msZuiderdam Front Desk staff was HORRIBLE. Won't be booking HA again

[cruzeluver]

If this ship is really in as bad a shape as it seems people on it should adjust their tipping as well. People will say it's not the fault of the crew or it's not HAL'S fault, but then whose fault is it?? If I spent 2 weeks with no working toilet or had to search around the ship to find a working bathroom I wouldn't participate in a program that takes money from me to pay the crew. We are going on this trip in April and if it is as bad as it sounds, much ware and tare, plumbing not working, AC not working and customer service not caring then there will be NO tipping. Maybe HAL should scrap this ship !!

 

One of the most unpleasant posts I have ever read on CC. To even consider stiffing stateroom attendants and waitstaff for a non functioning toilet is beyond unthinkable.

[hypercafe]

Where I come from a tip is for service above the norm. If I can't use the bathroom in my owne room I don't call that above the norm.

[Mary Ellen]

If this ship is really in as bad a shape as it seems people on it should adjust their tipping as well. People will say it's not the fault of the crew or it's not HAL'S fault, but then whose fault is it?? If I spent 2 weeks with no working toilet or had to search around the ship to find a working bathroom I wouldn't participate in a program that takes money from me to pay the crew. We are going on this trip in April and if it is as bad as it sounds, much ware and tare, plumbing not working, AC not working and customer service not caring then there will be NO tipping. Maybe HAL should scrap this ship !!

Doesn't this idea take the cake? :rolleyes: How in world someone could suggest stiffing the hard working crew because of mechanical and/or management issues is beyond me. We definitely had problems with the front desk. However, the rest of the crew was among the best we've ever experienced. Good grief. :eek:

[cruz chic]

Where I come from a tip is for service above the norm. If I can't use the bathroom in my owne room I don't call that above the norm.

Yes, but this is HALs issue. The crew is not to blame for an issue that HAL is not addressing. If the Service charge went directly the HAL HQ that would make sense.

[sail7seas]

If this ship is really in as bad a shape as it seems people on it should adjust their tipping as well. People will say it's not the fault of the crew or it's not HAL'S fault, but then whose fault is it?? If I spent 2 weeks with no working toilet or had to search around the ship to find a working bathroom I wouldn't participate in a program that takes money from me to pay the crew. We are going on this trip in April and if it is as bad as it sounds, much ware and tare, plumbing not working, AC not working and customer service not caring then there will be NO tipping. Maybe HAL should scrap this ship !!

 

 

If you have a plumbing problem in your house or apartment do you call the wrecking ball?

 

If the heating system/air conditioning in your home fails, do you scrap your home? :eek:

Things break; things get repaired.

At least that is how it works in my little corner of the world.

 

 

Same for a ship. Things break. Things get repaired.

We came home from a cruise, found our house cold. The heat had failed while we were away. We called the repair company and voila....... it's fixed.

I sincerely hope all functions perfectly while you are on the ship and you find it appropriate to tip the crew. If not, that will be your choice. :sad:

[Mary Ellen1]

One of the most unpleasant posts I have ever read on CC. To even consider stiffing stateroom attendants and waitstaff for a non functioning toilet is beyond unthinkable.

 

Doesn't this idea take the cake? :rolleyes: How in world someone could suggest stiffing the hard working crew because of mechanical and/or management issues is beyond me. We definitely had problems with the front desk. However, the rest of the crew was among the best we've ever experienced. Good grief. :eek:

 

Amazing. IMHO the hard-working Stewarts deserve an even bigger tip for cleaning everything up.

[bozemanman]

IMHO this thread is rising to the level of hysteria. IMHO they had some bad luck with some toilets all at the same time...which I would guess (yes it's only a guess) are repaired by now.:rolleyes:

[hypercafe]

The tips do go right to HAL. Instead of paying the crew HAL uses the service charge to pay them. Since HAL doesn't care about the pas when the crew stops getting paid they can make them fix the ship. After all HAL still wants the fare. I think after paying 5000$ for a vacation you should by able to use the bathroom and have ac that works. Don't you? Motel 6provides that.

