Servers asking for an Excellent on comment card

[Kwami]

In our experience, if you have to keep asking me every night, sometimes multiple times per night about the excellent on the survey, you are not living up to the excellent. The best servers don't beat the dead horse every night, they are too busy taking care of you.

Eh, I don't know. We had our favorite serving team yet on the last cruise. They were absolutely fantastic and made every meal a lot of fun! But, they still reminded us to rate them excellent on the survey a few times. I think it's just habit for a lot of the servers now.

 

[Sleepyluke]

Eh, I don't know. We had our favorite serving team yet on the last cruise. They were absolutely fantastic and made every meal a lot of fun! But, they still reminded us to rate them excellent on the survey a few times. I think it's just habit for a lot of the servers now.

That is very possible. It just seems to resonate from this past week, probably our worst dining service, and by far the most we have ever been told about the comment card. Literally at least 2x per night from server and asst.

 

[Cruising Girl]

I'll say again that Nelia Henry from St Lucia has been our main server that we request on the Fantasy for 6 years now. We always only request her and then just take whoever is her assistant server is!!

 

[Kwami]

Who are the favorites on the Magic? It'll be my first time in the fall! I suppose that some of the best will transfer to the Wish before then, but surely not all of them!

 

[DisneyRobbie]

I know it's not the same thing but I am in the medical community and I would never ask a patient to post an excellent (or even favorable) review on social media or to my leadership. It is tacky and makes me feel like a salesman. I have been in situations where folks ask me to write an excellent review after receiving horrible service and it just makes me laugh cringe. I get it that they need these reviews to keep their job, but it just rubs me the wrong way for them to ask - they should just display excellent service and the excellent reviews will come their way.

 

[Kwami]

I know it's not the same thing but I am in the medical community and I would never ask a patient to post an excellent (or even favorable) review on social media or to my leadership. It is tacky and makes me feel like a salesman. I have been in situations where folks ask me to write an excellent review after receiving horrible service and it just makes me laugh cringe. I get it that they need these reviews to keep their job, but it just rubs me the wrong way for them to ask - they should just display excellent service and the excellent reviews will come their way.

The problem is that their jobs depend too much on the excellent ratings. Basically, they need to get a 95% average for each cruise. An excellent (5/5) is 100%. A good (4/5) is 80%. So, they can only afford one Good rating for every three Excellent ratings. And that's the minimum. Their opportunities for raises, promotions, and contract renewals depend a lot of these ratings. Getting better than 95% is obviously better.

 

[sugliac]

We were recently on the Magic and had a superb server and head server. Asst server was new, but he did a swell job. The server was so confident, she was a total pro (with DCL for 10 years) so she didn't bring up the survey, probably realizing that she knew she had job security and confident in her good work.

 

[Kwami]

We were recently on the Magic and had a superb server and head server. Asst server was new, but he did a swell job. The server was so confident, she was a total pro (with DCL for 10 years) so she didn't bring up the survey, probably realizing that she knew she had job security and confident in her good work.

Who was it?

 

[1200emily]

Who are the favorites on the Magic? It'll be my first time in the fall! I suppose that some of the best will transfer to the Wish before then, but surely not all of them!

We had the server Paulo from Portugal on the Magic in December and he was fabulous!

 

[squirk]

We had Kendell, Ashang, and Adi. FABULOUS GROUP!!!!!!!!!!! I will be requesting them when we sail in April 2023, hopefully they are all still around!

If you are talking about Ashang Kangoo, I am not sure that he’s with DCL anymore.

We asked for him in 2020 (right before things got shut down), and were told he was no longer with the company. Which was a bummer.

 

[mousefan73]

Call me crazy but I think that the crew evaluations should come from robust corporate metrics and supervisor / peer evaluations. Relying upon the subjective and arbitrary 'opinions' of the traveler is not an accurate or reliable way to promote / evaluate. I don't want to be responsible for properly evaluating the crew when I see things only in a vacuum with no additional context.

Goos point n

 

[ironz]

Our server this past cruise gave us the 'mark excellent' speech more than once. We didn't overtly tell him that we knew how to fill out the survey, and wouldn't give them less than excellent, but when you are dealing with Gold and Platinum repeat cruisers, we shouldn't have to ask that the speeches stop. Next cruise, I will speak up as soon as the speech starts and nip that behavior in the bud.
We did b2b and one the survey for the first cruise, I did mark that we were pressured to give excellent ratings. On the 2nd survey, I decided that the question didn't rate an answer on the survey, but is something I plan on addressing via an email followup with DCL. I have other dining issues to bring up to them, including that rating the food quality should have nothing to do with the server's rating; that a guest shouldn't be pressured to eat every bite off of every plate (although I hate wasting food); and that the lobster bisque is still terrible.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

None of this would be a problem if people answered the surveys honestly.

