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#1
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Cruise or not
In 1999, we took an Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Wind, the only
cruise we've been on. The service couldn't was wonderful and I don't see how it could have been better, possibly because of assigned meal seatings with the same table, same waiter, same cabin steward and tips in cash at the end of the cruise. The food was wonderful, so good in fact, we never went to the one extra-pay restaurant. We were thinking of taking another cruise but after speaking to several friends about their resent cruises, we may not. Every one of them said the freestyle dining and tips that are added to your bill that don't reflect service levels, have caused a severe decline in service. They also mentioned that the quality of food and attitude of the crew had been less than acceptable. Some of my friends, just about all of them cruising on different cruise lines, were told essentially the same thing by crew members, that there was no point in going that extra mile in service to the passengers because they don't get more in tips if they give good service and don't get less if they give minimal service or maybe even poorer service. The crew member also said that the tips are now also going to the salaried people behind the scenes, not just those who live on their tips and went on to say that the company was charging a percentage of the tips for a processing fee that comes out of the pockets of the crew. I have no idea if all this is really true but it sounds like it could be. If we are going to spend that much money on a cruise, we expect great service and food. If we can be expected to be treated like cattle, I have no interest in cruising. Skip |
#2
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Cruise or not
On Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:14:20 -0700, Skipfromla wrote:
In 1999, we took an Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Wind, the only cruise we've been on. The service couldn't was wonderful and I don't see how it could have been better, possibly because of assigned meal seatings with the same table, same waiter, same cabin steward and tips in cash at the end of the cruise. The food was wonderful, so good in fact, we never went to the one extra-pay restaurant. We were thinking of taking another cruise but after speaking to several friends about their resent cruises, we may not. Every one of them said the freestyle dining and tips that are added to your bill that don't reflect service levels, have caused a severe decline in service. They also mentioned that the quality of food and attitude of the crew had been less than acceptable. Some of my friends, just about all of them cruising on different cruise lines, were told essentially the same thing by crew members, that there was no point in going that extra mile in service to the passengers because they don't get more in tips if they give good service and don't get less if they give minimal service or maybe even poorer service. The crew member also said that the tips are now also going to the salaried people behind the scenes, not just those who live on their tips and went on to say that the company was charging a percentage of the tips for a processing fee that comes out of the pockets of the crew. I have no idea if all this is really true but it sounds like it could be. If we are going to spend that much money on a cruise, we expect great service and food. If we can be expected to be treated like cattle, I have no interest in cruising. Skip Cruise prices are so low that cattle treatment is *all* you an expect. Grow up. -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm0tugjJs_A |
#3
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Cruise or not
"Skipfromla" wrote in message ... In 1999, we took an Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Wind, the only cruise we've been on. The service couldn't was wonderful and I don't see how it could have been better, possibly because of assigned meal seatings with the same table, same waiter, same cabin steward and tips in cash at the end of the cruise. The food was wonderful, so good in fact, we never went to the one extra-pay restaurant. We were thinking of taking another cruise but after speaking to several friends about their resent cruises, we may not. Every one of them said the freestyle dining and tips that are added to your bill that don't reflect service levels, have caused a severe decline in service. They also mentioned that the quality of food and attitude of the crew had been less than acceptable. Some of my friends, just about all of them cruising on different cruise lines, were told essentially the same thing by crew members, that there was no point in going that extra mile in service to the passengers because they don't get more in tips if they give good service and don't get less if they give minimal service or maybe even poorer service. The crew member also said that the tips are now also going to the salaried people behind the scenes, not just those who live on their tips and went on to say that the company was charging a percentage of the tips for a processing fee that comes out of the pockets of the crew. I have no idea if all this is really true but it sounds like it could be. If we are going to spend that much money on a cruise, we expect great service and food. If we can be expected to be treated like cattle, I have no interest in cruising. Skip Dear Lord Fauntleroy, I've been on five Caribbean cruises on Carnival and Royal Caribbean since 2006 and have yet to have an experience which would remotely turn me away from the ships. Aside from one minor lavatory problem which was cleared up in 15 minutes with apologies, every expereince has been to my liking from the food to the service which was always attentive. The tips were merely added on to my bill at cruises end, except for room service where we gladly tipped in person. All staff..and I do mean ALL staff was gracious and professional. Not a sullen one amongst them. I have the feeling that on dry land and sea you are the type that insists your rear end be kissed at all times, from the office to the on deck hot tub, and quite frankly, I cruise to get as far away from people like you as I possibly can, as I work for and with people such as yourself. Your opinion is duly noted. We invite you to search other usenet groups to find leisure time activities that may better suit your tastes and needs. Have a pleasant day. |
