How much of a workload can/will Carnival employees handle?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

The thread on open seating dining caught my attention. Specifically the fact that the seating times for open seating dining are from 5:45 to 9:30. That means that it starts 15 minutes earlier than the early dining and lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes later than the late. It's just that much more for the staff to do.

 

I realize that Carnival is trying to please their guests - in this case by offering them more dining choices --- flexible seating times over a wider range of times. That's great, though in virtually all of their departments they are stretching the staff to work longer hours and take on more work: more cabins for the stewards, more tables for the waiters, etc...

 

I know of a fair number of Carnival employees who have had several contracts - now saying that this is their last. The impact will be felt, though perhaps not perceived, by passengers as the average crew member will have less time under their belts. Some don't have much of a choice, and have to continue working regardless of how much they are asked to do - will they be able to sufficiently mask their displeasure and give every guest the service and attention which they expect?

 

It's a tough call on Carnival's part - staying profitable while not (overtly) sacrificing the quality of service. It's the little things, and they do add up!

 

BTW - it's not just Carnival (don't think that I am picking on them). Over a few Celebrity sailings, we have witnessed a reduction in service. We have not sailed with them for years, as we have with Carnival, but understand that when RCCL bought Celebrity - the changes (not for the better) were VERY obvious to the seasoned cruiser.

 

Tom

[Nunu]

It'll be interesting to see how they adapt to the change. Having only cruised once previously and on Princess that has anytime dining I found the staff to be very efficient. I would think a change like this will show how good (or not) the management is at motivating its workers rather than finding it as an excuse to let service slip. I guess we'll see.

[Uncle Doug]

Its not just the cruise industry that is asking all employees to do more with less people. Most major industrial US companies have been doing this for at least the last 5 years. Hiring freezes with employee loss due to retirement or other reasons. We are routinely asked to produce more with half the people we had 10 years ago.

[G'ma]

It's a sign of the times.

 

Many, many businesses have laid off employees leaving those still working with a bigger workload.

 

Cruise companies are businesses....just like stores at a mall. They'll make cuts where necessary in order to protect the bottom line.....

 

Hopefully, the economy will start to turn around by next year and those without jobs will find work again.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Certainly I, as a CCL stockholder, can appreciate the need to show a profit!

 

Though once cuts/changes like these are made, even after the economy swings up - I don't ever seeing them bringing on more employees (at a higher cost) when (pseudo quote) "what we're doing right now is just fine...".

 

Tom

[LizaMM]

I am interested to see how this all plays out as well. Here are some of my thoughts on things I have seen on the boards lately.......

 

I am not sure which Open Dining thread you are referring to but I have read several as well as started a thread over the past couple of months as I am very interested in hearing how the Open Dining effects Traditional Dining......

 

I will see for myself next month on the Liberty and can offer up an opinion of my experience then.

 

As Tom & Cheryl both know (we were on a Roll Call together on the Freedom last month and the Legend in '06) - I already think there is a difference in the Dining Room experience. From my observation, I think that the switch from 4 dining times down to 2 dining times played a large role in why/what was different. Based on that i would think that Open Seating would only add to the congestion in the Galley but I am hopeful that the managing staff will work that out.

 

I also noticed changes in the interaction with the Cabin Stewards and it is quite apparent that they have many more cabins that they are responsible for than before. The service I received was on par and just great so i have no complaints. I am not sure how much more the stewards could take on and if they would "burn out" more quickly and have a harder time keeping up.

 

As far as the entertainment.....I did not notice much. There was plenty of music options as always......with the exception of no live music in the Supper Club (which was fine with me) the amount of music seemed the same - just different selections.

 

However; I keep up with the Best Piano Entertainer thread and there are a few of the well-known Piano Men who post to that thread.......It does seem that the really fun Piano Bar experience has gotten to be much less....the Piano Men (and others) who post to the thread have discussed the changes that have been made as far as their contracts go and it has been suggested that this is possibly why Piano Bar Entertainers who would want to be on a ship might not take/renew a contract. This is partly what has been stated and partly reading between the lines so I am not going to quote anyone.

