seajay312 Posted November 4, 2011 #1 Share Posted November 4, 2011 On the last cruise in the States prior to going to the Mediterranean, is it true that the staff on board are less caring, the food is less tasty and the overall cruise very disappointing? Reason we are asking is because we are sailing on the Ruby 4/15/12 and are hearing from others some reasons why we should not take the last cruise before it repositions. We know a cruise is what you make of it, but.......?????? Any constructive comments are much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seabourn911 Posted November 4, 2011 #2 Share Posted November 4, 2011 On the last cruise in the States prior to going to the Mediterranean, is it true that the staff on board are less caring, the food is less tasty and the overall cruise very disappointing? Reason we are asking is because we are sailing on the Ruby 4/15/12 and are hearing from others some reasons why we should not take the last cruise before it repositions. We know a cruise is what you make of it, but.......?????? Any constructive comments are much appreciated. TRUE! Transatlantics are usually sold at rcok bottom prices, ships half full, therfore food costs must be watched. Also these cruises tend to attract a "thrifty clientele". Crew morale is usually low or nearly in the toilet because of 6 or more consecutive sea days crossing the Atlantic with no possibility of shore leave/time off etc. Have experienced all of the above on TA crossings...but hey if you can get a cut rate at $40-$50 per person a day...why not!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.S.Oceanlover Posted November 4, 2011 #3 Share Posted November 4, 2011 TRUE!Transatlantics are usually sold at rcok bottom prices, ships half full, therfore food costs must be watched. Also these cruises tend to attract a "thrifty clientele". Crew morale is usually low or nearly in the toilet because of 6 or more consecutive sea days crossing the Atlantic with no possibility of shore leave/time off etc. Have experienced all of the above on TA crossings...but hey if you can get a cut rate at $40-$50 per person a day...why not!:D I think the OP is asking about the last cruise in the U.S. before it does the TA and not the TA cruise.:) Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seajay312 Posted November 4, 2011 Author #4 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Yes, S.S. Oceanlover, that's exactly what I'm saying. The last cruise to the Caribbean before you go to the Mediterranean. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul929207 Posted November 4, 2011 #5 Share Posted November 4, 2011 OP is taking the cruise before the transatlantic. I don't see why that would be a problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seajay312 Posted November 4, 2011 Author #6 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Well, I guess this didn't take long to get off track. Why does it not surprise me. Ask a simple question and only 50% know what you're talking about. Thank you Oceanlover and Paul 929207. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruise&travelgirl Posted November 4, 2011 #7 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I've also taken the last cruise in the Caribbean before the TA crossing and the service and food were both exceptional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylandtk Posted November 4, 2011 #8 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I have twice taken a cruise that was the 'last' one before a repositioning. Both were wonderful. The crew was great, kind of excited to be going somewhere different next week and happy to talk about who was staying, who was going home, what they were looking forward to, what they were going to miss. I did not notice any difference on the food quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Gail & Marty sailing away Posted November 4, 2011 #9 Share Posted November 4, 2011 That is not true...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro Flyer Posted November 4, 2011 #10 Share Posted November 4, 2011 We just got off the last cruise before a drydock which I would think would be more likely to experience the problems you mentioned than on a repositioning cruise...NO problems at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonbeam Posted November 4, 2011 #11 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Honestly, I don't believe itinerary matters as much as other factors, namely management and crew turnover. The crew may not be thrilled about the upcoming TA trip, but the professional ones won't show it and the nonprofessional ones will anyway. As an example, our last two Princess cruises were on the Coral in AK then the Island for the Canal. The staff experience on the Island was superior to the Coral (neither was bad). I don't attribute this as much to the difference in itinerary (and there was no ship difference) as to the management. On the Coral, I never saw the CD and could not pick the MD out of a lineup, nor was the Exec Chef as personable. On the Island, the CD was out constantly, the MD was always visible and helping out his team and the Kitchen had a palpably different tone during the chef's table. Management sets the tone for the staff, and THAT is what will determine how your cruise is, far more than anything else. And it's really difficult to predict that far out because staff is changing all the time. High turnover