Ultimate Ship Tour - Showing Respect

[mathan416]

I attended an Ultimate Ship Tour on Saturday and I wanted to address something that Princess requests of all people that take the tour - showing respect to the officers that we meet.

 

I wouldn't normally do this, but I think I'm seeing the double edge sword of Cruise Critic and that can sometimes happen with hive mentality.

 

I was extremely disappointed with one particular guest on the tour that showed a considerable lack of tact and lack of decorum while asking questions on the tour.

 

While I know the soot issues that plague Royal Princess and the electrical problem that halted one of the Med tours are concerning, there is an appropriate way of asking a question about both matters.

 

I was aghast at the question placed to the chief engineer, which really wasn't a question at all but more a statement about what happened. It was as if this person, who was by no means an Engineer, knew what really went on when they didn't. The chief engineer corrected the person with facts about what happened.

 

The Staff Captain, and even The Captain do not need to be inundated with questions asked in such a way it sounds like you're out to embarrass them, or somehow smarter than them.

 

Princess does not have to run the Ultimate Ship Tour. It's a great thing that Princess, and other cruise companies do, which I appreciate; and I think most people appreciate these opportunities.

 

However, it is not an appropriate place to air all of your grievances about the ship. It's about learning about how people do their jobs and the hard work that ship staff do. And it's hard work - something I appreciated as a guest on board.

 

It's also not appropriate to look smug or act as if you know it all - because you don't. There's a reason you're not the captain of the ship.

 

I'm not saying people should not speak up, but there is a way of doing it with tact and appropriate tone and possibly more appropriate avenues.

 

For example, rather than putting staff on the spot, how about asking, "What does it take to do wind tests on a new ship like Royal Princess?" "Was it a failure of the engine or the electrical system, a few months ago and how do you as an engineer react to that?"

 

Princess is on the ball when it comes to customer satisfaction and issues. Some things just take time and simply do not happen overnight. I have some similar concerns to everyone, but keep in mind negativity breeds negativity - again hive mentality. If you learn to role with the punches, you'll have a great time. I know I did.

[anmajojo]

Absolutely spot on post. You must have been really tempted to shut them down.

Unfortunately, those that should read your post probably wont!!!

Edited November 5, 2013 by anmajojo

[mathan416]

Oh believe me, I wanted to shut them down big time. In fact a good number of people wanted to. But again, there was also hive mentality that also happened especially when Capt. Draper was available.

 

I really do hope those individuals were able to appreciate the tour, and the staff behind all the things we enjoy on the ship.

[DrivesLikeMario]

You have to leave those people up to the officers to handle. It's part of their job to deal with nincompoops. :D I think it's in the job description. ;)

 

Seriously though, I think this is just one example of an overall lack of tack everywhere nowadays. I see it on shows like Judge Judy; kids come in and want to tell her all about life and why they should get a free ride. Looks like you can't even escape that when cruising and when paying an extra $150pp for the tour.

 

Thanks for the post - maybe it will benefit someone.

[Ellipooh]

I cant imagine paying $150pp just to take someone to task for a perceived/rumored problem. I am hoping to take the Tour on my upcoming cruise, because i want to learn from these guys, not embarrass them.

[Potstech]

You can not change some people. They will always think they know more and better than anyone else. Confronting them would only cause a bigger problem. There seems to be one in every crowd. As to the Ultimate Ship Tour I would love to take it BUT I think it is way overpriced. All I have heard about it is great BUT to pay that much just to walk around areas that the passengers do not normally get to see is not one of the things I will ever spend money on.

[Coral]

As to the Ultimate Ship Tour I would love to take it BUT I think it is way overpriced. All I have heard about it is great BUT to pay that much just to walk around areas that the passengers do not normally get to see is not one of the things I will ever spend money on.

 

I agree. I wish I had the option to try it with out receiving all of the "gifts" that come with it and receive a reduced rate. I don't need another robe or chef's shirt or apron that comes with it. Nor do I have room in my luggage to bring these home with me. A friend recently did this but chose to do it on a cruise he did not have to take a flight home.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Coral

[DougH]

I finally took this tour on a recent Grand Princess cruise. I really didn't need all the stuff that came with the tour (robe is in the closet unworn, gave the chef apron to a friend who apprecates it more) and would also like a lower cost but can understand why it is that way.

 

My tour lasted almost 4 hours and we spent lots of time with different officers telling us about their departments and the Captain spent at least 1/2 hour at the end with us answering questions. It was very nice of them to take time out of their busy schedules to accomadate our small tour group. They were all very proud of their departments and people and I think every one thought their department was the best one on the ship :)

 

It was very interesting to see lots of areas of the ship that support our vacation and amazing the quantity of food, laundry etc that is processed every day.

