"This might be YOUR vacation, but it's MY life"

[LMaxwell]

I wasn't questioning its existence, but simply the vintage. As you noted, the scale you saw was different. One would assume that anything recent (since the intro of the electronic survey) would be some 10 point scale, but maybe several MDR related answers are combined and then it's some different scale.

 

I don't know what formula they use to convert it, but it was on a 100 point scale. I seem to recall, for some reason, that a score of 92 and above was the target. Anything below mid-80's was cause for real concern.

[Biker19]

I The worse waiters get MTD and once in MTD it is hard to get out because their ratings tend to be much lower.

Sp then MTD waiters beg for the scores more than MDR ones?:rolleyes:

 

Biker, who has not experienced a correlation between waiter performance and location of service.

[Biker19]

I don't know what formula they use to convert it, but it was on a 100 point scale. I seem to recall, for some reason, that a score of 92 and above was the target. Anything below mid-80's was cause for real concern.

 

Which means, as has been mentioned, anything below mostly 10s and the person is in trouble.

[LMaxwell]

Which means, as has been mentioned, anything below mostly 10s and the person is in trouble.

 

Maybe, maybe not. Unless someone here was a crew member we might not ever know, this may all be speculative. All of these surveys are counteproductive. they aren't used to increase service and quality for guests, they are all designed to find out how to cut it to the bone but still keep metrics up. Been around them for years. Hate to think hard workers are subjected to penalty for management setting them up for failure (not enough staff for great service, food quality reduced compared to previous years).

[smootsdce]

They should read these threads if they want to keep their customers! I have "only" 6 cruises w/RCI and if things don't rapidly improve, I might have to switch. I really don't want to as my husband loves the Flowrider, but I refuse to be continually be driven into the buffet or specialty restaurants by rude, pushy wait staff.

 

 

Danielle

[John&LaLa]

Both on Serenade two weeks ago and Navigator this week I was asked to simply fill it out - no begging for high marks.

 

That's a lot of cruising. Living near FLL must agree with you.

[The_Big_M]

I don't know what formula they use to convert it, but it was on a 100 point scale. I seem to recall, for some reason, that a score of 92 and above was the target. Anything below mid-80's was cause for real concern.

 

With a scale of 10, it's just a simple multiple of 10 to move to a 100 point scale.

 

Below mid 80s means below an average of 8.5.

[OSUZorba]

How long ago was this?

 

Freedom in September of 2012, before the electronic surveys, when it was a 1 to 5 scale.

 

As to your second reply, I know the one time I did MTD, I got begged and begged every night for a perfect score while the service was pretty lackluster. I can always get the MDR stop the talk right off the bat by telling that I always do the surveys and I intend on giving them a perfect score based on the service thus far.

 

although the surveys are used to punish, in a way, that is fine as long as it is averaged out over some time. If every team in MDR is getting averages of 9 and your team is pulling in a 6, there probably is a problem with your service. If every team is getting a 6, then it is probably a systematic issue that is not related to the individual team. But I am sure every team gets one off bad weeks based on the personality of certain cruisers.

Edited January 8, 2017 by OSUZorba

[Emortal]

I saw the waiter team ranking list on a galley tour once, that included the average scores from the previous cruise and the average of the last handful of cruises. The teams were ordered by their ranking. The same sheet had the sections on it. I asked my main waiter about it that night, he couldn't believe they hadn't covered it up and was a little upset that I saw it.

 

Anyways, he told me they use it to assign the waiter's sections, the best waiters get the bigger sections and get cruisers that are more likely to tip extra. The worse waiters get MTD and once in MTD it is hard to get out because their ratings tend to be much lower. That was the best crew I've ever had, and their average score was a 3.5. The best crew on the list only had a little over a 4 average.

 

I think this is the reason was MDR pushes so hard for top scores, it directly relates to how much they get in tips. While it really has little direct affect on the other departments, since they don't reassign other crew based on ratings.

 

I was given a similar explanation by my MTD waiter this past summer, after I inquired. Very intelligent & open guy. Highly scored waiters receive more tables than average, low scored waiters receive less tables than average. This affects not just your opportunity for tips but also your RCCL compensation which relates to # of tables served.

[muffyn]

for those asking if this is something new.

uh NO!

we have been cruising over 20 years, and my 1st time i heard the "speal" it was 20 years ago. after that I have told them, yea I hear you , IF your performance has been great, you needn't worry, but if you keep on with your speech, the rating will start going down.

luckily I have only had a handful of these hostage talks.

[Host Jacquelyn]

What would a waiter be demoted to? They aren't going to be fired, I would not think, because one of the biggest costs to a business is in training new hires. I find it hard to believe that wait staff are constantly in a revolving door situation.

 

I wasn't thinking fired necessarily, rather cutting back his number of tables for X number of sailings. I cannot stress enough how important it was to him that I rated top marks on everything, including the food. The "this is my life" comment was the last straw for me

 

 

Unless someone here was a crew member we might not ever know, this may all be speculative. All of these surveys are counteproductive. they aren't used to increase service and quality for guests, they are all designed to find out how to cut it to the bone but still keep metrics up. Been around them for years. Hate to think hard workers are subjected to penalty for management setting them up for failure (not enough staff for great service, food quality reduced compared to previous years).

 

Totally agree with you. Maybe this guy was completely manipulating me. Obviously, the surveys are a way to justify quality cuts by management. However, again, I did not want this guy's livelihood to suffer because of something out of his control (food quality).

