Crew Member Experience and Communication

[drwbrt]

One thing I really enjoy about cruising, and my wife’s absolute favorite part about cruising, is meeting all of the crew members and finding out where they are from.

 

My wife wasn’t with me on my cruise last week, but I was channeling a bit of her interpersonal curiosity as I sailed. This was a different cruise in terms of the crew than the others I have been on.

 

Not having a traditional MDR had a huge impact on “getting to know” a member of the crew. Freestyle dining meant I didn’t see the same server, assistant, manager, etc, every night. On my RCL cruise in October we disembarked with nearly a dozen crew members names that made a positive impact on our vacation. They knew our names, our drink orders, and our food preferences.

 

After my cruise last week I can’t name a single crew member and I never heard my name unless they were holding my cruise card.

 

Missing out on twice a day service, and a busy steward staff, meant I never met my steward in the five days I was on board. He did a great job, my room was well attended to, but I never met him.

 

We received good service on the ship, but some requests were not heard/confusing/or didn’t make it over the language barrier. We ordered Aqua Panda and Pellegrino throughout. Initially we asked for a glass, ice, and a lime. Never once did we get all three. We always got a separate glass. Sometimes the ice was delivered, but not in the same glass provided for the water. I would get an empty water glass and a soda glass with just ice. We gave up trying and just enjoyed the chilled water in a plain glass.

 

At some bars I would request two drinks and only receive one. We asked about the lettuce missing from the salad bar, it took three crew members to get any answer. We had food missing from our order in The Local and in MDR. None of this was a problem. We had more than enough food and were absolutely satisfied overall. Each time though, we attributed any miss to a language issue, either in our ordering clarity, or on the receiving end. All of it speaks to the same thing, either a struggle to understand or the inability/discomfort in clarifying the order.

 

A very minimal side note. We understand absolutely no part of the instructions that were given to us by the crew member at the Laser Tag. We learned that system by trial and error. We still had a great time though (shout out to the 8 ladies celebrating their 70th birthdays together).

 

The issue is simply lack of tenure. So many of our crew members were on first contract, or on first sailing after vacation. There is a learning curve to working with so many passengers especially since they could be from Boston, Baton Rouge, Berlin, or Buenos Aires. Even if they all speak English, its a stretch to say it’s all the same language.

 

Like provisioning, I felt NCL always did their best to minimize this language issue. Guest services, Starbucks, restaurant hosts, and the Casino received the crew members with the best English. NCL allocated this language resource as best as they could, preventing issues where they were most likely to arise.

 

This is long-lasting effect of the pandemic. It will take years to get an experienced crew that will build their language capability over time.

[Peachypooh]

Did you just take this cruise? We took a cruise in January before the pandemic and had the same type of issues. Brand new crew members some on their first contract. One bartender said it was his first day. We made the best of it although I can see your point. We had gotten to our room on embarkation and it was not really clean. This has never happened to us.  The room steward (a woman) was on her first contract and had burst out crying midway through her shift that day and had to be put on lighter duties (aka less cabins) (I saw her in the hall crying)She was homesick I think and couldn't carry on. After that first day we had a different steward who cleaned things properly and told us what happened.

[drwbrt]

20 minutes ago, Peachypooh said:

Did you just take this cruise? 

We just sailed last week 1/22-1/28

[nadeki]

We were on this cruise as well. We are Sapphire level NCL and have cruised on the Bliss before ( we call it our favorite ship). This cruise was "off" from the beginning. 

 

We spent time feeling sorry for the staff ( they never complained) and did. not see many smiles. You are correct, I never heard my name.

 

We went to the cruise next desk four times trying to upgrade a future cruise to the Haven as we were definitely feeling the need for a concierge. Besides spending time in line four times our promised request to upgrade the reservation ( for another $7000) was not handled. 

 

We could not get reservations to dine in spite of empty restaurants.

 

If this had been our first cruise we probably would not return.

 

However, it is. our 17th cruise on NCL and we are addicted. We will keep trying.

