Went on a Disney cruise when my daughter was little. While at sea she lost a tooth and was distraught because she thought the tooth fairy wouldn't be able to find her. I went to guest services and told them, asking if they could help me out. They told me they absolutely could. When we got back to our room that evening there was a card on her pillow from Tinkerbell, stating that she had sprinkled a path of fairy dust over the ocean for the tooth fairy to find. In the card there was a handful of glitter, some chocolates and a button with an image of the Cheshire Cat grinning with a missing tooth, saying "I lost a tooth on the Disney Cruise!". I was blown away! They are 100% prepared for EVERYTHING!! Disney magic is real. 🤯❤
Disney is the best especially at taking care advice kids. It’s all about that Disney Magic! My son was afraid to sleep on the upper bunk when he was young and we mentioned it to the cabin steward. When we got back to the room after the show the bed was full of stuffed Disney characters and a card from Tinkerbell saying “I sent over some of my friends to keep you company and safe.
On our first Disney cruise, my son needed medication and usually took it with applesauce at dinner. They had none. They checked a few places with none available. I told them not to worry about it and that we’d try ice cream and grab something from the buffet for the remainder of the days. About 10 minutes later, the head chef came over with a bowl of applesauce. He had made it from an apple. There was one waiting each night for my son. ❤
I had $120 fall out of my pocket on the way to an excursion. I knew no one would turn it in so I didn’t bother, for a couple days, to call guest services. My spouse encouraged me to just call and ask so I did. It was amazing that someone turned in the money!! I was so shocked. The lady at guest services said “ wow it was even turned in by a fellow passenger!” She was as shocked as I was. She had the name and cabin number of the person that turned it in. We found this sweet older lady and gave her $25 for turning it in. She did not want to take it but I insisted. It was wonderful and encouraging to find out there are good, honest people still around😊
We need to polite to all staff!!!! On a cruise or not!!!! It is a good habit. Recently was mailing a package and the line was out the door!!! When I got to the front I thanked the young man for coming to to work that day. He was the only person working in the busy ups store!!!
Sometimes it's nice if Guest Services isn't busy when walking by just to stop and say you're having a great cruise or to say thank you if a problem has been solved. It always seems to bring a smile to their faces.
I work in guest services at a resort and this is very true!! We’re often ambushed by issues or complaints or misunderstandings and it’s so nice to hear from happy guests as well and/or when things have been resolved for them.
I had a great day experience with someone from guest services. I asked to speak with her supervisor. She was so touched that she was practically in tears. She told me that she just recently got married to somebody that worked in the main dining room kitchen staff and couldn't wait to tell him after shift. I felt good about what I did😊
This is a unique one, but on one cruise I went on (Carnival), one of the guests forgot to bring hearing aid batteries and guest services asked if anyone else had some and I packed extra and so I shared them. Guest services was really grateful that I was willing to help that they sent chocolate covered strawberries to our room and bought us drinks. For even unusual things, I’ve found that guest services really does try to go above and beyond to help.
When we began moving our clothes into our cabin closet, it was very clear that a previous guest was a heavy smoker whose clothes carried a heavy smoke odor that permeated the closet interior. I'm very sensitive to smoke and I knew my clothes would absorb the smell and make for a miserable trip. I asked our cabin attendant if they had some kind of spray I could use to help remove the odor before my clothes absorbed that smell. We left for dinner. By the time we returned, the closet had been well taken care of, not a hint of smoke smell anywhere. I was able to unpack and enjoy a smoke-free vacation. I was beyond thankful.
I broke the base off my lightweight mobility scooter going out to promenade deck on a ship, it was the base where the battery layed on. Thought my holiday was over. Made it back to the room and my wife spoke to the room steward. An engineer arrived shortly after, took my scooter away, returned it a few hours later patched up with some sort off fibre glass wrap which was so good, never replaced it when i got home. There are so many talented people who work on cruise ships, you just need to ask.
Loved the information. On my last cruise on the Crown Princess I received an emergency message from a friend who was at the Vet with my very elderly dog (18 years old). The Vet needed to speak to me and we were unable to connect. A quick call to Guest Services and they placed a call to the Vet then transferred it to our cabin phone. I was able to authorize the Vet to do what needed to be done and she ended up passing away later that morning. I was so grateful and Guest Services not only did this for us there was no charge. Totally above and beyond❤
On one RCCL cruise, we were packing to go home and my husband couldn't find his car keys (we live in Florida and drive to the port). He went to Guest Services once and they said they didn't have them. After a lot of panic and a lot of looking, I told him to check again with Guest Services. He spoke to a different person and she found them. We figured out that , when we gave our bags to the porter on Day 1, they must have fallen when my husband went to slip them in a pocket on his backpack. One of the porters must have noticed them later and turned them in. Boy, were we relieved (and very lucky)!
A wheel on my mother in law's wheelchair broke. We asked guest services if they had an extra wheelchair we could borrow. They did have one we could use and they sent a crew member from the mechanic shop to our room and fixed the wheelchair. We were so grateful
While on Pride Of American in Honolulu, my wife and I were playing cards with our own worn out deck and a woman from guest services came over and gave us two new decks of cards with the Norwegian logo. Really surprised us. Nice touch!
On Celebrity, my spouse wanted to propose me to marriage during our cruise. He went to guest relations on day one and they were more than happy to help. They managed to arrange a meeting with the Cruise Director and they set the surprise up in the Main Dining Room (it was on the Eclipse) and the Maître D’ and one of their duets were involved as well. So my oblivious self had a wonderful proposal at cruise and the first thing we did afterwards was going at the guest relations desk ans thanking them.
You do a great job of engaging your audience by asking for their experiences. I enjoy your videos. Thank you for sharing. Nicely done. Regards from SW Florida.
In regards to the Disembarkation tags. I always take some return address labels from home to use. It prevents having to print out all that information by hand.
