cruise employee ready to give advice

danna · July 5, 2008

hi all. I am a cruise ship employee and have been for many years in a few different departments and i am willing to give advice on any subject. Just know that you may not like my answers but they will be truthful from a staff members point of view. Ask away

I recieved a message from the big boss about my comments on children had upset some of you on my other post. But if you read my first post I did say you may not like my answers. Do not in future ask me questions that you think the answers may upset someone else. I will always answer truthfuly.

jacketwatch · July 5, 2008

Cool! Thank you for your help. Can you tell us a bit more about your career, like what lines you have worked on and so on? Do you have a favorite ship? Personally I have always thought that cruise line employees work very hard and I'm very impressed by their level of courtesy. :thumbup:

danna · July 5, 2008

Cool! Thank you for your help. Can you tell us a bit more about your career, like what lines you have worked on and so on? Do you have a favorite ship? Personally I have always thought that cruise line employees work very hard and I'm very impressed by their level of courtesy.

I cant tell you which ships i have worked on as you never know what management is reading these posts. The most fun line for crew would be royal. Party central. The most strict for crew is celebrity but this also depends on the captain and hotel director. The employees work extremely hard to make your cruise enjoyable. We are all put through a lot of training on how to talk to guests. Which i have never adhered to and still i am the favourite of every cruise. The cruise line is a very fake industry and i refuse to buy into the kiss ass way we are supose to treat a guest. The cleaners and waiters are the one that work the hardest...they pretty much get no time off and not paid huge amounts of money. A lot of the officers just sit in the offices and drink coffee all day and get the minons to do there work. The dancers/ entertainers are the luckiest. They do only a couple of shows a cruise and get pretty much all the other time off. They are generally (not all) young and stupid and when they stand at the doors and you say 'oh what a wondrful show', it only makes there heads bigger. they are hated by every department on board becuase they get paid to do practically nothing. Guest relations/purser is the hardest as the complaints that come in are horendous. This you must have very very braod shoulders for. Even with broad shoulders sometimes you go to your cabin and cry from stress.

PATJUD · July 5, 2008

"The cruise line is a very fake industry and i refuse to buy into the kiss ass way we are supose to treat a guest."

I was interested in that quote that you wrote. What are your instructions about the treatment of guests aboard ship and if you don't like those instructions, how do you feel that guests should be treated?

"The cleaners and waiters are the one that work the hardest...they pretty much get no time off"

I would certainly agree with that statement as they are the ones that come into the most contact with the guests every day.

danna · July 5, 2008

"The cruise line is a very fake industry and i refuse to buy into the kiss ass way we are supose to treat a guest."
I was interested in that quote that you wrote. What are your instructions about the treatment of guests aboard ship and if you don't like those instructions, how do you feel that guests should be treated?

"The cleaners and waiters are the one that work the hardest...they pretty much get no time off"

I would certainly agree with that statement as they are the ones that come into the most contact with the guests every day.

We are given 'quotes' as such and words that we are suppose to use when asked certain questions. If you are overheard not answering in such a manner by an officer you will be given a warning. As i said i do not do this. This is because i will not change who i am to suit these stupid rules. If i did not get so many good comments from guests every cruise, yes im sure i would be fired by now. Guests are more happy when they are treated with respect and talked to as a person not a money basket.

Suzila · July 5, 2008

Hi danna...welcome to the message board!

I'd like to know how the staff feels about the tipping policies. As a passenger, I like it better now that the tips are automatically included on our bill at the end of the cruise and I don't have to come up with cash. We just go along with the amount posted on our bill, and when we've had outstanding service, we always tip that employee extra, in cash, ourselves.

When the tips are on the bills automatically, how does that work for the employees? Is it a pool, or does the actual tip get to the staff member you want really want it to go to?

On the same subject, and you may not have worked on NCL, but when we were in the specialty restaurants, we always tipped at the end of the meal. We spoke to quite a few people onboard, and they felt, because they had to pay for the meal to eat in a specialty restaurant, that they didn't need to tip on top of that. When we did tip in the specialty restaurants, the staff was so surprised! So, I assume that's not the 'norm'.

Any thoughts on that?

