Post-Cruise Survey Q: "Were you asked by a crew member to provide a positive review?"

[dcnole]

Filling out my survey from last weekend's cruise and I've come to the question "Were you asked by any crew member(s) to provide positive ratings/reviews on this survey?"  

When you click "Yes" it asks which departments/staff areas made the request. 

When I thanked and tipped a couple of staff members at the end of the cruise (stateroom attendant, waiter in the MDR, table chef at Izumi), I *was* asked to mention their name in the survey if I enjoyed their service. I thought that was a 100% reasonable thing to request, and I very much want to mention them. They were lovely and if me naming them by name will help a little bit towards getting them a bonus or a promotion or whatever, I'm all for doing it.

But this survey question sort of feels like it could be a trap because I don't know if that is the sort of ask that the staff is SUPPOSED to make.  So, my question is, am I getting someone in trouble for revealing that they asked me to leave a positive review?  Or is it the opposite and they're supposed to encourage survey completion so me noting they asked me to do it is actually a good thing for them? 

Curious if anyone knows more about this. Thx!

[Traveling Mike]

Every cruise I have been on someone will encourage me to fill out the survey and let me know a 5 is a good deal for them.  When I fill out the survey I always mark "No" on the question of someone asked for positive reviews.  I figure it will look bad for them and that is not something I want.  Now with that said, I have used that to my advantage.  When I had issues on the ship, I have mentioned I was going to mark them down on the survey and their attitudes have changed to take care of my issue and make me happy.

Note:  During the cruise when someone goes out of their way for me I always take a picture of their name badge and let them know it is so I can let RCL know how great they are doing.

[Ogilthorpe]

I have thought about this and recalled what some crew members have said about this. None, in my experience, have actually asked for a positive rating. I suspect they aren't supposed to solicit high ratings. Instead, they take care to say things like: "survey results are important", "if you had a good experience, the highest rating is a 10". You get the impression they would like to see a good review, but don't ask directly. I have always answered "no" to this question.

[dcnole]

3 minutes ago, Ogilthorpe said:

I have thought about this and recalled what some crew members have said about this. None, in my experience, have actually asked for a positive rating. I suspect they aren't supposed to solicit high ratings. Instead, they take care to say things like: "survey results are important", "if you had a good experience, the highest rating is a 10". You get the impression they would like to see a good review, but don't ask directly. I have always answered "no" to this question.

I actually almost mentioned this exact point in my OP.  I don't think they technically asked for a positive review per se, but rather just to name them in my review IF I had a positive experience.  As a lawyer, I can respect that lawyerly distinction, lol.  They certainly neither asked nor implied that I should bend the truth in the process.  

But you've hit on exactly what hung me up about the question, really. It's a weirdly worded question.  If it was "Did any crew member encourage you to complete the survey?" I would just say "Yes."  If it was "Did any crew member attempt to encourage you to complete this survey inaccurately?" I would of course say "No."  But the way it's worded is kind of in between those two things, could arguably imply either, and I can't figure out what it's getting at.  That's what led me to post this thread.  

   

[HeWhoWaits]

21 minutes ago, Ogilthorpe said:

None, in my experience, have actually asked for a positive rating

Exactly opposite my experience. Without fail, a head waiter and at least one person higher up the chain in the MDR will specifically say "give a 10" or something similar. Sometimes we get it from the waiter as well.

[smokeybandit]

Every cruise the MDR waiter asks for a positive rating. Some are outright party line "give me a 10" while others in a much less blunt way ask that if I think the waiter did a good job, make sure I put that in my survey.

If someone asks me to give them a positive ratings, I put that on the survey.

[Atlantix2000]

7 hours ago, dcnole said:

I actually almost mentioned this exact point in my OP.  I don't think they technically asked for a positive review per se, but rather just to name them in my review IF I had a positive experience.  As a lawyer, I can respect that lawyerly distinction, lol.  They certainly neither asked nor implied that I should bend the truth in the process.  