[New2cruise2022]

I was with OP and it was my first cruise ever. I would still have zero concerns booking with NCL again. I think the language is a product of the world economic condition and the recovery from the pandemic for cruise lines. The shut down put NCL (and other cruise lines) years behind on language training. I’m understanding of why they are in this position. Hopefully Herculean efforts are being made to close that gap. In the meantime, they are doing their best to staff the right people at the right places to have the least amount of impact. 

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, nadeki said:

We were on this cruise as well. We are Sapphire level NCL and have cruised on the Bliss before ( we call it our favorite ship). This cruise was "off" from the beginning. 

 

We spent time feeling sorry for the staff ( they never complained) and did. not see many smiles. You are correct, I never heard my name.

 

We went to the cruise next desk four times trying to upgrade a future cruise to the Haven as we were definitely feeling the need for a concierge. Besides spending time in line four times our promised request to upgrade the reservation ( for another $7000) was not handled. 

 

We could not get reservations to dine in spite of empty restaurants.

 

If this had been our first cruise we probably would not return.

 

However, it is. our 17th cruise on NCL and we are addicted. We will keep trying.

If you’re going to consider booking the Haven, you might want to look at alternative lines. We have come to love Viking Oceans.  Their veranda prices are similar to suite prices on Norwegian on regular cruises and can work out to be less than NCL if you catch a promo or a special.  

[swmichigan cruiser]

I can only speak about getting to know the staff and everyone will have different experiences. We are Diamond Plus with Royal with over 30 cruises with them and two weeks ago we returned from a 10 night cruise on the Oasis and I can only think of one person who deserved mention a server in Chops. We did 21 night's on the Encore that started in October and we got to know the hotel director, his secretary, a maitre D, two asst maitre D's, cabin attendant, two coffee girls and others. Maybe because of the length of the cruise that helped but probably our best cruise for getting to know some of the staff.

[bellevuemountain]

14 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

If you’re going to consider booking the Haven, you might want to look at alternative lines. We have come to love Viking Oceans.  Their veranda prices are similar to suite prices on Norwegian on regular cruises and can work out to be less than NCL if you catch a promo or a special.  

I will be following this thread, thank you OP.  I am interested in gathering more information.  I have a 1000$ credit with NCL that I need to use before 2024, and choices to make.  I had a medical issue and will need to travel differently when allowed to do so.  I am currently platinum, solo traveler, and I am concerned that I might need to opt for the Haven for concierge service.  I feel this way because of the cutbacks I have read about.  Thank you @Clay Clayton, perhaps I should also consider on forgetting about the 1000$ credit and try a different cruise line that could cater to my needs once cleared for travel (I don’t need pampering, but I do need familiar faces).

[New2cruise2022]

Just now, bellevuemountain said:

I don’t need pampering, but I do need familiar faces).

I wonder if this isn’t a casualty of Freestyle dining. Rigid dining times at tables with strangers may sound like a pain. However, I have heard great stories from Disney and RCL about having a consistent dining staff that knows you and your preferences. The trade off to have freestyle dining may be that you don’t have people that recognize your face or have your preferences on a tablet. 
If NCL let me fill out a dining survey, that would save time and would deliver value. Imagine your server being able to see that I want:

- Acqua Panna water, a cup with ice, and a plate of limes.

- Wants to start each dinner with a glass of Veuve 
- No allergies.

- Wants burgers Medium.
- Wants steak medium rare.  
This would cut down on lost in translation moments and speed up drink service. 

[nadeki]

24 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

If you’re going to consider booking the Haven, you might want to look at alternative lines. We have come to love Viking Oceans.  Their veranda prices are similar to suite prices on Norwegian on regular cruises and can work out to be less than NCL if you catch a promo or a special.  