 

All that said.......the dining experience and Piano Bar were among my top ten of reasons that I love cruising and love Carnival.......if i were to continue to notice changes to my experience I would be more inspired to check out other cruiselines and possibly different venues to vacation. I have stuck with Carnival with the thought that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and so far I am happy.....very happy......AND as others have said....in this economy you expect changes........but I would hate to see the trend continue

[SFCruisers]

I am going to approach this topic from a different angle. I worked in the restaurant business for 13 years as a server. My shifts would vary from split shifts where I would work 2-4 for the lunch shift, take a couple hour break and return to work the dinner shift any where from 4-8 hours at night depending on the day and how busy the restaurant was. The hours that the OP refers to would not be considered a long shift by most people that work in the restaurant business. I know that some servers on the ships also work other areas of the ship besides the sit down venues, adding to their hours, but again, I wouldn’t consider this unusual.

 

I have always been amazed by the service received in the formal dinning rooms on the ship. Basically, the servers and the kitchen have hundreds of people swarming a restaurant all at one time, everyone wanting drinks, food, and expecting service in a timely manner. Kudos to the crew involved in this whole process because it is normally executed very well.

 

Personally, I feel with the open seating, this could improve service in the formal dinning rooms, given the dinning room staff embraces the new concept.

 

If guests are sat in a rotating order in the servers stations, this would allow for the server to start one table, when the next table is sat the first table should be on their way, and so on. This, in theory, should allow food to come out of the kitchen hotter, because the server is not delivering food for 2 or 3 tables at a time. I have watched my dinners sit on a tray in the dinning room for a few minutes before it ever reaches my table, this could be eliminated with the different courses being delivered to each party in a rotating order.

 

IMHO, this concept if adapted correctly could work very well, but given my experiences in the restaurant world, even the rotating seating system can have major speed bumps, depending on how quickly a server’s station is hit with parties, the size and the demands of the parties.

 

A buck is a buck, even to large corporations. It is my hope in the quest for the all mighty buck, that all cruise lines do not sacrifice service and quality at the expense of those who keep them afloat. (No pun intended.)

[Kurbanfan]

Not sure why open seating dining would put more of a work load on the employee's then what they are already doing?

My experience with open seating (not on Carnival) was that the servers were more relaxed and not rushed as they are with traditional......

I agree with SFcruisers in that with open seating they don't have everyone thrown at them at once.......therefore they are able to pace themselves.........

I have yet to see any change in service on the ships.....

[vacruizer]

You pose a good question. I've been pretty vocal here about some of the same things you mention and I doubt that even when the economy picks up they will go back and add staff unless cruisers make it known to Carnival that they are not pleased.

 

I am a relative newbie to the cruising world (just started in 2006 but have taken 6 cruises in that time) but somewhere between our October 2007 Liberty cruise and our July 2008 one - Carnival made some pretty obvious changes in staffing. I had hoped that last July was just an off sailing (I still consider it my best cruise yet due to the awesome CC group we sailed with) but the Glory in January was more of the same. Service was ok - not terrible or anything - but you can tell the staff is stretched to the limit. No time to chat anymore - they are rushed and harried. :( I really feel bad for the crew.

 

I still love to cruise but miss the little service touches that make things special. One example is coffee with dessert in the dining room. It's one of the little luxuries I greatly enjoy but our waiters only managed to bring it to us twice on our last 7 day before we were done with dessert and ready to leave. Did it ruin my cruise? Of course not. But I did notice and miss it. The waiters were just too busy with too many tables. Our room steward kept everything up in our room, but he let us know the first day that we probably wouldn't see much of him as he was now assigned rooms on two different floors. :eek::eek::eek: How efficient is that? The cruise before that was the steward who we not only never met but kept running out of toilet paper and coudln't get beach towels to save our lives. On most cruises we were waving the drink waiters away in the show lounge - last few cruises we had nights where we never got a drink.

 

It's little stuff, but I hope Carnival looks seriously at it - they are walking a fine line between cuts and service. And lots of little stuff cruise after cruise starts to add up. I also miss the smiles of the crew - they are out there but not as plentiful. I think everyone is too tired and stressed. :( You need to keep the bottom line in shape, but you also don't want to end up losing customers because they didn't get the food, service, or entertainment they were expecting. And I'm a stockholder too so I do realize they need to turn a profit.