But you've hit on exactly what hung me up about the question, really. It's a weirdly worded question.  If it was "Did any crew member encourage you to complete the survey?" I would just say "Yes."  If it was "Did any crew member attempt to encourage you to complete this survey inaccurately?" I would of course say "No."  But the way it's worded is kind of in between those two things, could arguably imply either, and I can't figure out what it's getting at.  That's what led me to post this thread.  

This is a long debated topic on many cruise forums.  In MY opinion, Royal thinks anything less than a 10 means they didn't do a good enough job.  (Many companies treat survey results this way which makes them useless but that's a different conversation.)  Some employees will tell you 10s are the only way they get bonuses and extra time off.  Hard to know if that's the truth or a sob story to get that 10.  As a result, they got lots of comments that employees were constantly asking for 10s.  So they told employees not to ask for 10s and added this question which in theory should discourage them from doing so and the survey results will be "better".  I think the best action is to say no unless the employee was particularly annoying about asking for 10s.  Then, if you want to leave a positive comment about someone, do it on a different part of the survey.

[PhillyLady]

I, too, ALWAYS answer NO, no matter what anyone says to me about completing surveys. It is not in my inclination to "tattle" on staff, who are often underpaid and overworked, and really could use a positive mention.  In any case, whether or not they ask me has absolutely no bearing on my ratings, because I make my own decisions. I am extremely generous to all my cruise ship staff, always give them extremely high ratings, extra tips in cash with a handwritten thank-you note, and on my cruise two weeks ago I also gave them all little holiday ducks. I sometimes see cruisers treat staff like servants, or lower level status people, and I am repulsed by that sort of behavior.  We are all human, and all deserve respect and kindness.

 

First cruise:  1973--Chandris Romanza--bunk beds, no television, no Internet, one dining room for all, dress up for dinner every night. Venice RT, to  the Med and the Black Sea  (Istanbul, Odessa, Athens, Mykonos, etc.).

[TXcruzer]

10 hours ago, PhillyLady said:

I, too, ALWAYS answer NO, no matter what anyone says to me about completing surveys. It is not in my inclination to "tattle" on staff, who are often underpaid and overworked, and really could use a positive mention.  In any case, whether or not they ask me has absolutely no bearing on my ratings, because I make my own decisions. I am extremely generous to all my cruise ship staff, always give them extremely high ratings, extra tips in cash with a handwritten thank-you note, and on my cruise two weeks ago I also gave them all little holiday ducks. I sometimes see cruisers treat staff like servants, or lower level status people, and I am repulsed by that sort of behavior.  We are all human, and all deserve respect and kindness.

 

First cruise:  1973--Chandris Romanza--bunk beds, no television, no Internet, one dining room for all, dress up for dinner every night. Venice RT, to  the Med and the Black Sea  (Istanbul, Odessa, Athens, Mykonos, etc.).

So you are dishonest on the survey?  This makes no sense to me; the purpose of the survey is to show the corporation what is working and what needs improved.  Why would you be anything other than completely frank?

[HeWhoWaits]

10 hours ago, PhillyLady said:

I, too, ALWAYS answer NO, no matter what anyone says to me about completing surveys.

You can say "Yes" without calling out individuals. If the company's goal is to eliminate the practice, the company needs to know that it is happening and where. Naming the individual may harm the individual, so opting to not name names is reasonable.

[Pooch]

39 minutes ago, TXcruzer said:

So you are dishonest on the survey?  This makes no sense to me; the purpose of the survey is to show the corporation what is working and what needs improved.  Why would you be anything other than completely frank?

Because as a PP pointed out, the survey then wants to know where, what department etc.  I’m not the survey police.  Clearly RC knows cruisers are being solicited for top ratings or they wouldn’t ask the question.  If you don’t want them to do that, that’s an HR training session.  Don’t ask me to be the class tattletale.

