Bad experience on Allure

[legaljen1969]

On ‎5‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 9:04 AM, hannahsnana said:

We are currently sailing on Allure. This cruise was booked after the cancellation of our Oasis cruise, after which we booked a boardwalk balcony cabin on Allure as choices were limited. Everything was going OK with a few minor problems until last night. They had informed guests they were rewarding crew members for a 99% rating on their last inspection by allowing them access to the Boardwalk from 8:00 til 12:00 last night. That seemed OK to us until we returned to our cabin at 9:30 after dinner and a show. The noise from the Boardwalk with the door closed was unbearable to even sit and watch tv, much less go to sleep. There was a reggae band blasting music and a person singing, yelling , and more from the crowd. After dealing with it for a while, I called guest services and they said they’d send security to our room! What? My husband went down to guests services at 10:30 to complain again. They took his complaint and said it would stop at 11:00, which it did. If we had been outside in the hall making such noise , I’m sure there would have been security there right away! Needless to say, I am not happy with the situation that unfolded and are going to request compensation for several hours of interrupted calm in my cabin, much less the lack of sleep. By the way, when they did shut it down , the singer yelled out somebody closed them down! Yes, a paying guest!

 

 

Several hours of uninterrupted calm?  Grand total it was 1.5 hours from time you took issue with it until time you shut them down at 11:00.     It sounds like you want to complain that they disturbed you for the entire 4 hours it was planned, when you weren't even in the room for the first hour and a half and then you got them shut down an hour early. 
Granted noise is noise and if it's disturbing you, I understand why you took issue.

However, if you are a light sleeper or are very sensitive to noise, the Boardwalk cabins are probably not the best choice for where to stay.   There was always some noise outside on the boardwalk when we sailed in 2016, except in the super late night hours from say 1 a.m.- 4 a.m.   And I would say there are many who think 11:00 p.m. is not super late at night for people to still be out listening to music and milling around in open areas of the ship.

[legaljen1969]

18 hours ago, mac66 said:

I've never seen or heard of a crew party in public area on a cruise ship. That seems kinda odd that the captain (or whoever) would even allow it for exactly the reason we are discussing. I can't imagine that they (the captain or whoever) would think it a good idea.

 

I'm not necessarily against it or that the crew doesn't deserve it but I do question the judgment in allowing it in an industry that heavily customer oriented.

Said like a person whose favorite part of Titanic was when all of those in steerage were locked behind the gates prohibiting them from getting up to higher levels on the ship to be saved.   Those dang peasants. How dare they be seen by the like of paying customers!  
(Said TONGUE IN CHEEK- explanation for the benefit of those who might think I am against the crew. )
They work darn hard to keep people happy and satisfied on the cruises.  They do messy dirty jobs, get paid peanuts and do quite well to remember names and treat everyone with kindness and respect for the most part. 
 

[legaljen1969]

On ‎5‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 7:19 PM, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

She will complain that they have seeds or something. 

 

And instead of being out partying, the crew should have been working hard removing the seeds from their strawberries- being silent in their tedious work. 

[BNBR]

15 minutes ago, legaljen1969 said:

Said like a person whose favorite part of Titanic was when all of those in steerage were locked behind the gates prohibiting them from getting up to higher levels on the ship to be saved.   Those dang peasants. How dare they be seen by the like of paying customers!  
(Said TONGUE IN CHEEK- explanation for the benefit of those who might think I am against the crew. )
They work darn hard to keep people happy and satisfied on the cruises.  They do messy dirty jobs, get paid peanuts and do quite well to remember names and treat everyone with kindness and respect for the most part. 
 

 

My first thought was that it was bad business to close down a neighborhood on the ship for a crew party.  It's just not good customer service.  That's a major spot for guests to use and hang out.  But then I was thinking, if there is no aqua show, then the Boardwalk is empty at 9PM anyways.  So it's not a bad location.  Then I'm back to, bad idea, because Boardwalk has boardwalk cabins.  Disrupting your guests with a loud, late night party for crew is kind of ridiculous and just a bad idea.  I stick up for the crew all the time it has nothing to do with thinking they don't deserve it, but yeah, throwing a loud party that disrupts your guests late in to the evening seems pretty obvious that it's not a good idea.

