly believe the stewards get this much, I have a bridge I can sell you real cheap! :rolleyes:

 

Room stewards (and waiters) are among the lowest paid on the ship. Making about a quarter of minimum wage. They depend on tips to get by.

 

I don't think they get anywhere near that amount. That's the point.

 

 

This is a problem 100% completely of carnival's fabrication and I won't be guilted or shamed into accepting a lower standard of servicing.

[Savlamara]

I hear you but we the passengers are the ones who are being asked to agree to less service. They do have the right to find other employment if they do not think this is worth it for them.

 

If they have printed up millions of forms asking guests to choose, it appears we have already been "told" and the decision is made. The staff, unfortunately, are the ones who have to be the bearer of bad news. This so-called "pilot" is just a slow "phase-in." Regardless what John Heald says, no company would spend thousands (millions?) printing things for something that would not become the norm.

 

Also if I quit a job for a company doing things I didnt like I'd be looking for a new job every 2 days. As someone who lives in the US with lots of opportunity, I am not that idiotic, much less to expect someone from a 3rd world country with less opportunity then I, to do so. You can't be serious.

[Cruise, J.D.]

If you are not happy with the service you receive, and the cruise line gives you the option of adjusting gratuities, you have every right to adjust as you see fit.

 

Cutting back to once-a-day service without adjusting the gratuities is just a plain money grab. It will be very disappointing if it comes to that and will likely cause us to reevaluate the product.

[Boozebabe]

I was discussing this new trend with my friend who has cruised with me since we started cruising back in 1993. She reminded me that we had cabin service 3 times per day back then. Granted it was not on Carnival (it was on RC) but they came in morning to change bed linens, towels, ice etc., late afternoon for a freshen up and more ice, then evening turn down. I suppose thats why my RC cruises cost more than they would have on Carnival. Although I do miss the beautiful RC ships I have been happy for the most part with Carnival. Especially their prices.

 

Not sure when that second visit stopped since its been a while since we cruised on RC. I am wondering if Carnival ever had 3 a day visits? Times sure have changed. It's all about the almighty dollar.

 

If one a day is the way of the future I can live with that. BUT I need extra ice for medical reasons in an insulated bag I bring with me. I'd be perfectly OK with getting that extra ice on my own if it were allowed.

 

I also wonder are they actually changing the bed linens daily on Carnival? I would be perfectly happy with fresh bed linens on day of embarkation to last me the whole week. It's the rotation I also have at home. Fresh washcloths daily are nice but I also don't need a fresh bath towel every day.Take the ones I leave on the shower floor and leave me replacements only.

 

I guess we will either #1 accept the changes and quit bitching, #2 accept the changes and keep bitching, or #3 quit cruising. I have a feeling the latter won't happen.

[trpjackson]

Just off the Dream last Sunday- 3 days ago. Steward introduced himself (Jono, Cove balcony 2248) and asked me if I wanted 'morning or evening'. I said I'd like both. He replied "Miss, you may not know, I used to have 26 cabins to take care of and now I have 35. I cannot do everyone." As I commiserated with him about the amount of work, he said this would probably be his last contract with Carnival...

 

Continued to press him a bit for 'both' and he said OK- grudgingly. Did get service 2X a day but didn't get ice a couple of days. Sigh.

 

So you CAN get service but expect to be 'shamed' into it.

 

I don't think John Heald knows about that part...

 

It was obvious which cabins had 'morning only' service at about 6pm- those cabins got the next day's Funtimes put in their mailboxes. Looked like 35-40% had chosen 'morning only'.

 

I don't know what he's complaining about. According to tipping guidelines it's $3.90 per person per day for your room attendant. So, if he has 35 rooms to clean he's making $273 per day (assuming 2 guest per room). I'm sure that is a lot of money where he's from. That's more than I make

[KatieCharlotte]

I don't know what he's complaining about. According to tipping guidelines it's $3.90 per person per day for your room attendant. So, if he has 35 rooms to clean he's making $273 per day (assuming 2 guest per room). I'm sure that is a lot of money where he's from. That's more than I make

 

It's $3.90 per person per day for "stateroom services." No one has said that the head steward makes that much in tips, and stewards have reported that they make much less. While I'd love an accounting of exactly where the money goes, that's never going to happen. It is my understanding that it is pooled and used to pay many different types of employees and possibly to fund benefits.

[richmke]

If they provided 4 towels per cabin per day (2 towels per person per day, not including the beach towel), I could live with once a day cabin service.

[stevenr597]

I was just told that Carnival only does cabin service once a day now in the morning. Does that mean there is no turn down service at night? What about doing the upper bunks at night?

