Activity Staff Reduction (3 Threads Merged)

[Orator]

1. You are assuming that they changed their tag line because of the complaints on here. There are many more things that go into changing a decision, other than just listening to a few that don't like it. 2. I think they listen to each and every customers that emails them, phones them, writes to them or posts on here, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they do what those customers want. For example, the many, many complaints about the changes in the Captain's Club on here - Celebrity listened, but kept it the way they planned it.

 

Arno is correct. There were lots of negative comments on this board when they announced the slogan and a poster from Celebrity posted that those comments caused them to drop the campaign.

[Orator]

A friend presently on board Reflection commented that the CD is expected to be more involved with trivias.

 

One of our favourite CDs, Allan King, used to host an evening difficult trivia.

It was always well attended and showed that trivia was more important than handing it over to the newest activity staff.

If different people are hired for new programs there may be a positive change to activities on board.

If one of the staff is now outsourced i.e.. Zumba, there may be another hire for a yet unannounced new program.

 

Arno:

As you well know lots of new things have been happening in a relatively short time. Hopefully the new ideas will enhance the overall cruise experience for all of us who enjoy the Celebrity experience. As I said before,the key for me to to see if revenue saved by cuts go directly to enhance the bottomline, or are used to bring improved programming. The article in the March 13th NY Times that has been discussed in great detail on Cruise Critic is an important clue to a direction in entertainment philosophy. Once again I'll reserve judgment until I see what is actually implemented and how it works for me.

[Onessa]

. . . duties were being outsourced to a contracted company. So no loss of activities there. Perhaps the same is true for staffing the other activities - outsourcing to to replace full time employees who qualify for US government mandated benefits?

 

Hmm, another case of the damage caused by Obamacare, perhaps? The timing fits. . .

Companies have been outsourcing for years, and it has become rampent in the time period over the past TWO administrations. The company for which I work now, doesn't even pretend to value "engaged associates" they are only concerned about their bottom line.

 

Security, computer support, custodial services all outsourced. Call center, computer coding, underwriting -- all outsourced. As an employee, none of the outsourcing my company has done has ever benefited anything but the bottom line. And the quality for any of the stuff outsourced has ALWAYS suffered.

 

As consumers we put up with shoddy service and poorly made goods. As an investor, I have tried to find companies who are more concerned with long term-profits than immediate-term windfalls; but they are getting more and more difficult to find.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

What are a CD host duties besides emceeing the nightly show, done 4 cruises in the last two years , that is only time I have seen them

[Orator]

What are a CD host duties besides emceeing the nightly show, done 4 cruises in the last two years , that is only time I have seen them

 

The CD is the head of the onboard entertainment department. They are responsible for the guest entertainers, musicians and activities. They do lots of work that passengers never see.

[ECCruise]

The CD is the head of the onboard entertainment department. They are responsible for the guest entertainers, musicians and activities. They do lots of work that passengers never see.

 

Plus, in most cases they are responsible for the daily newspaper, staff meetings, communication with both hotel management as well as the Captain. We've never met a CD who was lacking for things to do :)

[ping1]

My daughter Valentina was a member of the Activities team for over three years and qualified as a zumba instructor just so she could give classes on board.

 

She confirmed to me Celebrity have reduced the teams to just two people, the activities manager and one other! Future zumba classes will be taken over by a contracted company supplying instructors and sessions will be done inside the ship instead of out on deck. Not great news for those crew members affected.

 

Does Valentina know if the Zumba (with a contracted company) will be in the Gym? It would be nice because of the hardwood floors and air conditioning

 

Thank you.

[C 2 C]

On Eclipse in January Zumba classes were held in the Sky Lounge with the music drowning out the iLounge presentation in the adjoining conference room.

[wvufan]

Although we primarily sail on Celebrity, we take some trips on RCL because they go out of Baltimore which is only about 5 hours away.

 

There seems to be a shift in emphasis on all RCCL brands.

 

Anyway, we were on the Grandeur in February. They had a great activities staff for trivia and other events. One thing that was particularly noticeable and a change from previous sailings is that they aggressively promoted drink purchases and it seems they were directed to do so.

