questions about a recent cruise

[CruizinDreamz]

Hello, I am new to Cruise Critic but I have already found a lot of useful information here. Looking forward to learning more. :)

 

We have only cruised with RCI 3 times and have noticed some differences. I am not sure if the differences are due to the ship, maybe new policies or maybe just the personnel :eek:

 

Our first cruise it seemed they were heavily staffed. While sitting at the pool, waiters were always walking around with the drink of the day and a bottle of alcohol. The rooms were made up in the morning/afternoon. In the evenings (during dinner) the rooms were tidied up and a new towel animal was made and the bed was turned down.

 

Our second cruise, we didn't see as many waiters walking around the pool decks and I think the room was only cleaned at night (I could be wrong it was awhile ago) and the turndown and towel animals were done daily.

 

Our last cruise (just recently) We didn't see any waiters by the pools, it all seemed self service. Not that I have a problem walking up to the bar or sending my better half to get us drinks, I just thought it was odd. The room attendant seemed nice enough but on a 7 night cruise we only received 2 towel animals and the attendant didn't seem to be around in the evenings at all.

My sister and brother-in-law were cruising with us and they said their room attendant was there early morning and returned early evening. Not that this is important, we just thought it was interesting that they received 4 towel puppets to our 2. They noticed the same as us with the wait staff by the pools, however they ate at WJ more than us and they said it was flooded with drink runners and bus-boys etc.

 

Have they changed policies? Does the type of cabin matter? The ship? The Crown and Anchor level or is it just luck of the draw... combination of some ot the things?

 

Any answers would be appreciated.

 

Last question. we are only 1 point away from Platinum and looking for either a Grand Suite or Owners Suite on our next cruise. Is there any chance to get the Special Rates early or would we have to wait until after or next cruise?

[Clarea]

...Last question. we are only 1 point away from Platinum and looking for either a Grand Suite or Owners Suite on our next cruise. Is there any chance to get the Special Rates early or would we have to wait until after or next cruise?

You have to complete a cruise before you become Platinum. Also, the Platinum balcony discount is not that much compared to the cost of the Grand or Owner's Suite.

[Coralc]

CruizinDreamz, that is a great question! Many people have noticed, observed and commented on the same things that you have mentioned.

 

We have noticed changes in staffing, but since we only cruise a couple of times a year and usually on different ships, it is difficult to know if it is a general reduction in staffing or service or if it is specific to certain ships or sailings.

 

There are also so many different opinions and experiences on Cruise Critic...some people notice or are affected by it more than others.

 

I think your observations are probably correct, though! :D

[CruizinDreamz]

CruizinDreamz, that is a great question! Many people have noticed, observed and commented on the same things that you have mentioned.

 

We have noticed changes in staffing, but since we only cruise a couple of times a year and usually on different ships, it is difficult to know if it is a general reduction in staffing or service or if it is specific to certain ships or sailings.

 

There are also so many different opinions and experiences on Cruise Critic...some people notice or are affected by it more than others.

 

I think your observations are probably correct, though! :D

 

That is a little disappointing :/ We haven't been interested in Oasis/Allure because we thought it was too much ship for only a 7 day cruise and we thought it might lack in the personal touches. Now that might not even matter :/

 

Do you know if it is any better on Celebrity? We aren't really impressed with Carnivals reputation. Although, to be fair I shouldn't judge them on reputation alone. We were told by several people that Carnival Cruises caters to more of the younger adults that like to party all night and can get a little out of control. We arent party animals (and my husband never has been, me on the other hand had a wild side when I was younger).

 

Now I am rethinking cruising :(

[Coralc]

Don't look at it that way. We find cruising to be a very enjoyable way to vacation. We have noticed the changes over the years, but we still enjoy cruising with Royal Caribbean.

 

We haven't tried Celebrity. We did cruise on Carnival once. A lot of people enjoy Princess as well. And we enjoyed our cruise on Princess.

 

As I mentioned, your experience might vary with different ships and different hotel directors.

[papaflamingo]

Over the years the service has "degraded" much as you encountered. Particularly regarding drink servers. But I will say after 20 Royal Caribbean cruises I have had great service in the cabins. Yes, the towel animals mostly have gone away. I heard somewhere that that was partly due to the amount of laundry it causes. Most people do not use the towel animals as actual towels, so it is quite a bit more needing washing. Don't know if that is true, but it makes sense.

We have always had the room cleaned in the morning and turned down with fresh towels, etc. in the evening. Much as you described your sister and brother-in-law enjoying. That has always, in my experience, been standard on all cruises. I would say you just had "one of those cabin stewards." Likely your next experience will be more what you expected.

