NCL Towel Animals Update

[lanceholt]

You can get a free paper at the Marriott front desk, true at Hilton and Hampton Inn as well.  

 

[bkrickles1]

11 hours ago, jackie101 said:

we just off the Dawn, no towel animal and no nighttime turn down service. Never met our cabin Steward, just awful

That is awful and, quite frankly, unacceptable.

I have never even heard of that happening to anyone.

I always have a couple of minor requests (extra towels, empty mini fridge, etc) of my cabin steward on boarding day so I would have sought him/her out. And, if I hadn't gotten turn down service the first night, I would have gone and let someone know about it. As someone else mentioned, it's during turn down service that you receive your freestyle daily paper so it's hard to believe that the whole turn down service was blown off by a cabin steward.

My experience with cabin stewards has been good to excellent on all of our cruises. As I said, I start with a couple of minor requests that first day and tip $20. After that I typically get the service I desire.

With regards to towel animals, my daughter (who's now 19) always loved them and my wife liked them too. I don't think any of us would care much if they stopped doing them now but we would definitely notice and be disappointed that the cruise line was cutting back on the niceties that distinguished cruises from other vacations.

[spanishguy1970]

13 hours ago, jackie101 said:

we just off the Dawn, no towel animal and no nighttime turn down service. Never met our cabin Steward, just awful

I do have a question, did you seek out your cabin steward? We make it a habit that on the first day we try to find out who our cabin steward is, learn his or her name and take it from there, if we have a complaint we tell him if not we go to the housekeeping manager. I hope you addressed before disembarking.

Edited April 23, 2019 by spanishguy1970

[Greenpea2]

Yes, I agree it's strange and wrong if you never saw your steward or got turn-down. I have never ever heard of that. That would mean you never got the Dailies, which seems even stranger. Although I sympathize with it being upsetting, I don't understand why, after the first night of no turndown or dailies you did not go to customer service and ask that it be done. I would not go the whole cruise feeling pissed about it and certainly would not allow no dailies being delivered. So I too question if you went to ask about it and if not, why not? Can you clarify that for us?

[jackie101]

2 hours ago, bkrickles1 said:

That is awful and, quite frankly, unacceptable.

I have never even heard of that happening to anyone.

I always have a couple of minor requests (extra towels, empty mini fridge, etc) of my cabin steward on boarding day so I would have sought him/her out. And, if I hadn't gotten turn down service the first night, I would have gone and let someone know about it. As someone else mentioned, it's during turn down service that you receive your freestyle daily paper so it's hard to believe that the whole turn down service was blown off by a cabin steward.

My experience with cabin stewards has been good to excellent on all of our cruises. As I said, I start with a couple of minor requests that first day and tip $20. After that I typically get the service I desire.

With regards to towel animals, my daughter (who's now 19) always loved them and my wife liked them too. I don't think any of us would care much if they stopped doing them now but we would definitely notice and be disappointed that the cruise line was cutting back on the niceties that distinguished cruises from other vacations.

agree, we looked for our cabin steward the day we arrived never saw them. First night left daily paper never made sons 3rd bed. Had to call around 11 to get bedding. Next am again tried to find them. Think I located her, she just looked at me when I asked if she was our cabin steward - never introduced herself. I said I  have 3 in this cabin and needed a bed made. After we came back to get ready for dinner, dailys were there for next day. As we were getting ready for dinner around 6 she knocked and asked if we needed towels. We said no assuming she would be back...nope.

this continued. I saw her again the next morning and asked to replenish my coffee. which she cleaned or replenished. Again at dinner knocked, asked if we needed towels , I said can you leave later with turn down service. We got turndown service that night and she left daily for last 2 days. On our last night again sons bed not made and wet pool towels left on floor. again did not clean coffee pot 

[jackie101]

1 hour ago, Greenpea2 said:

Yes, I agree it's strange and wrong if you never saw your steward or got turn-down. I have never ever heard of that. That would mean you never got the Dailies, which seems even stranger. Although I sympathize with it being upsetting, I don't understand why, after the first night of no turndown or dailies you did not go to customer service and ask that it be done. I would not go the whole cruise feeling pissed about it and certainly would not allow no dailies being delivered. So I too question if you went to ask about it and if not, why not? Can you clarify that for us?

