I'm starting at page 3 because I'm late to this crappy, non-alcoholic party. The thread started April 1, and this page 3 post is from April 21.
Stickman1990 wrote:What “PR mess”? A couple of posts from new members on Cruise Critic - gee hold the presses that’s hardly a mess!
The fact is that Crystal’s HO has been Miami for several years now Nd that’s been well publicised - so that’s not news to anyone who follows Crystal
Companies generally don’t put out press releases announcing small office closures or reductions in staff - sadly it’s all too common these days. There are still staff in LA servicing that market, they just won’t work out of that office anymore
Some people don’t need any encouragement to talk about insolvency - and maybe there are reasons to do so but closing the LA and Sydney offices are not those reasons IMHO
Stickman has humble opinions?
Keith1010 wrote:Issuing a press release for something like this is not necessary and this is why most companies I am aware of who have let people go or furloughed people have not issued a press release. Some of the companies I am thinking of who have not issues communications have numbers significantly larger than the number of people recently let go by Crystal Cruises. The same was true following other major events such as the 2008 great recession.
In circumstances such as this one should it get out into the news such as in a local area they would be directed to the public relations department for the respective company who would be the one to provide comments.
For better or worse people do read a lot of second hand information and some of it is right and some of it is wrong. For example on this thread some of it has been wrong.
My view and faith about companies who are having to go to great lengths to deal with the greatest economic hit of our lifetime is certainly not influenced by whether or not they issue a press release or who precisely they may communicate with.
Keith has opinions?
FlyerTalker wrote:In general, press releases about staff cutbacks happen for two reasons.
A) There are governmental reporting requirements for layoffs, so the company wants to get out in front of that mandated reporting.
B) Companies wanting to reassure public investors that they are being financially responsible in their business decisions.
Let's pose this thought problem: Just what would Crystal have accomplished by putting out a press release? Drawing attention to staff cutbacks? To what end?
FlyerTalker has questions?
BWIVince wrote:Issuing a press release to announce non-contact layoffs is INSANE. It's one thing telling people that have a specific contact and introducing them to another contact because of a furlough or layoff, but on so many layers a press release (except as noted by FlyerTalker) is all kinds of bad... Not only is it really none of my business as a customer (they weren't MY data specialist or marketing specialist, for example), but it's competitive information that you really want to travel only by word of mouth and not spelled out specifically for your competitors. How could there possibly be ANY upside whatsoever?
Put another way, EVERY hotel chain with an operational infrastructure in the US has been GUTTED by sweeping furloughs. Have you seen a single hotel chain issue a press release announcing corporate back office layoffs to the public (not investors)?
This is the first post from today, April 25.
backofficecruising wrote:I see some of the comments here and I’m amazed how some people think that Crystal is almost the cure to the “coronavirus”. The difference of Crystal from before 2017 and the Crystal from now is simple, they are under Asian-Malaysian-Chinese management which in short means modern slavery and disrespect for the human element.
All the lay offs from Crystal have happened without any severance package, just insurance until the end of the month, the LA office was closed right after the VP Hotel Operations passed away, within others the VP of Land Programs (after 20 years) was let go, in addition to others such the VP Hotel Design and many others in LA and Miami, and the same happens onboard. Of course they are going to call back crew members when business returns (what else are they going to do?), but will those crew members be the same when they realize that Crystal is not the company that used to be?
All the corporate changes do not reach the vessel until after some time and now you will soon see results of lack of management, management that go through revolving doors from cruise line to cruise line, either not staying long enough to make good changes or staying long enough because they are useless and can’t go anywhere else.
The difference between the previous Crystal and the new Crystal is simple, the previous Crystal had the back up of a reputable Japanese Company and a great management group who built the company in the first place and had a sense of pride, when Harmony left service no one onboard or corporate lost jobs, in 08 no one lost their job, why? well, look at the management then and look at the management now.
