Shiplife - Life of a Carnival Crewmember

[jetskier]

4. Officially you should wait until 1.30pm to go to your rooms but i'm sure if a room steward is still cleaning your stateroom they won't mind you dropping off your bags so that should be no biggie.

 

Eddy,

On the Holiday, Fantasy and Conquest, if you are a Platinum guest, the room stewards are required to have the cabin ready by 10:30am. If the previous guest is still in the cabin at 9am, they are to get their supervisor to ask them to leave.

 

For the OP, keep in mind that the cabin doors will be open if they are still servicing your cabin. Anyone can walk in and remove your bag(s). The room stewards have not learned at this point who belongs in which cabin by facial recognition.

 

Dave

[jetskier]

Eddy,

 

This is great you are doing this. This helps give a lot of answers that PAX

don't know. You all do a great job.

 

 

I have had several conversion in the last few years on tipping. I am a believer

in tipping the crew and staff has they all work so hard. Sometime I have

taken the S&S tips off and give the tip (recommendation plus about 50 - 100%)

more based on the service.

 

However I have heard if the S&S is removed that the crew member gets in

trouble or is looked down on.

 

In addition I understand that S&S tips are split between waiter and assist waiter, then from steward and assist. With some X percent going to

others and even carnival for overhead, etc. If you give the $$ direct to the

staff/crew do they get to split with the waiter/assist or does it get pool?

 

If you could please let us know how these tips are split it will help us.

 

Thansk

 

The way I understood it over lunch with my room steward, is that if the tips are pulled and the passenger tips them directly, they have to turn in the tips. If the S&S tips are left in place and the passenger tips above it, then they do not have to report it.

 

Dave

[stx-is]

Eddy Thanks for taking the time....This is a great thing you are doing for us.....My question is other duty's...I have a good friend who worked in the casino... but he also did the muster and was a on-board firemen....do most of the Crew and Staff have additional duty's?

One again thanks for your time

 

A large percentage of crew have muster station duties. This can be anything from standing in the corridor to running a life raft/boat. We all get training in basic fire fighting but firefighting is done by dedicated people.

 

Crew can also volanteer (wrong spelling I know) to work in the art auction and backstage for which they can be paid extra.

 

Most people have set duties for their job. So entertainment staff/camp carnival will help with debarkation and house keeping, casino, restaurent will help with embarkation. Think the people taking your picture for A-Pass. Entertainment staff also have other duties related to entertainment like bingo.

 

Simon

[Dorene1]

I have been on over 40 cruises and I'm a platinum member with Carnival. When I first started cruising women were not allowed to work in the dining rooms. There were not many women employees at all. I love to cruise, I respect my fellow passengers and all the people who work on these ships work very hard. I usually bring extra envelopes and put cash in them and with the persons name on them (this is above the standard tips) I remember watching people eat at the dining rooms every night until the last night. It would make me so angry to see their faces when people didnt know up on the last night for their tips. I know this is why they do the S&S.

 

I love Carnival and I thank you for taking your time to answer all the questions that are asked.

 

I hope this opens everyones eyes on the hard work and it's nice for people to say "thank you".

 

Thank You!

 

 

Dorene

[campdaan]

Hi Eddy

This is a great thread. Thank You.

 

Do you know what Ship Kareoke Host Misty is on now ?

[ClerkPatsy]

Hi Eddy,

 

I too would like to that you and all the hard working staff on Carnival ships. Of my 5 cruise, I've never had a bad one and don't plan on it.

 

I was wondering how the poor guys out on the deck painting or scrubbing get their promotions? How long does it take a good assistance waiter to become a waiter? In other words, how do promotions work on a cruise ship? Because I'm an assitance waiter, does that mean if I'm promoted my only option is to become a head waiter or could I become a social host or casino host?

 

Remember, every time someone is rude or inconsiderate, look around and see how many more people you are making smile!

 

Thanks again!

[stx-is]

Hi Eddy,

 

I too would like to that you and all the hard working staff on Carnival ships. Of my 5 cruise, I've never had a bad one and don't plan on it.

 

I was wondering how the poor guys out on the deck painting or scrubbing get their promotions? How long does it take a good assistance waiter to become a waiter? In other words, how do promotions work on a cruise ship? Because I'm an assitance waiter, does that mean if I'm promoted my only option is to become a head waiter or could I become a social host or casino host?

 

Remember, every time someone is rude or inconsiderate, look around and see how many more people you are making smile!

 

Thanks again!

 

It varies from department to department. Deck for examples (deck painting) you have to be with the company a certain amount of time before you can be promoted. Other departments require that you go to a Carnival college (training) before being promoted.

 

Employees are allowed to transfer between different department. ie F&B (Waiter) to Entertainment (Social host) after they complete one contract with with the company. Certain procedures have to be followed to transfer.

 

Simon

[jamon]

DJEDDY....I know you mentioned that drinks for crew at the crew bar are much cheaper, but do you also get a discount when you purchase one while up on deck in a lounge/bar on your free time or do you also have S/S cards for charges like that and pay the going rate?

[jamon]

DJEDDY....I know you mentioned that drinks for crew at the crew bar are much cheaper, but do you also get a discount when you purchase one while up on deck in a lounge/bar on your free time or do you also have S/S cards for charges like that and pay the going rate?

