The big 3 eliminated turn down service for non-suites, will X follow? If you enjoy it, be sure you mention it on the survey

[Esprit]

On 12/31/2022 at 1:40 PM, Ferry_Watcher said:

I would miss the turn down service.

My cruises will be ruined forever. NOT.

I accept for others it may be difficult to turn on the bedside lights themselves and pull back the bedcover!

[Cruise Raider]

On 12/31/2022 at 10:19 AM, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I don't consider Princess, HAL, and Celebrity premium lines. But for what it's worth,  HAL has already made the change to once a day. I don't follow princess closely, but since they are also part of Carnival Cruise Lines I suspect they have already made the change as well. 

We cruise quite often on Princess and right after the restart, they eliminated the nightly turn down service.  However, I guess there must have been some backlash and it has now returned.  
Actually, if given the choice between morning or nightly service, we’d probably choose nightly service.  But certainly, for us, once a day is fine with us.  Once every two days would actually be sufficient as long as we had extra towels and bathroom paper products.  

 

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

We cruise quite often on Princess and right after the restart, they eliminated the nightly turn down service.  However, I guess there must have been some backlash and it has now returned.  
Actually, if given the choice between morning or nightly service, we’d probably choose nightly service.  But certainly, for us, once a day is fine with us.  Once every two days would actually be sufficient as long as we had extra towels and bathroom paper products.  

 

I'm on Sky Princess later this month so interested to see if I get turn down service. I must take notes to compare the 2 cruise lines although I always loved Princess.  

[Cruise Raider]

5 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

I'm on Sky Princess later this month so interested to see if I get turn down service. I must take notes to compare the 2 cruise lines although I always loved Princess.  

I have always loved both Celebrity and Princess but have cruised on Princess frequently since the restart.  We’ve been given turndown service for the last 10 cruises last year, even after we said we really didn’t need it.  
I am sure you will see it on the Sky.  

[Julma]

As some of you have stated I would miss somethings about turndown, but not everything.  I like having the room ready for "bed" when I get back after a fun evening.  I don't like to leave wet towels in a cruise cabin.  I find they don't dry and add dampness to the room.  We often cat nap and having the bed remade is nice.  We will grab a drink and snack to enjoy before/during getting ready for the evening and count on the room attendant to take these away.  We have no place to put these items and I'm afraid there will be a lot more items out in the hallways.  I think it's a good idea for the room steward to take a look at a room to make sure there are no issues.  I'm sure on a nightly basis the room stewards unplug a flat iron that has been left on. 

[karl_nj]

On 12/31/2022 at 8:32 AM, NutsAboutGolf said:

CCL paved the way to eliminate turn down after the restart, RCI announced they'll eliminate turn down several weeks ago and it just announced that NCL will eliminate it as well.  Unfortunately, turn down service's days are most likely numbered on X, only question is when they'll eliminate it.  Do you care?

 

Has RCL actually made this announcement?  If it's true, I wonder how setting up/putting away the sofabed will work.  CCL started this before COVID, but their cabins are designed in a way so that leaving the 3rd/4th berths in place during the entire cruise isn't a big problem.  This is not the case on the RCL ships.

[NutsAboutGolf]

14 minutes ago, karl_nj said:

 

Has RCL actually made this announcement?  If it's true, I wonder how setting up/putting away the sofabed will work.  CCL started this before COVID, but their cabins are designed in a way so that leaving the 3rd/4th berths in place during the entire cruise isn't a big problem.  This is not the case on the RCL ships.

Yes, says two a days remain for junior suites or higher

Edited January 2, 2023 by NutsAboutGolf

[karl_nj]

4 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Yes, says two a days remain for junior suites or higher

 

Interesting.  Do you have a link?

 

 

[phoenix_dream]

On 12/31/2022 at 9:49 AM, Barwick Cruiser said:

At home I never use a fresh towel each time I shower however my towel is dry before I need it again which doesn’t happen on the ship, the ventilation in the bathrooms just isn’t enough. I don’t like using a damp towel to try to dry off with so I def would like fresh towels everyday. And while I do like returning to the cabin and it’s been turned down I suppose I could do without so long as there’s still the daily and the chocolate…it’s the small details that keep us returning to Celebity. 

I agree with this.  I use the same towels at home for several days.  But there is not enough hanging space in the bathrooms for the towels to dry, especially since we shower both in the morning and when getting ready for dinner.  I don't pay this kind of money to try to dry myself off with a damp towel.  If there were extra towels placed there in the morning I guess that could work, although once again space is limited.  I really don't care if they clean up anything else, and I don't care if they turn down the bed (although it is a nice touch). 

