Breakaway reviews are way up

[roe2ship]

have you ever worked on a ship???? Why do you think it shouldn't take 5 months???

 

My general rule of thumb when taking on a new job is that after 6 months are up, things fall into place and it feels more comfortable....and most of the time it takes a full 6 months to adapt. I imagine it's not different on a ship. The crew are now working with new people, under different management on a ship that resembles in no way, the one they left.

To me, if they get it down in 5 months, they did well :)

No, thankfully I have not worked on a ship but my opinion is that 5 months is more than sufficient time to have a general idea of your job duties, especially if you are experienced in that particular position and/or if it is within the same company. According to these boards, NCL sent their most competent experienced staff to the Breakaway. If this is a fact, most likely many of the crew members have years of experience and I would imagine the environment and management is no where near a drastic change. Most employment positions have a 90 day trial period. At that point, an employer has the ability to make a fair judgment on whether or not the employee can handle their position. Also at this point I think you are expected to perform on a certain level. Regardless whether on land or at sea, I think if one is not comfortable at their job during a reasonable time period (depending on the position), more than likely that person is simply not qualified for that specific job.

 

Personally, I think the Breakaway needs either a) more staff members b) more experienced staff members or c) sail at a lesser passenger capacity (yeah right:rolleyes:) to eliminate the overcrowded pool decks and overwhelmed staff. Or all of the above so we can all have fantastic cruises on her any time of the year.:)

[younglegend]

I sailed Breakaway on 9/8 the week after the summer crowds. It was a great ship and vacation. In my opinion, just like any land vacation (Bahamas, Caribbean, Walt Disney World), if you travel during peak periods you must expect crowding. I wouldn't go to Disney in the middle of the summer and expect few crowds. It doesn't mean that Disney can't handle the increased capacity ("handle" being a very subjective term), it just means that things won't be as easy as they are during lighter months. I don't see cruise vacations any differently. But even with the crowds, I am confident that we would have enjoyed our vacation.

[Cruisercl]

No, thankfully I have not worked on a ship but my opinion is that 5 months is more than sufficient time to have a general idea of your job duties, especially if you are experienced in that particular position and/or if it is within the same company. According to these boards, NCL sent their most competent experienced staff to the Breakaway. If this is a fact, most likely many of the crew members have years of experience and I would imagine the environment and management is no where near a drastic change. Most employment positions have a 90 day trial period. At that point, an employer has the ability to make a fair judgment on whether or not the employee can handle their position. Also at this point I think you are expected to perform on a certain level. Regardless whether on land or at sea, I think if one is not comfortable at their job during a reasonable time period (depending on the position), more than likely that person is simply not qualified for that specific job.

 

Personally, I think the Breakaway needs either a) more staff members b) more experienced staff members or c) sail at a lesser passenger capacity (yeah right:rolleyes:) to eliminate the overcrowded pool decks and overwhelmed staff. Or all of the above so we can all have fantastic cruises on her any time of the year.:)

 

And we respect your opinion on this; which it is.....an opinion. Just like all the others. :) IMO having a good idea of what is expected at your job is not the same as knowing your position perfectly; there is always a learning curve with every job. In my experience the trial period is 6 mos. Good discussion. Thanks.

[OceanBlue123]

IMO having a good idea of what is expected at your job is not the same as knowing your position perfectly; there is always a learning curve with every job. In my experience the trial period is 6 mos. Good discussion. Thanks.

But each employee is normally there for less than 10 months at a time. Do you really think that more than half of that time they are still on a learning curve and not fully knowledgable about their job?

[sdmike]

Unfortunately, the bean counters wanted the casino literally "in your face", so it cannot be easily circumnavigated....too bad it wasn't put in some out of the way location like aft end of deck five, so it wouldn't affect those with no interest in 'contributing'

Short of banning smoking in the casino (that won't happen--most gambler's want to smoke), there is no easy cure....:(

 

The Epic had the same problem in her first 6 months. NCL did a lot of things to improve the situation. Let's hope they do the same for the Breakaway

[younglegend]

getting a new ship in its groove is way more than just individual employees understanding and perfecting their job responsibilities. it's figuring out traffic flow, where employees are needed when, working together, which events work and which don't, etc. Operations are a much bigger part of a well run ship and it simply takes time to figure it all out.

[halos]

But each employee is normally there for less than 10 months at a time. Do you really think that more than half of that time they are still on a learning curve and not fully knowledgable about their job?

 

No, thankfully I have not worked on a ship but my opinion is that 5 months is more than sufficient time to have a general idea of your job duties, especially if you are experienced in that particular position and/or if it is within the same company. According to these boards, NCL sent their most competent experienced staff to the Breakaway. ar.:)

 

That's an opinion...but until I actually work on a ship, I'm not having such an opinion...because I have no clue. (and really, you don't either).

It's very unfair in my eyes, to form that kind of judgement.

 

As for the contracts being just that amount of time, they usually run about 8-10 months, I believe. However, after speaking with numerous crew members, I have found that most have been working for NCL for many years....some for decades, so 5 months isn't a lot.

