When you first enter your cabin, what do you check and/or request from your steward?

[DizzyDallasDi]

An ashtray. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Two ashtrays...one for the room and one for the balcony. :D

 

And...lots and lots of ice.

[High Flyer]

The first thing I do is look at and memorize the escape plan located on the inside of the cabin door. With all those ash trays :eek:, you never know.

[SeaBlueSkies]

Glad I'm not the only one.;)

 

Ashtrays for me too...and a couple extra feather pillows.:eek:

[kalliekae]

First thing we do is get acquainted with our cabin steward and then we tell him we are very easy to get along with and have no special requests. We always leave him a very generous tip at the end of the cruise. Those guys work very hard and have families at home to support.

 

As for the mini bar, we clear out a small area for our water and place the mini bar items next to the TV with a note on top of them. At the end of the cruise, we replace them and have never had a problem being charged for anything. I never thought of asking the steward to take them away. I figured they didn't have the storage space on board.

 

Wish we were on a cruise this year!!

[LHC]

I first hug myself and dance into my room.

My first request is for extra pillows.

I check out all the excursions/papers/gifts.

I love to meet my cabin steward. I appreciate all they do for me throughout my cruise and find that by meeting them we have the scoop on each other.

 

I am actually making a list for my upcoming cruise, as it will be my first solo cruise of those things I want to do. I have never been on deck for the sail away, so that is on the top. And from there I am working on my top 25.

 

Linda

[leeuwarden]

ashtray, pillows, and we leave a tip on the pillow every morning, :)

[airlink diva]

When I first arrive at my cabin, that's when I truly know that "I'm finally on the cruise!!". It really sinks in at that time.

Then I'm like Jersey Jaguar and BruceCro, I take a photo of the room because after that, I'm unpacking!!

By that time my steward normally arrives. I like to greet them,make sure I got their name. Like Copper 10-8 I like to ask about them (where you from,etc). I'm a simple person to please and normally don't have any request. From time to time I will have my portable cooler and will ask for extra ice,but otherwise nothing.

[Boytjie]

Those of you who tip the steward upon check-in, how much do you tend to give him? And do you keep tipping each day or just the first and last days?

 

We only tip at the end of the cruise. I don't understand tipping in advance. :confused:

[Sea King]

An ashtray. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

remember the Edsel;)

 

anyone want to guess how long that lasts

[Rocky365]

Rita, I'm with you re the ashtray. Being able to smoke on the balcony (not in my cabin) is one of the reasons I am staing with HAL.

 

Quick tip (although may be gross) with my DH being a firefighter ashtrays are a no no with us, I usually have a water bottle that I ash in and throw my butts in...then just screw the cap back on when Im done smoking...once a little full I simply throw it away and start with a fresh one. Im too excited to start asking for things upon arrival so I carry post it notes and post them in a obvious spot with a couple dollars if I need anything from the cabin steward, always worked.

[suse]

Yikes. That is really gross.:eek:

[geoherb]

Unfortunately on our recent Westerdam cruise, the first thing we had to ask our cabin stewards to do was vacuum the carpet, finish cleaning the bathroom, and empty the trash. Our cabin wasn't ready. And all week long, our cabin stewards were slow. But we were on a cruise and did not worry much about it. I know some people who would have fretted and complained the whole time.

[prescottbob]

Ask for his name and where he's from

 

....a common courtesy extended to all members of the ship staff. In so far as the housekeeping, beverage and DR service staff if time permits we also request to see pix of their families, etc.

 

I might add, on the last couple of cruises we have also acquired some email addresses from staff members that we've befriended. After arriving home and sorting pix, etc. I will email them with attached pix of themselves (that they can send to their family members) or direct them to our photo site that they can do likewise.

 

BTW, on thing I forgot to list on the embarkation day 'chores list' was to stop by the front desk and request a few comment cards.

 

I usually write one on a regular basis during a cruise featuring a staff member that has been friendly and provided great service. Such cards are more appreciated then any tip (although we do that also the second to the last night of any cruise).

 

Again, a positive comment card for a staff member during the cruise (not the larger survey type one you fill out prior to debarking) is welcomed by a hard working staff member.

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

[JennyandJoeS]

We tip the room steward about $20 the first time we meet him, then also on the last evening, probably another $20-$40. We have always had excellent service.;) We give the tip directly to the individual, so that it's not divided up among the other crew members. But we also do the automatic tipping that's added on to your list billing statement.

[Duck Duck Cruise]

We check all of our cares at the door. The cruise has begun. Life is good!

[Two@Sea]

Quick tip (although may be gross) with my DH being a firefighter ashtrays are a no no with us, I usually have a water bottle that I ash in and throw my butts in...then just screw the cap back on when Im done smoking...once a little full I simply throw it away and start with a fresh one. Im too excited to start asking for things upon arrival so I carry post it notes and post them in a obvious spot with a couple dollars if I need anything from the cabin steward, always worked.

 

HAL has those ashtrays that are like the ones our grandparents used... they have a knob on top that you push, and the ashes and butts "spin" into an enclosed container area below. LOVE those, for safety, and because they reduce the residual odor of a standard ashtray.

