Disengaged staff????

[lovey1103]

Now, I don't want to start firestorm, but has anyone else noticed a decline in staff engagement particularly room stewards and dining room staff? Returned from a coastal cruise in early November and were really disappointed by the attitude and lack of interest in the staff. We realize the workload has incrementally increased and they are away from home for long periods of time, however, when you have to feel reluctant to even ask for ice, something is wrong. On our last cruise we stayed in a suite and the steward shot us really dirty looks, actually glaring at us when we asked to have some laundry done and for a bottle opener.

We are not hard to please by no means and keep a tidy cabin I can't ever remember complaining about food or asking for anything extra in the buffet or MDR. I am bummed about this and don't really know what to expect on our next Princess cruise.

I purposely waited to write this critique thinking I was being to critical, however my disappointment has not decreased.

What's up???

[azvacationgirl]

I believe the lack of service has come with the implement of prepaid gratuities. They don't have to work for their tips anymore. They know they are guaranteed to receive them.

[Dudleydog73]

Our recent experience on the Caribbean Princess had some of the best dining room staff and cabin stewards for both our Caribe deck and the rest of our party on Dolphin.

 

I know that there are many crew on board so you may have just gotten someone on a bad day / week. I know a lot of the Philippine crew that we talked to knew folks that were affected by the earthquake / typhoon recently.

[sweetsleep]

Perhaps your encounters with staff were near the end of their contracts? If so, many of them are really exhausted from the workload and are looking forward to going home. My first (and it will be my only) HAL cruise was on a ship where many of the crew were on their last week of their contract and it showed. Some of them were not returning so you can only imagine how bad it was-for them and for us!

[Pam in CA]

I believe the lack of service has come with the implement of prepaid gratuities. They don't have to work for their tips anymore. They know they are guaranteed to receive them.

The auto-tip has been the standard on Princess since 2001 so if this were the case, it would have been noticed long ago. Over twelve years is a very long time for cause and effect. Plus, the auto-tip is their base salary like many service industries. The stewards and waitstaff work very hard for the extra tips which they don't have to share. I've had some poor stewards and waitstaff on several different cruise lines and ships. I think it's individual. I've taken three Princess cruises this year for a total of about 42 days and I've had excellent stewards, adequate/good waitstaff. Edited December 3, 2013 by Pam in CA

[Astro Flyer]

Fortunately I haven't noticed a big change in attitude...some have always been more personable than others. I've never had a cabin steward like yours & sorry that you had a disappointing experience. :(

[lovey1103]

It may have just been a fluke. I do think the 3 and 4 day cruise turn-around are particularly hard on staff. I'm afraid they may risk disciplinary action if a crabby cruiser reports the attitude to their superior.

The glaring look we got when asking for laundry service was really obvious and quite disturbing. (my DH doesn't notice anything, but he did notice that) We saw him later in the hall with a laundry bag and he still looked really peeved. I think they have to take it down to the laundry themselves which sets them back on their workload.

[gcvt]

When we were on Star last year we were very impressed with everyone we encountered with the glaring exception of the MDR staff. I think we ate in the MDR eight or nine times and the service/attitude ranged from indifferent to rude every night. We certainly got the feeling that they wanted us to eat as quickly as possible and just leave.

 

I noticed that the waiters rarely spoke to the passengers at all and tended to talk amongst themselves only - joking and smiling with each other until they had to approach a table for service at which point the smiles disappeared quite rapidly. But, like I said, everyone else was wonderful...especially our room steward.

 

We also sailed on Royal Caribbean last year (also pre-paid tips) and the MDR staff were so fun and engaging, we almost didn't know what to do. The difference was enormous.

 

We're hoping for a better MDR experience on Grand in April.

[fishywood]

As Princess discontinued having real butlers for suites some time ago, the cabin stewards now rotate between decks and classes of cabins. Unfortunately that means suite passengers are at risk of getting a steward who, while otherwise competent, lacks the necessary temperment to deal with the additional responsibility of providing the entitled benefits. Couple that with (as you mentioned) having to do turnaround every three to five days rather than seven to fifteen and the odds of diminished good cheer will climb.