is the other cause of poor service to me, as the new staff takes time to get acclimated to the new ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shogun Posted November 4, 2011 #12 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Hi There We did last caribbean cruise this year before Ruby did TA we stayed on for TA. It was just a normal cruise, there were crew changes but these happen all the time, major crew change is often Rome or Barcelona, would be very happy to do this cruise again yours Shogun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northender Posted November 4, 2011 #13 Share Posted November 4, 2011 On the last cruise in the States prior to going to the Mediterranean, is it true that the staff on board are less caring, the food is less tasty and the overall cruise very disappointing? Reason we are asking is because we are sailing on the Ruby 4/15/12 and are hearing from others some reasons why we should not take the last cruise before it repositions. We know a cruise is what you make of it, but.......?????? Any constructive comments are much appreciated. Well, seajay, if you do decide to take the cruise, join our rollcall. Lots of fun people. Every cruise is a good cruise:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CA Posted November 4, 2011 #14 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Honestly, I don't believe itinerary matters as much as other factors, namely management and crew turnover. The crew may not be thrilled about the upcoming TA trip, but the professional ones won't show it and the nonprofessional ones will anyway.I agree. I've taken TA's, and cruises just before a TA, and haven't noticed any difference. The price of the cruise has nothing to do with the level of service or professionalism. It's not as if the staff says to themselves, "These yokels are paying $49/pp/day so I'm going to give them half or 1/3 the service I usually do." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seajay312 Posted November 5, 2011 Author #15 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Our thanks to all who have responded in one way or another. We will be cruising on the Ruby in April 2012. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenalucci Posted November 5, 2011 #16 Share Posted November 5, 2011 We were on the Ruby this past April the week before the transatlantic sailing. We had a great time--didn't notice any difference from any other week. Enjoy your cruise.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toeloop Posted November 5, 2011 #17 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I don't often post on CC, but I visit regularly and I observe. Kind of like on-line people watching. :rolleyes: If you see a really negative posting, take a look at the posters other posts before letting it impact your decision. I have been doing this, and I have found that 9 out of 10 times their posts are almost always negative. I always take overly negative reviews with a grain of salt. It's just like movies reviews. If I actually listened to the "professional reviewers" I would have missed a lot of really good movies. Enjoy your cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevesan Posted November 5, 2011 #18 Share Posted November 5, 2011 I don't often post on CC, but I visit regularly and I observe. Kind of like on-line people watching. :rolleyes: If you see a really negative posting, take a look at the posters other posts before letting it impact your decision. I have been doing this, and I have found that 9 out of 10 times their posts are almost always negative. I always take overly negative reviews with a grain of salt. It's just like movies reviews. If I actually listened to the "professional reviewers" I would have missed a lot of really good movies. Enjoy your cruise! Judging survey statistics: Throw out the low and the high. As to movies, I can always rely on Roger Ebert's reviews. I can easily judge whether I'll like a film, even if he doesn't. Except his one star reviews. Then the movie really stinks.:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRLess Posted November 5, 2011 #19 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Our thanks to all who have responded in one way or another. We will be cruising on the Ruby in April 2012. Here is the link to our Roll Call for that voyage....come join us! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1337951 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggie cruises Posted November 5, 2011 #20 Share Posted November 5, 2011 On the last cruise in the States prior to going to the Mediterranean, is it true that the staff on board are less caring, the food is less tasty and the overall cruise very disappointing? Reason we are asking is because we are sailing on the Ruby 4/15/12 and are hearing from others some reasons why we should not take the last cruise before it repositions. We know a cruise is what you make of it, but.......?????? Any constructive comments are much appreciated. personally...I would believe what you have heard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seajay312 Posted November 6, 2011 Author #21 Share Posted November 6, 2011 Thanks again everyone, I'm just going to go with my instincts now and enjoy the Ruby on 4/15/12. You will all definitely hear from me both onboard and after the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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