Anyone wishing to sail with Crystal in the future and trying to compare it with the past, my advice would be to look elsewhere, expectations are high in a company that goes downwards rather than upwards.
some of you here always say wonderful things on Crystal without knowing the back end of the operation, generalizing the bad news with what other companies would do when is interesting to you, and you get freebies, because I know it
but you go ahead and keep giving your money to the wonderful Genting company who lets people go after 25 years without even one thank you, while you are drooling on your next Crystal cruise, those that they make it happen for you are at home worrying sick and most probably regretting having worked for under an awful owner.
The bottom line for me is simple, Crystal is now just “another” luxury cruise line.
My two cents here, stay safe and have a wonderful cruise.
Texas Tillie wrote:backofficecruising, can we assume that you are one of those who were let go? Sounds that way. The way I look at it, the proof will be in the pudding. When (if??) Crystal is back in operation it will quickly be obvious if it is the cruise line that it once was. Most Crystal cruisers did not get in the position to be able to afford Crystal cruisers by being lemmings. I don't see most of us throwing good money after bad if Crystal has become the evil company you describe. Time will tell
Keith1010 wrote:Oh I wish Crystal was the cure for the Coronavirus. Or maybe it's Lysol.
I've kept up with the thread and don't see that anyone saying the things that you have said. Oh yes the better days. It always looks better in the past. The 1960's when there were riots and assassinations in the USA and the past on Crystal when we had to pay for even a Coca Cola. Those were the days.
I feel very bad for those who were let go some whom I know very well. I wish it could have been handled differently. My heart goes out to those impacted.
With that said, it is very easy to speculate whether or not this would have happened if NYK was there. My experience is every time that there is something one does not like or agree about Crystal the past few years some say "it wouldn't have happened when NYK was in charge" as if everything was perfect when NYK was in-charge. When NYK was in charge there were things that many didn't like and that includes consolidations, elimination of positions on land and at sea, cutbacks in offerings, major cutbacks in things such as Crystal Society benefits, elimination of a whole range of items on the ships and the list goes on. I guess in the past few years all of the changes that people seem to like we should just say that has nothing to do with Genting or should we give all the credit to NYK.
The impact on business from Coronavirus is the biggest I have seen in my lifetime. Nothing I see comes close to it on a world-wide basis. If the trend continues it won't be long until the percentage of unemployment in the USA is greater than The Great Depression. And things like the stock market won't stay where it is. I hope this is not the case.
Many companies both small and large are going to go bankrupt very soon. How long this goes on is anyone's guess. Do cruises begin in July or not until next year? How do you survive with no income? Well some do survive but not without taking some extreme measures. Many companies have to either cut lots of positions now which is sad for the people or they could move slowly and end up folding which results in 100% job loss.
No company is perfect. I do enjoy sailing Crystal Cruises very much and enjoy more and more. I think some who are guests know more than your posts gives them credit for knowing because of the relationships they have made over the years.
Yes we all have choice who we sail. I am happy to continue to sail with Crystal Cruises as long as their product continues to please me. Coming off Serenity in March I am very happy cruising Crystal. I do hope we can go back to cruising when this horrific virus is under control. And it was the virus which has caused companies to fight for survival and do things they would not do if not for these extraordinary circumstances. Likewise it has pushed Governments around the world to do things which no one would have ever considered. In many ways if this was a book we would say it belongs on the Fiction shelf.
datolim wrote:Yes you said it all, Keith. Some are bitter which means the world is not perfect and never will be.
datolim bringing nothing to the table.
backofficecruising wrote:Well, you do pay for that Coca Cola, in a different way, in your cruise ticket, but you do.
The All inclusive product was done under the NYK ownership by the way, regardless, it was not an NYK decision as owners, but the management group at the time following the cruise industry trends at the time did the change to all inclusive. NYK just agreed to it.
