Chair Hogs and a "10" For the Crew - Did I Hit A Nerve?

[Baron Barracuda]

With all these chair hog threads never heard anyone suggest just slipping $5 to the pool attendant. Gotta think two prime chairs would magically appear. Shouldn't need to pay for what should be free, but better than getting all steamed up.

[jagoffee]

 

 

On that same port day, loungers and sunbeds were reserved with towels, big clips, and assorted flip flops and books. Never used until people started filtering back to the ship after excursions. Think the pool staff deserve a 10?

 

If the score of a 10 is their currency...they need to earn it.

 

Do you actually have a survey category for the pool staff rating?

I do not recall one.

Thanks.

 

Personally I think your idea might be a good one. I have observed an increased lack of concern by Celebrity about the chair hogs. I often felt that it might be because Celebrity is concerned that the offenders would give the cruise/ship a poor rating if they could not save their chairs for hours while gone. (Or have two chairs in the shade and two chairs in the sun)

If Celebrity started to receive poor ratings because of the “saved chairs”, then Celebrity would be forced to deal with the issue or live with poor ratings. (Not likely)

[sippican]

We asked the Maitre'd why the dress code was not being enforced (ripped jeans on chic night, baseball caps and shorts on other nights.. and we got a shrug.. Letting people know what affects YOUR perception of a perfect 10 score is a sobering comment of Celebrity's lack of enforcement of their policy. I don't care about the comment of others not to let this bother you because they are probably the main offenders as chair hogs, dining room slackers and "X the rules" cruisers who believe that rules do not apply to them. Until Celebrity realizes that their laxity in enforcing their code of behavior is affecting the enjoyment of those that believe and follow the rules, there score will be affected. There is a serious competition between ships in getting the highest score in the fleet and they should be aware of the criteria that influence some of our votes.

 

Unless Celebrity starts seeing an impact on their bottom profit-line, it will not be a priority. They are not having difficulty filling their ships.

[Lois R]

It may not have been 4 days before the end of the cruise but I recall wait staff asking about giving them "excellent" on the survey years ago. I haven't sailed on X recently but it seems the saying "the more things change the more they stay the same" applies here:rolleyes:

[riclop]

Totally agree.

[keithm]

I simply walk around & check the loungers. If none appear to have an "active" occupant, I then survey the area & count those in the pool & the # of "reserved" loungers. At that point I just clear off 2 for me & my spouse. Those that have those crappy "reserved" clamps will get removed first. When the few who have been confrontational show up(normally about an hour or more later), I simply say where is your name sewn into this lounger? I then say, "Well, how long have you been gone?" I then tell them to go file a formal complaint with the head office. In the theater, we'll move in on any area of seats with more than 3 reserved, if we can't find a good seat. If you're unwilling to take charge, then oh well!

I love how on Oceania there are clearly marked signs saying that loungers not "actively" being used will have all items removed and "freed" up for others to use in 30 min. time. It was refreshing to see staff actually doing it. Another reason we booked them again for next year.

[SargassoPirate]

Had an interesting discussion about the 10 system with some folks in the Constellation Lounge last evening. I wasn't the first one to come up with using the 10 system to get the cruise lines attention. One veteran cruiser reminded us how years of PAX complaints finally got smoking restricted. While we didn't have a copy of the survey to discuss the categories, the general feeling was that the 10 system is their "currency" and that we should use it to effect change.

 

Give them the score they deserve. Good or not so good.

[Bo1953]

The requesting 10's is one of the main reasons DH and I stopped sailing NCL. We couldn't stand the continual asking, "Am I giving you excellent service? Am I a 10?" I find this so annoying!

 

Personally, I do not mind much them asking. I find the ones who do not ask are the ones who are providing us with great service.

 

On our last sailing on Millie, our cabin steward was just a bit below average, having to request multiple times for various things to be done. When we were asked about the '10', I was honest with him about the reason there was no '10' from us and he was very apologetic. Still did not sway me, I understood the ship was fully booked yet there is a minimum level of service I desire without asking for it.

 

 

bon voyage

[Expat Cruise]

Had an interesting discussion about the 10 system with some folks in the Constellation Lounge last evening. I wasn't the first one to come up with using the 10 system to get the cruise lines attention. One veteran cruiser reminded us how years of PAX complaints finally got smoking restricted. While we didn't have a copy of the survey to discuss the categories, the general feeling was that the 10 system is their "currency" and that we should use it to effect change.

 

Give them the score they deserve. Good or not so good.