We were on a celebrity cruise and a fellow passenger and my husband were talking . The passenger accidently spilled his red wine all over my husband's new shirt. I called huess services to see about cleaning it. They came and got it,cleaned it and delivered it back the next day. It looked like new and they called to see if it looked good. Great sercice😊
It's always best to be kind and polite to people - it's been my experience that they will be much more willing to help you if you treat them with decency and respect. I had to ask Guest Services on our last (Disney - love Disney cruises so much!) if I could cancel an excursion scheduled for the next day because of an ankle issue I had had to see the onboard nurse about (didn't realize that it was actually broken). I told him up front that I would understand if the answer was no. He said he would look into it and then came to me at dinner (!) to say that my excursion had been refunded. I was blown away. Could have hugged the guy!
Yes, that was me with the earplugs on Celebrity cruise lines! My husband forgot his CPAP the most important thing that you shouldn’t forget and I talked to my cabinet Steward and she asked me how my trip was going. I said well great but I can’t sleep because my husband forgot his CPAP machine and she said go to guest services and they’ll give you earplugs. Cruise was saved and I’m still married.😅
story from a cruise director on our cruise. Line at Guest Services and couple at head of line asked what time was the midnight buffet. After being told it was at midnight, seven other people got out of line.
My wife went on her first cruise with me (I had been on 3 cruises years before). She wanted to have a speciality seafood dinner. However l do not eat seafood but I was informed to bring my food from the buffet. We informed ahead of time only my wife would be charged $40 for her dinner. Later l checked our bill online and we were charged $80. My wife telephoned Guest Services to remove the extra charge. A day later the charge was removed. I do like the suggestion that one may have a speciality dinner and have the other person not pay and not his wife dine alone.
On my first cruise I noticed the lamp just above my bed was flickering terribly. I reported that to the guest relations desk and even before I was done talking the agent contacted the maintainance team to have that fixed. Before I made it back to my cabin they had that already sorted out. Impressive.
Thank you for this video! After watching it I emailed my travel agent. She called the cruise line and said they will have a medical fridge for my kids medication, cords for the c-pap, and no down feathers (a few of us are allergic). I had no idea I could ask for those things. Thanks so much!
I had an Aft Excel suite on Carnival Celebration, on the second day of the cruise the suite became very hot and humid, the air conditioning stopped working. Guest services immediately sent a representative who had a fancy thermostat with her. She took the temp then placed a call. 10 minutes later two engineers arrived and began working on the air conditioning units (there were two separate units). Everything was fixed within the hour!
Royal Caribbean had a way to request an extension cord and distilled water for my CPAP before the cruise. They were in the cabin when we arrived. Kudos!
Your best tip, and it's also the key to getting along in the world, is to be polite. We should all strive to put our best foot forward in interacting with others. One can easily make someone's day by doing so and, in turn, enriching one's own life.
We pretty much always travel on DCL and I’ve asked for many different types of pillows from Memory Foam to an ultra soft pillow and they always say that they will see what they can do, but they have always managed to find the perfect pillow for me. 😍
I popped out to my room's balcony to take a picture of Port; My balcony door slammed shut behind me, and the lever went into the down/locked position!.... I used the Crew Chat Guest Services for rescue!
I install hotel locks for a living. If your card has a magnetic stripe, you can punch a hole in it. If your card is the "tap" type (RFID), do NOT punch a hole in it. RFID cards contain a microchip and a spiral antenna that you will most-likely damage, rendering the card useless.
Another reason to ask guest services for help. They will have someone figure out how to how to attach a lanyard while maintaining the card’s functionality.
I have posted before about the extra help we have been given, so I won't repeat myself. The best advice is, if you have a problem ask for help. Can't hurt! I'm reminded of one instance on Holland America years ago. We like to eat in the dining room as we enjoy the leisurely and quiet atmosphere. Occasionally there would be a cheese option for dessert. After a few days I asked our waiter if there was any Edam cheese on the ship, as I particularly like it. Dutch ship should have Dutch cheese. After that every night as we left the dining room he handed me a little foil basket of Edam cheese and crackers for a midnight snack! Another time on Princess my husband liked the onion soup so much he asked if he could have it every night. Several times during our cruise I heard people asking the waiter, "Why can't I have onion soup like he has?"
I went on my first cruise this past week and absolutely loved it. I went on the ncl gem out of Boston and as someone who lives in New England, it was a nice and easy way to try my first cruise. I absolutely loved it. One thing that’s well worth it on ncl is the mandara spa pass it was around $200 for the whole week and definitely was well worth it.
Love the Gem that was my first cruise ship as well a few years ago. I'm glad you had a good time. NCL Gem is the perfect sized ship for someone's first cruise.
Guest Services is also Lost and Found. I had RX sunglasses fall from my pocket and after a day they were at Guest Services. They had a box full of them.
I left my camera at one of the game shows. A crew member found it and turned it into guest services. I needed to prove it was mine. I had a photo of myself already taken, and that was good ID.
On my 1st cruise my luggage was very late getting to my cabin, I went to guest services to inquire about the delay, they were very apologetic and gave me 2 toiletry kits and 2 free cruise line tshirts.(RC)
⭐ on MSC I got earplugs. My assigned cabin was a handicap wheelchair cabin on deck 5. It was under the theater stage on deck 6. During rehearsal on embarkation day, my walls were vibrating from the heavy bass. They gave me earplugs at first. The next morning they moved me to a handicap cabin on deck 11
It is surprising to discover all the different things that can be done by the cruise personnel. When we were on a Princess cruise to Alaska last year, we were asked if we could vacate our cabin for a couple of hours so they could replace the carpet! I’m not sure how they accomplished this with all the furniture (we had a mini suite) but when we returned to our cabin we had brand new carpet!
My mom started bringing travel fans years ago. And now we have some that are so much lighter but charge with a usb c adapter. So when our phone is done we can charge those up. She always brings two knowing I’ll need one along the way. Plus you can use on the plane or the hotel room before and after the cruise. Couldn’t travel without those
I am looking forward to our first cruise in August '25! I really appreciate your videos! I feel somewhat prepared on what to expect. Thank you for all of the information and ideas!
