The "excellent" speach

[ThreeCircles]

I've never experienced the "excellent" speech either, I guess. Our servers, and other Cast Members, have stressed the importance of filling out the opinion forms at the end of the cruise, but they have never suggested that one should give anything more than an expression of their true experience.

Now, I have been told that they really do strive for the "excellent" spot, but that they mainly use the tools to gage the reaction of the guests and to improve on their service.

Personally, I wish more companies would do this type of thing. I don't know how often I've received very poor service from a company, informed management of it, and then quit patronizing the company because it seemed that no one cared that the service provision was poor!

 

[Alex]

wide awake..that would make sense to me if they gave the speech the FIRST nite!! If they said "I want to earn an excellent and let me know if I am not" I would have no problem with it.
It's another story when they give it the last night when they can't do a thing to fix it anyway.

 

[KaitlinsMom]

Very well stated Alex -

I am all for the survey - And for the servers to mention it is no problem - But the speech we received was " IT IS VERY IMPORTANT for you to mark excellent on the card," etc - The speech was stated in a way that they might lose their job if we didn't mark excellant! Well, I don't want to be the one responsible for someone losing their job, but I also would like to see their service improve (this particular server) so what do I do?

 

[kcashner]

Unfortunately, DCL rewards servers who get the best "report card." Our favorite server told us on night one to "please let him know if there was anything he could do to make our experience excellent." Then, probably because it was our 4th time with him, told us that he'd always been on one of the top 2 teams on the ship until he had a table on the cruise before ours. It seems that this table of 8 clowned around at meals and gave the team "poor" ratings, then stiffed them on tips. As a result of the poor ratings, he was working 16 hour days during our cruise. He was really upset because he'd never had a "poor" before. It seems that DCL didn't take that into account or give the team any recourse....a guest said they'd done a bad job...end of discussion...

I think it's unfortunate that they are told to "beg" for excellent ratings. Our guy never does that...just his little comment on the first night, then on the last night he reminds us of how important our evaluation is an how he hopes he was able to earn our "excellent" rating.

 

[Alex]

That just makes my blood boil!!
What the heck kind of management is that????

 

[Rence]

We got a three-part Excellent speech, but it wasn't all that bad.

First night the server and assistant server introduced themselves and told us that their job was to make sure that everything was 'excellent'. Not good, not very good but 'excellent' They stressed that if things were not excellent to let them know.

Two days into the cruise they asked us if everything was 'excellent' and to always let them know if anything was not 'excellent' and that they would make it 'excellent'.

On the final night they did mention that they would appreciate it if we would rate them as excellent on the comment card.

Now I would have a problem with it if it were just talk, but these two went somewhat beyond excellent. They were more oustandinly stupendeously magnificent.

There were 12 in our family group and some who are quite hard to please, they scored excellents from all of us, not because they asked, but because they earned it.

 

[AnnMorin]

I have no problem acknowledging excellence..and for the person who mentioned my birthday being forgotten as no big deal..well that is NOT excellence if I pay almost 4000.00 for a birthday cruise and it is noted to celebrate my birthday on a certain day if it is overlooked while other celebrations are going on than NOPE that is not excellence. If you choose to not celebrate you bday publically that is your choice but MY choice is to celebrate it annually on DCL, and I pay a very large price for that bday party. I expect to have it.
I always tip very generously, I just HATE the speech. It makes the whole survey bogus and has really turned me off.

 

[NAT&MAGSMOM]

In 5 DCL cruises...we have never gotten the excellent speech.

Our servers were EXCELLENT....and they got excellent from us.

Maybe the ones who say it...know they have not provided you with excellent service and they just hope you will be gullible enough to give them an excellent rating, even though they don't deserve it.....

JMHO....

Phyllis

 

[kajohn]

Our server on the Magic last year seemed to be newer at being a waiter. He was a little stiff, not very personable, but seemed to be trying hard. On the 2nd or 3rd night he asked if there was anything that needed adjusting to make our dinners excellent, ie. faster/slower service, etc please tell him. We didn't say anything since being more relaxed and personable wasn't something we felt he could change (nor would we know how to explain it!!)

Then on the last night he reminded us that he had asked us what he could have done to make the service excellent, and since we didn't say anything, he implied that we needed to mark him excellent. Because of his stiffness (for lack of a better term) this came across very awkward.

He was a good server, and would probably become excellent after another month or two of being a server, but I wouldn't say he was excellent on our trip.

However, since I didn't want to be responsible for him being demoted, or work more hours etc. (my guess, he never implied this) we marked him as excellent.

I did however, pay him only slightly above the recommended amount of a tip. The assistant server was much more fun and personalble, and always there with the drinks we liked when we sat down, joked around with the kids etc. We gave him well above the recommended tip and then mentioned him by name of the comment card about CM's that made our trip special.

I have to agree that the comment card is not really representative of guests feelings since they pressure you into the excellent rating.

