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Soliciting Reviews in Post-Cruise Survey?


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Extremely random question: I just got off a cruise and have a question about the post-cruise survey. If memory serves, the last time I did one, there was a question that was something to the effect of "did any crew members tell you about this survey or ask for a positive review?" So here's my question--is a crew member mentioning the survey a positive or a negative thing in Royal Caribbean's eyes? 

For context: we had a fantastic crew member interaction and, in the course of our conversation, this person mentioned the survey and how good results help in their future careers. I certainly want to recognize this person and don't want to cause them problems if they're not supposed to talk about the survey. But some companies want their employees to mention similar surveys so customers know to be on the look out for it. I definitely want to help out this crew member, so didn't know the best response to that question (if it's still on there).

EDIT: Just to be clear, this person wasn't actively saying "give us high scores." It was more of a "Hey, if there's any reason you wouldn't give high scores for the food or service, please let us know so we can try to make things better." The comment about it impacting a career was only in response when someone at our table asked if Royal Caribbean really put stock in those surveys and how they used them. 

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1 hour ago, WesKinetic said:

Extremely random question: I just got off a cruise and have a question about the post-cruise survey. If memory serves, the last time I did one, there was a question that was something to the effect of "did any crew members tell you about this survey or ask for a positive review?" So here's my question--is a crew member mentioning the survey a positive or a negative thing in Royal Caribbean's eyes? 

For context: we had a fantastic crew member interaction and, in the course of our conversation, this person mentioned the survey and how good results help in their future careers. I certainly want to recognize this person and don't want to cause them problems if they're not supposed to talk about the survey. But some companies want their employees to mention similar surveys so customers know to be on the look out for it. I definitely want to help out this crew member, so didn't know the best response to that question (if it's still on there).

I believe they are not supposed to talk about the survey because there was a time some of the crew will push the survey topic every day and some guests started to complain. During the survey you will get that question. If you answer yes, then you get a second question asking you who did. You do not need to check any boxes if you do not want and can jump to the next question.

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On our two recent cruises on the Navigator, both times the servers in the dining room (two different servers) pushed the survey and emphasized that we should say that they told us to do the survey.  Both of them were excellent (Nittin and Samir) and, of course, we gave them glowing reviews and named them as who told us about the survey.

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8 minutes ago, csrsue said:

On our two recent cruises on the Navigator, both times the servers in the dining room (two different servers) pushed the survey and emphasized that we should say that they told us to do the survey.  Both of them were excellent (Nittin and Samir) and, of course, we gave them glowing reviews and named them as who told us about the survey.

OK, that was the same with mine. So maybe that is how they promote it and they actually are supposed to do that. Thanks so much. 

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Our dining room staff (head waiter and waiter) mentioned, I believe twice about the survey and getting high marks for future promotions and being welcomed back on future sailings after their contracts were up. This was on our Allure sailing over Christmas 2021

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As I understand it, the staff is supposed to request we fill out the survey but there's ambiguity beyond that. I don't believe they're allowed to outright ask for 5 star reviews, but they might be able to skirt the rule by saying something like, "I hope you found the service to be excellent and, if so, that you would rate it at 5 stars..."

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49 minutes ago, WAYNO said:

I asked a supervisor in the dining room the same question.  She said absolutely they are supposed to ask, and we are expected to answer on the survey that they did ask.  It's a good thing.😉

The survey is so confusing because it doesn't ask if we were invited to complete the survey. It asks if we were asked to provide positive reviews. If they changed the question so that it actually says what it means, that would be great. The way it is worded now seems like a penalty for servers being too pushy.

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We had a server at the coastal kitchen on Allure in Nov. strongly suggest that we give them all 5’s (saying it was very important). I gave him the benefit of the doubt and privately, quietly told him that the surveys do specifically ask if someone has asked us to review in a certain way and that I would not want him to have someone report that he was asking -  he just stared at me. The very next morning, debarkation breakfast, I heard him reminding other guests about that they needed 5’s on the survey 😳 The Allure CK has consistently under-performed in our opinion, but this isn't the fix. In all our sailings other than this, we have never once had the survey mentioned.