 

I can't imagine them doing this again on the boardwalk.  Is there an evening when the main theater is available?  Studio B?  Surely there are better places on the ship to hold a party like this.  Even Dazzles (maybe not enough space though).

Edited May 24, 2019 by BNBR

[lovescats5]

Never been on the Allure but sailed Oasis 2 times.  That part of the ship is a great place for a party and the crew takes care of everyone cruise after cruise and now they get to enjoy a part of the ship they might not have had a chance to.  Why is it that the first reaction of people, who are offended in any way, is to ask for money.  Before you say anything to that if you ask for compensation in any way it is related to money.  Unfortunately you picked a room that had more noise than you wanted for 1.5 hrs.  I might mention that not all noise comes from parties.  We were on Celebrity for an Alaska cruise and for 7 nights there was a baby next door that cried all night.  We did not even think to complain, what good would it have done.  Life happens and sometimes we have to give up something (peace and quiet for 1.5 hrs) to get something (a wonderful cruise on a beautiful ship).

[brillohead]

54 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

My first thought was that it was bad business to close down a neighborhood on the ship for a crew party.  It's just not good customer service.  That's a major spot for guests to use and hang out.  But then I was thinking, if there is no aqua show, then the Boardwalk is empty at 9PM anyways.  So it's not a bad location.  Then I'm back to, bad idea, because Boardwalk has boardwalk cabins.  Disrupting your guests with a loud, late night party for crew is kind of ridiculous and just a bad idea.  I stick up for the crew all the time it has nothing to do with thinking they don't deserve it, but yeah, throwing a loud party that disrupts your guests late in to the evening seems pretty obvious that it's not a good idea.

 

I can't imagine them doing this again on the boardwalk.  Is there an evening when the main theater is available?  Studio B?  Surely there are better places on the ship to hold a party like this.  Even Dazzles (maybe not enough space though).

Closing down a basically empty neighborhood is no big deal.  

Boardwalk rooms shouldn't expect quiet.

The crew deserved what was probably a once-in-a-lifetime reward.... this is hardly something that occurs every single week on every cruise.  

Get over it.  

[cjdixon4]

Over 130 posts and still going strong! 🤣

[Cru1s1ng2009]

3 hours ago, fdthird said:

The horse is officially dead!

that's what you thought. We shall still beat upon it regardless.

[voyager70]

1 minute ago, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

that's what you thought. We shall still beat upon it regardless.

 

You beat me to it.  This could end up being one of those 15 pagers.

 

[sailor05]

I was on this same cruise ion a Central Park Balcony. Sooo peaceful and quiet. I book these for this reason and not Boardwalk for that reason. Hopefully this was a lesson learned! Certainly isn't something I would take the time to complain about on here....

Edited May 24, 2019 by sailor05

[DirtyDawg]

16 minutes ago, sailor05 said:

I was on this same cruise ion a Central Park Balcony. Sooo peaceful and quiet. I book these for this reason and not Boardwalk for that reason. Hopefully this was a lesson learned! Certainly isn't something I would take the time to complain about on here....

 

But CC'ers will spend stupendous amounts of time complaining about a complaint that probably took 5 minutes to write. 🙄

Edited May 24, 2019 by DirtyDawg

[Thorben-Hendrik]

5 hours ago, lovescats5 said:

That part of the ship is a great place for a party and the crew takes care of everyone cruise after cruise and now they get to enjoy a part of the ship they might not have had a chance to. 

1. That is their JOB!🙄

2. They can buy a cruise vacation...👍

[mac66]

4 hours ago, brillohead said:

Closing down a basically empty neighborhood is no big deal.  

 

Closing down a normally public venue for employees is a big deal

Boardwalk rooms shouldn't expect quiet.

 

After 9 pm I think they would/should expect quiet

The crew deserved what was probably a once-in-a-lifetime reward.... this is hardly something that occurs every single week on every cruise.  

 

Nothing against the crew partying. My understanding is that they have their own lounge(s)/space. My question is what precipitated the captain/administration to think it was a good idea to allow it in a public venue?

 

Quote

Get over it.  

 

Response above in bold

Edited May 24, 2019 by mac66

[mayleeman]

4 minutes ago, mac66 said:

My question is what precipitated the captain/administration to think it was a good idea to allow it in a public venue?