I don’t know how NYK would have handled covid-19, I just know than in previous crisis, the crew was the last they would have touched, and objectively and historically speaking NYK did everything better, first the only ocean vessels that only exist today are NYK made thus Genting still needs to probe they can build a ship for Crystal.They still can, they are just not there yet....Crystal was made in 20-25 years, Genting likes quick fixes and that doesn’t exist, Genting did not make any luxury brand yet, in any case they bought one with benefits from the gambling business.
secondly, it was management under NYK who built the product that you are currently enjoying today and unfortunately that is an era that just recently ended.
and yes, companies are in their right to make decisions under extreme circumstances for their survival but this company in particular is also taking advantage of the crisis to make decisions they have always wanted to make anyway (even before the crisis) and now they have the perfect excuse.
in the end, it comes down to the company values, which are not what they used to be and eventually will show in their product delivery/execution, I think already does anyway.
@datolim I’m not bitter, this is a thread on crew layoffs and the LA office closing and I’m stating the facts that I know.
backofficecruising wrote:Posh Traveler wrote:Are you saying this is what happened at Crystal? While, I have heard the above to be true of many American companies in order to keep their employees and independent contractors, I heard Crystal started laying off staff two weeks ago and very small reduction in senior management salaries and none were a hero to volunteer more. Layoffs, furlough, leave of absence without pay is all the same for the people who are not getting paid and I wish Crystal would be kinder to their employees, contractors and shipboard staff who make the brand what it is despite all the changes that have happened at the top. I also, hope that the company does survive because it's not comparable to any other cruise lines and I have truly enjoyed every cruise with them. Until I heard of the lay offs I was more than willing to invest in a future cruise no questions asked as I have done for many small businesses around me to keep them afloat during these terrible times. How a company treats its own staff during a disaster is big indication of the Chariman, CEO, CFO and how seriously they take their ethical responsibility whether Genting or Crystal. I hope to hear something from Crystal's management itself that these are all rumors. I expected more!
Very well said, staff is being treated badly yes, over a conference call they let go 10 shoreside people with no severance of any kind, plus they force many to take their vacations even if they did not want to, to later fire them, which some would say is borderline legal.
datolim wrote:I think the racially charged remarks are not appropriate here or any other place.
datolim bringing nothing to the table.
backofficecruising wrote:What racially charged remarks?
Keith1010 wrote:Yes I pretty much remember when all of the changes were made at least since I sailed Crystal in 2002. My point was when people point to the old days there are some things that might be better but equally so you can point to the current days with changes made while NYK has been the owner that are better for many.
I would tell you that while NYK didn't make all the decisions about Crystal the same goes for Genting. Some each owner makes and others they let Crystal make. However there are certain a few items that NYK micro managed and thankfully they changed when Crystal moved under Genting.
When I think Crystal I don't just think Ocean Vessels so when you say the era ended without NYK I disagree. Sailing on the Crystal Mozart was one of our best experiences ever and I look forward to sailing other River Cruises with Crystal. While I have not sailed Esprit almost everything I have read from people on this board to people I know who have sailed Esprit that are not members of CC have been very positive to glowing. I expect Endeavor to be a wonderful experience as well which is why we booked it for August and even though that sailing was cancelled we have plans to sail her on a future date. Just seeing how they went about selecting the crew for Endeavor along with hearing about some of the entertainment tells me it will be a top notch experience. All of this occurred since Genting took over ownership.
As to taking advantage of the situation I don't see that as being the case. I can reflect on what I know and also my experience when I worked. Sometimes a situation like this pushed companies doing things they knew they should have done before but just waited and consolation is one of them. Often they waited to minimize impact on people but in this situation they had to make major cuts. Just look at Disney and so many other companies. Companies are not perfect. We are not either. Of course it is people which make up companies.
As I said the product continues to be wonderful IMHO. And core strengths which I appreciate in Crystal are there and IMHO better than ever and that includes the personal service (un robot like) and the feeling of family. This comes out all the time.
I also want to add that I agree with datolim. Making generalizations about people based on their Nationality is not a good trait in my book. We've had too much hatred in the world already because of gender, nationality, color of skin, religion etc.
