Hardly Any Cruisers Know Cabin Stewards Can Do This!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- One of the more frequently asked questions I see on cruise message boards is: “what can I ask my cabin steward to bring or do for me?”. As I keep seeing the same limited list of suggestions, I decided to make this as, based on my experience, I can see cruisers are missing out on many more things cabin stewards can do and bring.
For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron:
---------------------------------------------------
* Patreon Patron: / tipsfortravellers
* UA-cam Channel Member: / @tipsfortravellers
Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products:
---------------------------------------------------
* T-Shirts: bit.ly/TFTStore
* Mugs, notebooks, hoodies etc: www.teepublic.com/stores/tips...
My social media:
---------------------------------------------------
* Blog: www.tipsfortravellers.com
* Twitter: / garybembridge
* Facebook: / tipsfortravellers
* Instagram: / garybembridge
* LinkedIn: / bembridge
ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 101 cruises I have done to date.
#cruisetips #CruisingTips #cruisetipsandtricks
00:00 Start
00:48 What can I get?
02:20 Tips and tricks
04:10 Problem solving
04:36 Cabin extras
04:45 bed and sleeping extras
06:05 daily service extras
07:06 bathroom extras
08:00 mini-bar extras
08:14 perks you not due extras
08:42 towel animal extras
09:06 electronic extras
My daughter turned 21 on our last cruise in February 2024. I put up a banner for her. I also informed the cruise line of this information. Our lovely cabin person, Lector, on Majestic Princess, in Australia, made a beautiful tower cake from a variety of towels,with ribbon & placed her squishmellows & candy canes around the cake, on her bed. It was beautiful & a very lovely surprise for her. He created a beautiful birthday atmosphere for her. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
We always ask to swap our large duvet for 2 single duvets - the key to a good night’s sleep and a long marriage.
🤣😂😅🤣😆👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
We were on a wonderful cunard cruise . My husband had difficulty getting his tie just right. The butler stepped in and made him look like James Bond. Please tip generously.
And if a cabin steward helps you, be sure to call them out positively in your cruise line questionnaire / review! It really does matter.
Agree. "give them a shout out" "spotlight them" "recognize them" "draw attention to" "call attention to"
Always a US$200 gratuity when we meet him in the stateroom and $100 as we farewell the steward.
@@calumshaw You like to advertise you wealth !!
No compulsory gratuities so I make up the difference with tips directly to those who furnish the best service. It has nothing to do with personal wealth.
@@calumshaw good for you.
Moving to our new cabin midway through a B2B Far East cruise on Celebrity Millennium we noted that a sizeable area of the floor was spongy. We immediately told our cabin steward who had only just arrived on ship. He could not understand why it had not been reported/fixed previously, but that he would ensure it was fixed without delay. The next day was a port day during which time our room had ben stripped, furniture removed, carpet lifted and concrete floor laid. On our return, nothing was any different except that the floor was now solid. The steward informed us that they had photographed where our belongings had been placed so that they could be returned to exactly the same positions, that the desk, coffee table and chair had spent the day on the balcony and that the bed 'had been on its holidays'!
Wow, that is impressive!!!!
@@tipsfortravellers Indeed, we thought so too!
When my husband was ill he found the room chair too hard to get in/out of & sofa was a no no only having one arm so the steward got him an old double proper armed chair which was wonderful & saved a lot of hard work for us both
2 years ago on the Island Princess I ask guest services if someone could check on my husband (he had mild dementia and would occasionally fall) while I was on an excursion. They told me to ask my cabin steward.
The steward not only checked on my husband but cleaned our room depending on what my husband was doing. E.g. he made the bed when my husband was in the bathroom. That steward helped give our son and me peace of mind. He was of course tipped extra for his outstanding service. And I gave him an outstanding commendation in the after cruise survey.
I was sick for a couple of days on my cruise. My cabin steward brought me honey, lemon and hot water at regular intervals to help me feel better. Thankfully, it wasn't COVID.
The hubby and I had a short Four Day in April...and our Cabin Steward was so tickled by my utter delight at the Towel Animals he made that I ended up with an extra one just because...I got a Pupper, and a Elephant, and a Sea Turtle, and a Piggy...and they were so cute!!! He had to have been laughing at this 57 year old lady just squeee'ing like a little girl over them...and they ended up on the back of the sofa in a row because I refused to unfold them or let them be taken away... (They are one of my favorite things on a cruise...silly, I know...but they just really delight me...)
