Surprised HAL CSA did not know this:

[PoseidonGodoftheSea]

I recently switched staterooms on one of my bookings and I kept saying I wanted port side toward the bow and she was confused; she finally replied, "do I mean the front"? I said yes. She said they only go by the terminology of fore/aft and thus didn't understand what I meant by bow/stern. Is this unusual? I'm not being critical, my experience with HAL CSA's lately have been excellent, I was just taken aback by it.

[Stock Cop]

I recently switched staterooms on one of my bookings and I kept saying I wanted port side toward the bow and she was confused; she finally replied, "do I mean the front"? I said yes. She said they only go by the terminology of fore/aft and thus didn't understand what I meant by bow/stern. Is this unusual? I'm not being critical, my experience with HAL CSA's lately have been excellent, I was just taken aback by it.

 

WOW!!! :eek: That's funny.

Did you tell her the bow was the "pointy" end of the ship?

 

No wonder cabin assignments get fouled up.

 

Rich :cool: :cool:

[Harry1954]

I recently switched staterooms on one of my bookings and I kept saying I wanted port side toward the bow and she was confused; she finally replied, "do I mean the front"? I said yes. She said they only go by the terminology of fore/aft and thus didn't understand what I meant by bow/stern. Is this unusual? I'm not being critical, my experience with HAL CSA's lately have been excellent, I was just taken aback by it.

maybe they have been burned by misunderstandings with some less tuned-in cruisers and are just trying to be overt about what one means.

harry

[mrmac]

Another reason to stick with a real travel agent who has actually cruised several times. Many times the res agents have never even been on a ship.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Another reason to stick with a real travel agent who has actually cruised several times. Many times the res agents have never even been on a ship.

 

So true!!!!

[sail7seas]

Many folks who work in reservations and other home office positions have never been on a ship. Also, as suggested, they are probably told to only use certain terminology as cruisers 'who think they are well informed' but are mistaken could be saying one thing while meaning another.

 

Should she have known what/where the bow is? Sure. That would be appropriate. But it really isn't necessary IMO More important IMO is to use regular every day language with very little room for misunderstanding.

 

 

 

 

[bepsf]

I recently switched staterooms on one of my bookings and I kept saying I wanted port side toward the bow and she was confused; she finally replied, "do I mean the front"? I said yes. She said they only go by the terminology of fore/aft and thus didn't understand what I meant by bow/stern. Is this unusual? I'm not being critical, my experience with HAL CSA's lately have been excellent, I was just taken aback by it.

 

What do you expect from someone making $9/hour, has received little to no training and who's last job was folding t-shirts at GAP?

:confused:

[Copper10-8]

Incoming!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[earl_m]

With the salary they make , they can`t afford to go on a cruise and probably never set foot on a ship .

[jhannah]

I'll give the CSR the benefit of the doubt. For every CSR who doesn't know what the bow is, there are 4 or 5 passengers who think they know something they don't!

[sail7seas]

Ditto, Jim. I agree with you!

[InTheWASide]

Ditto, Jim. I agree with you!

 

 

Make that two of us...

 

This thread turned really rude, petty and pissy real fast, and I'm sure that was NOT the OP's intent.

[PoseidonGodoftheSea]

Make that two of us...

 

This thread turned really rude, petty and pissy real fast, and I'm sure that was NOT the OP's intent.

 

No it wasn't. The CSA might have been new or had never cruised. I understand that. But I didn't think it was too much to ask for since HAL used the words bow/stern in their own printed material.

 

How can a person who never learned to drive sell a car? With the cruise lines as competitive as they are wouldn't they want their CSA's to "sell" the cruise. If I ran a CSA dept for a cruiseline I'd at the very least require noncruisers to attend a week long "cruising 101" type of class and then test them on the basics before putting them behind a desk. The business costs would be minimal, they could use their own company resources. IMO.

[innlady1]

No it wasn't. The CSA might have been new or had never cruised. I understand that. But I didn't think it was too much to ask for since HAL used the words bow/stern in their own printed material.

 

How can a person who never learned to drive sell a car? With the cruise lines as competitive as they are wouldn't they want their CSA's to "sell" the cruise. If I ran a CSA dept for a cruiseline I'd at the very least require noncruisers to attend a week long "cruising 101" type of class and then test them on the basics before putting them behind a desk. The business costs would be minimal, they could use their own company resources. IMO.

 

You would think HAL would put all employees dealing on the phone or by email with the public through a training program. As you say, Cruising 101. I find this

surprising.

 

Bow and stern, port and starboard are elementary boating terms...whether you're talking about a dinghy or a cruise ship! I find it surprising that a CSA wasn't familiar enough with the product she/he is selling to be aware of those terms.

 

I have girls from Bulgaria work for us each season. First thing we do when they arrive is to take them on a tour of the island and give them a crash course on where the points of interest are located. To familiarize them with their new surroundings and so they will be able to answer guests questions.

[Philip217]

CSAs working for most cruise lines are getting paid minimum wage in an entry level job. Average turnover for this department is 100% every 3 months. The Manager there is typically the only employee in the department who has been there longer than 3 or 4 months.