[innlady1]

DH usually needs and asks for an extension cord for his CPAP machine. This last cruise we had forgotten our corkscrew so we asked for that and also to have the beds reconfigured.

 

The one time we asked to have the mini bar emptied (several cruises back) our steward told us they couldn't do that! :confused: So we've never asked again.....obviously if so many of you are having it done with no problem we need to ask again!

 

On our first HAL cruise, 1st thing I did was ask the steward to empty the fridge. He put the contents in the round stool w/cover....so since then, I've just saved him the time and emptied it myself. The bed has always been configured in a king size, so no problem there. The couple times we've had a verandah on the stern, I've asked if he could round up a chaise...and they've complied. And that's it...

 

Everything is always in perfect order.

[Boytjie]

We tip the room steward about $20 the first time we meet him, then also on the last evening, probably another $20-$40. We have always had excellent service.;)

 

We tip at the end of the cruise and also get excellent service. :rolleyes:

[sail7seas]

Ditto.

We never tip at the start of a cruise. We always tip at the end and have always been well taken care of by our cabin stewards.

 

[LVSue]

The first cruise I ever went on, I took my son, his wife and three grandkids. To avoid booking me single, I booked one of the kids in my room. When I first saw the steward, I whipped out a $20 and said, "Jacob will not be sleeping in my room. He'll be sleeping with his brothers." We came back from dinner and the twins' room had been outfitted with another bed. My DIL gasped: "Oh my gosh, I don't have to do it myself?" Worth every penny.

 

Now, we just ask for ice three times a day (my SIL is an iced tea addict) and laundry every day at 9:00 (when we have an SA :D). We're pretty easy. And we use our travel ashtrays, so get HAL ones right away without asking.

 

We do tip on the first day because the first HAL cruise we were on, we were in a deluxe suite but were treated like chopped liver because we were two ladies. (Guess they figure women don't tip well.) We watched the steward schmooze the men in the hall, and decided that we needed to make an impression from day one. Ever since we tip the first day and have had impeccable service. Maybe the first guy was just an anomaly, but I'd rather assure myself of a pleasant experience than take a chance.

[crusinbanjo]

We check all of our cares at the door. The cruise has begun. Life is good!

 

Same here. Then we check to see that the champagne is cold, & go onto the balcony and just say AHHHHHHH! After that we be sure to say hello to our cabin steward, (make friends makes for better service).

 

After the lifeboat drill we crack that bottle of champagne and thank the good Lord for Cruise Ships and Cruise ship companies!

[DaisyL]

We try to meet up with the room stewards to greet them and introduce ourselves. We never ask for anything special at the start... just drop off the valuables in the safe, take a look around the cabin and balcony and head off to investigate the ship.

 

If we need extra room in the fridge, we just empty a few items, to make space. And have never been charged in error.

 

We have never tipped in advance (what's up with that?) and always have had excellent service. We will tip each person extra (cash in envelopes) at the end, in addition to the automatic tips.

 

This will be our first cruise with HAL and expect the service to be as good as any other cruise we've been on. I truly believe they enjoy pleasant, friendly passengers and will go out of their way for people who treat them well. We're polite, friendly, clean, neat, happy, respectful people and get the same in return.

[Me2]

One of the first things I check is the room the safe - to ensure it is open and ready for use for passport, wallet, etc. One time I found the safe still locked, and had the room steward call engineering to open it. Not to worry, they took care of it in record time, even during embarkation madness. I must admit, every cruise, the room steward has proactively come into cabin while I have first arrived, and asked details on luggage - how many, what color, and found them within a short period of time. And I am usually in the "cheap cabins" - inside or OV. That type of service results in well-deserved tip on day 1. I have nothing but praise for all the cabin stewards i've encountered on my (few) cruises. Hard job, providing many smiles upon a return to clean cabin, wonderful towel animals, and friendly Hi with my name, every time I pass them on the ship. They are worth their weight in gold!

[Cruising-along]

On our first HAL cruise, 1st thing I did was ask the steward to empty the fridge. He put the contents in the round stool w/cover....so since then, I've just saved him the time and emptied it myself. The bed has always been configured in a king size, so no problem there. The couple times we've had a verandah on the stern, I've asked if he could round up a chaise...and they've complied. And that's it...

 

Everything is always in perfect order.

 

Thank you Sheila. From now on we'll do the same. I don't know, maybe that cruise our steward was new (I don't even remember now which cruise it was). He actually told us that because the bar staff checks the mini fridge every day, we shouldn't empty it out. Now I know better and will do what others here do!! (and will leave a note also)

 

This was the first time we had to ask to have the beds joined -- no problem, it was done quickly and well before bedtime. :)

[Cruising-along]

We tip at the end of the cruise and also get excellent service. :rolleyes:

 

Ditto.

We never tip at the start of a cruise. We always tip at the end and have always been well taken care of by our cabin stewards.

 

 

Same here, we've never tipped before the end of the cruise (and then we tip generously and write nice comments on the comment card). Service has always been excellent.