Celebrity VP Q & A thread```

[wallie5446]

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the week plays out on the answers to the questions being posted. The 1st 10-15 answers seem to be along the same old Company line:

 

""We do have a large project underway to make additional updates. We believe this experience is better than what you used two years ago, but we have much more work to go.

 

surprised at how many steps it took, and will be making improvements before the end of the year.

does operate on a sophisticated type of technology.It will take some time to improve everything""

 

It will be interesting to watch and read`````

[ghstudio]

To me, the most disappointing response to date was:

 

One of the key changes we've made on the web team is dedicating one person to what we are broadly describing as satisfaction concerns. Her job is to continually monitor Cruise Critic, connect closely with our customer service and direct sales team, and communicate with our market research groups to make sure we identify the most pressing concerns so we can address them in priority order.

 

 

How can you run a web site without that function in place? That really indicates a complete lack of management focus. Hopefully that is really changing and this isn't just lip service

 

Everything seems to take time, it's complicated, give us a chance....but no one is addressing incorrect information on the web site....much of which could be fixed in an hour.

 

My sense is that they still don't get it....

[sginva]

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the week plays out on the answers to the questions being posted. The 1st 10-15 answers seem to be along the same old Company line:

 

""We do have a large project underway to make additional updates. We believe this experience is better than what you used two years ago, but we have much more work to go.

 

surprised at how many steps it took, and will be making improvements before the end of the year.

does operate on a sophisticated type of technology.It will take some time to improve everything""

 

It will be interesting to watch and read`````

How do they know " the experience is better than what you used two years ago" if they are surprised at how many steps it took?

 

This makes my head hurt.

 

And I agree they just don't get it ......

[Happy2cruise]

IMHO, they are you usual corporate written general responses:(

[wallie5446]

I have not had a chance to take another look this afternoon to see if the Corporate line 'dont give em a real answer' is holding true`````

[ghstudio]

In fairness, I think Tina is trying or will try.....but I suspect she is missioned with making "the next web site" innovative. Unfortunately, while that will be nice, most of us have problems with the current site...so the comments give us a chance, etc. just don't play well, especially when some of the changes are just text which takes hours, not months to fix.

 

I'm for giving her a chance but perhaps we are trying to get changes today, something that she isn't charged with doing.....

 

When Michael Bayley came on board, I suggested here that he sit down and book his cruise, make reservations for his dinners, book some excursions and of course fill in the boarding information. Had that happened, I suspect we would have had some focus much earlier...but of course it didn't, that's what AA's are for. Tina at least has personally observed some of the issues....so she is starting from a good place.

[johhnnyt]

Did read some of the answers and they all seem corporate-ly vague

 

Just guessing but many of the issues mentioned willl take time (AKA $$$) to correct and RCCL prob doesn't want to invest in that kind of commitment into being INNOVATIVE, as long as its functional. So probably just see a series of bells & whisles and bandaids to keep it functional and looking cleaner.

 

I guess you answer any of the questions by saying "it does operate on a sophisticated type of technology.It will take some time to improve everything", because that applies to just about every problem in life.

 

I do think the focus groups are a thing of the past, not enough bang for the $$$ for shareholders

[shipshape sam]

You might want to listen to 1st Qtr 2013 analysis call on 4/25/13 at 10:00 am. I find those calls to have some insights that these Q&A sessions on CC are missing.

 

Secondly, they talk about profits/margins/passenger levels/etc. That IS what management is focused on. How to raise profits/how to reduce debt/how to grow market share/how to raise prices/how to lower operating costs.

 

Now it theory they do all these things by focusing on delivering a superior product and service at a price and cost that is perceived as a 'value' by the public over alternative choices consumers have to choose from. Having worked for a larger company for a little bit, most of the time, they do make decisions based on effects to bottom line/market share/etc.

 

I cannot speak for RCL directly, but I do not ever recall in the company I worked for hearing "Let's spend a little extra money to provide an over the top experience." It was always based on spending the least to achieve a specific targeted financial goal. So that if that was the goal for this fiscal year, raising the bar/expectation was not going to happen.