 

just another example of Carnival's "race to the bottom". There has been, over the past several years, a steady decline in services. Rather than asking for, they would have done better, if passengers would have declined services.

[angela12345]

I don't know what he's complaining about. According to tipping guidelines it's $3.90 per person per day for your room attendant. So, if he has 35 rooms to clean he's making $273 per day (assuming 2 guest per room). I'm sure that is a lot of money where he's from. That's more than I make

Read my post #75 in this thread.

 

They are not making anywhere near that much.

 

They are CURRENTLY (before the change) doing 25-27 cabins per day and the head steward makes $1.50 pp, the assistant makes $0.75 pp.

 

Assuming 25 cabins x 2 per cabin x $1.50 = $75 per day

The assistant makes half that amount, so $37.50 per day

I believe contracts can range from 4 months on, 2 months off to 10 months on, 2 months off. So during a year that would be working anywhere from 8-10 months out of the year. During the time they are working, they work 7 days a week, probably 12+ hours a day. Assuming they work the max 10 months per year ...

$75/day x 300 days (10 mos x 30) = $22,500/yr

 

That amount could be higher or lower for a head steward based on how long their contracts are, how many guests are in the cabin, how many cabins they have, and if any of their cabins remove the gratuity (or leave them extra), but this gives you a good general ballpark I think. My math falls right in line with articles I have read that say stewards make 1600-2600/mo. At 10 months a year, that's $16,000-26,000/yr.

 

A "full ship" is all the staterooms occupied at 2 per cabin. So that means a Conquest class ship has approx 1500 cabins at 2 per room = published capacity of approx 3000. I looked up the max capacity for Conquest class ships which is approx 3600, assuming every single cabin that is rated for more than 2 passengers is filled to max capacity. Which I would think would be rare. I know out of our group, we usually have at least one, sometimes many cabins that are rated for 3 or more that only have 2 in the cabin. But, for this assumption, let's assume the ship is filled to absolute max capacity and the steward works the max months per year.

3600 max / 1500 cabins = 2.4 average people per cabin.

25 cabins x 2.4 per cabin x $1.50 = $90 per day

$90/day x 300 days (10 mos x 30) = $27,000/yr

 

ASSUMING the $1.50 stays constant and Carnival doesn't lower the amount the head steward gets or dilute it somehow, using my same math above but 35 cabins ...

35 cabins x 2 per cabin x $1.50 = $105 per day

$105/day x 300 days (10 mos x 30) = $31,500/yr

 

And also assuming the ship sails at Max capacity and they still get $1.50pp

35 cabins x 2.4 per cabin x $1.50 = $126 per day

$126/day x 300 days (10 mos x 30) = $37,800/yr

 

All of the above calculations are for the Head Steward, remember the assistant receives only half as much.

[wanderingjew]

just another example of Carnival's "race to the bottom". There has been, over the past several years, a steady decline in services. Rather than asking for, they would have done better, if passengers would have declined services.

 

Carnival used to be cheapest and the best value

 

definitely not the best value

 

not necessarily the cheapest

[Savlamara]

Read my post #75 in this thread.

 

They are not making anywhere near that much.

 

They are CURRENTLY (before the change) doing 25-27 cabins per day and the head steward makes $1.50 pp, the assistant makes $0.75 pp.

 

Assuming 25 cabins x 2 per cabin x $1.50 = $75 per day

The assistant makes half that amount, so $37.50 per day

I believe contracts can range from 4 months on, 2 months off to 10 months on, 2 months off. So during a year that would be working anywhere from 8-10 months out of the year. During the time they are working, they work 7 days a week, probably 12+ hours a day. Assuming they work the max 10 months per year ...

$75/day x 300 days (10 mos x 30) = $22,500/yr

 

That amount could be higher or lower for a head steward based on how long their contracts are, how many guests are in the cabin, how many cabins they have, and if any of their cabins remove the gratuity (or leave them extra), but this gives you a good general ballpark I think. My math falls right in line with articles I have read that say stewards make 1600-2600/mo. At 10 months a year, that's $16,000-26,000/yr.

 

A "full ship" is all the staterooms occupied at 2 per cabin. So that means a Conquest class ship has approx 1500 cabins at 2 per room = published capacity of approx 3000. I looked up the max capacity for Conquest class ships which is approx 3600, assuming every single cabin that is rated for more than 2 passengers is filled to max capacity. Which I would think would be rare. I know out of our group, we usually have at least one, sometimes many cabins that are rated for 3 or more that only have 2 in the cabin. But, for this assumption, let's assume the ship is filled to absolute max capacity and the steward works the max months per year.