I had no idea that you could get (possibly) all those things at guest service! I have a CPAP so I will ask for distilled water, but I really had never thought of the other items. I like to just walk by when it’s not busy and thank them because I’m sure a lot of people demand things and don’t thank them. Great post!
My first and third cruise was on the same ship. My 1st cruise I requested distilled water and received it for free. The 3rd cruise I had to pay for it. Carnival Pride
Not just guest services the whole events team at RC are totally incredible!!! The helped me plan the perfect engagement to my fiancee on her first cruise on the very bow of the Anthem of the Seas. However, once onboard I still need to speak with them often because the proposal is going to be in a restricted area I needed approval from so many people from the captain, first officer, chief of security, and several other people I never meet, lol. She did say yes on the very bow of the ship in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We area getting married this December at Sandals Royal Barbados.
Happy Sunday llana hope you have a lovely day enjoying the sunshine 🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺
On a HAL cruise, my roommate got water and extension cord for their cpap machine. They asked for both before embarkation day. They also requested the “egg-crate” style mattress topper.
On a recent cruise, my husbands eyeglasses were not very straight. We went to guess services and a super nice person called someone from the back office and he fixed the screw on the glasses. Another time we didn’t have enough hot water in shower and someone came very quickly and fixed it.
We filled out a form before disembarking once and mentioned we didn’t have a pen to do it and had to ask a friend for one. Upon disembarking we received a package from Guest Services that had 2 pens and 2 beautiful Princess journals in it. That was going above and beyond! Loved it.
My sister loves collecting pens from places she has been! Asked our NCL room steward for a pen and he did leave her a NCL Haven pen! lol We were not in Haven but showed our steward our appreciation with an extra tip!
On Viking several years ago, there was an annoying metal on metal sound. Turned out there was a metal rod rolling around on a tender that was located above us. Guest Services went out of their way to find the noise (engineering did).
Many years ago, when in my 20's, we would stay up late and "borrow" a lounge chair for our balcony. The last time we did that was our first Celebrity cruise in the early 2000's. When our cabin steward saw it out there, he said we could have just asked and they would have brought one.
We had three in our mini suite and we did ask for a third chair for the balcony and got it. I did travel with a friend who needed hypoallergenic sheets and got them. I have mailed cards from cruise ships but it was back in the 70s early 80s, glad to hear you can still do it! Wow Illana good information for the ships art print out.🚢🙂
This post is really about my experiences with the FOS I just came off of Sunday. I would post it on your review from a few weeks ago, but you might not see it. Well, you were definitely right about that Ice Skating Extravaganza in Studio B. That just blew me away. Totally Awesome. And that Once Upon a Time show was equally as fantastic. You really get some bang for your buck on such a short three night cruise. It was something seeing all the different locations you mentioned. Some of them were just little areas. Like Loco Fresh or whatever it's called. Didn't realize it was just a long countertop near the pool. I just grabbed some chopped meat there on the first day. Boleros too was just a grooved out section on the 4th deck. And yes, it extended to the other side. Some Latins were playing their version of Mah Jong there. Forgot what it was called. Just passed the Schnooner bag a few times. If I drank a bit more I might has sat there by the piano bar. Never ate anything at forgot the name of the place where Starbuck's was. I thought Sorrento's pizza stunk really. We ate dinner the eight of us on the 5th floor of the Main Dining Room every night. Staff was excellent. The game shows were a lot of fun but not as good as the shows on NCL. I tried the Flowrider twice and I stunk. Couldn't get to the on the knees part. I found out from googling they have flow riders on land like at Margaritaville on Hollywood Beach although it's kind of expensive. Really want to practice and get better. I don't see the Oasis class being that much better. Except for maybe bumper cars. LOL. I don't think Studio B had that during the day? Never made it there. One other thing I like better on The Escape was O ' Sheehans. Much better option for late night snacking. Oh Well. Enough for Now. If you like this video.... Oh wait. Ta ta. Never did see Lime and Coconut. At least I don't think so.
The cord for my husband's electric wheelchair charger wasn't working and our cabin steward got us a new one and just exchanged for our broken one as we were not going straight home after our cruise. So very kind of them to do this for us.
I never would have thought to ask for a fan, mini ship map, or to remove furniture. Great tips! We had a really bad experience on our last cruise with guest services being a complete joke on Norwegian. The toilet in our cabin didn't work half the time and they couldn't fix it and couldn't move us because the ship was overbooked. There were a lot of things wrong with that cruise, but that was one of the worst parts. I'm glad to hear that other cruise lines are going above and beyond for their guests!
@@LifeWellCruised We called guest services 3 or 4 times over the course of the 7 day cruise, but they weren't able to fix it. It was SO frustrating. Suffice it to say that we will not be cruising with Norwegian again.
We were at the end of a hallway by the crew door. It opened and slammed shut multiple times per night. By the third night of not sleeping I was a mess. My husband went to guest services and asked if they could do something about it. They fixed it that day so the door slow closed-- wish we had asked earlier.
A few times, I forgot to bring small bills for tipping. I went to guest services when they weren't busy, and they provided the change easily. I always fill out the form for special needs, and there is always an extension cord and distilled water when I get to the cabin. Thanks for sharing. 😊
Howdy llana, Already subscribed and hit the like button. Never heard of anyone that got ear plugs from guest services. Carnival and Holland America has been especially helpful.
We had a very noisy cabin. I put up with it for several days. My husband couldn’t hear the noises when he took off his hearing aids. I finally complained and they provided ear plugs on HAL. It was a nice cabin near guest services except we could hear the anchor drop and the thrusters.
My husband and I recently cruised on Norwegian Spirit and were able to get free decks of cards from guest services. They were used decks from the casino.
Is there anything different I should pack for a cruise to Hawaii, we have done lots of Caribbean cruises and always listen to your videos months before our cruises.
Thank you for this video. We are blessed that we have not need to use any of the suggestions. Viewing your videos help us get ready on every cruises we have taken. Any special suggestions for Japan cruises?