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When pressured to give positive reviews, I check the box that asks that.  I don’t mind someone mentioning the survey, but please don’t try to push me to give an excellent rating. Let your service speak for itself. 🙂

That said, this past December NO ONE even mentioned the survey, and when I filled out the survey, I was able to mention by name several employees who provided truly excellent service. 

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We have been asked on all of 3 of our recent cruises.  One crew member even took the time to explain that 5 is the best score and 1 was the lowest score and explained some people get confused.   Nearly all of our interactions with Royal crew have been outstanding and we are happy to give positive reviews to support them.

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5 hours ago, Colombia20102018 said:

I believe they are not supposed to talk about the survey because there was a time some of the crew will push the survey topic every day and some guests started to complain. During the survey you will get that question. If you answer yes, then you get a second question asking you who did. You do not need to check any boxes if you do not want and can jump to the next question.

I had them push the survey EVERY…SINGLE….DAY  recently.  It got so bad everyone at the table was finishing their sentence.  They were FANTASTIC servers, but that damn survey request, was most annoying.  
 

on the extreme opposite we must have had some of the worst servers ever last month.  Service was so bad it was the first time I did not tip additional.  The head waiter showed up day 4 to introduce himself …fresh out of “required transfer quarantine “ so we thought the staff was off goofing around unsupervised for the first days, however nothing changed afterwards either. 
when it came time to ask for 10’s they couldn’t even look at us, barely got the words out and left.

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Surveys are like Employee Efficiency Reports, I don't mind if an employee (in this case a crew member) asks for one, especially if the employer offers an incentive or tracking for/of laudatory submissions.  However, I don't give raving reviews if the service or whatever is less than stellar.  I give honest reviews/surveys regardless of how much the employee/service person ask for one.  I also don't believe there is a perfect employee/service person.  In most cases though, I let my tip do the talking.  It's 20% to start, on a RCCL it's 18% minimum, I guess, and, other than RCCL or places/situations that require a minimum %, it only goes up or down from there.  I'm still waiting on my first "after cruise survey" which will be after my May cruise, I guess.  I did send a complaint letter to the CEO of Brand X Cruise Lines.  Shocker, I never heard back.🥵  

Fortunately, I can honestly say that RCCL and it's crew have always given me above average service, always met or exceeded my expectations.  Can't say that about the cruise line I left several years ago. 

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17 hours ago, WesKinetic said:

Extremely random question: I just got off a cruise and have a question about the post-cruise survey. If memory serves, the last time I did one, there was a question that was something to the effect of "did any crew members tell you about this survey or ask for a positive review?" So here's my question--is a crew member mentioning the survey a positive or a negative thing in Royal Caribbean's eyes? 

For context: we had a fantastic crew member interaction and, in the course of our conversation, this person mentioned the survey and how good results help in their future careers. I certainly want to recognize this person and don't want to cause them problems if they're not supposed to talk about the survey. But some companies want their employees to mention similar surveys so customers know to be on the look out for it. I definitely want to help out this crew member, so didn't know the best response to that question (if it's still on there).

EDIT: Just to be clear, this person wasn't actively saying "give us high scores." It was more of a "Hey, if there's any reason you wouldn't give high scores for the food or service, please let us know so we can try to make things better." The comment about it impacting a career was only in response when someone at our table asked if Royal Caribbean really put stock in those surveys and how they used them. 

it's a positive to mention the survey, and it's a positive to ask for feedback about the service.  It's a negative to ask for a high rating.

As others have stated, we have been reminded of the survey on virtually every cruise.  We have been asked for feedback to improve MDR service. I don't remember ever being asked to give a high rating.   Our best MDR service has been when we've had a fixed table and dining staff.  It was hard to bond with the staff during My Time dining when we floated from table to table...

