What are the odds NCL reverses course on the new cabin steward policy?

[prov2727]

3 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

Unless or until NCL can't find enough crew to staff their ships, they are not going back. We would actually consider opting out of daily servicing of our stateroom in exchange for a reduction in the DSC, which is absolutely out of hand at $20 per day. Seems like it could be a win win....less rooms for the overworked crew and we don't have to pay for service for which we find little value. Of course, then the math wouldn't work out for NCL, who uses the DSC to compensate their crew and pay for their benefits and onboard programs. I know how to make a bed and am glad to reuse a bath towel a second time after my shower.

. . . .

That's a great idea. As a single cruiser, I don't need things made up every day. More like once every 2-3 days.

[prov2727]

1 hour ago, bedfordmom said:

I would caution folks from cleaning their room. That is what NCL wants. Agree that twice a day isn’t needed but for our recent cruise it was barely once a day minimal cleaning. If indeed the change is due to lack of staff ( I hardly doubt)  then within certain highly recruited populations ( like the large Phillipino community) word will get out about the harsh conditions and NCL ( among others) will have difficulty getting good hires. Cabin stewards also have additional responsibilities. The day my cabin got cleaned at 5 the steward  said he was delayed due to weekly muster drill. 
 

I have a crazy suggestion. Have extra stewards do the morning cleaning and then utilize all of  them later in the day for say bussing in the Garden cafe or other high use areas. 

The day I did request cleaning and it didn't get done, some guests had come down FROM ANOTHER FLOOR and talked religion to him for an hour.  Folks, don't do that. As he said, he COULDN'T tell them to leave (hint: don't proselytize people who are paid to agree with you) and they were essentially stealing from the cruisers whose rooms he was paid to care for.

[dcipjr]

I can't agree with "well, the crew must not hate it, they keep coming back"—that sentiment generally holds true for developed countries, like the US, but not as much for the developing world.

 

Take the Philippines as an example. There's lots of work in Manila, but not in the provinces, where many of the workers are from. It's impractical or impossible to commute from those provinces to Manila on a daily basis, so any choose to rent a room or apartment in Manila instead, and only see their families on the weekends. 

 

If you were in that position, would you consider a job where your expenses are paid for 8 months, and you make decent money (and you can take home pretty much whatever you make)? With your commute to Manila, you'd only be home 2 out of 7 days anyway—so you'd be trading weekends with your family for a longer block of time with your family, plus you don't have to rent in Manila. 

 

That's still a choice that most of us wouldn't want to have to make. Being home with your family every night is truly an underrated privilege.

 

We're not going to solve the world's problems here on CruiseCritic, but we can be vocal in support of the crew. I haven't been on a cruise yet with the once-a-day cabin servicing, but I plan to watch carefully on my next cruise. If the stewards are noticeably overworked, I'm going to complain to NCL about it.

 

A happy crew benefits us all.

[PATRLR]

1 hour ago, luv2kroooz said:

Why would they want to mirror Days Inn? That is an entirely different product and target market. Everything I see from NCL is about delivering unparalleled vacation experiences. If your interpretation is correct, then they are not differentiating themselves but really just paralleling their competition.

You would have to ask NCL why they want to mirror Days Inn.  My guess is the mass market accepts that crap as "OK" and they want to attract the mass market.  They've already proven with the food that most people "love" the Applebees/GrandBuffet quality they serve, so, why not do the same with the hotel?

I've seen absolutely nothing in the past 10+ years to indicate they are delivering an unparalleled vacation experience, in fact, I find NCL to be nearly indistinguishable from the other mass market lines. 

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, zzdoug said:

I basically agree with this, but would note that visiting the most idyllic places on earth may not be very relevant if the staff are now mostly stuck on board, and even if they can get out to port, being in a resort area is expensive and not that exciting the 10th time in a row. 

Whether the employes like coming back is a matter of debate and subjective.  Presumably it must pay significantly better than, say, working at a hotel in the Philippines, to make it worth being away from their children and families for most of their lives. 