 

[WDWLVR]

We've never had the hard core "excellent" speech.

On our last cruise we got the comment the first night that they wanted to make our experience excellent and to tell them if anything wasn't excellent.

They went out of their way to give fantastic service and everything was excellent so that's what rating they got.

This was our 5th cruise and I honestly don't remember getting the speech at any time. Some of our servers have been excellent, some not so. I've always rated them (and tipped them) based on performance.

 

[AnnMorin]

Originally posted by kajohn
Our server on the Magic last year seemed to be newer at being a waiter. He was a little stiff, not very personable, but seemed to be trying hard. On the 2nd or 3rd night he asked if there was anything that needed adjusting to make our dinners excellent, ie. faster/slower service, etc please tell him. We didn't say anything since being more relaxed and personable wasn't something we felt he could change (nor would we know how to explain it!!)

Then on the last night he reminded us that he had asked us what he could have done to make the service excellent, and since we didn't say anything, he implied that we needed to mark him excellent. Because of his stiffness (for lack of a better term) this came across very awkward.

He was a good server, and would probably become excellent after another month or two of being a server, but I wouldn't say he was excellent on our trip.



However, since I didn't want to be responsible for him being demoted, or work more hours etc. (my guess, he never implied this) we marked him as excellent.

I did however, pay him only slightly above the recommended amount of a tip. The assistant server was much more fun and personalble, and always there with the drinks we liked when we sat down, joked around with the kids etc. We gave him well above the recommended tip and then mentioned him by name of the comment card about CM's that made our trip special.

I have to agree that the comment card is not really representative of guests feelings since they pressure you into the excellent rating.

What was his name? Claudio perhalps?

 

[TinkerBellPixie4GOAL]

We've gotten 'the speech' 2 out of 3 cruises...and how interesting it is that the one cruise we didn't get it was the one cruise where the servers were beyond excellent! The other two times we went the servers were great, but then I came to the DIS and saw what other servers did for their clientele (sp?) Now I can tell when to expect the excellent speech

 

[Jeanny]

Originally posted by kajohn

He was a good server, and would probably become excellent after another month or two of being a server, but I wouldn't say he was excellent on our trip.

However, since I didn't want to be responsible for him being demoted, or work more hours etc. (my guess, he never implied this) we marked him as excellent.

I have to agree that the comment card is not really representative of guests feelings since they pressure you into the excellent rating.

At least I know now what to do, my feeling is: if they don't EARN an excellent, they don't DESERVE an excellent. I expect good service, I don't expect excellent service (that would be Doug from Trading Spaces sharing my,,,,, ooopps, never mind)

I'm not going to award an excellent if it's not warranted. And from the stories I've heard, I totally agree that that they pressure you and go heavy on the guilt trip about being demoted.

 

[kajohn]

Originally posted by AnnMorin
What was his name? Claudio perhalps?

No, his name was Putu and he was from Bali.

 

[disneystyle]

We were lucky enough to sail three times in 2003 and were beaten over the head all three times that we were to think who ever the server at the time was excellent. We took it with a grain a salt and laughed and joked with them being most execellent. But the truth of the matter we haven't been thrilled with any of the service staff we've been assigned , they have all seemed to have lost the joy of service. We are cruising Jan. 3 and are crossing our fingers for fun, entertaining and great looking service staff!!!

Tommy the redhead on the Magic serviced the table next to us and we enjoyed talking with him more than anyone. I've heard he is now the Head Waiter, we'll see.....

 

[mac_tlc]

We had Tommy on our first Magic cruise in '00 . He was great with our kids (13 & 6 at the time). We saw him again when we sailed last month. He had just begun another contract period. He was not a head waiter, but I again enjoyed talking to him.

I have had the "excellent" speech on almost every cruise I've taken (3 DCL + 7 others). This last DCL cruise was one where I did not. Rather, as others have posted, the servers mentioned the first night that they wanted to provide excellent service and to please let them know if there was anything they could do to improve during the week. Another "reminder" mid-week, but no Day 6 speech.


mac_tlc

 

[disneystyle]

Mac TLC

Thanks for the heads up regarding Tommy....

Maybe we'll get him..

 

[want2go2disney]

Guess we were lucky, we didn't get this speech.

Our servers were excellent tho'! They didn't need to tell us they were! They showed us every night~*

My favorite dinner moment--kids' table waiter cutting my child's steak for him

 

[RebeccaLovesDisney]

I guess we also were lucky. Our server only briefly mentioned the survey on the next to last night. He only emphasized the importance of completing it and didn't mention anything about his own rating. Our server team was excellent though and didn't need to mention it. He did say that he had been with DCL for four years so maybe it is the less experienced employees who feel the need to push for the "excellent" rating.

 

[Debbie H]

We've had very good service on all of our cruises but it would be a reach for excellent. As soon as they start the speech, I tune them out! I find it very annoying.