One Cabin Steward & No Turndown-Changes Coming!

[DYKWIA]

Don't think I could care less if I don't get evening turndown service. It's been gone from many hotels for years.

 

Every hotel I stay in that's serious about offering a luxury / modern luxury product offers evening Turndown service. It's a basic a service one expects from a luxury hotel as someone to bring your baggage to your room or call you a taxi.

 

Someone mentioned that this is possibly part of Celbrity offering a more personalised service in the future. This sounds like industry speak for - "we intend to strip out all the freebies and make you pay for everything you want"

[jagoffee]

We are on the Reflection now and this change has already been brought in. Our steward is still replacing towels at night, closing the curtains and straightening the beds as well as turning down the covers ( and placing the chocolates and info sheets on them).

It has just meant it may happen a bit earlier as he us trying to work round our meal times and checked with us at the beginning if we had a set time.

To be honest it has meant we have seen a lot more of our steward as he us keeping a close eye on the cabins so that he knows when it is ok to go into the rooms.

No complaints from us.

 

Everyone might want to read this carefully.

 

I know we are a Cruise Critic forum, but a lot of negative (at times insulting to Celebrity) comments based on a comment made to someone. Of course the title of this thread doesn't help. Some of the threats and comments are absured IMO.

 

Personally I never really understood why Celebrity had an assistant who from what I could see "cleaned the bathroom" and other tasks. As bremenkat has stated Celebrity has already eliminated have two people servicing one cabin on the Reflection and in their case it did not impact the service.

I would think the assistants will be "promoted" and should be pleased. I just hope the gratuity distribution does not negatively affect their compensation. Will people be inclined to tip less because there is now only one person doing the same work of the previous two? I would imagine a lot of people would be hesitant to "double up" for one person at least on the extra gratuity. Personalized service is a good idea. As an example my wife and I do not want our curtains closed. The first thing we do when arriving back in our cabin at night is to open the curtains, so we just ask the staff to not close the curtains. Sometimes it takes a few days.

 

i guess this is a good example of a "resistance to change", but in this case even before there there is an understanding of the change and any impact. Based on two posters all that is know is that the work load is being redistributed which I think is an excellent idea for us the customer. Maybe not for the Cabin Steward who have the assistant who did some of the jobs in the cabin which I assume were the less disireable tasks. One some cruises I have seen the assistant more than the Cabin Steward and the assistant seemed to do the bulk of the actual work. But this was not always the same.

[bremenkat]

If true, it doesn't make any sense. What about the possibility of a third or fourth person in a cabin? If there isn't turn down service, do we need to make up the couch bed or pull the ceiling bed down ourselves? It wouldn't surprise me if they do remove nightly turndown as they consistently cut back. The ceo only cares about profits, and as long as the ships are going out full there isn't a need to give more. "Modern luxury" is just an ambiguous marketing term purposefully picked to mean absolutely nothing.

 

As I mentioned the changes have already been implemented on our cruise. We have 3 in our cabin and the couch bed stays with the sheets on all day. They are moving the cushions and pillows in the evening. The only change we have noticed.

[LMKohler]

We have been testing out a new model for stateroom service on three ships, where the sections for the Stateroom Attendants are now much smaller. Stateroom attendants now have fewer staterooms to service and can engage in enhanced personal service to their guests. With the new model, 90% of Assistant Stateroom Attendants have been promoted to the Stateroom Attendant position, the remainder will follow with training. We are not losing any crew with this change. We have also updated uniforms and cleaning trollies for a more modern and efficient style. Luggage operation will also be faster, and more structured as the Stateroom attendants have fewer bags to move.

 

 

 

We have NOT discontinued evening turn down service. We will be rolling out this new model fleet wide through the fall.

 

 

 

We believe this change will offer our guests more personalized care during their vacation and our crew now has more opportunity for advancement, as Attendants instead of Assistants.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forumsand there you have your answer

Edited August 24, 2016 by LMKohler

[LMKohler]

And there you have your answer [emoji106]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[jelayne]

We are on the Reflection now and this change has already been brought in. Our steward is still replacing towels at night, closing the curtains and straightening the beds as well as turning down the covers ( and placing the chocolates and info sheets on them).