 

As to whether the housekeeping policy will change depends on whether the cruise line can keep its staff under the new scenario and what the employees' alternatives are. If they feel overworked and find better jobs at other cruise lines or at home, they will stop renewing, in which case ncl may need to reconsider if they cant find trained and experienced staff. If the employees are getting more money by no longer having to split the gratuity allocated to room care, it may be worth it to them to stay. 

 

The other issue is if the service falls behind other cruise lines and other vacation options, and customers stop returning. I see cutbacks on other cruise lines in various areas. The one area where I think ncl may be likely to rethink the changes is the turnover day, since it seems like people can't get to their rooms until much later than before. However rethinking does not necessarily mean going back to the previous system.  For example, I would not be totally surprised to see ncl contracting with a US based cleaning company one day a week to assist the stewards in getting the rooms ready for new guests while in home ports, or something like that. 

True.  I love my OHIO home.  It's filled with rolling hills and for the most part, decent weather, at least 8-9 months out of the year.  It's green and lush.  I traverse it everyday.

 

What it is not is the Caribbean, with turquoise waters. Or, Alaska with glaciers and majestic mountains, or the Mediterranean.  My point is, we all go to the same places all the time.  Where the cruise ships go, and where the crew get to go, are more idyllic than where most of us live.

 

As far as the cost of living, again, they are getting free medical, food and board.  So, cost of living shouldn't be much of a factor.  And, not sure about tax laws, but I'm guessing they keep all they make given they earn most of it in international waters.

 

Don't get me wrong, they work hard.  But, if I were from an impoverished country, and had the opportunity to work on a cruise ship?  Yeah...wouldn't think twice.

 

As far as 2X/day cabin turndown, I really don't care.  It won't make a hill of beans worth of difference for me.  If it did, I would do some self reflection about how much of a slob as I really am.

[LoungerOnBalcony55]

A lot of the people talking about how it's not that tough a gig wouldn't make it through one week working as a cabin steward or "attendant." 

[MsTabbyKats]

2 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

 

As far as 2X/day cabin turndown, I really don't care.  It won't make a hill of beans worth of difference for me.  If it did, I would do some self reflection about how much of a slob as I really am.

All these upset people....do they clean their homes twice a day?  I don't. 

 

It's living in the "old glory days" of cruising....when people had to dress up for dinner etc.  And just going on a cruise was considered a luxury.

 

The times, they are a changin.........

 

Keep it cost efficient.  If people "want more" they can spend more on luxury lines.

[BirdTravels]

14 hours ago, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

It's obviously hell on the crew. Working as a cabin steward was a grueling, sisyphean gig before the changes. The reviews I've read are near universal the "attendants" are visibly stressed and overworked - a terrible state for them and difficult one to provide good service. 

For the cabin stewards, they were working a split shift from 8 am - 9 pm, 7 days a week, cleaning rooms twice. When you talk to them, they say that they don't have time to get off the ship,,, barely enough time after the day shift to grab a bite to eat, a few personal things like laundry, then into their night uniform and start all over again. 

 

Yup, now they have a few more rooms to clean in a few more hours. And they are done by dinner time. Hardly a terrible state. And a much preferred work schedule. 

[UKstages]

52 minutes ago, dcipjr said:

There's lots of work in Manila, but not in the provinces, where many of the workers are from.

 

there's an extraordinary amount of work in the provinces, chiefly in call centers. it's one of the top industries in the philippines, with 10% or more of the global market and employing nearly 1.5 million people. and in the last two years, a lot of the work has shifted to remote work... meaning that many agents can now work from their homes, in manila, cebu, lipa or whatever province or barangay they live in.

 

39 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

if I were from an impoverished country...

 

i think i get what you mean. if you come from a country with a lower cost of living and by working on a cruise ship you could greatly improve your station in life and take care of relatives by sending money home... sure.

 

strictly speaking...

 

there is indeed poverty in the philippines, in india, in malaysia and in indonesia, those are the countries most cruise ship employees come from. (approximately 60% come from the philippines.) none of these are impoverished nations. and at least one has poverty levels only 2% or 3% higher than america, which is also not an impoverished nation.