There is a book put out on how to make towel animals
Had one time we needed a topper on one of our mattresses…. I tipped him as soon as we got to our room, and asked for the topper. He had it on by the time we got back from dinner. He was always at the ready, appreciation and a little cash goes a long way!
First cruise ever and I took a couple of nasty spills and returned to the ship a bit of a bloody mess with scrapped up knees. Our room steward turned into my Indonesian uncle and showed up with ice packs and bandages from the staff s collection long before I could get ahold of the ship’s doctor 😁. They are really great when you need them
We had a Celebrity cruise to Iceland last year and I loved the lotion that was provided so much and I asked our cabin steward if I could purchase it anywhere. He told me I couldn't that it was only available through the cabin staff. He very kindly provided me with a bottle to take home with me. It wasn't a new bottle but one that would normally be in a cabin but it was full to the brim with the lotion. I will never forget that kindness and every day I use the lotion I think of him and our trip.
Now planning same cruise for next summer--any hacks or recommendations would be appreciated!
it sounds trivial, but on the first few days we were on board our last cruise, our cabin steward gave us directions about the best route to take to get to wherever on board the ship we were heading (when he saw us leaving the stateroom). There are lots of ways you can go, but he always knew the fastest, least crowded, least annoying way to go!!
My last cruise I overpacked.. a lot.. So I left a note for the cabin steward to either throw away or gift to someone in need my fan, an extra charging cable, and our cruise approved power strip
Your generosity will change the world! That’s a lot of overpacking.
So you made your problem, their problem?! Not generous, your selfish
@@sherry3661I don't see how it's selfish. If you need to bin something unsuitable for the general cabin waste, you need to give it to your cabin steward.
@@mikeh2006yeah Sherry clearly misses that you can not just throw everything in the trash can
@VoiceEnFuego sherry flushes nappies down the toilet then complains it's clogged
I'm glad you mentioned how the cabin stewards can work around your schedule. I work at night, so I normally sleep well past noon. On my first cruise I told the steward I sleep during the daytime, so she learned my schedule and would not service my room until I leave. I felt so guilty about that because I know it was an inconvenience for her (she was very young and very new to working on a cruise ship). But she did a wonderful job accommodating me, and I acknowledged that with a positive survey and a large cash tip.
When we cruise, I ALWAYS carry some cash on me, JUST SO I can give our steward a little extra each day in addition to paying for the work in advance they do for us!! Every cruise we’ve been on, our steward has ALWAYS been soooo nice and sweet, and that’s EXACTLY why I tip EXTRA!! They all work sooooo hard and I sure appreciate them immensely!! Tip them extra if you can! ♥️
How much exactly?
@@tala1246 each day I give my cabin steward $20 in cash! And on the last day, I gave him $100 and this is IN ADDITION to the prepaid gratitude I paid!! ( seven day cruise) These guys and gals work soooo hard, seven days a week for nine months straight, they deserve a little extra money!! I will always do this too. I’m a giving person and when someone works hard and shows me, I most definitely tip well! (At least well for my family).
I would love you to do your next few cruises in an inside cabin and rate the different cruise lines. Money is tight and inside cabins are a better price for a lot of travellers.
It would be an entertaining show for sure. Bainbridge sails in steerage!
We met a lovely Irish couple on QM2 in February they were doing several legs of the world cruise from an inside cabin debarking in Hong Kong and flying home business class with the savings.
We always book inside cabins on Oceania. We can actually afford a veranda or concierge level cabin, but we don’t spend much time in our cabin except to sleep, and we’re frugal people - with the thousands of dollars we save, we take an extra cruise 😊
I'm going on first cruise myself next year and booked an inside single cabin deck 8. Travel agent called and said for an extra £100 I could get a balcony cabin on deck 12... I paid the extra and can't wait.
I remember on one cruise I took with my elderly Dad the buckle on one shoe broke and that left him with only sandals and his smarter evening shoes. I mentioned it to cabin crew who asked around amongst the crew. The shoes disappeared from Dads cabin and I got a call to go to reception where I was told the ships carpenter had kindly mended them. Shoes reappeared in Dads cabin and had been polished too. The carpenter was too shy to come to meet us so I got an envelope and sent a thank you note and a nice tip too.