[smokeybandit]

From last month

 

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2025/12/12/royal-caribbean-survey-confusing-question

[TXcruzer]

3 hours ago, Pooch said:

Because as a PP pointed out, the survey then wants to know where, what department etc.  I’m not the survey police.  Clearly RC knows cruisers are being solicited for top ratings or they wouldn’t ask the question.  If you don’t want them to do that, that’s an HR training session.  Don’t ask me to be the class tattletale.

sorry, if you view honesty as being a "tattletale" then you should probably just skip the survey, in my opinion

[WAYNO]

I have asked managers, onboard, about the question regarding if we've been asked by the crew wait-staff to provide 10's on the survey, and the answer to me has always been, yes, we encourage our wait-staff to ask for tens and yes, we want to know they are doing so.

This answer is contrary to some answers given, or assumed by others, so just possibly, even the managers are fabricating an answer to a question they don't understand.

[Traveling Mike]

1 hour ago, TXcruzer said:

sorry, if you view honesty as being a "tattletale" then you should probably just skip the survey, in my opinion

My father always told me that I did not have to tell everyone everything I know.  My grandmother told me when I raised my children only answer the question they ask and make sure I hear and understand the question.  Telling them extra is often not a good thing.  

[Pooch]

2 hours ago, TXcruzer said:

sorry, if you view honesty as being a "tattletale" then you should probably just skip the survey, in my opinion

Yup, sometimes being honest does make you a tattletale and sometimes honesty is just not the right answer.  “Does this dress make me look fat” for example!

[Doug_Texas]

I hate that Royal insists on blaming less than acceptable food quality on the MDR wait staff.  Royal seems to think if the food is poor the wait staff can fix it by bringing you another poor dish.  Usually it’s not that the food is cold or over cooked, it’s just poor ingredients and recipes.  Normally my service is a “10” and my food is a “4” but I give up on trying to communicate this.  I just give them a “10”.  

[HeWhoWaits]

8 hours ago, Pooch said:

the survey then wants to know where, what department etc.

As I stated - they need to know WHERE the question is being asked. You don't have to police the individual if you choose not to do so, but telling them that it's still happening in the MDR is valuable information. Withholding that information is disingenuous.

[HeWhoWaits]

3 hours ago, Traveling Mike said:

only answer the question they ask

Then the answer to "did it happen?" should be "yes" and the next question they ask "where did it happen?" deserves accurate disclosure.

[HeWhoWaits]

3 hours ago, Pooch said:

“Does this dress make me look fat” for example!

No, the dress does not make you look fat.

Doesn't mean your self-assessment that you look fat any less true. It's not the dress.

[HeWhoWaits]

1 hour ago, Doug_Texas said:

I hate that Royal insists on blaming less than acceptable food quality on the MDR wait staff.  Royal seems to think if the food is poor the wait staff can fix it by bringing you another poor dish.  Usually it’s not that the food is cold or over cooked, it’s just poor ingredients and recipes.  Normally my service is a “10” and my food is a “4” but I give up on trying to communicate this.  I just give them a “10”.  

In this case, I would give them a "4" to reflect the food quality (and include that in the comments) or, if feeling particularly generous, a "7" reflecting the average of food quality and service.

[Sludog]

3 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:

No, the dress does not make you look fat.

Doesn't mean your self-assessment that you look fat any less true. It's not the dress.

Al Bundy put it best " Its not the dress that makes you look fat, its the FAT that make you look fat" 

[Joe01]

I haven’t been asked this by any crew in a few cruises but I would always answer ‘no’ anyway. I try my best to be sensitive when it comes to crew members like stateroom attendants, food & beverage staff etc who have a really raw deal being paid peanuts and working insanely long hours. Why would I want to make their life more difficult? Even if I did have a bad experience, I would let it slide because they are in a really tough position and the ratings can really affect them.

 

On the other hand, I’ll happily call out higher up staff on the survey. The Cruise Director on my most recent cruise was terrible, I made sure to mention him in my comments. He is in a much better position and can take the flak if it’s warranted.