These are tough times and never in the likes close to what we have seen. Thankfully it could be worse and I do think the future is bright but I do think there might be some curves and bumps in the road. Many in the world from people in medicine to scientists to businesses are in a situation similar to those who discovered the world as they are sailing in unchartered oceans and they don't have all of the answers or a clear path to getting everything on track.
travelberlin wrote:{responding to backofficecruising} I am sorry to hear about this. What were the terms of contract of those people, who are being fired without any benefits? Did their contracts included benefits in case of loosing their jobs?
What is happening all over the world is not fair. Many people are loosing their jobs. Many people do not have a clue how to pay their bills.
For the sake of all those in the travel industry, I hope the industry manages to come out of this crisis. Some of those who have lost their jobs might never be able to come back to this kind of business and will have to reinvent themselves to find new areas of work. Some might be able to return to their jobs when the crisis is over.
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This is the first post for context:
JOPA28 wrote:I have heard the Symphony and Serenity crew, with the exception of 50 per ship, have been laid off. I know a few of you have close contacts with Crystal, can you substantiate this? Thank you.
I think it's interesting that the thread is more than three weeks old, not particularly long, but it took until today to start flaming.
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And now, back to the shit show ...
backofficecruising wrote:You are right about the river business but don’t forget that all those projects were executed by Crystal management that was there since the earlier days, including all the vendors and consultants that make those projects happen are the result of the NYK - Crystal management not the Genting one, Genting bought it yes but Genting did not make it happen at the human element level, they just put the money and of course there is value to that but not everything. From architects, interior designers, restaurants consultants such Nobu, all is the product of NYK - Crystal previous management, it is like that, history shows that.
I think Crystal will dilute itself into the Miami net of cruise companies and if building more ships at the ocean level I don’t think they have the talent or the necessary chemistry to keep it as consistent but I can be wrong of course.
this is like the Chicago bulls - Michael Jordan story that so popular is in Netflix these days, there is times that there is a group of people that make something unique until someone with an ego comes in to break it into pieces, in the Crystal case have to do with top management that were creative, with good chemistry and that they understood the company inside out and they differentiated themselves being in LA and having an owner that is very different to Genting.
I did not try to offend anyone, it is well know that the Asian culture is different (as any culture) and a common denominator in their culture is not to worry so much about people but numbers and they are authoritarian. You just need to look at covid 19 and see how the Chinese have lied in number of infections and deaths plus (in my mind) they created the virus by being little hygienic if you ask me, but this is my opinion and not in line with what we are discussing here anyway, it’s not a racist comment, it is just my opinion based on the facts we have so far. And of course it is not that everyone in any place is particular is like this. I should not generalize, I agree
As per Genting management top management, I could tell you a story or two of their behavior towards subordinates and they view on females but again also not in line with the conversation but a good measuring stick as to how their values are surely going to affect their product execution sooner or later as to how they treat the crew
hubbards wrote:Obviously backofficecruising is feeling alot of pain and that should not be diminished. I feel terrible for the office staff who have been laid off and I feel terrible for the onboard crew who don’t know where and when their next paycheck will come from. Let’s hope things start to normalize soon and everyone can either return to their own job or find a suitable replacement. As for the cruisers, let’s hope we can also continue to enjoy our Crystal experience.
backofficecruising wrote:No benefits at all yet I don’t know if those on higher positions had anything. But it was rude less, out of curiosity I just checked Glassdoor because of this conversation and noticed that one of the staff members affected wrote a very objective version, and I promise you it wasn’t me.... I just happened to look at it
Psoque wrote:Any generalization about the "Chinese" to make a statement about "a common denominator" about "Asian culture," becomes a racist comment.
backofficecruisig wrote:You are right, as you were publishing this answer, I was editing my answer as I should not have generalized of course.
but to my point there is a difference between Genting and NYK from the people to the way of doing business and the cultural aspects are of course there,
wrote:I think we will have to agree to disagree.
I read your comments as saying that Genting has no involvement in those things that turned out positive such as the River Cruise vessels, Esprit, soon to be Endeavor but anything that is wrong is Genting's fault. As long as I have sailed Crystal there have been things people like including change and things that people didn't like including change and that is both under NYK and Genting and some of the items didn't come top down while others did not.