 

But the other point is this is not my home - this is a ship I am paying a lot of money to sail on and the little touches and extra level of service help make it special.  Continue taking things away which seems like the current trend and it will not be so special anymore.  And even though I sail in suites quite a bit lately, I don't like yet another class distinction between suites and non-suites.  Non-suite passengers use the cabin facilities just as much as suite passengers do so why should there be a difference?  Benefits (like Retreat Deck, lounge, etc.) ok - but everyone sailing on that ship deserves good cleaning/refreshing service no matter what cabin they are in.,  My opinion.

 

[Bo1953]

On 12/31/2022 at 9:50 AM, OysterD said:

That was actually a bug bear of mine the other month. I hate wastage and made an effort to hang all my towels up so the room attendant wouldn't replace them, as the sign in the bathroom said. Yet every day I'd have a new set of towels. One doesn't need a new towel after using it once, there's just no need. However, I kept forgetting to mention it to the room attendant and wouldn't remember again until stepping out of the shower and thinking darn, new towels again! Lol

Personally, I do prefer a new towel everyday and as such, that is my responsibility here at home.

 

If I want it everyday, I must launder them everyday... yet I only need to do towel laundry every other week as I have enough towels to go that long! LOL

 

In cleanliness and bon voyage

[Bo1953]

On 12/31/2022 at 1:39 PM, barneyboy said:

Looks like I’m in the minority but I’d miss the evening turn down. Really enjoy returning to our cabin late at night to find the curtains shut, lamps on and the chocolate and daily on the pillow. It’s one of the things which differentiate cruise travel from a resort. Yes, I can turn down my bed myself, but I can also cook, make my bed, clean the bathroom and do dishes, which I have no intention of doing on a cruise.  We cruise to be looked after for a short period of time. 
if this service was eliminated on Celebrity, along with the other cutbacks, it would cause us to look elsewhere. 

While it would not cause us to elsewhere (read: spouse would not permit it!!!), it means that I would have to "bribe" the state room attendant for our twice daily service....

 

OR

 

threaten them with a poor review if they do not!!! LOL

 

In cleanliness (pampering) and bon voyage

[Germancruiser]

X really should think hard before they eliminate the turn down service. I rather like it very much. Forget all this " Go Green" nonsense- nothing but cost cutting masked to do the planet a favor.

I don´t need towel animals- neither do I need the chocolate- but a nice and fresh looking cabin when returning from the evenings pleasures- is very very appreciated.

[NutsAboutGolf]

23 minutes ago, karl_nj said:

 

Interesting.  Do you have a link?

 

 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/36989-change-in-frequency-of-housekeeping-service/

[NutsAboutGolf]

25 minutes ago, karl_nj said:

 

Interesting.  Do you have a link?

 

 

 

[LGW59]

1 minute ago, Germancruiser said:

X really should think hard before they eliminate the turn down service. I rather like it very much. Forget all this " Go Green" nonsense- nothing but cost cutting masked to do the planet a favor.

I don´t need towel animals- neither do I need the chocolate- but a nice and fresh looking cabin when returning from the evenings pleasures- is very very appreciated.

Interesting experience re Go Green on my recent Edge TA.  I had signed up in advance for this program, yet after the second day it was apparent the room, bathroom, towels, turndown, lights dimmed, curtains drawn etc were being done 2x/day, and there were a few ocassions that I took a shower mid day, and even then the towels would be replaced before the nightly servicce.  I asked my Room Steward (Mustaffa who was FANTASTIC) why he was doing this and he simly responded, becasue you are a valued guest Mr. Lxxx but if you wish me to stop I will do that for you.  Needless to say I did not ask him to stop and I tipped him handsomely.  I have some new gripes with Celebrity but not with their crew, they are fantastic, at least every single person that I interacted with.

[prmssk]

8 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Which ship?  All I have heard so far is they are testing it out on the Quantum of the Seas.  I'm curious if Royal has released details on rolling it out to all ships.

[NMTraveller]

I have no problem with X eliminating turn down service IFF they quit referring themselves as a "luxury" cruise line.  Turn down service is the least expensive way to differentiate themselves from the competition and it is fairly inexpensive.  I do enjoy the chocolates.  If they are competing with Carnivore then yes eliminate it.  Luxury hotels have it,  so I would expect it from a luxury cruise line.

Edited January 3, 2023 by NMTraveller

[LMaxwell]

1 hour ago, Germancruiser said:

X really should think hard before they eliminate the turn down service. I rather like it very much. Forget all this " Go Green" nonsense- nothing but cost cutting masked to do the planet a favor.

I don´t need towel animals- neither do I need the chocolate- but a nice and fresh looking cabin when returning from the evenings pleasures- is very very appreciated.

Yes that is my feeling as well.

 

They give me points for taking surveys and watching webinars; I don't really need extra points for opting into a reduced service schedule onboard where I have paid several thousand dollars for a holistic experience. 

 

I am definitely looking for higher levels of service than I live with in my day to day life where no one services my home or bedroom/bath except myself, and it's definitely not as frequent or nice as on a cruise.