That’s awesome
Cabin stewards are some of the hardest working crew members and I doubt they are very well paid. And as Gary and others have pointed out, post-pandemic many cruise lines require them to take care of more cabins than ever before.
They share in the pre-paid gratuities, but we always give our steward a nice extra tip. Something to consider if you’re able.
Amen u know that a fact am 1 on msc
I didn’t know they share the prepaid gratuities. I must admit I always had the gratuities removed because I always gave each individual who serviced me a handmade card with cash, I always made sure to be very generous with the room stewards. I just thought they would appreciate the cash because I felt like after they were taxed or whatever on the prepaid gratuities they would end up with next to nothing however on my last cruise I did let the prepaid gratuities go through and I was also able to leave a tip with a card and cash as well.
My wife and I both use PAP machines. The last time we were on Norwegian, the steward brought us an extension cord and distilled water to use with the machines. I was very glad that I didn't have to pack the added weight of the distilled water.
NCL told me we had to bring our own extension cord.
@@redhatbear1135 I had better check on that one before our next cruise. But, we really did get one from the staff. He said he would have to look for one.
@@BandManNC Even when they tell us not to bring them, we’re told they will have to look for one😇
And yes, I’ve had cord brought that were too short too! With 2 CPAPs in the room we’ve become pretty good at jury-rigging configurations. No, we still don’t carry an extension cord when traveling internationally, but we do have a European power strip that has made things easier. Twice, aboard ship, the only plug has been the plug the light is plugged into, they take a pretty small adapter! Btw, those run bedside lights run on 220.
We brought our own water and cord. Because they may not always be available on every ship.
We purchased both in the city we departed from at the local Walmart.
@@kimc555 it’s hard to carry it onboard a plane as they just want you to carry what you’ll need on the flight. Then it isn’t always easy to find it at your destination, we’ve gotten pretty good at it in Europe but not in South America. Domestically, transportation is an issue too. A few ships will order it for you and charge seems reasonable although I’ve not had to use that service.
Shoot, I’m not even sure whether there is a Walmart near the Baltimore airport! For that matter, I’m not sure there is one close to the Orlando airport although I think there is one I see on the shuttle to the port. And Newark, I’m not sure of either.
Yes, a lot of grocery store, in the US carry it too, but I can’t recall one near an airport/port.
.
On our last Viking Ocean cruise, we had a room that offered daily refill of our refrigerator with not only soft drinks but also alcohol and beer. I noted to the cabin steward on the first day that the only alcohol bottles in our fridge were clear (Vodka and Rum). I asked if we could get some Whiskey or Bourbon to replace those and he said absolutely. Later that evening after returning from dinner we came back to our room to find an entire full 750ml bottle of DeWars on the table. Later he told me that they were short on the Whiskey in the small airline type bottles and they had to improvise. Lucky me.
Had a very similar experience on Viking Ocean - after the embarkation day, told the room steward what we preferred in our fridge and that we wanted a steady supply of ice, and both were handled flawlessly for the next 13 days!
Viking River is similar. My best friend & I don't normally drink cola or beer. We asked if they had caffeine-free drinks like lemonade or ginger ale. We had lots of lemonade and ginger ale for the next 2 weeks.
I'm an easy cruiser. I only request cleaning every 3-4 days and make my own bed.
Same!
And I usually need only a fresh washcloth in the bathroom each day. I try to be tidy with my possessions because I used to work in a hotel and understand how difficult it is to clean the room if the guests possessions are thrown all over.
And I always tip my steward personally as they always take great care of me.
Just wanted to compliment the quality on the videos you make! They’re always super helpful, the perfect length, and the way that you link to other helpful videos gets me to click every time!
Basic travel tip..... if you forgot your charge cable, just ask the hotel front desk. They usually have a box full and your particular one is probably in there. Return it to the front desk...or leave it in your room when you check out!
Even for laptops they'll often have a small collection they can see if they have the right one for your computer.
Really enjoying the silly little cuts to you with the pillows, the hangers, etc. Gave me a good giggle I didn’t realize I needed this morning! Thank you!
Appreciate your guidance, Gary. Definitely taking note of the points you have made.
