What are your stories of Gold Anchor service?

[chef_christoph]

I'm writing this as a form of response to a thread that was posted on here a few days ago. The thread in question was started by a member here who feels that RCI "doesn't deliver on its promise" of Gold Anchor service and I just don't see it that way at all.

 

As much as I disagreed with the assertions made by the OP of that thread, it got me thinking about all the ways in which the staff on board the cruises I've been on have exceeded my expectations in one way or another.

 

With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to share some of the stories we have of when a staff member surprised us by doing something we didn't expect but that made our cruise that much more enjoyable and memorable.

 

I have at least one from every one of my cruises but the one that jumps out now was my Waiter on Oasis, Bongay, who had a meal prepared for our table because we commented on how much we had enjoyed it the previous night.

 

I had never had something made specially for me on a cruise before and in my mind that kind of service was always something I thought reserved for the Luxury cruise lines.

 

It was such a surprise and it obviously left a positive impression on me because I still tell people about it.

 

How about you, do you have a story of exceptional service that sticks out in your mind?

[Aquahound]

Great service and attentiveness is what has kept me returning to RCI. No problems here.

[chef_christoph]

Great service and attentiveness is what has kept me returning to RCI. No problems here.

 

Do you have a particular instance that sticks out as a time when something was done above and beyond your expectations? I was hoping for details in this thread :)

[clott]

We were on the mariner and they had the chicken wings at a returning guest party. We kept telling our waiter in the dining room we wanted those wings for dinner.

The last night we arrived at the table and our waiter couldn't be found. After about 15 min we look up and he is walking thru the dining room with a huge platter of wings for our table. Everyone around us wanted to eat dinner with us. Lol. Needless to say he got a very nice addition to his tips. That is gold crown service but we have never had anything but great on royal.

[chef_christoph]

That is awesome clott! I love hearing these great stories. :)

[birdylady]

On our very first cruise, Azmi, our assistant waiter was PHENOMENAL. Hubby drinks diet coke like a fish water. So, starting with the first dinner, when we told Azmi that, EVERY time he came by the table, he had 2 diet cokes in his hand to deliver. And when we saw him in the WJ in the mornings, he did the same.

 

On another cruise, we did Chops one night with my parents. The next night in the dining hall, my mother mentioned to our waiter she heard the night before they had escargot and was it possible to get some then. The waiter said no, sadly. BUT the very next night when appetizers were brought, he brought escargot to her. She was thrilled.

 

It's all these little things that go into make our great memories.

Erika

[Aquahound]

Do you have a particular instance that sticks out as a time when something was done above and beyond your expectations? I was hoping for details in this thread :)

 

Sure. I'll start with the most recent.

 

On the Radiance, we had a very visible Head Waiter. Discussion led to us telling him how much we loved the chocolate mud pie dessert in Chops. The next night at dinner, instead of the waiter bringing us a dessert menu, the Head Waiter delivered 2 chocolate mud pie desserts from Chops. On our last night, another chocolate mud pie was delivered to our stateroom with a note thanking us for sailing the Radiance.

 

This is just a little thing, but was well appreciated.

[chef_christoph]

Sure. I'll start with the most recent.

 

On the Radiance, we had a very visible Head Waiter. Discussion led to us telling him how much we loved the chocolate mud pie dessert in Chops. The next night at dinner, instead of the waiter bringing us a desseert menu, the HEad Waiter delivered 2 chocolate mud pie desserts from Chops. On our last night, another chocolate mud pie was delivered to our stateroom with a note thanking us for sialing the Radiance.

 

This is just a little thing, but was well appreciated.

 

Awesome! Thanks Paul!

[njmomof2]

I think that in general, all service has been at or above expected levels. We had wonderful waiters on Liberty in August who entertained my kids with the best magic tricks...my 8 yo still tries to do them when we have a group over.

 

I have had less than stellar service in the MDR. On a Mariner sailing with my family, my younger son was still using a booster chair. Every night we'd get to the table and no booster. We'd have to stand there while either the waiter or assistant waiter found one. We had the same drink orders nightly. For the first 4 nights, never on the table and we had to ask and wait. Now, did this really detract from our vacation? Not really. But just not the level we have all come to expect.

 

Have had wonderful stateroom stewards...had different ones on Liberty than my husband/son had down the hall. Ours made sure he got to theirs to pass on some information. Always knew names and greeted us regularly.