[jimsig]

12 hours ago, Waterluv said:

Wow I hope this is true about the drill. We are onboard Encore this coming Sunday I’m so super excited 😊 going back to viewing the video and then just checking in at the assigned muster station we liked much better. Fingers crossed 🤞 

According to what was posted the return to e-muster drills starts April 1.  Fingers crossed it starts early for you. 

 

Just curious, did you watch the video during check in?  I have reads that others that have sailed in the past month or so had to watch it even though they had in person drills.  

[Topdog52]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

True.  I love my OHIO home.  It's filled with rolling hills and for the most part, decent weather, at least 8-9 months out of the year.  It's green and lush.  I traverse it everyday.

 

What it is not is the Caribbean, with turquoise waters. Or, Alaska with glaciers and majestic mountains, or the Mediterranean.  My point is, we all go to the same places all the time.  Where the cruise ships go, and where the crew get to go, are more idyllic than where most of us live.

 

As far as the cost of living, again, they are getting free medical, food and board.  So, cost of living shouldn't be much of a factor.  And, not sure about tax laws, but I'm guessing they keep all they make given they earn most of it in international waters.

 

Don't get me wrong, they work hard.  But, if I were from an impoverished country, and had the opportunity to work on a cruise ship?  Yeah...wouldn't think twice.

 

As far as 2X/day cabin turndown, I really don't care.  It won't make a hill of beans worth of difference for me.  If it did, I would do some self reflection about how much of a slob as I really am.

I agree 100%. Also I don't believe anyone who tells me there is a staff shortage. NCL is doing this because they are hurting for money!!! Check out their quarterlies.

[phillygwm]

16 hours ago, Funky Fusion FoodsJ said:

Some think it is the cruise line trying to react to the drastic post pandemic staffing shortages they (and many other industries) are experiencing.  Will they change course?  As staffing gets better and if there are enough complaints it probably will.

I get that for PoA, perhaps, where the crew needs to be largely American.  But is there really a shortage of Filipino and Indonesian crew?  I don't think they were part of the Great Retirement.  

 

It's harder on the crew, as others have stated.  I can't imagine it's enhancing the passenger experience, but NCL needs to make money soon and I suppose they've determined that pax would rather trade-off service for a cheaper fare.

[fredflint]

I am a bit confused as I was under the impression that the reason for going to once a day cleaning was due to the lack of staff.  It seems to me that more than doubling the workload of the staff would cause more of a staffing issue.  For myself we usually told the steward to skip the afternoon  turndown as there was  no need for him to do that.   I am not sure of the comparison but it is very much like the  idea of having the towels replaced every day.  I have not felt the need for new/clean towels every day.  I know everyone is different but just my 2 cents.

[hawkeyetlse]

7 hours ago, Topdog52 said:

Yes, give everyone the option to clean their own room and save that money off the cruise price. If you are a family of 4 with to small ones, that is a savings of $80 a day.

Just to point out that the $80 (assuming you are referring to the daily service charge) is not just for 15 minutes of housekeeping, it's also for (complimentary) dining all day long.

[disneylover89]

I do not think that NCL will ever go back to 2 times a day service and personally I do not need it BUT I do hope they give their stewards less cabins to clean so rooms are done earlier than the 4pm-6pm time I have been reading about.  We always go back to our room about 3pm and relax and I would like to have my room taken care of by then so I am not woken up and/or disturbed and need to leave my room so it can be serviced.  They should at the very least give the option of morning or afternoon service like Carnival does instead of going in order down the hall way and the end of the hall always has late service and the beginning has early service.  I have 2 cabins and 1 cabin needs to have the beds separated into 2 bed and I dread having to try to deal with having the beds separated on day one when no one will be servicing our cabin at night.

