We have been cruising since 2001, married in ‘81. I have always brought wipes in planes, hotel rooms, rental cars and of course our cabin. I will also have wipes in individual packets with me in my card pouch on the cruise…. I hate the smell , danger of chemicals and misleading that goes with the sanitizer gel. (Really bad as your skin absorbs it! And it was designed to be WIPED off but no one does it!) We have never gotten sick on our many many cruises. 2) black light is best to use for bed bug detection 3) Lysol spray (or the like) that we spray down the bathroom everywhere. 4) SLIPPERS!!! We never put dirty feet into our bed. 5) hair clip claws , or bull dog clips! We will clip the curtains gap closed. 6) We bring our Arbonne immunity boost juice packs for each day, and also WELLNESS Formula (Amazon, get pills not capsule) …. We take one pack & pill everyday about a week before the cruise, and everyday on the cruise. I know there are other things I do but these are off the top of my head. Can’t wait for our next cruise!!
Great list. As an RN, I have been wiping down airplane seats/trays, hotel rooms, cruise cabins, sleeper cars on trains, etc. for over 30 years. Also, when I introduce myself to the cabin attendant, I let them know that if I need anything non-urgently, I will leave a sticky note posted on a specific spot (mirror, shelf by the door etc.) and that if they need to leave me a note, the sticky tablet and pen will be in the same spot for them to use. This has been working great for years.
VERY smart. Last cruise I got pneumonia. Just seeing the ships doctor and getting an antibiotic cost $3800. Make sure you get medical insurance, with evacuation insurance and trip cancellation. The antibiotic alone was nearly $1000. We had to pay upfront, and the insurance company reimbursed us. Have lots of room on your credit card, in case you need it.
The foam topper is a great idea. I bring my pillows with me, so stuffing a topper in the luggage would be a chore. My wife is an infectious disease nurse and you want to see cleaning? A germ doesn't stand a chance in our cabin. We were on two different cruise, one had the norovirius and another had a covid outbreak. Both times we were fine, no illness. We also check for bed bugs, every hotel or cruise. She has a black light that works great. Mrs Clean goes through everything. We leave for Alaska tomorrow.
1st thing--I wipe down everything using a bleach wipe--all surfaces, phone, light switches, fridge, door handles, remote, ending with the bathroom. Nothing will survive my cleaning.
I always carry wipes with me. Something I have done for many, many years. (My Children used to call me Mrs. Monk!) Use them on airplanes, in hotel rooms and cruise cabins. People used to think I was crazy - not anymore!!
@bettylieberman5590 Monk was special! I definitely prefer Sharona to Natalie. Lol USA had a great thing going with the whole "Blue Sky" era. Psych is another one of my favorite shows. I was just talking about that program tonight with a couple that I met while I was dining. Everyone loves Burton Guster! Thank you for the discussion and the trip down memory lane. I'm happy to learn that your family was able to enjoy Monk as much as mine.
We just finished a cruise of the Mediterranean on an ultra luxury line and we contracted norovirus resulting in us being in isolation for 4 of the 14 days of the cruise. I am pretty certain that we picked it up in the cabin as we were very careful with what we touched outside the cabin and using hand sanitizer. We both let our guard down in our cabin though and as the ship had an outbreak on the previous sailing my husband and I believe that someone had the virus in our cabin. Your recommendation to sanitize the cabin yourself is spot on.
Don't forget the airport and flight to the port. There have been times we were sick before the set sail and I know the virus was the flight as the time line matched.
We’re probably not the usual cruiser in this regard…We tip $50.00 the first day and tell our cabin steward that they never need to enter our cabin, unless we specifically ask them to do so. If we need towels or, really, anything, we’ll catch them in the hall and get whatever is needed at that time. We figure, if we can manage having a cleaning service come to our house every other week, we can manage to keep our cabin clean for a week and making a bed is no trouble at all for us. We started doing this during Covid, to avoid possible germs from anyone coming in to our cabin, and have just continued with it ever since. We figure it saves them a bit of time and after 40 some cruises, we really don’t need any towel animals. At the end of the cruise, we thank them very much and tip them another $50.00. 😊
Is the $50 in addition to the regular gratuities? I have been thinking about this as I have to remind them to Not change my towels per the cruise line's request to the passengers to please reuse the towels and fine with me. But, somehow, the crew is still being trained to change the towels. Very irritating.
@@pjittner8504, yes. It works out well for us. We find that every day, when we see our room steward, he asks us, if we need anything. It actually seems to work out better for us, as we get everything that we need and none of what we don’t need. 😊
While you say that to them, I think I remember hearing they are instructed to enter every cabin every day to do a sight check for anything illegal. There are evil people in this world doing things we cannot imagine. You gave them the money not to clean which I am with you on that, too, I make my bed every day no matter where I am and I always reuse my towels, too. The tip beforehand -which I do when I’m at weddings and when I valet- puts you at the top of their mental list. My car is always parked in the front, easy to get to, and wait staff at weddings/events pay attention to my needs during the party, it’s great:)
I think it's just smart to wipe down everything. My wife got extremely sick with a stomach virus staying in a hotel one time. The staff had mentioned that the previous guest who had left that morning was in the cabin for several days with the same stomach virus. We didn't find that out until after.
Jayson, just found your site by accident. Love your enthusiasm, and positive attitude. You address so important things without sounding like a" do it my way kind of guy". We do wipe down our cabin frequently touched areas, and believe it has helped keep us well, along with extra hand washing and hand sanitizer during the day. We also have our mini bar removed, share the desire for extra wash cloths(get hot and need refreshed during the day), and turn the AC down. One thing you didn't say was to store luggage under the bed. It usually fits and keeps the floor space free for moving about. Looking forward to your upcoming Alaska cruise videos.