 

Hmmm... Take a poll of passengers to see whether any would like to have a special party in the crew lounge.

 

Maybe the Captain didn't think it would be a reward to say, "Hey, crew! Great job! I want to show how much you mean to me, so, go do whatever you do every day!"

[mac66]

1 minute ago, mayleeman said:

 

Hmmm... Take a poll of passengers to see whether any would like to have a special party in the crew lounge.

 

Maybe the Captain didn't think it would be a reward to say, "Hey, crew! Great job! I want to show how much you mean to me, so, go do whatever you do every day!"

 

Nothing against the crew but I question the judgement of the people in charge in a heavy service oriented industry thinking it would be a good idea. They must have known that some people would complain about the noise. Do they just not care what the customers think? That concerns me.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

4 minutes ago, mac66 said:

 

Nothing against the crew but I question the judgement of the people in charge in a heavy service oriented industry thinking it would be a good idea. They must have known that some people would complain about the noise. Do they just not care what the customers think? That concerns me.

I have heard that RCI is giving crew WAY more extras than other cruise lines....🤔

[molsonschooner]

5 hours ago, brillohead said:

Closing down a basically empty neighborhood is no big deal.  

Boardwalk rooms shouldn't expect quiet.

The crew deserved what was probably a once-in-a-lifetime reward.... this is hardly something that occurs every single week on every cruise.  

Get over it.  

I am going to disagree here. The boardwalk is open to all guests. If they take that away from the guests that is taking away part of their cruise. Just recently we were on Harmony and every night I had my almost 5 year old granddaughter on the carousel and the lucky climber right up to 10 p.m. Starbucks is on the boardwalk as is the hot dog place. Could you imagine if a crew party was held on the boardwalk on Harmony and people could not get to Starbucks, there would be hell to pay. The crew certainly deserves a party but let them party in a place where the passengers will not be affected.

[Danitroline]

Horse may be dead but I am not stopping compressions- OP NEVER said that the guests were not allowed in the Boardwalk area. The very first post states that the crew was ALLOWED ACCESS to Boardwalk from 8 to 12.

Guests were not denied Boardwalk fun.

15 hours ago, molsonschooner said:

I am going to disagree here. The boardwalk is open to all guests. If they take that away from the guests that is taking away part of their cruise. Just recently we were on Harmony and every night I had my almost 5 year old granddaughter on the carousel and the lucky climber right up to 10 p.m. Starbucks is on the boardwalk as is the hot dog place. Could you imagine if a crew party was held on the boardwalk on Harmony and people could not get to Starbucks, there would be hell to pay. The crew certainly deserves a party but let them party in a place where the passengers will not be affected.

 

[123funcruiser]

10 minutes ago, Danitroline said:

Horse may be dead but I am not stopping compressions- OP NEVER said that the guests were not allowed in the Boardwalk area. The very first post states that the crew was ALLOWED ACCESS to Boardwalk from 8 to 12.

Guests were not denied Boardwalk fun.

 

 

Post #110 from someone on that cruise clearly stated the boardwalk was off Limit for guests for the Duration of the crew Party!!!

You can rest now and stop compression. 

[mayleeman]

53 minutes ago, 123funcruiser said:

 

Post #110 from someone on that cruise clearly stated the boardwalk was off Limit for guests for the Duration of the crew Party!!!

You can rest now and stop compression. 

Actually, that is incorrect. Post 110 was a response to a suggestion to "join the festivities", and says only that "it" (referencing the "party") was "off limits" to guests  Boardwalk is not mentioned.

 

I detect a flutter. 

[brillohead]

17 hours ago, mac66 said:

Closing down a basically empty neighborhood is no big deal.  

 

Closing down a normally public venue for employees is a big deal

Boardwalk rooms shouldn't expect quiet.

 

After 9 pm I think they would/should expect quiet

The crew deserved what was probably a once-in-a-lifetime reward.... this is hardly something that occurs every single week on every cruise.  

 

Nothing against the crew partying. My understanding is that they have their own lounge(s)/space. My question is what precipitated the captain/administration to think it was a good idea to allow it in a public venue?

 

Response above in bold

 

No, closing down a public venue for a short period of time is not a big deal.  Plenty of times venues have been shut down to the "public" for a variety of reasons, including private parties.  It's not an every night thing or even an every cruise thing, but it DOES happen and it's NOT a big deal -- there are lots and lots of other places to be on these ships.