Some of them would be transferable to land based trips.
On occasion we have asked for less frequent linen changes, additional pillows and requested that the mini bar be emptied.
Having taken 3 relatively short cruises, considering a river cruise, and always (well almost always) a very polite person, I see I still have a lot to learn about cruising! Thank you Mr. Bembridge for such helpful advice. Due to sciatica on my part and a disability on the part of my significant other I have learned that we have to think VERY carefully about river cruises. You pointed out lots of factors (so much walking, stairs, cobblestones for example) that I had never even considered. That said, it really is great fun to see you enjoy yourself on cruises I may or may not ever go on. We appreciate you!
Not a champagne enthusiast. Cabin steward swapped it out for Chardonnay on the first day on Celebrity cruise. Hurray!
Great information as usual thanks so much.
On a P&O cruise we had a family cabin so one of us needed to ues a small ladder to reach the pull-down bed so our cabin steward appeared with soft slippers for all three of us as the ladder was quite cold & sharp to climb, what a helpful gentleman
Our Cabin Attendant on Island Princess was wonderful. I think he took care of our room every time we left it....14 days through the Panama canal.
On HAL my wife and I introduced ourselves in Indonesian. She is fluent. He could not do enough for us. Since the majority of Hotel Staff are Indonesian on HAL and can only speak Indonesian when spoken to first, we were sort of Celebrities. We got Silver Service pretty much everywhere, including the buffet. Just by speaking their native language.
TIP
I always give a TIP during the day 1 meeting with the steward(s).
Amazing the service you receive.
If you are going to spend $1000s on a cruise. $100 tip is a small number.. you will be surprised what you get back..
Good points about asking the crew. thanks
Once you come to realize how powerful a resource your cabin steward is, the "butler" service offered by some lines/categories loses its luster
I apparently get a butler on my cruise in September, but being that I’m only used to cruises between Finland and Sweden and Estonia, I have no idea what I’d need a butler for. It’s a family thing I wouldn’t have booked myself. 🤷🏻♀️
Excellent information. Thank you for sharing.
I've been on cruise in my life in 2016 but I still remember my steward's name. He was great.
On our recent cruise we had a premium drinks package and a cabin steward every day offered us a complimentary bottle of wine to the room.
Distilled water - Every cruise we've been on, the cabin steward has been able to provide a gallon of distilled water for the CPAP machine.
Thank you Gary - I remember you saying in another vid about asking for a bathrobe and did just that and this lovely steward got me one from a Royal Suite who are allowed to take them home - and this was unused and for me to keep! These tips are really great and will definitely be followed! Thank you x
Great tips! Thank you for the video.
I see cabin attendants the same as housekeeping in hotels. I cannot imagine creating anymore demand on their busy day. No one’s getting rich doing their job.
Exactly!!!!
I traveled for work for over two years, staying in a hotel three days/week. I never wanted daily service, I don't clean that often at home 😆
But I always left $5 each week for housekeeping.
The last place I stayed it was a small locally owned place and always the same guy. I had permanent early check in because I worked 2pm-2:30am, so he would often be just finished when I got there. One week he approached me and said "It's not right for you to tip me. You never make a mess and you even strip the bed for me."
I told him that wasn't my money, it was expense money and then it was okay 👍
Hi Sir Gary. Been fortunate that out of my 17 cruises spread among Princess, Celebrity, Carnival, Norwegian , MSC and Royal; have had wonderful cabin stewards. The only thing we needed daily was ice. Back in the day ice 🧊 and buckets were a given, now you have to ask 🤷🏻♀️. Even the ones that only give once a day service; they still brought ice every evening as requested. Thank goodness no issues. All pleasant. Only one was not much of a conversationalist but maintained a lovely room. 🤗
While on a partial crossing of the old locks at the Panama Canal, our room steward was able to tell us the pest locations on the ship for viewing while going through the locks. One location was behind an unmarked door, we had a forward balcony type deck, with chairs, that was covered from the hot sun. It was fantastic!!!😎
I'm always amazed when a cabin steward offers me something I had absolutely no idea I could ask them for. On my Cunard cruise through the Panama Canal last year, we had SUCH heavy rain in Costa Rica, and my cabin steward suddenly asked me if I'd like a couple of ponchos. I've also had these on an MSC cruise, too - I was so impressed!