[guru66]

I would think that providing service in the open seating dining would run smoother for the staff for the simple reason the seatings are staggered. With traditional seating where 1,200 people are sat at once and the staff is tripping over each other in kitchen w/ all orders coming in virtually at once. I chose open seating for my April cruise because I find having dinner every night at the same time monotnus and regimented, so i'm anxious to see if I notice a difference in service. I also can't wait to get a feel for what the staff actually thinks about the concept. I think this total choice dining will be a win win for everybody as happier people tip more thus a happier staff.

[tnt091605]

The thread on open seating dining caught my attention. Specifically the fact that the seating times for open seating dining are from 5:45 to 9:30. That means that it starts 15 minutes earlier than the early dining and lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes later than the late. It's just that much more for the staff to do.

 

I realize that Carnival is trying to please their guests - in this case by offering them more dining choices --- flexible seating times over a wider range of times. That's great, though in virtually all of their departments they are stretching the staff to work longer hours and take on more work: more cabins for the stewards, more tables for the waiters, etc...

 

I know of a fair number of Carnival employees who have had several contracts - now saying that this is their last. The impact will be felt, though perhaps not perceived, by passengers as the average crew member will have less time under their belts. Some don't have much of a choice, and have to continue working regardless of how much they are asked to do - will they be able to sufficiently mask their displeasure and give every guest the service and attention which they expect?

 

It's a tough call on Carnival's part - staying profitable while not (overtly) sacrificing the quality of service. It's the little things, and they do add up!

 

BTW - it's not just Carnival (don't think that I am picking on them). Over a few Celebrity sailings, we have witnessed a reduction in service. We have not sailed with them for years, as we have with Carnival, but understand that when RCCL bought Celebrity - the changes (not for the better) were VERY obvious to the seasoned cruiser.

 

Tom

 

 

I am confused. How does open dining effect the employees? They have the same number of tables that the wait staff has in the MDR.

[guru66]

I am confused. How does open dining effect the employees? They have the same number of tables that the wait staff has in the MDR.

 

In general staggered seating allows a wait staff to provide better service simply because the kitchen and wait staff are not overwhelmed w/ one mass seating having to produce each course virtually at once to the entire house which causes chaos in the kitchen. If you ever get a chance to see what goes on behind closed doors on a ship during traditional dining you would understand

[Nunu]

I am confused. How does open dining effect the employees? They have the same number of tables that the wait staff has in the MDR.

 

The OP was stating that the staff will be working longer hours in the dining room versus traditional dining.

[vacruizer]

The OP was stating that the staff will be working longer hours in the dining room versus traditional dining.

 

I think it does add a little to their hours - where before they might get a short break between dinner seatings and be done by 10pm or so, now they probably have no break, start their shift a little earlier, and if they are seated with latecomers at 9:30 - it could be after 11pm by the time they are done making for a longer shift.

 

I disagree with those who think staggered seating is easier for the waiters - I always found the opposite in my waitressing years. I've done both styles and think the staggered seating is much harder to keep up with and requires many more trips running back and forth to the kitchen. It might be easier on the kitchen, but not the waiters. When everyone sits at the same time you work it assembly line style - go down the row, take everyone's orders, make one trip back to get the appetizers, one trip back for the dinners, etc. Staggered times keeps you runnning much, much more and it's harder to keep up with all the different requests and timings. If one table sits down just as you start back to the kitchen for say, entrees for another group, they are then sitting there waiting for you for the time it takes to get to the kitchen, pick stuff up, and return and serve the food. Meanwhile - the first table has asked for extras - condiments, etc. that you need to be getting at the same time you should be waiting on the table that just sat down. Multiply this by 4 or 5 or 6 tables all on different schedules and I think it's MUCH harder than everyone at once.

