Cruise Ship Crews Overworked?

[nybumpkin]

We returned a day late from our Conquest cruise, thanks to Hurricane Dennis, and there was a compressed turn-around time for the crew. DH asked our assistant waiter about their work under such circumstances - he related that when he finished in the dining room, he would be on baggage duty. Then a few hours' sleep and time to start bringing aboard the supplies for the next cruise. He had a wife and 2 kids in Indonesia and hadn't seen them in 6 months. Did he miss his family? You bet. But he never seemed sad, and was really great with our kids.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

You ever notice that they dont hire AMERICANS. we would be eating the food and fooling around. The best jobs on the cruise ship???????? CASINO...... STORES... They are closed during port stops and the employees in those areas get to go enjoy the day............;)

 

Actually... a "few" cruises ago there was a dealer who was (is!) an American (northeastern - big city, can't recall which!) who had been a dealer in the states... Other than CD's and social hosts (and a few officers) I have never seen another American employee.

 

He had A LOT to say about things. Mainly how he wanted to give this a try, but would NOT be doing another contract. The work was too hard, for too little pay, etc... he was VERY ready to end his experiment and get HOME. He seemed a braggart/whiner/complainer anyway, but I think most people (from America) would have a hard time dealing with the workload and conditions.

 

Tom

[tumeroll]

On our last cruise we talked to one of the waiter he worked on 1 ship and his wife on another. They left their children back in Indonesia with grandparents and they finally decided the wife would stay home and he would finish his contract then probably go home till the children are older they were under 6 and always asking "where's daddy" he said it broke his heart to return to sea but due to the economy in their country it was neccesary to go abroad to work.

 

He would work breakfast in the buffet then we saw him at lunch, sometimes at the pool grill, he would get a few hours off to sleep or what ever before the dining room evening duty.

On embarcation/disembarcation days they did double duty as baggage handlers and delivering bags to the cabins.

 

They got one day every 7-10 days off

 

It is not work by North American standards by any means.

I would agree not by North American Standards. While most Americans may have to be logged in at the office or job for a full 8 hour day. The level of productivity amounts to around three hours of actual work when one subtracts the various breaks, meetings, email, web surfing and water cooler chatter. That is why NCL has so much trouble with its all American cr4ew on the Hawaii run. Not a lot of people who are used to really working.

[Mysticks1]

I know that this proberly will sound silly to some of you and that is o.k. But is it o.k. to maybe take a basket of goodies like homemade cookies and candy and give to them. Of course there will be a list of ingrediants for those with allergies;)

 

You might want to read this thread that I found earlier today on the "Cruise Rituals" forum. They discuss taking snacks/goodies there.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=232107

[patrice1]

On every cruise, we have always tipped extra - bartenders, wait staff, cocktail staff, stewards, etc. We also bring local T-Shirts to give, as well as phone cards. On our last cruise, we had a cocktail waitress from Eastern Europe who left her daughter at home with her mother & missed her something awful. We gave her one of the International phone cards we brought & she was so excited. We really enjoyed talking to all the staff about their lives "at home" and tried to reward them with something they would especially enjoy for good service. We've never had bad service on a cruise. Heck, we're on vacation - how bad could it be?

[JSCruiser]

I would agree not by North American Standards. While most Americans may have to be logged in at the office or job for a full 8 hour day. The level of productivity amounts to around three hours of actual work when one subtracts the various breaks, meetings, email, web surfing and water cooler chatter. That is why NCL has so much trouble with its all American cr4ew on the Hawaii run. Not a lot of people who are used to really working.

As a nurse who busts her tail 40+ hours a week, I disagree with the blanket statement about Amerricans only working three productive hours. Since I work nights, meetings are the "+" hours in addition to the 40 hours. And the water cooler chatter only occurs if someone else is at the water dispenser while I am getting a cup of water for my patient to wash down their oral medication.

Okay, that said....I would not work a cruise ship worker's schedule for what they are paid...not to mention enduring time away from the family in order to support said family...Plus, some of them have actually paid an employment agency in their native country for the honor of making about $3.00 an hour. Give me 8 or 12 hours of the sick, bleeding, puking, anxious patients IN MY HOMETOWN any day.