 

Yes that could work but others things also would work. Cruise lines look at the money. As long as something does not cost them money they will find no reason to fix it.

 

So use the daily service fee program to correct it. They add $14.50 to $18.00 per day for each guest but as they clear say:

"may be adjusted at your discretion" and "This gratuity is shared by .... staff members who help enhance your vacation experience. At your discretion, the gratuity payments may be adjusted onboard at Guest Relations..."

 

With a trip to guest services and a reduction of the service fee, with the reason clearly reason stated, you will not enforce the chair policy that was agreed too. Along with a reduced rating and Corporate would change the pool chair policy within a few weeks. If a good percent of passengers would do this.

 

"For your convenience, we automatically add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard SeaPass® account on a daily basis in the following amounts, which may be adjusted at your discretion:

 

$14.50 per person, per day in standard accommodations

$15.00 per person, per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass® staterooms

$18.00 per person, per day in suites

This gratuity is shared by your stateroom attendant, dining services staff, and housekeeping staff members who help enhance your vacation experience. At your discretion, the gratuity payments may be adjusted onboard at Guest Relations, in which case they will not automatically be added to your onboard SeaPass® account. "

 

If people are not comfortable reducing this fee. Pay your servers/cabin attendant directly the amount that you reduce the service fee by. It will get the attention of the Corporate office, yes it is a boycott in a way but something that will work. Posting here how bad it is really does nothing. Action is needed that the cruise line can see.

 

Admin: This is not off topic or thread hijacking, it is a very direct way to address a issue that many here have a real problem with. That issue is deck chairs being unavailable and unused for long periods of time.

[bEwAbG]

Do the pool butlers get paid out of that daily charge? If not, then once again the wrong people are being punished by a management decision. If so, how much of a reduction do you take so that it only affects the pool butlers without knowing exactly how much they get? It's a foolhardy suggestion, at best.

[SargassoPirate]

Expat Cruiser....I like your idea and may adopt it on future cruises. It is convenient to have "tips" added to the account, and if we reduced or removed them we would not stiff anyone who provides us with service, but I would want to make it clear the reasons for doing so.

 

It is a shame, however, that we cannot expect the cruise lines to enforce their own policies. Using the 10 system and redirecting tips may get their attention.

[Flafun888]

realize those tips are pooled and shared by people you don't see - working very hard in the kichens and behind the scenes elsewhere to make your trip better. Removing grats and just selectively tipping the restaurant and cabin teams seems like a poor solution to me, as it punishes the wrong people.

[Expat Cruise]

realize those tips are pooled and shared by people you don't see - working very hard in the kichens and behind the scenes elsewhere to make your trip better. Removing grats and just selectively tipping the restaurant and cabin teams seems like a poor solution to me, as it punishes the wrong people.

 

I'm sorry but you miss the point here, yes you will not remove the tip just from the pool people. But it is not about the money, it is all about the corporate office seeing that the lack of enforcement of the polices they put in place is costing them income. They look at the numbers and if the numbers go down they fix the problem.

 

If 10% of the passengers went to Guest Service and said they not happy with these polices, the corporate office may never know a thing. But if the overall daily service charge went down even 5% on a cruise that they would notice and correct.

[jagoffee]

Had an interesting discussion about the 10 system with some folks in the Constellation Lounge last evening. I wasn't the first one to come up with using the 10 system to get the cruise lines attention. One veteran cruiser reminded us how years of PAX complaints finally got smoking restricted. While we didn't have a copy of the survey to discuss the categories, the general feeling was that the 10 system is their "currency" and that we should use it to effect change.

 

Give them the score they deserve. Good or not so good.

 

After you receive your survey, please come back and report if the survey includes a section related to the pool area. You can also create a comment card during the cruise.

 

IMO removing the standard gratuities is a terrible idea and I could never support such a cruel action. After all it is very clear that this particular issue is with Celebrity management and policy and almost all of the gratuities go to hard working individuals. Some you never see.

 

In general a written comment/complaint during the cruise is the most effective to recognize excellent staff and areas for improvement.

 

Please, let’s not turn this into another tipping thread.

[Expat Cruise]

After you receive your survey, please come back and report if the survey includes a section related to the pool area. You can also create a comment card during the cruise.

 

IMO removing the standard gratuities is a terrible idea and I could never support such a cruel action. After all it is very clear that this particular issue is with Celebrity management and policy and almost all of the gratuities go to hard working individuals. Some you never see.

 

In general a written comment/complaint during the cruise is the most effective to recognize excellent staff and areas for improvement.