 

I like Celebrity/Royal Caribbean and have sailed on other lines and been just as frustrated/disappointed if not more so, so I go with the more know quantity till it changes too much. Then, my guess will be I will be extremely disappointed and come back anyway.

 

Banks had a "scorched earth" policy I am told whereby when acquiring other banks, they calculated the attrition rate when making changes/implementing new policies. They calculated most people would not like changes, but would do nothing, including when they raised fees/cut services.

 

My guess is the same is done at all the cruise lines too!

[kjaooo]

same corporate lines the other guy gave months back. I really don't see the point of even asking them anything

[johhnnyt]

You might want to listen to 1st Qtr 2013 analysis call on 4/25/13 at 10:00 am. I find those calls to have some insights that these Q&A sessions on CC are missing.

 

Secondly, they talk about profits/margins/passenger levels/etc. That IS what management is focused on. How to raise profits/how to reduce debt/how to grow market share/how to raise prices/how to lower operating costs.

 

Now it theory they do all these things by focusing on delivering a superior product and service at a price and cost that is perceived as a 'value' by the public over alternative choices consumers have to choose from. Having worked for a larger company for a little bit, most of the time, they do make decisions based on effects to bottom line/market share/etc.

 

I cannot speak for RCL directly, but I do not ever recall in the company I worked for hearing "Let's spend a little extra money to provide an over the top experience." It was always based on spending the least to achieve a specific targeted financial goal. So that if that was the goal for this fiscal year, raising the bar/expectation was not going to happen.

 

I like Celebrity/Royal Caribbean and have sailed on other lines and been just as frustrated/disappointed if not more so, so I go with the more know quantity till it changes too much. Then, my guess will be I will be extremely disappointed and come back anyway.

 

Banks had a "scorched earth" policy I am told whereby when acquiring other banks, they calculated the attrition rate when making changes/implementing new policies. They calculated most people would not like changes, but would do nothing, including when they raised fees/cut services.

 

My guess is the same is done at all the cruise lines too!

 

Thats a really well thought out answer thanks.

I do think more and more though companies are only look towards meeting earnings for the current quarter, so more and more they just do one shots to achieve that goal rather than look at the bigger picture.

 

I think Carnival is a good example, they kept stretching there maint. protocols, and my guess is their bottom line is going to affected far worse than if they had spent the money on the maintenence that was originally planned for.

 

I'm optimistic Celebrity and RCCL are trying to keep the big picture in mind. Hope so anyway. The Wilhelmsens' (family that controls RCL) are a smart bunch:D

[uktog]

 

I do think the focus groups are a thing of the past, not enough bang for the $$$ for shareholders

 

Disagree, when an organisation stops measuring qualitative ( through some interactive communication process ) as well as quantitative (numbers) feedback, it suffers

 

The method of getting the feedback may change - it may be done virtually rather than dragging everyone to a hotel if whatever - but the activity remains

 

I am sure MR Bayley has enough of a grasp of basic business principles that apply in 2013 to get that balance right.

[shipshape sam]

I am sure Celebrity management has the smarts. They did not get to their positions by not being both smart and corporately / politically agile.

 

I just wish they would be upfront with us. This is not just Celebrity though. Corporate officers are vague or ignore the question/issue too many times. Sounds like politicians. I do know why they ignore questions at times and that is because the person asking the question has an agenda to try and 'catch' the person, so I have no problem at times other than I think they should call out the person asking the question.

 

I had customers call me when I was COO of my small company and I gave it to them straight. I also explained 'why' I would or not do something. Further, if I was telling them 'no', I made sure I had looked at other options BEFORE telling them no understanding that I DO NOT like to be told no.

[johhnnyt]

Disagree, when an organisation stops measuring qualitative ( through some interactive communication process ) as well as quantitative (numbers) feedback, it suffers

 

The method of getting the feedback may change - it may be done virtually rather than dragging everyone to a hotel if whatever - but the activity remains

 

I am sure MR Bayley has enough of a grasp of basic business principles that apply in 2013 to get that balance right.