It has just meant it may happen a bit earlier as he us trying to work round our meal times and checked with us at the beginning if we had a set time.

To be honest it has meant we have seen a lot more of our steward as he us keeping a close eye on the cabins so that he knows when it is ok to go into the rooms.

No complaints from us.

 

Thanks for updating us on how it is working on the Reflection. Sounds like the evening service hasn't changed. We will be on the Reflection TA so from your report it sounds like no big deal.

[excitedofharpenden]

And there you have your answer [emoji106]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Good news. Thank you Celebrity Cruises for confirming no changes to turn down service!

Edited August 24, 2016 by excitedofharpenden

[El Crucero]

I know we are a Cruise Critic forum, but a lot of negative (at times insulting to Celebrity) comments based on a comment made to someone. Of course the title of this thread doesn't help. Some of the threats and comments are absured IMO.

 

LIKE

 

We have been testing out a new model for stateroom service on three ships, where the sections for the Stateroom Attendants are now much smaller. Stateroom attendants now have fewer staterooms to service and can engage in enhanced personal service to their guests. With the new model, 90% of Assistant Stateroom Attendants have been promoted to the Stateroom Attendant position, the remainder will follow with training. We are not losing any crew with this change. We have also updated uniforms and cleaning trollies for a more modern and efficient style. Luggage operation will also be faster, and more structured as the Stateroom attendants have fewer bags to move.

 

We have NOT discontinued evening turn down service. We will be rolling out this new model fleet wide through the fall.

 

We believe this change will offer our guests more personalized care during their vacation and our crew now has more opportunity for advancement, as Attendants instead of Assistants.

 

Thank you for the clarification Celebrity Cruises. I hope you will participate a bit more frequently in the future to quell the rumor mill.

[davekathy]

We are on the Reflection now and this change has already been brought in. Our steward is still replacing towels at night, closing the curtains and straightening the beds as well as turning down the covers ( and placing the chocolates and info sheets on them).

It has just meant it may happen a bit earlier as he us trying to work round our meal times and checked with us at the beginning if we had a set time.

To be honest it has meant we have seen a lot more of our steward as he us keeping a close eye on the cabins so that he knows when it is ok to go into the rooms.

No complaints from us.

 

Good to hear and it works for us. Because we always eat in the MDR early traditional and always have a pre-diner drink or two before we eat we are usually out of our cabin NLT 5:00PM. We have always advised our cabin attendant of our evening routine on our first day of the Cruise during our little meet and greet. Not sure how often after we vacate the cabin he/she/they show up but at least he/she/they know they have the green light to do their thing.

Edited August 24, 2016 by davekathy

[cot427]

Glad to hear they are not getting rid of evening turndown service! Hopefully the restructuring works for both crew and passengers.

[Gracie115]

Perhaps the hosts here will now shut down this thread as the hosts on the Facebook X page have also done to stop the rumor from escalating.....

[Bo1953]

We are on the Reflection now and this change has already been brought in. Our steward is still replacing towels at night, closing the curtains and straightening the beds as well as turning down the covers ( and placing the chocolates and info sheets on them).

It has just meant it may happen a bit earlier as he us trying to work round our meal times and checked with us at the beginning if we had a set time.

To be honest it has meant we have seen a lot more of our steward as he us keeping a close eye on the cabins so that he knows when it is ok to go into the rooms.

No complaints from us.

 

 

Thank you very much for ending the speculation and wild frenzied unhappiness on something which was rumor ....

 

bon voyage

[pbrady]

Really disappointing!! The biggest thing for us would be the bathroom clean-up while at dinner. We usually shower & the bathroom needs a refresh. Funny how this "luxury" cruise line keeps cutting the service. Agree, after 32 Celebrity cruises, it may be time to book something else. We could hardly wait to be Elite Plus, but once were were, there is no added benefit for us. With the drink package & unlimited internet when booking, big deal, an extra bag of laundry - really???

