1st time cruiser back from the summit--my impressions

[CAPRI]

:o :o Hi Lois, I'll try to give you a bit more detail as you've asked.

I should say that perhaps this is just something that I'm more sensitive to than most people and maybe notice more than some others would.

My professional background is in travel (not an agent) and I have spent a great deal of time on board cruise ships for work (no large capacity ships or mass market lines, just small ships) so I have lived a different kind of life on board in the past, sort of the behind the scenes sort.

Dealing with the public, with grace and patience is definately a skill, but one we come to expect from a certain type of resort or property ( or cruise ship). No matter how much grace and professionalism is displayed to a guest in public, it is only normal than in private, employees will let their guard down and vent a little. This is how one maintains the ability to be so professional during all those "on " hours. Im sure everyone knows this already.

Like an audience at a performance or play, we dont much like it when the 4th wall is broken, such as when a character addresses the audience directly. Generally, staff at upscale properties do a great job "staying in character". When they are tired or grumpy, they still put on a smile and greet a guest when their paths cross. When they are frustrated about a demanding guest, they usually dont let on in front of other guests, or generalize about all guests in a nasty way ( tho they might do this in private with other employees to vent, which would be understandable)

 

So I just felt like the 4th wall was broken a lot on this cruise. Perhaps I'm overly sensitive to this issue, and maybe projecting something onto some crew or officers. Perhaps they are extremely reserved in some cases, and I mistook that for extreme unfriendliness.

For encounters that involved me personally, the negative was limited to what I would classify as unfriendliness, or a certain tone of voice when a question was asked etc, lack of any greeting when in certain situations where one might expect one etc.

However, in more than a few instances, when observing staff ( not waiters or stewards) interacting with guests, I noticed sighing, sarcasm,subtle eye rolling etc. In none of these situations were the guests doing anything to warrent this. My perception (and I could be mistaken) is that some level of burn out is present in certain staff members (this has to happen given the long contracts) but that for whatever reason, some staff do not feel the need to hide this from guests. Generally management of most upscale properties would do whatever is necessary to keep these kinds of behaviors to a minimum.

 

Of these mild eye rolling or widening, strained comments to a guest, or "fresh " comments from one staff member to another when guests could overhear, I noticed them daily.

 

There were a few incidents that went a bit further. A young staff member manning the tender ticket desk grew more and more "stressed out" and became very "brittle" with more than a few guests, then downright snappish at a woman who found herself in a bind regarding a non ship sponsored shore excursion. The woman was quite meek when she asked if she would make her excursion, and was treated horribly by this young woman. The staff memeber went on much longer than necessary in not only pointing out that this was what happens when you dont book on board, but she almost seemed to take pleasure in telling the woman that she should have known better and she would miss her excursion for sure. She then dismissed the lady with a wave of her hand telling her she had many other things to deal with. (the lady was approaching the tender desk at 10.20am for an excursion leaving dock at 11.15) Isolated incident , but showed me a need for better training, or better vetting of employees chosen for high stress contact with large numbers of guests.

 

I was at the front desk dealing with a seemingly polite young woman when the guest next to me was making her own inquiry of the second desk attendant. This guest was not a problem, however, she was a bit "ditsy" and wasnt understanding the explaination (regarding charging tips to ones shipboard account) given by the staff member. Said staff member turned to mine, and quite obviously rolled her eyes. There was a loud sigh, and a re explaination , this time in a "special" tone. A male staff member walked behind the desk , put his head near the lady helping me, and said "aren't there any smart ones from Texas?" He spoke loudly enough for me to hear easily. The lady helping me laughed out loud and said something back to him, and he then replied and they laughed a bit longer. Given the exact nature of the woman and the situation, this behavior was not ok at all. To me , from my background, I thought it spoke volumes about these staff member's supervisor, what he or she communicated to them as acceptable professional demeanor towards guests, especially those not posing any challenge at all, just existing.

 

There were other moments that surprised me,some of these involved members of the ship's entertainment. Nothing awful, just loud gossip and bad mouthing , easily within earshot of guests while on excursions together, in the tender, and up at the buffet late at night. This stuff may be harder to control, as the two entertainers I saw this happen with a few times, were outside entertainers, not ship employees. Its just than given the context that I described above, and more little incidents that are just that, little incidents when taken alone, for me, it all added up to , in my mind, a possibility of a staff/management "issue".

 

Im really sorry to be so long winded in my explaination, I guess I just didnt want to get flamed for being harsh or picky or jumping to conclusions. So I tried to give lots details that would explain why I had this fairly negative impression of some of the senior crew/staff on board.