After boarding, and before heading to my cabin, I get the muster drill out of the way, and put my cell phone in airplane mode! I bring lysol wipes to wipe down every touch spot, and bring a mini can of lysol spray to kill any possible airborn germs that might be lingering. I also check for hidden cameras.
We bring our own cups for in room drinking, not to worry about clean ones. Also don't forget a toothbrush cover and to put the brushes away before cleaning. Don't wipe down the walls but most everything else. We have a sanitizing spray for touchups.
I always do a cabin touch point wipe down. But even so, on my Jan.,2024 cruise 12 of the 14 people in our group got sick (not Covid.) I slept for 2 days and missed a scheduled shore excursion. 😢. The illness left me with a bad cough that lasted 3 months! Next time I will be using hand sanitizer lots more throughout the days.
I got covid on one in 2022. 3 out of 4 in our group did. And we took great measures to be careful. I think the heat/AC being all interconnected is not good. Like an airplane recirculating the air!
The heating and cooling is a central system and I think that spreads tons of germs. And anyone that has had a balcony room knows every time you open the door, air is sucked in from the hallway. Germy air!! Only time I ever got Covid was on a NCL cruise ship, and 3 out of 4 in my group also got it. I was really sick for weeks afterwards.
@@BarryWeaver-pv6cz I wish I could sent u the photo of the vent I took on NCL-Joy pulling the mesh wire back that was fULL of dirt- dust . Got home was sick. -tested post Covid my husband too . He is disabled having a hard time breathing,coughing. Rooms look clean only . Sad and scary .
We've been cruising for over 20 years now and I ALWAYS wipe things down the minute we walk into our cabin. I send the family out to the balcony to get that done ASAP. We also unpack fully as soon as we can. Lately, luggage hasn't been arriving as early as it used to. Last year I went on a cruise with my daughter. She wanted to explore the ship as soon as we checked in at muster. So, we ended up missing lunch - lol! So on our cruise next week, she agreed to have lunch and THEN go explore the ship!
I use the heavier black paper clips for shower curtains so they don't come in shower and stick to me. Also use on of the hangers that has the pant clips put it on the curtain at night to hold the middle together to avoid extra light in the morning.
I clean as well. Love the flashlight idea for bedbugs. I worked for an exterminating company for 16 years and bedbugs are extremely difficult and expensive to eliminate.
I agree with A lot of stuff you say BUT I wipe down my cabin first and spray everything down to disinfectant, leave the cabin 10-15 mins depending on direction then come back. I used to get sick everytime we travel and my doctor told me to do this been doing this now for over 10 yrs knock on wood never gotten sick on a cruise. My husband starts on one side of the room and I one the other, one wipes, one sprays takes about 10 mins. We do this for hotels as well. We also put our magnet hooks and clips in our carry on to get setup. We do everything but the mattress topper.
Good video with some practical suggestions. We don’t do all the cabin cleaning, but I understand those who do. In 25 + cruises we’ve never gotten sick.
I started cruising in the 70's and never did anything you said...I guess i have been lucky and never got sick,not even the sniffles.Only problem i had was in 1982 on The Carnival Mardi Gras,very old ship and Carnival's first ship,constant flushing problem with the toilet,the maintenance guy was in the cabin 4-6 times a day with a plunger...I think these Mega ships are prone to problems,since covid the sanitizing system has been upgraded,they now fumigate the cabins to kill more bacteria.
Great video, I carry the mini Lysol spray and I spray everything down, including the outside door handle, especially the furniture and inside drawers and carpet. I just usuall sit down it once. Same with balcony furniture and railing. I also wash my hands after I get my food from buffet , handling all those tongs . Washing hands before is great, but not everyone does that. Those are my only major things. The video was really great, especially about checking everything. Thanks Jason.
And as you get to your room, you've already touched over 300 feet of railings, elevators and everything else. Never cleaned and sanitized. We ask for pillows, blanket and ice in our ice bucket. We do check toilets/paper, temp of refer and Air. Never checked for bed bugs but that's a good idea. Then unpack and go eat.
If I needed to bring a mattress topper on a cruise I wouldn’t be sailing with that cruise line .. are you kidding me .. with all the items you need to bring .. I fly from Australia to mostly Northern European ports .. I do wipe down surfaces in hotels cabins and aircraft seats though 😉
We clean hotel rooms, airplane seats/areas, rental cars, and have done so since my daughter was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. A good handwashing and we are golden…
Great checklist. My last cruise was in November 2019 - just before the world shut down. There was an outbreak of what I assumed to be a norovirus type of illness. The last few days the sanitizing was really stepped up - nothing left on the tables, no self serving in the buffet, staff served everything. Even officers were wiping tables & touch points. Thankfully I didn't catch it. On my past cruises I never sanitized my cabin but am definitely going to start when I go in January.
They look clean , but they feel Covid is over so why clean the dirty dusty disgusting vents . They don’t change the filters anymore , I seen it last week ,home with Covid. 😷
I got sick on my very first cruise back in 2001. Ever since I have packed Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer. I also check to make sure everything is working but agree a/c doesn't really start getting cool until we are under underway. I also bring my own hair dryer. Me and my daughter have long hair and room dryer takes too long to dry our hair and is a pain holding button to make it work. Sometimes we use the gym locker room showers so we can both get ready at the same time and hubby can get ready in the room.
31 cruises and I've never done any of the cabin checks. As a result, I had to call down to guest services one time on one cruise to have the closet door fixed. I'm more interested in getting on with the cruise. Wipe down you cabin if you wish, but wipe down every hand rail/door knob/ counter top throughout the ship, too.
Great tips! I am going to use the flashlight tip. I tip my cabin steward at the beginning and the end of the cruise. Tipping in the beginning always sets the tone and I have always received excellent service!