 

Please, let’s not turn this into another tipping thread.

 

Again you can write 100 comment cards, it will not have the same effect as a 1% drop in the service fees collected. It is not about being fair it is about results.

 

Business do not like people they like money. The money is what the care about and whats gets the attention of management. Your comment cards are just that comments.

[lfs727]

After you receive your survey, please come back and report if the survey includes a section related to the pool area. You can also create a comment card during the cruise.

 

 

 

IMO removing the standard gratuities is a terrible idea and I could never support such a cruel action. After all it is very clear that this particular issue is with Celebrity management and policy and almost all of the gratuities go to hard working individuals. Some you never see.

 

 

 

In general a written comment/complaint during the cruise is the most effective to recognize excellent staff and areas for improvement.

 

 

 

Please, let’s not turn this into another tipping thread.

 

 

 

The survey does not address pool service. It was one of a few things I was disappointed in getting off the Eclipse this morning. My wife and I enjoy the double loungers around the pool. It does frustrate me to look at the 12 of them and see two in use and 10 with stuff on them. I questioned our cruise director Eddy about enforcing rules and he said the confrontations with passengers was not something they wanted. He suggested I sun in the grass on the upper deck. This did not please me. My solution was to immediately find the pool area person in charge and tell him what kind of seats I wanted and where. He would scramble and make it happen. He occasionally would move and add seats for us.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[nancyshaw]

Four days before the end of the cruise and the crew is already soliciting a score of 10 on our post-cruise survey. Guest services has even placed a call to our room asking how we are enjoying the cruise.

 

I'm telling everyone that until Celebrity starts enforcing no reserving of loungers, buffet tables, theater seats, and promenade deck lounger, nobody gets a 10. I also add that until they can figure out how to organize a line instead of allowing mobs to push and shove their way onto shuttle buses, nobody gets a 10. I sometime add that each time somebody solicits a 10, I deduct one point. The look on their faces is priceless.

 

If 10s are so important, they can earn them.

 

(Our MDR waiter is getting a 10 and a little extra)

 

Love it. Thank you for posting. We are really disappointed with Celeb right now, mainly the bad food in MDR, so will be doing other lines for now. Smaller, no kids, exceptional food. Not too much more per night than Celeb. Yup. Trying Viking Ocean. We are elite plus but not giving up any perks, since they are all included on Viking O.

[SargassoPirate]

Love it. Thank you for posting. We are really disappointed with Celeb right now, mainly the bad food in MDR, so will be doing other lines for now. Smaller, no kids, exceptional food. Not too much more per night than Celeb. Yup. Trying Viking Ocean. We are elite plus but not giving up any perks, since they are all included on Viking O.

 

We did not mind the food quality in the MDR, but did mind the tables being jammed so close together and the noise level in the evenings. A lot of the PAX must be deaf from the over-amplified pool band and production shows because most people seem to shout across the table during the meal. We avoided the buffet, which is like the Zombie Apocalypse, and ate breakfast and lunches in the MDR or the Solarium Cafe for a more civilized meal.

 

We have finished out our advance bookings with both Royal (D+) and Celebrity and have decided that we are going to try a more refined, genteel, and adult style of crusing. So far we have Viking O and Cunard booking during the next 12 months.

[excitedofharpenden]

We did not mind the food quality in the MDR, but did mind the tables being jammed so close together and the noise level in the evenings. A lot of the PAX must be deaf from the over-amplified pool band and production shows because most people seem to shout across the table during the meal. We avoided the buffet, which is like the Zombie Apocalypse, and ate breakfast and lunches in the MDR or the Solarium Cafe for a more civilized meal.

This is Celebrity’s new way to try to deal with chair hogs.;) Blast them out. This is Modern Luxury on Constellation in January in Asia.

 

 

Phil

[SJ-Cruzer]

Just did the Reflection Cruise March 2018 Caribbean Cruise and this was the #1 complaint I heard from other guests as well. The big resorts in Vegas have no problem removing towels / stuff from unused lounge chairs, so why do cruse lines have such a big issue. Send an e-mail to Celebrity and let them know your unhappy. I actually got a call back from Celebrity to discuss my concerns.

 

CelebrityOneTouch@celebrity.com

[Flafun888]

I'm sorry but you miss the point here, yes you will not remove the tip just from the pool people. But it is not about the money, it is all about the corporate office seeing that the lack of enforcement of the polices they put in place is costing them income. They look at the numbers and if the numbers go down they fix the problem.