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I flat out REFUSE to recognize servers, bartenders, or stateroom attendants on the stupid, pandering post cruise survey. Let me explain….

I have been on a lot of cruises and realize how spinning the wheel to receive a prize can really mean a lot to a cruise ship employee because it singles them out from all the others. It is one of the few times in their career they are rewarded individually for their efforts. The kind words of a passenger read aloud during a staff meeting are nice too but not nearly as nice as some extra time off or best yet….cash.
 

So as a veteran cruiser, yeah the stateroom attendant, bartenders, and the MDR staff are the employees I have had the most interaction with during the week. But I am aware that that there are a hell of a lot more employees on the boat. A lot more opportunities to reward someone and make a far more substantial impact.

The people I chose to reward I truthfully likely have never met. My favorite is the pot washer in the galley of whatever floor I eat in the MDR. It is the absolute worst job on the boat and everyone except for the passengers know it. Other people I have chosen to reward might be someone who cleans the public washrooms near the theater or dining room. The guy who drew the short straw and has to peddle the fresh squeezed orange juice for $5 bucks a glass. A first contract lifeguard who has the coldest and loneliest shifts after the sun goes down and the pool area is strangely silent. Those are the types of people I want Royal Caribbean to recognize and reward.

 

BTW, I don’t leave out servers, bartenders, and cabin stewards; they get cash just like at every other bar or restaurant I go to.

 

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3 hours ago, bobroo said:

I flat out REFUSE to recognize servers, bartenders, or stateroom attendants on the stupid, pandering post cruise survey. Let me explain….

I have been on a lot of cruises and realize how spinning the wheel to receive a prize can really mean a lot to a cruise ship employee because it singles them out from all the others. It is one of the few times in their career they are rewarded individually for their efforts. The kind words of a passenger read aloud during a staff meeting are nice too but not nearly as nice as some extra time off or best yet….cash.
 

So as a veteran cruiser, yeah the stateroom attendant, bartenders, and the MDR staff are the employees I have had the most interaction with during the week. But I am aware that that there are a hell of a lot more employees on the boat. A lot more opportunities to reward someone and make a far more substantial impact.

The people I chose to reward I truthfully likely have never met. My favorite is the pot washer in the galley of whatever floor I eat in the MDR. It is the absolute worst job on the boat and everyone except for the passengers know it. Other people I have chosen to reward might be someone who cleans the public washrooms near the theater or dining room. The guy who drew the short straw and has to peddle the fresh squeezed orange juice for $5 bucks a glass. A first contract lifeguard who has the coldest and loneliest shifts after the sun goes down and the pool area is strangely silent. Those are the types of people I want Royal Caribbean to recognize and reward.

 

BTW, I don’t leave out servers, bartenders, and cabin stewards; they get cash just like at every other bar or restaurant I go to.

 

I would think those other employees are not relying on the survey system for earning time off and they are somehow compensated otherwise.  The people who are "the face" of the cruise line will help determine if the passenger will return.  Horrible service in a dining room (like I had on a cruise last month) could lead to a first time cruiser, or someone new to the Royal brand, not come back. The same can be said for Guest Services and stateroom attendants and all the other categories that Royal surveys.  

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My wife goes out of her way to talk to the crew members who are doing the "thankless" jobs such as cleaning the hallways or sweeping the pool deck. They recognize us throughout the cruise and are happy to say hi and are thrilled that we are taking time to speak to them. We have met many this past year that we see on return cruises and they recognize us and come to greet us, even if they are in another job which they do get moved around. The other thing we do besides tip the stewards and bartenders is make small goody bags of chocolates that we pass out to these folks who are working hard to keep our cruise clean and safe. They remember and when we see them again they quickly remember us as the chocolate people and come to speak to us with beaming smiles. My wife makes a list of these folks and mentions them in her survey for the great job they do.

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  • 10 months later...