Have been cruising since 2002 have never cleaned my cabin when we arrived or during cruise and have never been sick on a cruise just pure dumb luck maybe. Even our first cruise after cruising started again after covid have never worried about it. But a great idea may think about this on later cruises.
We've never been sick on a cruise; however, on our last river cruise a few years ago, we're certain a group of passengers brought it on board as they were complaining of feeling ill from 'eating too much'. Those in that group that weren't too sick to leave their cabin, went about doing their thing, touching things and glad-handing the crew. As a result nearly half the ship ended up with some type of stomach issue and our 80 year-old Aunt spent 4 out of the 7-day cruise in her cabin. Lesson learned ... wash regularly, use sanitizer constantly and don't believe people who say they're 'okay' when they're obviously not.
Hotels: i also wipe down & sanitize everything but i ALWAYS bring zip lok bags & place the tv remote in it & we use it through the bag. Those things are super germy. 😊
On a Disney cruise several years ago, my husband and I were not happy with our mattress, we called housekeeping and had a brand new mattress within 15 minutes!
Been on 8-9 cruises with Princess and luckily never had any problems. But I did do all the checks like you did. I always left a generous tip for the room steward because he always left the room comfortable and immaculate. Usually brought a one level box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts to start the cruise off right. The room steward was always appreciative.
Yes, we clean our cabin as soon as they allow us into our cabins. We sanitize just about everything. The cabin steward does not have enough time to do this . They have a very tight window of time during disembarkation of previous cruisers to the incoming new cruisers.
Totally agree with this deduction. With such a quick turn around, the cabin stewards cannot possibly do a full sanitary deep cleaning. Doing it myself, gives me peace of mind, and a clean cabin for the entire cruise. I also bring two pairs of latex gloves, to wear while I clean.
Having cruised and traveled for business/pleasure for more years than I'd like to admit, I've learned: 1) never, ever use an ice bucket without a plastic throw-away liner (you never know what's gone in there), 2) always wash out any glasses in your room setup (thankfully, throw-away plastic glasses seem to be the norm), 3) sanitize!, 4) don't sit on the bedspread, 5) don't walk around in your bare feet (flip-flops or slippers) and 6) on cruises, tip your room steward beforehand just to let him/her know you appreciate them and any help they can provide.
If I had money, I would grease as many palms on day one as I can. They work hard and are very important to me so I want them to know they are seen and appreciated. Also I have disabilities and am often solo. I think it's simply wise to have people watching out for you.
Absolutely, tipping on the first day puts you at the top of their list. Tipping the valet when handing him my keys always gets me a spot up front, tipping waitstaff right away at a wedding/event always gets me a full glass of whatever I’m drinking without me asking. Tipping upfront has always worked for me, too :)
I clean with wipes every time. Meticulously. Glen 20 hospital grade is wonderful. If leaving from Australia I spray Glen 20 through the whole cabin. I try to buy it overseas if we are flying anywhere. A ship attendant also told me to spray it up into the air conditioner. We have never been sick.
Yes, I like to spray our room and wipe highly touched areas; I will start checking for bedbugs after looking at your video, as well as check sink and toilet. We tip at the end and if fridge stocked, we ask items to be removed
Great video Jayson. We pretty much do the same thing you’ve done on your list we used to also ask for a fan pretty early but now we don’t we just bring our own mini fan.
I think the tip everyone is talking about is in addition to the required tip we give at the end. I think they would appreciate -and you’d be at the top of their list- anything over $50 at the beginning of the cruise.
I always bring a couple clothes pins when traveling to use to keep curtains closed all the way when I am sleeping. Also use them to aid in hanging up clothes when there is a shortage of hangers.
The second thing that I do, is tip my steward and let them know that I will not need any cleaning or making of beds. I will only need fresh wash cloths daily. 💕💕 I bring my own pillowcase and one beach towel.
I bring pillow case too and body pillow cover (added a zipper). I just have to ask for an extra pillow. Raised white- glove- military-clean, so not much to do when i leave. Teflon green scrubby works on sink n shower. I bring my own wash cloth & rinse in boiling water daily (UVBrite thermos) I fold away comforter, blanket, pillows, strip bed, collect hand towels I use n xsmall pet trash bag. It's a "do unto others" kind of thing
I always clean my room and check the beds. I unpack and put my luggage underneath my bed. I tend to personally tip my Attendant on the last evening of my cruise and thank them! I don't like clutter and things all over the place, I will definitely utilize closets, shelves and drawers. I don't hang hooks all around and usually dry off at the pool before returning to my cabin.
Yes, we these Clorox and wipe everything down. We started doing this 25 years ago. Makes me feel a lot better. Also love the hooks. Have never checked for bedbugs but we always have two small flash lights so that will be on our list now. Thanks
Thank You I have been watching your videos very helpful. Going on my First cruise in July Symphony of the Seas. And yes I plan on cleaning everything, it’s always a must when you go on vacation.
Clean my cruise ship cabin Yes, I do because I work in hospitality and I know maids get 20 minutes to clean hotel rooms, so I assume room stewards get the same amount of time.
I also have worked in house keeping and you are exactly correct about the time. We got 20 minutes per room. Not much time especially if it had been trashed the night before. I would have to spend 40 minutes in that room and have to make up my time in the next room. Therefore corners had to be cut. Trust me!!
I do sanitize everything before putting a do not disturb card out. Don’t need anyone else to unsanitize the room after I do that step. And I myself change into indoor comfort clothing after walking into my cabin for the rest of the cruise and wash hands immediately 😊
Last year on Mariner of the Seas I put in a request for a bed topper prior to my cruise. You can do that online. It was already on my bed when I arrived in my cabin.
I tip the cabin attendant every day. You never know if they might need some cash during the trip. If they do something really extra the day before I don't want to forget at the end of the cruise. I have pre-filled envelopes with a set amount for each day of the trip and extra cash on hand if I think the tip per day should be more.
