Why the difference in service/experience on various cruise lines?

[lucywestie]

Its hard to explain in a short title. But I was reading the thread about somebody going on Carnival but they were having all sorts of worries.

 

Considering all the immediate employees you meet [waiters/stewards etc.] are pretty much all paid the same and gratuities are pretty much the same between the various cruise lines. Why does there seem to be such a difference in service on board.

I read on this forum plus the others and although everybody says that "Princess/Celebrity/Royal is the best" they do all tend to look down on NCL and Carnival. Even though alot of these cruise lines all come under the same big corporate umbrella. Is there really such a difference? Does Princess have a better policy for training and motivating their employees so that this is reflected in better service?

 

Just wondering, Im not a seasoned cruiser by any means but I am a seasoned traveller and have travelled a fair bit around the US plus Europe.

 

Pete

[AAAAmerican]

Dear lucywestie AKA: Pete,

 

As in most every service firm. Training as well the lack of it shows.

 

In Cruise Lines what I have observed is the chain of training..

 

If you have a great HotMan ( Hotel Manager ) this sets the mark. If he is lacking then down the service lines it shows vividly.

 

You know now as before HOLLAND AMERICA has the schools for staffing in two more countries than the US. This does help retain great staff who are dedicated too. In other lines they have not followed suit now, Bean Counters took over so to them the Dollar is more important than the paying customer in servicing them well.

 

I so appreciate Quality over Quantity and pay well for it.

 

 

Its hard to explain in a short title. But I was reading the thread about somebody going on Carnival but they were having all sorts of worries.

 

Considering all the immediate employees you meet [waiters/stewards etc.] are pretty much all paid the same and gratuities are pretty much the same between the various cruise lines. Why does there seem to be such a difference in service on board.

I read on this forum plus the others and although everybody says that "Princess/Celebrity/Royal is the best" they do all tend to look down on NCL and Carnival. Even though alot of these cruise lines all come under the same big corporate umbrella. Is there really such a difference? Does Princess have a better policy for training and motivating their employees so that this is reflected in better service?

 

Just wondering, Im not a seasoned cruiser by any means but I am a seasoned traveller and have travelled a fair bit around the US plus Europe.

 

Pete

[rdsqrl]

I thought it would be nice for you to get a coherent response.

 

I would suspect it starts with hiring, and then training. After all, Nordstrom doesn't pay more to entry-level sales staff than Macy's, but as we all know, there's a world of difference between the kind of help you'll get. At Nordstrom, staff is interviewed thoroughly, and the training is rigorous. Then, once they're on the sales floor, they're empowered to make decisions for the customer and in general treated as though they have an ownership stake in the business. If I helmed a cruise line, I would follow the same model: be very careful about who I hired, train the living daylights out of them, which helps to weed out the bad apples, and then give them autonomy to solve small problems on their own and a sense of ownership.

 

I don't work for Princess or Celebrity, obviously (although if they need a soon-to-be newly-minted Ph.D., they only have to call!), so I can't say that's what they're doing. But I do know that, with the exception of the QE2, Princess staff is heads and shoulders more customer-service oriented than the other lines I've sailed on.

[Pam in CA]

But I do know that, with the exception of the QE2, Princess staff is heads and shoulders more customer-service oriented than the other lines I've sailed on.

I have to agree. Go on the HAL board and you'll get replies that of course, HAL is so much better, and I'm sure the same thing is true if you go on the Celebrity board. Having cruised Princess, HAL and Celebrity within the last year or so, overall, I feel the best cabin stewards and waitstaff -- IN GENERAL -- are better on Princess. Are they perfect? Nope. I've had a few HAL stewards and waitstaff who were better but I've also had the absolutely worst a couple of times. I'm not talking picky stuff like not having clean towels but major, heavy-duty mistakes. On Celebrity, we had a great waitstaff but horrible cabin steward who did nothing to assist us with non-working toilets (in two different cabins) for three days. When that happened to me on Princess, my steward was beside himself reporting it and doing what he could, including getting his supervisor involved.

