Anyone worried about service quality declining?

[deepoz]

With all the 2 for 1 deals and other discounts being offered in the river cruise area, is anyone else worried that we might see a real cutback in the quality of services onboard? These companies are not getting the top dollar they normally receive so they will need to cut their expenses somewhere. Are we going to see less food, poorer quality, fewer choices in the diningroom, not to mention fewer wait staff, cleaning crew, etc.

Any thoughts?

[npphotog]

I wonder if the two for one deals are for real. I think you have to read them real close. I could be wrong in this thinking. Check last years rates or even two years ago - they seem higher this year before the discount.

[letsgo39]

No,not worried at all.

 

They still must compete with each other.I thought they were over priced to begin with. There has always been last minute deals offered,nothing new there.Viking has always had their 2 for 1 offers but this is the first time that Avalon has offered 2 for 1.

[steamer61]

you are right, Viking always had the 2 for 1 deals - however their base price was also almost twice as much as what the other lines charged. For example: Viking Grand European Tour in July - base price $ 7899; AMA Waterways comparable Magnificient Europe cruise in July - base price $ 4499. Viking's 2 for 1 deals are just a gimmick. In the end they really only adjusted their prices to a realistic level. By the way, I saw some interesting offers in the newsletter of Dunnhill Vacation news. http://www.dunhillvacationnews.com

[WIT]

I have been on four river cruises since 2006: Budapest->Prague 12/06; Chongqing ->Shanghai 4/07; Budapest ->Istanbul 10/07; and Amsterdam ->Paris 12/08. While the food remained generally good, I found that fewer staff in both the dining room and the lounge made service decline during the last cruise. To be fair, first-time cruisers on that cruise posted here on CC that everything was wonderful.

 

WIT

[Chesie]

you are right, Viking always had the 2 for 1 deals - however their base price was also almost twice as much as what the other lines charged. For example: Viking Grand European Tour in July - base price $ 7899; AMA Waterways comparable Magnificient Europe cruise in July - base price $ 4499. Viking's 2 for 1 deals are just a gimmick. In the end they really only adjusted their prices to a realistic level. By the way, I saw some interesting offers in the newsletter of Dunnhill Vacation news. www.dunhillvacationnews.com

 

So true. I mentioned this on another thread going on now. We sailed with AMA in 2006 and wanted to do another next year and thought we would try Viking. NOT!

[AZPam]

I have been on four river cruises since 2006: Budapest->Prague 12/06; Chongqing ->Shanghai 4/07; Budapest ->Istanbul 10/07; and Amsterdam ->Paris 12/08. While the food remained generally good, I found that fewer staff in both the dining room and the lounge made service decline during the last cruise. To be fair, first-time cruisers on that cruise posted here on CC that everything was wonderful.

 

WIT

 

While I have only been on 2 river cruises, they were 3 years apart and we could also tell a difference in the service. While it was still good, it was noticable that there were less doing the same amount of work. But isn't that the way it is within all of corporate America now? I know that's how my own husband's job is. He is now expected to do a job that once had 3 people covering the same scope.

[pier]

I think the cruise lines are being squeezed. We recently returned from a Grand Circle river cruise in the Netherlands and were disappointed in the food. The portions were small, and the lunch buffet got skimpy toward the end. They served mostly ice cream for dessert. By talking with other passengers, we discovered that many of them had booked late for lower fares, which probably impacted Grand Circle's profit.

[rivernomad]

I know for a fact that the general thought with Avalon is that those guests that despite the decline in travel, are coming for a cruise should be pampered, not punished. I wholeheartedly agree with that. They want their guests to come back, preferably with Avalon again!