Cruising: Big Money On the High Seans

[SDHALFAN]

Thank you for reminding us of this fact. Something we all should think about, huh? How about paying our armed servicemen and women who are off fighting overseas, whether it be on an aircraft carrier or land, $2,500 per month. Betcha they'd be thrilled with that kind of money, and gladly work 16 hours a day to get it.

 

We should all maybe remember that when we start feeling sorry for our cabin steward and all the work he has to do. Remember that he's getting compensated quite nicely for it. Shame the same can't be said for our hard working servicemen and women ... who not only work their tails off, but often don't even make it home at the end of their "contract." :(

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

SDHALFAN ~ I don't want to quote your entire post, but DO want to thank you for the reminder about our military. I wish my appreciation for each and every service person could be translated into dollars, rather than simple good wishes and heartfelt prayers for their well-being.

 

God bless you Rita and Two@Sea - this has been a pet peeve of mine for some time. I honestly do appreciate my cabin stewards and dining room stewards aboard the HAL ships so much and do appreciate the fact that they are away from home and work hard, but so do our young women and men of the U.S. Armed Forces who work every bit as hard and in quite dangerous areas much of the time.

 

Just keep them in your thoughts and prayers - they are working very hard to keep us "The Land of the Free and The Home of the Brave". If you ever run into one of them then just offer a simple smile and a "thank you so much for your service to our country": and I guarantee that not only will you make their day but you will also make them feel that their time away from their families, though hurtful, was worth the sacrifice, so that they, their families and the rest of us sleep easy in our beds at night. God bless them everyone - to misquote Charles Dickens.;)

 

Valerie:)

[Two@Sea]

$1200 a week would be a nice salary for one working a 40 hour week; but how on earth does $2500 a month become $1200 a week?

 

Most north Americans have the option of going to school to enhance earning; I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for those who don't take advantage............

 

Don't the staff pay income taxes in their home countries? And probably at a high rate, if they're considered "high end earners"?

If you think US taxes are high, just come north or go to Europe.

 

Since the program did not designate that the $2500 per month included tips, I was considering that amount plus tips to arrive at $1200 per week. I think I made a notation of that in my post?

 

Unfortunately, I am long past my own school days (and I mean waaaaaay past!), but I believe the current economic situation has affected the availability of credit for all venues, including educational pursuits. (And then, there are always those for whom no amount of additional schooling would be helpful.)

 

And, perhaps I misunderstood, but the program seemed to indicate that the crew salary was not subject to tax. I will have to watch it again and pay better attention to that aspect regarding their compensation.

[fpat]

The person making $2500 a month was the head steward for the ship as I understood it from the show and not just a regular cabin steward who IMO make a lot less then $2500 per month.

[bepsf]

* The ubiquitous, all-seeing eye was reminiscent of Big Brother. Am I the only one bothered by this? Does HAL practice the same type and level of security?

 

I'm not bothered in the least because I have nothing to hide.

 

Try walking through a resort in Las Vegas or transacting business in your local bank or even at the ATM: Are there cameras all over the place? You bet, and for darned good reason!

 

I certainly hope HAL have as many cameras, and that they are monitored - I would like to be assured that if anything happened to my person or a loved one while I was aboard that there was a camera there to help determine exactly Who, What, When and Where.

[mr. godfredo]

The cameras don't bother me either! I am glad that cruiselines are taking greater steps towards safety.

 

 

On a side note there are indeed dance clubs on HAL ships and yes people do actually dance and have a good time on many of those ships! Perhaps after a serene evening you should go up to the disco and shudder a little on the dance floor. I am sure those in the dance club have no problem with your style of dance. :cool:

[Petronillus]

On a side note there are indeed dance clubs on HAL ships and yes people do actually dance and have a good time on many of those ships! Perhaps after a serene evening you should go up to the disco and shudder a little on the dance floor. I am sure those in the dance club have no problem with your style of dance. :cool:

My comment was in reference to NCL and not HAL. I know what to expect on HAL, and my expectations include suitable opportunities for ballroom-type dancing.

