Activity Staff Reduction (3 Threads Merged)

[Ma Bell]

I always appreciate your posts but a two week cruise probably attracts more trivia players than a 7 day as many are repeat cruisers and, for whatever reason, these folks tend to like trivia. Even at 100, isn't it only 3% of passengers on Eclipse?

 

I could care less about trivia on way or the other but if it is drawing a very small group most of the time doesn't it make sense to cut it back?

 

Again, I think you are a very thoughtful poster but this issue, not so much.

 

I very seldom see that many people at any of the other activities either. I find it interesting that for many people it's only what they enjoy that's important. There are many things that I may not particularly care about but I'm sure happy they are there for those who enjoy them.

[Oville]

I very seldom see that many people at any of the other activities either. I find it interesting that for many people it's only what they enjoy that's important. There are many things that I may not particularly care about but I'm sure happy they are there for those who enjoy them.

 

Perhaps they are also being cut. What seems to be popular right now are Zumba and the Apple classes.

 

Maybe on the longer cruises trivia will continue at its current level, only time will tell.

 

As far as your comment "for many people it's only what they enjoy that's important", I do not participate in any daytime activities so nothing is being cut for me. I have however met people on Celebrity who love trivia and can understand the their disappointment.

[RDC1]

Perhaps they are also being cut. What seems to be popular right now are Zumba and the Apple classes.

 

Maybe on the longer cruises trivia will continue at its current level, only time will tell.

 

As far as your comment "for many people it's only what they enjoy that's important", I do not participate in any daytime activities so nothing is being cut for me. I have however met people on Celebrity who love trivia and can understand the their disappointment.

 

I found the difference is not in the daytime activities, but more in the lack of variety after 6pm with things being pretty much limited to the theater, the atrium and the bars.

[MisterBill99]

So they have cut the activity staff to the bone and many here are saying to give Celebrity the benefit of the doubt that good things are coming.

This reminds me of Whimpy's expression "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today".

I'm glad many of you support Celebrity's new Whimpy philosophy.:rolleyes:

Reminds me of the woman on the FB Quantum OTS group trying to tell me that we should be happy that RCI has decided to pull Quantum out of NY after the first season and send her to China, and give us a 2 generation old ship instead because it's good for the company. And when I accused her of drinking the C Kool Aid, she told me to be patient, as if I'm supposed to care what they'll do in the future.

 

Back to being on topic, my family and I enjoy trivia, especially the Broadway trivia. But on our last Celebrity cruise, I was disappointed to see that they weren't actually giving real prizes for winning, but points that you could turn in later on. Since I had missed the first few, it didn't give me any incentive to show up for future sessions, since I wasn't going to get enough points to receive anyway, even though my group finished in second place at the one I attended.

Edited April 21, 2014 by MisterBill99

[Oville]

I found the difference is not in the daytime activities, but more in the lack of variety after 6pm with things being pretty much limited to the theater, the atrium and the bars.

 

What activities were offered after 6 pm that have been eliminated? I'm not trying to be argumentative but I thought most, if not all, activities after six were in the theater, atrium and bars.

[Lois R]

What activities were offered after 6 pm that have been eliminated? I'm not trying to be argumentative but I thought most, if not all, activities after six were in the theater, atrium and bars.

 

Hi Katie:).....they are......there might be the "Sin City" show which

starts after 11 but the rest of the time? Your 3 areas are correct.

[chamima]

I very seldom see that many people at any of the other activities either. I find it interesting that for many people it's only what they enjoy that's important. There are many things that I may not particularly care about but I'm sure happy they are there for those who enjoy them.

 

 

I don't participate in many of the daytime activities (except the Hot Glass Show which there are also rumors about) so I have no horse in this game but it's still concerning because of a general direction of cutting staff on the ships.

 

Also, when there are 3000 people on a ship they need to have multiple areas of activities to distribute the passenger load so no one area becomes overcrowded.

 

 

EDIT: On second thought , I do love the evening game shows which the activity staff run (ran ??? :( :confused: :( ) so will those also be gone?

Edited April 21, 2014 by chamima

[AmberTeka]

We have sailed 24 cruises since 2006. For many on this board, we hardly sail at all.

 

We have never sailed on RCCI because they seem to have little Trivia. They have Rock Climbing. Ice Skating. Wave Rider. Full scale productions of movies or stage shows that we have seen before. hairy chest games and other tasteless things by the pool, which only inebriated young people enjoyed. ( My opinion only. Not meant to offend anyone. Some people would rather have a tooth pulled than play Trivia. Which I love.)

