FOOD AND/OR DRINKS SPILL ON CLOTHING
If a guest reports that a member of staff has spilt food or drink on their clothing the item needs to be presented at the desk so that the damage and value of the item can be confirmed. If the item is washable it can be sent to the laundry for complimentary laundry.
If the item is dry-clean only then the guest should be advised to get the item laundered at home and contact Guest Relations for reimbursement.
Once an item is cleaned it should be returned to the Information Desk to check that the stain has been removed. The item should then be delivered to the cabin and the guest notified of the situation. If the stain remains, at the Chief Purser’s discretion the guest can either be offered Guest Relations Information, or cash up to the value of the item. The maximum liability is $100 and the item must be kept in such cases.
DAMAGED CLOTHING
A guest’s clothing may be damaged during luggage delivery, due to high chlorine in the pool or by being caught on a piece of the ship’s equipment. Again the Purser will need to see the item to confirm the damage and value of the item.
The Chief Purser may decide whether the guest should be paid out (up to $100) or provided with Guest Relations Information.
AIR-CONDITIONING
In each cabin there is a thermostat that controls the air flow into the cabin. Located on the ceiling of the cabin the vent has a tapered green line.
By moving it to the thin end of the line the air flow is reduced. If a guest reports that their air-conditioning is not working they should always be advised to first try the vent. If they advise that they have already tried then the Assistant Refrigeration Engineer should be contacted.
This maintenance work must be logged in Infoship. After a reasonable period of time, the Purser should call to the cabin to ensure it has been resolved.
ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS
Onboard electrical problems include burnt out lights, electrical outlets not working and telephone faults. In all cases except televisions the Assistant Electrician needs to be contacted to resolve the situation. Again the maintenance needs to be recorded in Infoship and appropriate follow up completed.
In the case of a television issue the audio/visual staff needs to be contacted.
PLUMBING PROBLEMS
The plumbing systems onboard ships are very sensitive and problems such as toilet blockages, bathroom floods do happen on occasions.
It is important that these issues are tended to immediately as they can quickly escalate to larger issues, causing inconvenience and distress.
The plumber must be called immediately and the issue logged in Infoship. Follow up conducted in the usual manner.
Larger issues must be logged in CRS and followed up accordingly.
LOCKED SUITCASES
Occasionally a guest may lose the keys to their suitcase and be unable to open it. In such cases the joiner should be contacted as they have various keys that may fit the lock. As a last resort the lock may need to be broken and the guest should be given prior warning.
IN-CABIN SAFES
Each cabin contains a safety deposit box that depending on the ship is opened and closed with the use of a card with a magnetic strip, keypad or standard key. In such cases where the guests are unable to open or close their safe the Housekeeping floor supervisor must be contacted to meet with the guest and open the safe with the master key.
In some cases the master key cannot override the safe, normally due to the safe’s battery requiring a change.
The joiner should be contacted in such situations. This should be logged in Infoship and followed up upon.
NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT STAFF (RUDE SERVICE)
Occasionally, a guest may present to the Purser’s desk reporting that they have been mistreated or experienced bad customer service.
In this case the guest must be treated with the utmost sensitivity, and an apology extended immediately. Any descriptive information about the crew member should be taken so that the Head of Department can be notified and address the matter with the crewmember concerned.
It is important to follow up with the guest at a later time to ensure that they have not encountered any other unsatisfactory situations and enjoyed their cruise.
STATEROOM ACCOMMODATIONS
Mostly on embarkation day, but occasionally during the cruise, a guest may not be satisfied with their accommodations.
It is important to establish exactly what the nature of the problem is, for example they expected a bunk bed instead of a rollaway, expected a cabin with a window, expected to be on a higher deck.
If the guest states that there are not enough beds one should check the ships’ layout to determine if there is a bunk bed that needs to be let down.
If not, the guest should be advised that a rollaway will be moved into the cabin later in the evening.
If the guest believes that they should have a different cabin, the berthing manifest should be checked to see what category of cabin the guest paid for. In most cases it is the same or higher than their travel agent booked them into.
In most cases an explanation is all that is required. In extreme situations a call may be put through to the guests’ travel agent in order for them to clarify the situation, or follow up with the sailing coordinator in Head Office for further explanation.
DOMESTIC DISPUTES
Occasionally a domestic dispute, either verbal or physical violence, will occur amongst our guests and be reported, either by the guests involved, a crew member witnessing the incident or by other guests. In such cases security should be contacted immediately to handle the situation and a supervisor notified.
INJURIES
It is inevitable that on a cruise ship, minor and more serious injuries will occur from time to time.