I took my second cruise on Royal Caribbean almost 20 years after the first one. Of course I could not remember the details when booking. Guest services was able to trace my 2003 cruise and add it to my account for loyalty points. On an Azamara cruise around Iceland, the sea got a little rough as we were in Arctic waters. Guest services invited everyone to drop by for a bottomless supply of ginger candies, which genuinely helped!
Two or three different times on a cruise (most likely Princess) I have put my cellphone or Kindle down somewhere and left it behind in a public area or even once in the public bathroom. Luckily, they were turned in to the staff and wound up so I could pick it up at guest services. They gave me a form and asked some security questions to make sure it was my phone (and I wasn't just trying to steal one) and they had me unlock it where they could see it. Thank you to the staff or cruisers who turned it in and to guest services for facilitating its return to me (more then once). Frankly, I was feeling pretty stupid for doing this but the friendly staff went the extra mile and told me it happens more often than anyone would believe. Who would have thought we cruisers could be such an absent-minded bunch!
We got earplugs while on Carnival Miracle last December. Our cabin was category "obstructed oceanview", which had a lifeboat in front of the window that constantly shifted against the ropes/beams with rough seas, making a continuous thumping noise.
I've mailed lots of postcards from cruise ships. They may take a month to get to their destinations, but you can do it. Most of them have stamps. They probably won't be able to get stamps for you if you're repositioning across an ocean though.
My husband and I just returned from Bermuda, sailing on NCL Joy. We had a wonderful cruise! We did ask for playing cards at Guest Services. We actually checked back there a few times to see if we could get some. Each time we asked, the customer reps gave each other the strangest looks, as if they had cards but perhaps we're instructed not to give them out?!? On day 4, we passed through the casino only to observe that playing cards, used playing cards no less, were for sale for purchase. Next time I'll bring my own. I think a complimentary deck of cards is not a lot to ask. My playing cards are from Dollar Tree. Two decks for $1.25 U.S.
Our Princess ship, had a small library...there were books as well as lots of games AND playing cards (new!) for guests to enjoy on the saiing...free...
We like to buy the used cards from the casino has a souvenir. They are usually $1 a deck. They haven't been available on Princess or RCCL since the pandemic.
Ask about free or dscounted cabin upgrades right aftee boarding. Due to cancelations or underbooked cruises upgrades are sometimes are available for those who ask. If you are musician you can arrange to perform in a show, or in a pub or restaraunt, sometimes getting a free drink or perk in doing so. On another Christmas cruise myself and my daughters were able to arrange extra ice time other than public skating time to practice figure skating with skating show performers during their open ice practice ice times. This was done by simply asking guest services who made it happen. Another perk to check for if any spots are available to have dinner at the captains table. There is usually an upgraded menu & sometimes a free drink or glass of wine for these captains dinners. On longer cruises there are usually two or more of these captains dinners. Even if the captains dinner guest list is full, you can ask to be put on awaiting list if some one is is unable to make it and cancels their captains table reservation. Check availability when you book your cruise & again ASAP after you board.
On a recent HAL solar eclipse cruise I had a roommate that snores very loudly. I lost an earplug. I told my room stewards, thinking I meant that I lost an earbud, they searched high and low and even took apart their vacuum to see if perhaps it had been sucked up. When I showed them my matching foam earplug. They advised me that they actually did find it had been vacuumed up. 5 minutes later I had a knock at my door, Jojo handed me a baggy full of foam earplugs! I also asked them for a mattress topper and they put one on my bed super fast. I found my rom stewards to be much more helpful than GS was if I’m honest.
This was on a Holland America cruise a few years back... the map of the ship on the HAL website showed a customer laundry area. When we got on, though, there was no longer a customer laundry room. I told guest services that we had depended on doing laundry for our family and they offered their laundry service at a deep discount.
Went on a Disney cruise when my daughter was little. While at sea she lost a tooth and was distraught because she thought the tooth fairy wouldn't be able to find her. I went to guest services and told them, asking if they could help me out. They told me they absolutely could. When we got back to our room that evening there was a card on her pillow from Tinkerbell, stating that she had sprinkled a path of fairy dust over the ocean for the tooth fairy to find. In the card there was a handful of glitter, some chocolates and a button with an image of the Cheshire Cat grinning with a missing tooth, saying "I lost a tooth on the Disney Cruise!". I was blown away! They are 100% prepared for EVERYTHING!! Disney magic is real. 🤯❤
Disney is the best especially at taking care advice kids.
It’s all about that Disney Magic!
My son was afraid to sleep on the upper bunk when he was young and we mentioned it to the cabin steward.
When we got back to the room after the show the bed was full of stuffed Disney characters and a card from Tinkerbell saying “I sent over some of my friends to keep you company and safe.
Wow!
Wow that's why I enjoy cruising so much. The staff give you the best customer service you'll ever receive. They make you never want to go back home 😂
What a wonderful experience for the child who lost a tooth and the child who was afraid of the bunk. ❤❤❤❤❤❤
On our first Disney cruise, my son needed medication and usually took it with applesauce at dinner. They had none. They checked a few places with none available. I told them not to worry about it and that we’d try ice cream and grab something from the buffet for the remainder of the days. About 10 minutes later, the head chef came over with a bowl of applesauce. He had made it from an apple. There was one waiting each night for my son. ❤
This is amazing 🥹
@@SusanSheehy wow!! Amazing
😮 awesome 😢
What a heart of service! This brought tears to my eyes!
I had $120 fall out of my pocket on the way to an excursion. I knew no one would turn it in so I didn’t bother, for a couple days, to call guest services. My spouse encouraged me to just call and ask so I did. It was amazing that someone turned in the money!! I was so shocked. The lady at guest services said “ wow it was even turned in by a fellow passenger!” She was as shocked as I was. She had the name and cabin number of the person that turned it in. We found this sweet older lady and gave her $25 for turning it in. She did not want to take it but I insisted. It was wonderful and encouraging to find out there are good, honest people still around😊
Thank you for reminding people to be polite to guest services. Mean people especially need to be reminded.
