What Crew Can Eat At Buffet?

[wcook]

There are a number of crew members who have YouTube (and probably other social media) documenting their lives. I don’t recall much discussing of eating in the buffet, except from one (a royal Caribbean ice performer.) She and her friends have occasional “nights off” where they go into passenger dining areas. But they wear “civilian” clothes and aren’t readily recognizable as crew. 

[MacMadame]

3 hours ago, DarrenM said:

Never been described as rich before mind. Don't tell the wife.

I can see, re-reading that it wasn't clear. I am saying we are rich compared to the crew not in any absolute sense. (We being people who can afford to cruise, especially if we can afford to cruise regularly.)

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Fortunately, it was a little different in the 70's & 80's, when a number of pax did want to get to know the Officers. Since my wife was a pax on SS Oriana, I am living proof. There are many other P&O Officers in a similar situation.

 

These days it just doesn't happen, with many officers marrying dancers, Pursers, shoppies, docs/nurses, etc.

Of course, when I  was referring to “the crew” I meant the workers - not the officers (in attractive white uniforms) who are, and have been always, magnets for passengers’ attention.   My own experience (lacking shipboard passengers) was manifested by the fact that an officer in whites could count on getting free drinks and sandwiches in casinos in places like Cannes, San Juan and Monte

Carlo— management must have felt that we possessed some sort of magnetism.

Edited March 3 by navybankerteacher

[navybankerteacher]

15 hours ago, DarrenM said:

…

 

And I would be far more interested in chatting to the person that cleans my room than the captain. 

An interesting preference. 

[navybankerteacher]

5 hours ago, DarrenM said:

…

 

Never been described as rich before mind. Don't tell the wife.

Someone who can afford to cruise is certainly richer than most of the crew on the ship he sails - and, in fact, richer than the overwhelming majority of Earth’s population.

[SelectSys]

3 hours ago, MacMadame said:

I am saying we are rich compared to the crew not in any absolute sense

I believe just about everyone on this board is most likely very rich in an absolute sense compared to the world at large.

 

Even though I don't really know how the underlying data was collected, I welcome everyone on the board to try the calculator at the link below to get an rough-order idea as to where you might fit in globally:

 

https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/how-rich-am-i

[d9704011]

6 hours ago, SelectSys said:

I believe just about everyone on this board is most likely very rich in an absolute sense compared to the world at large.

 

Even though I don't really know how the underlying data was collected, I welcome everyone on the board to try the calculator at the link below to get an rough-order idea as to where you might fit in globally:

 

https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/how-rich-am-i

It's still a measure of relativity, not absolutism.  Although I'll allow I believe I'm pretty well off financially.

Edited March 3 by d9704011

[DarrenM]

18 hours ago, MacMadame said:

I can see, re-reading that it wasn't clear. I am saying we are rich compared to the crew not in any absolute sense. (We being people who can afford to cruise, especially if we can afford to cruise regularly.)

It must be my British humour.

 

I wasnt being serious with the post. Hence the comment about the wife.

 

So did understand your post.

 

It was fine.

[K32682]

Senior crew might be allowed to dine in the buffet or MDR but why they would want to? Sitting there in uniform makes them a target of opportunity for any aggrieved passenger who feel it is their right is to interrupt the crew's lunch and express their dissatisfaction in person.  The crew really isn't in a position to tell the complainer to get lost and leave them alone. 

 

Are there cruise lines where senior crew members encouraged or even required to dine occasionally in the buffet or MDR to "flash the brass" as part of their duties?

 

 

Edited March 4 by K32682

[sparks1093]

8 hours ago, K32682 said:

Senior crew might be allowed to dine in the buffet or MDR but why they would want to? Sitting there in uniform makes them a target of opportunity for any aggrieved passenger who feel it is their right is to interrupt the crew's lunch and express their dissatisfaction in person.  The crew really isn't in a position to tell the complainer to get lost and leave them alone. 

 

Are there cruise lines where senior crew members encouraged or even required to dine occasionally in the buffet or MDR to "flash the brass" as part of their duties?

 

 

They may be required to in order to check on the quality of the offerings as a double check of quality control standards. 

[Kristelle]

and  I can see that senior crew might be required to be there to be the public face of the company, to mingle and chat with passengers.

 

But whether that is really a priviledge or a task is debatable - and anyway part of the captain and cruise directors job is to be make passengers feel welcome and answer their questions and such like.

 

That isnt part of the job of kitchen or cleaning staff.

[chengkp75]

In the old days at NCL, only deck and engine officers wore white uniforms, the hotel staff wore suits or non-military uniforms.  The officers were given a stipend to spend entertaining the guests (buying drinks, etc).  Then came the Exxon Valdez, and drug and alcohol testing for mariners, and the stipend went away, and the officers didn't feel like spending their own money mingling with passengers, so they stopped mingling.  Passengers complained about "not seeing any officers about anymore", so the hotel supervisors were given ranks and uniforms, and since their daily business put them in passenger areas, this alleviated the passengers' concerns. 

