Guest Satisfactory Survey at the end of the cruise

[madforcruising]

I know how important the guest satisfactory survey you fill out at the end of the cruise is for the service crew. However I´m always a little disturbed about one thing.

The last or last but one night the waiter usually stresses about his ratings and which points of the survey belong to him/her.

 

They always point out that the point about "Food Taste" is one belonging to their duty. I don´t think this is fair. The waiters don´t prepare and cook the food, so why are they rated for the food taste? This should go to the rating of the Chef and his Galey team and not to the wait team.

 

What do you think? Any insights on this?

[nrh322]

The waiter/waitress doesn't cook the food, but they are supposed to ensure that it is cooked to your satisfaction, that you have everything that you need to enjoy it, that you receive what you ordered, etc. They are the liason between the diner and the rest of the kitchen staff and the kitchen staff can't do their job properly if the wait staff doesn't do theirs. For example: Who do you fault if your perfectly cooked steak becomes somewhat overdone from sitting under a heat lamp while your waiter/waitress is chatting at the drink station? Is that the chef's fault? Certainly not. Granted, this works from both sides and there is nothing a good wait staff can do to better a poor kitchen.

[AFT_LOVER]

We have had some very bad waiters. At breakfast when you ask for a table for 2 & get a table for 10, then you order over medium eggs with candian bacon & get scrambled with sausage. You then state that this isn't my order & repeat order & get the disgusting look from him.

 

Then on Brilliance with a week at sea before the first port, lunch menu us identical on all day. Top item was Chicken & Shrimp with blue cheese dressing to dip checken tenders in & cocktail sauce for shrimp. When served no cocktail sauce on any of the 6 days & ranch dressing not blue cheese for chicken. SO I asked for BBQ & was told they didn't make it for lunch just dinner. Then I tell him to get the menu & read my order to me. Again I asked where the shrimp's cocktail sauce is & the dipping sauce as advertised for the chicken. He gets his Head Waiter to tell me that what is printed is for all ships not just Brilliance. Again even tea is not delivered in the box for you to choose, that is only at dinner I am told. So next day I order EARL GREY tea & get regular Lipton orange pekoe yuk.

[phoenix1181]

Macop,

 

I realize you've been posting here for a long time but I have to ask........... Have you ever been on a cruise you enjoyed? All your posts are so negative that I have to wonder why you keep cruising?

[phoenix1181]

Double Post

[madforcruising]

The waiter/waitress doesn't cook the food, but they are supposed to ensure that it is cooked to your satisfaction, that you have everything that you need to enjoy it, that you receive what you ordered, etc. They are the liason between the diner and the rest of the kitchen staff and the kitchen staff can't do their job properly if the wait staff doesn't do theirs. For example: Who do you fault if your perfectly cooked steak becomes somewhat overdone from sitting under a heat lamp while your waiter/waitress is chatting at the drink station? Is that the chef's fault? Certainly not. Granted, this works from both sides and there is nothing a good wait staff can do to better a poor kitchen.

 

 

You bring up some valid points and I see it´s not a one way street, however I think the "Taste" of the food is more related to the chef than the waiter. I see how the waiters might be able to influence it. However with Taste I personally relate things like spice, salt and such. This is again in my opinion more related to the chef than the waiter.

 

To answer your question about the steak sitting under the heat lamp.... to be honest before you described the scenario I would have always blamed the chef for the not cooked to order steak. Maybe I have to change my mind about this.

 

But I still think Food Taste shouldn´t rate the waiter as he´s at best partly responsible for this. If the chef oversalts the soup there´s nothing he can do.

 

Thanks for your input.

[madforcruising]

We have had some very bad waiters. At breakfast when you ask for a table for 2 & get a table for 10, then you order over medium eggs with candian bacon & get scrambled with sausage. You then state that this isn't my order & repeat order & get the disgusting look from him.

