Do You Really Need Daily Steward Service?

[April42749]

I like nice things, but I'm always looking for the best deal. I'd never get the Haven because I really don't want someone bringing me snacks and walking me to the theatre. I also like the buffet and meeting "regular people" all over the ship.

 

With that being said, I do like "room in the cabin" (we had a really small cabin on our last BA cruise, and I we are not large people).

 

So, I was going over the "monthly excess income" and I was telling DH, in a joking manner, maybe next cruise we should get the butler! (Note: We are retired and monthly excess income is always enough to book the Haven)

 

We got into a discussion, and I told him, I really don't even care about "daily steward service". I'm neat. I'm clean. I can toss the blanket on the bed all by myself. If they offered me a bottle of wine and reduced their cleaning to once a week per cruise I'd go for it.

 

Anyone else? (I'm expecting the flames.)

[ColeThornton]

Just put up your Do Not Disturb sign. Simple.

 

I want my cabin cleaned though. I like fresh towels and clean toilets/showers.

[cruise4kicks]

Daily cleaning is the most important reason they are able to get new passengers onboard so quickly on turnaround day. It's not just about you; it's also about keeping cabins in good shape.

[LrgPizza]

Quite often when staying in a hotel I won't have daily service. Every other day is fine. On our cruises though, with 3 of us in the cabin, we do need someone to come in and get rid of the towel pile, make up the bed, and put the couch back together simply to maintain space. Could we do it ourselves? Sure, but we don't have to.

[ray98]

Ehhh....no. I like fresh towels, ice and a freshly made bed. It is an integral part of what is a service based experience.

[njkate]

Yes, especially a port intensive cruise where we are up and out early and busy all day.

I want to come back to a freshened up cabin with bed made and fresh towels.

 

If I wanted to do it all myself I'd go camping

[Tapi]

Do I need it? No. But I do work hard all year long, save, and look forward to that one vacation time when I can pay to be pampered, which includes having daily steward service.

 

To me, that’s what vacation is about: to break from the daily routine, relax, and have someone else do for me what I normally do myself at home. [emoji3]

 

 

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[buddylover]

Daily steward service is an integral part of what makes a 'vacation' a 'vacation' to us! Not having to clean bathroom/shower, vacuum, change sheets etc is part of 'cruise fare' and a luxury that to us is part of being on 'vacation' and a change from the rigors at home of daily life!!

[bruadhin]

There are lots of things I don't need, but I sure do enjoy. As long as it is offered, I will continue to enjoy daily service. When I started cruising it was twice a day, it has been a couple of years, is it still twice a day? Once to clean and a second visit to refresh?

 

Ultimately it is about what you enjoy, so put out the do not disturb sign if you'd rather they not clean your cabin daily. I do agree with a previous poster, daily service definitely helps with turn around. It allows the staff to stay on top of things and thus turn over the ship faster on embarkation day.

 

If this becomes popular, will the cruise lines do like Disney does at WDW and require daily inspections of rooms, regardless of the DND sign?

[BostonGal35]

you can refuse the service every day, but it wont get out of you paying the daily service charge if that's what you are getting at. i honestly just find this very odd. the only place we refuse maid service is on the rare occasion we stay at mom and pop hotels. all major chains and cruises we use it.

 

weve never been escorted to the theater nor do we need it. that's not what the butler or concierge does (although the concierge will reserve a block of seats for all suite guests). i suggest you really look into what the suite life really entails as its pretty awesome.

[AKR2011]

I understand where the OP is coming from. I do like getting the two daily cleanings - bed made, towel animals at night, bathroom tidied, etc. However, I would not know what to do with a butler. That being said, I do wish I could get a larger room. I would happily have an inside if it just had a tad bit more space. We randomly ended up with a handicapped room on the Sun a few years ago, and that was the best size. I would never take that away from someone who needed it - this instance was just pure luck - but that size would be incredible!

[CruiseGal999]

I like nice things, but I'm always looking for the best deal. I'd never get the Haven because I really don't want someone bringing me snacks and walking me to the theatre. I also like the buffet and meeting "regular people" all over the ship.

