Many cruise travelers look forward to a vacation free of chores – no need to make the bed, pick up the room, or generally tidy up. Some guests do pick up somewhat in an effort to ease the duties of the cabin attendant, but is it necessary?
Carnival Cruise Line’s Brand Ambassador, John Heald, has focused on cleanliness and tidiness recently, asking for guest feedback about their own onboard “chores.”
The first mention of tidiness Heald made was upon boarding Carnival Magic for his recent FFS cruise. That sailing departed on February 16, 2025, from Miami, Florida.
While filming some embarkation “walkies” to share with his fans, Heald noticed a nearby cabin on Deck 1 that had exuberantly celebrated Valentine’s Day on the previous sailing. Red silk rose petals – hundreds of them – were strewn all over the floor.
“That’s how not to leave your cabin,” Heald commented. “That was some very, um, intense love going on in this cabin!”
Another passenger, however, took issue with Heald sharing the video and apparently “shaming” the guests who left their stateroom in that condition.
“Shaming this person for leaving Valentine hearts across the floor of their room was unprofessional and plain wrong,” the guest said.
“We don’t make the bed, we do not throw away all garbage, pick up our clothes, make the bed and generally straighten things up. I leave all of the wet towels in a pile in the shower Do you clean your own room in a hotel John? Of course you do not.”
To be clear, Heald’s original video never identified the previous guests or offered any sort of condemnation beyond the simple comment of how not to leave one’s stateroom.
Furthermore, the commenter makes assumptions about how Heald may or may not leave his hotel rooms – an impolite assertion without any evidence. The commenter goes on to bring up gratuities and of course, loyalty status.
“Why should those of us who tip the suggested amounts Carnival tells us to tip do the job of the cabin boy or cabin girl cleaners?” they ask. “Our room does not look like an F3 [tornado] has gone through it. It looks like a mom and her daughter are on vacation and have better things to do. Mom is platinum BTW.”
Personally, I’m a bit hard-pressed to support the commenter’s concerns when they use the terms “cabin boy” and “cabin girl” in reference to the hard-working cabin attendants. These crew members work tirelessly, always with a smile, and certainly deserve much more respect than that.
Similarly, one’s loyalty status with the cruise line is also irrelevant. I happen to be a Platinum cruiser myself, and I always be sure all garbage is in the bin, pick up all my clothes, make the bed, and tidy up the cabin before I head out for the daily fun.
Heald does respond to the affronted cruiser, noting why he posted the video and what cabin attendants will do.
“I highlighted the video to say that it did give the cabin attendant extra work on a busy debarkation/embarkation morning,” he explained.
“I certainly did not suggest you should do any of the things that you mentioned in your post. You are correct, you are on vacation and that is why our brilliant cabin attendants and housekeeping teams will always make sure they do all of this for you.”
It is one thing to expect cabin attendants to complete basic housekeeping duties, but it is quite another to leave an extraordinary mess behind.
Sometimes, such messes might be unavoidable, such as seasickness when you might not make it all the way to the bathroom, or inadvertently bringing extra sand back into the stateroom after a lengthy beach day.
In that case, a polite request for extra cleaning, accompanied by a sincere thank you or an extra gratuity if you choose to offer one, is all that is needed to set the cabin back to a clean, relaxing sanctuary.
Do Cruise Guests Clean Up After Themselves?
Heald followed up on the controversial video and comment with an informal poll asking guests if they made their bed or generally tidied up before leaving their stateroom in the morning.
Many guests responded to his inquiry, noting that they may straighten up the bed or pull up the blankets but it’s not necessarily “made” to the same standards the cabin attendant will manage.
“I tidy up because I don’t think it’s the cabin steward’s job to pick up after me,” one guest noted. “Their job is to clean my cabin and they work very hard to I am not adding to their workload.”
I feel the same, that the cabin attendant’s job is to vacuum and be sure the cabin is “refreshed” but not to serve as my personal maid.
Read Also: What a Cruise Ship Cabin Steward Really Does
Different travelers note that when sharing a small stateroom space with a family or group, extra tidiness is essential.
Do you want to help out your cabin attendant? Be sure all used towels are piled on the floor in the bathroom for easy pickup, put all trash in the can, get your personal belongings put away as much as possible, and of course, always offer a sincere thank you whenever you see them!