And don't forget your slippers. I know someone who just got back froma cruise, and he's a really large man. He told me he got intestinal flu or something, and his bowels let loose all over the carpet. He said he was so emabarressed, but that they cleaned it up and he left a substantial tip. I bet that happens a lot, and vomiting! So sandals and disinfectant!! I bring wipes and spray!!
A suggestion on wrinkled clothes. If you get anything dry-cleaned before you depart, leave it in that plastic wrap from the dry cleaner, five will get you 10 everything will be fine inside when you finally unpack.
Some cabin attendants do not do a good job. On Two cruises last year I arrived to find my cabin dirty even though they said it was ready. Food under the couch, drawers had debris in them, toilet was dirty, carpet needed to be cleaned, mirror had finger prints on it, desk was sticky. I nicely pointed that all out to the cabin attendants and they both made the same excuse about how someone else was supposed to clean. The cabin was cleaned by nighttime.
I will bring cleaning wipes now. Not something I’ve done in the past but that makes so much sense. Bed bugs! Wow. We are doing an Alaskan cruise soon as well.
Nice informative video. My wife and I usually inspect our cabin upon entering and I too like to make sure everything that's at our disposal is working properly without a hitch. I just never thought of ever checking for those pesky bed critters and after watching your checklist, I'm going to have to invest in one of those infrared flashlights that'll help detect them. On our last cruise I noticed that the mini fridge already was stocked with drinks and we decided to not touch it. We took everything out of that fridge, placed aside as we stock the fridge with our drinks we brought on board and especially for the bottled waters that I always purchase ahead of time. After the cruise, we put back the mini bar drinks in the fridge.
This was a great list! I never thought to bring my own mattress topper before, so thank you for that. 🤗 For the extended plug, I never bring that because I have a CPAP machine. The cruise line gives me a power strip, so I just use that for charging phones, curling irons, etc. As for tipping, I always pre-pay the gratuities, and I typically give an additional tip at the beginning of the cruise (standard is $40). IF the cabin steward goes above and beyond, then I'll give an extra tip at the end between $30 - $60 depending on how great they were. Strangely, this past cruise (last week), was the first time I didn't give an extra tip at the end. Our cabin steward was such a sweetheart with a fabulous personality, but he was HORRIBLE with cleaning the room. When we first got in, not only was it clearly not clean, and was full of dust, but there was literally a molded, half-eaten apple in one of the drawers. I am disgusted by the lack of cleaning AND by the wretched cruiser who PUT a half-eaten apple in a drawer. 🤬🤬 *Edited to add: This was on Carnival Pride*
Thank you for the helpful tips. I am going on my 2nd NCL cruise on 9/1. I need to sleep on a wedge pillow to keep my head and upper back raised. When I asked about it, they bunched up to pillows to form a makeshift wedge. This time, I'm bringing an inflatable wedge pillow with a small pump to inflate the wedge. Have you ever heard about people needing wedge pillows on cruises?
Avoid these 6 things on the First Day of your Cruise -----> th-cam.com/video/KKcYk2cB2E4/w-d-xo.html
We have been cruising since 2001, married in ‘81.
I have always brought wipes in planes, hotel rooms, rental cars and of course our cabin.
I will also have wipes in individual packets with me in my card pouch on the cruise…. I hate the smell , danger of chemicals and misleading that goes with the sanitizer gel. (Really bad as your skin absorbs it! And it was designed to be WIPED off but no one does it!)
We have never gotten sick on our many many cruises.
2) black light is best to use for bed bug detection
3) Lysol spray (or the like) that we spray down the bathroom everywhere.
4) SLIPPERS!!! We never put dirty feet into our bed.
5) hair clip claws , or bull dog clips! We will clip the curtains gap closed.
6) We bring our Arbonne immunity boost juice packs for each day, and also WELLNESS Formula (Amazon, get pills not capsule) …. We take one pack & pill everyday about a week before the cruise, and everyday on the cruise.
I know there are other things I do but these are off the top of my head.
Can’t wait for our next cruise!!
The first thing I do when go into my Cruise ship cabin is to give my Beatch wife a good Rogering😅
Great list. As an RN, I have been wiping down airplane seats/trays, hotel rooms, cruise cabins, sleeper cars on trains, etc. for over 30 years. Also, when I introduce myself to the cabin attendant, I let them know that if I need anything non-urgently, I will leave a sticky note posted on a specific spot (mirror, shelf by the door etc.) and that if they need to leave me a note, the sticky tablet and pen will be in the same spot for them to use. This has been working great for years.
The sticky notes are a GREAT idea!!! Thank you very much for that tip. 🥰
VERY smart. Last cruise I got pneumonia. Just seeing the ships doctor and getting an antibiotic cost $3800. Make sure you get medical insurance, with evacuation insurance and trip cancellation. The antibiotic alone was nearly $1000. We had to pay upfront, and the insurance company reimbursed us. Have lots of room on your credit card, in case you need it.
That is a *brilliant* idea!
The foam topper is a great idea. I bring my pillows with me, so stuffing a topper in the luggage would be a chore. My wife is an infectious disease nurse and you want to see cleaning? A germ doesn't stand a chance in our cabin. We were on two different cruise, one had the norovirius and another had a covid outbreak. Both times we were fine, no illness. We also check for bed bugs, every hotel or cruise. She has a black light that works great. Mrs Clean goes through everything. We leave for Alaska tomorrow.
The black lights works to check for bedbugs?
While the bed bugs themselves do not fluoresce their excretion does.
Eew!! How are you getting rid of them if you find them? (The bed bugs I mean)
@@Donnalishgood question
@@Donnalish *You* are not getting rid of bed bugs on the cruise ship. *You* are getting a cabin upgrade.
Besides using the Clorox wipes, I bring a travel size Lysol spray and I use that on the toilet/flush button.