For the handyman, I would give him a big tip😊
We very rarely ask the cabib steward for anything other than specific drinks in the fridge.
Thanks once again for adding actual captions for the Deaf.
On QM2 our cabin steward found my mum's pasport. Nobody else could help - he found it. It was on our embarkation day. It saved the Transatlantic cruise.
Excellent info Gary, thank you - we keep an eye open on all our Cruises, hoping we might meet you one day!
As soon as we are able to access our stateroom, I always request 12-15 additional hangers, as there are never enough!
Changed our my balcony chair and table for a lounger on NCL. As a solo traveler on a transatlantic last month, this was absolutely brilliant.
And blankets to go on that balcony lounger. Ok, and unlimited bathrobes. 😊♥️😊 Thank you Victor NCL Escape, 8 April to 5 May 2024. ❤❤❤
My husband got so sunburn that our Kevin. Stewart, he brought us ice and pillows for my husband I propped up his feet because they were badly burnt. He was wonderful
Great info! Thanks
Cabin stewards can bring items for disabled passengers such as shower seats and raised toilet seats. They have always brought in an extension cord for the CPAP and distilled water (usually a charge for the water). They have gotten plastic bags when I needed a cold compress.
After all of this you better remember to tip well. All these things take time, something very precious to these crew members.
NCL suites, personal butler and concierge. Always a great experience and value.
The mini-bar is included on Viking. When speaking with an agent before my Viking cruise, I was told that soft drinks were available at lunch and dinner. However, when I mentioned that I don ‘t drink coffee, but prefer Diet Coke, they made a note to have the steward stock the mini-bar with Diet Coke. All this is free; well, included in the price of the cruise. That alone helps make Viking a good value. 😁
That’s just one of the reasons we prefer Viking.
They also provide beer and wine at lunch and dinner
@@susan7775 I think Viking nickels and dimes . The fact that they dont include soft drinks for free during the day is nothing but greed.
I always get a feather pillow, thanks great tips
I will keep this in mind for my next cruise, next week!
My husband and I cruised in August, me in a boot. Our cabin steward brought us bags of ice each evening for me to ice my foot.
Umbrella - rain forecasted, ship store out of ponchos, and umbrellas.
Asked steward if he had any plastic garbage bag to make a ponchos.
He came back with bags, and umbrella.
I asked where he got umbrella…. His personal one.
Guess day 1 meeting and preferences, plus TIP went a long way…
I like to tip day 1, then mid cruise.. (14 day example)
They went out of the way to please. Gave them my dining schedule. Room always completed while I was out. Always extra towels, needed or not. Etc
I like how the stock footage kept showing female stewards. I've never had a female steward, lol.
RE the first tip of asking what your cabin grade gets you: I have found that on HAL if you are in any of the Neptune Suites that are not surrounding the Neptune Lounge, the stewards do not seem well versed in the Neptune amenities.
If you tip the room steward they will generally check with you to see if there is anything needed. This does not always work but on most of our cruises since we started leaving a tip on the first night the steward makes sure to check with us on most days. Normally we don't need extras but when we so it's nice not to have to hunt for them.
I went on the Queen Mary 2 for 6 days. There was no bottle-opener in my room. I told my cabin steward day 1 and asked for one. He forgot (understandable). Asked again day 3. He said there was one. I assured him there was not and asked him to show me. He looked everywhere, couldn't find it. Admitted there wasn't one and he would bring me one. Nothing. Finally, day 5 (of a 6 day sailing), he got me a bottle opener. Other than that, he was great!
The strangest problem I had was there was no mirror over the desk. So, to dry my hair I asked for either a mirror, or a hairdryer! He brought a hairdryer and an extension cord but of course not all the plugs were going to fit together! We however had lots of adapters and with several of them we could convert so I could plug in and use the hair dryer!
That was actually the second time I’d had such a problem! The other one just brought me a mirror which certainly was easier.
Gary, you might want to encourage people to notice that most of our chargers: phone, computer, and CPAPs will run on either 110v or 220v. That big heavy block is converting to the devices power. We have only one device that will not run on 220, my electric toothbrush! On the ship I just use the 120 outlet, at a hotel I make sure it’s already charged so I don’t need to charge it! And yes, my camera battery chargers also work with both currents.