[AZAficionado]

The last few years, I've gotten the survey "talk" in the MDR. All of my experiences were positive, where the waiter explained how all of the MDR ratings on the survey are directly attributed to him, including the food. Seems unfair, but I've seen this kind of thing in other places.

 

When purchasing a new car recently, the salesman explained that every item on the survey was directly attributed to him. Even though the styling and cleanliness of the dealership showroom were items on the survey.

 

In every case, the "pitch" was a polite request with an explanation of how things work. I suppose I can see where the companies are coming from. With both the MDR food and the car, the "product" quality was set by the company and they don't want any feedback on that. In RCI's case, they have clearly cut back on the quality of the food they purchase. With the car, the price was set, no negotiations. Then it is up to the salesman/server to make the customer happy about it. It's kinda crappy, but every business is entitled to run themselves into the ground however they want.

 

Advice: I wouldn't get involved in any kind of discussion with the waiter/service-provider. Just smile and nod, and placate them until they leave. Then fill out the survey however you want. To be sure, if I ever got "it's my LIFE", that's a guaranteed 1 in every MDR category for that guy, including the food. I get that many cruise employees are under tremendous pressure, but that is no excuse for "bad service", which is what I'd call a comment like that.

[LMaxwell]

With a scale of 10, it's just a simple multiple of 10 to move to a 100 point scale.

 

Below mid 80s means below an average of 8.5.

 

Simple enough, but there may be a formula or weighting involved that makes it not so straight forward, or MTD vs traditional, etc.

[davekathy]

for those asking if this is something new.

uh NO! we have been cruising over 20 years, and my 1st time i heard the "speal" it was 20 years ago....

 

Agree. Our first Cruise we took was in 1991 and our waiter would insist we use the term "excellent" to describe our satisfaction with his and the assistant waiters service and food. On the last night of the Cruise sitting on the bed was the End of Cruise Survey form with the word "excellent" for a top rating. No numerical scores at that time.

Edited January 8, 2017 by davekathy

[Biker19]

That's a lot of cruising. Living near FLL must agree with you.

 

Not really, both the Empress and Navigator sailings were really for work.

 

Biker, who is likely to maintain his 2 cruises per year pace.

[RaiderDuck]

To be sure, if I ever got "it's my LIFE", that's a guaranteed 1 in every MDR category for that guy, including the food. I get that many cruise employees are under tremendous pressure, but that is no excuse for "bad service", which is what I'd call a comment like that.

I'd go farther than that: I'd either ask to speak with the restaurant manager or go straight to Guest Services and tell them the waiter was trying to intimidate us into giving top scores.

[troykahack]

Not really, both the Empress and Navigator sailings were really for work.

 

 

 

Biker, who is likely to maintain his 2 cruises per year pace.

 

 

Only 2 per year?? I thought you cruised a lot more. Do you think you will reach PC?

 

 

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[LMaxwell]

Only 2 per year?? I thought you cruised a lot more. Do you think you will reach PC?

 

 

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Port Canaveral? Where ships go to age mellowly? :confused::cool:

[gobo2]

Obviously I can't speak to the OP's experience, but I think we should all put ourselves in the shoes of these employees. Their job is difficult, as is any customer service position, they work long hours with little time off and are often away from their families. If I was told that my scoring of the food or something else over which they had little control affected their ratings, I'd give them that 5.

 

I can say that my experience with my waiters,assistant waiters and cabin stewards have all been positive, so perhaps I'm biased (and lucky!), but I bet if you or a loved one had a job or career that depended on surveys, I'd bet you'd feel differently about survey speeches.

 

(I also actively judge people on how they treat wait staff and other customer service employees. I find it's a good indication of ones character.)

[Clamett]

Now I know for sure RCL reads these posts. I just completed a cruise a few days ago and just filled out the online comment card. Two questions specifically addressed this issue. One asked if you had been given a speech by a crew member about the rating marks and the next one asked where the crew member worked, ex. housekeeping, dining room.

[troykahack]

Now I know for sure RCL reads these posts. I just completed a cruise a few days ago and just filled out the online comment card. Two questions specifically addressed this issue. One asked if you had been given a speech by a crew member about the rating marks and the next one asked where the crew member worked, ex. housekeeping, dining room.

 

 

Yes. Biker acknowledged that also for their cruise

 

 

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[beachnative]

Yes. Biker acknowledged that also for their cruise

 

 

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I am glad it is on the survey as I dislike hearing "the speech".

 

On the other hand, if we have a discussion with new cruisers I will often share with them of the importance of the survey.

Edited January 8, 2017 by beachnative

[troykahack]

I am glad it is on the survey as I dislike hearing "the speech".

 

On the other hand, if we have a discussion with new cruisers I will often share with them of the importance of the survey.

 

 

When did you hear the speech??

 

 

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[Biker19]

Only 2 per year?? I thought you cruised a lot more. Do you think you will reach PC?

 

I did 4 last year and will be a min of 3 this year but long term probably more like 2 per year. No, very unlikely to make P.

 

Biker, who cut off his waiter on Navigator when the "speech" was about to begin.

Edited January 8, 2017 by Biker19

[troykahack]

Port Canaveral? Where ships go to age mellowly? :confused::cool:

 

 

Pinnacle Club and not Port Canaveral. I think Biker lives much closer to FLL and Miami.

 

 

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