3600 max / 1500 cabins = 2.4 average people per cabin.

25 cabins x 2.4 per cabin x $1.50 = $90 per day

$90/day x 300 days (10 mos x 30) = $27,000/yr

 

ASSUMING the $1.50 stays constant and Carnival doesn't lower the amount the head steward gets or dilute it somehow, using my same math above but 35 cabins ...

35 cabins x 2 per cabin x $1.50 = $105 per day

$105/day x 300 days (10 mos x 30) = $31,500/yr

 

And also assuming the ship sails at Max capacity and they still get $1.50pp

35 cabins x 2.4 per cabin x $1.50 = $126 per day

$126/day x 300 days (10 mos x 30) = $37,800/yr

 

All of the above calculations are for the Head Steward, remember the assistant receives only half as much.

 

Thank you for doing accurate math. This whole thread is why I really WISH Carnival would take the lead in making gratuities mandatory or built into the fare. Anyone can pass by guest services on any day after the 1st day and hear a number of people requesting removal of grats, the last day is the worst. Its done way more often then people think. Which makes their pay way less.

[LMaxwell]

Thank you for doing accurate math. This whole thread is why I really WISH Carnival would take the lead in making gratuities mandatory or built into the fare. Anyone can pass by guest services on any day after the 1st day and hear a number of people requesting removal of grats, the last day is the worst. Its done way more often then people think. Which makes their pay way less.

 

What has that got to do with carnival providing less services and giving more work to fewer staff? If the guest gratuity makes up the bulk of the stewards pay what does Carnival care? I have never heard the things you claim to hear, but I will take your statement at face value; if service was excellent wouldn't the "problem" self-correct? :confused:

[loxley]

Thank you for doing accurate math. This whole thread is why I really WISH Carnival would take the lead in making gratuities mandatory or built into the fare. Anyone can pass by guest services on any day after the 1st day and hear a number of people requesting removal of grats, the last day is the worst. Its done way more often then people think. Which makes their pay way less.

You do understand we are talking about people who come from countries where the min wage for unskilled labor, which is what they are, is 30-60 us per month right.

 

In comparison to their neighbor at home, they are making a fortune which is why the job is so highly sought after and why they work for years.

 

Look it up if you don't believe me.

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[BeachChik]

Thank you for doing accurate math. This whole thread is why I really WISH Carnival would take the lead in making gratuities mandatory or built into the fare. Anyone can pass by guest services on any day after the 1st day and hear a number of people requesting removal of grats, the last day is the worst. Its done way more often then people think. Which makes their pay way less.

 

I don't understand why their pay is any of our business. Yes I agree people should pay the recommended amount just as in any position that is reliant on tips. However that's as far as I go.

 

I don't worry about how the money is split, how much they get out of it or how much their take home pay is every month. I don't ask the server at my favorite restaurant, the bartender or the taxi driver. I won't ask you how much your household income is and it isn't anyone's business how much mine is. I can't wrap my mind around people thinking they should now how much money someone else makes.

 

If the job is so bad or they felt they weren't making enough they are adults and can make the choice to find a different employer.

 

And 38k for ten months of work is not a bad salary. There are many professions that out of college people make less. And many jobs that are just as hard that make less here in the US.

Edited March 10, 2016 by BeachChik

[halos]

Oh my. Can't wait for John to answer this one AGAIN on face book. The service can be whatever you want. Check both boxes or better yet talk to your steward and tell him exactly what you want

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pretty sure it depends on the ship. Our friends just got off of a CCL cruise and were told it was one or the other, not both.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Wonder if my clients analyze "my salary" down to the minutia to make sure that they aren't paying me more than "they" think reasonable.

 

Wonder if anyone actual knows how tips are divided amongst all the staff on a ship? I just know that my Approx. $12 tip per day is divided amongst the service staff, the wait staff, those who man the buffets. Do tips filter down to the kitchen staff, the cleaning staff and all the behind the scenes personnel that we don't actually have contact with. I, for sure, don't know.

 

Personally I'd like Carnival to get rid of all tips and just increase my fare by the "tip" amount and then I wouldn't give a hoot about who gets what and I wouldn't be at all concerned about who is doing what....but then we live in a tip happy society where some folks actually believe a tip is about service "above and beyond" when it is actually about paying a "livable" wage to many service employees.

 

Wonder how many of us would work as hard and for as many hours as a ship's staff does with just an occasional day off...I know that I wouldn't even consider it.

 

And, again, for me the bottom line is whether I am getting value for the money I spend for and while on a cruise. If I thought, for one second, that I was getting "screwed" I'd quickly find another vacation.

