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.
Welcome aboard. I am Gary Bembridge making it easy for you to ensure your
cabin steward helps make your next cruise even more amazing.
Before I get to the physical “stuff” they can bring that I know you will want to know about,
I want to talk about some even more valuable,
and underused ways cabin stewards can add to your cruise. First, information.
One question I always ask my cabin steward when I meet them for the
first time is “what does this cabin grade I am in get me?”. I ask for two reasons.
First, every cruise line has different perks,
inclusions and included extras even for the same grades. So, for example,
my balcony cabin on Majestic Princess that I was in a few weeks after my Norwegian Encore one had a
very different set including a complimentary beach bag and bottles of water that would be replaced.
Second, cruise lines frequently change the inclusions and perks,
so even when returning to a familiar line I check. For example, on returning to
Oceania the other month I found going in the same grade I had as last time,
I now had included three free sets of laundry and a canape menu to choose from each day.
But I found a second equally revealing question to ask!
I often ask my cabin steward "What are the things
you get most requested to do or bring these days?". This sometimes throws up
things that they can do but forgot to mention in the first question.
Although I will get into a full list of things you can get later, I found the 6 most asked for
things by passengers are regular ice bucket refills, glasses and a corkscrew if not in
the cabin as standard, extra hangers, extra towels, and a paper copy of the daily program.
Another thing which a cabin steward can do that most passengers don't tap into,
is provide tips and tricks about the ship, the itinerary, and the port.
Let me give you a couple of examples. First,
for tips about the ship I'm going to come back to a laundry example.
When I was on Norwegian Viva recently, I asked my cabin steward about doing laundry as I had
been on a pre-cruise stay and had dirty washing. He told me to wait until day three of the cruise,
as every 3 days there would be a promotion where I could fill a bag for
a fixed price which was dramatically cheaper than sending it away then.
Cruise lines tend to run the same promotions and offers like this on a regular schedule
during each cruise, and the cabin steward can tip you off on what is likely to be coming.
Next the cabin steward can usually give me fantastic port tips.
For example, on my Silversea South African trip three months ago I had concerns around safety of
exploring ports alone. My cabin steward was able to tell me what ports I should not go
exploring by myself, and which were okay, based in his and other crew experiences.
For example, he said in Durban I should do an excursion or use the same taxi service
the crew do to go to a specific mall as the taxi would wait and charge a set fee and
recommended the best restaurant to go to for the traditional South African bobotie and bunny chow.
He also suggested the best eSIM to buy based on his experience,
which was a company called Airalo. My mobile service plan didn't have roaming there,
and I needed good 4G as the Wi-Fi on the ship was not great to do some video
uploading and I wanted the security of being connected when out in the ports exploring.
He also was able to tell me the best place to in each port to go for Wi-Fi, a pharmacy, and so on.
I also found the cabin steward is often the best person to solve little problems. For example,
on a recent MSC Virtuosa Cruise, a friend was also on had broken the handle of their
suitcase and spoke to their cabin steward and he was able to sort it
out by connecting them to a handyman on the ship who was happy to do it for a small tip.
Now, let me talk about the more specific things a cabin steward
can bring and do for you in your cabin beyond those 6 most asked for I mentioned earlier.
There are eight key ones that I think you should know about. First,
is around beds and sleeping. Beds and Sleeping
The cabin steward can change the setup of the beds. Most cabins have two beds
that can be set up as twins or get pushed together to make a double bed.
They can also move the side table configuration around. For example,
my sister likes her bed against the wall on one side,
so she asks for the bed to be against the wall instead of side table each side.
They can usually change your pillows. I like a feather pillow but not all lines
have them as standard. I've found almost every time, no matter the grade of line,
the cabin steward can usually find me at least one feather pillow.
They can also make the bed harder or softer, by bringing in a mattress topper to make the
bed softer and get rid of that uncomfortable line where the two beds pushed together meet,
or often can bring a board to put under the mattress to make the bed firmer.
Of course, they can do other things like bring extra blankets.
I often ask my cabin steward to change the bed linen less frequently. On some lines,
like on Oceania Vista recently, they asked if I wanted the bed changed less
frequently. It’s a small environmental move but it gives them less work
to do too. Which links me to the next point around frequency of service.
Some lines have gone to once a day cabin service, like Norwegian Cruise Line and P&O Cruises,
and some with twice a day are offering the option to opt in once a day like on a Holland America
trip recently, and of course you can ask for even less if you prefer from your cabin steward.
However, what I like to do is get the cabin steward to tailor when
my room is serviced to meet my schedule which they usually are willing to do.
For me, I tend to go to breakfast in the Main Dining Room for breakfast
every day and when it opens. So, I ask my cabin steward at the start of the cruise
to do my room at that time each day. The same for dinner as I also eat early when
it opens so I can do some post-dinner work on my channel and then see shows
later on. The cabin steward then does my room early to match with my dinner plans.
Let’s get back to the cabin and what they can do for you in the bathroom.
Many cruise ships have moved to the big refillable toiletry bottles. If you really
don't like using those, ask if they have the small individual bottles the line used before. Although
increasingly rare, some still have stocks of the small individual bottles as they phase them out.
On luxury lines that still use them as standard, check with the steward if they have choice of
brands as many do, and have just set up with the most popular brand, or what the last guests
used. On some I have found I could replace the Bulgari toiletries with L'Occitane that I love.
They can bring other things that you might need like a sharp’s container
or a magnifying mirror for shaving or make up if there is not one as standard in the cabin.
They are normally able to empty your minibar if want it clear to store your
own drinks and snacks, or you want to resist the temptation or risk of buying the costly
mini bar items, especially as they are not usually included in the drink’s packages.
The other thing that I have found is possible sometimes is if a cruise line offers perks in
some grades, but aren't in your grade, it may be possible the cabin steward can swing it.
The one they can often get is bathrobes, and the other that I have not tried, but friends of mine
have, and that is ask for a coffee machine or tea and coffee making facilities and they got it.
You can ask cabin stewards to not make towel animals if you’re on a line that does them
because you're worried about it's taking up too much time, ask them to make specific ones if there
is a favourite, and if they don't do towel animals as standard and you're travelling with kids and
really want one talk to the cabin steward and see if they will make them one during the trip.
If you need extension cords the cabin steward will try and help, especially
if for CPAP machines. But if you do need to plug one in it is essential the cruise line knows in
advance so they ensure they have one that will enable you to have the machine next to the bed.
Depending on the line, I’ve found the cabin steward can sometimes help with
adaptera or even charger. On one Regent cruise I had forgotten to
pack my bag with adapters and chargers and on asking the cabin steward if he knew if
the on-board shop sold adapters and where in the next port I could buy an iPhone charger,
he brought me both. I think they were in the lost and found left by past passengers.
Is there anything that you found a cabin steward has done for you, that I haven't mentioned? If so,
leave it in the comments. But while you think about that, join me over on
this video where I share things that polite cruisers do that drive crew crazy and why!