[kazu]

If this ship is really in as bad a shape as it seems people on it should adjust their tipping as well. People will say it's not the fault of the crew or it's not HAL'S fault, but then whose fault is it?? If I spent 2 weeks with no working toilet or had to search around the ship to find a working bathroom I wouldn't participate in a program that takes money from me to pay the crew. We are going on this trip in April and if it is as bad as it sounds, much ware and tare, plumbing not working, AC not working and customer service not caring then there will be NO tipping. Maybe HAL should scrap this ship !!

 

My heavens, that's like saying if there's NORO on the ship you're not going to tip. The crew works even harder when there are issues. They are still cleaning your room, serving you your meals, washing your towels, etc.

 

This is an issue to take up with HAL headquarters, not the hard working crew who are giving you service. No way should this influence the tipping IMO - a request for compensation from HAL - different story.

 

A very disturbing post IMO

[sail7seas]

The tips do go right to HAL. Instead of paying the crew HAL uses the service charge to pay them. Since HAL doesn't care about the pas when the crew stops getting paid they can make them fix the ship. After all HAL still wants the fare. I think after paying 5000$ for a vacation you should by able to use the bathroom and have ac that works. Don't you? Motel 6provides that.

 

 

:confused: What?

I think you need a review of how the automatic hotel service charge operates.

 

HAL does pay their crew. Their crew are union members and they are guaranteed a certain minimum per month.

 

Hotel service charge certainly augments their pay as do OVER AND ABOVE tips. Many of us provide envelopes to those who have taken good care of us. Your steward cannot fix the vacuum system on the ship nor can (s)he clear a wash cloth someone flushed into the system thereby clogging it. But you think we should deny them what they have earned by working hard to keep our cabin clean, by serving our dinners as efficiently and professionally as they can?

 

Hopefully many disagree with that way of thinking. I hope people don't make real efforts to rationalize why it is okay to eliminate hotel service charge and make their conscience feel okay. It is not okay IMO

I hope your cruise is perfect. Few of us ever have perfect in our 'real life' world.

[cruz chic]

 

 

Hopefully many disagree with that way of thinking. I hope people don't make real efforts to rationalize why it is okay to eliminate hotel service charge and make their conscience feel okay. It is not okay IMO

I hope your cruise is perfect. Few of us ever have perfect in our 'real life' world.

I hope that is the case. I had dining companians on a cruise that were not happy with a shore ex. They bragged that they reduced the service charge to get their money back. I just about jumped over the table at that point. I explained that the crew had nothing to do with their issue and they need to take it up with HAL directly. They just didn't get it and didn't care. They also reminded people at our table that they could reduce their service charge by going to the front desk. Wow! These folks had taken many cruises and usually in a suite so I would have expected more of them. Hopefully most people can understand that this is just wrong.

[Mary Ellen1]

IMHO this thread is rising to the level of hysteria. IMHO they had some bad luck with some toilets all at the same time...which I would guess (yes it's only a guess) are repaired by now.:rolleyes:

 

Well, sorry to say, but they weren't repaired by the end of the cruise... Even after the 3-hour shutdown on Friday 12/23, there were still malfunctions (I couldn't get my toilet to flush for about 30 minutes on one occasion), and numerous public restrooms that were closed.

 

To the OP: did your problems all go away after the maintenance shutdown?

[cruzeluver]

The tips do go right to HAL. Instead of paying the crew HAL uses the service charge to pay them. Since HAL doesn't care about the pas when the crew stops getting paid they can make them fix the ship. After all HAL still wants the fare. I think after paying 5000$ for a vacation you should by able to use the bathroom and have ac that works. Don't you? Motel 6provides that.

 

Please get your facts straight. HAL's crews are paid a guaranteed minimum by HAL. Do you really believe that stiffing the crew who had nothing to do with a broken toilet is the best way to get them fixed? I agree if the problem is as bad as some have made out, HAL needs to address it, but penalizing a waiter for a broken toilet is beyond the pale.