#4
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Cruise or not
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#5
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Cruise or not
"Skipfromla" wrote in message ... In 1999, we took an Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Wind, the only cruise we've been on. The service couldn't was wonderful and I don't see how it could have been better, possibly because of assigned meal seatings with the same table, same waiter, same cabin steward and tips in cash at the end of the cruise. The food was wonderful, so good in fact, we never went to the one extra-pay restaurant. We were thinking of taking another cruise but after speaking to several friends about their resent cruises, we may not. Every one of them said the freestyle dining and tips that are added to your bill that don't reflect service levels, have caused a severe decline in service. They also mentioned that the quality of food and attitude of the crew had been less than acceptable. There are a lot of other options besides NCL. Cruise lines are typically grouped into the following categories: Mass Market Premium Luxury NCL is in the Mass Market group, along with Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess. Some lines like Royal Caribbean focus on activities (ice shows, mini golf, rock climbing, etc.). Others like Celebrity focus on pampering and better food. Some put Celebrity in the Premium category, though they are still a mass market, albeit a bit more upscale. Then there's the expensive boys like Crystal where food and service are superb. They're the luxury boys. But big money. In between there is a new category comprised of Oceania, which has smaller ships but outstanding food. For what it's worth, I've seen no decline in service, though food can be hit or miss in the mass market group. Celebrity has made a niche based on better food. I think their food is considerable better than NCL food. Their service is also a notch above the Mass market lines. Plus they still have assigned seating times. And I thought Cunard (the Queen Mary 2) had even better food than Celebrity, though Cunard is very dressy. If you want even better food there is Oceania and the luxury brands. Here's a very quick 4 question test to help pick a cruise line. It doesn't include food though. It might help you look at options to NCL. Let us know what you come up with. http://www.02cruise.com/LineSearch/index.asp --Tom |
#6
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Cruise or not
"Skipfromla" wrote in message ... In 1999, we took an Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Wind, the only cruise we've been on. The service couldn't was wonderful and I don't see how it could have been better, possibly because of assigned meal seatings with the same table, same waiter, same cabin steward and tips in cash at the end of the cruise. The food was wonderful, so good in fact, we never went to the one extra-pay restaurant. We were thinking of taking another cruise but after speaking to several friends about their resent cruises, we may not. Every one of them said the freestyle dining and tips that are added to your bill that don't reflect service levels, have caused a severe decline in service. They also mentioned that the quality of food and attitude of the crew had been less than acceptable. Some of my friends, just about all of them cruising on different cruise lines, were told essentially the same thing by crew members, that there was no point in going that extra mile in service to the passengers because they don't get more in tips if they give good service and don't get less if they give minimal service or maybe even poorer service. The crew member also said that the tips are now also going to the salaried people behind the scenes, not just those who live on their tips and went on to say that the company was charging a percentage of the tips for a processing fee that comes out of the pockets of the crew. I have no idea if all this is really true but it sounds like it could be. If we are going to spend that much money on a cruise, we expect great service and food. If we can be expected to be treated like cattle, I have no interest in cruising. Skip Hi, I have cruised RCCI, HA, Celebrity and Princess since 1999, and have had good to excellent service on each cruise with no decline evident. Our first cruise was 1960. We only use the regular dining room, assigned seating and the food has been to our satisfaction. We had no complaints on service, in fact, on three separate cruises, companions or tablemates have attempted to hire employees away from the cruise line. In my experience, successful business people are always on the lookout for quality employees and cruise ships can be a good source. I don't know if you will have the same results, but go with a positive attitude and you should have a good time. If you stay home, you know you won't have a good cruise. JMHO. Harry Cooper |
#7
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Cruise or not
"Seehorse Video" wrote:
"Skipfromla" wrote in message .. . In 1999, we took an Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Wind, the only cruise we've been on. The service couldn't was wonderful and I don't see how it could have been better, possibly because of assigned meal seatings with the same table, same waiter, same cabin steward and tips in cash at the end of the cruise. The food was wonderful, so good in fact, we never went to the one extra-pay restaurant. I don't know how you could have had different cabin stewards no matter what cruise line it was. RCCI has assigned meal seatings with the same waiter and table and I think Celebrity does too. HAL and Princess (I think) has both assigned seating and personal choice. You can still, I think, tip in cash, but I prefer not to. We were thinking of taking another cruise but after speaking to several friends about their resent cruises, we may not. Every one of them said the freestyle dining and tips that are added to your bill that don't reflect service levels, have caused a severe decline in service. They also mentioned that the quality of food and attitude of the crew had been less than acceptable. Some of my friends, just about all of them cruising on different cruise lines, were told essentially the same thing by crew members, that there was no point in going that extra mile in service to the passengers because they don't get more in tips if they give good service and don't get less if they give minimal service or maybe even poorer service. The crew member also said that the tips are now also going to the salaried people behind the scenes, not just those who live on their tips and went on to say that the company was charging a percentage of the tips for a processing fee that comes out of the pockets of the crew. I have no idea if all this is really true but it sounds like it could be. I've heard all kinds of things about the tips, most of which I don't believe. If the salaried people took the tips, then they'd not just have unmotivated workers, they'd have no workers at all as those jobs wouldn't be attractive. Sounds like the crew member wanted you to tip him/her extra in cash. Some lines you give envelopes with the tips in them at the end of the cruise and you can tip extra at that time if you want. We usually tip our cabin steward extra in cash. If we are going to spend that much money on a cruise, we expect great service and food. If we can be expected to be treated like cattle, I have no interest in cruising. Skip Depends on what you call 'that much money'. On our boat we spend a maximum of $80 each a day if we spend the night in a marina and eat dinner out. And we don't have to pay large amounts for a hotel room. Mostly the highest marina charge is $90 a night. So IMO, if a cruise costs under $200/day each, it is cheap. I expect good food and good service (not being treated like cattle whatever that is), but nothing extra special. Now if you are going to pay $20,000.00 for a cruise on Crystal, then you have a right to expect to eat well and be treated like a king (or a millionaire). Hi, I have cruised RCCI, HA, Celebrity and Princess since 1999, and have had good to excellent service on each cruise with no decline evident. Our first cruise was 1960. We only use the regular dining room, assigned seating and the food has been to our satisfaction. We had no complaints on service, in fact, on three separate cruises, companions or tablemates have attempted to hire employees away from the cruise line. In my experience, successful business people are always on the lookout for quality employees and cruise ships can be a good source. I don't know if you will have the same results, but go with a positive attitude and you should have a good time. If you stay home, you know you won't have a good cruise. JMHO. Harry Cooper Since 2004, I have only cruised HAL, RCCI and NCL (10 cruises) and we are trying Celebrity for the first time this winter. I have seen that the stewards have more rooms to keep and have to work harder or at least their work is more evident - they are not as invisible as in the past. We also normally just eat in the regular dining room, and I've always found good food to eat and some of it was excellent. Some of the dining room employees were better than others, but that was true from the very first cruise (which was on NCL) I don't know how big the Wind was, but I prefer the smaller ships. I think there's likelihood of being one of a huge herd on the larger ships. |
#8
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Cruise or not
Skipfromla wrote:
If we are going to spend that much money on a cruise, we expect great service and food. If we can be expected to be treated like cattle, I have no interest in cruising. Skip It is nice to see you posting again, Skip. Sorry we could not make it to the soirée in Vegas, but maybe next year. At one time NCL was my favorite cruise line. Like you, I had no problems with their service, food or entertainment. I am not sure about all the details, but NCL has changed owners and management. They made a few changes, so now they charge for many of the restaurants on the ship. I have not cruised with them in 4 years, but some day I will give them another try. There are many other cruise lines out there, and the food, entertainment and service on those cruise lines is very nice. Cruise prices are pretty good right now, so it is a great time to cruise. Royal Caribbean moved the Mariner of the Seas to California and it is a wonderful ship, I really enjoyed it. I hope you give cruising another try. Becca |
#9
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Cruise or not
Cruise any line except NCL they are the worst
cruise lover(~~~~~) .. |
#10
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Cruise or not
I asked the wizard and he came up with my 3 favorite cruise
lines,princess,holland america,and celebrity,will sail any of them cruise lover(~~~~~) .. |
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