[Savlamara]

You do understand we are talking about people who come from countries where the min wage for unskilled labor, which is what they are, is 30-60 us per month right.

 

In comparison to their neighbor at home, they are making a fortune which is why the job is so highly sought after and why they work for years.

 

Look it up if you don't believe me.

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

I dont need to look up anything. If you read upthread I already mentioned i have 2 family members who work on board. And although they arent stewards or waiters, I know the salary of those are $50-100 per month and they DO depend on tips to get by. You also fail to realize that many people do remove tips, so those of you who claim they are "making a fortune" are totally misinformed. Even your precious John Heald has brought up the amount of passengers that remove tips on his page multiple times so NO, they arent making close to that $38k or whatever you claim you think you know.

 

Wonder if my clients analyze "my salary" down to the minutia to make sure that they aren't paying me more than "they" think reasonable.

 

Wonder if anyone actual knows how tips are divided amongst all the staff on a ship? I just know that my Approx. $12 tip per day is divided amongst the service staff, the wait staff, those who man the buffets. Do tips filter down to the kitchen staff, the cleaning staff and all the behind the scenes personnel that we don't actually have contact with. I, for sure, don't know.

 

Personally I'd like Carnival to get rid of all tips and just increase my fare by the "tip" amount and then I wouldn't give a hoot about who gets what and I wouldn't be at all concerned about who is doing what....but then we live in a tip happy society where some folks actually believe a tip is about service "above and beyond" when it is actually about paying a "livable" wage to many service employees.

 

Wonder how many of us would work as hard and for as many hours as a ship's staff does with just an occasional day off...I know that I wouldn't even consider it.

 

And, again, for me the bottom line is whether I am getting value for the money I spend for and while on a cruise. If I thought, for one second, that I was getting "screwed" I'd quickly find another vacation.

 

THANK YOU. This is exactly why I said they should include grats in the flippin fare.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Savlamara

[Cricket551]

I'm very curious about this point. We have heard multiple reports of stewards saying they have more cabins to service. Yet, I have a hard time believing that stewards are making more money than ever before. I have to wonder whether an increasing number of guests are removing or cutting their tips. On our last cruise, DH insists that our head steward had a list of guest names showing who prepaid tips and ours was one of the only cabins that had. I overheard a surprising number of people talking about removing their tips and others asking what the charge was on their bill. :eek: I would not be surprised if, as Carnival continues to attract newbie cruisers, they're running into a tip problem. I would much rather Carnival make it harder to remove tips than reduce services.

 

I know this was not your total point, but we never prepay tips. They come out of our sign n sail card on the second or third day. IDK why we never prepay just never think about it! But we do always have money on our ship card that is for that purpose only!:)

[quickrate]

They are not doing half the work if they have more cabins and area to cover in the SAME amount of time. How hard is that to figure out? Plus every single crewmember on board has MULTIPLE jobs. So the stewards do have other things they are assigned to do elsewhere on board.

 

I feel sorry for the cabin stewards for having to be the messenger in this bulls#!t specifically for people with this type of mentality. I wonder who, if any, in this entire thread has ever cleaned 24 of ANYTHING much less rooms in one day. Probably none, myself included. I've been walking down the halls and seen some REALLY jacked up rooms, so every is not clean. We already know they all work 12-16 hours per day and have little rest/time off. It was not their decision to cut staff/service to once a day, it was Carnival's! People really need to stop shooting the messenger for cripes sake! :mad:

I don't believe stewards have other jobs on the ship other than doing rooms. They do work hard as all the staff do, they do work 12-16 hours a day, when they signed their contract, they knew this. We are very generous with our room stewards, have never had any of them tell us we couldn't have service twice a day, The policy is strictly corporate, I get this, but why are the passengers suppose to be the ones who are paying the same amount of gratuity and get less service?!

Pat

[pusywillow]

I have nothing against JH but its obvious he gets paid (very well) by Carnival to "appease the masses." He gets to travel all over for free, he gets waited on hand and foot by the crew and he gets paid to feed corny jokes and drivel to us on the web. I will say I do get a chuckle from him here and there, but recently when he said tipping the crew wasnt necessary and its part of the service Carnival provides, he totally lost my vote! That told me he is a puppet. Its bad enough the crew gets signed into binding contracts working extreme hours at low pay and for him to say in a public forum not to tip... Forget him! :mad:

 

What I read was "You should not tip your steward on the First day", like some people do. You do it on the last day.

 

I agree with your opinions on this thread, but I don't believe you read John's quote correctly.

 

Sue