 

So, perhaps there is a focus on generating revenue during all activities. They may also be under some pressure to sell drinks in order to keep those kinds of activities going and thereby keeping their jobs.

 

I love trivia and have made some great friends during those events.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

Edited April 4, 2014 by wvufan

[agathasmum]

Has anyone considered that they may be reducing the number of activities staff because the ship is headed to Europe for the summer season? European cruises are notoriously port-intensive, with long touring days for passengers who want to get the most out of their visits. With only 1 or 2 sea days in a 10 or 12 day itinerary, a lot of guests may be looking to sleep or chill and recharge their batteries, rather than being treated to an endless stream of activities on those sea days.

 

Once the ships return to the Caribbean in the fall, and the cruises have as many sea days as port days, perhaps they will then beef up the entertainment team and offer more activities as there will be more demand for them.

 

Just a thought.

[wwcruisers]

As I said before,the key for me to to see if revenue saved by cuts go directly to enhance the bottomline, or are used to bring improved programming.

 

Hello, Charles -- good to see you on the boards -- "Hi" to Cyndee! :)

 

I totally agree with the sentiment you expressed. And, like you, we are taking a "wait and see" approach to these changes. Several years ago, RC changed their marketing focus to attract families with children -- trying to compete with Disney, I suppose. We found that things like food quality and service were declining, in order to add flow-riders, Shrek, and Barbie. These features added nothing to our cruise experience, but we were clearly paying for them. Hence, our move to Celebrity.

 

So, that's what is perplexing me about the cut-backs, up-sells, and other changes that have occurred on Michael Bayley's watch. When I compare the changes in X to the changes in RC, I have to ask "Where is the $$ going?" Century is being sold, and there are no new-builds planned. Aside from up-sell and for-fee features, there are no new attractions or amenities being rolled out. So, like others here, I'm still trying to figure out just what "modern luxury" is -- and how it benefits us, as cruisers.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

The CD is the head of the onboard entertainment department. They are responsible for the guest entertainers, musicians and activities. They do lots of work that passengers never see.

 

So it appear cd took Equniox nov 2012 TA line up and cut pasted it for Equinox nov 2013 TA, same performers, same shows, same jokes :rolleyes:

[ghstudio]

I'm still trying to figure out just what "modern luxury" is -- and how it benefits us, as cruisers.

 

There's an old advertising truism....if you say something often enough, even you start to believe it. Celebrity would like to be a luxury cruise line....rather than one of the better mid-market/mass market cruise lines. They would like to be what azamara is trying to be...which is a bridge between mid-market and luxury.

 

 

Now that will be pretty hard to do given the size of their ships....they have to convince everyone that personal service, finding a pool chair, finding a seat in the buffet aren't something you should expect if you are looking for "modern luxury"...unless of course you book a suite...but a suite costs pretty much what a nice cabin costs on a luxury ship where you don't have all those "common folks" around the pool, etc. If you're not in a suite, celebrity is a very nice cruise line...but at least from my frame of reference, it's far from (fill in the blank) luxury.

 

It's all marketing.....I poke at "modern luxury" because like everyone else, I don't understand it either....and the attempts celebrity has made to define it have not resonated with me....if you want to know their definition, just call their customer service number and listen to the endless repeat of what modern luxury is while you wait, in modern luxury, for tens of minutes until someone picks up the phone. Obviously, quick answering of phone calls isn't part of modern luxury :).

Edited April 4, 2014 by ghstudio

[ORV]

Anyway, we were on the Grandeur in February. They had a great activities staff for trivia and other events. One thing that was particularly noticeable and a change from previous sailings is that they aggressively promoted drink purchases and it seems they were directed to do so.

 

So, perhaps there is a focus on generating revenue during all activities. They may also be under some pressure to sell drinks in order to keep those kinds of activities going and thereby keeping their jobs.

 

I love trivia and have made some great friends during those events.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

 

This would be a change from the many times we've been to trivia on Celebrity in the past, as it would be in a bar that was not open or in an area with no servers. Many times we might have liked to have a drink during trivia but they weren't available. If it's later in the day we generally make a point to bring one with us.

[C 2 C]

This would be a change from the many times we've been to trivia on Celebrity in the past, as it would be in a bar that was not open or in an area with no servers. Many times we might have liked to have a drink during trivia but they weren't available. If it's later in the day we generally make a point to bring one with us.