 

Then on Brilliance with a week at sea before the first port, lunch menu us identical on all day. Top item was Chicken & Shrimp with blue cheese dressing to dip checken tenders in & cocktail sauce for shrimp. When served no cocktail sauce on any of the 6 days & ranch dressing not blue cheese for chicken. SO I asked for BBQ & was told they didn't make it for lunch just dinner. Then I tell him to get the menu & read my order to me. Again I asked where the shrimp's cocktail sauce is & the dipping sauce as advertised for the chicken. He gets his Head Waiter to tell me that what is printed is for all ships not just Brilliance. Again even tea is not delivered in the box for you to choose, that is only at dinner I am told. So next day I order EARL GREY tea & get regular Lipton orange pekoe yuk.

 

 

And this relates the least bit to my post about Food Taste and rating the waiters for this???

BTW your rates for the Dining room staff on the guest satisfactory survey is for dinner only as you have different waiters at lunch and breakfast. So your ranting about Lunch and Breakfast service in the Dining Room is totally OT.

[nrh322]

You bring up some valid points and I see it´s not a one way street, however I think the "Taste" of the food is more related to the chef than the waiter. I see how the waiters might be able to influence it. However with Taste I personally relate things like spice, salt and such. This is again in my opinion more related to the chef than the waiter.

 

To answer your question about the steak sitting under the heat lamp.... to be honest before you described the scenario I would have always blamed the chef for the not cooked to order steak. Maybe I have to change my mind about this.

 

But I still think Food Taste shouldn´t rate the waiter as he´s at best partly responsible for this. If the chef oversalts the soup there´s nothing he can do.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

If the chef oversalts the soup, and you feel comfortable enough with your waiter to mention it to him/her (and it's their responsibility to make sure that you do feel that comfortable vs. nervous that they'll be annoyed with you for complaining), then it still your waiter's responsibility to serve as your liason with the chef. They MUST communicate that the food was not satisfactory and do everything within their power to obtain a satisfactory replacement. If no such replacement is available (i.e. the chef thinks his salty soup is perfectly seasoned), the waiter should have a representative of the kitchen staff... the chef, a sous chef, or a kitchen manager, come to your table to apologize for the situation. One way or another, your waiter has not done his/her job until your meal is satisfactory or until the person responsible for preparing it has personally explained to you why it isn't.

[madforcruising]

If the chef oversalts the soup, and you feel comfortable enough with your waiter to mention it to him/her (and it's their responsibility to make sure that you do feel that comfortable vs. nervous that they'll be annoyed with you for complaining), then it still your waiter's responsibility to serve as your liason with the chef. They MUST communicate that the food was not satisfactory and do everything within their power to obtain a satisfactory replacement. If no such replacement is available (i.e. the chef thinks his salty soup is perfectly seasoned), the waiter should have a representative of the kitchen staff... the chef, a sous chef, or a kitchen manager, come to your table to apologize for the situation. One way or another, your waiter has not done his/her job until your meal is satisfactory or until the person responsible for preparing it has personally explained to you why it isn't.

 

I can see this happening in a restaurant, but don´t really think it´s the same situation on a cruise ship with 2000 - 3000+ guests being served in two seatings.

I appreciate your input on this and it sure added a different perspective to my thoughts. But I still feel it´s a bit unfair to give this rate to the waiter. (Not saying I´m correct with my opinion, it´s just that an personal opinion):)

[nrh322]

We have had some very bad waiters. At breakfast when you ask for a table for 2 & get a table for 10, then you order over medium eggs with candian bacon & get scrambled with sausage. You then state that this isn't my order & repeat order & get the disgusting look from him.

 

Then on Brilliance with a week at sea before the first port, lunch menu us identical on all day. Top item was Chicken & Shrimp with blue cheese dressing to dip checken tenders in & cocktail sauce for shrimp. When served no cocktail sauce on any of the 6 days & ranch dressing not blue cheese for chicken. SO I asked for BBQ & was told they didn't make it for lunch just dinner. Then I tell him to get the menu & read my order to me. Again I asked where the shrimp's cocktail sauce is & the dipping sauce as advertised for the chicken. He gets his Head Waiter to tell me that what is printed is for all ships not just Brilliance. Again even tea is not delivered in the box for you to choose, that is only at dinner I am told. So next day I order EARL GREY tea & get regular Lipton orange pekoe yuk.