My family and I are always nice to the cruise staff. Despite what conditions may be like for them in their home country, I don't think any of them signed on to be treated like dirt. I have noticed that when you make the effort to treat them as people...ask them about their family or their goals in life...they will treat you as though you are the best passenger they have ever had.

[gogetter]

I know they choose to be there and it is a job. However, it is not a job as any American knows. There are no limits to the amount of hours worked or days worked. Most work 12-16 hours at a time, 7 days in a row, for their entire contract. While waiters may make $2000-$2500 monthly, if you divide the hours (they work all three meals, everyday!), it comes out to less than $2.75 an hour.

 

Andy1

Georgia

 

Hello,

 

It is not a job as any American knows? I strongly and with all due respect 100% disagree with that. I was in the Navy back in 1980-82 time frame when the hostages were in Iran. I was part of a squadron VAQ-137 from Whidbey Island, WA, deployed on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ranger out of San Diego, CA. I worked 12 hour days, 7 days a week for a span of 75 consecutive days at sea. I did not get a day off and as previously mentioned in addition to my 12 work day i also had to do a watch of 4 hours every 3-4 days.

 

While that may pale in comparison to soldiers on the front lines in the war in Iraq, where i imagine they are stuck there, not enjoying the freedoms of the U.S. Also, what about any submariners out there? They go unbelieveable stretches....underwater......

 

So, logically, my next question would be...Have you ever served in the military during a war or confrontation?

 

In addition, i know for a fact, being a veteran of 10 cruises myself, that they do get days off, because i have seen them in port and even ended up at the same beach with a few of them!

 

Anyways........have a nice day !

[gacruiser]

My husband is retired Army and a couple years ago went to Bosnia to work. He was making over $1oK per month(7 10 hr day) but the local nations were making less than $10 a day. He left after 3 months of employment because of the way the local nations were treated. He told the company he wouldn't let someone talk to his daughter they way they did and couldn't work for a company that allowed this behavior. He was on a plane the next day.

[andy1]

QUOTE FROM PREVIOUS POST "So, logically, my next question would be...Have you ever served in the military during a war or confrontation?"

 

I have not served in the military. You have reminded me of the service provided to the American public daily by our soldiers. I will probably never know how much these soldiers sacrifice for me and my family each day...

 

Allow me to rephrase the original post to say...

 

"It is not a job like most Americans know"...

[reefshoe]

HOW could you compare a cruise ship job with the Military?

[gacruiser]

Yes, my husband served during the first gulf war and has been to Iraq 2 times afterwards. I was not comparing the job of the military and cruise ship workers. I was showing how much Americans get paid compared to local nations of other countries. That's all .

[andy1]

Hey Ga Cruiser --

The previous post about "comparing to the military" was not referring to your post... it was referring to the post before yours...

[gacruiser]

I apoligize. I realized after I replied that you were not speaking to me. Sorry!!

[tankersbabe]

I proudly served as a 9-year US Navy Officer, & a veteran of the first Gulf War. Comparing those years of service aboard a US warship vs the 9 cruises on civilian cruise ship is no comparison.

First off, my hats off to all the current men & women who's currently serving around the world so that we can have the freedoms & voice to sail & say whatever we want to. Those American sailors are truly the ones who's working their tail off for below mininum wages. If you count the 4 - 6 hour watches, rotating half-on, half-off, or in 3 rotations, plus their daily equipment & compartment maintainance duties, plus administrative duties, plus the daily general quarters, etc... They really have very few hours of sleep & personal time. But they are professional soldiers/sailors, that's what they get paid minimum wage for.

Same thing w/ my fellow crew members aboard these cruise ships. It is a job. Probably a very good job, a good paying job. Most likely a much better job than they can find back in their homelands. Throughout my travels from the Persian gulf all the way back to Central America, most of these countries pay very little, w/ very poor working conditions, without proper medical care, nor retirement plans. It is probably a step up, way up to be employed by an American company with the pay & benefits to match. I'm pretty sure there's a very long waiting list to be accepted for these positions. It's not a perfect job, but I'm sure a good one. Anyways, it's usually a 10 month or so contract, worst case, don't renew & go home. Unlike my fellow shipmates who re-enlist for another 3 - 4 yrs, unknowing if another war/crisis comes up in the future.

