Most cruisers board the ship, unpack, and assume what’s in the cabin is what they get. That’s a costly mistake – not in money, but in comfort, convenience, and the little luxuries that make the difference between a good trip and a great one. The truth is, cruise lines quietly make dozens of extras available to anyone who simply asks their cabin steward or stops by the front desk. They’re not advertised. They’re not on the app. They’re just… there, waiting.
The guests who know to ask come back to their rooms every night a little more pampered than everyone else on the same deck, in the same category of cabin, paying the same price. Here’s exactly what they’re requesting – and why you should too.
#17 – A Mattress Topper That Turns a Stiff Bed Into Something You’ll Actually Sleep In
If your cruise ship cabin bed is too hard, you can ask your stateroom attendant for a mattress topper – they’ll place one underneath your bed sheets to provide a little more padding. Most guests spend the whole cruise quietly suffering through a firm mattress without realizing this option exists.
In some cases, you may receive an egg crate topper, and other times you might be lucky enough to receive a plush memory foam topper. The problem is they can run out, so you’ll need to act quickly – after the first night, enough people will have complained to probably exhaust the supply. Ask on embarkation day. Don’t wait.
#16 – A Different Pillow (or Five, If You Want Them)
Whether you prefer a softer pillow, more pillows, or you need a hypoallergenic pillow, check out your pillow as soon as you get to your room and ask your stateroom attendant if you want a different kind – there may be a limited selection, so do this early.
Princess and Celebrity are especially known for pillow menus, but most lines have alternatives if you ask. If you have allergies, hypoallergenic pillows may also be available. This is one of those perks that sounds small until you’re staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m. with a pillow that feels like a bag of sand.
#15 – A Bathrobe That Wasn’t Automatically in Your Closet
On some cruise lines, you can get a free bathrobe to use during your trip – it depends on the cruise line, your room, and sometimes your cruise level. However, some passengers say anyone can ask for and receive a robe, so it’s worth asking if one didn’t come with your room.
On Royal Caribbean, once you accumulate 30 cruise points and become a Platinum cruiser, you can use complimentary robes – but you must ask for them, as they aren’t automatically placed in your cabin. Even guests below that tier have reported success just by asking nicely. The worst they can say is no.
#14 – Extra Hangers So You Can Actually Unpack Like a Human
So often cruise tips tell people to bring extra hangers – don’t. If there aren’t enough hangers in your room, just ask for more. Ships have laundry and dry-cleaning services, so there is no shortage of hangers.
You can also ask for specific types, such as trouser hangers, skirt clips, or padded hangers for delicate items. The six most commonly requested items from cabin stewards include extra hangers – alongside ice bucket refills, glasses and a corkscrew, extra towels, and a paper copy of the daily program. Hangers made the top six. That tells you everything.
#13 – A Daily Ice Bucket Refilled on a Schedule You Set
The most requested item from cruise passengers is ice. Whether you want your bucket refilled every night or want ice at a specific time of day, your steward makes it happen. Most guests don’t think to schedule it – they just hope the ice is there when they want it.
Whether it’s for a cocktail on the balcony or keeping your water cool, an ice bucket is one of the most popular requests – and some guests even ask for it at a set time each day, so it’s ready right when they want it. It’s also handy if you’ve brought your own wine or soft drinks onboard and want to chill them without using the minibar.
#12 – Wine Glasses and a Corkscrew Delivered Right to the Cabin
If your cruise line lets you bring wine on board, you’ll probably need a corkscrew and a couple of glasses to enjoy it – and a quick chat with your steward can ensure you have everything you need for a private wine tasting on your own balcony.
Want to enjoy a bottle you brought onboard or a drink from the bar in your cabin? Ask for proper glassware – room attendants can usually bring wine or champagne glasses. Need wine glasses to enjoy an adult beverage on your balcony, or fresh ice to keep other beverages perfectly chilled? Just ask. It takes 30 seconds and turns your balcony into a private bar.
#11 – Extra Towels (Including Beach Towels for Port Days)
Cruise cabins are often stocked with just enough towels for two guests, but if you’re travelling with more people, or just want extra, your steward can bring more with no fuss – you can request more bath towels, hand towels, face cloths, or even beach towels if allowed.
It’s especially helpful to ask for additional beach towels if you’re planning days ashore or lounging by the pool. It’s a good idea to mention this on embarkation day, so you’ll have what you need for the duration of your cruise. Don’t wait until the morning of a port stop – that’s when everyone else figures it out too.
#10 – A Printed Daily Schedule Delivered to Your Door Every Night
Nowadays, since most cruise lines have an app, your cabin attendant may not leave a paper cruise planner automatically in your room. However, if you like to have a printed version of the daily planner, your cabin attendant will gladly bring one each evening.
Most lines deliver a printed daily planner, but if yours doesn’t, or you want a second copy, just ask – it’s great to keep one in your bag and one in the room, especially if you’re splitting up during the day. Even on cruise ships that no longer automatically provide paper cruise planners, they can be requested if you just ask your cabin steward for one. Paper doesn’t need a Wi-Fi signal.
#9 – Your Bed Converted From Twins to a Queen (or Vice Versa)
The first day is the time to mention any special sleeping arrangements, like converting two twin beds into a queen. This sounds obvious, but a stunning number of couples arrive to find two separate beds pushed against the wall and spend the first two hours of vacation waiting for guest services instead of hitting the pool deck.
Requesting separate beds if booked as a double is one of the most common requests cabin stewards receive. Either configuration – together or split – can typically be arranged before you even walk through the door, if you flag it in advance or catch your steward on embarkation day. Mention it the moment you meet your steward and it’ll be done before dinner.