 

We keep going back because we are always treated as if we are the most important people at that moment. And to think they do that every single week. Amazing.

[39august]

This may not qualify as "service", but I am constantly amazed at how many times staff from our previous cruises on various ships remember us and make a point of greeting us and welcoming us back to RCI and to that particular ship. Now, they usually don't remember our names, but recognize our faces. On Navigator in Jan. as we were entering Chops the first night, we were greeted by a former waiter who is now in management. He came to our table just as we were seated and chatted a bit. And we had not been on NOS in FIVE years!

[pjlee3333]

One year we were fortunate to sail on three cruises fairly close together. We had 2 different staterooms with 2 different stteroom attendants. The firstone had filled the next one in on all our preferences, etc. When we got on the ship for our third cruise and went to put our things in the room the stateroom attendant that we had for the 2nd cruise said he had something of ours. In packing to come home I'd forgotten some postcards. This stateroom attendant remembered we'd said we were coming back and had saved them for us.

 

Another is that another year we became aquainted with one of the stateroom attendants on the same floor we were on. He went out of his way to tease us and make our day more enjoyrable. Again we were on the ship again later that season and he remembered us and continued with the friendly banter.

[cruzin lady]

We have cruised Royal Caribbean exclusively for many years, and we have just as many examples of going beyond the call of duty.

On our most recent consecutive cruises we had enough wonderful people to fill up a small book.

Eniko, our stateroom attendant, took a pair of my DH husband's trousers to the ship tailor to see if he/she could fix the broken zipper. The answer was yes, but the pants were tan, and the only color zippers onboard was black, the color of the pants of onboard employees. We didn't know she was doing that! :)

Again, most recently, I experienced a terrible nosebleed (1 1/2 hrs) and had to go to the infirmary.

That evening, because we weren't in the Concierge Lounge, Rahim, the Concierge filling in while Israel is on vacation, called our stateroom to find out what was wrong. DH explained the reason, and the next morning I received flowers from Rahim. How wonderful is that? :)

We took some acquaintances to the Guest Services Manager to help them get some issues solved, which they hadn't been able to get worked out. The next day, we received champaign and strawberries from

Guest Services. :)

I could go on and on, but for now that's it. I would like to urge you to list names on your comment card and put it in the box at Guest Services or by the exit door on the last morning.

Also, a note to the Hotel Manager really does a lot to help the people who go out of their way to offer

exceptional service! :)

Finally, please send the names of these wonderful people to the Miami office. This, too, really does a lot for those who work so hard onboard. These kinds of notes go toward promotions, extra time off, etc. and mean so much to them. It only takes a little while to write an e-mail which is so important. :)

Cruzin Lady

[foxgoodrich]

We cruised a little over a year ago on the Voyager with a family group which included our 12 month old granddaughter. We had early dining, but we were all apprehensive about how well our little one would do in the MDR since dinners often take take quite awhile. We were armed with a few small toys to keep her occupied and a plan for who would take her out each night if it became necessary!

 

On the first night, we had to wait a few minutes to get the high chair, and I asked the waiter if he could bring us a little plate of baby friendly food (fruit, cheese, crackers, whatever!) to keep her engaged as we ordered. He brought a plate of fruit and cheese right away. On subsequent nights, the high chair was always there, and by the time we got her into the high chair, the waiter, asst. waiter, or headwaiter delivered the baby appetizer plate. They even noticed what she liked (kiwi, strawberries) and brought her favorites, and made that little plate prettier each night. All 3 of them gave her the most special attention during the entire 7 nights, and they made sure our food was delivered quickly with little or no waiting between courses. She had a ball and enjoyed all the food and special attention, and we have never had a cruise with such flawless timing on dinner service. (I wish I remembered these guys' names, but it seems that I've cruised since then....and I tend to remember faces better than names...I did, however, mention all of them by name on the comment card for that cruise. And they all got extra tips!)

 

Fast forward.....a year later....DH and I were on the Voyager again just 3 weeks ago. As we were walking by Guest Services on the first evening, we heard a voice say "hello" and looked over to see our former asst. waiter, now working nights at Guest Services. He greeted us with a big smile and introduced us to his co-worker as "his guests" from last year. He wanted to know if the baby was with us and inquired about her.

 

When you really think about how many people these employees serve each cruise, it's pretty amazing that they would remember you a year later!!