 

 

Macop...

 

May I be so bold as to suggest an experiment? If you have never worked in the food service industry (and from your lack of patience with your inexperienced wait staff, I assume you haven't), please skip your next cruise in lieu of one of the Travel Channel style working vacations. Go to your nearest neighborhood restaurant and volunteer to work there... for tips only... for a week. I promise you that it will change your whole outlook. From that point on, you will have a whole new appreciation of the hard work that it takes to bring a meal to your table in a restaurant - even when mistakes are made. It will make your food taste better... your smile brighter... and your tips bigger.

 

On the other hand, if you did, like some of us, work as a waitress to put yourself through school... and have simply forgotten what it's like to be on the other side of things... please try to remember how hard it was and have some patience. The staff on cruise ships has the added difficulties of being away from their friends, families, countries for months at a time... add to that very low pay, cramped quarters that would make the lowest budget inside stateroom seem palatial, long hours, ultra-demanding guests and so on. When you think of all that, a cup of the wrong type of tea hardly seems like something to get upset about? A simple, "I'm sorry. I know you're really busy, but, this isn't what I asked for... would you mind getting me ____ when you have a spare minute?"... does a world of good... for you and them.

 

Just a thought... you might try it some time. It might help you enjoy your vacation a little more.

[nrh322]

I can see this happening in a restaurant, but don´t really think it´s the same situation on a cruise ship with 2000 - 3000+ guests being served in two seatings.

I appreciate your input on this and it sure added a different perspective to my thoughts. But I still feel it´s a bit unfair to give this rate to the waiter. (Not saying I´m correct with my opinion, it´s just that an personal opinion):)

 

 

Even on a cruise ship... with all the guests and such, the wait staff is split up into stations. That's why you have the same waiter every evening and they get to know your drink preferences and such. It actually makes their job much easier than in a restaurant. They have a limited number of tables per waiter with assistant waiters and bussers, etc. There is also a perfectly HUGE kitchen staff. Things should operate very much like in a land-based restaurant... if anything on a much more efficient scale. There is no reason that you shouldn't be able to have your waiter bring out a member of the kitchen staff for you to speak with if a menu item can't be replaced with something satisfactory. In the case of the salty soup... this is something that often happens when the soup is left on too long and boils down. On a cruise ship.. they should easily be able to replace it (or dilute it with more stock). Things that come down to personal taste are harder to deal with. Everyone has their own palatte. One way or another, it's your wait staff's job to make sure that you're happy at the end of your meal. Granted, there are some people that can NEVER be satisfied. That's when they start the eye rolls :rolleyes: and the spitting! ;)

 

 

I have gotten off-topic though... I regards to your original question. If the issue that you have on your survey is in regards to "taste" vs. "service", I would mark all 5s or stars or whatever the highest marks are with that one exception... then make sure to add a COMMENT that the "taste" category in no way reflected on your server. If you aren't sure that this won't negatively affect them, I'd ask them directly. There might be another place to fill out a comment card specific to the kitchen and the food.

[madforcruising]

Granted, there are some people that can NEVER be satisfied. That's when they start the eye rolls :rolleyes: and the spitting! ;)

 

:eek: :eek: Thanks for the reminder to always treat the wait staff with respect, not that I wouldn´t do that anyway;)

[nrh322]

:eek: :eek: Thanks for the reminder to always treat the wait staff with respect, not that I wouldn´t do that anyway;)

 

 

I'm sure that you wouldn't have asked your original question if you needed a reminder. Others here... on the other hand. :mad:

 

IMHO... there are people that simply should not be allowed to go out to eat without having to go through some sort of intensive boot camp to see what it's like to be on the "other side of the table"... :D

[daisysheridan]

...The staff on cruise ships has the added difficulties of being away from their friends, families, countries for months at a time... add to that very low pay, cramped quarters that would make the lowest budget inside stateroom seem palatial, long hours, ultra-demanding guests and so on. ...