[katisdale]

I primarily cruise Princess although I went on a Carnival cruise this past April on the Fantasy out of Charleston, SC. I have been on large, medium and small Princess ships and have only met one person I would consider a lost cause as to customer service. ALL of the other individuals were wonderful. The employees on the Carnival ship were also outstanding. Carnival also did not live up to "hard partying" I had read about.

[toeloop]

I agree with training being very important. But I think it also has to do with the companies corporate cultures. Remember, the cruise lines weren't always under the same umbrella. They started out as individual companies with different service goals and objectives, which they have maintained since they were acquired.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I also think that there are "happy" ships and "not so happy" ships, and although I'm unsure about the root cause of the difference, I do have a theory. We met four crewmembers on the Island that we knew from the Emerald and to a person they all said that they missed the working atmosphere on the Emerald. Although the service on the Island wasn't bad, and was, in fact, generally good and at times was excellent, overall it fell below what we enjoyed on the Emerald.

 

These folks likely get the same training. In fact, most of them had moved around between different Princess ships. I would think that working on the more laid back Island would have to be a bit easier than on the bigger (and by that I mean more passengers, not size) ships.

 

In the end, I think that management plays a significant role in the difference in service between ships and cruise lines. We knew a hotel director years ago on Celebrity, Costas Gatsis, whose crew loved him, and it showed in the service we received from every single person on that ship. We had the opportunity to dine with him at the Captains Table on two occasions, and, in talking with him, it was easy to see why he was held in such esteem. He had the greatest respect for the passengers and his crew, and it showed in the way he talked about them and to them. Sadly, he moved to Oceania soon after, but I'm certain he worked the same magic with them.

 

Good managers can be found on all cruise lines and most ships. I suspect they're the difference in making one experience stand out from the others, and are also the reason that while some people feel the service on one particular ship was lacking, others might find the service on other ships in the fleet to be excellent.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Its hard to explain in a short title. But I was reading the thread about somebody going on Carnival but they were having all sorts of worries.

 

Considering all the immediate employees you meet [waiters/stewards etc.] are pretty much all paid the same and gratuities are pretty much the same between the various cruise lines. Why does there seem to be such a difference in service on board.

I read on this forum plus the others and although everybody says that "Princess/Celebrity/Royal is the best" they do all tend to look down on NCL and Carnival. Even though alot of these cruise lines all come under the same big corporate umbrella. Is there really such a difference? Does Princess have a better policy for training and motivating their employees so that this is reflected in better service?

 

Just wondering, Im not a seasoned cruiser by any means but I am a seasoned traveller and have travelled a fair bit around the US plus Europe.

 

Pete

 

On CCL they have cut back on the help and given them even more duties.

 

If you have to practically run from station to station service will suffer as well as moral.

 

All cruise lines have had to make cuts in this economy but since they put an accountant in as CEO there have been cutbacks galore.

 

I was just on NCL and their staff doesn't seem as rushed, they all smiled, and seemed to work well as teams.

 

Bill

[karatemom2]

I had heard raves about the service HAL so I was very surprised at how disappointed I was in the service level on our recent HAL cruise. It wasn't that the staff was unpleasant. In fact they were all very nice. But they seemed understaffed and we have never experienced such slow dining service, lacking cabin service or general mistakes, ie. only one room service delivery correct out of 14 days. The service did not come close to the level we receive on Princess or even Carnival. We have rarely had anything but stellar service on any of our Princess cruises.

[Smokeyham]

We just got off the Sapphire Princess, and were surprised by how much better we thought the service was on Princess. It just seemed Princess had more polish, and less of a "sales" atmosphere, than NCL. Princess staff were available when needed, but didn't badger us for drinks sales, photo sales, etc.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Our last two cruises in May and August of this year have been on Royal Caribbean (the reason was that Princess did not serve the markets we wanted during the months we cruised) and we found service levels comparable to Princess throughout the ship...am sailing on Sapphire in four weeks so will have a better comparison. Once you get past the rock climbing walls and silly pool games, which we avoid anyhow, the two lines seem almost identical to me...