 

But the idea that auto-paying the hotel service charge contributes to staff malaise has long been proven wrong. The auto tip scheme has actually accomplished the following: (1) added another metric--the percentage of passengers removing tips--in determining whether or not to offer a steward a new contract; (2) upped the peer pressure amongst the crew to maintain high performance so fewer and fewer passengers remove tips--especially as the tip pool now includes behind-the-scenes crew members in housekeeping and dining, everyone's pockets suffer from just a couple bad apples.

Edited December 3, 2013 by fishywood

[RickEk]

Now, I don't want to start firestorm, but has anyone else noticed a decline in staff engagement particularly room stewards and dining room staff? Returned from a coastal cruise in early November and were really disappointed by the attitude and lack of interest in the staff. We realize the workload has incrementally increased and they are away from home for long periods of time, however, when you have to feel reluctant to even ask for ice, something is wrong. On our last cruise we stayed in a suite and the steward shot us really dirty looks, actually glaring at us when we asked to have some laundry done and for a bottle opener.

We are not hard to please by no means and keep a tidy cabin I can't ever remember complaining about food or asking for anything extra in the buffet or MDR. I am bummed about this and don't really know what to expect on our next Princess cruise.

I purposely waited to write this critique thinking I was being to critical, however my disappointment has not decreased.

What's up???

 

Well, we took b2b CA coastal cruises beginning 11/1. We had two different cabins (the last in a window suite) and had great room stewards both times. Our suite steward was excellent and handled our laundry requests promptly. We also had different waitstaff for each voyage and they were great too.

 

On the other side of the coin, we talked to some of the staff and the short voyages are very hard on the crew and the ship. They were really looking forward to the 17 day cruise to South America...

[KruzPrincess]

I think sometimes people just have a bad day or a bad week. I know I do. I've had very good luck with my cruises this year. Staff in general are really helpful and seem to have good attitudes. I do think they have too much work and it's tough. You never know what happened to that person right before you encountered him. I also agree that short cruises must really beat them up with all the turnarounds.

[RDC1]

We have had very good room stewards and dining room staff on our cruises on Princess. We almost always have traditional dining with the same staff members. On the few times we have done anytime dining you do get less engagement with the staff because you don't have the same staff each night.

[Times Prince]

Our recent experience on the Caribbean Princess had some of the best dining room staff and cabin stewards for both our Caribe deck and the rest of our party on Dolphin.

 

I know that there are many crew on board so you may have just gotten someone on a bad day / week. I know a lot of the Philippine crew that we talked to knew folks that were affected by the earthquake / typhoon recently.

I think you may be on to something here, as crew members with family or friends in that area of the world may be wondering what has happened to their loved ones, with poor communications to the affected areas. They would be dealing with some serious stress.

 

To the OP: Was the steward from a country affected by a disaster ?

[pris993]

Now, I don't want to start firestorm, but has anyone else noticed a decline in staff engagement particularly room stewards and dining room staff? Returned from a coastal cruise in early November and were really disappointed by the attitude and lack of interest in the staff. We realize the workload has incrementally increased and they are away from home for long periods of time, however, when you have to feel reluctant to even ask for ice, something is wrong. On our last cruise we stayed in a suite and the steward shot us really dirty looks, actually glaring at us when we asked to have some laundry done and for a bottle opener.

We are not hard to please by no means and keep a tidy cabin I can't ever remember complaining about food or asking for anything extra in the buffet or MDR. I am bummed about this and don't really know what to expect on our next Princess cruise.

I purposely waited to write this critique thinking I was being to critical, however my disappointment has not decreased.

What's up???

 

We are just the opposite, on the first day we let the room steward know what we want (ice, extra blankets, mattress toppers, extra towels, etc.,) and we do the same thing in the MD (we special order off menu every night). Our experience has been consistently positive ... have 22 cruises with Princess. We cruise other lines as well.

 

Only once did we run into a Head Waiter in the MDR that had an attitude and many years ago, long before the auto tip we had a waiter and an asst who were tired and totally non responsive (they were so off we did not tip them). We have found staff likes to know what you want and likes the challenge of providing service. We too just got off a California coast on the Grand had excellent service.