 

The Marriage Game. How embarrassing is that? Do I care if your husband wee wees an odd way? ...

Everything is geared to 30 or under.

 

If the New CEO is from RCCI, and that is his philosophy......We won't be on a return sailing. We booked our cruise in the fall due to the Activities, the memories we have of the Old Zenith, the mature passengers on that ship, who were the nicest and most fun group of people on any ship we have cruised on except maybe Princess. Half of the passengers showed up for Battle of the Sexes. I was selected to be Team Captain and we beat the stuffing out of the gents. That remains one of my favorite cruise memories!

 

And memories of things like that....stay with every Trivia player who ever sailed..and it draws them back......... It has been a few years, but we are back. ( We have three Carnival ports within a three hour drive from our house. One is a short drive across our city..My husband....hates to drive. And won't fly.) And Carnival has a lot of Trivia games on their ships. Princess, I think, has the best activity staffs I have seen so far..and they have four or five games a day.

 

HAL........I loved the ships. But.......one game of Trivia a day? On a cruise with lots of sea days? Two at the most? And I like to read. I am a Librarian. I go to the casino. I take shore trips. I eat three meals a day. I see all of the productions...............but still..........after our third cruise on HAL, we have not been back. We missed playing Trivia. Silly to some, but it matted to us.

 

look at how long this post of mine is going to be..my bad. But Trivia does matter! A lot. it is a big draw to many people.

If we have a good time, we will tell my Daughter, her in laws, my husband's relatives.......all of them cruisers. they all play Trivia.

I am scratching my head as to why they would cut something that they have a reputation for doing so well.............Do I make any sense?

I hope they reconsider. I appreciate the folks posting information on this topic.

Edited April 21, 2014 by AmberTeka

[MisterBill99]

The Marriage Game. How embarrassing is that? Do I care if your husband wee wees an odd way? ...

Everything is geared to 30 or under.

Huh? Celebrity does this as well, and has for a while. And it's very popular.

 

Amazing to hear that you recommend a cruise line based on their trivia games (and that other people would actually value your opinion and make their cruising plans based on that). I don't consider myself a party animal by any means (and I am way over 30), and I don't participate in that many activities on a cruise, but you sound positively boring by comparison. You don't go see the stage productions because you've seen the movie?

Edited April 21, 2014 by MisterBill99

[Cruising89143]

We have sailed 24 cruises since 2006. For many on this board, we hardly sail at all.

 

We have never sailed on RCCI because they seem to have little Trivia. They have Rock Climbing. Ice Skating. Wave Rider. Full scale productions of movies or stage shows that we have seen before. hairy chest games and other tasteless things by the pool, which only inebriated young people enjoyed. ( My opinion only. Not meant to offend anyone. Some people would rather have a tooth pulled than play Trivia. Which I love.)

 

The Marriage Game. How embarrassing is that? Do I care if your husband wee wees an odd way? ...

Everything is geared to 30 or under.

 

If the New CEO is from RCCI, and that is his philosophy......We won't be on a return sailing. We booked our cruise in the fall due to the Activities, the memories we have of the Old Zenith, the mature passengers on that ship, who were the nicest and most fun group of people on any ship we have cruised on except maybe Princess. Half of the passengers showed up for Battle of the Sexes. I was selected to be Team Captain and we beat the stuffing out of the gents. That remains one of my favorite cruise memories!

 

And memories of things like that....stay with every Trivia player who ever sailed..and it draws them back......... It has been a few years, but we are back. ( We have three Carnival ports within a three hour drive from our house. One is a short drive across our city..My husband....hates to drive. And won't fly.) And Carnival has a lot of Trivia games on their ships. Princess, I think, has the best activity staffs I have seen so far..and they have four or five games a day.

 

HAL........I loved the ships. But.......one game of Trivia a day? On a cruise with lots of sea days? Two at the most? And I like to read. I am a Librarian. I go to the casino. I take shore trips. I eat three meals a day. I see all of the productions...............but still..........after our third cruise on HAL, we have not been back. We missed playing Trivia. Silly to some, but it matted to us.

 

look at how long this post of mine is going to be..my bad. But Trivia does matter! A lot. it is a big draw to many people.

If we have a good time, we will tell my Daughter, her in laws, my husband's relatives.......all of them cruisers. they all play Trivia.

I am scratching my head as to why they would cut something that they have a reputation for doing so well.............Do I make any sense?

I hope they reconsider. I appreciate the folks posting information on this topic.