Having lived the behind-the-scenes life on board ships, when I'm a paying passenger I really need for the illusion to be kept up lol; if I'm reminded too often of what a drag long contracts and dealing with the public can be, and how its not really a "pleasure to serve you" ,well it spoils the illusion in a hurry. Just something that management should look into and make some adjustments to, for otherwise from a service perspective I have zero complaints. (cabin steward, waiters, barmen, spa and salon staff all great)

 

Cheers

Lisa

[skandls]

Thanks for the comments. We are on the Constellation June 30. I am pretty observant so I will be watching to see if this type of attitude occurs on our cruise. You are so correct about staff in 'resort' situation - they should handle themselves proffessionally whenever in view or hearing range of the property's guests.

 

I hope you write to Celebrity and inform them of this behavior. You may not have names - but the powers that be should be aware this type of thing. I don't expect the upbeat 'hi all' atmosphere that is characteristic of Royal Caribbean. But I also don't think its appropriate for staff to make comments about passengers when other passengers can hear.

[Drew B]

My cruise on the Summit was over a year ago, but I saw some of the behavior Lisa mentioned. However, in the cases I saw, it was fully justified. A large group of passengers on my cruise became highly belligerent out of frustration over itinerary changes caused by pod problems. I was amazed by the patience exhibited by most of the crew given some of the rudeness and hostility of the guests (their problem was with corporate - why take it out on people on the ship who have no ability to fix it?). I will say, however, that the Cruise Director was too smug and condescending for my taste...

 

As for the food, it's not the best food I've ever had, but it's a heck of a lot better than what I get on a day-to-day basis, and it's more than worth the price we pay. On land, this food would probably cost as much as we pay per diem for everything.

 

The buffet is a write-off, but I've almost never had any buffet food ANYWHERE that I've liked... Fortunately, it is easy (particularly on an M-Class ship) to avoid EVER eating at the buffet. Go to the dining room or the aqua spa cafe - it's a million times better.

[Coolcruise02]

As for the food on board- I agree with many of your statements. The hype over the Celebrity food is a bit overblown. It is good food but nothing to write home about. It is uninspired and the desserts are "blah". But the overall cruise experience is wonderful in my view.

 

I AGREE! We had great cruises on the Century and Summit but boy were we bashed when we wrote our review about the food/service being on par with the other cruise lines we had been on. We had been led to believe from reading these boards how "outstanding" , "wonderful" and well above other cruise lines the food and service was. It just didn't live up to all the hype!

[Lois R]

Hi,:) thank you for the detailed explanation.

I cannot say I have heard Guest Services talk about others

that way but I do agree with you on something.....it is definitely

inappropriate:eek:

I would have to have been there to feel the vibe, but if you

felt strongly, you could have requested a meeting with the

Hotel Manger. You know on the ships that is where the buck

stops when it pertains to staff and crew.

I have met a few Hotel Mgrs in the past and they are usually quite receptive.

And of course I would not bring it up in a Public Area, but in his office or somewhere

out of the staff's ears.

I am not critisizing your feelings, actually I think you are correct.

Definitely sounds like the front desk was being very unprofessional.

 

And as for Ms Excursion, that was totally out of line! They would have been called

aside and spoken to.....calmly and firmly.

 

Sorry you had such a weird experience:(

[sunspot49]

Thank you for your detailed comments. Unfortunately, I find that kind of behavior very disturbing on any cruiseline. Celebrity is known for its food & service and the behavior you described is unacceptable. I agree with Lois that the hotel director would have been the person to see. We will be on the Summit in July and I'm hoping the reviews get better before then because they have been mediocre for the most part. Is there anyone out there who has more positive recent reviews of the Summit? ;)

[CAPRI]

Hi Lois, thanks for your feedback. I do agree with you that what I observed during the cruise does need to be shared with those at Celebrity/RCI who can use the information to make improvements. I am planning to write a letter and share this information. I hate to admit it, but since I wasnt on the receiving end of any downright rude treatment, just witness to what I described above, the fires are not really burning in me to prioritize a letter yet. I really owe it to the company tho to do so, I can see that, to give them a chance to help their staff work more professionally. I'd better do it soon, as I tend to be a procrastinator.

 

You know, something you pointed out to me made me think a bit. You suggested paying a visit to the Hotel Manager *during * the cruise, to share these observations in person. I think that is really good advice. I will admit to you why I did not, just because I think it is interesting from a psychological point of view, and I wonder if anyone else has ever felt this way.

I am a very petite woman, who looks young for her age ( I'm 37). When I'm working, the way I dress, apply my make up and style my hair, as well as the way I carry myself, goes a long way in supporting my credibility, if you know what I mean. I have found that when I am dealing with professional men, especially of European background, it is easy for me to feel that I'm understood and my concerns awknowledged by them if I present myself in this manner, both physically and with my body language.