 

When we sailed the Sun last year, we found out that most of our favorite crew (obviously the cream of the crop) were going to Breakaway and were extremely excited about it. If you have ever actaully talked with the crew in depth, and know exactly what goes into their jobs, you would never make that kind of judgment. There are little things that you aren't even considering...small things such as adapting to new cabin-mates and the largest being working under a different hotel director who may do things a bit differently than what you are used to....not to mention a larger ship to navigate.

 

Bottom line is you can't just 'know' what an employee should be able to do unless you've been there-done their job. It's totally unfair.

 

 

 

And we respect your opinion on this; which it is.....an opinion. Just like all the others. IMO having a good idea of what is expected at your job is not the same as knowing your position perfectly; there is always a learning curve with every job. In my experience the trial period is 6 mos. Good discussion. Thanks.

getting a new ship in its groove is way more than just individual employees understanding and perfecting their job responsibilities. it's figuring out traffic flow, where employees are needed when, working together, which events work and which don't, etc. Operations are a much bigger part of a well run ship and it simply takes time to figure it all out.

 

Bingo. :)

[OceanBlue123]

The approval rating from the CC member reviews for Breakaway were running about 60% throughout the busy summer months. They were actually a little higher in the months before the summer started. Once September hit those reviews are now running over 95%. Look for yourself. The miraculous turning point came with the change from August's 4,800 passenger sailings to September's 3,900 passenger sailings. Further, if you actually read the reviews, or sailed on the ship, you would know that the issues with the "inexperienced" crew seemed to resolve itself towards the beginning of the summer, not the end. It is very clear to me, and so many of the others that actually sailed the Breakaway during the busy summer months, that the biggest issue by far was over crowding. An understaffed crew that was stretched too thin, sure, but that is still an over crowding issue, not one of experience.

 

btw ... I do not blame the crew for those low approval ratings. I blame corporate for under staffing and overcrowding the ship. I know that on my sailing the individual crew members were doing the best they could under the circumstances.

[weltek]

That's cool. I expect that some is a reflection of Sept. being a month where things are less crowded (less three-four person+ occupancy in cabins).

 

I'll admit that I honestly don't even read more than one or two reviews anymore, and that's just because I'm looking for tips and hints. IMHO, If you are a frequent cruiser of that cruise line, there's little "real" value in the ratings cruisers provide. The interesting stuff is found in sorting through the narratives.

[esp13]

I'm fairly sure the reviews of Disneyworld, Sea World, and many "hot" vacation spots will differ depending on the time of the year. Nobody likes it when they have to wait in lines or deal with crowds of people. There are bound to be a few more disgruntled visitors/passengers in such situations. In such situations, the answer is pretty easy. If those things bother you, don't go during peak times. Problem solved.

[roe2ship]

And we respect your opinion on this; which it is.....an opinion. Just like all the others. :) IMO having a good idea of what is expected at your job is not the same as knowing your position perfectly; there is always a learning curve with every job. In my experience the trial period is 6 mos. Good discussion. Thanks.

I didn't say that someone should know their job "perfectly". My opinion is no one is perfect and no one should expect perfection either.

 

As for the contracts being just that amount of time, they usually run about 8-10 months, I believe. However, after speaking with numerous crew members, I have found that most have been working for NCL for many years....some for decades, so 5 months isn't a lot.

 

I am not sure I understand what you are saying here....Are you saying that a crewmember who has been with NCL for decades, that 5 months isn't enough time to get into the "groove" on a new ship??:confused:

[david_sobe]

Breakaway now up to 67% approval... up 5% in just a month. Soon Breakaway will be passing the Sky!

[rvsullivan]

A couple of comments: for those that say more crew would help, there is a maximum number of crew accommodations just as there are for guests.

 

The place for reviews is the review section, this area is for debate and criticism, all that happens here is debate, that can't be done on the review section.

[OceanBlue123]

Breakaway now up to 67% approval... up 5% in just a month. Soon Breakaway will be passing the Sky!

Do you think NCL has learned anything or will they once again fill Breakaway to maximum capacity during the school breaks? Seems crazy to allow a ship with near 100% approval rating dip back down to 60% due to over crowding.

[karoo]

I recently did the Breakaway cruise with approx 100 kids and 3900 passengers. We had no lines and didn't have to wait to use things like the ropes course, slides etc. Admitted straight into the MDR. We did have trouble securing a booking at a time we wanted at Le Bistro, but we did leave it probably too late in the cruise to book it. We loved our balcony cabin and all the entertainment, food etc, however the SMOKE was definitely a deal breaker for us. Very hard to avoid. I don't understand why you would have a casino not enclosed. Unfortunately the smoke permeates the whole atrium area and the corridors on level 6,7, 8. For a new ship the carpet etc already has that stale cigarette smell. I also don't understand why NCL has no concern for the health and safety of the passengers and workers who have to work in or near this area. We avoided this area as much as possible. We also had to wait for 20 minutes while they found a table in Le Bistro well away from the door, up in a back corner as there was no way we could eat with the smell of cigarette smoke. The waterfront was bad too, so we avoided that area.

 

 

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