 

With that being said, I do like "room in the cabin" (we had a really small cabin on our last BA cruise, and I we are not large people).

 

So, I was going over the "monthly excess income" and I was telling DH, in a joking manner, maybe next cruise we should get the butler! (Note: We are retired and monthly excess income is always enough to book the Haven)

 

We got into a discussion, and I told him, I really don't even care about "daily steward service". I'm neat. I'm clean. I can toss the blanket on the bed all by myself. If they offered me a bottle of wine and reduced their cleaning to once a week per cruise I'd go for it.

 

Anyone else? (I'm expecting the flames.)

 

I do want daily service. I travel solo, and my cabin is probably one of the easiest to clean. Like you ... I'm neat & clean. My towels are on the floor of the bathroom to be changed out. I do like the bathroom cleaned/wiped down daily. I 'straighten' my bed each morning. I don't 'make it' new, tucked and tight. I guess the steward will if he feels it's necessary. There is minimal trash to be emptied ... but I like that it is emptied every day.

 

I don't need turn down service or a second 'cleaning'. Once a day in the cabin would be fine with me.

[Jenjohncourt]

Yes. I like my room cleaned twice a day. I especially love turndown service.

 

 

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[Bonobochick]

I don't do daily service. I generally travel solo and tend not to unpack a lot of my stuff. When we're At Sea, I use that time catching up on reading or movies/shows or extra sleep when I'm not out of my cabin doing an activity or eating.

I take advantage of daily service when in port cause I like coming back to a freshly made room and clean towels but generally for At Sea days, I skip it except the last At Sea day. Different strokes, though. :) I traveled once with a friend who was all about daily steward service.

[Doug R.]

To the OP: With all due respect and in the spirit of kindness, please do not give the NCL suits any bright ideas. Thank you.

[Vyhanek]

No one escorts Haven guests to the theatre.

 

I guess if you want to pick away.......I'd probably be happy with just 2 meals a day. I don't need breakfast cooked. But I'm not going to fantasize that I should get a discount.

 

I hate the buffet. I've been to college and had all the buffet food I'll ever want! But I'm not going around advocating for a discount because I think buffets are disgusting and never use.

 

I love my room cleaned twice a day. Like you I'm a neat nick. But I also really like clean towels, I like my bed turned down, I like the twice daily attention and NCL daily on my pillow every night.

 

I think you'd love the Haven. I've never once needed the Butler in the Haven. I don't want to eat in my room. I've worked in corporate america and lived in hotels for a long time eating room service food. The haven dining room trumps any sort of food carted in, an ocean view in the Haven resteraunt with attentive servers beats a plate delivered to the room. You don't like the butler, there is no requirement to tip the butler.

[dexddd]

I understand where the OP is coming from. I do like getting the two daily cleanings - bed made, towel animals at night, bathroom tidied, etc. However, I would not know what to do with a butler. That being said, I do wish I could get a larger room. I would happily have an inside if it just had a tad bit more space. We randomly ended up with a handicapped room on the Sun a few years ago, and that was the best size. I would never take that away from someone who needed it - this instance was just pure luck - but that size would be incredible!

 

Maybe look at MSC and their new ships. Some of those have rooms that are larger than YC rooms yet there is no butler service.

[mking8288]

Hmmm, in exchange for a bottle of house wine with a retail price tag of $10 or something else, no thanks. During school breaks and for staterooms with family/children, a "disaster declaration" - for some of the rooms we've walked by - might be warranted after 3 or 4 days ...

There are differences, as many already pointed out, between basic "Steward Services" and the upscale level of services in Haven & Suites ... not sure if I understood OP's point. Rotate the dial for DND or flip the LED switch should suffice and I'm sure the RS will be thankful in skipping a stateroom or two on her/his daily routines. Or, just say hello to the RS and give him an extra 15 minutes of her/his time back, it's a good way of saying "thank you" if your specific cabin is neat & clean.

 

What about clean towels, washing the toilet bowls, emptying garbage, water glasses & dirty room service meal plates (now, that there are written "instructions" to leave them in the cabin & not leave them outside in the hallway to be "tripped" over, or called for a pickup) and refilling ice buckets - it's not "Camp NCL" afterall in DIY and I think believe for a moment that NCL will issue an OBC for someone to opt out of or decline daily services.

