Repeaters - how do you rate cruise service today?

[Bazel]

I have been cruising for about 10 years and have taken about 20 cruises. While all in all I really think that cruising offers the best value for my vacation dollar I feel that either my expectations have really gotten out of whack or overall service levels have really declined.

 

I fully acknowledge that from ship to ship there can be great variances and while one ship may be great now, all it takes is a change in Hotel Manager to have the entire feel of a ship change.

 

So with this said ... what do others think? Have you had a GREAT service experience recently? We are getting ready to plan a Spring Caribbean cruise to celebrate a High School Graduation and while we are currently leaning towards the Caribbean Princess - a recent posting about service on that ship has me a bit weary.

 

Thanks for taking time to share your thoughts!

 

BZ

[michmike]

am in agreement with you that service levels are declining, I think in large part due to staffing cuts. Certainly the case in the dining room on our last few HAL trips. Not as many servers on duty in the bars either so takes longer to get served. We've only been crusing for 5 years but definitely see things headed in a negative, rather than positive direction.

 

and with fewer staff expected to do more work, attitudes will invariably worsen as well... I'd rather pay an extra $50 per person and get better service. On HAL ships at about 1600 pax that would be another $80K per cruise..surely they could restore staffing levels with that additional income

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yes, we have also noticed that service is declining overall. And a lot has to do with the hotel manager and if he keeps on top of everything AND the numerous cutbacks in crew. The crew can do only do so much, they have more cabins to clean, more tables and passengers to wait on.

We have been fortunate in the last few years to see many of the same crew members that we have previously cruised with and we have gotten good service 99.9% of the time. We did have to report one wine steward just a few months ago.

[Happy ks]

While I've only been cruising for 7 years, I'm happy to say that service, for me, is just as good today as when I first started. However, DH took a couple of cruises back in the late 70's, early 80's and he does say todays standards are lower than what he remembers.

 

I do think it depends on the cruise line, the hotel director, the housekeeping director and the restaurant management. We make a definite effort to be friendly and kind to our servers and I think that can impact how they are treating you during the week, too.

 

We once had a room steward who looked like he was in pain, he wasn't complaining, though. When we asked about it, he admitted it hurt badly to bend over to make the beds. So, we started making our own beds up (no big deal) you would have thought we had given him an extraordinary gift, he was so happy. He beamed every time we saw him that week and thanked us profusely for helping him that tiny bit. BTW, he did an excellant job with the rest of the cabin and we got extra chocolates on the pillows!

[Nliedel]

You are correct. The service is not the same as it was 20 years ago when I started cruising but that said it is more accessable now and there is a greater mix of people. I have more fun cruising now than I did when I was a 20 something.

[geoherb]

I haven't noticed a huge decline in service. On our most recent Princess cruise, our waiter and assistant waiter were perfuntory. On the last night of our cruise, the assistant waiter was ill. We were fortunate to have a great assistant waiter take her place--the same one we had had on a previous cruise. So a lot depends on your luck at getting the servers who truly do a wonderful job and make the passengers feel special.

 

Our wine steward had too many tables on our most recent cruise on Celebrity. Fortunately for us, we tended to get to our table early and know what we wanted because we'd look at the menu ahead of time. He'd have our wine poured before his busy period. Our tablemates, who arrived just a few minutes later, often had to wait for their wine.

 

One thing that makes me leery about booking the Caribbean Princess is that they've added more passengers without adding more crew.

[ladycaveat]

I would have to agree that cruising today is a lot different than it was twenty or thirty years ago. I took my first cruise in the early 70's and then one in the eighties and one in the nineties . . . and now I've booked my third in the 2000's. My last two cruises have been very different that the ones taken years ago. But has the service declined? I really can't say . . . it's just different. Maybe it depends on the cruise line but I honestly think that with more people cruising . . . the mass market if you will . . . taking a cruise has become a little less personal . . . both with the service and amenities. But then again . . . dollar for dollar . . . it has become a lot less expensive to take a cruise today than it was years ago. Thus the reason so many families today opt for a cruise as opposed to many other family type vacations.

[vmom]

Been on 4 cruises, and have had excellent service on all ships. We always greet crew member with a smile and a thank-you and I think that has always helped.

 

Don't be afraid about the CB, just got off last week and the service was very good. No complaints. the post that I think you were referring to was a guy who was trying to stir up an arguement and has been banned from the boards. If you go back to the Princess boards, I think you'll notice a least a couple of threads that have been deleted..

[BuckGuy]

There have been some articles written about this in various travel periodicals or columns. I would probably say this.....maybe the more accurate way to describe the change would be to say that the ambience of cruising has changed because of the change in clientele, and with that, the level of service has changed.

 

The same probably could be said about golf. <How to say all this without seeming arrogant or aloof.>

 

Until about 15 years ago, both cruising and golfing had some etiquette expectations and also both catered to a crowd that was at least upper-middle class (American standards). Now, cruising and golfing embraces a broader number of people. It does not seem so exclusive anymore. Ths change is probably good.

 

There are still some exclusive golf clubs. There are are still some higher-priced luxury cruise lines.

 

I don't mean to sound so crass or judgmental -- but you will get what you pay for.

[mrsfuzzmo]

I think it's not so much a lack or decline in service as it is the size of the cruise ships and the number of passengers aboard. It used to be wonderful to see the same people everyday behind the bar where they made the perfect margarita yesterday. It was wonderful to run into the fun couple you met in the pool on Wednesday, wandering the streets of St. Thomas today. It was just so much more of a social atmosphere because there was less space to spread around in, and fewer passengers aboard. Some of the smaller ships I've been on (from 350-1,000 people) it was just so much more intimate and you go to know the staff as well as the passengers so much better. Nowadays, with 3,500 people on a ship, it may be rare to see the same couple twice, or even the same crew member. With that many more faces for crew to remember I just think that it is so much less intimate. My opinion. I miss the old days. Some of my favorite cruises were on the smaller ships (NCL Skyward, Oceanbreeze).

[Bazel]

Thanks for all the good comments. I really connected with the remarks around change in ambiance as a by-product of change in clientele. Our last Princess Cruise was a great experience and found the service to be on par. I think we will proceed as planned and move forward with the Caribbean Princess. With the personal choice dining if we have a bad experience we can simply make note of the servers name and ask not to be seated in their area again.

Regards,

BZ

[marco]

I wouldn't say it's "declined" but it certainly has changed a lot. Once upon a time folks would book a particular cabin because they knew who their sterward/stewardess was, would request a speicfic table in the dining room beause they knew who the waiters/captain, etc was. Service was much more personable and those working on the ships made it thier career. They knew (and remembered) you and your peculiarities from sailing to sailing. Now,they sign on for a contract or two, maybe stay for a few years, make some $$$$, and go home to thier home country and family. Other than officers and the like, I don't remember the last time any hotel staff type person said they've been there for 15 or so or more years.

[caviargal]

I have been cruising for nearly 40 years and have noticed a decline in many aspects of the experience. I refer to the mass market experience and not the very high end cruise lines.

 

I miss the Sommeliers on RCI, done away with to cut costs. The waitstaff on many lines have more tables to be responsible for so the attention to detail is not there. I enjoyed having the vegetables individually presented, the salad dressing served and not placed on the table, the tableside ceasar salads and other freshly prepared items.

 

I miss the elegance that cruising used to offer, do not care for the megaships with the megacrowds and could care about an ice rink onboard. I miss having my choice of deck chairs, hate to have to bring my towel to an attendant for a fresh one, and think room stewards are generally overworked.

 

JMHO