[Bo1953]

Everyone might want to read this carefully.

 

I know we are a Cruise Critic forum, but a lot of negative (at times insulting to Celebrity) comments based on a comment made to someone. Of course the title of this thread doesn't help. Some of the threats and comments are absured IMO.

 

Personally I never really understood why Celebrity had an assistant who from what I could see "cleaned the bathroom" and other tasks. As bremenkat has stated Celebrity has already eliminated have two people servicing one cabin on the Reflection and in their case it did not impact the service.

I would think the assistants will be "promoted" and should be pleased. I just hope the gratuity distribution does not negatively affect their compensation. Will people be inclined to tip less because there is now only one person doing the same work of the previous two? I would imagine a lot of people would be hesitant to "double up" for one person at least on the extra gratuity. Personalized service is a good idea. As an example my wife and I do not want our curtains closed. The first thing we do when arriving back in our cabin at night is to open the curtains, so we just ask the staff to not close the curtains. Sometimes it takes a few days.

 

i guess this is a good example of a "resistance to change", but in this case even before there there is an understanding of the change and any impact. Based on two posters all that is know is that the work load is being redistributed which I think is an excellent idea for us the customer. Maybe not for the Cabin Steward who have the assistant who did some of the jobs in the cabin which I assume were the less disireable tasks. One some cruises I have seen the assistant more than the Cabin Steward and the assistant seemed to do the bulk of the actual work. But this was not always the same.

 

A great piece of reason, which few of us are lost on. But no stopping rumor and insults and 'I Am cancelling all our next cruises' mentality.

 

Thank you for your thought and input on this....

 

bon voyage

[Peteymil]

The response to my Facebook inquiry:

 

 

 

We have been testing out a new model for stateroom service on three ships, where the sections for the Stateroom Attendants are now much smaller. Stateroom attendants now have fewer staterooms to service and can engage in enhanced personal service to their guests. With the new model, 90% of Assistant Stateroom Attendants have been promoted to the Stateroom Attendant position, the remainder will follow with training. We are not losing any crew with this change. We have also updated uniforms and cleaning trollies for a more modern and efficient style. Luggage operation will also be faster, and more structured as the Stateroom attendants have fewer bags to move.

 

We have NOT discontinued evening turn down service. We will be rolling out this new model fleet wide through the fall.

 

We believe this change will offer our guests more personalized care during their vacation and our crew now has more opportunity for advancement, as Attendants instead of Assistants.

[cachouonacruise]

We have been testing out a new model for stateroom service on three ships, where the sections for the Stateroom Attendants are now much smaller. Stateroom attendants now have fewer staterooms to service and can engage in enhanced personal service to their guests. With the new model, 90% of Assistant Stateroom Attendants have been promoted to the Stateroom Attendant position, the remainder will follow with training. We are not losing any crew with this change. We have also updated uniforms and cleaning trollies for a more modern and efficient style. Luggage operation will also be faster, and more structured as the Stateroom attendants have fewer bags to move.

 

 

 

We have NOT discontinued evening turn down service. We will be rolling out this new model fleet wide through the fall.

 

 

 

We believe this change will offer our guests more personalized care during their vacation and our crew now has more opportunity for advancement, as Attendants instead of Assistants.

 

 

 

Thank-you very much, Celebrity, for taking the time to confirm that evening turn down service is not discontinued! Good news indeed!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ORV]

I have never understood the logic of "I don't do this at home". Of course you don't...that is why it is called a vacation. I do not have waiters or sommeliers at home either, but I expect them on "floating hotels". .

 

Good post

[wwcruisers]

Thank-you very much, Celebrity, for taking the time to confirm that evening turn down service is not discontinued! Good news indeed!