[kazu]

Where I come from a tip is for service above the norm. If I can't use the bathroom in my owne room I don't call that above the norm.

 

First of all, this is a hotel service charge - not a tip!:D If you wish to tip for exceptional service then you can pass an envelope with extra. The hotel service charge covers all the service you receive on the cruise by the crew - your stewards, your waiters, lido, people who do the laundry, people who clean, Pinnacle Grill, etc. There can be various challenges on a cruise - (missed ports, weather, etc.) - but that's no excuse to cancel the hotel service charge:eek:

[mamaofami]

First of all, this is a hotel service charge - not a tip!:D If you wish to tip for exceptional service then you can pass an envelope with extra. The hotel service charge covers all the service you receive on the cruise by the crew - your stewards, your waiters, lido, people who do the laundry, people who clean, Pinnacle Grill, etc. There can be various challenges on a cruise - (missed ports, weather, etc.) - but that's no excuse to cancel the hotel service charge:eek:

 

Agreed. The hard working stewards and service people on the ship are not responsible for plumbing issues. There must be some other way to register your dissatisfaction than by not tipping them for the great job they do for you.

[ASIWISH]

Sigh... there will always be people who find any way to save a few dollars at the expense of the crew. It's really quite sad.

 

"Ship Happens". It's not alright, and it shouldn't... but it DOES happen.

 

To expect over a thousand toilets to be functioning 100% of the time is unrealistic... and switching to another cruise line, to ensure this doesn't happen again, is also unrealistic.

 

I have never found the Front Desk personnel on any cruise line to be as incompetent as some people claim... but, I have seen many a passenger make fools of themselves by making incredible demands and asking for compensation...

 

Maybe the response commitment was in line with your attitude...?

[FrankNJ]

Don't stiff the crew ! It's not their fault . Try to remember you are receiving a nice dining room experience every night and you are not required to leave a tip on the table .

The guys that bring you room service work so hard and fast that sometimes I have to chase after them to give them a tip . They all deserve every penny they get from the service charge including the people behind the scenes you don't see.

If you're too cheap to tip , then don't take a cruise or go out to dinner .

 

The problem is corporate . There is not time to fix anything properly because when one group disembarks at 9am , another group embarks for the next trip at 11am .

They will not interrupt the schedule to address even a serious problem like plumbing issues .

The only way to show your displeasure is not to sail , and like I said before Hal ,

if my toilet doesn't work in March , we are finished. I hope they're reading this in Seattle.

[George C]

 

I have never found the Front Desk personnel on any cruise line to be as incompetent as some people claim... but, I have seen many a passenger make fools of themselves by making incredible demands and asking for compensation...

 

Maybe the response commitment was in line with your attitude...?

 

You were not on this ship in last month, we did have a good cruise but Front Desk was incompetent, this will not stop us from sailing HAL again, but Hal needs to train these people better. ( also it may have just been a few of the staff, we have been on enough cruises -54, but I could see if this was the 1st HAL cruise that I might not want to return)

[sail7seas]

Sigh... there will always be people who find any way to save a few dollars at the expense of the crew. It's really quite sad.

 

"Ship Happens". It's not alright, and it shouldn't... but it DOES happen.

 

To expect over a thousand toilets to be functioning 100% of the time is unrealistic... and switching to another cruise line, to ensure this doesn't happen again, is also unrealistic.

 

I have never found the Front Desk personnel on any cruise line to be as incompetent as some people claim... but, I have seen many a passenger make fools of themselves by making incredible demands and asking for compensation...

 

Maybe the response commitment was in line with your attitude...?

