does anybody else think....

[S.S.Oceanlover]

does anybody else think the waitstaff on CCL have too many tables and are way overworked?

The last couple of cruises I've noticed the waitstaff are always running all over the place, and you can hardly find them if perhaps something is wrong with your order, you need something else like a glass of water or a refill.

 

In my opinion they are working their butts off but just be everywhere at once and the service suffers for it.

 

Bill

[D4]

Yes we've noticed it.

 

It's the corporate "Do more with less" philosophy.

[Snowball]

Here's my theory on this (which could be totally wrong). I think that after 9/11 the cruise industry had a dip in bookings and wasn't making as much money. In order to save costs, they decided to give more work to their employees (most notably waitstaff and cabin stewards) which would lower the overall number of employees needed for each ship. I'm guess that it worked out fine during the time when bookings were low, but as the cruise industry rebounded they never increased their staffing back to its pre-9/11 levels. So now the employees are expected to do more work than ever before, and the cruise lines are making even more money than they were before.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Deb,

I agree 100%. Unfortunately with todays corporate mentally, once something is taken away, it's seldom given back.

I sure liked it back in the day when you could chat for a minute or 2 with your waiter. When my son was younger they would do little magic tricks and everything.

Now you are lucky you get to place your order.:(

 

Bill

[Kpstill]

We were on the Glory 12/10/05 sailing and the dining room service was amazing.

[Snowball]

While I've never had poor service, I have noticed a difference in the level of service over the past several years.

 

I remember on my first cruise that I was so impressed with the service. For example, the waitstaff would refill your water or iced tea glass before it was even empty, they would scoop up the crumbs off your table (if there were any) in between courses, they would remember your names and preferences after the first ngith, they could take the time to make recommendations on what dishes were better than others, and could even take the time to ask you how your day in port was.

 

I think it is unfortunate that now they now appear to be spread so thin so that some of those things just aren't possible. However, I don't blame the waitstaff for these changes, because I really do believe that they are just busier than they were before and don't have enough time to do those little things like they used to. And the lack of those little things don't make or break my cruise - it is just a trend that I have noticed as something that has gone down since my earlier cruises.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

It's not a dealbreaker here either as I have a cruise on CCL in June. I don't blame the staff either. I know they are working their butts off and I almost always give them extra at the end of the cruise.

 

Just a shame with the amount of hours these people have to work, that they have to kill themselves.

 

Bill

[Randy & Carmen]

I agree Bill.....but usually our table has all our fun people and we enjoy entertaining our wait staff so it makes them want to come around more.:D ...but yes I think they are overworked so we try to help and get to dinner on time and order quickly to help them out.

[bjr928]

I remember on my first cruise that I was so impressed with the service. For example, the waitstaff would refill your water or iced tea glass before it was even empty, they would scoop up the crumbs off your table (if there were any) in between courses, they would remember your names and preferences after the first ngith, they could take the time to make recommendations on what dishes were better than others, and could even take the time to ask you how your day in port was.

 

While I tend to agree with everything everyone is saying, I just wanted to add that I experienced ALL of the above mentioned and more on my cruise just last month. I had the most amazing waitstaff ever -- they made our table feel like we were the most special in the room. This may sound cheesy, but it's true, I would feel honored to get to cruise with the same waitstaff again. :)

[gfsmith]

They are overworked and underpaid. I think they should incorperate tips in the price of the tickets and pay the wait staff accordingly. I have talked with many of the wait staff and they seem to be getting stiffed more and more these days. such a shame.

[PaulMedik]

does anybody else think the waitstaff on CCL have too many tables and are way overworked?

The last couple of cruises I've noticed the waitstaff are always running all over the place, and you can hardly find them if perhaps something is wrong with your order, you need something else like a glass of water or a refill.

 

In my opinion they are working their butts off but just be everywhere at once and the service suffers for it.

 

Bill

 

 

 

Bill:

 

 

Maybe mine were just the exception then because they spent time getting to know my three sons and managed to get our orders right and bring everything in a timely fashion. I did notice some other tables were a few courses behind us and didn't seem happy with their wait staff.

[racegrrl]

They are overworked and underpaid. I think they should incorperate tips in the price of the tickets and pay the wait staff accordingly. I have talked with many of the wait staff and they seem to be getting stiffed more and more these days. such a shame.

 

I agree. But then it would make the cost of the cruise go up, and unless it was done industry wide, it would never work. Sad that so many people feel they can save money by removing the tips. If the tips were included in the cost of the cruise, paid up front, they couldn't do this.

 

I also think they shouldn't be called tips. That isn't accurate, really. They are wages. We give extra (above the "tips" on our S&S card) and that is what I consider to be tips. Maybe if they called them what they really are, wages, people would be less likely to remove them and stiff their servers. But then, if they called them what they are, who really knows how people would react.