[AAAAmerican]

IMHO,

 

Q vs Q.

Quality overides Quantity

 

 

:cool:

[donh1]

I think one aspect of it is proper supervision. The right Captain, Hotel Manager, Matre'd and housekeeping supervisor makes all the difference. I remember our first cruise thinking why should the Matre'd get a piece of the action ($1.50)> His recommended tip. He's the one who makes it all happen in the dining room.

If these supervisors are doing their jobs and reporting up to senior management problems then the blanket statement "we are overworked and understaffed" should not apply.

Action wth respect to the customer surveys also must factor into the equasion.

Been on HAL, Princess and Celebrity and frankly they all seem to be very similar. Any time something was lacking in service I could attribute it to lack of supervision. My two cents worth.

[dorisis]

I think one aspect of it is proper supervision. The right Captain, Hotel Manager, Matre'd and housekeeping supervisor makes all the difference. I remember our first cruise thinking why should the Matre'd get a piece of the action ($1.50)> His recommended tip. He's the one who makes it all happen in the dining room.

If these supervisors are doing their jobs and reporting up to senior management problems then the blanket statement "we are overworked and understaffed" should not apply.

Action wth respect to the customer surveys also must factor into the equasion.

Been on HAL, Princess and Celebrity and frankly they all seem to be very similar. Any time something was lacking in service I could attribute it to lack of supervision. My two cents worth.

 

This is one area where the trickle down theory really works. Good officers make for happy crew and happy crew makes for excellent service;

 

In my Opinion tho Oceania has the best sevice overall and the best food as well as some really great itineraries.

 

~Doris~

[Minoushka]

I have spent a total of 3 weeks onNCL Epic .i have never had better service .it was terrific

The people on board could not do enough to please us .I can only praise NCL epic in every way

Shows mmwere awesome .service beyond compare and all meals top knotch

I will definitely return

[chamima]

I thought it would be nice for you to get a coherent response.

 

I would suspect it starts with hiring, and then training. After all, Nordstrom doesn't pay more to entry-level sales staff than Macy's, but as we all know, there's a world of difference between the kind of help you'll get. At Nordstrom, staff is interviewed thoroughly, and the training is rigorous. Then, once they're on the sales floor, they're empowered to make decisions for the customer and in general treated as though they have an ownership stake in the business. If I helmed a cruise line, I would follow the same model: be very careful about who I hired, train the living daylights out of them, which helps to weed out the bad apples, and then give them autonomy to solve small problems on their own and a sense of ownership.

 

I don't work for Princess or Celebrity, obviously (although if they need a soon-to-be newly-minted Ph.D., they only have to call!), so I can't say that's what they're doing. But I do know that, with the exception of the QE2, Princess staff is heads and shoulders more customer-service oriented than the other lines I've sailed on.

 

 

LOL!!!!!! :D

 

I agree with everything you said.

 

I also wonder about staff to passenger ratio. If a cabin steward is responsible for more cabins he'll have less time for each. Same thing for waiters.

BTW- We noticed the same thing about the Emerald being a "Happy Ship" that Jeannie noticed. It has to be the management on the ship!

[cruisetrail]

Its hard to explain in a short title. But I was reading the thread about somebody going on Carnival but they were having all sorts of worries.

 

Considering all the immediate employees you meet [waiters/stewards etc.] are pretty much all paid the same and gratuities are pretty much the same between the various cruise lines. Why does there seem to be such a difference in service on board.

I read on this forum plus the others and although everybody says that "Princess/Celebrity/Royal is the best" they do all tend to look down on NCL and Carnival. Even though alot of these cruise lines all come under the same big corporate umbrella. Is there really such a difference? Does Princess have a better policy for training and motivating their employees so that this is reflected in better service?

 

Just wondering, Im not a seasoned cruiser by any means but I am a seasoned traveller and have travelled a fair bit around the US plus Europe.