Do you do that in other bathrooms on the ship?
1st thing--I wipe down everything using a bleach wipe--all surfaces, phone, light switches, fridge, door handles, remote, ending with the bathroom. Nothing will survive my cleaning.
I can almost guarantee that you don't kill near as many bacteria and germs as you think you do.
This is a good video for not only on cruises but all hotel stays. Those phones and lamps be so dirty.
I always carry wipes with me. Something I have done for many, many years. (My Children used to call me Mrs. Monk!) Use them on airplanes, in hotel rooms and cruise cabins. People used to think I was crazy - not anymore!!
Monk was a great show!
@@wyatth2992 It sure was! Watched it every week with my Children. We loved it and Tony Shalhoub.
@bettylieberman5590
Monk was special!
I definitely prefer Sharona to Natalie.
Lol
USA had a great thing going with the whole "Blue Sky" era.
Psych is another one of my favorite shows.
I was just talking about that program tonight with a couple that I met while I was dining.
Everyone loves Burton Guster!
Thank you for the discussion and the trip down memory lane.
I'm happy to learn that your family was able to enjoy Monk as much as mine.
@@wyatth2992 We loved "Psych", also!! :)
We are twins. I'm called Monk as well. When Covid started, I was already prepared. Lol. My other nickname is the Covid police.
We just finished a cruise of the Mediterranean on an ultra luxury line and we contracted norovirus resulting in us being in isolation for 4 of the 14 days of the cruise. I am pretty certain that we picked it up in the cabin as we were very careful with what we touched outside the cabin and using hand sanitizer. We both let our guard down in our cabin though and as the ship had an outbreak on the previous sailing my husband and I believe that someone had the virus in our cabin. Your recommendation to sanitize the cabin yourself is spot on.
Don't forget the airport and flight to the port. There have been times we were sick before the set sail and I know the virus was the flight as the time line matched.
We’re probably not the usual cruiser in this regard…We tip $50.00 the first day and tell our cabin steward that they never need to enter our cabin, unless we specifically ask them to do so. If we need towels or, really, anything, we’ll catch them in the hall and get whatever is needed at that time. We figure, if we can manage having a cleaning service come to our house every other week, we can manage to keep our cabin clean for a week and making a bed is no trouble at all for us. We started doing this during Covid, to avoid possible germs from anyone coming in to our cabin, and have just continued with it ever since. We figure it saves them a bit of time and after 40 some cruises, we really don’t need any towel animals. At the end of the cruise, we thank them very much and tip them another $50.00. 😊
Is the $50 in addition to the regular gratuities? I have been thinking about this as I have to remind them to Not change my towels per the cruise line's request to the passengers to please reuse the towels and fine with me. But, somehow, the crew is still being trained to change the towels. Very irritating.
@@pjittner8504, yes. It works out well for us. We find that every day, when we see our room steward, he asks us, if we need anything. It actually seems to work out better for us, as we get everything that we need and none of what we don’t need. 😊
Lovely! I do the same!😊
While you say that to them, I think I remember hearing they are instructed to enter every cabin every day to do a sight check for anything illegal. There are evil people in this world doing things we cannot imagine. You gave them the money not to clean which I am with you on that, too, I make my bed every day no matter where I am and I always reuse my towels, too. The tip beforehand -which I do when I’m at weddings and when I valet- puts you at the top of their mental list. My car is always parked in the front, easy to get to, and wait staff at weddings/events pay attention to my needs during the party, it’s great:)
Been on 40 cruises, seen a hundred videos. This is the best vid ever.
Yep, I sanitize anyplace I stay, on land or sea. There's a difference btwn cleaning and sanitizing.
I clean and sanitize hotel rooms and cabins. Yes
I look forward to seeing the video of your Alaska Cruise as I will be going next year !
I think it's just smart to wipe down everything. My wife got extremely sick with a stomach virus staying in a hotel one time. The staff had mentioned that the previous guest who had left that morning was in the cabin for several days with the same stomach virus. We didn't find that out until after.
Jayson, just found your site by accident. Love your enthusiasm, and positive attitude. You address so important things without sounding like a" do it my way kind of guy". We do wipe down our cabin frequently touched areas, and believe it has helped keep us well, along with extra hand washing and hand sanitizer during the day. We also have our mini bar removed, share the desire for extra wash cloths(get hot and need refreshed during the day), and turn the AC down. One thing you didn't say was to store luggage under the bed. It usually fits and keeps the floor space free for moving about. Looking forward to your upcoming Alaska cruise videos.
After boarding, and before heading to my cabin, I get the muster drill out of the way, and put my cell phone in airplane mode!
I bring lysol wipes to wipe down every touch spot, and bring a mini can of lysol spray to kill any possible airborn germs that might be lingering. I also check for hidden cameras.
Where do you check for cameras?
We bring our own cups for in room drinking, not to worry about clean ones. Also don't forget a toothbrush cover and to put the brushes away before cleaning.
Don't wipe down the walls but most everything else. We have a sanitizing spray for touchups.
I clean as well. The best way to start your cruise
I always do a cabin touch point wipe down. But even so, on my Jan.,2024 cruise 12 of the 14 people in our group got sick (not Covid.) I slept for 2 days and missed a scheduled shore excursion. 😢. The illness left me with a bad cough that lasted 3 months! Next time I will be using hand sanitizer lots more throughout the days.
I got covid on one in 2022. 3 out of 4 in our group did. And we took great measures to be careful. I think the heat/AC being all interconnected is not good. Like an airplane recirculating the air!
Use a glove when in the buffet, each utensil is handled by thousands of unclean hands a day, also wash and sanitize often...happy cruising 😊
The heating and cooling is a central system and I think that spreads tons of germs. And anyone that has had a balcony room knows every time you open the door, air is sucked in from the hallway. Germy air!!