 

I agreen 100%...but also remember, they are there by choice.

[daisysheridan]

...IMHO... there are people that simply should not be allowed to go out to eat without having to go through some sort of intensive boot camp to see what it's like to be on the "other side of the table"...

 

I am so thankfull that I have NEVER had to serve food to people for a living! I just can't imagine what they have to go through with some people. For that reason I make sure I am ALWAYS nice to them and have the "please", "when you have time" and "thank you's" free flowing!

[Merion_Mom]

Macop...

 

May I be so bold as to suggest an experiment? If you have never worked in the food service industry (and from your lack of patience with your inexperienced wait staff, I assume you haven't), please skip your next cruise in lieu of one of the Travel Channel style working vacations. Go to your nearest neighborhood restaurant and volunteer to work there... for tips only... for a week. I promise you that it will change your whole outlook. From that point on, you will have a whole new appreciation of the hard work that it takes to bring a meal to your table in a restaurant - even when mistakes are made. It will make your food taste better... your smile brighter... and your tips bigger.

 

On the other hand, if you did, like some of us, work as a waitress to put yourself through school... and have simply forgotten what it's like to be on the other side of things... please try to remember how hard it was and have some patience. The staff on cruise ships has the added difficulties of being away from their friends, families, countries for months at a time... add to that very low pay, cramped quarters that would make the lowest budget inside stateroom seem palatial, long hours, ultra-demanding guests and so on. When you think of all that, a cup of the wrong type of tea hardly seems like something to get upset about? A simple, "I'm sorry. I know you're really busy, but, this isn't what I asked for... would you mind getting me ____ when you have a spare minute?"... does a world of good... for you and them.

 

Just a thought... you might try it some time. It might help you enjoy your vacation a little more.

nrh, I think that I just fell in love with you! ;)

[pamelacourson]

that is absolutely true, they don t cook it but they get fully responsability off it, they don t have other choice than explain it that way, because they will pay the concecuencess of a good a fair and the worst cases a poor in which they will loose their stations and work for free 14 hours daily the whole week.

In this particular case RCCL , is horrible with the dinning room staff, and i know it because my daughter used to work in Voyager of the seas as Cruise staff, and she told me terrible things about poor guys in dinning room.

[pamelacourson]

totally agree with you, i hope everybody will think a little bit more like you, will make the life of these poor kids much more easier and less painfull.

[pamelacourson]

I agreen 100%...but also remember, they are there by choice.

even though they are there by choice, who doesnt in life for everything......doesn t mean they have to live like in a concentration camp, go to any restaurant in the USA, and you are lucky if they don t throw the menu to you, some of these people speak 4 -5 languages and are professional and have university studies but their contries are suffering economical crisis, most of these people are more educated than most of us.

[MLBFan24]

I once tore a new a-- for the Disney chefs for including too many chilled soups on their menus...

 

I really hate chilled soups :mad:

 

 

haha

[pamelacourson]

You bring up some valid points and I see it´s not a one way street, however I think the "Taste" of the food is more related to the chef than the waiter. I see how the waiters might be able to influence it. However with Taste I personally relate things like spice, salt and such. This is again in my opinion more related to the chef than the waiter.

 

To answer your question about the steak sitting under the heat lamp.... to be honest before you described the scenario I would have always blamed the chef for the not cooked to order steak. Maybe I have to change my mind about this.

 

But I still think Food Taste shouldn´t rate the waiter as he´s at best partly responsible for this. If the chef oversalts the soup there´s nothing he can do.