[JimnKathy]

On 1/9/2026 at 1:07 PM, HeWhoWaits said:

Exactly opposite my experience. Without fail, a head waiter and at least one person higher up the chain in the MDR will specifically say "give a 10" or something similar. Sometimes we get it from the waiter as well.

That's been my experience as well. I've had conversations with various crew members on several different cruises over the years who've all said they get better assignments for 10 ratings and/or get lesser assignments if their ratings are lower.

I sense the crew gets a lot of pressure to get high ratings or suffer for not getting those high ratings, so I don't blame the crew members for pleading with us for those great reviews.

It seems like a ridiculous system and I find it weird that RCL asks these questions in their post cruise survey.

[TXcruzer]

16 hours ago, Traveling Mike said:

My father always told me that I did not have to tell everyone everything I know.  My grandmother told me when I raised my children only answer the question they ask and make sure I hear and understand the question.  Telling them extra is often not a good thing.  

We aren't talking about telling extra.  The question asked is literally "Did any crew member asked for a 10 rating"

[Mike n Ky]

The survey and asking for a 10 is fine but what is irritating to me is when it's repetitive by the same individuals. Which happens the most in the MDR. I try to convey we take the survey seriously and no need to mention it again, but they do. Which I believe is a policy of management.

[Southern Dan]

I only got asked once each by my sever and the “meat man” about the survey when I was at Samba and I told them I was aware of it and will take care of them.

[Matt]

 

[Jolly Ogre]

See this plays into my greatest weakness. My honesty. My brutal and complete honesty. 

If you say you don't think that is a weakness...well I don't give a S___T what you think.

When you ask me a question you will get an answer...it might not be what you want to hear but it will be answered to the best of my ability. 

When you send me a survey it will be answered honestly...with no scores being a 10 as that is perfection and nobody and nothing is perfect.

As for the dress issue...I know that is supposed to be funny... but if you ask me you will get the "no you are fat" answer.

[loki007]

On 1/9/2026 at 1:36 PM, dcnole said:

Filling out my survey from last weekend's cruise and I've come to the question "Were you asked by any crew member(s) to provide positive ratings/reviews on this survey?"  

When you click "Yes" it asks which departments/staff areas made the request. 

When I thanked and tipped a couple of staff members at the end of the cruise (stateroom attendant, waiter in the MDR, table chef at Izumi), I *was* asked to mention their name in the survey if I enjoyed their service. I thought that was a 100% reasonable thing to request, and I very much want to mention them. They were lovely and if me naming them by name will help a little bit towards getting them a bonus or a promotion or whatever, I'm all for doing it.

But this survey question sort of feels like it could be a trap because I don't know if that is the sort of ask that the staff is SUPPOSED to make.  So, my question is, am I getting someone in trouble for revealing that they asked me to leave a positive review?  Or is it the opposite and they're supposed to encourage survey completion so me noting they asked me to do it is actually a good thing for them? 

Curious if anyone knows more about this. Thx!

i agree I always answer no even though I am usually asked. I work in Healthcare and it is a no no to ask for high ratings 

[HeWhoWaits]

16 hours ago, Jolly Ogre said:

When you send me a survey it will be answered honestly...with no scores being a 10 as that is perfection and nobody and nothing is perfect.

We are cut from the same cloth - If you don't want to hear the truth, don't ask me how much I liked something. And don't expect me to give out perfect scores like they're participation trophies.

Case in point - I met my wife when we were in college. She was interviewing for a job on campus and was evaluated by a total of ten people during the process. The rating scale was 1-5. She received nine "5" ratings and a single "4" (from me). 28 months later we were married. 38.5 years later (as of this past Sunday), we are still happily married and she loves to tell the story about how I was the only one to give her a lower score.

[PhantomWolf]

They literally made an announcement to the entire MDR during the final dinner on Indy.  Staff is terrified of anything other than a 10.