Good reminder just to be polite to people in general :)
We need to polite to all staff!!!! On a cruise or not!!!! It is a good habit. Recently was mailing a package and the line was out the door!!! When I got to the front I thanked the young man for coming to to work that day. He was the only person working in the busy ups store!!!
Sometimes it's nice if Guest Services isn't busy when walking by just to stop and say you're having a great cruise or to say thank you if a problem has been solved. It always seems to bring a smile to their faces.
I work in guest services at a resort and this is very true!! We’re often ambushed by issues or complaints or misunderstandings and it’s so nice to hear from happy guests as well and/or when things have been resolved for them.
Great idea!
I do this. Everyone can ALWAYSSS complain but so few stop and just say TY
I had a great day experience with someone from guest services. I asked to speak with her supervisor. She was so touched that she was practically in tears. She told me that she just recently got married to somebody that worked in the main dining room kitchen staff and couldn't wait to tell him after shift. I felt good about what I did😊
This is a unique one, but on one cruise I went on (Carnival), one of the guests forgot to bring hearing aid batteries and guest services asked if anyone else had some and I packed extra and so I shared them. Guest services was really grateful that I was willing to help that they sent chocolate covered strawberries to our room and bought us drinks. For even unusual things, I’ve found that guest services really does try to go above and beyond to help.
When we began moving our clothes into our cabin closet, it was very clear that a previous guest was a heavy smoker whose clothes carried a heavy smoke odor that permeated the closet interior. I'm very sensitive to smoke and I knew my clothes would absorb the smell and make for a miserable trip. I asked our cabin attendant if they had some kind of spray I could use to help remove the odor before my clothes absorbed that smell. We left for dinner. By the time we returned, the closet had been well taken care of, not a hint of smoke smell anywhere. I was able to unpack and enjoy a smoke-free vacation. I was beyond thankful.
I'm allergic to cigarette smoke.
I wonder what the cabin attendant did to remove the smell that good.
Did you ask him/her ?
Unfortunately, I did not ask. I should have, but I was so thankful for their quick attention.
😊
I broke the base off my lightweight mobility scooter going out to promenade deck on a ship, it was the base where the battery layed on. Thought my holiday was over. Made it back to the room and my wife spoke to the room steward. An engineer arrived shortly after, took my scooter away, returned it a few hours later patched up with some sort off fibre glass wrap which was so good, never replaced it when i got home. There are so many talented people who work on cruise ships, you just need to ask.
Loved the information. On my last cruise on the Crown Princess I received an emergency message from a friend who was at the Vet with my very elderly dog (18 years old). The Vet needed to speak to me and we were unable to connect. A quick call to Guest Services and they placed a call to the Vet then transferred it to our cabin phone. I was able to authorize the Vet to do what needed to be done and she ended up passing away later that morning. I was so grateful and Guest Services not only did this for us there was no charge. Totally above and beyond❤
😢
On one RCCL cruise, we were packing to go home and my husband couldn't find his car keys (we live in Florida and drive to the port). He went to Guest Services once and they said they didn't have them. After a lot of panic and a lot of looking, I told him to check again with Guest Services. He spoke to a different person and she found them. We figured out that , when we gave our bags to the porter on Day 1, they must have fallen when my husband went to slip them in a pocket on his backpack. One of the porters must have noticed them later and turned them in. Boy, were we relieved (and very lucky)!
A wheel on my mother in law's wheelchair broke. We asked guest services if they had an extra wheelchair we could borrow. They did have one we could use and they sent a crew member from the mechanic shop to our room and fixed the wheelchair. We were so grateful
While on Pride Of American in Honolulu, my wife and I were playing cards with our own worn out deck and a woman from guest services came over and gave us two new decks of cards with the Norwegian logo. Really surprised us. Nice touch!
On Celebrity, my spouse wanted to propose me to marriage during our cruise. He went to guest relations on day one and they were more than happy to help. They managed to arrange a meeting with the Cruise Director and they set the surprise up in the Main Dining Room (it was on the Eclipse) and the Maître D’ and one of their duets were involved as well. So my oblivious self had a wonderful proposal at cruise and the first thing we did afterwards was going at the guest relations desk ans thanking them.
You do a great job of engaging your audience by asking for their experiences. I enjoy your videos. Thank you for sharing. Nicely done. Regards from SW Florida.
In regards to the Disembarkation tags. I always take some return address labels from home to use. It prevents having to print out all that information by hand.
We were on a celebrity cruise and a fellow passenger and my husband were talking . The passenger accidently spilled his red wine all over my husband's new shirt. I called huess services to see about cleaning it. They came and got it,cleaned it and delivered it back the next day. It looked like new and they called to see if it looked good. Great sercice😊
It's always best to be kind and polite to people - it's been my experience that they will be much more willing to help you if you treat them with decency and respect. I had to ask Guest Services on our last (Disney - love Disney cruises so much!) if I could cancel an excursion scheduled for the next day because of an ankle issue I had had to see the onboard nurse about (didn't realize that it was actually broken). I told him up front that I would understand if the answer was no. He said he would look into it and then came to me at dinner (!) to say that my excursion had been refunded. I was blown away. Could have hugged the guy!
Soooo sorry about your broken ankle! :(
Yes, that was me with the earplugs on Celebrity cruise lines! My husband forgot his CPAP the most important thing that you shouldn’t forget and I talked to my cabinet Steward and she asked me how my trip was going. I said well great but I can’t sleep because my husband forgot his CPAP machine and she said go to guest services and they’ll give you earplugs. Cruise was saved and I’m still married.😅
Thankfully, I watched so many of your videos, I haven't had to ask for anything on a cruise ship yet. Love watching your videos. Thank you Llana!
story from a cruise director on our cruise. Line at Guest Services and couple at head of line asked what time was the midnight buffet. After being told it was at midnight, seven other people got out of line.