The guest should always be offered medical assistance. Upon learning the details of an injury you may also wish to send security and housekeeping to investigate and if necessary clean up, for example a drink spill on the floor that led to a slip.
MISSING BEACH TOWELS
Guests receive a beach towel per person in their cabin and are responsible for them for the duration of the cruise.
Sometimes a guest may leave or have their towel taken from the sun deck or pool. If such a report is made the guest must be advised that Housekeeping will be notified and if when completing inventory at the end of the cruise, additional towels turn up, there will be no charge.
This then needs to be entered into CRS and tasked to Assistant Housekeeping Manager.
MISSING LIQUOR
Any liquor purchased in a port of call by a guest, needs to be logged and checked in with Housekeeping on their arrival back to the ship.
It will be delivered to their cabin on the last evening of the cruise. If a guest reports that they have not received their liquor the liquor log should first be checked to see if it is listed. If it is listed the cabin steward should be contacted if they are aware of any liquor for this cabin.
If not a description of the item should be taken, including value and the guest advised the matter will be investigated.
If the liquor is found it should be sent to the cabin. If not, the gift shop should be contacted to see if a suitable replacement can be found and charged to Guest relations folio 3998. If a replacement can not be found, the guest can be paid up to the replacement value of the liquor.
A receipt should be obtained.
TOUR COMPLAINTS
When a guest complains about a tour the first thing to do is apologise that they did not enjoy themselves.
All comments need to be documented and the guest advised that their comments will be forwarded onto the Shore Excursions department who will follow up. The issue is then entered into CRS and reassigned to the Shore Excursions Manager for their action.
BUGS OR INSECTS IN STATEROOMS
On rare occasions a guest may report finding insects in their cabin, or finding bug bites on their skin. Although bug bites may have been from activities off the ship, all complaints should be taken seriously and empathy and concern expressed. In all such cases the Assistant Housekeeping Manager as well as the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) Steward must go to the cabin and investigate and if necessary fumigate the area. The guest should be asked if they would like the fumigation to go ahead as chemicals are involved in the procedure. In the case of bug bites, medical assistance should also be offered to the guest. A supervisor must be notified as in some cases, cabin relocation will be necessary.
The issue should be entered into CRS and followed up with Housekeeping to confirm the results of the investigation and with the guest to ensure the problem is resolved.
NOISE COMPLAINTS
It is inevitable that being on a moving vessel will create some noises, often unfamiliar to our guests. Often reported sounds include the following:
- Ship’s vibration, cabins to the aft and forward of the ship will sometimes receive more vibration than other cabins. Factors affecting this include ship’s speed, sea conditions and wind conditions.
- Noisy Neighbors - Known as the Fun-ships, sometimes inconsiderate guests will carry on the fun in their cabins
- Rattles & Dings – Upon occasion items will loosen and move around with the ship’s movement. Quite often this can be fixed by the joiner or engine department.
- Galley Noise & Public Lounges – Some cabins are located under dining rooms/galleys/ and public lounges and occasionally complaints will be received about dragging noises, or loud music. In the case of the galleys the galley supervisor can be contacted. For music issues try and identify the origin and with the assistance of the Musical Director and Cruise Director, possibly reduce the volume.
- On some classes of ship, cabins are located directly below the Lido deck and complaints will be received that the deck chairs are being dragged around. Cleaning schedules are always organized to try and disturb as few people as possible; however this cannot always be avoided. On Fantasy class ships there are cabins are below the gym and dropped weights can be an issue.
In such cases Security (for noisy guests) or the Assistant Housekeeping Manager (for ship associated noises) should be contacted in order to investigate. Both departments are familiar with the ship and best able to identify the origin of a noise. All such incidents should be logged into CRS and details noted, including times and length of the noise. Follow up with the guest is important as quiet time in the cabin is essential to a guest’s enjoyment of their cruise.
GESTURES OF COMPENSATION/CONCERN
Gestures and compensation can be extended to our guests if they are inconvenienced or upset by situations on board. For more minor complaints options include champagne, bar and photo coupons and chocolate covered strawberries. For more serious incidents where the guest is considering disembarkation, ongoing maintenance is required or the situation is unresolved, compensation could extend to Shore Excursions tickets, bottles of wine, fruit baskets or Future Cruise Discount Letters.
When issuing compensation all items should be approved by the Chief or First Purser and one must consider the appropriateness of each gesture.
For example, wine or champagne is inappropriate for Moslems or those underage. The above are the most common forms of compensation, however one can think outside the square. Of course apologizing and extending an apology letter will have the most effect on out guests.