If the food wasn't excellent, say the food wasn't excellent.

If the servers pressure you to rate them excellent, indicate that the servers pressured you to rate them excellent.

So many people in this thread have indicated that they get pressured but don't say so on the surveys for some reason. That's exactly why it continues.

 

[brentm77]

None of this would be a problem if people answered the surveys honestly.

If the food wasn't excellent, say the food wasn't excellent.

If the servers pressure you to rate them excellent, indicate that the servers pressured you to rate them excellent.

So many people in this thread have indicated that they get pressured but don't say so on the surveys for some reason. That's exactly why it continues.

It's a fair point. I think the issue for me is that I know it can literally get the person fired. If they truly seem like they are trying, I can't justify someone losing their livelihood (often critical to family members they are supporting back home in this case) over me not thinking their service or food was perfect. And that's the ridiculous standard Disney has set with this system. I would be honest on the survey if it was clearly a lack of caring by the team. But, I can see both sides of the argument.

 

[Kwami]

None of this would be a problem if people answered the surveys honestly.

If the food wasn't excellent, say the food wasn't excellent.

If the servers pressure you to rate them excellent, indicate that the servers pressured you to rate them excellent.

So many people in this thread have indicated that they get pressured but don't say so on the surveys for some reason. That's exactly why it continues.

If Disney actually cared about improving the quality of the food or the experience, then they'd let the surveys be anonymous so that they can't tie our less-than-5 ratings to a specific serving team or stateroom host.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

It's a fair point. I think the issue for me is that I know it can literally get the person fired.

I think you're overestimating your power. My last server has been with Disney for 22 years. I'm certain that at various points in those 22 years, there have been undercooked chicken breasts, overcooked pork loins, salty soup, crabby guests, dropped dishes, and slow service. Nobody is getting fired over one bad comment card, particularly if it relates to food quality as opposed to service quality.

If they truly seem like they are trying, I can't justify someone losing their livelihood (often critical to family members they are supporting back home in this case) over me not thinking their service or food was perfect.

If Server A is truly awful and gets fired, Assistant Server B is going to get promoted, and new Assistant Server C is going to get hired, allowing them to provide for their families.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

If Disney actually cared about improving the quality of the food or the experience, then they'd let the surveys be anonymous so that they can't tie our less-than-5 ratings to a specific serving team or stateroom host.

If there's a general problem at Animator's on the Magic, then they're going to see that trend emerge because large numbers of guests are going to review Animator's on the Magic poorly. If there's a particular problem with Natanael the server (there isn't, he's incredible), Disney needs to know that too.

 

[tvguy]

I know it's not the same thing but I am in the medical community and I would never ask a patient to post an excellent (or even favorable) review on social media or to my leadership. It is tacky and makes me feel like a salesman. I have been in situations where folks ask me to write an excellent review after receiving horrible service and it just makes me laugh cringe. I get it that they need these reviews to keep their job, but it just rubs me the wrong way for them to ask - they should just display excellent service and the excellent reviews will come their way.

The healthcare system my Doctors belong to do customer satisfaction surveys all the time. The ask about the Doctors, wait time, office staff, the hospitals and the labs. And my daughter in laws last job was with Kaiser Permanente and she was involved in Social Media ratings of their services.

 

[Kwami]

If there's a general problem at Animator's on the Magic, then they're going to see that trend emerge because large numbers of guests are going to review Animator's on the Magic poorly. If there's a particular problem with Natanael the server (there isn't, he's incredible), Disney needs to know that too.

It doesn't and can't work that way. Too many people are going to give their servers and hosts 5/5 ratings because they feel a personal connection to them and don't want to hurt them. The surveys will never be honest as long as they aren't anonymous.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

It doesn't and can't work that way. Too many people are going to give their servers and hosts 5/5 ratings because they feel a personal connection to them and don't want to hurt them.

If your server sucks, you're not going to feel a personal connection to them.

The surveys will never be honest as long as they aren't anonymous.

Guests who won't answer surveys honestly have no one to blame but themselves.

"This meal is terrible. 5 out of 5 stars, highly recommend."

One year later: "Why won't Disney do anything about their awful food!?!?!?!?!?" Uh, because you keep telling them you love it.