[kelib]

What I found one of the issues on my cruise after this was implemented was not the actual 1 day service, but the time you were getting the service. Passengers coming back from shore and wanting to get ready for the evening only to find their room not done or in the process. I was in my room changing for the pool and asked my steward if she could come back in 15 minutes and she said she had to keep moving. As a result I went looking for towels myself at 4:30. (My steward worked in 2 different hallways)

 

[dohboy43]

2 hours ago, fredflint said:

I am a bit confused as I was under the impression that the reason for going to once a day cleaning was due to the lack of staff.  It seems to me that more than doubling the workload of the staff would cause more of a staffing issue.  For myself we usually told the steward to skip the afternoon  turndown as there was  no need for him to do that.   I am not sure of the comparison but it is very much like the  idea of having the towels replaced every day.  I have not felt the need for new/clean towels every day.  I know everyone is different but just my 2 cents.

Just got off the Jewel this week - I thought I would miss the afternoon turndown but it really wasn't a big difference. It was hot in Panama so we showered twice some days, but we just requested extra towels on the first day and our steward always kept 4 in the room. The daily got left outside our door around 6 everyday, and the stewards were available for requests til their shift ended at 7. All the staff seemed much happier than during the two covid-era cruises I was on.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, disneylover89 said:

I do not think that NCL will ever go back to 2 times a day service

They'll do it a month before or a month after RCL and others go back.

[Dr. Cocktail]

Answering the OP's original question .... let's see what happens in 9 months.

 

We can hypothesize about as much as we want about what the crew are or are not feeling but it will all come down to when and if they renew their contracts.

 

If the rest of the industry is basically offering the same, nothing will change.

 

But ... if RCI or Carnival (and I include all of their subsidiaries) are offering better terms, they won't return. Crew do not live in a vacuum ... they can see on social media or directly hear about what their friends or families are making.

 

If NCL can't retain or hire crew, they won't have a choice but to change.  

 

Explora Journeys is all over crew social media for how they're paying more than anyone else. Why wouldn't you join them?   I'm only using them as an example. ... they're only going to be a two ship operation for the next few years. But ...extrapolate to ANY cruise line needing staff.

 

To answer the question: ask it again in 9 months as all of the current crew's contracts are up and it's time for the next one.

 

Ultimately, who's paying the most with the best terms wins and work down from there.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Dr. Cocktail

[carohs]

Well first the crew would have to start leaving NCL, leaving them even more short-staffed then they already are. Second, the passengers would need to complain or stop cruising NCL. I'm sure at least a part is determined by the amount of cruisenext sold onboard. The guest experience is not severely diminished now, as evidenced by the complaints of ice and towels being the most voiced, but would be by an exodus of staff. If the working conditions are as bad as speculated, we'll see in the coming months, like Dr. Cocktail pointed out. 

 

[Topdog52]

4 hours ago, hawkeyetlse said:

Just to point out that the $80 (assuming you are referring to the daily service charge) is not just for 15 minutes of housekeeping, it's also for (complimentary) dining all day long.

I don't care who it is for. They are charging me more to clean my room, and giving me less. By the way, there is no staff shortage. They can get all the help they need from the different islands. The problem is NCL is hurting for money and taking it out on us. Just take a look at their last 6 quarterlies, and you will see why they are down to one steward, doing more rooms. It is not a staff shortage, but a revenue shortage!!

Edited March 25, 2023 by Topdog52

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, Topdog52 said:

It is not a staff shortage, but a revenue shortage!!

Yep.  That darned NCL should have forecast Covid and taken appropriate measures to avoid losses while being out of business for a year or two.

[Waterluv]

12 hours ago, jimsig said:

According to what was posted the return to e-muster drills starts April 1.  Fingers crossed it starts early for you. 

 

Just curious, did you watch the video during check in?  I have reads that others that have sailed in the past month or so had to watch it even though they had in person drills.  

In September on the Bliss we actually watched the video during online check in then it got emailed a few days before, then the day of lol it was also on the TV in the cabin main thing was check in at your muster station, they asked a couple of questions and then checked us off and swiped our cards…all done🤗

[luv2kroooz]

4 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Yep.  That darned NCL should have forecast Covid and taken appropriate measures to avoid losses while being out of business for a year or two.

One of the most appropriate, careful, prudent measures.....executive compensation during and after Corona. Would not have fully solved the problem, but could have helped. 

[ontheweb]

12 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

They'll do it a month before or a month after RCL and others go back.

I think you nailed it, though I would put my money on a month after.