The Cruise Experience: 20% of the points awarded
Activities Programme
This score reflects the variety, quality, and quantity of daytime activities and events. It includes the cruise director and staff (their visibility, availability, ability, and professionalism), sports programmes, participation games, special interest programmes, port and shopping lecturers, and mind-enrichment lecturers. This score also reflects the extent and quality of any water sports equipment carried), instruction programmess, overall staff supervision, the marina or side-retractable water sports platforms, and any enclosed swimming area.
Movies/Television Programming
This score reflects movies screened in onboard theatres, including screen, picture and sound quality; videos screened on the in-cabin system; other televised programming, including a ship’s own television station programming; content; and entertainment value. Cabin TV audio channels are included.
Hospitality Standard
This score reflects the level of hospitality of the crew and their attention to detail and personal satisfaction. It includes the professionalism of senior officers, middle management, supervisors, cruise staff, and general crew; social contact, appearance, and dress codes or uniforms; atmosphere and ambience; motivation; communication skills (most important); the general ambience and the attention to detail.
Overall Product Delivery
This score reflects the quality of the overall cruise as a vacation experience – what the brochure states and promises (real or implied), which reflects on the level of expectation versus the onboard product delivery of hospitality and services received.
Service: 20% of the points awarded
Dining Room
This score reflects the professionalism of the restaurant staff: the maître d’hotel, dining room managers, head section waiters, waiters and assistant waiters (busboys), and sommeliers and wine waiters. It includes place settings and correct service (serving, taking from the correct side), communication skills, attitude, flair, dress sense (uniform), and finesse. Waiters should note whether passengers are right- or left-handed and, aboard ships with assigned table places, make sure that the cutlery and glasses are placed on the side of preference. Cutlery and wine glasses are also included.
Bars
This score reflects the lighting and ambience; overall service in bars and lounges; seating, noise levels; communication skills (between bartenders and bar staff and passengers); staff attitude, personality, flair and finesse; correct use of glasses (and correct size of glasses); billing and attitude when presenting the bill (aboard those ships where a charge is made).
Cabins
This score reflects the cleaning and housekeeping staff, butlers (for penthouse and suite passengers), cabin stewards/stewardesses and their supervisory staff, attention to detail and cleanliness, in-cabin food service, linen and bathrobe changes, and language and communication skills.
Open Decks
This score reflects steward/stewardess service for beverages and food items around the open decks; service for placement and replacement of towels on deck lounge chairs, self-help towels, and emptying of used towel bins; general tidiness of all associated deck equipment; and the availability of service at nonstandard times (in the evening or early morning, for example).
Gratuities
Gratuities are usually at extra cost unless specifically included in the price. Likewise, insurance and port taxes are also at extra cost unless they are specifically stated as included.
Entertainment: 5% of the points awarded Aboard specialist ships, such as those offering expedition cruises, or tall ships, where entertainment is not a feature, it is the lecture programme that forms this portion of the evaluations.
The score reflects the overall entertainment programme and content as designed and targeted to specific passenger demographics. The entertainment has to appeal to passengers of widely varying ages and types.
Included is the physical plant (stage/ bandstand) of the main showlounge; technical support, lighting, follow spotlight operation and set/ backdrop design; sound and light systems (including laser shows); recorded click-tracks and all special effects; variety and quality of large-scale production shows (including story, plot, content, cohesion, creativeness of costumes, relevancy, quality, choreography, and vocal content); cabaret; variety shows; game shows, singers; visual acts; bands and solo musicians. |
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