 

Again, you must look at the positive side of the situation. To be able to live in the greatest country in the world. To be able to work YOUR own tail off, no matter what your profession is, so that we can save enough to take a vacation where for a week or so, we can let someone else service & pamper us a little bit. A week of not making the bed, not cooking, not cleaning, etc..., but letting someone else work & get paid for it, so that we can do the same when we get back to our own work.

 

Ain't America great?

 

 

HOOOOAAHHH!

[Tatka]

They are overworked.. but they know why they are doing this.

 

Actually $2.75 per hour is a very good pay in many countries. If I remember correctly I was making around $50 a month working as full time teacher in high school back in Ukraine. (For around $4000-5000 one could actually buy a studio)

[sgtjeff]

..and I know I run the risk of getting alot of people upset one way or the other, but I am speaking from experience here. There are Americans who are working 12-16 hrs plus per day, NOT getting days off for who knows how long, averaging the low hourly wages if you divide it by 24 hrs in a day, sleeping in dust filled sleeping bags, NOT getting to see family or friends for at least a year and I can go on.......we're/they're called Soldiers, Airman, Marines, and Seaman of our great military. Ok, I'm done, let the onslaught begin <chuckle>

[andy1]

Noted. Long hours are a regular thing for many.

 

Perhaps the original post should have been titled "Culture shock for first time American Cruiser" and not "Cruise Ship Crews Overworked?" --

 

...although, it will always bother me a bit... call me compassionate for everyone who should be paid more and recognized more for their jobs.

 

It is hard to find middle ground on a forum such as this... there is certainly problems on these ships with workers rights and intimidation... they avoid United States law by being registered in other places... Bahamas, Panama, Liberia...

 

Ok... so there.

 

Enjoying the discussion so far...keep it up everyone.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

..and I know I run the risk of getting alot of people upset one way or the other, but I am speaking from experience here. There are Americans who are working 12-16 hrs plus per day, NOT getting days off for who knows how long, averaging the low hourly wages if you divide it by 24 hrs in a day, sleeping in dust filled sleeping bags, NOT getting to see family or friends for at least a year and I can go on.......we're/they're called Soldiers, Airman, Marines, and Seaman of our great military. Ok, I'm done, let the onslaught begin <chuckle>

 

You'll have no argument with me on that note....

 

Look below to see my plans for 2006....:rolleyes:

 

Tom

[glrounds]

You ever notice that they dont hire AMERICANS. we would be eating the food and fooling around. The best jobs on the cruise ship???????? CASINO...... STORES... They are closed during port stops and the employees in those areas get to go enjoy the day............;)

 

There is a very good reason for that.

Talk to cruise line employees, they'll tell you cruise ships shy away from hiring Americans because they frequently don't complete their contract, are always bitching and whining about the conditions, and in general are spoiled brats and a pain to work with.

The NCL experiment with the Pride of America getting a temporary suspension of the Jones Act by agreeing to hire all Americans is a perfect example of this.

Unfortunately, as an employer, I would have to agree. I'm probably an old fuddy-duddy, but the American youth of today in general, and especially in the construction fields, have literally priced themselves out of a job. With their propensity to show up late, call in sick, treat their work as a "necessary evil", and just in general not give a damn about anything but doing as little as possible its no wonder that 87% of construction work in LA County is done by non-Americans.

When I go to Puerto Vallarta I always stop in to my favorite internet cafe, where the "good" employees get 100 pesos a day (About $9 American) and work 10-12 hours per day, must learn basic English and are tickled to death to have this job !

No wonder a job on a cruise ship knocking down $2000 plus a month with ROOM, BOARD, HEALTH CARE AND UNIFORMS provided by their employer, is considered equivalent to hitting the lottery to most of these individuals.