This was our 6th cruise we never had to chase down a cabin steward and we didn't feel like standing in a line. It was a short 4 night cruise. I did send NCL an email. 

 we looked for our cabin steward the day we arrived never saw them. First night left daily paper never made sons 3rd bed. Had to call around 11 to get bedding. Next am again tried to find them. Think I located her, she just looked at me when I asked if she was our cabin steward - never introduced herself. I said I  have 3 in this cabin and needed a bed made. After we came back to get ready for dinner, dailys were there for next day. As we were getting ready for dinner around 6 she knocked and asked if we needed towels. We said no assuming she would be back...nope.

this continued. I saw her again the next morning and asked to replenish my coffee. which she cleaned or replenished. Again at dinner knocked, asked if we needed towels , I said can you leave later with turn down service. We got turndown service that night and she left daily for last 2 days. On our last night again sons bed not made and wet pool towels left on floor. again did not clean coffee pot 

[Greenpea2]

9 minutes ago, jackie101 said:

This was our 6th cruise we never had to chase down a cabin steward and we didn't feel like standing in a line. It was a short 4 night cruise. I did send NCL an email. 

 we looked for our cabin steward the day we arrived never saw them. First night left daily paper never made sons 3rd bed. Had to call around 11 to get bedding. Next am again tried to find them. Think I located her, she just looked at me when I asked if she was our cabin steward - never introduced herself. I said I  have 3 in this cabin and needed a bed made. After we came back to get ready for dinner, dailys were there for next day. As we were getting ready for dinner around 6 she knocked and asked if we needed towels. We said no assuming she would be back...nope.

this continued. I saw her again the next morning and asked to replenish my coffee. which she cleaned or replenished. Again at dinner knocked, asked if we needed towels , I said can you leave later with turn down service. We got turndown service that night and she left daily for last 2 days. On our last night again sons bed not made and wet pool towels left on floor. again did not clean coffee pot 

Thank you for the details. That really is terrible! I'm sorry you had to deal with that. It's good that you sent a note. That steward clearly needs re-training!

 

[spanishguy1970]

1 hour ago, jackie101 said:

This was our 6th cruise we never had to chase down a cabin steward and we didn't feel like standing in a line. It was a short 4 night cruise. I did send NCL an email. 

 we looked for our cabin steward the day we arrived never saw them. First night left daily paper never made sons 3rd bed. Had to call around 11 to get bedding. Next am again tried to find them. Think I located her, she just looked at me when I asked if she was our cabin steward - never introduced herself. I said I  have 3 in this cabin and needed a bed made. After we came back to get ready for dinner, dailys were there for next day. As we were getting ready for dinner around 6 she knocked and asked if we needed towels. We said no assuming she would be back...nope.

this continued. I saw her again the next morning and asked to replenish my coffee. which she cleaned or replenished. Again at dinner knocked, asked if we needed towels , I said can you leave later with turn down service. We got turndown service that night and she left daily for last 2 days. On our last night again sons bed not made and wet pool towels left on floor. again did not clean coffee pot 

wow just wow, i agree that steward needs to be retrained.

[Greenpea2]

I have been on 1 and 2 day cruises where you don’t see a steward. Figured that is par for the course. But a 4 day cruise and no  steward? Not acceptable. 

[spanishguy1970]

1 hour ago, Greenpea2 said:

Thank you for the details. That really is terrible! I'm sorry you had to deal with that. It's good that you sent a note. That steward clearly needs re-training!

 

on one of our 28 days cruises on the Jewel the first steward we had was a godsend, he was quick in cleaning our room, handling whatever request we had. our stateroom would be ready by 10 am. We are early risers. He knew we like to spend time in our stateroom around noon to read etc. Unfortunately he had to leave on the second half of the cruise, he was going home. The second was a stewardess, she could hardly speak english, every single day we would come to our stateroom around noon and it was not ready and there were days that it was not ready until about 4pm. She would not change the towels, sometimes i fixed our bed, we were told she was new so we were understanding until we could not be anymore. To us it did not make any sense to wait that long to use our cabin. We spoke with management and only then was she able to finish cleaning our room and doing everything in a timely manner. The rest of our cruises we have had great stewards.

Edited April 23, 2019 by spanishguy1970

[Bootman4U]

Given what people PAY for any cruise, cruising for ANY 24-hour period and not seeing the person you are supposedly tipping to clean your cabin is not only "not acceptable" it is, IMO ridiculous that anybody would think this is "the usual."
 

[Oakman58]

20 minutes ago, Bootman4U said:

Given what people PAY for any cruise, cruising for ANY 24-hour period and not seeing the person you are supposedly tipping to clean your cabin is not only "not acceptable" it is, IMO ridiculous that anybody would think this is "the usual."
 

 

I completely agree.