Quite often the building where these people are working is not even near the Cruise Line's Headquarters.

Most have never seen nor visited a real cruise ship.

 

In HAL's case, they have a big office in Idaho where many calls are answered. Lovely people working there, but many of them have never even seen the ocean - much less a cruise ship.

 

But it's not as bad as all that. None of the cruise lines wants to compete with their best friends - Travel Agents. If CSAs were really good, too many passengers would bypass travel agents and deal directly with the cruise lines. The cruise lines are not set up for this sort of volume and would need to invest hundreds of millions of dollars on infrastructure and land-based employees. They prefer to spend this money on new ships.

 

Most people do not go directly to General Motors to purchase an automobile.

They go to a qualified dealer.

Most people do not go directly to the airline to purchase air tickets.

They go to a qualified travel agent.

Cruising generally works pretty much the same way.

[jtl513]

I find it hard to believe that anyone who attended at least a couple of years of high school doesn't know where the bow of a ship is! :eek:

[HeatherInFlorida]

PGoftheSea was very clear she meant no disrespect, wasn't being critical of the CSR and merely was taken aback a bit.

 

So am I. I think "bow" of the ship is more commonly known than "fore" and "aft" truthfully. Those are not everyday terms. How many times do any of us use it except to say "aft pool", the "aft balconies" or something like that?

 

We say we're walking toward the bow, but I've never annouced I'm going "fore".:D :D

 

A glossery of terms should be given any CSR the first day they start. You shouldn't have to have been on a ship to know where the bow is.

[LADYLAYLA]

Most people do not go directly to the airline to purchase air tickets.

They go to a qualified travel agent.

 

 

With the advent of the internet and the availability of such a wealth of knowledge, using a TA for a airplane ticket is far from cost effective. We research the fares through sites like orbitz, travelocity etc, then go directly to the airline to book -- prices are normally cheaper or at least equal to the web prices and you dont have to pay the TA or TA website booking fee. Call me cheap -- but every dollar I save goes to ny cruising fund.

 

Now TA's and cruising are a different story because TA's normally provide extra incentives to cruisers. We have never booked with a TA, but may talk to one before our next cruise

 

LL

[innlady1]

I find it hard to believe that anyone who attended at least a couple of years of high school doesn't know where the bow of a ship is! :eek:

 

I agree...just for fun, I asked our two 7-year-old granddaughters if they knew where the bow and the stern of a ship are located. They passed with flying colors!

[Copper10-8]

Why don't each of us ask the next ten people we come across (today or, better yet, at work tomorrow) if they know what the bow of a ship is? Makes for great elevator conversation! Should make for interesting results:eek:

[innlady1]

Most people do not go directly to the airline to purchase air tickets.

 

They go to a qualified travel agent.

 

I must be in the vast minority. I book all of our airline tickets on line at the airline site, whether it's Southwest, Jet Blue, etc.

[HeatherInFlorida]

CSAs working for most cruise lines are getting paid minimum wage in an entry level job. ..................Most have never seen nor visited a real cruise ship.

 

................ Lovely people working there, but many of them have never even seen the ocean - much less a cruise ship.

 

....................Most people do not go directly to the airline to purchase air tickets.

They go to a qualified travel agent.

...................

 

Pay grade, turnover, whether they've ever been on a ship has nothing to do with knowing the meaning of the word "Bow". I think those little picture books in kindergarten might say "Bow" with a picture of the bow of a ship. This isn't rocket science:) .

 

I never use a travel agent to book airline tickets. I always book directly on the airline's website.

 

I must be in the vast minority. I book all of our airline tickets on line at the airline site, whether it's Southwest, Jet Blue, etc.

 

I don't think you're in the minority. I think the vast majority book directly with the airline. I'm almost positive TA's now charge a fee for airline reservations.

[jhannah]

I believe you're right, Heather. It would be a rare TA who did not charge a fee for airline tix. I used to go through a well-known travel site or two when booking tickets, but now tend to use them only for price comparisons. Most airlines these days advertise that the lowest available prices are on their websites. And with a few stories I've heard about snafus with some of the booking sites, I'd rather just go directly with the airline's site. The majors, at least, don't charge a fee for booking, either.

[hammybee]

Most people do not go directly to General Motors to purchase an automobile.

They go to a qualified dealer.

Most people do not go directly to the airline to purchase air tickets.

They go to a qualified travel agent.

Cruising generally works pretty much the same way.

 

I love the analogies.

 

I too am one of those who uses online booking engines to shop for airline tickets and then I book directly with the airline. I think most folk do the opposite as they prefer one stop shopping. If this were not true, most of these massive booking engines would probably cease to exist. The lure of the hotel/ car rental / airline ticket in one transaction is easier to manage, especially for business travelers.

[hammybee]

 

I think the vast majority book directly with the airline. I'm almost positive TA's now charge a fee for airline reservations.

 

Yes they do and rightly so, given the airlines no longer pay a commission fee for domestic flights.