 

 

 

I think to myself, Here comes the 'gimme' crowd. Give me this, give me that, give me. They make some of the most outrageous demands and every tiny, insignificant glitch becomes a mountain that needs 'COMPENSATION'. I sometimes wonder if the first word they uttered was 'gimme' rather than Mama. :D

 

Of course, there are legitimate complaints where something should be done to those who had a truly bad experience and those are not the people about whom I am referring. Sometimes the only way to say 'sorry' is for them to give money but there are way too many folks looking for handouts for trivial nonesense and even some fantasy non-existent situation.

[ASIWISH]

You were not on this ship in last month, we did have a good cruise but Front Desk was incompetent, this will not stop us from sailing HAL again, but Hal needs to train these people better. ( also it may have just been a few of the staff, we have been on enough cruises -54, but I could see if this was the 1st HAL cruise that I might not want to return)

 

Fair enough, George. I see your point.

[hypercafe]

Since the crew is not part of this how does it work. The captian is told we have major problems with the waste system and ac and his answer is call HAL. What if he is told the ship is on fire, call HAL. The crew is HAL. If the crew is not going to fix it then who should?

[IRL_Joanie]

Let's see if I can understand what you meant by your comment....

 

You work for a company 8 or so hours a day, 5 days a week, in a building that they have rented in "Any Town, Any State, USA."

 

Now, the heat goes out in the building, which by the way has several different companies, with several hundred employees each, and stays out or works sporadically throughout one work week, and it is freezing outside and in.

 

So, the cleaning service who comes in on a nightly basis to clean each and every office and work areas are also working in this same freezing building. They have nothing what so ever to do with the heating (or lack thereof, right??)

 

But, if I am reading what you stated so plainly, you would not pay the cleaning service because you/your office or your building had no heat :eek:.

 

My point is this: The Room Stewards, The Dining Stewards, The Bar Stewards, The Laundry Staff, etc., have NOTHING to do with the problem so why in the world would you screw them out of what they have earned, THEIR TIPS (otherwise known as the Hotel Service Charge)??

 

I guess there will always be Scrooges:(

 

Joanie

[startwin]

Sigh... there will always be people who find any way to save a few dollars at the expense of the crew. It's really quite sad.

 

"Ship Happens". It's not alright, and it shouldn't... but it DOES happen.

 

To expect over a thousand toilets to be functioning 100% of the time is unrealistic... and switching to another cruise line, to ensure this doesn't happen again, is also unrealistic.

 

I have never found the Front Desk personnel on any cruise line to be as incompetent as some people claim... but, I have seen many a passenger make fools of themselves by making incredible demands and asking for compensation...

 

Maybe the response commitment was in line with your attitude...?

 

I agree that we should not punish the crew by with-holding the service charge... however, I most certainly do expect the majority of toilets to be functioning. One or two out temporarily is acceptable. If I was staying at a hotel and the toilet in my room and many of the public ones were out of order, I would be demanding my money back and moving elsewhere. Being at sea makes us captive guests without that option.

[bozemanman]

Well, sorry to say, but they weren't repaired by the end of the cruise... Even after the 3-hour shutdown on Friday 12/23, there were still malfunctions (I couldn't get my toilet to flush for about 30 minutes on one occasion), and numerous public restrooms that were closed.

 

 

 

Yes....I understand the toilets were not repaired by the end of YOUR cruise. Hopefully they were repaired AFTER your cruise while docked in Port Everglades. Maybe they needed some parts which weren't on board for instance. It sure would have been nice for HAL to give you poor people on board useful information (as it seems they tried to sweep it under the rug).

[IRL_Joanie]

Yes....I understand the toilets were not repaired by the end of YOUR cruise. Hopefully they were repaired AFTER your cruise while docked in Port Everglades. Maybe they needed some parts which weren't on board for instance. It sure would have been nice for HAL to give you poor people on board useful information (as it seems they tried to sweep it under the rug).

 

I hope so also bozemanman. I also wonder if they might have had to wait for a special part to be delivered to a port and/or possibly a specialist. Keeping in mind that these related problems are happening during peak holiday times.... It might be nigh onto impossible to get "someone" there to fix these problems until after the New Year. I sure hope not but.....

 

Joanie