 

I'm very glad I finally did the tour, and yes I highly recommend doing it on a cruise that you don't have to worry about flying home, otherwise save lots of luggage space for all of the goodies you receive.

 

Many thanks to Captain Justin Lewes for his time and a great ship and crew.

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

I wish folk would spend a little time before the tour to work out a few questions to ask the crew.

 

If you ask the engineer how miles to the gallon he will tell you,

 

but ask him how has his job changed since he started at sea

 

and you will get an interesting story about how ships have changed over

 

the years, the need to run cleaner, produce more electricity, deal with waste etc etc

 

Ask a chef how many eggs he uses he will tell you,

 

but ask how passengers likes and dislikes have changed and you will be there for hours chatting.

 

yours Shogun

[BassettMom]

I attended an Ultimate Ship Tour on Saturday and I wanted to address something that Princess requests of all people that take the tour - showing respect to the officers that we meet.

 

I wouldn't normally do this, but I think I'm seeing the double edge sword of Cruise Critic and that can sometimes happen with hive mentality.

 

I was extremely disappointed with one particular guest on the tour that showed a considerable lack of tact and lack of decorum while asking questions on the tour.

 

While I know the soot issues that plague Royal Princess and the electrical problem that halted one of the Med tours are concerning, there is an appropriate way of asking a question about both matters.

 

I was aghast at the question placed to the chief engineer, which really wasn't a question at all but more a statement about what happened. It was as if this person, who was by no means an Engineer, knew what really went on when they didn't. The chief engineer corrected the person with facts about what happened.

 

The Staff Captain, and even The Captain do not need to be inundated with questions asked in such a way it sounds like you're out to embarrass them, or somehow smarter than them.

 

Princess does not have to run the Ultimate Ship Tour. It's a great thing that Princess, and other cruise companies do, which I appreciate; and I think most people appreciate these opportunities.

 

However, it is not an appropriate place to air all of your grievances about the ship. It's about learning about how people do their jobs and the hard work that ship staff do. And it's hard work - something I appreciated as a guest on board.

 

It's also not appropriate to look smug or act as if you know it all - because you don't. There's a reason you're not the captain of the ship.

 

I'm not saying people should not speak up, but there is a way of doing it with tact and appropriate tone and possibly more appropriate avenues.

 

For example, rather than putting staff on the spot, how about asking, "What does it take to do wind tests on a new ship like Royal Princess?" "Was it a failure of the engine or the electrical system, a few months ago and how do you as an engineer react to that?"

 

Princess is on the ball when it comes to customer satisfaction and issues. Some things just take time and simply do not happen overnight. I have some similar concerns to everyone, but keep in mind negativity breeds negativity - again hive mentality. If you learn to role with the punches, you'll have a great time. I know I did.

 

You are absolutely spot on. I've seen this happen at the captain's cocktail party as well when a man stood up and started yelling accusatory questions toward the captain (this was shortly after Costa Concordia). They try to embarrass the captain/engineer/crew, when they are really embarrassing themselves (but are too clueless to actually be embarrassed).

 

You can not change some people. They will always think they know more and better than anyone else. Confronting them would only cause a bigger problem. There seems to be one in every crowd. As to the Ultimate Ship Tour I would love to take it BUT I think it is way overpriced. All I have heard about it is great BUT to pay that much just to walk around areas that the passengers do not normally get to see is not one of the things I will ever spend money on.

 

Yes, the UST is overpriced, but so are a lot of excursions (ship-hosted or not). I just look at it as an "on-board excursion." If an excursion is one I really want to go on (whether on board or off ;)), then I'll pay the price, and enjoy it as much as I can. I've done the UST a couple of times on different ships and really enjoyed it, even more than some of the excursions I've been on.

[Casey12]

Hi All

 

I wish folk would spend a little time before the tour to work out a few questions to ask the crew.

 

If you ask the engineer how miles to the gallon he will tell you,

 

but ask him how has his job changed since he started at sea

 

and you will get an interesting story about how ships have changed over

 

the years, the need to run cleaner, produce more electricity, deal with waste etc etc

 

Ask a chef how many eggs he uses he will tell you,

 

but ask how passengers likes and dislikes have changed and you will be there for hours chatting.

 

yours Shogun

 

Good questions. Thank you.

[swedish weave]

I have also seen people attempt to embarass officers at Meet and Greets. A couple of times, I have spoken up and asked the person to present the questions at a more approriate time.

 

Some people just don't understand how politeness works !!

 

That could explain why we see fewer officers at some meet and greets than in the past.