 

Also, we like to get our complimentary laundry services done mid-week and I do not feel like walking up & down the corridor to hunt her/him down and hand over the "loaded" paperbag filled with dirty clothes to be washed & folded Yes, I much rather see the RS come into the cabin, even if it's a quick stop & be done in 3 to 5 minutes.

 

No, let's not even give cruiselines any funky ideas or else, someone will re-invent economy cruises, triple bunking and DIY mess hall, resort fees & luggage fees, etc. - pricing trends are heading up, no matter what, with all the gimmick.

[Tapi]

No, let's not even give cruiselines any funky ideas or else, someone will re-invent economy cruises, triple bunking and DIY mess hall, resort fees & luggage fees, etc. - pricing trends are heading up, no matter what, with all the gimmick.

 

 

EasyCruise tried a no frills approach a few years back, where nothing was included, not even the food or basic steward services. If you wanted anything, even clean towels, you paid extra. No organized activities, and the night time entertainment consisted of sitting by the bar. The ship sailed short distances between ports for a few hours a day and spent most of its time in port. Long story short, the concept was too bare bones for most cruisers, and the cruise line quickly died after a few seasons, hopefully killing any possibility of that concept catching on with other cruise lines.

 

Based on that, I’m hopeful that the major cruise lines will never strip their product that severely, and that what we have now is as bare as it will ever get...!

 

 

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[OCruisers]

Yes, for sure we need twice daily Cabin Steward Service!

[CruisingSince1982]

I like nice things, but I'm always looking for the best deal. I'd never get the Haven because I really don't want someone bringing me snacks and walking me to the theatre. I also like the buffet and meeting "regular people" all over the ship.

 

With that being said, I do like "room in the cabin" (we had a really small cabin on our last BA cruise, and I we are not large people).

 

So, I was going over the "monthly excess income" and I was telling DH, in a joking manner, maybe next cruise we should get the butler! (Note: We are retired and monthly excess income is always enough to book the Haven)

 

We got into a discussion, and I told him, I really don't even care about "daily steward service". I'm neat. I'm clean. I can toss the blanket on the bed all by myself. If they offered me a bottle of wine and reduced their cleaning to once a week per cruise I'd go for it.

 

Anyone else? (I'm expecting the flames.)

 

Steward service is twice daily. We want and expect it. :D

[Freckle53]

We will need it on our upcoming cruise next year. We will have 4 in an OV room. We will need fresh towels. No, we don't use fresh towels daily at home, but we have more than 130 sq feet to hang them to dry out at home and we don't live in a tropical climate. We will need the pullman bed put away during the day too. I don't care much about the bed being made, but that is nice. And being that the garbage cans are tiny, it is nice that they are emptied daily. I don't know what the butlers do in suites/Haven. Personally, I feel bad enough getting in the way of the stewards and would hate having someone else "assigned" to me to wait on me.

 

Carnival is pushing the 1x daily only on many ships/sailings. In theory 1x is plenty for most, but instead of reducing gratuities they add more cabins on the workload of the stewards which makes me doubt the stewards get all that allocated gratuity.

[sanger727]

We leave our do not disturb up most of the time and let the housekeeping in every other day to clean. We are fine with no frills, but the trash cans in the room are too small to go much longer than that. Plus, we bring snacks and drinks back to the room and need the plates removed every day or two.

 

I really don’t see what you are suggesting ever being offered. The room steward checking your room is for more than cleaning. They are also the eyes and ears for the cruise line so they can intervene if items are being damaged.

 

 

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[mike123abc]

If you observe what the cabin stewards do, they do different cleaning every day on a schedule. Yes wipe down bathroom, make bed, new towels every day, but other things they do on a schedule. If you do not let them do their cleaning every day it disrupts their schedule and they have to do make up cleaning on your room when they have the opportunity.

[PTC DAWG]

Need, nah...do I like it? Yes...I tip the stewards, and I have never had an empty ice bucket.....