Rewards for positive reviews?

[Happy Rogue]

I'm curious to know if anyone knows what concrete benefits crew members can receive when they are recognized with positive reviews after the cruise.  I have heard things like "time off" or "wi-fi hours" but nothing concrete and curiosity has me wondering...

 

In my prior cruise we had absolutely astounding service from the pizza guy and I left a message stating as such (I said I'll be back as a customer because of people like him!).  What are some things they can receive for positive callouts?

[Georgia_Peaches]

My understanding is that positive remarks left for crew can result in helping them elevate through the ranks via promotions and greater responsibility/pay.  It should also be noted that positive remarks that do not accompany a 10 rating does the reverse.  We had a great room attendant on Ascent and I wanted to make sure she was recognized.  She explained that if there was anything about the experience that was less than a 10 rating, it would impact negatively, even if my remarks were positive.  I have also learned that most Celebrity crew are quite tight lipped on specifics such as perks and awards from the company.

[Lena11033]

I was told by staff on my last cruise (I asked in part of a conversation about the newer ships) they told me that it helps with promotion and opportunities.

 

And I agree with Georgia_Peaches on the 10, a separate staff member on a different sailing said anything less than a 10 is not a positive review (funny courses I've done at work they normally say a 7 is when people aren't completely happy but don't want to fully give a negative review/answer).

[cruisestitch]

I have sent the mid-cruise survey in to compliment specific workers and I have been told that one of the things they get are “scratchers”—-scratch-off cards that contain various rewards and gifts.  One crewmember saw me later and said that he got extra Wi-Fi on his card.

[Honolulu Blue]

12 hours ago, Happy Rogue said:

I'm curious to know if anyone knows what concrete benefits crew members can receive when they are recognized with positive reviews after the cruise.  I have heard things like "time off" or "wi-fi hours" but nothing concrete and curiosity has me wondering...

 

In my prior cruise we had absolutely astounding service from the pizza guy and I left a message stating as such (I said I'll be back as a customer because of people like him!).  What are some things they can receive for positive callouts?

We covered some of this territory in the post below.  Promotions are a big reward - perhaps the biggest, IMHO.  I remain in shock at how forcefully and swiftly Celebrity takes action over a few kind words.

 

 

[hcat]

They may receive group recognition, extra time off, telephone  cards/ calls home.. This is from positive comments via cards or scan of the  QR code in the daily (do they actually read those?,)

 

As for the survey..very unfortunate how it is designed and used...turns staff into beggars..less than 10 is trouble!

[chemmo]

Some years ago we cruised on Eclipse and we were dining in Tuscan. Unfortunately we had chosen an evening when they were accommodating a group of about 12 and our table was close by. Our waiter was great, saw our discomfort during starters when the group were getting loud (not being unpleasant, just a big group) and magically moved us to another table before we had our mains…The assistant waiter was fantastic all evening running from table to table to take pressure off the waiter…

 

At the end of our meal the M’D came over to apologise for us needing to be moved. We had the impression that he thought we may be about to complain. Quite the contrary! We praised our waiter for dealing promptly with a difficult situation and the assistant waiter for really ‘stepping up’. We had enjoyed a lovely meal because they had responded to a problem rather than simply apologising for it.
 

The next day we made a point of letting the hotel director (who we knew well from previous cruises) know how impressed we had been with the staff in Tuscan when faced with a difficult situation. When we next visited Tuscan both our waiter, assistant waiter and the M’D thanked us for passing on the compliment. As the M’D so rightly said, too often the HD only hears of issues not the excellent service they give most of the time…They didn’t say if they had had ‘rewards’ but the M’D said he was delighted that the assistant waiter’s training was now being speeded up to him becoming a waiter. 
 

Re surveys, I do think there is a difficult balance between not blaming staff for things beyond their control but genuinely reporting the truth…I do wander if they crunch the numbers rather than reflect on comments made?