 

If 10% of the passengers went to Guest Service and said they not happy with these polices, the corporate office may never know a thing. But if the overall daily service charge went down even 5% on a cruise that they would notice and correct.

 

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I don't want the person loading dishes 7 days, 10-12 hrs a day in a hot kitchen to suffer just so I can make a clearer point to management about an entirely different service issue. Unless the grats you took away from Mr. dish loader & Mr. food prep guy are docked out of management salaries and bonuses so they suffer equally, (yea, right!) it's the little guy, as usual, that pays for mistakes of those at the top.

 

Trust, me I do understand your frustration here:

- But are you 100% sure that management really cares if a few more grats are removed?

- Is their bonus, annual review or another performance metric directly tied to gratuity rates?

- Their workers are on long term contracts in the middle of the ocean - they can't quit and walk out in protest.

 

Managers only prioritize what they're measured against. If they take a "wait and see" attitude for a few weeks or months vs reacting quickly, that's a lot of lost wages for people who didn't deserve it and can least afford it.

 

There's usually more than one way to solve a problem - it just takes a little creative thinking & the will to try. I believe most of us here are smart enough to find a different way to get the point across without resorting to this.

 

Imagine if you were that kitchen person - would you still agree with this tactic?

Edited April 2, 2018 by Flafun888

[Marelaine]

We've had a few cabin attendants ask us how they might earn a 10 from us. They are dealing with passengers from various cultures, with various needs. I don't see anything wrong with that question. I also think the call to ask if you were enjoying the cruise was your chance to get your needs met. I wonder if an attentive employee heard you talking about your rating system and asked guest services to call you.

 

We are not particular about where we sit on the pool deck. Our preference is anywhere in the Solarium. On the rare occasion when there aren't any vacant loungers, we go for a drink or a snack and return to look again. I've seen pool attendants clear off the used towels left behind by slobs and the library books and flip flops that are reserving loungers, all without being asked. When I notice this, I fill out a comment card and mention the pool attendant on the survey. A previous poster suggested a tip, which isn't a bad idea, but I prefer to tip after receiving service, so it doesn't appear to be a bribe.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Marelaine

[Expat Cruise]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I don't want the person loading dishes 7 days, 10-12 hrs a day in a hot kitchen to suffer just so I can make a clearer point to management about an entirely different service issue. Unless the grats you took away from Mr. dish loader & Mr. food prep guy are docked out of management salaries and bonuses so they suffer equally, (yea, right!) it's the little guy, as usual, that pays for mistakes of those at the top.

 

.......

 

Imagine if you were that kitchen person - would you still agree with this tactic?

 

You bring up a good point here. But why should any guest pay a surcharge for a dishwasher? Why should the kitchen staff be part of the daily service charge? In fact they should not. Would you give a plumber extra money for the warehouse yard manger who loaded the pipe on the truck? No you would pay the plumber and it is on him to settle his bills.

 

We (guest) do not make the rules. We must live within them and use the rules as need to get what is required. It has nothing to do with fair it has everything to do with results. Here is the policy

 

For your convenience, we automatically add gratuities for your restaurant and stateroom services to your onboard SeaPass® account on a daily basis in the following amounts, which may be adjusted at your discretion:

This gratuity is shared by your stateroom attendant, dining services staff, and housekeeping staff members who help enhance your vacation experience. At your discretion, the gratuity payments may be adjusted onboard at Guest Relations, in which case they will not automatically be added to your onboard SeaPass® account.

 

Since the line has made the choice to combine and charge in one fee we have no choice. We gust are not the bad guy for removing the cruise line is for putting this payment plan in place.

[misprint]

My understanding is that the auto gratuities only go to restaurant staff and your cabin stewards and are not given to the behind the scenes staff. Can anyone confirm that back room staff actually get a share of the auto gratuities. I have checked the Celebrity website (U.K.) and there is no mention of anyone else having a portion of these gratuities.

[Expat Cruise]

My understanding is that the auto gratuities only go to restaurant staff and your cabin stewards and are not given to the behind the scenes staff. Can anyone confirm that back room staff actually get a share of the auto gratuities. I have checked the Celebrity website (U.K.) and there is no mention of anyone else having a portion of these gratuities.

 

From the US Site:

 

"dining services staff, and housekeeping staff members" These terms are made very general for a reason... to allow them to do anything they want. Housekeeping Staff Members can include managers, behind the scene workers office workers, and Dinning Services Staff, could be anyone involve in the food or dinning areas, security could be included in the Dinning Services Staff. If you ask staff members directly they will also confirm. Your money is going places you have no idea about or knowledge.