[trishalee]

And that $2000 a month will buy $10,000 in their home country. One of our waiters told us that a good waiter can work 10 years and retire very comfortably to his home country. Doesn't sound like a bad plan to me:D

[MSSQRL]

We had a long conversation with our room steward, Curley, about his work. He told us, much to our surprise, that about 90% of the employees are married with families. I just always thought it was a single person's job. Curley said the hours are long but that most can make a lot more money on the ship than they can at home. He also said that most of the workers keep very little money for themselves and send the bulk of it home to help support not only immediate family members but also extended family.

 

We try very hard to be respectful of all the employees. We always exchange plesantries with them when we see them in the halls. When in the buffet area, we stack our dishes and scrape all the leftovers into one dish. We always keep our room neat and don't leave a bunch of stuff in the floors for them to walk around. And, we always leave a decent tip.

 

I'm very thankful they are there to make my week so pleasant. And, while they do work hard, they are grateful to be able to improve their financial situation and are taking advantage of what most of them see as a wonderful opportunity.

 

We as Americans have grown so accustomed to 40 hour work weeks that it's hard for us to imagine working such long hours. Most Americans have opportunities everyday to better themselves financially but refuse to take advantage of them because doing so would interfere with their everyday lives. Being successful takes self sacrifice and hard work and these cruise ship employees are willing to make those sacrifices. Think about how much greater this country would be if we had the same kind of work ethic those people have.

[LittleBit]

Actually, I have seen Americans working on the cruises I've been on - usually recent college grads or those who want a year off between high school & college or were taking a semester off. It is a pretty cool job. I can't tolorate the motion for more than a week (even with drugs) otherwise I'd take the job.

 

There are many Americans who DO know tough jobs - those who are cleaning your houses, working construction, farming, raising families, all sorts of other jobs. Not the top guys, the ones really doing the work. Think also of those on reservations or in totally remote areas (yes, we do have those in America still!). The homeless, etc.

 

America has it's share of "working poor." I fell in that cat. for a while - I owned my own car, and I had a job, but some days had to choose mac & cheese or rice and beans for dinner in order to make ends meet (ummm, ramen noodles, 4 packs for $1! - dinner all week!!). I worked odd hours, often 50-60 hours a week, but did not qualify for any assistance. Frankly, for many Americans, $2g a month plus room/board/health would be nice. I've worked for a lot less.

 

Remember, if you can afford to cruise you are in a top percentage of the world.

 

In no way am I knocking Amrica... we're a great place, we just have a skewed view of the world and money!

[Laurie7]

When my DH and I cruise, we always leave the basic tip on our sign & sail account. To date we have not had any reason to remove it. Also we tip extra "cash" to any other employees who were extra nice to us or we saw go above and beyond the call. One time we tipped a hamburger grill employee $20, just because he was so darn friendly to all his customers. Everytime we saw him he had a smile on his face:) We also wrote him a great review to put in the comment box. That is also very helpful for the employees. They get extra days off and other benefits for receiving good comment cards.

 

Speaking with many different cruise employees, we have found that the item they value most is "cash". While it is ok to get other items, they don't have much room to keep other things and sometimes phone cards are difficult to use. Best bet is giving cash. So by all means, tip the good workers extra and be courteous, and hopefully we can slowly change the image they have of us "Americans".

[andy1]

The comments received have been quite helpful, and I suppose it is not as bad as it appeared at first... Certainly there are horror stories that escape the lower decks and find their way to the public. For the most part, and by choice, these people are making a living.

 

I would love to read a blog written by a few members of a crew, updated on a daily basis! Wouldn't that be enlightening?

 

Andy1:)

[DH30]

Very interesting post. Not a lot to add at this point. I am going on my first cruise in a few weeks and have already pre-paid my tips. I will take a bunch of dollar bills to tip extra for good service. I will also use the same principle that I have used for a number of years while staying in hotel rooms for business travel. I always leave my room neat and tidy.....dirty towels in a neat pile, bathroom cabinet neat and orderly, clothes picked up....basically everything but making the bed, and even that is left pretty neat and not "covers on the floor" style. I have found that by doing this, it helps if I want something a little extra....basically "I scratch your back, you scratch mine". I have used this tactic with excellent results. I am by no means flaming those who might leave their room a mess, I am only saying that by being polite, picking up after yourslef, and tipping a little extra, the cabin steward will most likely give you better service.