My shudders stem from a deep-seated sense that we are losing the capacity for joy. What passes for enjoyment is a headlong drive toward oblivion. We smoke, drink, and eat ourselves senseless. "I musta had a good time, 'cause I can't remember any of it." "I got wasted last night!" My observation is that, with few exceptions that can be easily managed, the typical HAL pax have gotten beyond the frat house and really know how to have a good time. Good company, good food, good wine, and time to savor the pleasures of the moment.

[kryos]

Also wondering about he statement on the show - does the $2500 include their tips or is that there salary? On HAL the room stewards (together) are getting $3.85 per day per person per cabin (The CD said that 70% of the $11 per person hotel charge went to the dining stewards and room stewards so assume team gets 35%).

The way it was explained to me on my last cruise was that each cabin steward "team" now had double the cabins to do between them ... basically the same amount of work. When the team concept went into place, the cabin stewards ALL received a small increase in their salary. Of course, I was not privy to that amount, nor should I be. Each team has one senior and one junior cabin steward ... and they divy the tips. Again, I was assured that NO cabin steward was making less than they did before ... in fact, even the junior steward was making a bit more.

 

So, yes, they get about $3.50 per cabin between them ... and I'm GUESSING that probably the senior gets $2 and the junior $1.50 per cabin ... possibly slightly more because don't forget ... auto-tips went up a dollar. How much of that dollar went to the cabin stewards?

 

Since the stewards are doing double the cabins now, their income shouldn't change as a result of them having to share the tips. Also, don't forget cash tips. Many, if not most cabin stewards do get something in the way of cash tips. Just as an example, let's say each cabin gives them $20 bucks in cash ... and in reality they probably get more than that ... but $20 per cabin ... and they have say 32 to 35 cabins ... that's not a bad piece of change. Then, if the cabin stewards are good ... and have managed to work their way up to the more elaborate accommodations, balconies, suites and whatnot ... they are probably gonna get a lot more than that.

 

So, I would imagine the $2,500 is their total salary ... some weeks it might be a bit more, and then some a bit less ... but it's probably $2,500 on the average per team ... with some teams getting more than others too. I would imagine a team working on the navigation deck might be making $3,000 a month in tips, while a team working on the Dolphin deck might end many months with only $2,000 in tips ... which is their primary motivation to be good at their jobs so that they can advance to the better decks.

 

Either way, though ... Navigation or Dolphin Deck ... not a bad piece of change when you consider the skill level required for that job.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[hammybee]

I was surprise whey they said 1/3 of their profits come from on board spending. Did I understand that correctly? I would have thought that number would be much higher. :confused:

 

I thought they said, 1/3 of their revenue ( not the same thing as profit) came from shore excursions.:confused:

 

As an aside, a frequent poster to this and other CC boards, known to many here, with more than 30 years of onboard experience, has said the #1 profit center was art sales.

[hammybee]

 

I certainly hope HAL have as many cameras, and that they are monitored - I would like to be assured that if anything happened to my person or a loved one while I was aboard that there was a camera there to help determine exactly Who, What, When and Where.

 

I read somewhere that NCL has the most cameras of any cruise line while the small luxury cruise lines have the least. I'll see if I can find a link.

 

NCL does not monitor all their cameras all the time. They do however have the ability to " play the tape" which is common with most surveilance.

[kryos]

The person making $2500 a month was the head steward for the ship as I understood it from the show and not just a regular cabin steward who IMO make a lot less then $2500 per month.

The "head" steward is probably just the "head" of the team that is charged with cleaning so many cabins. He has a "junior" steward working with him who gets slightly less. I don't think they meant that the supervisor makes that. A supervisor probably wouldn't be actually cleaning cabins himself. He would be checking on the work of the teams under him and probably gets a cut of those auto-tips, along with a higher salary. That's what they mean when they say so much of the auto-tip goes to "behind the scenes" people ... that's people like the housekeeping supervisors who don't actually clean the cabins. I'd be willing to bet too that the stewards are expected to give that supervisor a cut of their cash tips too.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

As an aside, a frequent poster to this and other CC boards, known to many here, with more than 30 years of onboard experience, has said the #1 profit center was art sales.

And that's exactly why I say ... there is NO WAY that HAL is "kicking" Park West off of their ships. My guess is that Park West is leaving some of the smaller ships in the HAL fleet where their sales have not been as good. After all, if I'm Park West, I want to be on the big mega ships ... the ones that carry 3,500 to 4,000 passengers ... because it is there that I stand to make the most money.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

rita,

 

I think you would be very surprised to learn that the crew onboard a HAL ship are in fact highly educated. A great many hold university degrees in various fields.