Only time I ever got Covid was on a NCL cruise ship, and 3 out of 4 in my group also got it. I was really sick for weeks afterwards.
@@BarryWeaver-pv6cz I wish I could sent u the photo of the vent I took on NCL-Joy pulling the mesh wire back that was fULL of dirt- dust . Got home was sick. -tested post Covid my husband too . He is disabled having a hard time breathing,coughing. Rooms look clean only . Sad and scary .
We've been cruising for over 20 years now and I ALWAYS wipe things down the minute we walk into our cabin. I send the family out to the balcony to get that done ASAP. We also unpack fully as soon as we can. Lately, luggage hasn't been arriving as early as it used to. Last year I went on a cruise with my daughter. She wanted to explore the ship as soon as we checked in at muster. So, we ended up missing lunch - lol! So on our cruise next week, she agreed to have lunch and THEN go explore the ship!
Good tip. I never thought about checking the hair dryer.
I use the heavier black paper clips for shower curtains so they don't come in shower and stick to me. Also use on of the hangers that has the pant clips put it on the curtain at night to hold the middle together to avoid extra light in the morning.
I clean as well. Love the flashlight idea for bedbugs. I worked for an exterminating company for 16 years and bedbugs are extremely difficult and expensive to eliminate.
How would you check for bedbugs?
Stains/spots on the sheets, mattress, boxspring, and of course bugs in the seams of the mattress.
We always clean and tip at the beginning and usually at the end as well
I agree with A lot of stuff you say BUT I wipe down my cabin first and spray everything down to disinfectant, leave the cabin 10-15 mins depending on direction then come back. I used to get sick everytime we travel and my doctor told me to do this been doing this now for over 10 yrs knock on wood never gotten sick on a cruise. My husband starts on one side of the room and I one the other, one wipes, one sprays takes about 10 mins. We do this for hotels as well. We also put our magnet hooks and clips in our carry on to get setup. We do everything but the mattress topper.
Good video with some practical suggestions. We don’t do all the cabin cleaning, but I understand those who do. In 25 + cruises we’ve never gotten sick.
I started cruising in the 70's and never did anything you said...I guess i have been lucky and never got sick,not even the sniffles.Only problem i had was in 1982 on The Carnival Mardi Gras,very old ship and Carnival's first ship,constant flushing problem with the toilet,the maintenance guy was in the cabin 4-6 times a day with a plunger...I think these Mega ships are prone to problems,since covid the sanitizing system has been upgraded,they now fumigate the cabins to kill more bacteria.
I sanitize my room first. 💕 But, I love your idea of taking a picture first.
me too!
Great video,
I carry the mini Lysol spray and I spray everything down, including the outside door handle, especially the furniture and inside drawers and carpet. I just usuall sit down it once. Same with balcony furniture and railing. I also wash my hands after I get my food from buffet , handling all those tongs . Washing hands before is great, but not everyone does that.
Those are my only major things. The video was really great, especially about checking everything.
Thanks Jason.
Thank you for the tips! Yes ALWAS sanitize the room!!!
And as you get to your room, you've already touched over 300 feet of railings, elevators and everything else. Never cleaned and sanitized. We ask for pillows, blanket and ice in our ice bucket. We do check toilets/paper, temp of refer and Air. Never checked for bed bugs but that's a good idea. Then unpack and go eat.
You forgot the flight 😂😂😂😂😂😂. Hotel, ride to the port etc....
The railings and elevator, lol, but so true.
If I needed to bring a mattress topper on a cruise I wouldn’t be sailing with that cruise line .. are you kidding me .. with all the items you need to bring .. I fly from Australia to mostly Northern European ports .. I do wipe down surfaces in hotels cabins and aircraft seats though 😉
Yes I love spending my hard earned vacation time on a floating cesspool of germs🙄
Yes I always takes my lysol to clean.
We clean hotel rooms, airplane seats/areas, rental cars, and have done so since my daughter was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. A good handwashing and we are golden…
Great checklist. My last cruise was in November 2019 - just before the world shut down. There was an outbreak of what I assumed to be a norovirus type of illness. The last few days the sanitizing was really stepped up - nothing left on the tables, no self serving in the buffet, staff served everything. Even officers were wiping tables & touch points. Thankfully I didn't catch it. On my past cruises I never sanitized my cabin but am definitely going to start when I go in January.
They look clean , but they feel Covid is over so why clean the dirty dusty disgusting vents . They don’t change the filters anymore , I seen it last week ,home with Covid. 😷
I got sick on my very first cruise back in 2001. Ever since I have packed Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer. I also check to make sure everything is working but agree a/c doesn't really start getting cool until we are under underway. I also bring my own hair dryer. Me and my daughter have long hair and room dryer takes too long to dry our hair and is a pain holding button to make it work. Sometimes we use the gym locker room showers so we can both get ready at the same time and hubby can get ready in the room.
31 cruises and I've never done any of the cabin checks. As a result, I had to call down to guest services one time on one cruise to have the closet door fixed. I'm more interested in getting on with the cruise. Wipe down you cabin if you wish, but wipe down every hand rail/door knob/ counter top throughout the ship, too.
Great tips! I am going to use the flashlight tip. I tip my cabin steward at the beginning and the end of the cruise. Tipping in the beginning always sets the tone and I have always received excellent service!
What is the standard tipping rate.
I spray the whole cabin with disinfectant. I love your ideas. ❤
No, I don't count on cabin attendants cleaning thoroughly. I'm sanitising my cabin too.
Have been cruising since 2002 have never cleaned my cabin when we arrived or during cruise and have never been sick on a cruise just pure dumb luck maybe. Even our first cruise after cruising started again after covid have never worried about it. But a great idea may think about this on later cruises.