 

That's because a cruise is a luxury vacation. If providing a few less trinkets saves them time/workforce/expense, okay, but I don't really like cutting it down to 1x a day.  I've never had a disaster room, really I just want ice and fresh towels; but it feels luxurious and upscale returning from dinner nd a night out to a picture perfect room. Anyone else remember when services on a cruise ship were just magic? You didn't need to ask, negotiate, select, write letters about it, etc.

 

Now with so many less services, there is less staff, but they are tasked with greater volume. I suspect many cruisers will call it "Good 'nuff" with auto gratuities and not feel compelled to give extra cash as they will have less interaction, less services, etc. 

 

Whoever said HAL/Celebrity/Princess are not premium lines...they absolutely are. They are not pitched to first timers, they are not pitched as value lines or low cost. All 3 highlight upscale ambiances, in different ways, and each provide longer cruises with some more refined entertainment than the floating amusement parks that absolutely are happy to embrace the mass market end of the spectrum like NCL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean.  Are they top of the line? No. But they are premium products and positioned as such. Look at the types of people and experiences depicted in the ads. Look at the corporate tie ins and relationships. 

 

As many people as there are that DO cruise, there is a giant set of people who do not and have very negative views on cruising. If they opt for a premium experience and it feels bare bones, they'll never return. 

 

 

[LMaxwell]

double post

 

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by LMaxwell

[drakes2]

8 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Personally, I do prefer a new towel everyday and as such, that is my responsibility here at home.

 

If I want it everyday, I must launder them everyday... yet I only need to do towel laundry every other week as I have enough towels to go that long! LOL

 

In cleanliness and bon voyage

I grew up in a family of 6 and don't remember multiple towels hanging in the bathroom. When I've had company in my own home and usually several people at a time,  I've had to replace them daily. Hmm... this is not a hotel or a cruise ship. 😆 

[lexmiller]

IF evening turn down is eliminated on Celebrity, then what I’d been suspecting for some time is true - that the post-covid cutbacks will be made permanent.  Remember pre-covid, when we had two stateroom attendants?  And I don’t mean in suites, I mean in every cabin category.  We had the main attendant then his/her assistant.  I am sure we will never see that level of staffing again, as the cruise line adjusts to the post covid cutbacks and realizes how much money is being saved.  Now, one attendant is in charge of a much higher number of cabins than pre-pandemic, and on his/her own, no help.  We have seen notable staff shortages across the board on our 7 Celebrity cruises in 2022, as have you all, I know.  We have been struck in particular by the lack of sommeliers in the dining rooms - in Aqua in Blu, there was only one sommelier for the entire dining room, on our Infinity cruise - he did an AMAZING job, but the hustle he had to produce was incredible and not at all fair IMHO. The other cutback that has been very notable to us, is the quality of beef, post-covid.  In the MDRs, even in Blu, a definite lesser quality of beef.  Only in Luminae and in the specialty restaurants, have we had beef of the pre-covid standards.  To be clear, we sailed on Equinox, Beyond, Apex, Edge, Summit, Millennium and Infinity this year - and noticed this decline on all of the ships.  

We are well past the half way point in the elite plus category, as we love Celebrity - it has offered the perfect mix of “modern luxury” coupled with excellent entertainment and activities - it is in fact this precise mix which keeps us coming back.  But as the “modern luxury” components are reduced, the excellent entertainment and activities are not going to be enough to keep us loyal…….the luxury lines such as Regent and Oceania are looking better and better…….sad that we no longer earn Captains Club points on Azamara…...

[karl_nj]

20 hours ago, prmssk said:

Which ship?  All I have heard so far is they are testing it out on the Quantum of the Seas.  I'm curious if Royal has released details on rolling it out to all ships.

 

I haven't seen anything, which is why I asked.  As far as I can tell, this is just a test on Quantum.

 

Now that doesn't mean they won't expand this, like they did with the menu changes on Symphony.  But can't find anything online other than mention of this test on Quantum.

 

 

[prmssk]

12 minutes ago, karl_nj said:

Now that doesn't mean they won't expand this, like they did with the menu changes on Symphony.  

Even the menu changes haven't been fully rolled out yet.  Last I heard they were going to spend the holidays going over all the feedback on menu changes they received from the Symphony.  I'm on the Freedom of the Seas in less than 10 days and so far based on reports and what is showing in the app, it still looks like the old menus.  We'll see when I actually board.  (We'll also see if I get twice a day housekeeping service.)

[ShelleyQT]

On 12/31/2022 at 6:14 AM, drakes2 said:

No I would not miss turn down service.  I also don't like all the decorative  pillows on the bed. I put them in the overhead cupboards on S class ships but they always re appear. 

I hate the decorative pillows too!  I try to hide them but the steward always seems to find them and put them back.  Those things never get cleaned!

[Susanb10567]

I still enjoy the turn down service…and hope they don’t get rid of it…