Judy

[stompy]

I'm writing this as a form of response to a thread that was posted on here a few days ago. The thread in question was started by a member here who feels that RCI "doesn't deliver on its promise" of Gold Anchor service and I just don't see it that way at all.

 

As much as I disagreed with the assertions made by the OP of that thread, it got me thinking about all the ways in which the staff on board the cruises I've been on have exceeded my expectations in one way or another.

 

With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to share some of the stories we have of when a staff member surprised us by doing something we didn't expect but that made our cruise that much more enjoyable and memorable.

 

I have at least one from every one of my cruises but the one that jumps out now was my Waiter on Oasis, Bongay, who had a meal prepared for our table because we commented on how much we had enjoyed it the previous night.

 

I had never had something made specially for me on a cruise before and in my mind that kind of service was always something I thought reserved for the Luxury cruise lines.

 

It was such a surprise and it obviously left a positive impression on me because I still tell people about it.

 

How about you, do you have a story of exceptional service that sticks out in your mind?

 

I walked into the Windjammer last year on my TA cruise and the waiter I had from 2009 came up to us and said "George, Robin-welcome back!"

[Merion_Mom]

Our most recent cruise was New Year's Eve on the Navigator.

 

My daughter sent out her formal gown for cleaning first thing upon our arrival. She received a promise that she would have it back for first formal night, the next/second night of the cruise.

 

We had first/main seating.

 

At five o'clock, after a couple of phone calls, it still wasn't there.

 

Our cabin steward was nearby. He saw us repeatedly open the cabin door and look both ways down the cabin, and asked if he could help us with something.

 

We told him the situation.

 

15 minutes later, he knocked on the cabin door.

 

He had my daughter's gown in his hand.

[Icruzthere4Iam]

Chef- Great post! I agree with you about completely disagreeing with the aforementioned previous poster. Now for a couple of examples.

 

On Freedom of the Seas there was a bartender who on three different occasion that I witnessed left the bar he was working in and went and found N/A beer for my sisiter as he did not have any stocked. He could have just said he didn't have any and sent her to another bar but he chose to leave and get them himself. Top notch customer service from a bartender!

 

Walking through the casino the first night of a sailing and I hear my name called. I turn around and it is a dealer I had met over two years prior and on a different ship! She remembered my first name and where I lived. I was completely blown away because our interaction on the first cruise consisted of just chatting while seated at her tables. I don't know how she did that but I was impressed.

 

The reason I cruise RCCL is because I have yet to recieve anything but top notch service onboard their ships. Take care all, Jim

[eldolko]

It may not be much of a story, but when my DW and I took our first Caribbean cruise in 2008 we didn't really know what to expect from a cruise with Royal Caribbean.

 

Boy were we surprised by the excellent service onboard!

 

Our stateroom attendant, who I don't remember by name, gave us a kind of service we have never met here in Sweden. She also gave us robes to use for the rest of the week. Unfortunately we didn't understand by the time that this was a service normally given to suite guests or C&A members in a higher level. I hope we did not seem ungrateful We did however put extra tip in the envelopes by the end of the cruise.

 

Our waiter, Kevin from Jamaica, was the best. He asked us our names one time at the beginning of the week and then he remembered them for the rest of the cruise. I know he probably had access to passenger lists, but never the less it meant a lot to us. We're simply not used to attention like this where we live.

 

We're finally going on our second cruise this summer and if the service is only half as good we will be more than satisfied. We definitely will go on several cruises in the future.

[Tucker in Texas]

I'm not going to say which ship it was or who it was because I don't want to get anyone in trouble.

 

We took two cruises on the same ship. One was in May of 2009 and the other was in the May 2010. In May of 2009, as brand new Diamond, I was welcome in the concierge lounge which was actually held in a larger venue. Each night I would go to the bar on my way and order a Jamison and water while my husband would join others telling them I was coming. He did not drink anything. I would tip out whoever mixed my drink a whooping $1.

 

Fast forward to May 2010 and, having been evicted from the concierge lounge, I went to the "Diamond Event" lounge. Went to the bar and made some smart remark about how since I now had to pay for my drink, I'll have the el cheapo wine. Again, passed over a buck. When I returned to the bar the second time, a different bar tender came over, greeted me and passed over my usual Jamison and water (which is what I drank the previous cruise) telling me that he would take care of me. He remembered me from the previous cruise and overheard my comment to the first bar tender. And he did for the rest of the cruise. Why he remembered me, I don't know because it certainly wasn't the buck a drink I tipped. Most of the time I saw him put it in the tip jar, anyway. I don't remember him even serving me each and every time I came in. Different bar tenders would do it.

