Q & A From an Actual Celebrity Employee

[AnotherVirginCruiser]

I guess key word was "even with a parent".;)

 

As a parent and a teacher of the young ones, I also understand the issues of daycare(seperation anxiety-multitasking). BUT this is a different situation. The parent wouldn't be leaving. So, IMO, it would be like taking the child to a park to play.

[AnotherVirginCruiser]

To the person who has a 2 year old and wants them to be in the Fun Factory....( I teach little ones too and only take them when they are 3) after 6 X cruises with my now 5 year old I can tell you that there are a whole host of "issues" with 2 year olds (seperation anxiety, short attention span, limited activities) that make it hard for them to attend the Fun Factory activities. Even if your child wouldn't have these problems as not ALL 2 year olds do, if the accept one the have to accept all, and it opens a huge can of worms.

I take 2 going on 3 year olds on a case by case basis....as some are great and some just aren't ready for dance, but then again, I am the boss.

 

I agree with you on accepting one, you have to accept them all. Only I wasn't speaking of the Fun Factory staff accepting and caring for my 2 year old. I just want to be able to take her there for 1/2 hour to play. The rules say she can't even go in there.

[icewolf14]

cruiser013: thank you for the quick feedback.... i do have a bachelors degree and am a certified lifeguard...i graduated college a little over a year ago....again, thanks for answering my queston

[Bisous3]

Another Virgin Cruiser- I think that is odd that they wouldn't let your child play in the Fun Factory with you.....Maybe it has to do with insurance reasons? I guess the magic number is "3" because of the whole potty training rule and that is the age most kids are trained by. How far form 3 is your child?

Suzanne

[rjack22]

cruiser013,

 

Can you shed any light on why the Summit will be tendering in St. Kitts on April 7 when she is the only ship in port?

 

Similar thing in St. Maarten on April 4. Only four ships in port but the Summit says it will tender.

 

Why would this be? Especially in St. Kitts?

[AnotherVirginCruiser]

Another Virgin Cruiser- I think that is odd that they wouldn't let your child play in the Fun Factory with you.....Maybe it has to do with insurance reasons? I guess the magic number is "3" because of the whole potty training rule and that is the age most kids are trained by. How far form 3 is your child?

Suzanne

 

I am glad you think it's odd for her not to play...play...with my or my husband there?? BUT I was posting a month or so ago and one person had to show their child's birth certificate! :eek:

I totally understand the potty training issue- but if they aren't wearing diapers??? She will only be 27 months.:(

[rianvi]

This is very good of you to give up your time to answer our questions. We are taking our first "big cruise" Feb. 21 Horizon 11 night. Our group of seven consists of my Husband, our 16yr. daughter, my father & mother inlaw, my sister & brother inlaw and of course myself. The others have cruised before, but the three of us have only taken a Carnival 4 day years ago. So we are really forward to this cruise. I have tried to read as much as I can about the Horizon.

Often with many different answers. So. I hope you can help. Some will sound really silly.

Are the fridges in the staterooms?

Boarding starts at 1pm, what time should we be at the pier?

Can we take liquor on the ship or will it really cause trouble? I was thinking maybe a bottle of wine.

We are taking our dghtr out of school...I am not sure if there will be other teens on ship but will there be any activities she can participate in?

Is it a good idea to take a power bar for your room?

We arrive back in Tampa at 7am. and our flight leaves at 12:50pm. Will we make our plane in time?

So for this being so long. Thakyou for your help? Any other tips for newbies would be appreciated. We have 62 registered for our C.C. party. By the way we are Canadian as well. From Ontario.

Anna

[safein]

Cruiser013,

 

Great that you are doing this! We'll be on the Infinity in April. Who's the CD there?

 

Here's a question that I'm not sure if you can answer or not (or maybe cruiseeemployee can) On our last cruise on the Millie, we checked out the minibar. There were bottles of beer there that you had to use an opener for. On the the Horizon, Zenith and Century class, there was a bottle opener on the wall of the bathroom. Any idea why there wasn't any on the Millie class ships?

 

Thanks!

