Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Go Green—reduced housekeeping services—is this new?

cruisestitch

By cruisestitch,
in Celebrity Cruises

 Share

Recommended Posts

zitsky

zitsky

Posted
Posted

For me it's not clean I'm worried about but dampness.  Some people say their towels dry, others say no way.  I don't see how towels dry with just the AC going and balcony doors closed.  Some people report towels replaced even when hanging up for reuse.  Defeats the purpose.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jg51

jg51

Posted
Posted (edited)
7 hours ago, Luv2Crus40 said:

For what we pay for the cruise, having clean towels every day doesn't seem much to ask for.

.

Wow!  Dear "Luv2Crus40," you have added yourself to the seemingly long list of people that did not carefully enough read what happens under "Go Green."

 

If you opt for the program, you WILL get "clean towels every day" -- in the morning -- provided that you drop the old ones on the floor.  Under "Go Green," it is only in the evening that you will not get replacement towels -- although you will get certain other essential services in the evening.

.

7 hours ago, zitsky said:

For me it's not clean I'm worried about but dampness.  Some people say their towels dry, others say no way.  I don't see how towels dry with just the AC going and balcony doors closed.  Some people report towels replaced even when hanging up for reuse.  Defeats the purpose.

.

Whenever we hear about dampness being a problem, we just scratch our heads, because our towels are never damp beyond noon (after early morning use) -- and never damp beyond midnight (after early evening use).  They always dry out "naturally" and quickly.

 

Maybe the problem that some people have is caused by their overloading the towels with water.  This can be remedied (as we know through personal experience) by -- if we may be permitted to coin a term, "hand-squeegeeing" our bodies for five or ten seconds before using a towel.  One can brush away a great deal of water, with one's hands, in just five to ten seconds, resulting in a towel not getting super-drenched.  Please give it a try. 

 

[Another possibility is that people with supersoaked towels are extremely obese, so they have twice as much water to soak up with a towel!  We don't have anything to say to those folks.]

 

We know that some are laughing, but that is only because hand-squeegeeing is new, different, and unfamiliar.  People laughed at countless good new ideas -- until they caught on -- which is why we will ignore the laughter and ridicule!

.

Edited by jg51
  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
zitsky

zitsky

Posted
Posted
44 minutes ago, jg51 said:

.

Wow!  Dear "Luv2Crus40," you have added yourself to the seemingly long list of people that did not carefully enough read what happens under "Go Green."

 

If you opt for the program, you WILL get "clean towels every day" -- in the morning -- provided that you drop the old ones on the floor.  Under "Go Green," it is only in the evening that you will not get replacement towels -- although you will get certain other essential services in the evening.

.

.

Whenever we hear about dampness being a problem, we just scratch our heads, because our towels are never damp beyond noon (after early morning use) -- and never damp beyond midnight (after early evening use).  They always dry out "naturally" and quickly.

 

Maybe the problem that some people have is caused by their overloading the towels with water.  This can be remedied (as we know through personal experience) by -- if we may be permitted to coin a term, "hand-squeegeeing" our bodies for five or ten seconds before using a towel.  One can brush away a great deal of water, with one's hands, in just five to ten seconds, resulting in a towel not getting super-drenched.  Please give it a try. 

 

[Another possibility is that people with supersoaked towels are extremely obese, so they have twice as much water to soak up with a towel!  We don't have anything to say to those folks.]

 

We know that some are laughing, but that is only because hand-squeegeeing is new, different, and unfamiliar.  People laughed at countless good new ideas -- until they caught on -- which is why we will ignore the laughter and ridicule!

.

 

Well we already wipe off the water (TMI).  Our towels still get wet.  We can debate for how long.  As others have said even when they sign up the dry? towels still get taken away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Auntiemomo

Auntiemomo

Posted
Posted

I tell my stateroom attendant upon embarkation that if a towel has been used, when he comes into the cabin to clean, I would like it replaced.  I refuse to throw my used towels on the floor -- it just doesn't seem right, as I don't do it at home.

 

This so called "green" and "saving the waves" is the biggest scam of the 21st century.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
grandgeezer

grandgeezer

Posted
Posted
31 minutes ago, Auntiemomo said:

I tell my stateroom attendant upon embarkation that if a towel has been used, when he comes into the cabin to clean, I would like it replaced.  I refuse to throw my used towels on the floor -- it just doesn't seem right, as I don't do it at home.

 

This so called "green" and "saving the waves" is the biggest scam of the 21st century.  

Not even close, the Always Included program on Celebrity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
gold1953

gold1953

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, jg51 said:

.

Wow!  Dear "Luv2Crus40," you have added yourself to the seemingly long list of people that did not carefully enough read what happens under "Go Green."