We've never been sick on a cruise; however, on our last river cruise a few years ago, we're certain a group of passengers brought it on board as they were complaining of feeling ill from 'eating too much'. Those in that group that weren't too sick to leave their cabin, went about doing their thing, touching things and glad-handing the crew. As a result nearly half the ship ended up with some type of stomach issue and our 80 year-old Aunt spent 4 out of the 7-day cruise in her cabin. Lesson learned ... wash regularly, use sanitizer constantly and don't believe people who say they're 'okay' when they're obviously not.
Hotels: i also wipe down & sanitize everything but i ALWAYS bring zip lok bags & place the tv remote in it & we use it through the bag. Those things are super germy. 😊
Royal Caribbean provided us with a mattress topper, and this made the bed perfect.
On a Disney cruise several years ago, my husband and I were not happy with our mattress, we called housekeeping and had a brand new mattress within 15 minutes!
@@joycevillano755wow! Same cabin? They brought two new twin size mattresses in and brought the old ones out or?
Been on 8-9 cruises with Princess and luckily never had any problems. But I did do all the checks like you did. I always left a generous tip for the room steward because he always left the room comfortable and immaculate. Usually brought a one level box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts to start the cruise off right. The room steward was always appreciative.
I always tip at the end.
I always just get the bar glasses from the bar as I head back to cabin through out our cruise
Yes, we clean our cabin as soon as they allow us into our cabins. We sanitize just about everything. The cabin steward does not have enough time to do this . They have a very tight window of time during disembarkation of previous cruisers to the incoming new cruisers.
Totally agree with this deduction. With such a quick turn around, the cabin stewards cannot possibly do a full sanitary deep cleaning. Doing it myself, gives me peace of mind, and a clean cabin for the entire cruise. I also bring two pairs of latex gloves, to wear while I clean.
Having cruised and traveled for business/pleasure for more years than I'd like to admit, I've learned: 1) never, ever use an ice bucket without a plastic throw-away liner (you never know what's gone in there), 2) always wash out any glasses in your room setup (thankfully, throw-away plastic glasses seem to be the norm), 3) sanitize!, 4) don't sit on the bedspread, 5) don't walk around in your bare feet (flip-flops or slippers) and 6) on cruises, tip your room steward beforehand just to let him/her know you appreciate them and any help they can provide.
I clean my room as well. So important 😊
I always tip at the beginning, and I feel that it makes them pay more attention to me and my family.
Great ideas. Definitely taking wipes. Hoping to stay well.
I give my tips at the end of the cruise.
If I had money, I would grease as many palms on day one as I can. They work hard and are very important to me so I want them to know they are seen and appreciated. Also I have disabilities and am often solo. I think it's simply wise to have people watching out for you.
Thank you, very informative
Absolutely, tipping on the first day puts you at the top of their list. Tipping the valet when handing him my keys always gets me a spot up front, tipping waitstaff right away at a wedding/event always gets me a full glass of whatever I’m drinking without me asking. Tipping upfront has always worked for me, too :)
We have always wipe things down. I’m glad it’s standard now for many of us!
Great tips!
I clean with wipes every time. Meticulously. Glen 20 hospital grade is wonderful. If leaving from Australia I spray Glen 20 through the whole cabin. I try to buy it overseas if we are flying anywhere. A ship attendant also told me to spray it up into the air conditioner. We have never been sick.
Yes, I like to spray our room and wipe highly touched areas; I will start checking for bedbugs after looking at your video, as well as check sink and toilet. We tip at the end and if fridge stocked, we ask items to be removed
Great video Jayson. We pretty much do the same thing you’ve done on your list we used to also ask for a fan pretty early but now we don’t we just bring our own mini fan.
I have a question actually. What is the proper amount of $ to tip for our cabin cleaner?
I think the tip everyone is talking about is in addition to the required tip we give at the end. I think they would appreciate -and you’d be at the top of their list- anything over $50 at the beginning of the cruise.
New to your channel. Going on 2nd cruise in November ❤🎉
thanks.
I always bring a couple clothes pins when traveling to use to keep curtains closed all the way when I am sleeping. Also use them to aid in hanging up clothes when there is a shortage of hangers.
Have you ever had bedbugs in all your years of cruising and if so, did you move out of the cabin or how does that work?
Good question!! That just freaked me out!!🤣
I have been on 75+ cruises since 1978 and have never had a bed bug. Norovirus struck twice 2010, 2011.😮
Totally agree with the Clorex. I do the same with any hotel rooms we stay in.
Always clean and sanitize my hotel rooms and cruise cabins.
The second thing that I do, is tip my steward and let them know that I will not need any cleaning or making of beds. I will only need fresh wash cloths daily. 💕💕 I bring my own pillowcase and one beach towel.
I bring pillow case too and body pillow cover (added a zipper). I just have to ask for an extra pillow.
Raised white- glove- military-clean, so not much to do when i leave. Teflon green scrubby works on sink n shower. I bring my own wash cloth & rinse in boiling water daily (UVBrite thermos)
I fold away comforter, blanket, pillows, strip bed, collect hand towels I use n xsmall pet trash bag.
It's a "do unto others" kind of thing
I do this checking, cleaning, and inspecting at hotels and on cruises.
I definitely clean the cabin.
We're going on our first cruise next Monday (Celebrity Reflection) so I'm watching allllll the last minute prep videos I can now. Thanks for the tips!
I always clean my room and check the beds. I unpack and put my luggage underneath my bed. I tend to personally tip my Attendant on the last evening of my cruise and thank them! I don't like clutter and things all over the place, I will definitely utilize closets, shelves and drawers. I don't hang hooks all around and usually dry off at the pool before returning to my cabin.
I absolutely wipe my cabin down especially in the bathroom!!!! Good tip!!!
I bring extra wire hangers for the closet.