 

On Eclipse we had trivia at 4:30 and the waiters were already present and only too happy to bring a drink. :D

 

On Allure, waiters were ever present in the Schooners Bar during trivia.

[ORV]

On Eclipse we had trivia at 4:30 and the waiters were already present and only too happy to bring a drink. :D

 

On Allure, waiters were ever present in the Schooners Bar during trivia.

 

You've certainly spent a lot more time on Celebrity that most. What has been your experience in the past? Do you remember drink availability or a push for them at trivia?

 

And yes, when we were on Independence of the Seas a couple of months ago there were always drinks available at trivia.

Edited April 4, 2014 by ORV

[k9x8]

Arno is correct. There were lots of negative comments on this board when they announced the slogan and a poster from Celebrity posted that those comments caused them to drop the campaign.

 

Apples and oranges. I went back and reviewed that debacle, and the objection was to an ill-conceived advertising campaign. I seriously doubt "X the Rules" was given a section on end-of-the-cruise comment cards. From what I could tell, there was a fear that "X the Rules" was synonymous with "F the Rules."

 

It was actually quite entertaining reading. Oh my gosh - people will light up in the MDR!

 

Bottom line, Cruise Critic was a more significant source of feedback for the slogan. Might I remind y'all, too, that the CEO has changed since then.

 

The current uproar is over changes and potential changes. Yes, Celebrity peruses this board, but they get tons of feedback about brunch, music, and trivia from many passengers who never post here.

 

Which brings me to my pet peeve. When the upper echelon complains, the complaints are regarded as valid by ... well ... the upper echelon. Over and over, the opinions of new and less experienced cruisers are dismissed as invalid. When a new cruiser criticizes, there's too much "Don't let the door hit you on your way out."

 

Any savvy business is going to pay attention to first timers; that's how they grow and maintain their customer base. Take the buffet for example. On our first cruise, we missed it because we didn't know about it. The second time around, we knew to watch for it.

 

We were seated next to a window on the upper level. Nice. Then we had to squeeze between tables and run an obstacle course of other passengers balancing plates and servers dashing about. The buffet area was chaos, worse than the Oceanview at peak hours. Then, we had to wend our way back through the crowd and up the stairs. We waited forever for coffee - never mind a refill. It was a decidedly unpleasant experience, so we left and went to the Oceanview for dessert and coffee.

 

We new cruisers were underwhelmed and disappointed by this wondrous brunch we'd heard so much about.

 

Are we the only ones? I doubt it. On our comment card, in regards to overall service, I mentioned that the brunch was the only time/place we found the service lacking. I wouldn't have mentioned trivia or any of the other activities, because they are completely unimportant to our cruising experience.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say in a long-winded way is, when it comes to the onboard experience, you can bet the opinions of us new (or newish) pax are taken way more seriously than we are here.

[6502programmer]

On Eclipse we had trivia at 4:30 and the waiters were already present and only too happy to bring a drink. :D

 

I've always LOVED the Sunset trivia. Usually held at 5p in the Sunset Bar (or equivalent), it was a wonderful way to transition between daytime and evening activities. Plus you can get your drink on too. :D

[richsea]

Although we primarily sail on Celebrity, we take some trips on RCL because they go out of Baltimore which is only about 5 hours away.

 

There seems to be a shift in emphasis on all RCCL brands.

 

Anyway, we were on the Grandeur in February. They had a great activities staff for trivia and other events. One thing that was particularly noticeable and a change from previous sailings is that they aggressively promoted drink purchases and it seems they were directed to do so.

 

So, perhaps there is a focus on generating revenue during all activities. They may also be under some pressure to sell drinks in order to keep those kinds of activities going and thereby keeping their jobs.

 

I love trivia and have made some great friends during those events.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

 

Howdy Bob! Regarding the drinks during trivia, we have thought for years that Celebrity misses out on revenue because most often, the bar in the area. Where trivia is played is not open. We were on. Summmit for 2 weeks in January, & the Rendevouz where it was held had bar hours that did not start until 4:30, & even though the bar servers were there, they would not serve until 4:30. It makes no sense. In addition, on M class ships, on the first day when the matre d handles changes in dining room table assignments in the Rendevouz, there is always a line waitng to see him, yet the bar is closed at a time when most are excited & anxious to get their vacation going; another missed opportunity for more revenue.