So we liked our waiter and assistant very well and gave them a tip before the last dinner to reassure them. There was a LOT of pressure to give them top reviews, and especially to score the food high. Any issues should go in comments because our waiter is held responsible for both service and food score. My husband felt almost overwhelmed by the desperation. Even the staff "Show" talked about ratings. They mentioned repeatedly not let the unevenness of the food affect the scores because the waiter would be held responsible.

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On 3/21/2022 at 5:11 PM, Matt said:

My opinion is it's fine to be reminded there is a survey and it's important to fill out. But if they tell you how their jobs depend on a 5 star review, or otherwise imply they need perfect reviews, then I check the box that someone asked me for positive reviews

The pressure to leave perfect scores for service and food was intense and actually upset my husband. At first we thought they just wanted a tip. Our waiters were great, the captain was overbearing. We said we would give perfect scores for service but the food was very uneven. They said to write down my comments about the food but that the waiter was held responsible for the food score so he needed a perfect food score too. The last night they were very clear that even though I was a little food critic, not to put the waiters bonus in danger. Sigh.

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10 hours ago, Suzanne Elise said:

We said we would give perfect scores for service but the food was very uneven. They said to write down my comments about the food but that the waiter was held responsible for the food score so he needed a perfect food score too.

This is definitely a problem.

I appreciate Royal Caribbean relies heavily on market research and surveys, but the downside to their current approach is it really puts crew members in a bind if they don't get perfect scores.

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I do every survey. I get the emailed survey almost immediately after disembarkation. Even when on a back to back, I get the email usually on turnaround day. 

I never indicate that someone asked me to complete the survey. Primarily because I don’t want to trigger more questions! LOL! 
My reviews are honest. Virtually all are positive. Very rarely do I find the need to give a less than excellent mark. 
I recognize when something is less than perfect that circumstances can result in a one-off, and I certainly will not assign blame or fault because of it. 
I definitely will never single out any crew member for blame. I’d never want the guilt of the repercussions to that person. But, that’s just me. If I do have an issue or even a suggestion about improving a service…I’ll add it in general terms to my notes.

I spend quite a bit of time writing about crew members who do a great job. The only problem with that, for me, is there are just so many deserving of recognition. During my cruise, I write their names and positions in my smartphone…or even take a photo of their name tags.

As you can see in my comments on these forums…I’m pretty long winded when I write. Sorry, but that’s me!😎 

Maybe that’s why I keep getting the survey……….🤔

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9 hours ago, Matt said:

This is definitely a problem.

I appreciate Royal Caribbean relies heavily on market research and surveys, but the downside to their current approach is it really puts crew members in a bind if they don't get perfect scores.

My compromise was to write positive and specific things about the server and assistant by name which were sincere.

It's crazy to hold a waiter responsible for the cooks. It's not his fault if someone can't fry or season. There were just too many misfires with the food to give a 10.  I posted a detailed list on the message boards of what was good and what was not and perhaps someone will read it. There were some really good dishes which I always pointed out. Especially since last week was the first week of the new menu on Adventure we expected some problems. But if everyone is pressured into lying they have no way to know what is not working and refine.

 

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Certainly understand telling the truth, that's what you were asked to do.  Sadly, the server will be held accountable as only the numbers are truly suitable for aggregating.  Free form survey comments are just not manageable at a bulk level. That's why they wanted you to do it in reverse and place the negative in free form.  Crazy or not, and I agree it is crazy to hold the waiter accountable, it is reality for him.

It stinks for the server, but he has the job he has with the system they have in place and life isn't always fair.  It stinks that you were in that position.

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  • 10 months later...

I just returned from a cruise on Vision on 30 Dec 2023.  I completed the survey/review, and wanted to share my comments with my wife, who of course cruised with me.  I can't find it.  When I go back to the email and click the link, I get only "Thanks for taking the time to complete the survey".  Does anyone know where these surveys end up, besides somewhere within Royal Caribbean?

-M

 

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