Has Celebrity cut back on wait staff?

[Gunnerpup]

Has anyone else noticed the change over the last four to five years?

 

On first trip on Celebrity in 2008, I could get a drink while lounging by the pool or the Sunset Bar as well as the Martini bar. Now it seems they don't have many roving wait staff anymore and I have to present myself right at the bar every time I want a drink.

 

It's not the end of the world by any means but it was nice to have a few drinks delivered while you relaxed. The martini bar is wonderful but if you just plunk yourself down in the great seating I find the two guys in the bar are too swamped to come over etc.,

 

Is this a byproduct of the perks drink program or just general cost cutting?

 

Hasn't stopped me from booking again with them...but just wondering.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Cruising89143]

Have cruised twice this year with X. One was a seven night and the other was a thirteen night cruise. Had excellent bar service on both cruises. No complaints from me.

[cle-guy]

Has anyone else noticed the change over the last four to five years?

 

On first trip on Celebrity in 2008, I could get a drink while lounging by the pool or the Sunset Bar as well as the Martini bar. Now it seems they don't have many roving wait staff anymore and I have to present myself right at the bar every time I want a drink.

 

It's not the end of the world by any means but it was nice to have a few drinks delivered while you relaxed. The martini bar is wonderful but if you just plunk yourself down in the great seating I find the two guys in the bar are too swamped to come over etc.,

 

Is this a byproduct of the perks drink program or just general cost cutting?

 

Hasn't stopped me from booking again with them...but just wondering.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

There's quite a bit of insight to this question in this thread: Reduced Staffing - a myth?

 

A lot of analysis as to the relation to published financials and staff count etc. involved.

 

I'm on the side of perhaps some, but very little. More likely staff has been reallocated.

 

I've ordered drinks from roving staff in Martini and Pool as recent as my May bermuda sailing, sometimes I still go get myself. I think a lot has to do with timing and how busy they are etc. I also am a firm believer in the theory of "the law of diminishing returns" that the more we have access to something, the more we don't really get so excited about it over time and it loses its newness and luster, i.e. we feel they are less and less as our expectation is for more and more.

 

I feel if staffing was reduced, those empty cabins would have been converted to revenue generating cabins by now. I also feel cost savings be losing wait staff is so insignificant versus other cost saving methods (the vast majority of their expense is made up by our automatic gratuities and not from the company bank account) it wouldn't really be the place to look to cut costs.

 

In MDR bar drink order taking staff is noticeably missing (your waiter can still order for you though), I attribute that to more people dining in alternate venues, and having far more empty seats each night than in the past. Also attribute it more to wanting to push sales of Wine thus the Somolliers still are there. I also strongly del X will move in the next year or 2 to no assigned times, bout full select dinning, as the Suite Dining will take over some portion of the upper ding room, likely from the select dinners. So I feel like they are gearing staff up to wait tables more like traditional waiters, offering full table service from a single person, rather than a barrage of 3 or 4 staff assisting the tables each with individual tasks to perform.

[Sloop-JohnB]

I cannot go back 4 or 5 years in time (we only began cruising in 2012)

 

But we did notice a SLIGHT change in things between The Solstice in 2012 and The Summit in 2013

 

It didn't so much seem to be a cut in the number of Bar Staff, but rather in how they were allocated... Particularly so around the pool. There was certainly less passing by the Loungers taking Drink Orders... While there semed to be an increase in numbers behind the bar

 

We attributed this to the 123GO AI Bevvy Programs...

 

In 2012 Bevvy Programs were a purchased extra for Pax, in 2013 they were advertised as a Perk of Booking under the 123GO Program, so more Pax had them... So by extraction more people were drinking (or so it seemed as it was now AI and not pay as you go so much)

 

We did find there were a lot of Bar Staff in other Venues as well, where in 2012 there might have been 2 Bartenders at a bar in 2013 there were now 3 or sometimes 4

 

But all the same at peak times it did look like the Bar Staff were pressed to keep up... Nowhere was this more apparent than the Martini Bar (and I imagine the same at the Molecular Bar on other ships) where drink making include a flair show.

 

Our solution on The Summit in 2013 was to reinforce something we accidentally fell into in 2012 on The Solstice...