I think there are lots of reasons for the changes. Profit being number one. The cost of a cruise in 2015 is significantly cheaper than it was in1998 when we first cruised. In 1998 we paid $750 per person for an inside cabin on Grandeur. That was a discounted rate and was in September 1998. I can book right now on Navigator out of Galveston on Sep. 6,2015, using the same discount I was entitled to in 1998 (Interline Rate) for $395 per person. According to the Inflation Calendar, $750 in 1998 is equivalent to $1075 in 2015. So, my 1998 cabin in 2015 should would cost $1075. The $395 I could book today for would have been $271 in 1998. So the cost of a cruise is extremely low compared to the past. So, to be profitable, the cruiselines have found ways to cut back, many just not that noticeable. Towel animals, no wine stewards in MDR's, fewer bar servers, no more "midnight buffets," etc. Not as wonderful as in 1998, but still a great vacation at an even better value.

Edited March 9, 2015 by papaflamingo

[jenembeckey]

I have read on other threads, but cannot confirm, that there are fewer staff so that cabin attendants are now cleaning more rooms than they used to and there are fewer drink servers. So fewer people doing the same job means having less time to get everything done and needing to cut back on some of the niceties. Sure I miss the chocolates on my pillow but that's not going to really affect my enjoyment of the cruise.

 

In my experience, getting to know your cabin attendant on the first day goes a long way to getting great service. Yes, tipping in advance can help too. But if you ask about where they are from, if they have kids and introduce your kids to them they will go out of their way the entire week. If you like towel animals, tell the attendant and he will make sure that you have them everynight. The same goes for getting drinks in the Windjammer. Talk to your servers and they will continue to make your cruise the best it can be.

 

Yes, they are busy but they really do enjoy serving you and will be happy to do so. All you need to do is ask. Of course, there are some cabin attendants that just aren't as good as others and it's the luck of the draw who you will get.

[LilBlackDress]

We were recently on Adventure and had a similar experience... It was our first suite, and probably won't be our last, but not because the room attendant...

 

Our first day, he rang the doorbell and introduced himself. Said anything we need just ask yadda yadda. I didn't think our requests were That unusual or difficult but apparently they were. We asked for the mini-bar (fridge) be emptied so we could keep a few bottles of water in it and maybe some snacks for late night. And we asked if he had an extra door stopper. I know my DH slipped him some money upfront because we had discussed it in advance, I just don't know how much...

 

For the first 'formal night' The attendant did ask if we would leave what we wanted pressed on the bed the night before, rather than by 10 am as suggested on the paperwork, so they could get an early start on it. My DH laid out his tux and my dress on the bed, the night before, and we left for dinner. When we returned from dinner, his tux and accessories were gone and there on the bed, laid my dress :confused: :(

 

The mini bar was never cleaned out... I took some stuff out, Very late night day 2 (actually day 3 at 4am) and we had to ask him again for the door stopper on day 4.

 

As much as I enjoy the towel animals, it wasn't a deal breaker. On my birthday he made a 2 tier cake with a candle, on the top tier he wrapped a ribbon around it with a rose and the some fake rose petals on the bed. On day 4 we had a Hanging Bat...

 

We tried playing around with him one day, but he didn't seem amused. We didn't go into port that morning and on our way back from breakfast he had music videos on and he was cleaning the bathroom. We stood in the doorway and danced to the music til he came out...He kinda chucked and said he would come back later sorry. We assured him it was fine we were just having fun... my DH grabbed his sunglasses and we left.

 

The pool area didn't have drink runners, that we noticed. But none of the bars seemed overcrowded, so it was always easy to get a drink.

 

I guess overall what irked us the most, was it seemed he was asking for an 'extra' tip the night before disembarkation. Maybe we just took it the wrong way. There were 2 envelopes left on the bed with all the paperwork when and how to depart in the morning. We took the 2 envelopes, and we left the paperwork on the table. When we came back to pack our luggage, magically another envelope appeared. I get that they work hard and want to please but we just didn't feel he did anything special and he didn't handle our simple requests... Again maybe we read this wrong, but our opinion was he was being pushy by leaving the 3rd envelope.

 

Maybe I should have just said this is my review... sorry for rambling on and on.

 

Don't let one so-so experience stop you from enjoying cruising :D Don't sweat the small stuff... Stop and Smell the roses, or in this case, the sea air

[OCruisers]

Hi CruizinDreamz and welcome to Cruise Critic! :)

Most of us agree -- the cutbacks in the staff have caused an overall decline in service.

LuLu