One of the best things about a cruise is that you don’t have to worry about dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing or otherwise lifting a finger to clean during your vacation. That’s largely down to your room manager (also known as cabin attendant or cabin attendant). The staff of this cruise line make sure your cabin stays tidy during your trip.
What else should you know about your cruise cabin manager? In this section, I’ll cover their duties, what you can (and can’t) ask them to do, and what sets them apart from the people who clean your rooms at a hotel or resort.
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Duties of housekeeping staff
In addition to cleaning and sanitizing your room and bathroom before you board, your cabin manager is also responsible for cleaning and sanitizing your cabin throughout your journey.
Many shipping lines offer twice-daily service in each cabin. That means you can expect your room service staff to arrive sometime between breakfast and lunch to make your bed, retrieve used room service glasses or trays, and provide fresh towels and toiletries when needed.
They’ll also visit your living room at night, possibly while you’re having dinner, to provide a nightly turndown service, which sometimes includes treats like chocolate pillows and stuffed animals. On routes that still offer hardcopy, your manager’s nightly duties will also include leaving copies of the next day’s schedule of activities, as well as dinner invitations and excursion tickets. onshore and flyers for events like art auctions and spa tours.
However, there are exceptions. Some major itineraries – including Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line And Festival cruise line – Have cut down on housekeeping once a day to cut costs. On ships of those lines, passengers can expect to have their rooms cleaned once per day.
If you don’t want the cabin attendant to enter your room, place a magnet or the provided “do not disturb” sign on your door. I do this when napping, getting ready for dinner, or working.
For their other duties, the room service staff is responsible for collecting the clothes that the passenger wishes to wash, dry clean or press (for a fee); added minibar of each cabin; and deal with requests for things like extra beds or hangers.
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What a cabin attendant can (and can’t) do for you
Remember that the room manager is not the butler. Although they can fill you up with ice buckets, show you how to use the TV and air conditioning, provide you with kid-sized life jackets, and fold the pajamas you leave strewn around the room when you venture out out for a morning errand, but they won’t be able to accommodate specific requests beyond keeping your room clean.
Here are some things you can expect your flight attendants to do:
- Introduce yourself to a friend on the first day or two of your trip.
- Deliver your checked baggage to your room after you board.
- Remove dirty dishes, cups, and room service items from your cabin.
- Clean and tidy your room (vacuum, clean up spills, fix beds and general arrangements).
- Remove dirty towels and provide new towels.
- Change your bed sheets (if required).
- Arrange your sleeping space (separating the bed, pairing the bed, and pulling the bunk down).
- Free refills of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and lotion.
- Replenish tissues and toilet paper.
- Provide daily schedules and other paper announcements.
- Answer general questions or show you who has the answer if they don’t know.
- Notify maintenance if something goes wrong with things like plumbing or electricity in your cabin.
They will not be able to do the following:
- Answer questions regarding your on-board bill.
- Schedule shore excursions, book your dinner or spa treatment.
- Take room service orders.
- Help you unpack or repack.
- Provide support services if you have mobility problems.
- Take care of your kids.
- Hang out with you on your journey.
- Shows you the crew quarters.
To address some of the first items on the second list, you’ll have to call customer service, the shore excursion desk, or the spa from your cabin or visit in person. Sometimes you can also make these reservations on Mobile application of your journey. If you have booked in an expensive set that includes the services of a conciergeyou will also have the option to reserve through them.
Because room service, you will have to call your ship’s dedicated room service number, which is usually listed on your cabin phone. For packing and unpacking services, hire services of a butler if you are staying in the superior room. Otherwise, you are on your own.
How is a room attendant different from a hotel butler?
While a yacht cabin manager is similar to a butler serving your room at a hotel, there is one key difference: You have the ability to actually meet your room manager and maybe even get to know each other. with them. They will almost always knock on your door on job start day to introduce themselves and their team (if they’re not working alone), explain the specifics of your room, and ask if you can need anything.
They also often greet you by name when they pass you in the hallway and ask about your day.
In addition to knowing your name and the names of those traveling with you, flight attendants have the ability to remember special requests. Do you want to refill your ice bucket every day? Would you rather have only one chocolate pillow instead of two? Do you want a printout of the daily schedule even though your cruise line only provides them on request? Do you need four wipes instead of two? Ask your room manager.
The service on the yacht is much more personalized than what you would get at a standard hotel. For that reason, it’s customary (except on luxury cruises where bonuses are included) to tip your room manager for a job well done. Most cruise ships charge a fee Daily service fee per passenger costs are included, but many passengers choose to leave extra cash at the end of the trip if they feel their flight attendant has gone above and beyond.
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