 

Anita

[mmp13]

I have worked in daycare in the past. Many of the age requirments are in place due to liability issues as well as potty training issues. (equipment not approved for children under 3 etc toys that present a choking risk to children under 3 etc). Most safety rating specify age 3 and over. While at home, you the parent can make the decision that your child is ready to play with something rated for a child of 3 or older. Play programs cannot leave themselves open to liability. it does not matter if the parent is present or not. There are also specific requirements as to how many staff members must be present. When determining the ratio of workers to children Even if there is only one two year old in the room the play area would be required to staff as if the room was full of 2 year olds. parents cannot be counted as care givers so the issue of allowing a two year old in the room to play may seem rediculous but it really isn't. the rules were instituted to protect the children and the caregivers!

[AnotherVirginCruiser]

I have worked in daycare in the past. Many of the age requirments are in place due to liability issues as well as potty training issues. (equipment not approved for children under 3 etc toys that present a choking risk to children under 3 etc). Most safety rating specify age 3 and over. While at home, you the parent can make the decision that your child is ready to play with something rated for a child of 3 or older. Play programs cannot leave themselves open to liability. it does not matter if the parent is present or not. There are also specific requirements as to how many staff members must be present. When determining the ratio of workers to children Even if there is only one two year old in the room the play area would be required to staff as if the room was full of 2 year olds. parents cannot be counted as care givers so the issue of allowing a two year old in the room to play may seem rediculous but it really isn't. the rules were instituted to protect the children and the caregivers!

 

Thanks- I get it- I'm just disappointed and trying to find an answer from Celebrity- but I think you just put it into perspective. Thanks.:(

[reggierail]

I've read several threads from very unhappy Celebrity passengers.

A recent one was from a passenger on the Summit. They had a laundry list of complaints ranging from very rude employee's to bad cafeteria quality food in the main dining room.

I've been on 15 cruises total with 12 on RCCL, 1 on NCL and 2 on Celebrity's Mercury. Both of my cruises on the Mercury were far and away better than the best I experienced on the other cruises. Every crew member I dealt with was very special and made me feel very special too. The food in every venue was excellent and I wouldn't miss the dinners in the dining room for anything.

My question is, could this person have so ticked off so many crew members that they went out of their way to assure they would never sail with Celebrity again?

It just seems to me that the more you treat the crew with respect and concern, the more they go out of their way to make everything about your cruise the best it could be. Is it possible if you treat the crew with disrespect that they would return the same?

 

Reggie:D

[mmp13]

Reggie, I think you might be right. some people are very abrasive when they deal with the staff. It's not the complaint that causes the problem. It's the rudeness! We have had minor problems on all our cruises and have always had them addressed in a very professional way. If you treat people as if they were professionals in their job, they usually respond in kind!:)

[David G]

Just thought I would post this as I am noticing there are many first time cruisers and first with Celebrity reading these forums. ... Any Questions?

 

May PS guests have other guests join them for meals in their suites? How about selected staff members you have previously mentioned?

[xpcdoojk]

I am a shipboard employee. A member of the Activities Staff. I can discuss what you can expect on board from a service and entertainment standpoint, as well as protocol. I cannot however, divulge info about internal company operations.

 

Are you aware that you could be subject to job termination for posting in this forum as a cruiseline employee?

 

At least you top the other one, as you say you are a current employee... I hope for your sake you don't get caught... Of course, why you would do this since you are breaking your companies rules is beyond me.

 

jc

[Lois R]

jc, I had noticed about 1/2 dozen postings into this, someone else made the same comment.

 

And the original poster has not come back....maybe they realized as an "on board crew/staff member" they should not be here.

[nynewfies]

I'm just wondering, when people on the board state that the OP could be subject to termination for posting on this board, with exactly what authority do they speak? Have they personally read an employee's contract with the cruise line forbidding them this activity under penalty of termination? Is this just an assumption? I really appreciate the information generated by this thread and the other started by the past cruise employee. I really don't understand why the chilling tone should be taken with the OP for providing an interesting thread that is obviously of interest to many people. Whenever I read these "warnings" I never have the feeling that they are friendly advice offered out of concern for the employee. It always feels a bit more like a turf thing to me that I don't quite understaned. OP - I agree with your initial response. You cannot offer proprietary company information; that would clearly risk termination from any company. Beyond that, I really can't imagine a problem. And if anyone else wants to offer any direction that you should cease and desist for your own benefit, I hope they offer specific citings in your contract or stated company policy, or the cruise critic board posting policy, prohibiting you from posting here. Until then - thanks for taking your time to inform us!