[steveaaaaa]

I disagree with those who think staggered seating is easier for the waiters - I always found the opposite in my waitressing years. I've done both styles and think the staggered seating is much harder to keep up with and requires many more trips running back and forth to the kitchen. It might be easier on the kitchen, but not the waiters. When everyone sits at the same time you work it assembly line style - go down the row, take everyone's orders, make one trip back to get the appetizers, one trip back for the dinners, etc. Staggered times keeps you runnning much, much more and it's harder to keep up with all the different requests and timings. If one table sits down just as you start back to the kitchen for say, entrees for another group, they are then sitting there waiting for you for the time it takes to get to the kitchen, pick stuff up, and return and serve the food. Meanwhile - the first table has asked for extras - condiments, etc. that you need to be getting at the same time you should be waiting on the table that just sat down. Multiply this by 4 or 5 or 6 tables all on different schedules and I think it's MUCH harder than everyone at once.

 

That is only true if it was still one waiter and busboy per 4 tables. Under open seating its no longer that 2 people for 4 table scenario, but a team effort to get you seated,fed,and out.

Steve

[vacruizer]

That is only true if it was still one waiter and busboy per 4 tables. Under open seating its no longer that 2 people for 4 table scenario, but a team effort to get you seated,fed,and out.

Steve

 

Wow - so you have more than a waiter and assistant waiter when you do open dining?

 

BTW - I think Carnival has done the right thing offering both types of dining even though I'm a fan of traditional. But I do still think open seating where tables are seated at different times is harder for a waiter - I've done it in a very similar service atmosphere to Carnival's dining rooms and similar setup - Waiter & assistant waiter, 4 courses, etc.

[Kurbanfan]

I think it does add a little to their hours - where before they might get a short break between dinner seatings and be done by 10pm or so, now they probably have no break, start their shift a little earlier, and if they are seated with latecomers at 9:30 - it could be after 11pm by the time they are done making for a longer shift.

 

I disagree with those who think staggered seating is easier for the waiters - I always found the opposite in my waitressing years. I've done both styles and think the staggered seating is much harder to keep up with and requires many more trips running back and forth to the kitchen. It might be easier on the kitchen, but not the waiters. When everyone sits at the same time you work it assembly line style - go down the row, take everyone's orders, make one trip back to get the appetizers, one trip back for the dinners, etc. Staggered times keeps you runnning much, much more and it's harder to keep up with all the different requests and timings. If one table sits down just as you start back to the kitchen for say, entrees for another group, they are then sitting there waiting for you for the time it takes to get to the kitchen, pick stuff up, and return and serve the food. Meanwhile - the first table has asked for extras - condiments, etc. that you need to be getting at the same time you should be waiting on the table that just sat down. Multiply this by 4 or 5 or 6 tables all on different schedules and I think it's MUCH harder than everyone at once.

 

That would be true in a land restaurant where you wait on your section by your self. On a cruise ship the waiter and assistant waiter work as teams.

We actually thought they were more efficient and not as rushed as tradtional.....

Our last few traditional dinings on Carnival were a mess.....

[WinnieinWA]

I'm not sure my observation fits in here but having just gotten off the Spirit I'll give my 2 cents. I've been on 4 different lines and this was my first Carnival cruise. I liked my cruise but:

 

I was only on board for about 2 hours when I got the feeling from the crew that they were very overworked, understaffed and tired.

 

That said I hope Carnival doesn't do too much to make the crew's work even harder or for longer hours.

[berniez]

We just got off the Liberty last week and used open dining. My wife and I loved it. They use 3 person teams. The first 2 nights we had an excellent wait team. The third night we had a poor wait team. The original team was too busy at that time. The fourth night we requested the first team again. But he was too busy. They placed us will another wait team. We requested this team for the rest of our cruise. We had to wait one night for a little while to get a table with our requested team, but I did not care. That team was that good. The head waiters name was Costalinka. She was great. As was her team. She was so good to us, we tipped here directly over and above the recommended auto tipping. We dined at different times depending when we wanted to eat. I liked this as I was not confined to a set time. Others may prefer traditional dining so the waiters really get to know you. The trade off is you always eat at the same time. For us, I think we will choose open dining again. But I will tell you once the waiter realized we had asked for her and waited for her, she really took care of us better than any wait staff we have ever had and this is our 11th cruise.

Wow - so you have more than a waiter and assistant waiter when you do open dining?