I never said they weren't well educated. Some of them certainly are. Even on NCL's American-flagged ships, a lot of the people in otherwise menial jobs had advanced college degrees, but just couldn't find work in their chosen field. So, they went to NCL in order to have a steady, decently paying job.

 

What I said was the low level of skill REQUIRED for the job of a cabin steward. What they basically need to be successful at that job is a strong work ethic and a strong back to go with it. There really isn't any technical aspects of that job that REQUIRE an education ... just training to learn how the cruise line wants the job done.

 

So all I am saying is that in many other fields ... fields that would pay the equivalent of $2,500 a month net of all expenses ... you would be required to have a certain level of technical expertise, certification, education and whatnot. For the job of cabin steward you have to be lucky enough to get selected for HAL's training program in Jakarta (and I've been told many of them wash out from there), and then the self-discipline to deal with the long months of hard work, never a day off, tight living conditions, strict rules, etc. In fact, that's why their school in Jakarta attempts to indoctrinate them into the seafaring life long before they even get on the ship. They actually have to live at the school during the week ... in accommodations similar to what they will have on the ship ... working for the number of hours in a day that they would work on a ship ... in order to see if they can handle that way of life. They only get to go home on the weekends, but during the week they live in the dorms. If they are not cut out for that lifestyle, naturally HAL would rather see them wash out while still at the school, rather than wait until they are onboard a ship to do so.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[swedish weave]

So, yes, they get about $3.50 per cabin between them ... and I'm GUESSING that probably the senior gets $2 and the junior $1.50 per cabin ... possibly slightly more because don't forget ... auto-tips went up a dollar. How much of that dollar went to the cabin stewards?

 

 

I think that should be 3.50 per person which would be 7.00 per cabin or more.

[swedish weave]

Have we gotten a bit far off topic? or at least off on a tangent?

The program was IMHO a good piece of journalism. It was neither a puff piece nor a "gotcha" piece of muckraking. I doff my hat to NCL for giving Peter Greenberg such free rein and access. And I for one am pleased that the on-camera NCL executives and representatives were so unashamedly forthright about the fact that they are in business to make money. The central point, though, in this regard was that they make money by helping the pax have a great vacation.

I had to rely on this thread, though, to learn of the overall impression while on an NCL cruise of getting nickeled and dimed at every turn.

On the other hand, there was no evidence, so far as I saw, of cutting corners or wringing the extra dollar out unfairly through manipulation.

Two ominous notes:

* The ubiquitous, all-seeing eye was reminiscent of Big Brother. Am I the only one bothered by this? Does HAL practice the same type and level of security?

* What passes for a good time on NCL is not my cup of tea. DW and I are better suited to the more sedate (dare I say, serene?) style of HAL. The shots of pax dazedly wandering on the pier or gyrating in the disco made me shudder! Is there no place on NCL for a graceful waltz or foxtrot?

 

 

I will try to clear up your "ominous notes".

All cruise ships have a high level of security. The newer ships more so than the older ones, and they will keep increasing it.

 

All cruise ships we have been on have partiers and those who don't party in the same manner. Some shore excursions have open bars, and all ships we have been on offer those excursions. People getting drunk and rowdy goes with the cruising and vacations. We all enjoy different things, and cruises offer a variety to suit all tastes. I guess the short answer to your comment is "All cruise lines sell booze, and it is up to the guests if they want to imbibe".

[flag fan]

Have we gotten a bit far off topic? or at least off on a tangent?

The program was IMHO a good piece of journalism. It was neither a puff piece nor a "gotcha" piece of muckraking. I doff my hat to NCL for giving Peter Greenberg such free rein and access. And I for one am pleased that the on-camera NCL executives and representatives were so unashamedly forthright about the fact that they are in business to make money. The central point, though, in this regard was that they make money by helping the pax have a great vacation.

I had to rely on this thread, though, to learn of the overall impression while on an NCL cruise of getting nickeled and dimed at every turn.

On the other hand, there was no evidence, so far as I saw, of cutting corners or wringing the extra dollar out unfairly through manipulation.

