The pressure to provide "excellent" service

[PrincessShmoo]

Now that you mention it, seems like I do remember seeing that on the survey!! It's been almost a year, can't wait until November..LOL.

The last question on the comment card:


If I recall correctly, that question started showing up on the end of cruise survey over 3 years ago.

 

[wcw57]

it was on the survey for my Magic cruise 6+ years ago, as well. I marked it "yes". I see it made quite a difference.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Seconded. Not an Obamacare thing.

Anyway...

I just took my 5th cruise (4-night Dream) and it seems like with each successive sailing they've put the pressure on a bit more...our guy didn't come right out and say it this time in those exact words, but we knew what he was getting at. It bordered on possibly starting to get annoying, so we didn't nip it in the bud (just said "yep, all is excellent, thanks") but it's something I'm going to think about before our next sailing for sure.

Going on the girls cruise in Sept. I wish I wouldn't come off as the most royal of jerks if I bowed-out of all MDR dinners. Seriously. 12 Disney cruises and neither the food or service are worth the time spent for me anymore. Isn't that awful? If I could get a decent salad elsewhere I'd be finished. The excellent awkwardness is just another thing that adds to my dislike of the MDR dinners. Swear, it's one thing I've really grown to love on cruise lines with My Time/Freestyle dining. Venues & servers are so varied you don't typically see anyone twice unless you want to. No excellent speeches either. It's rather refreshing, TBH.

 

[wombat_5606]

I got tired of the food, service and time spent after number 7, so I think you did well! I don't think it's awful you feel that way. I think it's sad that Disney has declined in this area so much that there are any number of past passengers who think this way.

 

[anna08]

If I could get a decent salad elsewhere I'd be finished.

YES! THIS! Listen up DCL - we want yummy salads! And no raspberry dressing, please.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

YES! THIS! Listen up DCL - we want yummy salads! And no raspberry dressing, please.

I love the raspberry dressing.

 

[anna08]

I love the raspberry dressing.

That made me giggle. I don't know why!

 

[Hundredacre]

I love the raspberry dressing.

I love it too

 

[BlondieinFL]

We are cynical on this too. If you have worked in the service industry you are quite aware that it is overwhelmingly a transaction.

I feel similarly. On our first cruise, we loved our serving team, they were so attentive and friendly. We gave them the envelopes on the last evening, and showed up for breakfast the next morning. The warm friendliness was gone. It was really disappointing. We have stopped giving the envelopes, and we don't do breakfast on the last morning.

This past cruise, we were not really happy with our serving team. They were generally very friendly, but they were so, so slow. They never had our drinks ready for us at the table. It took "forever" to get bread and drinks and menus. The food server always seemed rushed. Even though they told us at the beginning that DCL was changing the way that they did food service - from a food server and a drink server to just two servers who could do either job, that wasn't true. If we asked for drinks from the "food server", he would tell us to wait for the other server who was better equipped to handle our drink order. The head waiter told us one evening that he was going to prepare a cheese plate for us the next evening - never happened. We didn't care, but it was just the point that he spent time asking us about cheese and telling us he was going to do it, and then he didn't.

They gave the "excellent speech" at least 3 times during the cruise. We always told them that they were doing fine (good/great), because we believed that they were truly doing their best - but, their best just wasn't excellent.

In general, we don't give the excellent ratings. Partly because we think that there is always room for improvement, and partly because we have a pretty high standard for what is considered excellent.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I wonder if the "did you fee pressured to provide excellent service" speech is so they can throw out any excellents that were received on the comment card. If you say 'yes', you might as well not bother giving excellents.

 

[Judyat]

We have not experienced this. Our head server and assistant on our 14 day PC Disney cruie in May were great. The head server did ask how he was doing and if there was anything he could do to improve. We said he was doing great because he was. He was very easy going and at the same time addressed all our needs and wants as did the assistant server. We found our servers to be cordial, friendly and downright nice. They earned excellent ratings from our table of 6.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

YES! THIS! Listen up DCL - we want yummy salads! And no raspberry dressing, please.