 

 

Find your comments about RCI interesting since you have not by your own admission cruised on them. Where did you get your information about trivia on RCI? RCI has the same entertainment around the pools as Carnival does. So I assume that Carnival is now off your list also. Maybe you should actually take a cruise on RCI before you try and educate the rest of us.:rolleyes:

Edited April 21, 2014 by cruisingator2

[VioletHorse]

We have sailed 24 cruises since 2006. For many on this board, we hardly sail at all.

 

..... HAL........I loved the ships. But.......one game of Trivia a day? On a cruise with lots of sea days? Two at the most? And I like to read. I am a Librarian. I go to the casino. I take shore trips. I eat three meals a day. I see all of the productions...............but still..........after our third cruise on HAL, we have not been back. We missed playing Trivia. Silly to some, but it matted to us. .....

 

 

 

 

It's worthwhile noting that HAL similarly decimated their activities staff about 6 years ago, and it's never been the same since. There is no way that a staff reduction like that will allow activities to remain at the same level. There are many things to like about HAL, but onboard activities are not one of those things. We are dissappointed that Celebrity is going in the same direction, but something has to give economically. People are always looking for the best deal and lowest price, and cruiselines are reluctant to raise prices to be able to continue to offer food and entertainment choices at the levels seen in the past.

 

Cruiselines can control personnel/activities and food costs through staff reductions and a lessening of food quality. What they cannot control is fuel costs, and there hasn't been any fuel supplement surcharge levied in years.

 

You get what you pay for.

[Retired Piggy]

I always appreciate your posts but a two week cruise probably attracts more trivia players than a 7 day as many are repeat cruisers and, for whatever reason, these folks tend to like trivia. Even at 100, isn't it only 3% of passengers on Eclipse?

 

I could care less about trivia on way or the other but if it is drawing a very small group most of the time doesn't it make sense to cut it back?

 

Again, I think you are a very thoughtful poster but this issue, not so much.

 

Trivia on 7 day cruises which is what I take at least six times a year does attract a crowd. Trivia was still there last week on the silhouette 2 x a day, other activities disappeared. The poor lone activity guy was commenting on hard it was to try and do it all by himself. Whether trivia is your thing or not the people were there and playing as I walked out of the Tuscan in the morning.

 

A few employees mentioned that Celebrity will be trying to attract the 40 year olds as they feel they spend more money. If that is in fact the case it will be interesting to watch because 40 yr olds don't usually have the option to vacation as frequently as retirees. A mix of ages makes cruising more interesting and fun.

[Ma Bell]

There has always been an assortment of activities available. If, the activities staff is extremely diminished, it would make sense that trivia would not be the only activity that would be limited. Obviously the reason that most of the posting about losing activities seems to be revolving around trivia is because that seems to be the one that more people enjoy.

 

The "activity" that the most people seem to enjoy is lounging by the pool but not everyone is interested in cooking themselves.

[mcrcruiser]

There has always been an assortment of activities available. If, the activities staff is extremely diminished, it would make sense that trivia would not be the only activity that would be limited. Obviously the reason that most of the posting about losing activities seems to be revolving around trivia is because that seems to be the one that more people enjoy.

 

The "activity" that the most people seem to enjoy is lounging by the pool but not everyone is interested in cooking themselves.

 

Yes you are right on target. ;)

[RDC1]

What activities were offered after 6 pm that have been eliminated? I'm not trying to be argumentative but I thought most, if not all, activities after six were in the theater, atrium and bars.

 

I cruise about 70 days a year on various lines. This March I tried the Solstice class for the first time. The last time I was on Celebrity was three years ago on the Infinity. So my comparison is to that cruise and what I encounter on other lines.

 

On my last Celebrity cruise you had, in addition to the main theater, a number of activities in the evenings, including trivia, comedy, and some other game show type, singing contests, etc.

 

This time there were some daytime activities, trivia for example, ping pong for another. But after 6 pm pretty much nothing. You would have the music in the Atrium, which flowed pretty much through all of the bars that lined the atrium. The string trio might do 30 minutes in Michaels, but that was pretty much it for alternatives.

 

Now part of the change I attribute to the design of the Solstice class which is pretty limited in venues for staging activities, in spite of its size. But more than that I came away with the impression that Celebrity was modeling its future more around a land based resort model (multiple dining and drinking choices such as NCL is following) to drive its revenue and less of the traditional cruise model. The recent announcements by both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean reinforces these views. NCL has found profitability in its many added cost dining venues and the Royal Caribbean parent company seems to have recognized that and is starting to follow the same model.

[Retired Piggy]

There has always been an assortment of activities available. If, the activities staff is extremely diminished, it would make sense that trivia would not be the only activity that would be limited. Obviously the reason that most of the posting about losing activities seems to be revolving around trivia is because that seems to be the one that more people enjoy.