 

Pete

 

I cruise with all cruise lines.

I am telling you: "immediate employees " are the same on all cruise lines.

The "immediate service" on the best line I have cruised (Cunard) is not any better than on the worst cruise line I have cruised (Costa). Stewards on Princess are not any better than on NCL or Carnival, etc. They all work hard to follow cruise lines policies and standards whatever they are.

 

What makes cruise lines and ships different - the concept of service that first of all includes dining concept, well being at sea concept, entertainment concept - all that based on the ship design and features.

[RLK33853]

Totally agree with most of the other comments.

 

We talk to a lot of the staff and one thing is very consistent when it comes to the wait staff - all must have previous experience before Princess will even look at their application. Thus even the most junior staff member has experience before they are trained to do things the Princess way.

 

The second thing they have all said, is that the on board supervision really sets the tone. Certain ships have a "happy" reputation, where some others are more rigid.

[caribill]

Action wth respect to the customer surveys also must factor into the equasion.

 

We were told on our last Princess cruise that when Princess had the surveys passed out and filled in on board the ship at thye end of the cruise, they had a 98% return rate. Thus they did have a good feedback of passengers concerns.

 

With the e-mail the survey to the customer after the cruise method now in place, we were told the return rate is about 30%. A great drop in feedback.

[Tatka]

I have to agree. Go on the HAL board and you'll get replies that of course, HAL is so much better, and I'm sure the same thing is true if you go on the Celebrity board. Having cruised Princess, HAL and Celebrity within the last year or so, overall, I feel the best cabin stewards and waitstaff -- IN GENERAL -- are better on Princess. Are they perfect? Nope. I've had a few HAL stewards and waitstaff who were better but I've also had the absolutely worst a couple of times. I'm not talking picky stuff like not having clean towels but major, heavy-duty mistakes. On Celebrity, we had a great waitstaff but horrible cabin steward who did nothing to assist us with non-working toilets (in two different cabins) for three days. When that happened to me on Princess, my steward was beside himself reporting it and doing what he could, including getting his supervisor involved.

 

In some strange reason we had the poorest experience with HAL than with any other lines including Carnival. It was long time ago in 2004 on Zuiderdam, but I keep reading about same kind of issues. We felt that while our cabin steward did a good job he had to clean too many cabins. 3 out of 6 days he couldn't make to our cabin till 1 pm. And MDR service was slow and with many mistakes. We had similar understaffing issue on NCL once.

People I know are actually questioning if HAL is a premium line.

 

Except for these two occasions we got good to great service on every line/ship! With a bit more white-glove feel on Celebrity.

 

Princess offers very nice service plus all our stewards have always greeted us everywhere they met us. Several of them even made attempt to talk to us in our native language (Russian).

[PescadoAmarillo]

We were told on our last Princess cruise that when Princess had the surveys passed out and filled in on board the ship at thye end of the cruise, they had a 98% return rate. Thus they did have a good feedback of passengers concerns.

 

With the e-mail the survey to the customer after the cruise method now in place, we were told the return rate is about 30%. A great drop in feedback.

I wondered about that; thanks for providing some facts. I did note, while on the Island, that in the Free Zone on the internet, there was a Survey link. I'm not certan that that is the actual survey or just a note stating that one would be coming in passengers' emails after the cruise. But a complaint that I had about the surverys while I was on the Emerald (although admittedly this wouldn't be a common problem) is that, when doing B2B cruises, I was using my "free" internet to respond to the surveys. which had to be completed within 14 days of the cruise ending date. There was enough good to be said about the service and experience provided that it was taking me 30 minutes of internet time to answer the surveys. It was a bit of a burden to do online, and would have been much easier to take the time to do in writing while on the cruise.

 

OTOH, I was told that the comments section of the electronic surveys received more attention, since they were read in the corporate office, than when they were submitted on the ship.

 

If I truly can respond without burning through internet minutes while on the second of B2B cruises, I am much more likely to go into detail and mention people by name than if I am using my personal internet time.