[Myrtle Ave. Mayhem]

I'd have to agree with the OP about some crew seeming to be less interactive with passengers. This is hardly a new situation though. On my first Princess cruise aboard the original Dawn Princess in 1991 many of the older Italian waiters from Sitmar were clearly burnt out. On a recent Noordam cruise I went to an empty bar, sat down, & after waiting over ten minutes the bartender finally came over and asked, "Do you need something ?" in an exasperated tone of voice. There also seems to be a different standard applied by the cruise lines depending on if the crew member is an Officer or service position . Frequently many social staff merely "conduct" activities. Another important factor is the phenomenon of crew fatigue. As a person who works in transportation hospitality (Amtrak sleeping car attendant on long haul routes), I always factor in that any individual can be just exhausted by the sheer work load, lack of sleep, and the many difficult demanding passengers. All across the transportation industry it's fewer attendants serving more people. That said, there is no excuse for rudeness.

[bigenna]

Now, I don't want to start firestorm, but has anyone else noticed a decline in staff engagement particularly room stewards and dining room staff? Returned from a coastal cruise in early November and were really disappointed by the attitude and lack of interest in the staff. We realize the workload has incrementally increased and they are away from home for long periods of time, however, when you have to feel reluctant to even ask for ice, something is wrong. On our last cruise we stayed in a suite and the steward shot us really dirty looks, actually glaring at us when we asked to have some laundry done and for a bottle opener.

We are not hard to please by no means and keep a tidy cabin I can't ever remember complaining about food or asking for anything extra in the buffet or MDR. I am bummed about this and don't really know what to expect on our next Princess cruise.

I purposely waited to write this critique thinking I was being to critical, however my disappointment has not decreased.

What's up???

 

Up until this year we had only been on a few cruises, two on Princess, seven to fourteen days in length. In almost every encounter with MDR wait staff, buffet workers, and stewards we found them all to be at the least helpful, willing, and polite to any request, with several taking it to an even higher level and making us feel that we were not causing any problem with anything that we might require. Like the OP we rarely ask for much of anything extra in the MDR, maybe some lemon for the water etc. We never leave things laying around in our room, even spreading up the bed.

 

This year we have taken four of the shorter cruises, three as back to backs. I really noticed a huge difference, especially in the MDR. We sat in different sections on all three b2b2b,s so we had different wait staff every three or four days. Of those three cruises and the other only one team would I describe as cordial and efficient. The others provided cursory service, minimally polite but no effort to be more than that. Often would not ask for anything extra as i just had the feeling it would be too much trouble. On several occasions when we were at a table for two we were forgotten for a good half hour between courses. I hate to complain because I know they have a hard job, but I really do think that service has declined, probably due to decreased staffing levels. It is my vacation though and part of that is feeling that staff is pleased to be looking after our needs.

I had no issues with the stewards, but again don,t really ask for much. They did their job, no more, no less, and that was fine with me.

I agree that these short cruises are probably harder on the stewards and cleaning staff etc.

Oh, and all of these cruises were prior to that terrible tragedy in the Philippines.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forums mobile app

[Bill B]

All across the transportation industry it's fewer attendants serving more people.

 

True, and it's only inevitable 'service' will suffer as they squeeze more and more out of employees. I've noticed a big difference in crew/staff attitudes since my first cruise almost 14 years ago... mostly in the dining room.

 

This explains a lot -

[Bill B]

Deleted double post.

Edited December 3, 2013 by Bill B

[SwissDave]

Why did you have to 'ask for laundry service' ?

 

I have always just filled the bag and left it on the bed or outside the door, never had to ask for it.

 

I have had some great stewards and some just OK stewards, but all have done what was needed. As others have said it could be the end of their contract, but equally they might just be having an 'off period', family trouble, issues with other staff on board. I'm sure some people will say it's no excuse, but the staff on ship are humans as well, and that seems to be forgotton by some who think they are robots who's minds should only be on pleasing the passenger and answering to all their demands and never have any other thoughts at all. (I'm not saying that of you OP but on some of the other boards on here it certainly seems to be the case for some people)

 

I know on occasion when I go to work during one of my 'off' periods I'm not the sweetness and light that I usually am, and I am sure that there is not a single person on here that can claim otherwise for themselves either.