 

The "activity" that the most people seem to enjoy is lounging by the pool but not everyone is interested in cooking themselves.

 

I agree and since I took three week long cruises in the past nine weeks, I saw it in action. An 80% reduction in activity staff will certainly have an extreme impact on activities and it did this past week. I have Lupus and pool activities are out of the question for me so I really missed the drop in offerings this past week.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Retired Piggy

[richstowe]

I agree and since I took three week long cruises in the past nine weeks, I saw it in action. An 80% reduction in activity staff will certainly have an extreme impact on activities and it did this past week. I have Lupus and pool activities are out of the question for me so I really missed the drop in offerings this past week.

I'm sorry to hear this but am grateful you posted your actual observations.

I don't understand how such a huge staff reduction in this area wouldn't make a difference.

I suppose if it's not a profit center , it is likely to be on the chopping deck.

Gold by the inch, Bingo, $10 sales and "art" auctions are therefore safe. :rolleyes:

[smoosh21]

I didn't partake of any of these activities on my cruise. What size of crowds show up for trivia, bingo etc.?

 

I don't do Bingo, but that is a pure money maker for ship I doubt that will go away entirely

 

Trivia can run from a few dozen to a hundred or more people participating. Part of the fun is interacting with the cruise staff. It can be a lot of fun to really get to know them. And considering that Trivia (at least on Royal) is often held in a bar location, lots of extra drinks are served. The bar staff seem to like trivia time

[smoosh21]

I have participated in trivia and a few other activities. They are fun. Not many people participated. I will not miss them. I will not miss the guy who kept announcing the egg drop contest or the zumba lady who just keeps yelling out the moves. There are very few people who participate in these activities. I will not miss the arts and crafts. I will not miss the hot glass show. I will not miss the art auctions. I will welcome more space on deck, the quiet time in the late afternoon, and the open pool which was closed for water competitions. I hope that there is still live music and the nightly entertainment in the theater. I would suggest more books in the library and a better selection of free movies. If people are supposed to make their own activities, perhaps the ship could improve the internet speed....or offer free internet like Oceania does on many of their cruises. I can certainly understand that the cuts are a way to save money. Although I am happy to read a book, many people love the constant activities on a cruise. I certainly hope that they don't close the fun factory. My grandkids love it.

 

But this is exactly why I don't sail Oceania. I looked into them, and they have some really nice itineraries. The food and drink look great. I know some people that have been on them and they said it is a very nice ship if you want quiet.

[kk99]

Hi everyone,

I've been on Reflection just prior to the changes in the activities staff changes, and Constellation after the activities staff reductions. These are my observations between the two cruises.

 

On Reflection, they had Billboard Music trivia( multiple guess questions on really obscure questions), general trivia at least twice a day, movie poster visual trivia, one or two music trivia games with hearing a music clip and naming the title and artist Amazing Race scavenger hunt, Wheel of Fortune interactive game, pool games, the art studio(most extra cost), and outside free art classes making scrabble tile jewelry and wine charms , lawn club games, Sin City comedy(late night), Liquid nightclub event(once that cruise), crepe making demonstration, Zumba , bingo, karaoke, and the Marriage game.

 

They also had some speakers who were not a sales pitch for Park West, the spa, or the jewelry stores.

 

On Summit, they had Billboard music trivia once a day, general trivia(once a day), one music trivia every other day, a free craft making a simple macramé cord bracelet, Sin City comedy(late night), pool volleyball games, bingo, crepe making demonstration. and karaoke.

 

Zumba was being done by someone not on the activities staff.

 

They both had the DJ's, production shows, a party band, a solo guitarist, and either a trio or quartet.

 

There were no enrichment speakers other than the glorified sales pitches for products on the Summit.

 

What I noticed is that with the reduction of the activities staff, that the remaining individuals are stretched( at least at this time) way too thin. They are rushing from event to event that they are supposed to be at.

 

I saw recently that the current activities manager on Reflection was comparing the last couple of weeks to the "Hunger Games" on the Reflection transition of the activities staff reduction.

 

For those who participate in activities, there is plenty to do. What I thought was missing was the activity staff's ability to spend a few extra minutes to interact with the passengers which is something that I have enjoyed in the past.

 

 

The activities do not make or break a cruise, and are not the reason that I would ever use to book a cruise. The activities just gives you some different options if you want to participate.

 

We have five more Celebrity Cruises booked. I hope that they find a happy medium between the new direction Celebrity wants to go in and the best parts of the past.

