Each cabin will have a cabin steward and an assistant cabin steward, responsible for ten to twenty other cabins. They are there to maintain and clean your cabin daily. The ideal cabin steward is someone you will only see on the first day of the cruise and might see walking around outside your corridor with their trolley, as you head out. Ideally they will make up the room as soon as you leave for the day, and then will turn down your bed when you go in for dinner. If you have something you want to request during the day, an ice bucket for example, call room service, as it is a separate duty altogether on some ships. Cabin stewards are there to clean the cabins. By 2.00pm your steward will be done and on his break, so if you miss them in the corridor outside your cabin, simply leave a small note of instructions for them. If, for example you don’t want them to disturb a pile of cloths you have lying on your bed, simply note it down and leave it for them to find.
If you want your clothes to be laundered, pressed, dry cleaned etc, your cabin steward will be responsible for the collection and delivery of your items, though bear in mind that you will pay per item and charged to your onboard account.
Cabin Room-service
Advice on what to expect:
Is free as standard. There should be a basic 24 hour menu available and a day time menu which will vary from ship to ship. Some ships offer a full dining room menu in the cabin during dining room meal hours, accompanied by a table cloth, fresh flower, and a full table set up in your cabin. Other vessels will simply just place the tray next to your TV and leave. If you have a butler, he will inform you of his working times on embarkation and will take very good care of your daily personal needs. Make sure that when returning from your day ashore, after dinner, your cabin steward has given you a new breakfast room service slip which you can fill out for your breakfast order, and hang outside your door ready for the night porters to collect before 11.30 pm. If you have a tour and need to be up at a specific time, or you might miss the bus, do not rely on the delivery of your ordered breakfast tray to wake you up. Get a wake up call through reception as well as room service. The room service staff can be overwhelmed at peak pre-tour times and you will oversleep and might not have time for a full breakfast later.If you want to enjoy a bottle of wine in the cabin and the cruise is not an all inclusive one, there will be a charge to your onboard account through room service. A service charge however will not be added, though a confirmation of receipt signature will be necessary.If you get sick and have been to see the doctor, and he has advised you not to leave the cabin for a few days, as you might have picked up something contageous shore side, room service from the dining rooms’ menu will be available during meal times. The doctor will e-mail the Maitre D’ who in turn will get in touch with you, to advise you what there is on offer at the time you wish to dine.
Calling home
Advice on saving money:
This is expensive when phoning from your cabin, although it is possible by calling reception, giving them the number and having them connect you. It might be up to or even beyond $8 a minute. My advise would be to ask your cabin steward or your waiter for the best port to call home. If you are friendly with a crew member, they might even be able to discretely get a phone card for you to save you hunting around ashore. Do not advertise the fact though, it might cost them there job.
Mini Bars
Mostly on the smaller more exclusive cruise liners, like sea bourne. On the larger cruise ships soft drinks perhaps, but alcohol not, though it can be ordered through dialing room service at the cost of the bar menu.