Another question, and you mentioned it in your last post...do they actually READ the comments we write at the end of the cruise? I always name certain people as being outstanding employees. Do they care?

danna · July 5, 2008

Hi danna...welcome to the message board!
I'd like to know how the staff feels about the tipping policies. As a passenger, I like it better now that the tips are automatically included on our bill at the end of the cruise and I don't have to come up with cash. We just go along with the amount posted on our bill, and when we've had outstanding service, we always tip that employee extra, in cash, ourselves.

When the tips are on the bills automatically, how does that work for the employees? Is it a pool, or does the actual tip get to the staff member you want really want it to go to?

On the same subject, and you may not have worked on NCL, but when we were in the specialty restaurants, we always tipped at the end of the meal. We spoke to quite a few people onboard, and they felt, because they had to pay for the meal to eat in a specialty restaurant, that they didn't need to tip on top of that. When we did tip in the specialty restaurants, the staff was so surprised! So, I assume that's not the 'norm'.

Any thoughts on that?

Another question, and you mentioned it in your last post...do they actually READ the comments we write at the end of the cruise? I always name certain people as being outstanding employees. Do they care?

Ill start at the bottom. The office does read the cruise reviews and take note of what is said. Unfortunately they take a lot of what is said on the 'Cruise critics' web site under consideration as this is the most problematic group. (dislike by all crew on board). But other web sites are monitored as well. To name a crew member is fantastic - where it will be seen or not - who knows? Good named comments on board get promotions faster.

Speciality restaurants - it is not common to tip for this as you do pay for the service - but if you want to give a little extra go right ahead.

People who think like you about the tipping policy being added into the account at the end - we love. Not all cruise lines are the same and have different policies. Some lines are mandatory tipping and some are pay what you want - and some have different payment options.

I wish everyone felt the same about tipping as you do - it would make everybodies life on board so much easier. Giving an employee extra in cash is great but do it discreetly.

I wish you were on my cruises !!!!

RNSANE · July 5, 2008

I always bring gifts for guest services - big bags of pistachio nuts, candy, biscotti for their morning coffee - and it is clearly labeled: For the guest services STAFF, the workers, not management... I give management their own gifts. I always wait in line and go up to them and say, " I have a complaint" - they look at me, in surprise, and say, "What is it, Miss Carmen?" "The sun isn't shining bright enough today." or some other such silly thing. I know they listen to nonstop complaints. Theirs has to be a difficult job. I was so surprised late one night when I stopped by to chat with the night person. There was only ONE person on duty and the phone kept ringing non stop.

Carmen Henesy

RNSANE · July 5, 2008

I was told that the comment cards are sent to the Miami office ( at least by Royal Caribbean ) - the comments typed up and then returned to the ship and posted. I know that crew have emailed me and thanked me for my comments. Trudy Julius, guest services manager on the Monarch, emailed after the last cruise and said, "they couldn't make it out but you said something about ' my wonderful smile."

Once, on the Radiance of the Seas, I didn't complete the comment card ( the only time ever ). I got an email from Patrick Olin, who was the Hotel Director, at the time, asking why I hadn't done a comment card. I couldn't believe it. He said he had been sent to the Radiance because the ship, at the time had not been up to par and he was interested in what I thought. I've never failed to complete my comment card since.

Carmen Henesy

danna · July 5, 2008

I was told that the comment cards are sent to the Miami office ( at least by Royal Caribbean ) - the comments typed up and then returned to the ship and posted. I know that crew have emailed me and thanked me for my comments. Trudy Julius, guest services manager on the Monarch, emailed after the last cruise and said, "they couldn't make it out but you said something about ' my wonderful smile."
Once, on the Radiance of the Seas, I didn't complete the comment card ( the only time ever ). I got an email from Patrick Olin, who was the Hotel Director, at the time, asking why I hadn't done a comment card. I couldn't believe it. He said he had been sent to the Radiance because the ship, at the time had not been up to par and he was interested in what I thought. I've never failed to complete my comment card since.

Carmen Henesy

All comment cards are sent to the office. This is why none of the crew is allowed to deposit these in the box for any guest. Good comments are always good. But if you have a good thing to say about a certain cleaner or waiter make a note to the food and beverage manager (waiter and bar staff) or the chef house keeper for the cleaners. Give them to the guest relations desk and they will have them delivered. On board comments always go further than the comment cards. But still write nice stuff on the comment cards as well.