Your room cabin steward will keep very busy during your cruise. This article will detail what they actually do and how you can make your cruise as smooth as possible.
Your bags are packed in your SUV and the long drive to your home port has begun. After months of planning and prepping, vacation is here! Lots of memories will be made and you might even book your next cruise before debarkation.
For the next week, your home-away-from-home will be a relatively small, yet comfortable cruise cabin. Your cabin will be comfortable and a nice place to lay your head after a long day at the beach.
When you enter your cabin after a long and tiring day, you might wonder just who it is that “magically” cleans and tidies up your living space. Cruise cabin stewards’ sole job is to covertly clean your room when you aren’t around.
Let’s take a deep dive into what cruise cabin stewards do and what you can do to make their jobs just a bit easier.
Clean Your Room
Most importantly, your cabin steward will clean and keep your room in order throughout your vacation. This service is almost worth the price of the entire cruise, as they are experts of their craft. Cleaning is their main job, although you may see them doing other jobs during your stay.
More than likely, you will meet your cabin steward on the first day of your trip. Usually, cabin stewards make a point of greeting all guests on the first day. During this first meeting, they may ask you if you’d like your room cleaned once per day or twice per day. This is completely up to you. Your cabin steward will also make a concerted effort all week to call you by your name. Impressive for sure.
When you first enter your cabin, you will notice that the room is very neat and orderly. Your bed will be tidy and crisp. Your restroom will be clean and stocked with towels for your party. If you need additional towels, do not be afraid to ask. Each day, your towels will be replenished, unless you specify otherwise. The toilet paper will stay stocked and the tissue dispenser will remain full.
Each day, your cabin steward will vacuum the floors and clean all surfaces. They will fill your ice bucket daily, if desired. Just be sure to let your cabin steward know that this is something you’d regularly like done.
Read more: 7 ways to avoid spending an extra penny on your cruise
Handle Laundry Services
If you choose to use the laundry services onboard, chances are, your cabin steward will play a role in the process. More than likely, your cabin will have a laundry bag and order form for your use throughout your vacation. You can choose a Wash and Fold service or pressing/ironing of your more delicate items.
Sometimes, cruise lines will offer sales on laundry services, so keep an eye on the daily schedule. They might offer a flat rate to have an entire bag of laundry cleaned and folded.
Some cruise lines offer Wash and Fold laundry service as a perk for VIP guests. If you receive this perk, by all means, use it! It is well-worth it to have your clothing washed for free during your stay. Some cruisers like to utilize the service towards the end of their trip, so that they can take a suitcase full of clean clothing home.
Assist with the Muster Drill
While some cruise lines have transitioned to a virtual muster drill, some still use the standard drill or a combination of the two. You will find out which type of muster drill you will be required to participate in, shortly after embarkation.
Cruise cabin stewards play a large role in the muster drill. If you have to physically go to your muster location, cabin stewards will make sure that your room is cleared and that you are not in there during the drill. Cabin stewards are also responsible for making sure each cabin has the required number of life vests in storage.
You may also see your cabin stewards throughout the ship during the muster drill. Oftentimes, the cabin stewards will work on other decks and be assigned to actual muster stations as support staff. Everyone chips in during the muster drill to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew.
Related: 7 outdated cruise tips you can just ignore these days
Deliver Important Documentation to Your Cabin
In recent years, some cruise lines have mentioned eliminating the printed daily schedule of events. While this seems to be an unpopular opinion amongst cruisers, most still deliver a daily printed schedule to your cabin.
This important piece of information is usually delivered to your cabin while your room is being cleaned or slipped under the door at a later time. You will need this schedule to plan your next days’ events, shows to attend, and meal choices.
Your cabin steward will also make sure that you have shopping maps and information for scheduled cruise stops. Oftentimes, this paperwork will contain important information about your port day, including sales, freebies and suggested stores to shop.
If you are a VIP on your cruise, you may have other events to attend that are by invitation only. Some events include the Past Guest Party, or Carnival’s Diamond Luncheon.
If you book a shore excursion during your cruise, your cabin steward will usually deliver printed tickets to your cabin. He/she will make sure that your tickets arrive the night before your scheduled arrival in port.
At the end of the cruise, your cabin steward will also deliver your final bill. This final bill will reflect all of your charges and credits for the week.
Related: 19 things you should do on cruise embarkation day
How can I make my Cabin Stewards’ Job a Bit Easier?
Your cabin stewards’ main goal is to make you happy and ensure that your trip is full of fun and great memories. They remember your name throughout the cruise for a reason. Cabin stewards are trained hospitality professionals that have your comfort in mind at all times.
While a few passengers may go out of their way to make the cabin stewards’ job harder (purposefully making a large mess or just being rude in general), most of us would prefer the exact opposite.
Take a few extra moments before leaving your cabin in the mornings to remove any personal items you may not want lying around. Put these back in your luggage or in a drawer. Cabin stewards will not mess with these items and would appreciate less clutter to clean around.
If something malfunctions in your cabin, tell your cabin steward promptly. Sometimes AC units mess up and toilets clog, as this happens to every business from time to time. Make sure you tell your cabin steward promptly so that he can fix the problem and not just stumble upon the problem as it becomes a larger issue.
Your cabin steward will thank you for any assistance you give them. They have a lot of cabins to clean and the smallest of gestures mean a lot to them.
The next time you board a ship, remember how hard your cruise cabin steward works. Not only do they clean up after you, they clean up after your kids, neighboring cabins, and their own cabins. Every bit of that automatic cruise gratuity is well-deserved and appreciated.
Read more: Cruise Packing: 15 things people always forget
Learn the cruise secrets most people don't know and cruise like a boss. Check out Intelligent Cruiser here for a better cruise vacation. (Sponsored)
