Service Getting Worse?

[bigd332]

Okay I know I'm going to get spanked for this, but we just got of the Valor yesterday, and this was the worst crew we have had on a cruise. We are not seasoned veterans like some of you out there, but this was number six for us(2 on Carnival,1 on RCL and 3 on Disney). It seemed to us that this crew was only doing the least they had to do to get by, not once did any of the crew that we dealt with go the extra mile to try and make our trip more enjoyable. Now don't get me wrong we enoyed our trip and had a good time, but we also enjoy interacting with the crew and talking with them, but on this ship it was like pulling teeth to get them to say anything to you let alone hold a brief conversation with them. It just seemed like they were all walking around with a large chip on there shoulders or they were pissed off at the world.

 

Now on to something that we were really disappointed with, the dining room service. We had late seating in the Lincoln Dining Room, and this was definitly the worst service we have had on any cruise ship. I don't know how anyone else feels about this, but if I'm going to get dressed up for a formal dinner, I would expect it to last more than 50 minutes. Now I'm not expecting the 2.5 hour version like at Scarlets, but more than an hour would be nice. On our second formal night we were so rushed at dinner that we were eating dessert at 9:20. My wife did not even have her fork placed back on the table from her last bite of her starter, when the plate was wisked away and her entree dropped in front of her. This was not the only time that something like this happened and it wasn't just happening with our servers, I was watching this happen through out the room.

 

Okay enough of the venting. I don't think that we are expecting too much when it comes to recieving service. Anyone elses thoughts? Let the spanking begin.

[CruiseFever]

Did you tell anyone about your dining room service problems?

[big_duck]

It just seemed like they were all walking around with a large chip on there shoulders or they were pissed off at the world.

 

They probably were. They were probably taking a verbal pounding by some of your fellow pax over the itinerary change and didn't feel like talking much. I have seen it before.

[jerseygirl3]

I cringe when people complain about dining room service being too slow. Like you, I hate being rushed through a meal. When this happened one time on Royal Caribbean, we politely asked the waiter to please slow things down a bit. She did, but it was still more rushed than we would have liked. We are booked on the Valor for May with our kids and a couple of their friends (older teens, early twenties), and if this happens, I will be a bit more forceful in asking that the service be slowed down a bit. I like to linger just a bit between courses and when one dish is whisked away to make room for the next one right behind it, it drives me nuts.

[bigd332]

We spoke to the Maitre 'D that night and his response was I'll look into it. Like I said it wasn't just our servers, so maybe he is the root of the problem. Since he is in charge of the room

[BlueHerons]

, but on this ship it was like pulling teeth to get them to say anything to you let alone hold a brief conversation with them. .

 

I don't know about your dining room experience but I'm guessing the staff and crew are just worn out from the summer and the hurricanes.

[PA Dutchman]

If the waiters are doing something you don't like TELL THEM. I look at some of the posts and just wounder what you are doing. We never have any of the problems I see on posts and for some of them just TELL THEM what and how you wan't to be served if you don't like what they are doing. :confused: Same thing goes for your room if you don't like something TELL THEM and it's taken care of.

[OhioJeff]

If the waiters are doing something you don't like TELL THEM. I look at some of the posts and just wounder what you are doing. We never have any of the problems I see on posts and for some of them just TELL THEM what and how you wan't to be served if you don't like what they are doing. :confused: Same thing goes for your room if you don't like something TELL THEM and it's taken care of.

 

Amen!! The cruise staff has no way of knowing how each person likes to be served. Im sure on a daily basis they get told they are going to slow or too fast. Unless you tell them your preference they are clueless.

[DH30]

I'm reading this and am a little lost. I may be a cruise rookie and an middle class man, but I don't want dinner to last 2 1/2 hours......getting my dinner done in an hour sounds great to me. I guess to each his own.

[HazelSmrf]

I was on the exact same cruise and I had no problems at all with the level of service received. Admittedly, this was my first cruise so I had nothing to compare it to, but my room steward and my friends room steward were very nice, our waiting team (also Lincoln late seating) were great, and we especially loved David at the American Lobby bar who made our trip extra nice.