 

There really is no need for a focus group, and do mail surveys to capture others. They can use cruise critic if they are smart. Its interactive and gives them the unfitered feedback they need. Also gives them the ability to conduct polls, answer questions, etc, and cost is nothing.

[ORV]

There really is no need for a focus group, and do mail surveys to capture others. They can use cruise critic if they are smart. Its interactive and gives them the unfitered feedback they need. Also gives them the ability to conduct polls, answer questions, etc, and cost is nothing.

 

But it only represents 10% or less of their customers. Perhaps that enough, but most CC members are not always your typical cruisers.

[Andy]

But it only represents 10% or less of their customers. Perhaps that enough, but most CC members are not always your typical cruisers.

 

Maybe not Orv, but we are their most passionate Cruisers (IMO of course) :) , If I were in their shoes, that's the folks I'd want to reach out to.

[varoo]

But it only represents 10% or less of their customers. Perhaps that enough, but most CC members are not always your typical cruisers.

True, but neither are members of focus groups, which are even a smaller percentage.

 

The cruise lines get a broader cross-section of passenger feedback from their on-board surveys and evaluations than they do from CC members or focus groups.

 

But CC members can be very helpful by providing detailed feedback pinpointing the sources of specific problems, in addition to making suggestions and expressing their personal likes and dislikes.

 

In a way, the CC forum for any cruise line can function as a large focus group, at no cost to the cruise line.

 

I agree with the others who say that we should be fair and withhold judgment, giving Tina Alexander a chance to show what she can do.

 

Some of the frustration and skepticism being expressed may result from the disappointment after the high expectations and hopes raised when Michael Bayley came on CC.

But it is to his credit that he has sent Tina Alexander here to follow up.

[uktog]

There really is no need for a focus group, and do mail surveys to capture others. They can use cruise critic if they are smart. Its interactive and gives them the unfitered feedback they need. Also gives them the ability to conduct polls, answer questions, etc, and cost is nothing.

 

Whether they draw the participants from Cruise Critic or elsewhere, they still need to use interactive techniques to generate robust qualitative feedback, this is a well documented issue in consumer research methodology.

Polls only generate quantitative feedback based on responses to predetermined questions and bias can arise very easily if the questionnaire design is flawed

[ghstudio]

A focus group is as good as the group. By that, I mean if they are doing a focus group to find out how to appeal to younger, affluent cruisers, they form a group of those folks......then they listen to those folks, of course. What is often missed is that you learn about how to reach a new group, but you forgot about your base....because why spend the money to find out how the base thinks. Me thinks that's sort of where Celebrity is on this change in ship Vib concept. Sort of the 80:20 rule in reverse....you have to remember not to throw out the 80 percent of your passengers to gain a new 20%. There is so much negative vib here about changes, be it food, service, music levels that at least I would think Celebrity management would pick up on it and think about the effect the changes may be having....heck, this is a free source of information from some of the more vocal positive and negative cruisers...and certainly it is a place where potential cruisers go to read reviews. Celebrity's lack of focus and participation here is surprising (and I'm being kind). Every so often (very rarely) someone comes on, namelessly, and post something, only to disappear. It's like they don't understand social media and the power of the internet...and don't care.

 

For now, Tina is here...perhaps she will pick up the vibes from this body of folks....she's said there is someone now focused on reading info here and feeding that back to get changes made....only time will tell if this is really something new in place, or just corporate speak.....

[wwcruisers]

I think that Tina did a pretty good job of addressing my concerns -- about why the online check-in process is so darn complicated and difficult to complete. She said that she actually went through the process, and agreed that there are too many steps! She did point out that streamlining the process is complicated by the fact that it has to be a secure website. I'm hoping that she and her crew will be able to fix this, and the myriad other website issues. At least it's nice to know that someone is really listening, and trying to understand the problems. :cool:

[varoo]

Whether they draw the participants from Cruise Critic or elsewhere, they still need to use interactive techniques to generate robust qualitative feedback, this is a well documented issue in consumer research methodology.