 

One thing we have always done is ‘complain’ immediately if we don’t like something and give the cruise line the opportunity to ‘put things right’ rather than wait until the end of the cruise and put it in a survey. If we complain about an issue and it is resolved I have no issues giving a 10 in a survey. If we complain and an issue is unresolved then the number can’t be a 10…

[ExArkie]

Why is there a scale on the ratings? If anything less than 10 is a failure, make the “scale” 0 to 1 (no fractions). That’s what it has become, either total success or abysmal failure, no middle ground.

[cruisefam38]

Excellent point ExArkie!

[Liao]

1 hour ago, ExArkie said:

Why is there a scale on the ratings? If anything less than 10 is a failure, make the “scale” 0 to 1 (no fractions). That’s what it has become, either total success or abysmal failure, no middle ground.

Exactly why I NEVER assign a number to a person.  They are all far more than that and deserve at least a few words or a sentence of two with their name spelled out.  Though I can say that I've never had an unpleasant encounter with any crew member ever, and if I had I'd most likely chalk it up to his/her being human or perhaps didn't have enough coffee before starting their shift 🙂  etc etc.  If a meal wasn't to my liking I'd say something at the time, it gets corrected and is a minor inconvenience in the scheme of 10+ days sailing in a suite across the ocean with an almost always glorious crew of hard working folks treating me like I'm the only person on board.

[Shiba_Lover]

2 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

One thing we have always done is ‘complain’ immediately if we don’t like something and give the cruise line the opportunity to ‘put things right’ rather than wait until the end of the cruise and put it in a survey. If we complain about an issue and it is resolved I have no issues giving a 10 in a survey. If we complain and an issue is unresolved then the number can’t be a 10…

This is exactly what I think a lot of people should be doing more of.  And I like how you phrase 'complain' in quotes, because often it's not complaining, but pointing out an issue and how it could be resolved to your satisfaction.  If staff is not aware of something or not given a chance to correct,  they cannot improve.  If given a chance and they correct, then yes, reward them 

[chemmo]

7 hours ago, Shiba_Lover said:

This is exactly what I think a lot of people should be doing more of.  And I like how you phrase 'complain' in quotes, because often it's not complaining, but pointing out an issue and how it could be resolved to your satisfaction.  If staff is not aware of something or not given a chance to correct,  they cannot improve.  If given a chance and they correct, then yes, reward them 

So pleased you understand what I mean by ‘complain’! As you say so many issues can be easily resolved. For example, where you are seated in the MDR or ensuring your room is serviced at a time that suits you…Communication can solve so many issues…

[Pinboy]

On 5/3/2024 at 5:15 PM, Happy Rogue said:

I'm curious to know if anyone knows what concrete benefits crew members can receive when they are recognized with positive reviews after the cruise. 

From what " We " hear , they are rewarded with position advancement, and perhaps an extra day off, etc --- 

However, the best reward is $$$$US from passengers !!!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

On 5/5/2024 at 11:37 AM, Pinboy said:

From what " We " hear , they are rewarded with position advancement, and perhaps an extra day off, etc --- 

However, the best reward is $$$$US from passengers !!!

But position advancement can result in long-term extra money that isn't dependent on people continuing to tip as they have. IOW a positive mention has a lot more long-term effect than cash in the moment.

[keesar]

I feel badly for some of the crew.  For instance, stateroom attendants used to have an assistant.  Those are largely long gone.  The number of rooms they are responsible for has increased.  We have had a couple of attendants who were "challenged" due to their not being familiar with the position, apparent lack of organization and the demands of the position.  These individuals have been placed in a situation not to succeed.  

[lv2cruisgrl]

So true and because of this we keep our cabin very organized and easy for them to clean.  

[Jim_Iain]

We always leave positive reviews at the 1/2 way point of our cruise.   I've heard back from the Hotel Director as well those that I complimented.  