Yes, at a walk-up. Toss me up a salad at a salad station.

 

[Disneyelf10]

We get the speech several times during a cruise. One cruise the server asked us how everything was and we said good- then he was like what would you rate me as excellent, etc... this made DH very mad. We are easy going, not demanding people. We just want to have a nice dinner together and do NOT need to be berated with the speech and demand for excellent service. As others have mentioned sometimes the service has gone down hill and have had to wait for drinks etc... usually they are waiting for us- it use to be the little extra things that made you feel special and had fun.
On our last cruise in May 2016 the server was great, the asst. server was nice but new and we had a great week. No one mentioned the speech several times.
Disney really should listen to what people are making on the survey.
Glad we are not the only ones who dislike this excellent speech.

 

[wcw57]

I'm not sure I comprehend the machinations of the survey.......

everyone is aware of the excellent speech. clearly the "new" serving teams have learned how to deliver the speech from their teachers, it cannot be coincidental that individuals think up the speech on their own. The floor managers are aware of the speech, either by sight or sound and, presumably, have risen through the ranks where they even delivered the speech themselves.
Yet, the surveys implies that the excellent pressure is not an approved behavior.

The speeches, if not approved, could be ended immediately. Yet they exist.
Maybe the survey question is to dull our displeasure with being subjected to the excellent speech?

I am clearly over-thinking this

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I wonder....what if the excellent speech started and you nonchalantly said, "Oh we don't do those survey cards anyway." What if you straight told the servers you weren't doing the survey card? Hmmmm....something to try....

 

[FigmentSpark]

I sense a musical number coming on.

She says she doesn't do them.
She really doesn't do them.
We must show her how to do them
Now....

We need an excellent.
Nothing else will do.
An X for excellent.
or maybe even two.

It's just a moment of your time
We're sure that you won't mind

We need an excellent
From you....

 

[anna08]

I wonder....what if the excellent speech started and you nonchalantly said, "Oh we don't do those survey cards anyway." What if you straight told the servers you weren't doing the survey card? Hmmmm....something to try....

That's a thought! Wonder what their service would be like after that... We eat in the MDRs rarely now - sit down dinner at Cabana's has yet to disappoint. And there are no speeches there or at Palo/Remy.

Love the idea of a walk up salad station.

FigmentSpark - they really should have a guest talent show on board. You'd win!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

That's a thought! Wonder what their service would be like after that... We eat in the MDRs rarely now - sit down dinner at Cabana's has yet to disappoint. And there are no speeches there or at Palo/Remy.

Love the idea of a walk up salad station.

FigmentSpark - they really should have a guest talent show on board. You'd win!

I understand that dinner in Cabanas does have a salad bar. Is that not correct?

We've had "I hope my service was excellent" thrown at us in Palo, also. Not specifically mentioning the comment card, but nevertheless......

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I understand that dinner in Cabanas does have a salad bar. Is that not correct?

We've had "I hope my service was excellent" thrown at us in Palo, also. Not specifically mentioning the comment card, but nevertheless......

I've always been confused by this. I've seen mention here of the Cabanas salad bar at dinner numerous times.....all the times I went to Cabanas dinner over the years, I've never seen it. ???

Yeah, I've had the excellent comment or 2 at Palo but never a full speech. Ugh. To escape that dreaded "e".

 

[KashasMom]

just came off the Fantasy and had a great time, but I have to say, the way our server gave us the riot act of making sure he gets an "excellent" rating was so off putting. I'm sure they are under insane pressure by Disney for excellent standards, but it was not subtle...it was down right uncomfortable. Maybe it was the language barrier in the delivery I don't know.

I'd really love to read about the "behind the scenes" of Disney crew...I can't even imagine.

We had the same issue on the Fantasy. Our server mentioned it FIVE out of 6 nights (one night we didn't eat in the dining room). When I mentioned this here previously someone suggested to let the server know that you will rate him on his service and if he mentions the excellent rating again, you will not give it to him. I'm definitely going to try that!!