[reggierail]

And the original poster has not come back....maybe they realized as an "on board crew/staff member" they should not be here.

 

HI Lois.;)

 

Maybe the original poster is busy. As many of us that have cruised realize, the crew on a cruise ship work very hard and get little time off. They probably don't have as much time to spend on the boards as some of us do.:rolleyes:

 

Reggie:D

[CruiserJen]

Are the staffing rules & regulations the same on the Galapagos & Antarctica specialty ships?

 

My brother went to Galapagos on X & claimed the staff were very pleasant but highly restricted re. interacting with passengers. The staff work a 2 week on/2 week off or 3 weeks on/1 week off schedule.

 

1/ Do you foresee Celebrity doing more specialty markets in the future? If so, where are they going next with this new trend?

 

2/ In another thread, it appears there is a 'Turista' or noro outbreak in Galapagos. Is this being discussed by Celebrity employees? Or do you only hear about what is happening on your ship? The rumor mill usually has good info... Celebrity is not responding to individual concerns.

 

Thinking about taking the Galapagos trip, but from recent trip reports posted, it appears this outbreak is getting worse. The last report listed 1/2 of the 100 passengers being ill for up to 3 days on a 7 day cruise.

 

Can you comment on this? If you cannot post a response in this forum, could you please email me? I'm trying to determine if it's ok to book this cruise in 2005 and if it is an appropriate forum for a 27 y.o. single cruiser.

 

What's the scoop? Thanks, Jen

cruiserjen@yahoo.com

[Lois R]

Hi Reggie:)

 

My comment wasn't intended to sound harsh......sometimes the internet is funky....we cannot "read tone"........

[WeBeCruisin']

On the other thread by Cruiseemployee (which he ended yesterday), there were several people who constantly questioned his credentials and implied that he was an impostor. They couldn't just accept that the idea that he might be genuine and genuinely trying to provide information and answer questions (at much expense of time to him). It was almost as if those who challenged Cruiseemployee were threatened that he was usurping their "expertise" and felt challenged to get rid of him. A similar attitude seems to be emerging in this thread. That is sad.

 

Allen

[nynewfies]

Hi Allen. That is exactly the way I interpreted what was going on. Hard to understand. This is a great thread.

[EscapeFromConnecticut]

On the other thread by Cruiseemployee (which he ended yesterday)' date=' there were several people who constantly questioned his credentials and implied that he was an impostor. They couldn't just accept that the idea that he might be genuine and genuinely trying to provide information and answer questions (at much expense of time to him). It was almost as if those who challenged Cruiseemployee were threatened that he was usurping their "expertise" and felt challenged to get rid of him. A similar attitude seems to be emerging in this thread. That is sad.

 

Allen[/quote']

 

Exactly. I hope a CC moderator is observing this pattern.

Two specific posters pursued that line of harassment on the Cruiseemployee thread relentlessly. Literally DOZENS of Cruise Critic members were enjoying an informative, useful thread, and two people seemed intent on wrecking it.

This week, one of those same screen names is surfacing here ... with precisely the same combative tone and counter-productive attitude. That behavior runs directly against what CC is alll about.

Let us hope this doesn't discourage the OP from continuing a valuable service.

[Artemis]

Check out this link: http://www.cruisedirectonline.com/familycruises/thebestshipsfortots.htm

 

Celebrity appears to be in the minority on the exact issue you present. It's also clear there is no governmental regulation or "US Public Health Commission" rule directing Celebrity's decision.

[Sky Sweet]

I just got off a cruise on the Mercury and one afternoon our cruise director held a session where people could ask questions pertaining to Celebrity's Crew, procedures, and policies. If people are really interested in this topic, I strongly suggest that they attend this session on their next cruise. It appears that a few things have changed since "cruise employee" worked for Celebrity.

[cruiseemployee]

I just got off a cruise on the Mercury and one afternoon our cruise director held a session where people could ask questions pertaining to Celebrity's Crew, procedures, and policies. If people are really interested in this topic, I strongly suggest that they attend this session on their next cruise. It appears that a few things have changed since "cruise employee" worked for Celebrity.

Can you shed some light into what has changed??? Curious to know...(Still surfing on here)