Two ominous notes:

* The ubiquitous, all-seeing eye was reminiscent of Big Brother. Am I the only one bothered by this? Does HAL practice the same type and level of security?

* What passes for a good time on NCL is not my cup of tea. DW and I are better suited to the more sedate (dare I say, serene?) style of HAL. The shots of pax dazedly wandering on the pier or gyrating in the disco made me shudder! Is there no place on NCL for a graceful waltz or foxtrot?

 

I agree; it was a very well-done program. Very interesting. I was surprised how open NCL was about how and where they get their money--the cruise fare is not the main profit-center its the on-board spending (which does not bode well for solo cruisers like me). The all-seeing eye can be worrisome if one thinks about (or reassuring if one is worried about crime or accidents), but like most intrusions on privacy one gets used to it and stops noticing or thinking about it.

[CruisingChics]

being a current crew/staff/officer on a cruise ship and having been working in this industry since 1995, these kinds of threads really INFURIATE me when people speculate about money, wages, pay, education, benefits, etc, when they have NO idea what sacrifices the international crew must make just to "make their pretty good wage~!!"

 

i do not want to quote every comment here that offended me but i will echo one person who wrote "if you take the time to TALK to and meet the crew on board and have a converstaion with them, you will find that they are indeed quite educated" etc.

i can vouch for this myself. i am american, i have a bachelor's degree. i only got the degree in 2006 becuase i was always away at sea. i love to travel and adventure the world. as many of my co workers do as well, and most of them are younger than me, i got a late start cruising, i am 41. most of the "working crew" are in their early 20s up to about 30. most of the management and higher officers are 30-50years old and have made this their career. i began cruising because of an unfortunate situation, my car was repossessed. then i fell in love with the sea and the life. it is a FUN lifestyle. instant community. lots of friends all over the world. commeraderie. get paid to travel. a working vacatoin. Why not? what a great adventure~!! That's my story, it is unique to only me.

yet on a daily basis i am asked, "so, are you here for 10 months too?" The answer is no, because for several different reasons.

1. coming from the phillipines or indonesia, the cruise lines want to basically take advantage of the expensive airfare and keep you there for as long as is humanly possible, therefore long contracts.

I can fly from miami or orlando or atlanta, which has relativelly cheap and competitive airfare ability therefore shorter contracts.

2. another reason for long contract is the ability to spend more time learning even though they did go through the "cruise line academy" in jakarta. It sounds very strange and it seems even stranger that my logic (in my interpretation) is that.... the learning curve in hospitality in serving mostly American guests or north american/european guests who have a certain expectaion... the learning curve for me is a lot shorter than the learning curve for someone from.... a 3rd world country. or 2nd world country. It's overwhelming.

But mostly... the expense is the dealbreaker. Most Indonesian and PH. crew are on board from 6 to 10 months before going home. Most american/canadian/british contracts are from 1 to 6 months. Each contracted concesssion (i.e. Spa girls, gift shop people, casino people) have their own company standard, i.e. many "standard" contracts are 6 months on, 2 months off, and many Officers contracts are 3on3off or 3on2off. It just depends. Everyone's contract is different. There is no cookie cutter contract.

 

Regarding pay and tips. This is where i get the most boiled becuase no one but the person getting paid at the end of the month really knows. but i can atleast shed some light on it. I hope.

The cabin stewards and food and beverage workers are indeed the most harding working group on board.

The monthly WAGE is approximately 50 bucks a week. That is an average guarantee.

What you have calculated is from collective tips etc, all that you have added in.

What REALLY gets my goose on this entire website is those (not here in this thread) who complain about the automatic tip policy and that somehow if you do your own tipping, you have paid this person better than how we have calculated it.

After all, i am certain that there are literally HUNDREDS of behind the scenes people who made your cruise amazing, that you have never met, who do deserve more than 50 dollars a week for whatever it is that they did for you.

And furthermore, the cabin steward does not or may not keep all of that 3.50 per person per day. I know that some stewards are required to pay their assistants (maybe something small, like a dollar each) so THEIR pay comes from how well they assist the main steward.

As far as time off? What's that?

The moment you walk out of your room, they are there. Cleaning toilet. wiping hair off the shower wall. picking up gum your kid dropped on the carpet. pulling together the bedsheets your 2year old soiled in the night. whatever. yes that's their job. and they do it without complaint, without a frown, without argument, with a consistent smile and yes ma'am.