[CDNPolar]

I am going to suggest that there is a fair number of guests on the ships who like to see uniformed crew in the dining area.  I know that we do.  We like to see them there.  

 

In my experience they don't get approached that much, but I also believe that this makes the uniformed crew more approachable to us as guests, and it is not just about approaching them when there is a problem.

 

Twice on our last River Cruise the Captain dined in the Aquavit Lounge when we were there.  He was with a woman and the two of them dined alone.

 

[K32682]

3 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

I am going to suggest that there is a fair number of guests on the ships who like to see uniformed crew in the dining area.  I know that we do.  We like to see them there.  

 

In my experience they don't get approached that much, but I also believe that this makes the uniformed crew more approachable to us as guests, and it is not just about approaching them when there is a problem.

 

Twice on our last River Cruise the Captain dined in the Aquavit Lounge when we were there.  He was with a woman and the two of them dined alone.

 

 

They may not get approached "that much" but they do get approached. Everyone gets a lunch break and being interrupted by complaints or even compliments may not be appreciated.

 

While the sight of a little braid and a white uniform might set some hearts aflutter, senior officers have an important job to do and being dining room ornaments should not be expected of them. 

[Heidi13]

14 hours ago, K32682 said:

Senior crew might be allowed to dine in the buffet or MDR but why they would want to?

 

 

If they are watchkeeping officers, the Buffet may be the only option, as the officer mess hours do not always suit the traditional watchkeeping schedule.

 

In addition to the two 4-hr shifts on the Bridge or in the Engine Room, the officers have extra non-watchkeeping tasks to complete, which further restricts access to the officers mess. You also have convenience, when your cabin is aft of the Bridge, the Buffet may be significantly closer than the officer mess, which is often down on a lower deck. Using the Buffet can provide an additional 10 - 15 mins sleep.

[Heidi13]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

In the old days at NCL, only deck and engine officers wore white uniforms, the hotel staff wore suits or non-military uniforms.  The officers were given a stipend to spend entertaining the guests (buying drinks, etc).  Then came the Exxon Valdez, and drug and alcohol testing for mariners, and the stipend went away, and the officers didn't feel like spending their own money mingling with passengers, so they stopped mingling.  Passengers complained about "not seeing any officers about anymore", so the hotel supervisors were given ranks and uniforms, and since their daily business put them in passenger areas, this alleviated the passengers' concerns. 

 

With P&O/Princess it was a little different, as since I started in 1975, the Pursers always wore Officer uniforms and had gold stripes, with the colour between the stripes being the only identifier that they weren't certified officers.

 

When we signed chits in the pax bars, 60% was immediately removed from the bill and the remainder was applied to the Deck Dept entertainment allowance. Therefore, it was cheaper to drink in pax bars than the officer's wardroom.

 

Comparing my days to those of our son, who started in 2002. We were expected to be on pax decks every night, when not on watch. We had no real restrictions. If you didn't spend copious hours on pax decks, your Passenger Division career was quickly curtailed and you were shipped off to General Cargo/Bulk Shipping/Box Boats. By the time our son started, if they got a drink in a pax bar they paid full price. When we cruised with him, he could join us in the Buffet at any time, as watchkeepers had no restrictions, unlike others who could only use the Buffet at non-peak times. To eat in one of the restaurants with us, he had to submit a request through Staffy and was provided a table number and time, usually a table at the back. He could also join us on decks, but could only sit at a table, he was not permitted to join his mum on the dance floor, only entertainers could enter the floor.

 

Personally, I liked the Viking system. Deck, Engineering and Medical, who had professional certification, all had gold stripes, with the usual colours identifying department. The hotel managers and supervisors all had silver stripes. Same standard applied to the name badges, with the hotel being silver and the gold stripes having a gold badge.

[chengkp75]

Andy, it sounds like your son's experiences are similar to what is pretty common across the industry.  Not sure of other lines, but NCL had a zero alcohol policy (at all times while assigned to the ship) for bridge and engine room watchstanders.  NCL also prohibited the "top five" from any alcohol (Captain, Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Staff Chief, Hotel Director).

[Heidi13]

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

Andy, it sounds like your son's experiences are similar to what is pretty common across the industry.  Not sure of other lines, but NCL had a zero alcohol policy (at all times while assigned to the ship) for bridge and engine room watchstanders.  NCL also prohibited the "top five" from any alcohol (Captain, Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Staff Chief, Hotel Director).