 

Those that get compliment are called to the front of the room at Staff meeting and are recognized.  They usually receive something -  Store Credit, Extra time off, Free Internet minutes etc.  The often also often receive a lottery ticket for a staff lottery they have aboard.   I know one Assistant Waiter that won an iPhone. 

 

The Staff members have also thanked us and said it also really helps them with their career growth.

[Honolulu Blue]

50 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

We always leave positive reviews at the 1/2 way point of our cruise.   I've heard back from the Hotel Director as well those that I complimented.  

I'm curious... how do you do this?  I've never received a cruise line survey any earlier than the morning of disembarkation.  Do you go down to Guest Services or the Hotel Director's office and demand a review be given or sent to you then and there, or do you verbally give your compliments to someone in charge?  Either way it seems extraordinary and I can't think of too many cruise ship crew members who would have deserved that sort of effort from me.

 

Thanks in advance for the enlightenment. 👍

[ldubs]

On 5/3/2024 at 2:30 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

My understanding is that positive remarks left for crew can result in helping them elevate through the ranks via promotions and greater responsibility/pay.  It should also be noted that positive remarks that do not accompany a 10 rating does the reverse.  We had a great room attendant on Ascent and I wanted to make sure she was recognized.  She explained that if there was anything about the experience that was less than a 10 rating, it would impact negatively, even if my remarks were positive.  I have also learned that most Celebrity crew are quite tight lipped on specifics such as perks and awards from the company.

 

The part above in bold -- I wonder if that is in response to passenger complaints about staff pestering them for good ratings.   I have not been on Celebrity since before the Pandemic.  It was  pretty widespread back then. Not sure about now.   

[ldubs]

Just give everyone a 10.  They probably all deserve it.  

[mahasamatman]

I don't do the surveys because of this "less than 10 is garbage" approach.

[Liao]

45 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

I'm curious... how do you do this?  I've never received a cruise line survey any earlier than the morning of disembarkation.  Do you go down to Guest Services or the Hotel Director's office and demand a review be given or sent to you then and there, or do you verbally give your compliments to someone in charge?  Either way it seems extraordinary and I can't think of too many cruise ship crew members who would have deserved that sort of effort from me.

 

Thanks in advance for the enlightenment. 👍

I've always received a mid-cruise survey, which I always complete and then do so again after the final survey.  There really is nothing to "demand" and I don't think there is anything extraordinary about it.

[prmssk]

1 hour ago, Honolulu Blue said:

I'm curious... how do you do this?  I've never received a cruise line survey any earlier than the morning of disembarkation.  Do you go down to Guest Services or the Hotel Director's office and demand a review be given or sent to you then and there, or do you verbally give your compliments to someone in charge?  Either way it seems extraordinary and I can't think of too many cruise ship crew members who would have deserved that sort of effort from me.

 

Thanks in advance for the enlightenment. 👍

There is usually a QR code in the daily planner part way through the cruise.   We have done this a few times.  Once, we even received a few chocolates in our cabin for taking the time to leave a comment. 

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, Liao said:

I've always received a mid-cruise survey, which I always complete and then do so again after the final survey.  There really is nothing to "demand" and I don't think there is anything extraordinary about it.

It's extraordinary to me because I've never, ever received a mid-cruise survey on any of my cruises.  Though, in thinking about things more thoroughly, I've only done two "regular" cruises on Celebrity and three charters.  Perhaps the survey request process is different on the charters.

 

Thanks for the feedback.  Perhaps if and when I get back on a Celebrity ship, I'll be deemed worthy of giving my views mid-cruise.  🤷‍♀️

[Honolulu Blue]

43 minutes ago, prmssk said:

There is usually a QR code in the daily planner part way through the cruise.   We have done this a few times.  Once, we even received a few chocolates in our cabin for taking the time to leave a comment. 

Interesting.  Thanks.  I'll have to go through my old newsletters to see if they solicited me.  It's very possible I missed these.