I know plenty of stewards and dining room staff as well, who have advanced degrees from their country - - which, if any of you are in particular in the teaching business, or medical field, should recall that foreign degrees are almost worthless in the states if you want to come over here to practice whatever it is that you have your degree it.

A very good friend of mine from Poland was a cabin stewardess and she had a master's degree in fine art. We took ourselves, with a bartender, to see the pyramids in Giza back in 2001. I remember that tour to this day because in the car on the way to see the pyramids, we got the most detailed education from her - -becasue that was her specialty - but she couldn't get a job in her country.

I also know plenty of people from Romania and Bulgaria who are single, are who are couples, without children, and they have calculated exactly how many months and years they have to work in order to buy a house, cash, back in their country. These typically work in the casinos. And they also work long hours at sea.

Back to the working hours:

cabin stewards: from morning to night. with maybe 30 minutes for a meal. when you leave, they get to work. "time in port" is non existent. Embark day going to walmart? hah. if they are lucky. Most send their friends who DO have some time off with a list and some money to pick up some things for them. Most cabin stewards take a "work break" from around 2pm to around 4pm or 5pm, that is a common "return time" tothe housekeeping office to pick up the daily program (which took most of the day to write, edit, proof, edit again, make changes, proof again, and then Print...).... as well as make deliveries (daily news, flowers if you ordered them, strawberries, etc) or attend a boat drill, training, etc.

5pm all come back to home base, you come in from shore, shower and go to dinner. cabin stewards go back to your cabins for turndown and the popular towel animals.

Their own dinner is usuallly somewhere from 5 to 6pm or in that vicinity.....

There is no day off. There is only TIME off, and even that is limited or compartmentalized into various things that they either need to do or want to do, whether it is take a power nap, do laundry, visit the paymaster and get paid and send the money home, whatever.

And then to go to their cabin at the end of the day, with 2 or 3 or sometimes 4 cabin mates, well.

Consider what is available in Indonesia and the Philippines.

What would YOU do?

The crew who get the privelege of better cabin conditions (single or double cabin, window or not), dining in the Lido, time off in port, like 4 to 6 hours at a time, well, we also bear more responsibility and obligation in a more public way,

sad to say, its usually the more public people who have more privelege.

 

Yes every day i'm on a ship and walk ashore to enjoy myself, i feel guilty because my crewmates and sometimes friends, cannot get off.

But what can i do about that. not much.

I come here and encourage the naysayers to NOT "cancel" their automatic tips, becuase when you stay "in the program" of automatic tips, everyone gets what they are supposed to. When you "sign out" of the automatic tips and insist on "doing it your way", the steward MUST turn in the tips and it is shared, but not shared in the percentage way that has been calculated most fairly. And that is what a lot of people think is unfair. Rather. The crew sees itself as a team. the steward cannot do the bed without clean sheet and towels. the waiter cannot make the best presentation without the best food runner.

People say "oh, the service has gone down since the automatic tip was installed"

B.S. with a capital B.

that's just the excuse people like to throw around because they don't want to bother seeking the truth.

"but i shouldn't have to pay for the baker if i didn't eat any bread".

But didn't you swim in the pool? Didn't you sit on a fluffy towel? didn't you enjoy an ice cream cone that hot afternoon?

I am done with defending the crew; they are the lifeblood of the ship and without them ACCEPTING the position that they do, that they probably know is "menial" and that they probably also go to bed at night thinking, *sigh* i miss my wife and kids.... without them, you would not HAVE your cruise as you have it.

I am thankful for my position on board and i speak to every crew member every chance i get and i treat them like the person that they are and i ask them about their day. I don't try to talk too much about what i did ashore because i know they didn't get the chance. But i treat them like humans.

 

ok so maybe i was up on my soapbox a little too long so back to the story.

with regard to the NCL tv show focus, i did work on NCL for 3 months - and only for 3months because i couldn't take it any longer. This is very close to being the worst cruise line to work for, i don't know how they do it, but they do not treat the crew very well, they are VERY strict, they do not give them as many "morale" times as other lines do. They also pay them less.