😂🕛😂
😢 sad and funny
Lol
This made me lol 😅
My wife went on her first cruise with me (I had been on 3 cruises years before). She wanted to have a speciality seafood dinner. However l do not eat seafood but I was informed to bring my food from the buffet. We informed ahead of time only my wife would be charged $40 for her dinner. Later l checked our bill online and we were charged $80. My wife telephoned Guest Services to remove the extra charge. A day later the charge was removed. I do like the suggestion that one may have a speciality dinner and have the other person not pay and not his wife dine alone.
I was able to get earplugs on NCL. It was a girls trip and my friend's sister wound being quite the snorer. Those earplugs saved the trip for me!
On my first cruise I noticed the lamp just above my bed was flickering terribly. I reported that to the guest relations desk and even before I was done talking the agent contacted the maintainance team to have that fixed. Before I made it back to my cabin they had that already sorted out. Impressive.
Thank you for this video! After watching it I emailed my travel agent. She called the cruise line and said they will have a medical fridge for my kids medication, cords for the c-pap, and no down feathers (a few of us are allergic). I had no idea I could ask for those things. Thanks so much!
I had an Aft Excel suite on Carnival Celebration, on the second day of the cruise the suite became very hot and humid, the air conditioning stopped working. Guest services immediately sent a representative who had a fancy thermostat with her. She took the temp then placed a call. 10 minutes later two engineers arrived and began working on the air conditioning units (there were two separate units). Everything was fixed within the hour!
Royal Caribbean had a way to request an extension cord and distilled water for my CPAP before the cruise. They were in the cabin when we arrived. Kudos!
Fabulous tips. It never would have occurred to me for some of those things-shoes repaired- wow that is going the extra mile
Yes, be polite!!!
Your best tip, and it's also the key to getting along in the world, is to be polite.
We should all strive to put our best foot forward in interacting with others. One
can easily make someone's day by doing so and, in turn, enriching one's own life.
We pretty much always travel on DCL and I’ve asked for many different types of pillows from Memory Foam to an ultra soft pillow and they always say that they will see what they can do, but they have always managed to find the perfect pillow for me. 😍
I popped out to my room's balcony to take a picture of Port; My balcony door slammed shut behind me, and the lever went into the down/locked position!.... I used the Crew Chat Guest Services for rescue!
I love your website. So much information and very enjoyable to listen to you.
Good information. Making lists on things to not forget.
I install hotel locks for a living. If your card has a magnetic stripe, you can punch a hole in it. If your card is the "tap" type (RFID), do NOT punch a hole in it. RFID cards contain a microchip and a spiral antenna that you will most-likely damage, rendering the card useless.
Another reason to ask guest services for help. They will have someone figure out how to how to attach a lanyard while maintaining the card’s functionality.
I have posted before about the extra help we have been given, so I won't repeat myself. The best advice is, if you have a problem ask for help. Can't hurt! I'm reminded of one instance on Holland America years ago. We like to eat in the dining room as we enjoy the leisurely and quiet atmosphere. Occasionally there would be a cheese option for dessert. After a few days I asked our waiter if there was any Edam cheese on the ship, as I particularly like it. Dutch ship should have Dutch cheese. After that every night as we left the dining room he handed me a little foil basket of Edam cheese and crackers for a midnight snack! Another time on Princess my husband liked the onion soup so much he asked if he could have it every night. Several times during our cruise I heard people asking the waiter, "Why can't I have onion soup like he has?"
I went on my first cruise this past week and absolutely loved it. I went on the ncl gem out of Boston and as someone who lives in New England, it was a nice and easy way to try my first cruise. I absolutely loved it. One thing that’s well worth it on ncl is the mandara spa pass it was around $200 for the whole week and definitely was well worth it.
Love the Gem that was my first cruise ship as well a few years ago. I'm glad you had a good time. NCL Gem is the perfect sized ship for someone's first cruise.
Ncl,hal and Cunard are favs!
Guest Services is also Lost and Found. I had RX sunglasses fall from my pocket and after a day they were at Guest Services. They had a box full of them.
I left my camera at one of the game shows. A crew member found it and turned it into guest services. I needed to prove it was mine. I had a photo of myself already taken, and that was good ID.
On my 1st cruise my luggage was very late getting to my cabin, I went to guest services to inquire about the delay, they were very apologetic and gave me 2 toiletry kits and 2 free cruise line tshirts.(RC)
I've had their toiletry kit. It's barely usable
⭐ on MSC I got earplugs. My assigned cabin was a handicap wheelchair cabin on deck 5. It was under the theater stage on deck 6. During rehearsal on embarkation day, my walls were vibrating from the heavy bass. They gave me earplugs at first. The next morning they moved me to a handicap cabin on deck 11
It is surprising to discover all the different things that can be done by the cruise personnel. When we were on a Princess cruise to Alaska last year, we were asked if we could vacate our cabin for a couple of hours so they could replace the carpet! I’m not sure how they accomplished this with all the furniture (we had a mini suite) but when we returned to our cabin we had brand new carpet!
My mom started bringing travel fans years ago. And now we have some that are so much lighter but charge with a usb c adapter. So when our phone is done we can charge those up. She always brings two knowing I’ll need one along the way. Plus you can use on the plane or the hotel room before and after the cruise. Couldn’t travel without those
I travel with one for years. Got one packed for our cruise that is coming up.
Do you mind sharing the link?
I am looking forward to our first cruise in August '25! I really appreciate your videos! I feel somewhat prepared on what to expect. Thank you for all of the information and ideas!
Llana is the reason our 1st cruise went perfect. Hope you enjoy your 1st cruise!
Many years ago, I remember sending a postcard from every port while on the ship! Didn’t realize it is still “a thing “. But of course mail happens!
Guest services was very kind to help us know how much postage we would need for some postcards, and even mailed them for us.
I had no idea that you could get (possibly) all those things at guest service! I have a CPAP so I will ask for distilled water, but I really had never thought of the other items. I like to just walk by when it’s not busy and thank them because I’m sure a lot of people demand things and don’t thank them. Great post!
My first and third cruise was on the same ship. My 1st cruise I requested distilled water and received it for free. The 3rd cruise I had to pay for it. Carnival Pride
I carryall firstaid kit with everything you can think of.