#8 – A Cleaned-Out Minibar Fridge for Your Own Drinks
Here’s one almost nobody talks about. The minibar fridge in your cabin is pre-loaded with overpriced snacks and drinks you didn’t order – and many guests assume they’re stuck with it. They’re not. Asking your steward for light cleaning requests like emptying the mini-fridge is a routine ask that most attendants handle without hesitation.
Once it’s cleared, you can make space in your mini-fridge if you’ve brought on your own case of water bottles (check cruise line policy), as well as to put any milk containers the kids may take for later from the breakfast buffet. An empty fridge stocked with your own items can save a family of four a surprising amount over a 7-day cruise. Just ask to have the minibar contents removed on day one.
#7 – Towel Animals Made to Order, Every Single Night
You may like different towel animals each day for a surprise when you return to the cabin. What most guests don’t realize is that towel animals aren’t always a guarantee anymore – they vary by cruise line, ship, and even individual steward. But if you ask, you’ll almost always get them.
Many guests adore the towel animals that stewards sometimes leave on the bed each night, but they aren’t always created as standard now. Some cabin attendants genuinely enjoy making the towel animals and seeing your reaction – one guest reported their towel animal was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap just for fun. Ask for them by name. Elephants and swans are crowd favorites.
#6 – An Outdoor Blanket for Balcony Evenings
Cruising somewhere cool or breezy? Ask for an outdoor blanket – it’s perfect for balcony time when the temperature drops. This perk is wildly underused. Guests book balcony cabins and then abandon them after sunset because the ocean air turns chilly, never thinking to just ask for something to wrap up in.
Traveling with someone who loves a cold cabin at night but you’re freezing? You can ask your cabin steward for extra blankets. The same extra blanket that works inside works just as well draped over your lap on a balcony at dusk with a glass of something cold. It’s one of the most underrated ways to actually use the balcony you paid extra for.
#5 – Your Preferred Cabin Cleaning Time, Set on Day One
Cabin stewards on Royal Caribbean ships, for instance, will ask if you have a preference between whether your room is cleaned in the morning or afternoon – and many cruise lines now collect this preference in advance through their apps or pre-boarding questionnaires, so stewards can build their daily route before you arrive.
Now that most cruise lines have limited the cleaning of staterooms to once per day, cabin stewards will usually ask passengers what time of day they would like their cabin serviced. Most veteran cruisers have a routine and know exactly when they will be out of their cabin for a while, so they let the steward know right away. If nobody asks you, volunteer the information. Coming back to a freshly made room at the exact right moment is a small but real luxury.
#4 – Free Toiletries You Forgot to Pack
Forgetting essential toiletries like toothpaste or a razor doesn’t have to mean going without. You can ask the front desk if they have any available – some cruise lines pass these items out complimentary to passengers who need them, so it’s always worth an ask.
When it comes to shampoo and conditioner, you might just want to save space in your luggage and leave it at home, because most cruise lines provide them. Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line only provide shampoo and no conditioner, though, so you’ll want to check your specific booking for details. Toothpaste, razors, and cotton swabs are the three items most commonly available for free – and most commonly forgotten by first-timers.
#3 – Balcony Partition Opened to Connect With a Neighboring Cabin
If you are cruising with family members or friends who have cabins side by side, you can request to open the balcony partitions – this is a great way to enjoy more balcony space and hang out outdoors of your cabin. Most families book adjacent cabins for the kids, never realizing the dividing wall between balconies can simply swing open.
This turns two cramped balconies into one generous outdoor gathering space – great for group sailaways, dinners under the stars, or just keeping an eye on smaller kids next door. It’s one of the most transformative cabin upgrades available, and it costs nothing. You just have to know it exists and ask your steward on embarkation day before both parties settle in.
#2 – Free Toiletry Upgrades and Robes Tied to Your Loyalty Status
Nicer amenities such as name-brand toiletries, higher-thread-count sheets and linens, stocked minibars, or fancy robes are perks that guests in certain cabin categories can access. But what most people miss is that loyalty status – not just cabin category – can unlock these same extras in a standard stateroom, if you ask.
Unlike sister brand Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean staterooms don’t come equipped with bathrobes. Once you accumulate 30 cruise points and reach the Platinum tier of Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society, you’ll be able to request complimentary bathrobes during your cruise. However, you must ask for them, as they aren’t automatically placed in your cabin. If you’ve earned the perk and haven’t asked, you’ve left it on the table every single sailing.
#1 – Insider Port Advice From the One Person Onboard Who Actually Knows
Every list puts something practical at number one. This one’s different – and it might be the most valuable perk on the entire ship. Your cabin steward is a great person to ask for advice and tips regarding the cruise itinerary and ports you visit. These crew members have sailed the same routes dozens of times. They know which port neighborhoods are worth exploring and which aren’t.
One cruiser reported asking their cabin steward about doing laundry: “He told me to wait until day three of the cruise, as every three days there would be a promotion – I could fill a bag for a fixed price which was dramatically cheaper.” That same instinct – just asking your steward what they know – applies to ports, local food, safe walking distances, and timing. Your steward has often been to those ports more times than any tour guide onboard. That local-level knowledge is free, available at any hour, and almost nobody thinks to tap it.
The pattern here is almost embarrassingly simple. Nearly every one of these 17 perks is available to any guest on almost any cruise line – no suite upgrade required, no loyalty program necessary in most cases. The only thing separating guests who get them from guests who don’t is a single conversation with the person who knocks on your door on embarkation day. Introduce yourself. Learn their name. Tell them what makes you comfortable. That 60-second exchange at the start of the trip has a way of quietly improving every single day that follows. Did we miss one you’ve successfully requested? Drop it in the comments.