 

He left P&O/Princess about 12 yrs ago and as Senior 2nd Officer was still permitted reasonable alcohol, ensuring his blood alcohol never exceeded the limit, as they could be tested 24/7. Even at that time, I believe 3-stripes and above were no alcohol. You have to question their standard, as Senior 2nd Officer was the senior watchkeeper on the 12-4. Not all watches had a 3-stripe officer.

 

Unfortunately, everyone I knew and sailed with is now retired, so I have no more contacts on the Bridge or ashore.

 

With our last Viking cruise, Master, Staffy, C/Eng, Staff Chief, Doctor and Hotel Senior Managers were all no alcohol from signing on to signing off. Had an interesting chat with the Master on this very subject.

 

When I worked, I had nothing to drink from the day before I started a shift to returning home after my last night shift.

[chengkp75]

16 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

When I worked, I had nothing to drink from the day before I started a shift to returning home after my last night shift.

Same with me.

[MacMadame]

4 hours ago, K32682 said:

While the sight of a little braid and a white uniform might set some hearts aflutter, senior officers have an important job to do and being dining room ornaments should not be expected of them. 

Being dining room ornaments, no. But in my industry, we have a notion called "eating your own dog food" which means everyone was expected to use our products so that we could experience what our customers experience. 

 

If I were in charge, I would want senior staff to occasionally mingle with the passengers and eat in the various venues, not as a 'treat' but as a way to keep tabs on what the customers are experiencing and to see how things work so that they can make good decisions and suggestions for improvement. It would be part of their work duties.

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, MacMadame said:

Being dining room ornaments, no. But in my industry, we have a notion called "eating your own dog food" which means everyone was expected to use our products so that we could experience what our customers experience. 

 

If I were in charge, I would want senior staff to occasionally mingle with the passengers and eat in the various venues, not as a 'treat' but as a way to keep tabs on what the customers are experiencing and to see how things work so that they can make good decisions and suggestions for improvement. It would be part of their work duties.

I get your point, but having had meals with high ranking officers, it is obvious the staff will hover and go "over the top" with service. So the officers might not be getting the true sense of the service experience.

 

Quality and quantity of food, yes...potentially a good point.

[cruisemom42]

I would argue that it has traditionally been, and should continue to be, part of the senior officers' responsibilities to be visible to passengers and mingle with them to an extent. The "captain's table" is a long-standing example -- having the captain entertain various passengers at his table while on voyages dates back hundreds of years. 

 

It doesn't need to be every day, maybe should not even be considered "off the clock" time. But IMO, it should happen. 

 

It could also serve the purpose of "walking the floor", e.g., letting employees at a lower level see their leaders about, maybe stopping to have a quick word, ask a question about what they're doing, or give a thank you or recognition. Most large companies require or at least strongly urge this kind of visibility.

 

Celebrity officers are often seen out and about the ship -- dining in various venues, having coffee at the specialty coffee venue near the central atrium, etc. And they seem happy to be approached. I would not personally bother them, but it makes me feel that all is right with the world when I see them around the ship. On some other lines, sighting one of these officers is a rare thing. 

 

Edited March 4 by cruisemom42

[chengkp75]

25 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

It could also serve the purpose of "walking the floor", e.g., letting employees at a lower level see their leaders about, maybe stopping to have a quick word, ask a question about what they're doing, or give a thank you or recognition. Most large companies require or at least strongly urge this kind of visibility.

Yes, even as Staff Chief Engineer (responsible for all maintenance/repair outside the engine room), I walked every pax deck at least twice a day, to get maintenance reports from the hotel staff, to find problems on my own, and see how things were working.  On turn-around day, I spent the entire day (aside from the early morning and evening in the ECR for arriving/leaving port) and the hour or so required to supervise loading of engine stores, walking the pax decks, from one end to the other, to get not only crew reports, but to head off pax complaints.  And, I would dine in specialty restaurants every couple of weeks, but required dining with the pax was just not my idea of a good time, and fortunately was not in my job description.

[donaldsc]

I have not ploughed through the 80+ posts on this topic but considering how crowded the buffet often is I can't see why we should have to give up some of the limited seating to more crew members.

 

DON 

[K32682]

3 hours ago, MacMadame said:

Being dining room ornaments, no. But in my industry, we have a notion called "eating your own dog food" which means everyone was expected to use our products so that we could experience what our customers experience. 

 

If I were in charge, I would want senior staff to occasionally mingle with the passengers and eat in the various venues, not as a 'treat' but as a way to keep tabs on what the customers are experiencing and to see how things work so that they can make good decisions and suggestions for improvement. It would be part of their work duties.

 

That might be a good suggestion for the officers in charge of customer-facing services or the senior management of the line but the people steering the boat and getting it to the next port should not be burdened with an obligation to "experience the customer experience." No one expects the flight crew of an airliner to be walking the aisles or acting as greeters when passengers board.

 

 

Edited March 4 by K32682