We were disappointed on our Carnival cruise in October 2023 in that you could no longer request when you wanted your cabin serviced. Our cabin steward was very explicit that they will do our cabin when it's convenient for them. I did attempt to leave a post-it note the door when we were out in hopes our cabin would be serviced at that time. I think that generally worked.
Our first cruise was a transatlantic with Princess. We’re going again this year. We had great service. It wasn’t a full cruise so that could have been part of the reason but our cabin steward was great.
One thing I was disappointed with our last cruise was they told us to let Princess know when we got great service. Throughout the entire cruise I made notes and took their names. However there was no way to tell anyone. That was sad for me because I think that the employees get rewarded when they get compliments from guests.
Anyway, we love Princess cruises and had a great time.
Thanks for these videos. You do such a great job.
front desk usually has comments cards
I was very impressed that my Cabin stewart was not just able to bring me an extension chord for my Cpap (I was on Celebrity-Siluette 2 weeks ago) but when I got back to my room she had also gotten me a gallon of distile water plus the 2 extra pillows I requested. I was sooo thankful.
Every cruise line I've been on, Holland, Princess and MSC have provided me with distilled water for my CPAP. Only Holland charged me $3 for the gallon.
@@francesgill8621 good to know.. I have a Princess cruised booked and Virgin again in October .. last time I didnt ask for the distilled water with Virgin and I should have.
On our last cruise, we found minor things wrong with our cabin (loose handles, toilet paper holder pointing in the wrong direction, etc.). We only had to mention it to our steward, and he had it taken care of right away.
On our 10-day 2022 Mediterranean cruise aboard the Norwegian escape we didn’t see our cabin steward once, not once. And it was like pulling teeth to get ice.
I often hate the pillows in hotels (haven’t taken as many cruises) and sometimes I ask for a different pillow, sometimes I don’t. I guess I should try to get an alternative. If the default ones are down, and I ask for a firmer pillow, sometimes I’ve just been given ANOTHER down pillow to pile on top. That’s not really what I want. The one thing our cabin steward on Viking last year had to deal with was us asking for like a dozen bottles of water each day. Or I’d have to call down to housekeeping to get some delivered. In the future maybe I should just request they stock our room with a set amount each day.
Hi Gary, my last R/C cruise (Ovation O/T Seas ) the desk in my cabin only had a stool and i asked if i could get a chair with a back on it, it was in my room within five mins, was very happy with that👍.
I feel sorry for the folks working on those boats. Long hours, and trips, tight quarters, time away from families. I spoke with a number of women who have to leave kids with relatives to work 😢. I noticed the enthusiasm at the beginning and by the 10th day, tired faces, waning smiles. Hard to unionize with so many people from different places.
I've been on Viking and Sulverseas, both have excellent service.
Especially when utubers do vidios like this one !
We try to ask for as littel as possible since they work so hard, why make them work harder !
Only thing I ask for is an extra blanket for my legs because of my RLS.
If we do not want any service will they get docked for not cleaning? We are like Mark Cuban, we do not want anyone in the room unless requested. thanks
You mentioned power adapters and chargers. I travel often and the one indispensable item for me is an Anker Charging Station. Mine is the 727 and newer models are now available. Allows me to charge 4 devices at once and has 2 AC plug sockets. Brilliant - but mine is US style plugs which may be unhelpful to you
On our last Princess cruise my husband had a knee injury on an excursion. We asked our room Stewart if he could bring us an ice bucket and refill it each evening so we could make ice packs. He was most happy to do this and many days he even filled it in the am also.
This is helpful - on our last cruise, our steward was always making up our room late in the day right as we were coming back in to get ready for the evening. Next time I will ask if he can do it earlier. Part of the problem is Norwegian basically doubled the number of room they are responsible for so it is a mad rush for them to get everything done. He also kept leaving the tip money we left out - we had to put it in an envelope with his name on it for him to take it even though we told him any money on the pillow was for him. Maybe that's a cruise line rule or something. All I know if those stewards work really hard so we always tip them well.
Some places have rules that money can only be taken if it's clearly marked.
