The Journey home for Princess Staff

[Cyrix400]

On 6/13/2020 at 2:54 PM, Flyboy Ed said:

How many Princess crew members are still stuck on ships waiting for the OK to travel home?  I realize there are many complications in the process, but this has been going on for a very long time.  Just wondering how many more crew members are stuck and what is the schedule to get them home?

 

2 hours ago, Flyboy Ed said:

Just heard from my friend who was on the Emerald.  He has just arrived back in India, 12 weeks late!  He now has more quarantine ahead, but at least he is in his home country!

 

Interesting update from Miami Herald

https://www.miamiherald.com/   (pay wall!!)     40,000 crew still at sea. Some call for change in cruise-Caribbean relationship

Updated June 14, 2020 11:38 AM

And also from Guardian Australia re above:

“I’ve been pointed to this story in the Miami Herald – there are still crew members in limbo on cruise ships because of the pandemic.

@taydolven

 

17h

More than 42k crew members remain trapped at sea three months after the cruise industry shut down & some are still getting COVID-19. The drawn out crisis could spur changes to industry's relationship with Caribbean countries. w/ “

@Jacquiecharles

[Roberto256]

2 hours ago, Cyrix400 said:

 

 

Interesting update from Miami Herald

https://www.miamiherald.com/   (pay wall!!)     40,000 crew still at sea. Some call for change in cruise-Caribbean relationship

 

 

"More than 40,000 cruise ship workers still stranded at sea amid coronavirus pandemic"

 

No pay-wall.

 

https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-40000-cruise-ship-workers-stranded-sea-pandemic-20200615-ebskcdhesvbihkzdgww7co7a7u-story.html

 

Miami Herald link without pay-wall:

 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article243398711.html

Edited June 15, 2020 by Roberto256

[Grego]

This is a great chapter to the story.  It has been a logistics nightmare with all the country and port restrictions not allowing the crew to disembark.

[voljeep]

and the cruise lines are still getting a bad rap for having that crew on board ...

[Roberto256]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

and the cruise lines are still getting a bad rap for having that crew on board ...

 

As they should.

 

The 8 people on Island Princess couldn't return home because a $1300 fee from the government...

 

That's $10,400

 

Micky Arison could probably find that in change in his couch cushions.

 

[Gimer]

Crew onboard Island Princess wrote "On Monday at 5 am on all the open decks, covered with crew screaming and waving to other Princess ships anchored. In view were Majestic, Sun, Sea, Diamond and Sapphire Princess.  Some waving flags and many had tears and some crying.   I've been on Island for 352 days."   This was a three months journey and two more periods of quarantine to go.   It's been a very long road home, but I'm so happy for all of them.  

[ontheweb]

On 6/14/2020 at 6:18 PM, BirdTravels said:

Early on, many had arranged charter flights home and clearances to go home. It was the United States of America that imposed unrealistic terms to transfer crew from the gangway directly to awaiting charter flights. Blame the United States. 

Specifically blame the CDC.

[rkacruiser]

9 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Specifically blame the CDC.

 

When, and if, this pandemic situation is ever behind us, there will be much finger pointing.  Some of which will be very well deserved, in my opinion.  It ought to be a bipartisan finger pointing.  Our Government has failed to protect us.  (And, that finger pointing has already begun.)   

 

I keep thinking:  what if this event had been a nuclear attack on our Country?  Covid-19 is terrible.  The destruction and the loss of life during a nuclear attack would be much more worse.  How would our Government react?

 

[caribill]

6 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

When, and if, this pandemic situation is ever behind us, there will be much finger pointing.  Some of which will be very well deserved, in my opinion.  It ought to be a bipartisan finger pointing.  Our Government has failed to protect us.  (And, that finger pointing has already begun.)   

 

I keep thinking:  what if this event had been a nuclear attack on our Country?  Covid-19 is terrible.  The destruction and the loss of life during a nuclear attack would be much more worse.  How would our Government react?

 

 

The loss of life so far in the USA has been more than the loss of USA lives in WW I. More than the loss of USA lives in the Korean war. More than the loss of USA lives in the Viet Nam war.

 

The current rate of deaths in the USA is equivalent to two jumbo jets crashing each day and killing all aboard. Can you imagine what the reaction of the government would be if two jumbo jets did crash every day?

[busterfla]

The Island is disembarking crew as I write this. My friend aboard is on a tender heading to shore. Their long journey home is just about complete. Other nationalities besides Filipino will be sent home as soon as travel (air flights) can be arranged.

[donaldsc]

I have read that the crew are not being paid while they are stuck on the ships.  I have also read that the cruise lines are charging them for internet access which is the only way that they can contact their families. Are either of them true.  Based on the compassion that the cruise lines have shown to their crews, it would not surprise me if both of them are true.

 

DON

[brisalta]

2 hours ago, donaldsc said:

I have read that the crew are not being paid while they are stuck on the ships.  I have also read that the cruise lines are charging them for internet access which is the only way that they can contact their families. Are either of them true.  Based on the compassion that the cruise lines have shown to their crews, it would not surprise me if both of them are true.