[CI66774]

From many of the recent reviews of the Royal, it sounds as if there were a lot of obnoxious, blowhards on board who complained about everything from toilet paper to Q-Tips. Couldn't imagine having to spend one minute of my previous life with these miserable people.

 

BTW - I really enjoyed your well-balanced review of your recent journey and congrats on your nuptials!

[Pythian]

Mathan416: You are spot on – I especially like “However, it is not an appropriate place to air all of your grievances about the ship. It's about learning about how people do their jobs and the hard work that ship staff do. And it's hard work - something I appreciated as a guest on board.”

 

I have not been on the ship tour yet, but I have been on quite a few Bridge tours and Kitchen tours. I’d especially like a 4 hour engine and engine room tour (being a rocket engineer, and my dad a merchant mariner) – but I’ll probably take the ship tour one of these sailings, since I understand the issues with passengers being around the actual ‘equipment’.

 

One thing I always do at the Captains Cocktail Parties or the Meet the Captain and Crew times it to go up and chat with each (or as many as I can) of the crew and staff. They are there because they are told to be there (part of the job) and I always want to take time and hear what it is they do, and let them know we – the passengers – really appreciate them. You would be amazed at how they smile when you ask who they are and what they do, and that you are actually taking interest in what they say (vice looking for a free drink or photo op with the Captain). All of them have interesting jobs that keep them away from home for months at a time – and they do appreciate it when you say hi and ask about their jobs (well, at least when they are specifically told to attend a function – taking time away from their jobs).

[Toddy709]

I attended an Ultimate Ship Tour on Saturday and I wanted to address something that Princess requests of all people that take the tour - showing respect to the officers that we meet.

 

The first paragraph of this post stood out more to me than any of the others. What a sad statement about our society that people actually have to request that you show respect... Shouldn't respect just be a given?

 

Oh, and my husband and I would both love to do the UST, but then we'd have to figure out how to pack two robes and two chef's jackets and two of whatever else is involved to get it home!:eek:

[CI66774]

From many of the recent reviews of the Royal, it sounds as if there were a lot of obnoxious, blowhards on board who complained about everything from toilet paper to Q-Tips. Couldn't imagine having to spend one minute of my previous life with these miserable people.

 

BTW - I really enjoyed your well-balanced review of your recent journey and congrats on your nuptials!

 

Although I do believe in reincarnation, I meant to say "precious," not "previous.":D

[Ellipooh]

Hi All

 

I wish folk would spend a little time before the tour to work out a few questions to ask the crew.

 

Shogun, you have made some marvelous suggestions which i have now adopted and will claim as my very own if anyone asks :) thx

[Shogun]

Hi There

 

You are most welcome to use the questions but do not be surprised if after the tour you get an invite to diner or a private tour from a senior crew member all l have met are more than happy to spend time with a passenger who has a real interest in them and their jobs

 

Yours Shogun

 

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Forums mobile app

[FritzG]

I have also seen people attempt to embarass officers at Meet and Greets. A couple of times, I have spoken up and asked the person to present the questions at a more approriate time.

 

Some people just don't understand how politeness works !!

 

That could explain why we see fewer officers at some meet and greets than in the past.

 

Did you ever see a passenger try to embarrass or put Capt. Yeomans on the spot at a Meet & Greet? He handles them so smoothly that half the time they don't even realize they look like fools.

[Vexorg]

I was on the Crown Princess just a few weeks after the Concordia disaster. Naturally, this topic came up at the CC meet-and-greet while Captain Nash was in attendance. I felt that the issue was handled respectfully at the time, but you could tell that this was something that he had been asked about quite a few times before in the past few weeks.

[DrSch]

We would have told them to HUSH

[AZJerry]

Many thanks to Captain Justin Lewes for his time and a great ship and crew.

 

+1 on Capt. Justin. In my limited Princess experience, he was easily the best. Often seen patrolling the ship, very approachable, likeable, friendly. He spent well over a half hour with us at the end of the tour plus time with us on the bridge.

[donh1]

I took this tour on the Grand last February. It was extremely well done and very worthwhile. Bottom line I didn't take the tour to hear my fellow passengers asking questions that included bragging about themselves and their own life's experience. I really don't care to learn that they have taken four world cruises, or their son is an Astronaut , or you name it. Intelligent people see right thru those types of questions and sometimes when it happens in a group setting like a cruise critic meeting it's somewhat embarrassing.

[Kinkacruiser]

Bravo - I totally agree. Some think that outlaying $150 gives them rights.

Not only did this person embarrass/annoy the others in the party (who also paid the fee for the privelege of listening to the rants) but showed a lack of respect for the ship's officers.

[CruisingJs]

Good post with excellent advice and well stated. Thanks for sharing information that might actually make a difference.