[Greenpea2]

Well, for a 1-night cruise  you are on board less than 24 hours. Nothing needed for that. For a 2-night cruise you get the daily and your bed made the only full day you are on board. I personally don’t need or want anything unless it’s 3 days or more. 

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, Greenpea2 said:

Well, for a 1-night cruise  you are on board less than 24 hours. Nothing needed for that. For a 2-night cruise you get the daily and your bed made the only full day you are on board. I personally don’t need or want anything unless it’s 3 days or more. 

Of course there are no more one night cruises and few if any two night cruises since "cruises to nowhere" were discontinued some years ago due to a DHS ruling that most crew did not hold the proper visas to work on ships that did not visit a foreign port.

[Greenpea2]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

Of course there are no more one night cruises and few if any two night cruises since "cruises to nowhere" were discontinued some years ago due to a DHS ruling that most crew did not hold the proper visas to work on ships that did not visit a foreign port.

 

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

Of course there are no more one night cruises and few if any two night cruises since "cruises to nowhere" were discontinued some years ago due to a DHS ruling that most crew did not hold the proper visas to work on ships that did not visit a foreign port.

Yup. Aware of that. I was commenting on the idea of any 24 hours worth of cruise there should be an active steward. Miss those weekend cruises out of NY! No more for a few years now, sadly. 

[newmexicoNita]

23 hours ago, lanceholt said:

You can get a free paper at the Marriott front desk, true at Hilton and Hampton Inn as well.  

 

that is true, but they used to actually hang them on the guest room door knob, so the paper was there when you woke up the next morning. Not a big deal but just one more thing that is being cut back on. 

[Barb Nahoumi]

On 4/15/2019 at 7:05 AM, newmexicoNita said:

How do towel animals, a little piece of chocolate or whatever make one feel special when everyone on the ships gets the same thing I feel special when someone does something for me, but not for 3000 other people. 

Because no one makes towel  animals or puts chocolate on our pillow at home, or in most hotels we stay in.  So when it's done on a cruise ship, that's a special treat.

 

They should bring back the little boxes of Godiva Chocolates for Platinum guests as well.   Just saying.

 

 

[Barb Nahoumi]

22 hours ago, jackie101 said:

This was our 6th cruise we never had to chase down a cabin steward and we didn't feel like standing in a line. It was a short 4 night cruise. I did send NCL an email. 

 we looked for our cabin steward the day we arrived never saw them. First night left daily paper never made sons 3rd bed. Had to call around 11 to get bedding. Next am again tried to find them. Think I located her, she just looked at me when I asked if she was our cabin steward - never introduced herself. I said I  have 3 in this cabin and needed a bed made. After we came back to get ready for dinner, dailys were there for next day. As we were getting ready for dinner around 6 she knocked and asked if we needed towels. We said no assuming she would be back...nope.

this continued. I saw her again the next morning and asked to replenish my coffee. which she cleaned or replenished. Again at dinner knocked, asked if we needed towels , I said can you leave later with turn down service. We got turndown service that night and she left daily for last 2 days. On our last night again sons bed not made and wet pool towels left on floor. again did not clean coffee pot 

An  option would be to speak to the hotel director, while you were still on the ship.  He would have been able to correct the matter .

[newmexicoNita]

1 hour ago, Barb Nahoumi said:

An  option would be to speak to the hotel director, while you were still on the ship.  He would have been able to correct the matter .

Always the best way to address  a problem is to speak to the hotel manager. After the fact, after the cruise is over or whatever it is really too late. 

Barb, as for the little box of chocolates, I agree that would be a great touch to bring them back. As plat plus we do deserve a little more attention than the average cruiser. I do not expect to be babied or ask for a lot but little things can mean a lot. 

[havenfan]

We were on the Pearl last week.  Our room steward had not heard about the new "no towel animal" or "towel animals optional" policy, so it hadn't rolled out to that ship yet.  We had animals every night except embarkation day (which was why I asked about the policy).  The steward reused towels from the previous night's animals whenever possible; we know because my 6 year old waited for him every evening to see how he made them.

[Pwrmaster7]

Just got off the epic this past saturday. Had a towel animal and turn down every night. He was fantastic. 

[drvmywifecrzy]

I keep seeing trip reports with photos of them

[Greenpea2]

1 hour ago, drvmywifecrzy said:

I keep seeing trip reports with photos of them

Yes, some ships are still doing it and if someone asks for them any ship will do them. As of now at least.

 

[Mid43]

Off the Jade last week; towel anaimal every night without asking for it. Very nice, and some very creative ones too! Thanks Rendra!

[hladygirl]

Just off the gem today. No towel animals.