 

DON

 

Different cruise lines have different policies. There is no way to generalize. You need to know the specifics for each line. It may even differ between within a line depending on where the ship is flagged and if under that flag they have a union contract and what the contract states. There are also IMO related rules.

Edited June 21, 2020 by brisalta

[busterfla]

23 hours ago, donaldsc said:

I have read that the crew are not being paid while they are stuck on the ships.  I have also read that the cruise lines are charging them for internet access which is the only way that they can contact their families. Are either of them true.  Based on the compassion that the cruise lines have shown to their crews, it would not surprise me if both of them are true.

 

DON

 

My friend who came off the Regal onto the Island and came home said that crew with contracts would be paid, but he was unsure of happens after they disembark in Manila. He also said that crew whose contracts had expired would continue to be paid up to disembarkation in Manila. He has not been charged anything to use the internet and uses Messenger to keep up with his family and that's how we "talk". Believe me if he was being charged for the internet I would not have heard near as much from him

Edited June 22, 2020 by busterfla

[brisalta]

The Grand Princess has been stationed off the Pacific coast of Panama for a number of days.

Does anyone have additional information regarding the Grand Princess and disposition of the crew?

[getting older slowly]

After the crew as finally get off.... will they ever want to get back on a cruise ship again........

 

Whenever they start again.... they may have a problem getting a crew.....

 

Just a thought

 

Cheers Don

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

After the crew as finally get off.... will they ever want to get back on a cruise ship again........

 

Whenever they start again.... they may have a problem getting a crew.....

 

Just a thought

 

Cheers Don

That remains to be seen. There still is the factor that they can make much more money as a cruise employee than they can in their home countries. I would guess that how they were treated by their respective cruise lines during this crisis will be a large factor in how they feel about coming back.

[rkacruiser]

8 hours ago, ontheweb said:

That remains to be seen. There still is the factor that they can make much more money as a cruise employee than they can in their home countries. I would guess that how they were treated by their respective cruise lines during this crisis will be a large factor in how they feel about coming back.

 

Well said.  The economic factor may out weigh any other consideration considering the situation the world's economy finds itself.  

[busterfla]

17 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

After the crew as finally get off.... will they ever want to get back on a cruise ship again........

 

Whenever they start again.... they may have a problem getting a crew.....

 

Just a thought

 

Cheers Don

Don,

My friend said if Princess starts up again he would go back. As a post up said, they can make much more money as a crew member than they could at home. I think part of the real question would be, how do they get back to the ships, will airline flights be back in play? His normal assigned & preferred ship is the Regal and it is in the Med, off Cyprus at the moment.

[getting older slowly]

1 hour ago, busterfla said:

Don,

My friend said if Princess starts up again he would go back. As a post up said, they can make much more money as a crew member than they could at home. I think part of the real question would be, how do they get back to the ships, will airline flights be back in play? His normal assigned & preferred ship is the Regal and it is in the Med, off Cyprus at the moment.

Thanks..for the heads up...

It seam most the fleet is in the Philippines with two in the Med and two in the Caribbean 

 

It now just wait and see

 

Cheers Don

[caribill]

4 hours ago, busterfla said:

Don,

My friend said if Princess starts up again he would go back. As a post up said, they can make much more money as a crew member than they could at home. I think part of the real question would be, how do they get back to the ships, will airline flights be back in play? His normal assigned & preferred ship is the Regal and it is in the Med, off Cyprus at the moment.

 

If ports are open for cruising, the airports will be open for people (crew and passengers) to get to the cruise.

 

3 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

 

It seam most the fleet is in the Philippines with two in the Med and two in the Caribbean 

 

 

 

Keeping them there can be a good way to quickly get crews back on board.

[Gimer]

Just in, so far 300 Filipinos were release to go home.  Another batch will be going home tomorrow.  They still have crew members from the Mauritius, Thailand and Chinese waiting far their charter flights.  Crew from Japan will sent home today.  Since he was a crew member of Island Princes, he will be the last to leave.  He is on day 356. 

[rkacruiser]

14 hours ago, caribill said:

Keeping them there can be a good way to quickly get crews back on board.

 

But....

 

7 hours ago, Gimer said:

Since he was a crew member of Island Princes, he will be the last to leave.  He is on day 356. 

 

How might such a long period of isolation from family and friends for the crew impact the guest experience when the ship re-enters service?

[Gimer]

He's been working for Princess over 12 years and he's Link with his wife.  They are assign to the same ship but their Link is off by 45 days.  His wife left Island Princess before the Pandemic started.  They generally work together for at least 7 months each year.  He's a real pro.   

[rkacruiser]

20 hours ago, Gimer said:

 He's a real pro.   

 

Those crew members provide the most excellent service in my opinion.  

[Gimer]

He was a bartender and three years ago he became a Barista.  He does art on coffee mochas.  He does faces of his customers, but here are a few others he does.