 

If you opt for the program, you WILL get "clean towels every day" -- in the morning -- provided that you drop the old ones on the floor.  Under "Go Green," it is only in the evening that you will not get replacement towels -- although you will get certain other essential services in the evening.

.

.

Whenever we hear about dampness being a problem, we just scratch our heads, because our towels are never damp beyond noon (after early morning use) -- and never damp beyond midnight (after early evening use).  They always dry out "naturally" and quickly.

 

Maybe the problem that some people have is caused by their overloading the towels with water.  This can be remedied (as we know through personal experience) by -- if we may be permitted to coin a term, "hand-squeegeeing" our bodies for five or ten seconds before using a towel.  One can brush away a great deal of water, with one's hands, in just five to ten seconds, resulting in a towel not getting super-drenched.  Please give it a try. 

 

[Another possibility is that people with supersoaked towels are extremely obese, so they have twice as much water to soak up with a towel!  We don't have anything to say to those folks.]

 

We know that some are laughing, but that is only because hand-squeegeeing is new, different, and unfamiliar.  People laughed at countless good new ideas -- until they caught on -- which is why we will ignore the laughter and ridicule!

.

good grief!!  you missed the #1 reason for my sopping wet towel.. long thick hair. I can't walk around with it dripping

Link to comment
Share on other sites
zitsky

zitsky

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, gold1953 said:

good grief!!  you missed the #1 reason for my sopping wet towel.. long thick hair. I can't walk around with it dripping

 

@jg51 maybe you have a list of reasons for NOT wanting the Green program?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jg51

jg51

Posted
Posted (edited)
18 hours ago, zitsky said:

@jg51 we are glad to see you back here.  Some of your posts disappeared and we thought you might have deleted them.  All perspectives are welcome here.

.

Thank you, "zitsky."  We have never deleted any of our messages.  There are, however, one or two haters [strike that ... "non-fans"] that persuaded a moderator to delete a couple of our messages, a few weeks ago.  Apparently, they didn't go along with your good philosophy that "All perspectives are welcome here"!

.

8 hours ago, gold1953 said:

good grief!!  you missed the #1 reason for my sopping wet towel.. long thick hair. I can't walk around with it dripping

.

Hello, "gold1953."

We didn't think of that, because our hair is short and thin, not "long" and "thick."  It seems as though you have a legitimate excuse!  From now on, you may continue to "Go NON-Green."  Please enjoy your next cruise.  😉

.

Edited by jg51
  • Like 1
  • Haha 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
LGW59

LGW59

Posted
Posted
24 minutes ago, Germancruiser said:

Oh how happy I am- my hair is short and thick and gets verrrrrrrrrrrry wet. So I am allowed, too! Thank god for small mercies.

Me too, “we” are both blessed with lovely very full thick head of hair no short and thin for us.  Gee shall “we” rethink our go green towel requests?  Inquiring minds must know.  Oh wait we already know…life is short kids, live it wide.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Germancruiser Great Review Rare

Germancruiser

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, LGW59 said:

Me too, “we” are both blessed with lovely very full thick head of hair no short and thin for us.  Gee shall “we” rethink our go green towel requests?  Inquiring minds must know.  Oh wait we already know…life is short kids, live it wide.

Yeah Let´s ... live it wide...!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
Lyria

Lyria

Posted
Posted

I found this topic fascinating. 

 

Perhaps it's because I'm in that market that seems to be discussed a lot - not quite a millennial, not quite a "gen Z." I depart on the 9/25 Apex cruise. I have a TA booked shortly after. I book the top level suites exclusively, and I'm not interested in booking anything else. Celebrity has done an exceptional job of marketing to me so far - I hadn't cruised prior to a couple of years ago, but I've booked several since then and have one booked in 2022; I had 2 cancelled in 2020. 

 

I immediately opted into this. 

 

I actually book my cruises exclusively for service - if it weren't for one of my travelling companions who is worried about sea sickness, I might explore some of the higher end lines. However, my definition of service isn't about behind the scenes operations, and it definitely isn't about what I didn't know was happening. I didn't know the room was being "fully cleaned" twice a day. I don't require turndown service even at landbased hotels, so the "freshening up" is fine for me on a cruise. 

 

I've stayed at several hotels since the beginning of 2020 started, and what people have mentioned in this thread are accurate - most hotels have gone to daily housekeeping "on request." For me, that has felt safer, generally - I'd rather have fewer people coming in and out of my space.

 

On a cruise ship, knowing their protocols for crew, that perhaps may be less of a specific concern. However, I have no need to make the housekeeping staff work an additional amount of time to do a full clean of my area 2x/day. When I want service, what I want is the bartenders, the wine staff (sommeliers and their assistants), the wait staff, the butlers, the concierge, etc. Those are the people I'm making affirmative requests of and the people I most need to take care of my requests with prompt attention.  

