Crew Changes & Dry Dock

[Bolshoi]

I've read with interest the recent reviews of Whisper, as I am booked for voyage 4024 (CPH - STO) on her. I'm a novice cruiser, having been on only one before (NCL), but from my reading of these boards it seems that crew cameraderie and discipline make a large contribution to the passengers' enjoyment, particularly on these smaller ships. With the Whisper going into dry dock in May, I wonder what will happen with the crew? I would imagine that there will continue to be requirements for officers and maintenance personnel to be onboard, but what about service staff? And will the crew be brought back together after the refitting? Does anyone have experience of this? Inquiring minds want to know :)

 

Kevin

[CatServants]

I remember talking to a crew member on the Oosterdam (HAL) who had been on a dry dock, and he told us that they just stayed on board to provide the "slave labor" for such things as replacing carpets, drapes, etc. I wondered then, and still do, how they got paid since, on HAL, like most lines, a good portion of their compensation comes from passenger tips, and no passengers means no tips.

[DaveA]

Loss of passenger tips won't be an issue for Silversea staff, but I would hope they arrange their holiday breaks to coincide with at least part of the dry-dock period.

[unfathomable]

Most of the crew do stay on board and they do get to do long hours and the heavy lifting: shifting rolls of carpet and masses of garbage -- as well as put up with occasional discomfort: power outages, air conditioning offline and cold meals are all possibilities from time to time. The smart troops can try to arrange vacations to suit, but this is rarely an option for those on 10-month contracts and senior people have to stick around to supervise.

[Jaffa]

I was recently informed by a SS exec that around 20/25% of the crew and staff change every 6 weeks.

With most work contracts between 3 and 6 months. Officers are slightly different.

 

The staff or crew job/duty also affects what type of contract/length they are offered or eligible for.

 

SS regularly rotates staff between ships. Crew and staff do not sign on to a specific ship.

Although in saying this l was also told that after their 4th successful contract and a good work/contract record, the staff/crew member does have some say and choice in ship and location as part of the promotion process.