Love your channel mate & whilst I’ve mentioned that you review Australian cruises in the past I’m sort of kinda glad you haven’t because it’s quite unique what we have here primarily having only Aussie guests discovering our shores
Our only ever request, always when we get to our stateroom - A hot water jug please (we take our own, preferred jar of instant coffee on every cruise). The very best perk on Princess is becoming Elite and getting free laundry!!
I do love the free laundry perk!!!!
What do you feel about (I’ve seen on other UA-cam sites) cleansing with wet wipes all surfaces yourself when you get into your cabin - about to go on first ever cruise (silver seas). Thanks for all your helpful info.
What video equipment do you use? I really like the shots of walking around with the selfie stick portion removed.
LAUNDRY TIP - FOLD YOUR DIRTY LAUNDRY!! I did this on a cruise and the bag was stuffed, I think I had over two dozen items. You want to get things as flat as possible and wash items that are not bulky.
Oh, I never knew you could get a magnifying mirror. I like them when putting in my contact lenses.
What about tips nowadays? We’re being charged 18+ dollars per day per person in the cabin. We used to give cash tips at the end all the time. but now days it seems like the cruise line is making it harder and harder for the average guy to afford to throw in extra money. What do we do?
Hi Gary, What about river cruising? Mostly the same tips or does it vary with river cruises?
I never need anything from my steward and rarely ask for anything except for twice a day ice!
Hope they are taking good care of you on your trip. It looks a great trip!!
@@tipsfortravellers oh yes, they are! And from time to time they get treats from shoreside. Today are bags of hot chili flavored potato chips😜
Same with us. Though on SilverSea I do like an evening caviar delivery!
Like the comment before me, I too found that they don't cope as well,we are lucky enough to go in a Queens room onboard Cunard & of course you have a butler,which,in my opinion is just a steward but with even more responsibility,we asked for the simplest of things and he just wasn't coping,clearly new to the butler position , I felt so sorry for him but he told us he had almost 20 suites to deal with,which seems unachievable,considering they were all over the ship.These cruise lines, I know,are trying to penny pinch but it got to the stage, I didn't want to ask him to do much but when you pay big bucks for suites you do expect high standards and shouldn't feel bad for asking if he could please restock bottles of water 😕
20 suites? He's not a butler, he's a cabin steward no matter what his title is.
I remember one night when i was in a hospital recovering from broken kneecap surgery asking to see if anyone had a charging cord i could borrow and one was brought to me as mine gave out. I have since then made sure that I have multiple charging cords for my devices.
Came off celb silhouette mon & hoped on enchanted princess fri..some issues w cabins not being fully ready on both lines, princess def more issues w understaffing in service. (Yelling at staff not helpful ppl!) But foods improved on both & entertainment is good.. casino payouts def less..😢
I've only been on 3 cruises so far and found the cabin stewards to helpful, even beyond what I expected. Gary, can you do a video regarding cruise lines charging solo travelers more for double occupancy than if 2 people booked the same cabin? I was going to book a Celebrity cruise out of NYC to Iceland. The solo price for double occupancy was over $1600 higher than if the same cabin was booked for 2 people. I reached out to Celebrity through Facebook and was told that's the way the cruise is priced. I feel this this is really unfair to solo cruisers.
I'd be tempted to book the room for two and have the other person not turn up!
The heel tonight shoe came off, and a cabin steward check the shade to a handyman on the ship, who securely glued it once again
On both Cunard Queen Elizabeth, and HAL Oosterdam, same class of ship, I found I could plug in my CPAP machine, with adaptor and the cord would reach next to the bed. Never mind Cabin Stewards, my two Indonesian Dining Room Stewards on Oosterdam sang Happy Birthday to me in Bahasa Indonesia!
Gary, we dont drink alcohol. Can we ask for an alternative to the Neptune suite welcome package?
We've done > 25 cruises and I always learn knew things from your videos! Thank You!
Not cruise, but I had something on the bed, as one of the posts kept jabbing me in the back
Can you add your selfie stick info into the description? Thank you sir.
What’s the standard tip for steward?
Interesting in your video, saw the Oosterdam. The crew and staff were the best, the ship. Well, let's just say it's time for it to be retired. Even one of the officers (we had dinner with him and his wife) said the same. Point is, your cabin steward can only do so much.
Lots of reasons a good cabin steward deserves an extra tip!
Yes agree. I always tip extra as they add so much