When I , for whatever reason , dont feel this self confidence, Im actually intimidated to initiate a discussion or meeting like the one I would have had to have while on board. One of the reasons for my lack of self confidence at that moment was that I was in "Alaska vacation mode" wearing jeans and sweatshirt, no make up, hair in ponytail. Of course I looked great on formal nights etc, I just didnt look so professional during the day when I was hiking etc. For many this wouldn't pose even the slightest impediment to a meeting with the Hotel Manager, but for me, I personally would have felt very self conscious, very lowly or something like that, and perhaps would have perceived the Hotel Managers reactions through that filter. I might have left the office feeling more negatively than upon entering. Especially since there is no way of knowing how much of the problem the hotel manager may or may not already be aware of.

So that's the reason I said nothing during the cruise, definately my own issues, but I personally have better success in situations like this when I'm dressed the part and feeling confident.

 

~ just a side note, just finished printing some photos of the trip, and I'm wistful already. I hope I did enough to enjoy myself to the fullest while on board, since reality has certainly hit me first thing this Monday morning.:D

15 days aboard Summit over the holidays is having a better and better ring to it now that I'm home remembering those waffles and almond croissants! No matter what awaits me on that cruise, I will try to remind myself to enjoy each and every moment to the fullest, and allow nothing, truly nothing, to mar a wonderful vacation.

 

Cheers

Lisa

[Lois R]

Hi:) I would go with a positive attitude no matter what

the reviews have said;) but that is just me.

 

I know there have been sailings I have been on that were

wonderful, but upon returning home read a review by another

cruiser who was on the same cruise, and they said they

would never sail on a Celebrity ship again.

So truely, every cruise has different view points~hopefully

your cruise will be a great one:D

[flag fan]

Capri -- An interesting point regarding being dressed a certain way in order to feel confident enough to complain. Although I have not given it much thought (and I'm not a petite 30something woman), looking back on my past behaviour I too have let things slide when I was feeling self-conscious about my looks. When dealing with a professional on a business matter, one just doesn't feel right (or as confident) if dressed very casually. Good observation.

[smattapup]

First off, people on Boards can slam you all they want, it does you no harm!

 

Second, I invite you all to share our experiences on the May 25-June 1 Summit Alaska trip at:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=29535

 

I sent a copy of this to the good folks at RCCL and they took it seriously enough that they have contacted me to discuss it further.

 

To all of you who had a great time on this cruise....well, great! You worked hard for your vacation and you deserved the time you had.

 

To all of you who had maybe NOT such a great time....no, you're not imagining things.

 

To all who wish to slam us for the review....do your worst!

[Lois R]

I read your review~sorry there wasn't anything about the

cruise you enjoyed:( :eek: :confused: sounds like you were unhappy

for the entire time.

 

If you decide to crusie again, hopefully you will find a line

that suits you better.

 

No slamming here, just quite surprised~I have sailed SUMMIT

and had a wonderful time, along with 10 other cruises on X.

[Nancyquilts]

From your point of view, I guess you thought you had problems that were Xs fault - they wouldn't have bothered me - but then we never take ship's shore excursions. Things happen - either on the ship or at home. I'm sorry you didn't have a good time.

We enjoyed our trip on the Alcan Highway in 1960 - it's paved now, but even driving in the mud and dust, we had a good time then. (but it is loooooooong). Try it, you may like it. Nancy

[CaliforniaDreamin]

First off, people on Boards can slam you all they want, it does you no harm!

 

Second, I invite you all to share our experiences on the May 25-June 1 Summit Alaska trip at:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=29535

 

 

FYI. The 2 hot tubs by the Thalassotherapy pool and the T-pool itself are free to all passengers 18 yrs and over on Millennium class ships (Millennium, Infinity, Summit, Constellation). I know, I use them a lot. There also is a free steam sauna in the women's and men's locker rooms.

[MortgageChick]

My first X cruise was on Mercury. Thought I died and went to heaven. Food , service everything as close to perfect as you could imagine(and we were in an inside on that cruise) This was my 13th cruise overall.

 

Spent 14 days on Summit in 2005 onthe Alaska Repo and found the food and service to be lacking by comparison to Mercury.

 

Tried Galaxy for New Years 2005 and while better than Summit, could not measure up to Mercury.

 

I have been on 18 cruises and not sure even going back on Mercury would give me as good an experience. Maybe we just got lucky.

 

We gravitated to RCL now and I find the food very good, just don't care for the extra passengers they cram on . Tried Princess last month, food good, but too many people and children. Maybe we need to go back to HAL. I don't know, or maybe a break!!LOL

[Drew B]

There also is a free steam sauna in the women's and men's locker rooms.

 

 

There is a free dry sauna in the men's locker room, but NOT a steam room. For steam, I believe men would need to do the Persian Gardens for a price. I'm not sure about the women's locker room...

[CAPRI]

There is a dry sauna only in the womens.....same as the mens. The window in there is so beautiful, very relaxing.