Thank you for this suggestion. I will look into the options. At this time being such a creature of habit I will keep this one on NCL despite coming home and now the price is $1800 more than quoted on the ship as a GUARANTEED done deal. I knew better. He would not let me take a photo of his computer screen, said it was against company policy. Grrrrrr

[New2cruise2022]

1 minute ago, nadeki said:

Thank you for this suggestion. I will look into the options. At this time being such a creature of habit I will keep this one on NCL despite coming home and now the price is $1800 more than quoted on the ship as a GUARANTEED done deal. I knew better. He would not let me take a photo of his computer screen, said it was against company policy. Grrrrrr

Creature of habit here too. Completely agree with the value there. But yes, so hard to not feel the loss if you could have finished things on the ship. 

[www3traveler]

6 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

I wonder if this isn’t a casualty of Freestyle dining. Rigid dining times at tables with strangers may sound like a pain. However, I have heard great stories from Disney and RCL about having a consistent dining staff that knows you and your preferences. The trade off to have freestyle dining may be that you don’t have people that recognize your face or have your preferences on a tablet. 
If NCL let me fill out a dining survey, that would save time and would deliver value. Imagine your server being able to see that I want:

- Acqua Panna water, a cup with ice, and a plate of limes.

- Wants to start each dinner with a glass of Veuve 
- No allergies.

- Wants burgers Medium.
- Wants steak medium rare.  
This would cut down on lost in translation moments and speed up drink service. 

You can do this:  Speak to the Restaurant Manager when you board.  I have done this several times.

[New2cruise2022]

3 hours ago, drwbrt said:

A very minimal side note. We understand absolutely no part of the instructions that were given to us by the crew member at the Laser Tag. We learned that system by trial and error. We still had a great time though (shout out to the 8 ladies celebrating their 70th birthdays together).

This was a memorable and fun experience for us. It was a twin studies of sorts. My brother and I were on one team (with our festive new, 70 year old friends) and my two sons were on the other team. We were separated and had different crew members instructing us in separate areas. My boys were told how to do everything. And their team was using the guns. Our crew member was very nice but lacked the vocabulary to explain and the accent was strong enough that we understood very little. Just before we started he did ask “Do you have any questions?” @drwbrtresponded, “I have nothing but questions.” We went on to receive what may have been the most epic beat down in Laser Tag history. When my boys explained how everything worked, there were a lot of “Ahhhh, that makes sense now” moments. Great fun. 

[Laszlo]

Stayed in the Haven on the 1-8-2023 12 day cruise on the GA. By the second day I think about 12 people working in and out of the Haven new my and my wife names. I don't know how then do it

[New2cruise2022]

Just now, www3traveler said:

You can do this:  Speak to the Restaurant Manager when you board.  I have done this several times.

Pro tip. Thanks. Next time. 

[New2cruise2022]

Just now, Laszlo said:

Stayed in the Haven on the 1-8-2023 12 day cruise on the GA. By the second day I think about 12 people working in and out of the Haven new my and my wife names. I don't know how then do it

I’m glad you had this experience! I don’t expect or require this level of service but it is sure nice when it happens. There are restaurants (some fast food) that are a half hour away from me, but I still go there because the people know me. 

[www3traveler]

One of the big staffing issues right now is that a number of staff members on all levels found land based jobs and did not come back once ships began to sail again.  Also Norwegian like many other companies had a number of staff die during the shut down, some from COVID but not all.

 

Also crew members seem to sail with one company for awhile and then decide to move to another company.  So there is always, new people coming onboard either from a different ship, different company or "first time" employees.  Never ending job trying to keep good help and properly trained.

 

[bellevuemountain]

3 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

One of the big staffing issues right now is that a number of staff members on all levels found land based jobs and did not come back once ships began to sail again.  Also Norwegian like many other companies had a number of staff die during the shut down, some from COVID but not all.

 

Also crew members seem to sail with one company for awhile and then decide to move to another company.  So there is always, new people coming onboard either from a different ship, different company or "first time" employees.  Never ending job trying to keep good help and properly trained.

 

I agree with your analysis of the situation.  These issues are not specific to any one cruise line, it’s industry wide.