We love this cruise line! This will be our eighth cruise. We do all of these and more 😂. We always have a balcony! Gotta have the hooks !
Great tips. I always clean my cabin after I make sure everything is working .
Great suggestions! I’m going on my first ocean cruise next month so I will definitely be doing some of these things. Thanks for the packing list!
Yes, we these Clorox and wipe everything down. We started doing this 25 years ago. Makes me feel a lot better. Also love the hooks. Have never checked for bedbugs but we always have two small flash lights so that will be on our list now. Thanks
Thank You I have been watching your videos very helpful. Going on my First cruise in July Symphony of the Seas. And yes I plan on cleaning everything, it’s always a must when you go on vacation.
Clean my cruise ship cabin Yes, I do because I work in hospitality and I know maids get 20 minutes to clean hotel rooms, so I assume room stewards get the same amount of time.
Found out from our cruise that they get about 8 minutes ,I clean everything and everywhere in hotel rooms and cruise cabins 😊
I also have worked in house keeping and you are exactly correct about the time. We got 20 minutes per room. Not much time especially if it had been trashed the night before. I would have to spend 40 minutes in that room and have to make up my time in the next room. Therefore corners had to be cut.
Trust me!!
@@CJRuden I don't miss those days of cleaning rooms that have been trashed.
I give a $20 tip when I first meet the attendant. I tell the attendant I will take care of them at the end of the cruise and I do like I said I would.
I do sanitize everything before putting a do not disturb card out. Don’t need anyone else to unsanitize the room after I do that step. And I myself change into indoor comfort clothing after walking into my cabin for the rest of the cruise and wash hands immediately 😊
Yes we clean the whole cabin for sure
Great, doable list. Thank you!
NP - thank you for watching
Last year on Mariner of the Seas I put in a request for a bed topper prior to my cruise. You can do that online. It was already on my bed when I arrived in my cabin.
Can you please tell me where you enter that request?
Great tips! I'm sharing this with my parents, who are first-time cruisers.
I tip the cabin attendant every day. You never know if they might need some cash during the trip. If they do something really extra the day before I don't want to forget at the end of the cruise. I have pre-filled envelopes with a set amount for each day of the trip and extra cash on hand if I think the tip per day should be more.
And don't forget your slippers. I know someone who just got back froma cruise, and he's a really large man. He told me he got intestinal flu or something, and his bowels let loose all over the carpet. He said he was so emabarressed, but that they cleaned it up and he left a substantial tip. I bet that happens a lot, and vomiting! So sandals and disinfectant!! I bring wipes and spray!!
A suggestion on wrinkled clothes. If you get anything dry-cleaned before you depart, leave it in that plastic wrap from the dry cleaner, five will get you 10 everything will be fine inside when you finally unpack.
Some cabin attendants do not do a good job. On Two cruises last year I arrived to find my cabin dirty even though they said it was ready. Food under the couch, drawers had debris in them, toilet was dirty, carpet needed to be cleaned, mirror had finger prints on it, desk was sticky. I nicely pointed that all out to the cabin attendants and they both made the same excuse about how someone else was supposed to clean. The cabin was cleaned by nighttime.
Thanks to your videos I bought those hooks and my wife was ecstatic. Great info
Glad they worked out for you - thanks for watching
I think it's important to wipe areas that get touched often period. It should be done at home and at a cruise cabin. You never know.
Excellent video....LOVE the nap ! 🤣
Great tips! Thank you very much for sharing!
I will bring cleaning wipes now. Not something I’ve done in the past but that makes so much sense. Bed bugs! Wow. We are doing an Alaskan cruise soon as well.
Thank you for the tip on cleaning and bed bugs. I will do that from now on thank you
Yes! I always clean my cabin!
Nice informative video. My wife and I usually inspect our cabin upon entering and I too like to make sure everything that's at our disposal is working properly without a hitch. I just never thought of ever checking for those pesky bed critters and after watching your checklist, I'm going to have to invest in one of those infrared flashlights that'll help detect them. On our last cruise I noticed that the mini fridge already was stocked with drinks and we decided to not touch it. We took everything out of that fridge, placed aside as we stock the fridge with our drinks we brought on board and especially for the bottled waters that I always purchase ahead of time. After the cruise, we put back the mini bar drinks in the fridge.
This was a great list! I never thought to bring my own mattress topper before, so thank you for that. 🤗 For the extended plug, I never bring that because I have a CPAP machine. The cruise line gives me a power strip, so I just use that for charging phones, curling irons, etc. As for tipping, I always pre-pay the gratuities, and I typically give an additional tip at the beginning of the cruise (standard is $40). IF the cabin steward goes above and beyond, then I'll give an extra tip at the end between $30 - $60 depending on how great they were. Strangely, this past cruise (last week), was the first time I didn't give an extra tip at the end. Our cabin steward was such a sweetheart with a fabulous personality, but he was HORRIBLE with cleaning the room. When we first got in, not only was it clearly not clean, and was full of dust, but there was literally a molded, half-eaten apple in one of the drawers. I am disgusted by the lack of cleaning AND by the wretched cruiser who PUT a half-eaten apple in a drawer. 🤬🤬
*Edited to add: This was on Carnival Pride*
Yikes 😳
We always tip good at the end 😛
Thx for the bedbug tip!
I clean, not as extensive, but do clean. I check for bb, no matter, cruise ship or hotel. Always check. Good video
Thank you for the helpful tips. I am going on my 2nd NCL cruise on 9/1. I need to sleep on a wedge pillow to keep my head and upper back raised. When I asked about it, they bunched up to pillows to form a makeshift wedge. This time, I'm bringing an inflatable wedge pillow with a small pump to inflate the wedge. Have you ever heard about people needing wedge pillows on cruises?
For those with GERD, reflux condition.
How do you keep the magnetic hooks from sliding down when something is hung on them?