[Cotton]

No - I haven't noticed that the waiters seem to be any more rushed than usual on my past few cruises. They've always run around like busy bees, while maintaining a sense of decorum with a smile and a little humor. Noticed no difference one cruise to the next. I've never had the problem of waiting for water to be refilled or to ask any question...they seem to always be right there.:)

 

I agree with Randy that we can all help by being on time for dinner. When some of my tablemates come sauntering in 10-15 minutes or more late - is the only time I've noticed any disdain on the waiters' faces.

[jetskier]

On our Elation cruise, our waiter and asst. waiter were assigned to two tables. The tables near us had the same ratio. So that is basically one person per table. So we had no problems getting service or attention.

 

Dave

[habby]

It's amazing. We start off the week coming from home where everything is hustle and bustle. Then we spend a day or two on the ship and nobody is rushing anything. That's not to say that our service has not been prompt or thorough. It seems that we get conditioned to slow down and really enjoy our vacation, just reacting to the speed of everyone else. Any of the staff has always had time to talk with us, from the room stewards to the floor manager at the casino to the bar waiters.

 

As Mr. Rogers would have said, "It's such a good feeling."

[momofzeke]

I've only cruised once, but we were very happy with the service we got from our waitstaff. They were super attentive, always chatted with us about our day, and we felt very pampered by them. We were always on time for dinner, so maybe that helped. :)

[ron6901]

I agree.

 

I just got off the Valor, 2-12 sailing. I have to say that CCL is not what they once were. The food was horrible, and service was poor. Perhaps the folks that are cruising for the first time have different expectations, but the carnival of the early to mid 90's was far more superior. Our table service was nearly non existant. The steaks were horrible, as well as the lobster. Honestly the best thing going on that ship was the sushi, and hamburgers and hotdogs. The reuben from the deli was good as well as the tuna salad on english muffin from room service.

 

Bigger ships aren't the way to go. After this cruise I really miss the Festivale.

[SForman]

Bill,

 

It was good meeting you last summer on the Zuiderdam. I hope that you and your famly are doing well.

 

Seth

[Hollyspop]

I'm confused. How can the wait staff find the time to dance on the tables for your entertainment yet not find the time to provide adequete service? I would certainly be asking the Maitre d why I'm not being taken care of by my table dancing waiter if I felt that way.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Seth,

nice to hear from you. How have you been? Seems like forever since we were on the Zuiderdam. We are doing great. I hope you and yours are also doing great.

 

Hollyspop,

The waitstaff doesn't have the time but have no choice in the dance stuff. It's part of their job unfortunately and have to do that table dancing etc. When they say it's time to dance they stop what they're doing and dance. I've seen this happen many times where dessert wasn't even served yet and they had to stop for the 10 minutes or so for the dancing or whatever was on tap for that evening.

 

There have been changes since I started cruising with CCL 8 years ago. Some for the better and some not so good. Still the best bargain out there though.

 

Bill

[Cotton]

I'm confused. How can the wait staff find the time to dance on the tables for your entertainment yet not find the time to provide adequete service? I would certainly be asking the Maitre d why I'm not being taken care of by my table dancing waiter if I felt that way.

 

Holly, they don't dance ON the tables, just parade around the tables.:D Some of the waitstaff doesn't even like doing that, but it's part of the hoopla of Carnival, and I doubt it will stop.

 

I've never seen the 'entertainment' (which I could do without) interfere with any service. As I said, nine Carnival cruises, and I've never had anything but exemplary service!:) If I had horrible service from any waiter, you can bet I'd go talk w/the Maitre d'.

[Randy & Carmen]

I'm thinking when they say "table" dance, they are talking about when a few get up on the serving stations (small platform at table heigth) and dance......and to clarify my thoughts a little more.....I really haven't noticed too much of a difference being that all my wait staff has been awesome....I have a little grace for them and all they do....and I don't mind waiting till after the dance to get my dessert. :)

[caprcorn28]

We've never had a problem, either, with service in the dining room. Our servers learned our names (I even have an unusual one, they got it down!!), always had full water glasses, plates cleared in a timely fashion...etc. On one cruise in particular...our first head/asst waiter (we were moved the second night for the rest of the cruise) were also wonderful. With magic tricks and jokes! They would periodically stop at our new table during the week to say "hello." Then, our new head server even would cut up my daughters meat for her!! ;) The ass't server had a special fondness for that same daughter...he said that she reminded him of a daughter that he had the same age back home...We would see him all over the ship and he'd make a point to stop and say "Hello, how is your day." "See you tonight, yes?" "Hello, Princess..." etc!!

We've always had a good time and great service in the dining room!! :D

[habby]

Holly, they don't dance ON the tables, just parade around the tables.:D Some of the waitstaff doesn't even like doing that, but it's part of the hoopla of Carnival, and I doubt it will stop.

 

quote]

 

Probably not the best picture but, there are some exceptions. That was our waiter Juanito playing a Backstreet Boy, and he gave us fabulous service.

 

[Cotton]

I tried to look at the photo, but it said I'm not authorized.:o

 

About the 'table dancing' - even if it's been on serving carts (?), I have never seen that.