 

Find a Favourite Bar / Bartender and cultivate that relationship (thru genuine conversation, extra tips etc)

 

That paid off for us... Not only did we always get great service (Caught us coming towards the Bar out of the corner of their eye and made our drinks before we asked for them) but in all cases we felt like we had made a real friend aboard...

 

And consequently we will be searching the Bars on our upcoming Celebrity Cruise to see if any familiar faces are aboard

 

Lol, like on land, so it is at sea... Having a relationship based on frienship & mutual respect with a Bar Tender is not a bad thing

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

Edited August 15, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[drfun48]

Who needs roving bar staff ? Isn't that wives are for ? And I don't think the staff will bring your slippers or mop your brow should you sweat in the warm sun.

[NLH Arizona]

We attributed this to the 123GO AI Bevvy Programs...

 

I think you are correct here. With the Beverage program as part of the 123GO, I think more passengers are ordering drinks and that makes it look like there are less servers, because one is not getting the super fast service they were use to. Edited August 15, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[Gunnerpup]

Thanks for the responses. Again I am not being imperial, I don't have a problem getting up. I also don't generally ask either so maybe I will be more forward and ask a passing staff member if they can help.

 

 

 

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[lulu99]

definitely noticed it on the summit last week, but really only around the pool. If you wanted a drink at 10:00 A.M. they were available, after that it was hard tracking them down. One waiter took my order and never came back. When i went to the bar to inquire, (nicely)(i had given him 30 minutes to return) he seemed quite annoyed and didn't apologize. At peak times not nearly enough help at the bars by pool. Some bartenders were visibly annoyed , most were very nice.

[Jenna109]

On recent Eclipse cruise we certainly noticed lack of waiters around pool/Aqua Spa - again no problem getting our own but perhaps 15% service charge for collecting your own drinks is a bit much!

MDR wine service was excellent - perhaps we were really lucky here but much better service than any other cruise we have been on.

[CaroleLee]

Has anyone else noticed the change over the last four to five years?

 

On first trip on Celebrity in 2008, I could get a drink while lounging by the pool or the Sunset Bar as well as the Martini bar. Now it seems they don't have many roving wait staff anymore and I have to present myself right at the bar every time I want a drink.

 

It's not the end of the world by any means but it was nice to have a few drinks delivered while you relaxed. The martini bar is wonderful but if you just plunk yourself down in the great seating I find the two guys in the bar are too swamped to come over etc.,

 

Is this a byproduct of the perks drink program or just general cost cutting?

 

Hasn't stopped me from booking again with them...but just wondering.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Its not you. Noticed decreased staffing in Blu on Eclipse this past July. Wait staff seemed very stressed/overwhelmed. Service was good but you could feel their stress

Carole

[d4m]

Has anyone else noticed the change over the last four to five years?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

You surely aren't being imperialistic with your question. Service, to me, does not mean that you MUST go and get your own drinks etc, especially when it is touted that this wait service is available.

 

Noticed more than a slight change on the Constellation in April and May. Staff in pool area was marginal, at best. Many times there might have been one person in the pool area, and this was on a fully booked cruise. Since we rarely drink, it wasn't that great of a bother; however, I would be far from impressed if I wanted the service fairly frequently.

 

Lack of staff in the MDR was obvious and confirmed by more than one waiter. It is what it is and is and cannot be considered a myth when a fair number of people have reported the same.

[cruisead]

The biggest staff cuts, IMHO, have been in the MDR with fewer waiters and assistant waiters, but the biggest cuts seem to be wine stewards. Just a very few years ago, there appeared to be at least 6 for each floor, but now you're lucky to see three or four.

[hvsteve1]

You will find a thread just like this one on every cruise line board. I think it's an industry-wide thing. It may reflect decreasing revenues and increasing costs or simply the idea that if your competition has reduced service you can get away with it yourself.

[20pluscruises]

We were in Aqua, and if they did, we didn't notice. Service was great!

[dkjretired]

The biggest staff cuts, IMHO, have been in the MDR with fewer waiters and assistant waiters, but the biggest cuts seem to be wine stewards. Just a very few years ago, there appeared to be at least 6 for each floor, but now you're lucky to see three or four.

 

In addition there is the total elimination of the drink servers in the MDR.