 

 

Yes - it is good news! That was the one sticking point that I had with the reported changes. I really miss the turn-down service that we used to get in some of the better hotels. And yes, I'm perfectly capable of turning down my own bed covers, lol! ;) But, as others have pointed out, when you are transitioning from daytime to evening activities, the bathroom gets quite a work-out. Coming back from dinner to a cabin full of wet towels is not all that pleasant. While I do appreciate the towel animals and pillow chocolates, returning to neat and tidy room (with clean towels) is more important, in my book. :cool:

 

When we cruised with RC, we never had more that one cabin attendant -- even in a junior suite. Usually, the cabin stewards use a sort of 'buddy system' and help each other out. This becomes painfully apparent if you ever get a truly bad room steward. Usually, he/she is not working well with others, and gets no help from the other stewards. For the record, we only had that happen once (in all of our years sailing RC), but it was a disastrous experience. :eek:

[Mynki]

I'm glad it's just a rumour. I have always thought the stateroom attendants did a good job and would have been disappointed if true.

 

At least the thread highlights the value of using Facebook constructively. :)

[AdoraBelle]

So the question is ... Why did a steward TELL the OP they were ending turndown service?

 

This is the same thing that happened on Carnival. Crews on some of the ships started telling pax they could only have one service per day. Upper mgmt denied it was happening on social media. It kept happening. Last time I checked it was still happening, but I'm not sure if Carnival ever came out and admitted it.

[cle-guy]

So the question is ... Why did a steward TELL the OP they were ending turndown service?

 

This is the same thing that happened on Carnival. Crews on some of the ships started telling pax they could only have one service per day. Upper mgmt denied it was happening on social media. It kept happening. Last time I checked it was still happening, but I'm not sure if Carnival ever came out and admitted it.

 

This just proves out, often the WORST source of information comes from the ship side staff. It's often, piece-meal, misunderstood and exaggerated. So many of the threads on this forum are full of "I heard...." that turn out to be half truths or false in heir entirety.

 

A while back when gastro bar was coming, people reported "the captain told me that Gastro is replacing Bistro on 5" even after the official press release said otherwise.

 

Gossip is all it is and it turns into that game kids play in kindergarten where you whisper a written sentence into your neighbors ear and they it gets whispered around the circle verbally and the final person states what they heard and it often hardly resembles what was initially written down with the first person ion the circle.

[Andy]

So the question is ... Why did a steward TELL the OP they were ending turndown service?

 

 

Hi AdoraBelle,

 

We'll never know for certain. Perhaps he/she was unhappy about the change. Or, perhaps the steward was misinformed. If I had a dollar for every tidbit/rumor I've heard over the years, from someone onboard a cruise ship, that proved to be inaccurate ? I'd have enough $$$ to buy the ship :)

 

As far as I'm concerned, I'm very pleased that Celebrity shared their insights (Thank You Celebrity !), and I'm satisfied with their explanation.... as this probably wont affect guests much, if at all. We're sailing on Eclipse in Mid-November, and will be sure to report back, with my observations.

Edited August 24, 2016 by Host Andy

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We have over the years sailed several cruise lines and based on our overall experiences, have over the past year chosen to make X our preferred cruise line. We have 2 upcoming 15 day cruises between now and the end of the year. In addition, we have always promoted X as an up-market line with our friends and folks that we have met on other cruise lines. For one of our upcoming cruises we have even convinced one of our friends who have never cruised before to join us. Now, I feel a bit guilty given the changes X is contemplating, effectively taking X a few notches down. Personally, I believe (and this thread is clear evidence) of many of their loyal customers possibly ditching X as a result of this not so well thought through change. The loss of loyal customers and the increased cost of bringing them back to X (if at all this is possible) is likely to far exceed any benefits that X mgmt is hoping to reap from this move. Hopefully someone at the top will reconsider the brilliance of this decision.

 

DELETED after Celebrity Cruises clarification. Thanks Celebrity Cruise.

Edited August 24, 2016 by CHEZMARYLOU

[Jamara]

Glad that we have clarification. We are about to book and my DH said its getting too much. I have looked at Viking Ocean and we are very impressed. We've sailed a lot with X tried Hal, RC, MSC but think it's time to change. Even before this mis informed post we were looking elsewhere.

[ClaudiaB]

n/a

Edited August 24, 2016 by ClaudiaB