 

When those things happen, that's when I feel taken care of. I book the top suites to ensure that I get those benefits. Celebrity has - to date - done a tremendous job of ensuring that I get those benefits.

 

Celebrity is catering to my market, and it is working. But I also encourage more things like this that are opt in for those that aren't in my market/that don't share my preferences on vacations and cruising. I share this only because I think there hasn't been much of this particular demographic represented on the thread (while acknowledging the pro "Go-Green" or whatever marketing Celebrity is using has been plenty represented here). I don't love the idea of my housekeeping attendant servicing my room in a way that I don't noticing or pay attention to. I go for the service, I pay for the service, I tip for the service (and feel really good about the way I tip/why it's important to tip) - so when there's an option to still pay the standard gratuities but take a workload off the housekeeping staff that I didn't know existed, I am going to take that 100% of the time. 

 

What I understand this thread to be saying is that some of you use that workload. Some of you not only knew that workload existed but made active use of it and responded accordingly. I am in full support of that being the reason this should be opt in - and anything else Celebrity can come up with in the same vein should be. I know a lot of people have been burned by seeing things start to be optional and then become required or mandatory. But for now - this seems to me like the exact right solution, and one that I am so far in full support of. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
zitsky

zitsky

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, Lyria said:

I found this topic fascinating. 

 

Perhaps it's because I'm in that market that seems to be discussed a lot - not quite a millennial, not quite a "gen Z." I depart on the 9/25 Apex cruise. I have a TA booked shortly after. I book the top level suites exclusively, and I'm not interested in booking anything else. Celebrity has done an exceptional job of marketing to me so far - I hadn't cruised prior to a couple of years ago, but I've booked several since then and have one booked in 2022; I had 2 cancelled in 2020. 

 

I immediately opted into this. 

 

I actually book my cruises exclusively for service - if it weren't for one of my travelling companions who is worried about sea sickness, I might explore some of the higher end lines. However, my definition of service isn't about behind the scenes operations, and it definitely isn't about what I didn't know was happening. I didn't know the room was being "fully cleaned" twice a day. I don't require turndown service even at landbased hotels, so the "freshening up" is fine for me on a cruise. 

 

I've stayed at several hotels since the beginning of 2020 started, and what people have mentioned in this thread are accurate - most hotels have gone to daily housekeeping "on request." For me, that has felt safer, generally - I'd rather have fewer people coming in and out of my space.

 

On a cruise ship, knowing their protocols for crew, that perhaps may be less of a specific concern. However, I have no need to make the housekeeping staff work an additional amount of time to do a full clean of my area 2x/day. When I want service, what I want is the bartenders, the wine staff (sommeliers and their assistants), the wait staff, the butlers, the concierge, etc. Those are the people I'm making affirmative requests of and the people I most need to take care of my requests with prompt attention.  

 

When those things happen, that's when I feel taken care of. I book the top suites to ensure that I get those benefits. Celebrity has - to date - done a tremendous job of ensuring that I get those benefits.

 

Celebrity is catering to my market, and it is working. But I also encourage more things like this that are opt in for those that aren't in my market/that don't share my preferences on vacations and cruising. I share this only because I think there hasn't been much of this particular demographic represented on the thread (while acknowledging the pro "Go-Green" or whatever marketing Celebrity is using has been plenty represented here). I don't love the idea of my housekeeping attendant servicing my room in a way that I don't noticing or pay attention to. I go for the service, I pay for the service, I tip for the service (and feel really good about the way I tip/why it's important to tip) - so when there's an option to still pay the standard gratuities but take a workload off the housekeeping staff that I didn't know existed, I am going to take that 100% of the time. 

 

What I understand this thread to be saying is that some of you use that workload. Some of you not only knew that workload existed but made active use of it and responded accordingly. I am in full support of that being the reason this should be opt in - and anything else Celebrity can come up with in the same vein should be. I know a lot of people have been burned by seeing things start to be optional and then become required or mandatory. But for now - this seems to me like the exact right solution, and one that I am so far in full support of. 

 

Ok.  Since your friend gets sea sick, I'd really like to know in what locations you book your suites to avoid that?  I have avoided booking any suites because we tend to prefer midship. 

 

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
canderson

canderson

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Ok.  Since your friend gets sea sick, I'd really like to know in what locations you book your suites to avoid that?  I have avoided booking any suites because we tend to prefer midship. 

 

Thanks.

M Class Celebrity suites are right across from the  mid-ship elevators.  S Class has royals clustered around the center.  Or are you also trying to get LOW, not necessarily just midship?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...