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What are things you can ask of room steward (NOT IN HAVEN)

allyfrizzle

By allyfrizzle,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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allyfrizzle

allyfrizzle

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Hello,

 

I'm gearing up to sail on the Breakaway this Sunday, September 29th. I've learned from the CC boards I can politely ask my steward for a couple vacay essentials, like an egg crate for my bed and a lounger for my angled balcony (requests left on notepaper and included a $10 bill).

What are other things you can request from your steward to make your room/stay more comfortable? I'm not trying to put mine through the ringer, I'm just genuinely curious of what other cruises have requested and received from their stewards. I am not interested in Haven butler experiences.

 

Thanks in advance!

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bkrickles1

bkrickles1

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You can request to have mini fridge emptied, if you have things you'd like to keep in your cabin.

I usually am able to get a couple of unopened beers back to the cabin and last sailing I ordered some bottled water for my girls.

And, of course, extra towels are a must.

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allyfrizzle

allyfrizzle

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4 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

Stewards are there to take care of your stateroom; you obviously know they're not your butler so, try to keep your requests to a minimum, such as bathrobes, and extra coffee pods along with other things suggested above.  

 

Enjoy your cruise. 

I'm very excited for this one. I've been cruising half my life and my last cruise in April was the first time I requested anything of my steward. Like I said, I'm just curious what others ask for.

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bonvoyagie

bonvoyagie

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I agree with the not leaving any money - tip at the end if services are delivered. Remember that the room steward is there to keep your room clean, make up and turn down the bed and re-stock the supplies. As far as coffee and ice go, they are usually pretty good about doing that anyway. Eggcrates for the bed are usually not a problem either. If you have a balcony that supports it, you may already have a lounger - if not it is worth an ask. Also do it in person and don't expect much on the first day as they are extremely busy with the total turnover of the ship. 

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Zippeedee

Zippeedee

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I need to sleep on the left side of the bed and it was much too close to the wall. I left a note and asked for the right side bedside table to be moved over to the left and the bed to be moved into that space.. It made for a usable sized table and gave me enough room to actually get in and out of bed.  I also ask for the fridge to be emptied and extra towels.

 

I tipped well but not until the last day. I used to tip when I first met my steward but on my last few cruises I have not even seen them in the first few days.

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noobcruiser

noobcruiser

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4 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

I wouldn’t leave money with a request note. It might strike someone as a bribe. I would also try to make any requests in person. (I know this isn’t always possible, given schedules.)

 

Tip at the end.

 

Enjoy your cruise. 

 

A "bribe" implies illegal dealings.  What is illegal about asking for a few things, then being generous about the tip?

 

That being said, I wouldn't leave cash until the request was fulfilled (why reward something that hasn't occurred yet?).

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allyfrizzle

allyfrizzle

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30 minutes ago, noobcruiser said:

 

A "bribe" implies illegal dealings.  What is illegal about asking for a few things, then being generous about the tip?

 

That being said, I wouldn't leave cash until the request was fulfilled (why reward something that hasn't occurred yet?).

 

I also thought the bribe comment was weird. Anyway, I left the money as an incentive to actually do it.

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sanger727

sanger727

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7 minutes ago, allyfrizzle said:

 

I also thought the bribe comment was weird. Anyway, I left the money as an incentive to actually do it.

 

Isn't giving someone money to incentivize them to do something (implying that they wouldn't do it otherwise) the definition of a bribe?  It is according to Merriam Webster:

 

bribe

verb

bribed; bribing

Definition of bribe (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to influence the judgment or conduct of (someone) with or as if with offers of money or favor : to induce or influence by or as if by bribery attempting to bribe a judgebribing a child with candy
 
 
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Isabella Benjamin

Isabella Benjamin

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48 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

 

Isn't giving someone money to incentivize them to do something (implying that they wouldn't do it otherwise) the definition of a bribe?  It is according to Merriam Webster:

 

bribe

verb

bribed; bribing

 

Definition of bribe (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to influence the judgment or conduct of (someone) with or as if with offers of money or favor : to induce or influence by or as if by bribery attempting to bribe a judgebribing a child with candy
 
 

The definition of the word Tip in Merriam Webster is: 

" a gift or a sum of money tendered for a service performed or anticipated : GRATUITY"
 

Some people like to give it after the service is performed, and some like to give it in anticipation.  

 

I don't judge either way and I don't think either is wrong. 

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newmexicoNita

newmexicoNita

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Think you have the answer to you question. Many people do not know they can request coffee makers if they are in cabins below balc class. Also you can request extra coffee, cream etc. You can even request a little earlier turn down service if you really are early night people.

 

As for leaving a few extra $s that is a personal things We usually wait until the end of the cruise to add our thank you with money, but some like to do it for special favors at the time. Sure call it a bride and it really is, but it certainly isn't going to hurt any of us. 

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erdoran

erdoran

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Given that cruising is a tipping culture and that the CC culture is “pay your DSC and tip above as warranted” the only downside I see about making a request and leaving $ with that request is that there will be a perception created of “pay to play” where if anything is asked, the steward will expect to be paid directly for doing that job.

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TenForward

TenForward

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On 9/27/2019 at 7:52 AM, LaCal said:

A fan, Ice bucket filled twice a day 

 

I can request a fan?  I never knew!  It's nearly impossible for me to sleep without one and I hate trying to find room in my suite case for mine.  I will definitely try this in...15 days... 😄 

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ColeThornton Holiday Sharing Rare

ColeThornton

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1 hour ago, erdoran said:

Given that cruising is a tipping culture and that the CC culture is “pay your DSC and tip above as warranted” the only downside I see about making a request and leaving $ with that request is that there will be a perception created of “pay to play” where if anything is asked, the steward will expect to be paid directly for doing that job.

 

 

You might be over thinking this a bit.  I would think that the people who tip in advance for whatever reason is a small minority.  Most people, if you go by years worth of posts on CC, either tip extra at the end of the cruise for what they consider "above and beyond" or don't tip extra at all because steward services are covered by the DSC.

Edited by ColeThornton
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