 

Needless to say, he got a very nice note at the end, a nice tip, and a mention in the exit survey about what a great bar tender he was!

 

Tucker in Texas

[bmarchal]

One cruise we were having a discussion with the head waiter about the differnce in the apple pie served in the MDR and Johny Rockets. He said the best was from the MDR and we said it was Johnny Rockets. We told him that he needed to get a slice of each and compair them. The next night when it came time for desert, he showed up with a whole pie fom JR complete with ice cream. He admintted defeat but we had to sware not to tell the chef or he would be on the bad list for a long time.

 

We have always had great service on every ship and every cruise. That's what keeps us coming back time and time again. ;)

[linkerbink]

A few cruises ago (can't recall which ship) my sister and I were seated in the MDR with another couple whom we just met there at dinner. During the course of the dinner the wife mentioned to the waiter how much she loved creme brulee. Every night after that the waiter brought a creme brulee for each of us, without being asked.

[Familygoboston]

This is a silly little thing...but we had lunch at JR on NOS last Dec and I commented on some little paper napkin embellishment that the waiter did when he delivered our food. I told him that it looked like the kind of thing my daugther likes to create. We were sitting at the counter so between customers he proceeded to create this perfectly formed rose out of a few simple napkins. It was amazing! Then he presented it to me. It was quite delicate, so I transported it home inside my water bottle, so it wouldnt get crushed and gave it to my daughter who put it on our Christmas tree!

He was pretty busy, but he took the time to make something I was interested in just to make my cruise better! Pretty good!

[Familygoboston]

[cruisekap]

I too disagree with the original post. On my last cruise, (last week on Allure) our stateroom attendant, Dwight, went out of our way to make us comfortable and always asked if there was anything else that we needed. He left us a business card and told us to call anytime night or day.

 

Our waiter, Mihai, was fantastic, friendly, helpful. He always had fruit waiating for our kids, before we arrived at the table. The kids(15,17) always appreciaed the gesture. If he saw one of us share one of our dishes, he immediately asked if we wanted one. Sometime they would magically show up. Mihai even called when we didn't show for dinner, we were at Giovanni's. He called to let us know that lobster was on the menu the next day and he noticed that my daughter always ordered seafood. He didn't want her to miss it. Also, our assistant waiter, Olga, was the sweetest girl. Very courteous and professional.

 

My son had several wave rider lessons and the instructors were amazing.

 

My daughter and I had spa treatments. My daughter (17) was very impressed by the woman who performed her treatment. She felt special.

 

My husband is in the sales and marketing and is generally a very assertive and demanding customer, he raved about the service. \

 

I can go on and on. I have been on 9 RCI cruises and feel the same way after each.

[gbcruise]

My dd was quite ill from sea sickness on the second day in the gulf of mexico. The gift shop was out of seabands. Our room attendant took hers off (yes, even the staff was sick) and insisted that dd use them. Cans of sprite and crackers arrived shortly later. We were checked on a couple more times during the day & evening.

The next morning my dd was much better. We took one look at out room attendant & it was obvious she was extremely sea sick but she refused to take the seabands back. Thankfully halfway thru day 3 the seas calmed down. Service above & beyond, she earned every penny of her extra tip & we will never forget her Gold Anchor service.

[HB Cruiser]

We had an assistant waiter in the MDR and we were not very happy with him. Everytime he came to our table he would interrupt the conversation by saying. "Excuse me, excuse me, EXCUSE ME!" as loud as he could without yelling. This happened the first two nights of the cruise. I accepted it the first night but the 2nd night I spoke with our Head Waiter. He thanks me for my comment and said it would be taken care of.

 

IT WAS!!! That assistant that started out sooooo bad at the start ended up being the BEST assistant we ever had. It was hard to believe he went from one end of the spectrum to the other.

 

The last night I told him I was the one that complained about him and HE THANKED ME FOR IT!!! I could not believe it.

 

Maybe this is not what would be considered Gold Anchor Service since I had to complain but he definitely got it right.

 

Tim