Polls only generate quantitative feedback based on responses to predetermined questions and bias can arise very easily if the questionnaire design is flawed

They currently get a combination of both quantitative and qualitative feedback. The end-of-cruise evaluation form has a section to write in comments.

A number of passengers even attach additional pages of comments.

 

Their Attention To Detail cards are entirely open-ended, with no prompting as to what one should say.

 

These boards are great in that they provide the interactive back-anid-forth exchange of focus groups, giving the participants the ability to comment on one another's remarks, as we are doing here.

 

Participation here is not limited only to a handful of pre-selected people.

An advantage is that anyone may express a point of view.

Okay, I admit that can also sometimes be a disadvantage. ;)

 

When a company targets an international market, it is good for its management to be exposed to a range of ideas and opinions from potential customers of varying backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences.

 

[ghstudio]

They currently get a combination of both quantitative and qualitative feedback. The end-of-cruise evaluation form has a section to write in comments.

A number of passengers even attach additional pages of comments.

 

Their Attention To Detail cards are entirely open-ended, with no prompting as to what one should say.

 

These boards are great in that they provide the interactive back-anid-forth exchange of focus groups, giving the participants the ability to comment on one another's remarks, as we are doing here.

 

Participation here is not limited only to a handful of pre-selected people.

An advantage is that anyone may express a point of view.

Okay, I admit that can also sometimes be a disadvantage. ;)

 

But when a company targets an international market, it is good for its management to be exposed to a range of ideas and opinions from potential customers of varying backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences.

 

 

However, you have to remember that the comment cards are influenced by the pleas from waiters/stewards that you have to give the top ratings, etc. Many don't want to comment on things that irritate them....many think the forms are thrown in the trash, unread....and many of the folks who like what they have, don't really say so...it's those with problems or those that want change who do the write ins. IMHO, the comment cards actually give a very distorted picture of what's happening on board.

 

I think the focus group is a great idea...but selecting the group(s) is important and has to cover the 80% base and the 20% potential new cruisers. Perhaps one group would be built from those of us who are more vocal here...gonzo, larry, me, andy, etc. who would at least put issues on the table rather than saying "everything is wonderful"....but that would only be one source.

[varoo]

However, you have to remember that the comment cards are influenced by the pleas from waiters/stewards that you have to give the top ratings, etc. Many don't want to comment on things that irritate them....many think the forms are thrown in the trash, unread....and many of the folks who like what they have, don't really say so...it's those with problems or those that want change who do the write ins. IMHO, the comment cards actually give a very distorted picture of what's happening on board.

 

I think the focus group is a great idea...but selecting the group(s) is important and has to cover the 80% base and the 20% potential new cruisers. Perhaps one group would be built from those of us who are more vocal here...gonzo, larry, me, andy, etc. who would at least put issues on the table rather than saying "everything is wonderful"....but that would only be one source.

Maybe I am jaded on the subject of focus groups, having attended so many focus group meetings through the years and noticing how often the issues that the members put on the table were issues supporting their own self-interests.

 

That is why I prefer to see the input come from a much broader spectrum of participants.

Often the quiet, reserved ones come up with better ideas than the more vocal ones. :D

 

From what I see here on CC, I don't think there is any need to worry about the participants saying "everything is wonderful" (with the exception of possibly a few cheerleaders). ;)

 

 

I agree that people are more likely to write comments when they find things to be either very good or very bad than when they are just okay.

 

[ORV]

Maybe not Orv, but we are their most passionate Cruisers (IMO of course) :) , If I were in their shoes, that's the folks I'd want to reach out to.

 

By no means did I mean that CC members are not a valuable resource. They definitely are and one that should be mined. As others have pointed out I think that they are one of many sources X should look at, just not exclusively.

 

As you said, they are passionate, as well as generally more knowledgeable about cruising and their cruise lines of choice than an average cruiser. Unfortunately I think that could be a two edged sword.

[ghstudio]

I wonder if we have lost Tina.....I think she responded to two questions today.

[wallie5446]

I wonder if we have lost Tina.....I think she responded to two questions today.

 

I noticed that too.