 

Many land-based positions became remote positions with the shutdown.  And under the right conditions (no children, etc.), the comfort of working from home is undeniable imho.  Many are not interested in returning from remote to full-time.  I can imagine that for some, there was no incentive in returning from a land-based job to a contract on a cruise ship…

 

Which cruise line to pick probably comes down to the individual purchasing the product.  What has the most value to the customer.  I’d presume that this is where each cruise line has their own branding.

 

Hence my curiosity in this thread, it’s informative.

[zqvol]

54 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

Stayed in the Haven on the 1-8-2023 12 day cruise on the GA. By the second day I think about 12 people working in and out of the Haven new my and my wife names. I don't know how then do it

They have your picture posted din the back with your name is how they do it.

[Grimix]

18 hours ago, zqvol said:

They have your picture posted din the back with your name is how they do it.

I 'accused' our bartender of doing this when we sailed the Bliss Haven. He claimed they just learn it from the cards when you order the drinks and they don't have pictures. Whether they are trying to keep the 'secret' I don't know, but that was what I was told.

[drwbrt]

12 minutes ago, Grimix said:

I 'accused' our bartender of doing this when we sailed the Bliss Haven. He claimed they just learn it from the cards when you order the drinks and they don't have pictures. Whether they are trying to keep the 'secret' I don't know, but that was what I was told.

On RCL they learned our names just from talking to them. Very few of those we met had access to our cards (buffet, pizza, Cruise director staff). This was one area where I felt NCL didn’t compare at all.

 

Pizza on RCL (Harmony) is the ONLY food available after 9/9:30p. So all post show snacking is pizza. The pizzeria staff would make the four of us a pizza when they saw us in line. We did the math and figured they were doing nearly 3,000 pizzas a day. Maybe we had memorable faces, or were more polite to them, but it was impressive and added to the whole experience for us. 

[DCGuy64]

23 hours ago, drwbrt said:

One thing I really enjoy about cruising, and my wife’s absolute favorite part about cruising, is meeting all of the crew members and finding out where they are from.

I'm really glad you mentioned this, because my wife and I are the same. We love getting to know the crew, and they seem to enjoy talking with guests and sharing information about their home countries. Also, I think people might be surprised how far speaking a few words of a crew member's native language goes. I only know a handful of words in Tagalog, and since there are usually lots of Filipinos, I try them out and always get a smile (or a laugh). Kindness is contagious, and I notice they tend to remember our names better when we remember theirs.

[PATRLR]

@drwbrt Get the Vibe pass and you will get some of that crew interaction you crave.  We got to know the bartenders and servers there about as well as we got to know our servers on traditional fixed time dining lines. 

Also, I thought I read that you could request specific servers if you choose to dine in the same dining room.  In other words, first night you dine in Taste served by "John".  Subsequent nights upon checkin at Taste you request "John" to be your server.   I've never done this, it's not that important to us, but I thought I'd read where others have done that.

[drwbrt]

2 hours ago, PATRLR said:

@drwbrt Get the Vibe pass and you will get some of that crew interaction you crave.  We got to know the bartenders and servers there about as well as we got to know our servers on traditional fixed time dining lines. 

Also, I thought I read that you could request specific servers if you choose to dine in the same dining room.  In other words, first night you dine in Taste served by "John".  Subsequent nights upon checkin at Taste you request "John" to be your server.   I've never done this, it's not that important to us, but I thought I'd read where others have done that.

I read this too, but sadly after I returned from my cruise. Thanks for reminding me to file that away for next time.

[drwbrt]

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

I'm really glad you mentioned this, because my wife and I are the same. We love getting to know the crew, and they seem to enjoy talking with guests and sharing information about their home countries. Also, I think people might be surprised how far speaking a few words of a crew member's native language goes. I only know a handful of words in Tagalog, and since there are usually lots of Filipinos, I try them out and always get a smile (or a laugh). Kindness is contagious, and I notice they tend to remember our names better when we remember theirs.

This is where my wife shines. Not only did we get to meet them and get some personalized service we got invited to the crew bar in St Maarten and heard ALL the tea about the crew. It helped that my wife paid for three wash and styles on the ship (she didn't want to do her hair in the cabin and end up sweating AFTER the shower. Smart lady.