Will Freedom staff be as good in January?

[luckyprincess]

I'm a little nervous because I sail on the FOS in the beginning of January. If the most talented staff is leaving for Oasis does that mean I'm going to have a staff full of the B team or worse yet, a bunch of new folks? I'm hoping the service on the ship isn't going to suffer if they are removing the best people....

Does anyone have any experience with getting on a ship after a lot of the staff has left for a newer one? I understand the cd that everyone raves about will be gone but I've been told that Mr. Brooks will most likely replace him and that he is very good.....

[cb at sea]

The staff is constantly changing...I don't think you have a thing to worry about!

[F5Loar]

You picked your ship and where it's suppose to go but that's about all you have control over. The staff is constantly overlapping their vacations so if you had a favorite cruise director/steward/waiter/etc. the week you go they may be on vacation. The biggest problem you have is those other 3000 +/- people going with you on your week. That you have no control over. It could be a boat full of fun people or it could be the week for the Avon convention or maybe you picked the Grand Ole Opry cruise week with Little Jimmy Dickens.

Could be 1000 kids on board or maybe 100. Just do you thing your week and make the best of it.

[yogimax]

This is something over which you have no control so why worry.

 

If indeed the "best" are moving "up" to Oasis, the best of the rest will be moving up to Freedom.

[luckyprincess]

This is something over which you have no control so why worry.

 

If indeed the "best" are moving "up" to Oasis, the best of the rest will be moving up to Freedom.

I like the way you think! lol:) Being in hospitality I have the 'privilege':rolleyes: of a behind the scenes view of what happens when you shift too many of the A team to a new venue. One of two things happens - either the old place gets saturated with rookies and completely falls apart and service suffers or the B team decides its their time to shine and gain the coveted top spots and everyone steps it up. However, to take your view that RCI will fill those vacancies with the best of the other ships then it looks like it could be a win win situation.... but I'm a worrier by nature I think, so I will anyway I'm sure. :D

[luckyprincess]

You picked your ship and where it's suppose to go but that's about all you have control over. The staff is constantly overlapping their vacations so if you had a favorite cruise director/steward/waiter/etc. the week you go they may be on vacation. The biggest problem you have is those other 3000 +/- people going with you on your week. That you have no control over. It could be a boat full of fun people or it could be the week for the Avon convention or maybe you picked the Grand Ole Opry cruise week with Little Jimmy Dickens.

Could be 1000 kids on board or maybe 100. Just do you thing your week and make the best of it.

Lol! If I get to choose I'll take the Avon cruise - if I get discounts! If its the Grand Ole Opry I might go overboard!:eek: And maybe they could bump 900 of the 1000 kids up to the Oasis, too...;) I don't mind the other pax half as much as I would mind bad service. I say 'would mind' because except for one lone disgruntled, angry and generally surly RCCL employee I haven't had anything but great service yet!:D

[DEIx15x8]

I'm a little nervous because I sail on the FOS in the beginning of January. If the most talented staff is leaving for Oasis does that mean I'm going to have a staff full of the B team or worse yet, a bunch of new folks? I'm hoping the service on the ship isn't going to suffer if they are removing the best people....

Does anyone have any experience with getting on a ship after a lot of the staff has left for a newer one? I understand the cd that everyone raves about will be gone but I've been told that Mr. Brooks will most likely replace him and that he is very good.....

 

New ships typically are 50-75% recycled staff depending on how many ships of the design have been built. With Oasis it sounds like they may be leaning closer to 75-90% since it is so much different and they need the experience. Having said that Oasis will receive it's staff in early November and usually they are given 1+ months off before starting. There is usually somebody new on every sailing and you don't even realize it. By January any mass changing (which I think would actually be spread over a long time period not a single date) would have been long over. If you were sailing in August you would have more reason to be worried.

[barbgazz]

I would not have even thought to ask a question like this one. You're overthinking this whole vacation thing.

[BPWJR]

From a conversation with the HR Director on Freedom, plan is in effect and every week he gets some leaving and some new staff arriving. While Oasis will take its share, he noted he also loses staff who go back to the smaller ships every week. Just like some cruisers like the smaller ships, so do a lot of staffers. As someone noted, gives some of the 'back-ups' a chance to step-up and seems most are looking forward for the chance.

[luckyprincess]

I would not have even thought to ask a question like this one. You're overthinking this whole vacation thing.

Lol - not at all. To me there is no such thing as over thinking anything!:D I am just a super prepared girl! Don't confuse that with an over scheduler - I only actually 'schedule' excursions and stuff on vacation - but I find that the more knowledge I have the more I enjoy my vacation. We were talking about cruises with friends that had gone on the same ship after us and I mentioned some things we had done that they said 'oh - we didn't even see that' or 'I wish I knew that a big group was going to be on OUR cruise' and I realized that they just hadn't planned or visited sites like this or really participated in thinking about their vacay before they left. Like I said above, also, I'm in the hospitality biz, so I have a bit of insight into what CAN happen when a large percentage of experienced staff leaves to a new venue. As you can see from some of the answers of the kind posters that took time to answer me the ebb and flow of service staff on ships is a topic of conversation. :)