 

BTW - I think Carnival has done the right thing offering both types of dining even though I'm a fan of traditional. But I do still think open seating where tables are seated at different times is harder for a waiter - I've done it in a very similar service atmosphere to Carnival's dining rooms and similar setup - Waiter & assistant waiter, 4 courses, etc.

[vacruizer]

That would be true in a land restaurant where you wait on your section by your self. On a cruise ship the waiter and assistant waiter work as teams.

We actually thought they were more efficient and not as rushed as tradtional.....

Our last few traditional dinings on Carnival were a mess.....

 

Cool - glad it went well. I really think there is a place for both types of dining onboard.

 

There are land restaurants that use the team system. I worked in a fine dining place where we did the waiter/assistant thing plus busboy so there were three of us for each section. It was still easier to me to do the all at once banquet style serving vs. rolling table seating but maybe that was just me. :)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Thanks for all the good feedback - it's nice to see constructive discussion on the boards from time to time - even if it changes absolutely nothing in the end!!

 

Tom

[golfadj]

I noticed during our last cruise in October and than this past January that I never had the opportunity to talk to the head waiter.

 

Normally the head waiter can speak a decent amount of English and the assistant (generally new to Carnival and being around English speaking folks) has a very limited command of English.

 

Had two great cruises but was thinking they were just very shy. From comments that I have been hearing it was not shyness but just being overwhelmed with serving more people than before.

 

Typically at the end of a week's cruise I know the waiter and his life story rather well. Interesting to hear their take on the cruisers they serve.

 

As a result the personal service that we have come to love about cruising is just not there now. Since the demand for jobs from third world countries will more than equal the supply of cruising positions this is not going to change anytime soon.

 

These people make much more than they can in their own country and will go to any lengths to keep their job or to get them in the first place.

 

Booking agents for cruise workers have a tremendous amount of power and have a steady stream of workers looking for a position on a cruise ship.

 

If open seating becomes common than cruising will not be the special vacation it has become to us. With open seating (unless you can request and get the same waiter every night) you will get different servers every night and since you will not tip them directly will not get the normal great service I have come to expect.

 

Also my wife has some major food allergies so having the same waiter every night allows him to know what she can and cannot have. In addition the waiter gets to know your preferences and after a while can make suggestions or just bring extra items for you to taste. Not going to happen with open seating.

 

The world has changed but I always liked the old days (15 years ago) when you had the same table and wait staff for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

 

Golfadj

[big_duck]

Certainly I, as a CCL stockholder, can appreciate the need to show a profit!

 

Though once cuts/changes like these are made, even after the economy swings up - I don't ever seeing them bringing on more employees (at a higher cost) when (pseudo quote) "what we're doing right now is just fine...".

 

Tom

 

It is a very fine line they walk and they need to avoid the "death spiral"

 

Cut staff - service drops - lose customers - revenue drops - cut more staff - repeat until bankrupt.

[shipty2]

I do agree that going to open seating will affect service because the staff's income is not completely related to the quality of service the restaurant patrons receive. has . However I don't want to be friends with the waiter any more than I want to be friends with the waiter at my local restaurant. I am there to eat and converse with those whom I arrive with so from the social standpoint I don't care if it the same waiter or not. I guess I don't value the waiter knowing I want iced tea over them asking what I'd like to drink and me replying "iced tea".

[SFCruisers]

Thanks for all the good feedback - it's nice to see constructive discussion on the boards from time to time - even if it changes absolutely nothing in the end!!

 

Tom

 

I have to agree with Tom, it nice to see a civil conversation on these boards. I am not a big one for posting my thoughts, generally someone expresses my same feelings, so why repost them.

I think Carnival has done a great thing by offering another dinning time choice. I for one will stick with my late seating, I like having the same wait staff that know what I enjoy during my dinning experience.

We all have to make adjustments everyday with our employers expectations. Some we will like, some we will dislike, but we do it anyway to keep our jobs. If it gets to the point where you can't deal, you quit and move on. Cruise ship employees have the same options. On my last cruise on the Victory, I talked with employees that have been working for Carnival for 13-23 years. Would they really stay that long if they felt they were being over worked.