Not just guest services the whole events team at RC are totally incredible!!! The helped me plan the perfect engagement to my fiancee on her first cruise on the very bow of the Anthem of the Seas. However, once onboard I still need to speak with them often because the proposal is going to be in a restricted area I needed approval from so many people from the captain, first officer, chief of security, and several other people I never meet, lol. She did say yes on the very bow of the ship in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We area getting married this December at Sandals Royal Barbados.
The engineers will be grateful for reporting small problems. They’d much rather check on a squeaky bathroom fan than have it burn out and catch fire.
Happy Sunday llana hope you have a lovely day enjoying the sunshine 🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🛳️🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺
On Disney, GS will use your flight home info and print out the boarding passes. Especially great if the day before is a sea day.
On a HAL cruise, my roommate got water and extension cord for their cpap machine. They asked for both before embarkation day. They also requested the “egg-crate” style mattress topper.
You definitely need the mattress topper on Viking!
On a recent cruise, my husbands eyeglasses were not very straight. We went to guess services and a super nice person called someone from the back office and he fixed the screw on the glasses. Another time we didn’t have enough hot water in shower and someone came very quickly and fixed it.
We filled out a form before disembarking once and mentioned we didn’t have a pen to do it and had to ask a friend for one. Upon disembarking we received a package from Guest Services that had 2 pens and 2 beautiful Princess journals in it. That was going above and beyond! Loved it.
Thanks, Ilana! Great tips about Guest Services. I definitely use the currency exchange service, as well as mailing postcards, aboard Crystal cruises.
Thanks for your informative videos-I appreciate you😊
My sister loves collecting pens from places she has been! Asked our NCL room steward for a pen and he did leave her a NCL Haven pen! lol We were not in Haven but showed our steward our appreciation with an extra tip!
I also collect the pens with the logos.
On Viking several years ago, there was an annoying metal on metal sound. Turned out there was a metal rod rolling around on a tender that was located above us. Guest Services went out of their way to find the noise (engineering did).
Many years ago, when in my 20's, we would stay up late and "borrow" a lounge chair for our balcony. The last time we did that was our first Celebrity cruise in the early 2000's. When our cabin steward saw it out there, he said we could have just asked and they would have brought one.
We had three in our mini suite and we did ask for a third chair for the balcony and got it. I did travel with a friend who needed hypoallergenic sheets and got them. I have mailed cards from cruise ships but it was back in the 70s early 80s, glad to hear you can still do it! Wow Illana good information for the ships art print out.🚢🙂
I like that Guess Service is always open, 24/7!
I just wanna say I enjoy your videos. You have a gr8 personality
This post is really about my experiences with the FOS I just came off of Sunday. I would post it on your review from a few weeks ago, but you might not see it. Well, you were definitely right about that Ice Skating Extravaganza in Studio B. That just blew me away. Totally Awesome. And that Once Upon a Time show was equally as fantastic. You really get some bang for your buck on such a short three night cruise. It was something seeing all the different locations you mentioned. Some of them were just little areas. Like Loco Fresh or whatever it's called. Didn't realize it was just a long countertop near the pool. I just grabbed some chopped meat there on the first day. Boleros too was just a grooved out section on the 4th deck. And yes, it extended to the other side. Some Latins were playing their version of Mah Jong there. Forgot what it was called. Just passed the Schnooner bag a few times. If I drank a bit more I might has sat there by the piano bar. Never ate anything at forgot the name of the place where Starbuck's was. I thought Sorrento's pizza stunk really. We ate dinner the eight of us on the 5th floor of the Main Dining Room every night. Staff was excellent. The game shows were a lot of fun but not as good as the shows on NCL. I tried the Flowrider twice and I stunk. Couldn't get to the on the knees part. I found out from googling they have flow riders on land like at Margaritaville on Hollywood Beach although it's kind of expensive. Really want to practice and get better. I don't see the Oasis class being that much better. Except for maybe bumper cars. LOL. I don't think Studio B had that during the day? Never made it there. One other thing I like better on The Escape was O ' Sheehans. Much better option for late night snacking. Oh Well. Enough for Now. If you like this video.... Oh wait. Ta ta. Never did see Lime and Coconut. At least I don't think so.
The cord for my husband's electric wheelchair charger wasn't working and our cabin steward got us a new one and just exchanged for our broken one as we were not going straight home after our cruise. So very kind of them to do this for us.
I never would have thought to ask for a fan, mini ship map, or to remove furniture. Great tips! We had a really bad experience on our last cruise with guest services being a complete joke on Norwegian. The toilet in our cabin didn't work half the time and they couldn't fix it and couldn't move us because the ship was overbooked. There were a lot of things wrong with that cruise, but that was one of the worst parts. I'm glad to hear that other cruise lines are going above and beyond for their guests!
That’s too bad - not fun when you have that kind of experience. I would have asked to speak with a supervisor, maybe of housekeeping :(
@@LifeWellCruised We called guest services 3 or 4 times over the course of the 7 day cruise, but they weren't able to fix it. It was SO frustrating. Suffice it to say that we will not be cruising with Norwegian again.
We were at the end of a hallway by the crew door. It opened and slammed shut multiple times per night. By the third night of not sleeping I was a mess. My husband went to guest services and asked if they could do something about it. They fixed it that day so the door slow closed-- wish we had asked earlier.
A few times, I forgot to bring small bills for tipping. I went to guest services when they weren't busy, and they provided the change easily. I always fill out the form for special needs, and there is always an extension cord and distilled water when I get to the cabin. Thanks for sharing. 😊
I found a little rubber ducky in the elevator and have it in my shelf at home 😊 it’s soooo cute
Thanks for the update!! Have a great time in Hong Kong!!
Scissors. If you get a particularly tough wrist band.
Howdy llana, Already subscribed and hit the like button. Never heard of anyone that got ear plugs from guest services. Carnival and Holland America has been especially helpful.
Great informative video!!