It was only a few years ago that people were complaining about several things on this board and NYK was the owner and the decisions were largely made by the Crystal team you mentioned. Personally I liked most of those changes but many people were unhinged about them. So it's all about perspective.
Yes I do feel very bad as I mentioned about the people impacted and I did say I thought there were certain stations that could have been handled better. However, I do not necessarily attribute the things I believe could be handled better to Genting and I will leave ei that that.
As to the actual layoffs I think it does come down to survival as we are seeing across the USA and in many parts of the world. You will see a lot of business collapse or certainly go into bankruptcy. This doesn't take away from my heart going out to people because it does.
I am sure there are people in leadership across many companies throughout the world who do not conform to my views when it comes to certain practices and that include people in the USA and those outside the USA some of whom I have worked with during my career. I do think generalities are never a good idea for many reasons which I mentioned earlier.
From a guest perspective the Crystal I sailed with earlier this year embodies the things I have always enjoyed about Crystal. I feel the same way about many of the people I deal with from Crystal on land. Hopefully that will continue. I say hopefully because there are never guarantees in life but right now I am as pleased today with the product as I have ever been. This is not to say I don't miss a few things from the past but then again the past doesn't have some of the things I enjoy today.
I am truly sorry you feel based on posts that some people believe that Crystal is the cure for Coronavirus although I wish this was true and I am sorry to hear your views about certain people based on their nationalities. I view people as people meaning there are people I admire and respect and people I do not. I base this on their actions and not on their nationality, religion, skin color, gender or religion nor do I feel that one shoes fits all.
As I said my heart goes out for those impacted by the virus including land based and sea based members of team Crystal. I do hope Crystal and and companies across the world impacted by this catastrophe can recover. I do believe survival will be key and that includes both the health issue for people and the things that companies and governments need to do to get through the crisis.
Let' hope we can get to a better place sooner rather than later.
Boozin n Cruizin wrote:You are right...There have been some great people in management who helped build Crystal to one of the top cruise lines in the world. I knew many of them. Unfortunately they have all left or have been fired especially when the new ownership arrived.
If someone in upper management was smart in Miami...they would say something on this board to cool down the situation...
I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
csto wrote:Corporate America/World will be survival of the fittest as a result of this terrible virus. Many of the surviving cruise lines which hopefully includes Crystal are unlikely to be the same emerging from this tragedy. It would be unrealistic to think there will not be crew changes, cost cutting measures etc. Some passengers will find these acceptable while others will not. I appreciate the input of backofficecruising and truly feel sorry for the loss of jobs at Crystal - crew and corporate. The crew are some of the nicest and most genuine people around. I did not find backofficecruising's post to be racist at all.
KenzSailing wrote:My gosh, this thread is bordering on nostalgia for the good old days of Edie....strange times indeed....
backofficecruising wrote:I have no doubts crystal can be a wonderful experience for some.
I’m in this particular thread to outline the differences between previous and current management and their respective values towards their employees which are very noticeable.
As a said before, I don’t know how NYK and the previous crystal management would have reacted to covid 19 and the respective treatment to crew and shoreside employees. I just can judge for their reactions during previous major events such the harmony being sold and the 08 crisis, no one lost their jobs, the management creatively managed to keep a balance. Why? I think simply because they had the right values.
by no means I don’t think Genting is not successful, clearly, they are but also It is clear to me that their values are not the same.
I can tell you that in their corporate offices, with the exception of one or two, everyone else lacks values, creativity or even sense of pride for the brand and my take is that eventually this will show onboard.
only time will tell, in any case before covid 19 I think this was noticeable and post covid 19 this will surely be noticed.
yes, we have to agree to disagree but only because we see things from different angles
No, you don't have to agree to disagree! It's not in the rule book.
backofficecruising wrote:{responding to KenzSailing} That appointment,in fact, was the biggest mistake that NYK made but they didn’t care as they were getting ready to sell the company.