[Bentley5700]

I know on occasion when I go to work during one of my 'off' periods I'm not the sweetness and light that I usually am, and I am sure that there is not a single person on here that can claim otherwise for themselves either.

 

This is true. We've done several Princess cruises lately and I have not noticed any "attitudes" from the cabin stewards. Ditto for MDR.:)

[Aplmac]

Now, I don't want to start firestorm, but has anyone else noticed a decline in staff engagement particularly room stewards and dining room staff? Returned from a coastal cruise in early November and were really disappointed by the attitude and lack of interest in the staff. We realize the workload has incrementally increased and they are away from home for long periods of time, however, when you have to feel reluctant to even ask for ice, something is wrong. On our last cruise we stayed in a suite and the steward shot us really dirty looks, actually glaring at us when we asked to have some laundry done and for a bottle opener.

We are not hard to please by no means and keep a tidy cabin I can't ever remember complaining about food or asking for anything extra in the buffet or MDR. I am bummed about this and don't really know what to expect on our next Princess cruise.

I purposely waited to write this critique thinking I was being to critical, however my disappointment has not decreased.

What's up???

Sorry to hear that.

 

The staff on lowly Carnival aren't like that!

 

Maybe you should try a different cruise line?

 

.

[paul929207]

We spent 7 weeks on the Ocean Princess ending about 1 month ago and the staff was wonderful

[Mom33]

Now, I don't want to start firestorm, but has anyone else noticed a decline in staff engagement particularly room stewards and dining room staff? Returned from a coastal cruise in early November and were really disappointed by the attitude and lack of interest in the staff. We realize the workload has incrementally increased and they are away from home for long periods of time, however, when you have to feel reluctant to even ask for ice, something is wrong. On our last cruise we stayed in a suite and the steward shot us really dirty looks, actually glaring at us when we asked to have some laundry done and for a bottle opener.

We are not hard to please by no means and keep a tidy cabin I can't ever remember complaining about food or asking for anything extra in the buffet or MDR. I am bummed about this and don't really know what to expect on our next Princess cruise.

I purposely waited to write this critique thinking I was being to critical, however my disappointment has not decreased.

What's up???

 

If your main complaint is with the room steward, then write him up. Maybe then you will be able to let it go and feel better. It would benefit everyone if he were removed from employment and replaced with a human being. Princess is known to hire humans, but every once in awhile, a robot slips in under the radar.

[more cruises]

Some ships have a better "personality" that I think starts with the captain. We were just on the Royal and the crew really seemed happy. (Of course, working on a brand new ship probably helped). The captain of the Royal was a friendly, engaging man and so were the rest of the officers. On the last morning of our cruise we saw the head chef giving a tour of the ship to some new cooks who had just boarded and his pride was obvious. That kind of attitude works it's way down to everyone on the crew.

 

Maybe the OP's cruise had officers who were good at their jobs but not so great with their people skills and that's the vibe the OP picked up.

[ellie1145]

Returned from a 10 night cruise on Diamond Princess just over 3 weeks ago after a gap of 3 years.

 

We were not sure what to expect but were most impressed by the service we received. There were plenty of staff and in the buffet they were quick to clear tables and always offered to get drinks etc for us. They were friendly and helpful. Our cabin steward kept our room immaculately and responded to a couple of requests immediately. He was efficient but not 'in your face' which is what we like. Considering many of the crew must have been anxiously waiting for news of loved ones at home following the devastating storm in the Philippines they never let their worries show and continued to offer the very best service.

 

Service in the MDR on anytime dining was a little slow but that can happen on any ship.

 

The whole cruise has restored our faith in Princess and we would not hesitate to book again. I am sorry to hear of your experience, and know that ships can differ greatly - often as the result of senior management.

Edited December 3, 2013 by ellie1145