[The_Big_M]

Apples and oranges.

 

Pretty much every situation will be different. It's extremely rare to have the same situation, and even if so, timing will likely have changed.

 

It wasn't to say "it's the same" but demonstrate that they do listen to feedback here. And it's not the only example.

[C 2 C]

I just received a message from a staff member, a friend on fb, a former trivia host:

 

Trust me Arno we made a bunch of new and cool activities for you all, u will not be borred!!!, that is a promise!!, hope to c u soon

Edited April 5, 2014 by ~Cruisenut~

[shipshape sam]

Howdy Bob! Regarding the drinks during trivia, we have thought for years that Celebrity misses out on revenue because most often, the bar in the area. Where trivia is played is not open. We were on. Summmit for 2 weeks in January, & the Rendevouz where it was held had bar hours that did not start until 4:30, & even though the bar servers were there, they would not serve until 4:30. It makes no sense. In addition, on M class ships, on the first day when the matre d handles changes in dining room table assignments in the Rendevouz, there is always a line waitng to see him, yet the bar is closed at a time when most are excited & anxious to get their vacation going; another missed opportunity for more revenue.

 

Good points!

 

For sure I would be more inclined to purchase a drink while doing an activity right by a bar.

[keithm]

Apples and oranges. I went back and reviewed that debacle, and the objection was to an ill-conceived advertising campaign. I seriously doubt "X the Rules" was given a section on end-of-the-cruise comment cards. From what I could tell, there was a fear that "X the Rules" was synonymous with "F the Rules."

 

It was actually quite entertaining reading. Oh my gosh - people will light up in the MDR!

 

Bottom line, Cruise Critic was a more significant source of feedback for the slogan. Might I remind y'all, too, that the CEO has changed since then.

 

The current uproar is over changes and potential changes. Yes, Celebrity peruses this board, but they get tons of feedback about brunch, music, and trivia from many passengers who never post here.

 

Which brings me to my pet peeve. When the upper echelon complains, the complaints are regarded as valid by ... well ... the upper echelon. Over and over, the opinions of new and less experienced cruisers are dismissed as invalid. When a new cruiser criticizes, there's too much "Don't let the door hit you on your way out."

 

Any savvy business is going to pay attention to first timers; that's how they grow and maintain their customer base. Take the buffet for example. On our first cruise, we missed it because we didn't know about it. The second time around, we knew to watch for it.

 

We were seated next to a window on the upper level. Nice. Then we had to squeeze between tables and run an obstacle course of other passengers balancing plates and servers dashing about. The buffet area was chaos, worse than the Oceanview at peak hours. Then, we had to wend our way back through the crowd and up the stairs. We waited forever for coffee - never mind a refill. It was a decidedly unpleasant experience, so we left and went to the Oceanview for dessert and coffee.

 

We new cruisers were underwhelmed and disappointed by this wondrous brunch we'd heard so much about.

 

Are we the only ones? I doubt it. On our comment card, in regards to overall service, I mentioned that the brunch was the only time/place we found the service lacking. I wouldn't have mentioned trivia or any of the other activities, because they are completely unimportant to our cruising experience.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say in a long-winded way is, when it comes to the onboard experience, you can bet the opinions of us new (or newish) pax are taken way more seriously than we are here.

The brunch on thr Eclipse was a realy strange affair(we're newbies to Celebrity as well)The food choices were excellent, but the layout was a logistic nightmare. We have a catering company & believe me there are far better ways to set up a large buffet like that. There were pax constantly bumping into each other with loaded plates of food.

[TommyD3]

So is Celebrity implementing a 50% reduction of activity staff fleet wide?

 

 

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[jkgourmet]

So is Celebrity implementing a 50% reduction of activity staff fleet wide?

 

 

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I don't think anyone really knows that FOR SURE. They may be eliminating positions, or outsourcing them (as us true of the ONE case in this thread that I believe. From the mother of Valentina, the ex-zumba instructor).

 

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