 

Thanks for your input.

that would maybe be valid in a restaurant on land, on the ship, they don t just wait for ONE steak, if the steak has to stay under the heating land for a while is because the waiter is struggling in the line, loading those big trays with 16 maincourses, again some people don t realize that the waiters are bringing out sometimes up to 24 maincourses, because some people order even 3 each, the guy is inside looking for your food, NOT CHATTING IN THE DRINK STATION.

[Mrsg324]

I've never worked in the food industry & I don't see how some of you can do it with ungrateful customers.

I have never had bad service on a cruise, sure some is better than others but never anything to complain about;.

I've also never had a waiter point out sections of the surveys to fill out.

[Napi's Mom]

I know how important the guest satisfactory survey you fill out at the end of the cruise is for the service crew. However I´m always a little disturbed about one thing.

The last or last but one night the waiter usually stresses about his ratings and which points of the survey belong to him/her.

 

They always point out that the point about "Food Taste" is one belonging to their duty. I don´t think this is fair. The waiters don´t prepare and cook the food, so why are they rated for the food taste? This should go to the rating of the Chef and his Galey team and not to the wait team.

 

What do you think? Any insights on this?

When on our only other RCCL cruise in 1998 we also asked this question, as the food was very "indifferent", not really BAD but not what we expected for a cruise (Only our 2nd. first was with Celebrity pre merger). All our table agreed, got the same stuff from waiter! BUT What I can't believe is that RCCL is still making passengers fill out these surveys!!!! Since that time we've sailed on...HAL twice, the mow defunct Rennaisance twice, and Oceania once. On NONE of these ships were we required to do this grading of people. We ran into several crew members from that RCCL cruise that were now on the RENN. and then HAL. They were ALL far happier with these other lines, and we discovered that Happy crew make for efficent and helpful crew ! On our Oceania cruise last fall ALL the crew were cheerful (really not just faking it in front of passengers!!) whistling and singing as they worked when not aware of your presence. Service was great, as all knew with the "one tip covers all" policy that they would get their share regardless of any rating forced on passengers. We certainly didn't rate the food on that RCCL cruise as badly as it deserved because of that pitiful speech from our waiter. This IS NOT FAIR to the passenger!:(

We are signed onto a trans Atlantic in 2008 on Navigator, but I've been questioning my decision for some time because of the things I read here!

 

[Merion_Mom]

When on our only other RCCL cruise in 1998 we also asked this question' date=' as the food was very "indifferent", not really BAD but not what we expected for a cruise (Only our 2nd. first was with Celebrity pre merger). All our table agreed, got the same stuff from waiter! BUT What I can't believe is that RCCL is still making passengers fill out these surveys!!!! Since that time we've sailed on...HAL twice, the mow defunct Rennaisance twice, and Oceania once. On NONE of these ships were we required to do this grading of people. We ran into several crew members from that RCCL cruise that were now on the RENN. and then HAL. They were ALL far happier with these other lines, and we discovered that Happy crew make for efficent and helpful crew ! On our Oceania cruise last fall ALL the crew were cheerful ([u']really[/u] not just faking it in front of passengers!!) whistling and singing as they worked when not aware of your presence.

 

Service was great, as all knew with the "one tip covers all" policy that they would get their share regardless of any rating forced on passengers. We certainly didn't rate the food on that RCCL cruise as badly as it deserved because of that pitiful speech from our waiter. This IS NOT FAIR to the passenger!:(

 

 

We are signed onto a trans Atlantic in 2008 on Navigator, but I've been questioning my decision for some time because of the things I read here!

 

The guest satisfaction survey does not determine tips. Only the passengers themselves can decide how much to give to their servers and attendants. You seem to be somewhat confused about this.

 

I have always found RC personnel to be cheerful and helpful, "even when no one was watching". :)

[zebra36]

There generally seems to be a big push to rate EVERYTHING as excellent and you hear that word overused during the cruise. I believe that in general cruises offer an excellent value but I would be hard pressed to say that for all of the categories listed on these surveys excellent is the correct choice. Also have had waiters practically beg to get excellent ratings and some do get a bit pushy about it. For what I pay I just expect competent service.