A month ago we went on a Greek Islands cruise with Holland America. We changed US dollars to Euros a couple times at guest services.
We also asked our steward if there was a way we could access glue to fix a ladies sling back shoe. Bless him, he took the shoe away and got it fixed
We had a very noisy cabin. I put up with it for several days. My husband couldn’t hear the noises when he took off his hearing aids. I finally complained and they provided ear plugs on HAL. It was a nice cabin near guest services except we could hear the anchor drop and the thrusters.
Thank you, I read all the comments to get ideas, and I will definitely bring ear plugs.
My husband and I recently cruised on Norwegian Spirit and were able to get free decks of cards from guest services. They were used decks from the casino.
Is there anything different I should pack for a cruise to Hawaii, we have done lots of Caribbean cruises and always listen to your videos months before our cruises.
Thank you for the mattress topper information. ❤
Thanks for the info 😀
We ran out of motion sickness medicine for my adult daughter and the medical office was closed. Guest services on Carnival gave her some at no charge.
Thank you for this video. We are blessed that we have not need to use any of the suggestions. Viewing your videos help us get ready on every cruises we have taken. Any special suggestions for Japan cruises?
Awesome info
I took my second cruise on Royal Caribbean almost 20 years after the first one. Of course I could not remember the details when booking. Guest services was able to trace my 2003 cruise and add it to my account for loyalty points.
On an Azamara cruise around Iceland, the sea got a little rough as we were in Arctic waters. Guest services invited everyone to drop by for a bottomless supply of ginger candies, which genuinely helped!
A map is a good idea for my brother and I as we're new to cruising
Yes, the scales are a great thing. Even to double check the hand held scale I bring with.
I have used the money exchange on Royal Caribbean. I have also asked and gotten to use the medical cooler
Two or three different times on a cruise (most likely Princess) I have put my cellphone or Kindle down somewhere and left it behind in a public area or even once in the public bathroom. Luckily, they were turned in to the staff and wound up so I could pick it up at guest services. They gave me a form and asked some security questions to make sure it was my phone (and I wasn't just trying to steal one) and they had me unlock it where they could see it. Thank you to the staff or cruisers who turned it in and to guest services for facilitating its return to me (more then once). Frankly, I was feeling pretty stupid for doing this but the friendly staff went the extra mile and told me it happens more often than anyone would believe. Who would have thought we cruisers could be such an absent-minded bunch!
Hmmmm… earplugs! I usually bring my own. But good to know they may be available!
Great tips! It is kind of sad that you need to remind people to be kind and polite
We got earplugs while on Carnival Miracle last December. Our cabin was category "obstructed oceanview", which had a lifeboat in front of the window that constantly shifted against the ropes/beams with rough seas, making a continuous thumping noise.
Royal Caribbean gave me a deck of cards last month 😊
We always take,,some chocolate and nibbles for them from the UK,,for all the staff on a cruise,,,it's always appreciated.
I've mailed lots of postcards from cruise ships. They may take a month to get to their destinations, but you can do it. Most of them have stamps. They probably won't be able to get stamps for you if you're repositioning across an ocean though.
You mentioned asking for an extra deck chair. Well, my question is, we are larger folks, and I wonder if they have deck chairs without arms on them?
Also for the elderly, who can get tangled in the arms. My husband 😮.
I was on Princess and needed them and got them 😊
My husband and I just returned from Bermuda, sailing on NCL Joy. We had a wonderful cruise! We did ask for playing cards at Guest Services. We actually checked back there a few times to see if we could get some. Each time we asked, the customer reps gave each other the strangest looks, as if they had cards but perhaps we're instructed not to give them out?!? On day 4, we passed through the casino only to observe that playing cards, used playing cards no less, were for sale for purchase. Next time I'll bring my own. I think a complimentary deck of cards is not a lot to ask. My playing cards are from Dollar Tree. Two decks for $1.25 U.S.
Our Princess ship, had a small library...there were books as well as lots of games AND playing cards (new!) for guests to enjoy on the saiing...free...
We like to buy the used cards from the casino has a souvenir. They are usually $1 a deck. They haven't been available on Princess or RCCL since the pandemic.
NCL is going down, nickel and dime.
Ask about free or dscounted cabin upgrades right aftee boarding. Due to cancelations or underbooked cruises upgrades are sometimes are available for those who ask. If you are musician you can arrange to perform in a show, or in a pub or restaraunt, sometimes getting a free drink or perk in doing so. On another Christmas cruise myself and my daughters were able to arrange extra ice time other than public skating time to practice figure skating with skating show performers during their open ice practice ice times. This was done by simply asking guest services who made it happen. Another perk to check for if any spots are available to have dinner at the captains table. There is usually an upgraded menu & sometimes a free drink or glass of wine for these captains dinners. On longer cruises there are usually two or more of these captains dinners. Even if the captains dinner guest list is full, you can ask to be put on awaiting list if some one is is unable to make it and cancels their captains table reservation. Check availability when you book your cruise & again ASAP after you board.
On a recent HAL solar eclipse cruise I had a roommate that snores very loudly. I lost an earplug. I told my room stewards, thinking I meant that I lost an earbud, they searched high and low and even took apart their vacuum to see if perhaps it had been sucked up. When I showed them my matching foam earplug. They advised me that they actually did find it had been vacuumed up. 5 minutes later I had a knock at my door, Jojo handed me a baggy full of foam earplugs!
I also asked them for a mattress topper and they put one on my bed super fast.
I found my rom stewards to be much more helpful than GS was if I’m honest.
Cute and looks comfy ❤
I have reflux and I'm hoping they can elevate the head of my bed a few inches. It has helped at home! I'll let you know
This is something they need to know before your cruise.
Ask them for a triangle foam pillow that will raise the head if yhe bed
We had problems with the safe, this was quickly sorted out
This was on a Holland America cruise a few years back... the map of the ship on the HAL website showed a customer laundry area. When we got on, though, there was no longer a customer laundry room. I told guest services that we had depended on doing laundry for our family and they offered their laundry service at a deep discount.