[pumpkin 11]

Hi everyone,

I've been on Reflection just prior to the changes in the activities staff changes, and Constellation after the activities staff reductions. These are my observations between the two cruises.

 

On Reflection, they had Billboard Music trivia( multiple guess questions on really obscure questions), general trivia at least twice a day, movie poster visual trivia, one or two music trivia games with hearing a music clip and naming the title and artist Amazing Race scavenger hunt, Wheel of Fortune interactive game, pool games, the art studio(most extra cost), and outside free art classes making scrabble tile jewelry and wine charms , lawn club games, Sin City comedy(late night), Liquid nightclub event(once that cruise), crepe making demonstration, Zumba , bingo, karaoke, and the Marriage game.

 

They also had some speakers who were not a sales pitch for Park West, the spa, or the jewelry stores.

 

On Summit, they had Billboard music trivia once a day, general trivia(once a day), one music trivia every other day, a free craft making a simple macramé cord bracelet, Sin City comedy(late night), pool volleyball games, bingo, crepe making demonstration. and karaoke.

 

Zumba was being done by someone not on the activities staff.

 

They both had the DJ's, production shows, a party band, a solo guitarist, and either a trio or quartet.

 

There were no enrichment speakers other than the glorified sales pitches for products on the Summit.

 

What I noticed is that with the reduction of the activities staff, that the remaining individuals are stretched( at least at this time) way too thin. They are rushing from event to event that they are supposed to be at.

 

I saw recently that the current activities manager on Reflection was comparing the last couple of weeks to the "Hunger Games" on the Reflection transition of the activities staff reduction.

 

For those who participate in activities, there is plenty to do. What I thought was missing was the activity staff's ability to spend a few extra minutes to interact with the passengers which is something that I have enjoyed in the past.

 

 

The activities do not make or break a cruise, and are not the reason that I would ever use to book a cruise. The activities just gives you some different options if you want to participate.

 

We have five more Celebrity Cruises booked. I hope that they find a happy medium between the new direction Celebrity wants to go in and the best parts of the past.

 

Totally agree, they did seem very rushed. Which Is what I would expect but it is important to establish relationships with people which Is in a way part of their jobs socially. I think they probably took too many activity staff members away too quickly. I do too hope they find a good balance of old and new activities, but taking away MOST of the activity staff was a mistake they will regret.

Edited April 21, 2014 by pumpkin 11

[k9x8]

Wow. If you've never sailed RCI ... Royal has a variety of ships and itineraries that fall outside your perception.

We've only done Med cruises, our most recent on RCI's Splendour of the Seas. Out of your list, she had only the rock climbing wall.

 

We quite enjoyed watching the "tasteless" dance lessons and listening to the Latin/rock band out by the pool. Darn it- missed the hairy chest contest.

 

We were not inebriated, nor was anyone we saw. Indeed, this cruise far exceeded our expectations, and was, in a few ways, even more enjoyable than our cruises on the Equinox. Maybe it was the passenger mix, more Europeans and South Americans than North Americans.

 

 

We have never sailed on RCCI because they seem to have little Trivia. They have Rock Climbing. Ice Skating. Wave Rider. Full scale productions of movies or stage shows that we have seen before. hairy chest games and other tasteless things by the pool, which only inebriated young people enjoyed. ( My opinion only. Not meant to offend anyone. Some people would rather have a tooth pulled than play Trivia. Which I love.)

 

[cherylroslyn]

These kids on the activities staff make close to nothing. I can't imagine a multi- million dollar company saves that much by firing the activities staff

 

I understand cutbacks and I understand cost savings measures.....but really Celebrity.....the activities staff??????

[richstowe]

These kids on the activities staff make close to nothing. I can't imagine a multi- million dollar company saves that much by firing the activities staff

 

I understand cutbacks and I understand cost savings measures.....but really Celebrity.....the activities staff??????

On my first cruise we went to the CD's Q&A session.

He said that the limiting factor for staff was berths. Staff could not be added in one area without subtracting from another.

It was not , he explained, about staff costs but rather about available space for staff.

Was this true ? Well if you reduce activity staff and replace them with revenue producing staff, it all makes sense.

[MisterBill99]

On my first cruise we went to the CD's Q&A session.

He said that the limiting factor for staff was berths. Staff could not be added in one area without subtracting from another.

It was not , he explained, about staff costs but rather about available space for staff.

Was this true ? Well if you reduce activity staff and replace them with revenue producing staff, it all makes sense.

Interesting comment. I wonder what they did with the space from the room stewards and servers that they've reduced, given that each group serves more cabins and tables than they used to.

Edited April 22, 2014 by MisterBill99