As for expecting quiet after 9pm, there's a report just a few posts above this one of someone's granddaughter on the carousel as late as 10pm.  This is NOT a Holland American ship -- most people stay up past 9pm, and it should be obvious by the name that a Boardwalk balcony room is going to overlook a Boardwalk, which, by definition, is going to be a busy area.


As for administration thinking it was a good idea to allow the staff to have a celebration, that's simply not your call to make.  Feel free to walk yourself over to another cruise line, if you think it's a horrible idea for RCI to treat their employees like a valued part of the company's success.  

I've seen plenty of restaurants and other businesses that have put a sign on their door stating that they were closed for a company holiday party, staff BBQ, etc.  We went to eat at a local Chinese restaurant last year -- on a Saturday when they're usually so busy you have to wait for a table, even though it's a HUGE restaurant -- and the entire restaurant was closed for a staff member's wedding.  The owners lost out on revenue for the whole night, on their busiest night of the week, in order to allow all the staff to attend the wedding.  

Treating your employees like the asset that they are is only going to benefit your company's bottom line.  Rewarding your staff for accomplishing the Holy Grail of inspections is the smartest thing you can do.  


 

[BNBR]

2 minutes ago, brillohead said:

 

No, closing down a public venue for a short period of time is not a big deal.  Plenty of times venues have been shut down to the "public" for a variety of reasons, including private parties.  It's not an every night thing or even an every cruise thing, but it DOES happen and it's NOT a big deal -- there are lots and lots of other places to be on these ships.


As for expecting quiet after 9pm, there's a report just a few posts above this one of someone's granddaughter on the carousel as late as 10pm.  This is NOT a Holland American ship -- most people stay up past 9pm, and it should be obvious by the name that a Boardwalk balcony room is going to overlook a Boardwalk, which, by definition, is going to be a busy area.


As for administration thinking it was a good idea to allow the staff to have a celebration, that's simply not your call to make.  Feel free to walk yourself over to another cruise line, if you think it's a horrible idea for RCI to treat their employees like a valued part of the company's success.  

I've seen plenty of restaurants and other businesses that have put a sign on their door stating that they were closed for a company holiday party, staff BBQ, etc.  We went to eat at a local Chinese restaurant last year -- on a Saturday when they're usually so busy you have to wait for a table, even though it's a HUGE restaurant -- and the entire restaurant was closed for a staff member's wedding.  The owners lost out on revenue for the whole night, on their busiest night of the week, in order to allow all the staff to attend the wedding.  

Treating your employees like the asset that they are is only going to benefit your company's bottom line.  Rewarding your staff for accomplishing the Holy Grail of inspections is the smartest thing you can do.  


 

 

Cute story. But nobody is suggesting the crew shouldn't have a reward for their excellence. Nobody is saying they shouldnt have a party.  

[brillohead]

17 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

Cute story. But nobody is suggesting the crew shouldn't have a reward for their excellence. Nobody is saying they shouldnt have a party.  

Actually, that's exactly what's being said -- they should only party in a cramped lounge that they see every day and can't possibly fit them all.  A special reward should be SPECIAL -- not ho-hum.  

[mayleeman]

1 minute ago, brillohead said:

Actually, that's exactly what's being said -- they should only party in a cramped lounge that they see every day and can't possibly fit them all.  A special reward should be SPECIAL -- not ho-hum.  

Amen! The people getting bent out of shape about a "closed public venue" need to read better! The BW was NOT closed off!

 

But some people seem to want the ship's crew out of sight in the hold unless they are serving the pax. Reminds me of stories from 2 different contractors about the attitude toward workers at Augusta National, where even contractors coming to work are instructed to keep out of sight of the members and guests, and to turn away to avoid interaction if an encounter happens to occur. The "help" aren't people, apparently. 

[ShillyShally]

Unless you were on this cruise, and reports from those that were seem to indicate it was closed to passengers, you won’t know what actually was open/not open!  I really doubt the boardwalk was still open to passengers and was likely chosen because they could close the main entrance to the boardwalk. 

 

and I know I never said they needed to only celebrate in closed quarters @@ I actually think the pool deck would have been a better venue, even half of it.

 

the level of assumptions here is amazing!