[hypercafe]

I do not think they have taken people off the ship, however they can not add any as their are only so many crew staterooms. As they add more venues to the ships such a Aqua, special dinning rooms ect and give away drink packs the crew gets streched thin. They also have taken to give better service in some places which takes away from others. iMO the whole cruise industry is revolving back to a two class system, expect now they call it a ship within a ship.

[chamima]

Its not you. Noticed decreased staffing in Blu on Eclipse this past July. Wait staff seemed very stressed/overwhelmed. Service was good but you could feel their stress

Carole

 

 

We noticed the same stressed/overwhelmed waitstaff on the Eclipse this last February. I've commented on it before.

I keep hoping it was a one off.

 

 

You will find a thread just like this one on every cruise line board. I think it's an industry-wide thing. It may reflect decreasing revenues and increasing costs or simply the idea that if your competition has reduced service you can get away with it yourself.

 

When we debarked the Eclipse we immediately embarked the Royal Princess and noticed just how many more waitstaff there were in the dining room and the difference it made in their happy, relaxed service.

So it's NOT all lines.

[Gunnerpup]

Good to know I wasn't crazy! Oddly I never had problems in mdr, wine was always refilled etc., I also do what one post suggested and tip extra at the bar we most frequent.

 

I don't fault staff at all as they are doing their best and low staffing is never the employees fault.

 

The alcove rentals may be the last bastion as they have phones to summon drinks, but I think I would be bored in them. ;)

 

That being said we are booked again! Oh the suffering! ;)

 

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Edited August 15, 2014 by Gunnerpup

[wwhcruise]

I think they have and will continue to cut. I noticed on last cruise in May less room stewards, less wait staff and less staff serving drinks. Trying to get a drink even at a bar can be a challenge. No more Brunch. These cuts have all led to higher second quarter earnings and soaring stock prices for RCL. Good for the shareholders, not so good for customers and the staff trying to cope with it all. Modern luxury, not so sure about that. It seems lately it is more about cutting costs then keeping customers happy. That's my take anyway.

 

 

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[OCruisers]

Where the cutbacks are most noticed on Celebrity and other mass market cruise lines are in the MDR and Room Stewards where there are more table/cabins they are assigned to attend.

LuLu

[england1]

The place I noticed it most was in the MDR. There were no bar servers and the asst. waiter took your drink order. After 2 poor Martinis we just brought our drinks from the Martini Bar in with us. I did complain to the HD Dan Simon about this but he came off cocky and unconcerned. Other than this the cruise was wonderful and I will just work around cocktails in the MDR in the future.

[The_Big_M]

The biggest staff cuts, IMHO, have been in the MDR with fewer waiters and assistant waiters, but the biggest cuts seem to be wine stewards. Just a very few years ago, there appeared to be at least 6 for each floor, but now you're lucky to see three or four.

 

For sure.

 

I can't say the metrics of the bar and sommelier staff, but over the timeframe the OP posted above, the MDR staff have had about a 40% increase in load.

[cle-guy]

For sure.

 

I can't say the metrics of the bar and sommelier staff, but over the timeframe the OP posted above, the MDR staff have had about a 40% increase in load.

 

Would that mean 40% reduction in staff? There hasn't been an increase in passengers being served to increase the load...?

 

Ii that timeframe also M class have added BLU moving diners out of the MDR as well...less people in MDR to serve.

[Sloop-JohnB]

The place I noticed it most was in the MDR. There were no bar servers and the asst. waiter took your drink order. After 2 poor Martinis we just brought our drinks from the Martini Bar in with us. I did complain to the HD Dan Simon about this but he came off cocky and unconcerned. Other than this the cruise was wonderful and I will just work around cocktails in the MDR in the future.

 

Maybe it is cause we are new to cruising / Celebrity (2012) so have no past history to compare to... but we are also pretty laid back... We bring Cocktails with us to the MDR. Drink wine with Diinner (Sommeliers have been great). And the Asst Waiter has never failed us when it comes to an after dinner Premium Coffee or Digestif.

 

In my world, a day on a cruise vacation in January is waaaay better than a day at home (can we say -40) so perhaps I come to the whole mix with an optimistic attitude... Goes a long way for us and the enjoyment we have aboard.

 

Cheers!

[Chitown12562]

I noticed a difference comparing my 2011 cruise to my 2014 cruise. Appreciated the quite, but there were a few moments when I wished someone was walking around.

 

I'll take the quiet for now.