[brickhousesm]

Hi Eddy, I will be on the Liberty the first week in May. Will you be our DJ? If not, do you know who and if he/she is any good?

[Georgia Peach 4]

Another tip question.....we've never removed our tips from the S&S cards, but have tipped the waiter and assistant waiter and room steward in cash, sometimes mid-week and then again at the end of the week. Do these people know that we haven't removed the tips, or do they think that because we're tipping them in cash that's all they're getting from us?:confused:

[DJ Eddy]

Woahh first of all the new cruisecritic.co.uk came up and I entered through the new UK site, it confused me for a minute... right back to the Q&A

 

Hi Eddy

This is a great thread. Thank You.

 

Do you know what Ship Kareoke Host Misty is on now ?

 

Last I heard Misty was on the Paradise, she may have signed off there now

[DJ Eddy]

DJEDDY....I know you mentioned that drinks for crew at the crew bar are much cheaper, but do you also get a discount when you purchase one while up on deck in a lounge/bar on your free time or do you also have S/S cards for charges like that and pay the going rate?

We do get discounted drinks for drinks upstairs, we get a s&s card too but it's not a room key just s&s. The 15% gratuity is still on our cards and when we go to the crew bar we tip the crew bartender in cash

[DJ Eddy]

Hi Eddy, I will be on the Liberty the first week in May. Will you be our DJ? If not, do you know who and if he/she is any good?

Yes it will be me

[BRLady31]

Yes it will be me

 

And to answer the other part.............he is GREAT!!!!!!!!

We loved him last July! Wish he was going to be on the Elation in two weeks!

[picklebongo]

What I truly can't figure out is this fascination that some folks have here about where the tip goes. I'm not being catty or anything, but what difference does it make? I'm genuinely curious why people care so much. OK, tip your ten dollars daily and it goes where it goes, you have fun and just go about your business. Nobody is concerned where our wages go when we get them and we would be offended at the constant calculation about who's dipping into what part of it. Not trying to start anything, but this just seems a bit odd the number of people who geniunely seem to care about this issue.

[picklebongo]

What I truly can't figure out is this fascination that some folks have here about where the tip goes. I'm not being catty or anything, but what difference does it make? I'm genuinely curious why people care so much. OK, tip your ten dollars daily and it goes where it goes, you have fun and just go about your business. Nobody is concerned where our wages go when we get them and we would be offended at the constant calculation about who's dipping into what part of it. Not trying to start anything, but this just seems a bit odd the number of people who geniunely seem to care about this issue.

[KenMo]

What I truly can't figure out is this fascination that some folks have here about where the tip goes. I'm not being catty or anything, but what difference does it make?

 

For me....I wouldn't say it's a fascination, I'm curious.

 

I always leave the auto-tip on. Any thing extra....I want to make sure the person I gave it to gets all of it.

 

Seems like everytime there's a tipping thread, there are various answers to how it really works. It would be nice to hear it from the horse's mouth.

[LHP]

Hi Eddy

This is a great thread. Thank You.

 

Do you know what Ship Kareoke Host Misty is on now ?

 

I read just recently that she is on the Paradise.

[BND]

What I truly can't figure out is this fascination that some folks have here about where the tip goes. I'm not being catty or anything, but what difference does it make? I'm genuinely curious why people care so much. OK, tip your ten dollars daily and it goes where it goes, you have fun and just go about your business. Nobody is concerned where our wages go when we get them and we would be offended at the constant calculation about who's dipping into what part of it. Not trying to start anything, but this just seems a bit odd the number of people who geniunely seem to care about this issue.

 

Oh, I dunno. Maybe people want to know what they're spending their money on.

[ParrotRob]

Oh, I dunno. Maybe people want to know what they're spending their money on.

 

When you tip in a restaurant, do you ask for an itemized breakdown of how much goes to the waiter, the maitre d', the busboy, the sommelier and the kitchen staff?

[alwaysmomof1]

First of all THANK YOU for all the answers to the questions everyone has asked you! Now I have read all the pages of this thread and I have a question. When people leave things on deck or in a cabin what happens to the stuff? (sunglasses, clothes, jewelry, ipods). Does the crew keep them or does Carnival mail them back to the owner if they know who's stuff is who's. Again thank you for all the answers!:cool:

[01 Cobra]

DJ Eddy,

First, thank you so much for your willingness to entertain so many questions.

 

I cruised on the Fascination and a wonderful band played in the Passage to India. I was wondering if there might be a web site or way to find out when and what ships the bands are playing on???...and the DJ's for that matter :D

 

Thanks so much,

Ann

[GoinCruisin]

First of all THANK YOU for all the answers to the questions everyone has asked you! Now I have read all the pages of this thread and I have a question. When people leave things on deck or in a cabin what happens to the stuff? (sunglasses, clothes, jewelry, ipods). Does the crew keep them or does Carnival mail them back to the owner if they know who's stuff is who's. Again thank you for all the answers!:cool:

 

I left my passport and some pictures in my cabin once and they were mailed back to me (they attributed the quick return to my filling out the funpass)... and I have had things that I left behind on deck and I picked them up at the pursers desk... I've also had friends leave cameras behind and a few were able to get them back after the cruise... just wanted to post my experience :)

[PaulMedik]

Eddy & Simon,

 

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. The two of you are providing a great service to your company and to Cruise Critic members. :)