Stateroom Stewards

[JoeyandDavid]

After reading numerous reviews, I notice that some people rave about their stateroom attendent while others arent so pleased...and i have to agree that some stateroom attendents we have had appear to be mearly going through the motions..

In your opinion what does it take to make a stateroom attendent stand out and become excellent?

[deb1220]

One of the things that makes a cabin steward stand out, for me, is when they remember your name..... and even address you when they see you in the hall. Another is when they put something in your room without being asked.... by just noticing that you might need it......like seeing that you have a bottle of wine sitting on your dresser.... and bring you a corkscrew and wine glasses.

[sailingrose]

Definately the extras..........cleaning around Howie sleeping on the balcony, getting wine glasses, etc. We have had amazing stewards through the years...........and some not so great ones.

[Joanandjoe]

Knowing your name, being friendly despite the awful working conditions, keeping the room neat, responding to requests, and occasionally anticipating needs (such as the aforementioned corkscrew for the wine bottle). Most of our stewards and stewardesses have met these criteria, so we've had some great ones.

What makes a bad steward or stewardess? Refusing to clean out the minibar. (We don't want to get charged for anything, so we always clean it out.) Not getting us a foam pillow when I can't sleep with a feather one - despite the fact that there's supposed to be a pillow menu. Being unfamiliar with the special concierge class room service menu. Failing to clean the room when we were out of it. Never smiling or calling us by name. Responding slowly or not at all to requests. As mentioned on another thread, a clueless stewardess can (and, in the case of Celebrity, did) turn one off from an entire cruise line.

[DebbieandJerry]

I guess we're lucky because we never really had an "awful" room steward. On our back-to-back, the first room steward was incredible. He made sure to talk with us before our cruise ended to let us know that they were putting him on another floor because of problems on that floor. The next week we got someone brand new. Brand new to the ship and first week on the job. We took that in to consideration.

So, what makes an incredible room steward? First and foremost, the fact that he or she has been in and out of the room and you never knew it. Bless the room stewards that take care of our schedules. Jerry loves to nap, nap and more nap. I am usually up before the sun, out exercising. By the time we return from breakfast, our room has been cleaned and looking as tidy as it can, considering all the stuff I bring.

When we see the room steward in the hallway, he/she always greets us by name. Sometimes when we are on the wrong side, he will direct us to the correct side to find our room.

When we return from an excursion, we always chat with the room steward. Sometimes we find out in advance if he/she will be able to get off the ship and always inquire as to what he/she did that day.

We are very social (and chatty). We try to find out a little bit about our room steward the first day that we are on the ship (where he is from, how long he has been cruising, favorite ship, favorite itinerary, etc.)

We both wear glasses. The room steward makes sure that we have glass cleaner and/or windex available at least twice a day to clean our glasses. (We only ask at the beginning of the cruise and it magically is waiting for us.)

[boba]

I think a lot of it is they're personallity. If they do a good job, take pride in their work, and are friendly to us, It almost seems like you've made a new friend for the week.

[elfed]

A warm greeting on embarkation on arrival in my stateroom to start with. Then telling me he/she is available whenever I want service or a question answered. Finally keep my stateroom clean of sand and dirt. For those simple requests I usually reward them with an additional gratuity.

Regards,

James.

[jacketwatch]

Well they have to be attentive to their work and do it to their best. Other attributes that help include being prompt and friendly. It also never hurts to be nice to them too. Simple courtesy goes a long way I think. Just put yourself in their positions and imagine how hard they work.