I think the pay quoted on the program must be from a lead steward or just someone much higher up than the perhaps 3rd-or-4th-year cabin steward. 2500 a month is about average for the 'good' stewards. Crew stewards are on the 500 amonth rate, with only the tips that crew "decide" to leave, as we are also not "obligated" to pay our stewards a tip. But we are all "told" to.

As a former NCL staff, I would also agree that NCL nickel-and-dimes for EVERYthing... and i HATED being there, and i do tell the truth when guests aske me, what cruise line would i NOT cruise on? NCL. first words out of my mouth.

 

ok now i've lost track on my thoughts and i had something else to say.

well.

i'm going back to a ship on saturday and i will try to get more factual informatoin about the wages, just for this thread of you who are very interested in what the truth is. :-)

 

please don't get me wrong in what i am saying, i am certain that 99-percent of the cruising public LOVES and APPRECIATES the onboard crew and compensates them appropriately.

But something here just rubbed me and it fired me up because i do get tired of hearing the speculation.... "why would they leave their family, etc...." and then people have to mention the nationality factor.

Well.

Nationality DOES play a part. I mean, think about it. What other countries have what the US has? opportuinty. freedom of enterprise. choice of college. freedom to choose your career path and see it to fruition. US. UK. Canada. Australia. add perhaps Italy Spain Germany and South AFrica.

Everyone else has a much tougher struggle. Did i leave out a particular country unintentionally? sorry~!!

Here's why nationality plays a part.

What american do you know, for example someone who works down at your neighborhood Outback as a server, would agree to the working hours and conditions that your favorite dining room steward has to work under, on a ship? Rotation of breakfast or midnight buffet? Lunch and no time ashore? Shared cabin with 3 strangers, in a cabin about as large as a nice walk-in closet? bunk beds? one bathroom? one shower? one tv? no car? no backyard? no day off? no weekends?

sad but true. No american will do it. That's why NCL America, the line that goes through the hawaiian islands, has such high turnover and is constantly advertising for positions. Becuase they MUST hire american workers because it is a US flagged ship. US flag=US staff. MUST be US staff.

But.

Having said all that. The crew does become a family in its own way. Depending on the personality of the hotel manager or captain, one of them ususally becomes a sort of 'father figure' or "mother hen" - let me clarify - - the person at the top while they are responsible for the overall Safety, security, and obedience of the crew, they are also responsible for the welfare and happiness of the crew. There is usually one person high at the top who has oversight into crew activities and is responsible for creating a welcoming "atmosphere" for the crew in their off-time. We are all "people" too, and we do have fun times, bikes to rent, a crew gym, soccer matches against other ships, karaoke nights, themed parties i.e. new years, chritmas, foreign countries' independence days, etc, and church services, and the opportunity to take tours. There is even a mosque on board the HAL ships due to the large number (almost all) Muslim population coming from Indonesia~!!

Most of us who have chosen this lifestyle are not going to do it for life, although some do, and they grow into the Chief Housekeeper job or Chief Baker or whatever.

Most of us also have chosen this lifestyle for the adventure, recognizing that indeed we ARE a sailing united nations, we all have some similarity in personaliy in that we recognize the beauty of the world around us and we have chosen to experience it firsthand, knowing that in the "worldclassroom" that this planet is, every sacrifice, while difficult to make, we believe that our reward is in the doing.

I for one, love what i do.

 

sorry to be so long. i just had an itch i had to scratch!~!!!

[CruisingChics]

sorry.

 

short comment this time.

 

the reason for such remarks in the thread on the tv show has only to do with the fact that i thought the tv show was a bit of a "behind the scenes" things, and when the questions here got to be more about "behind the scenes informatoin", i thought i'd add my two cents.

 

the art program DOES manage a HUGE portion of onboard profit.

and in europe, the shore excursion's target CAN be met before the ship even sails (consider this due to the expense and the lesser number of people who would want to wander on their own, as opposed to say wandering on your own to a beach in the bahamas in a 4-dollar jitney)....

bar revenue is typically in the top 3 with art and shore ex.

casino and shops come after those top 3.

[bepsf]

being a current crew/staff/officer on a cruise ship and having been working in this industry since 1995...

 

Thanks for your thoughts - I appreciate all the hard work that goes into working aboard the ships to make us comfortable.

 

I believe you might have left a couple of things out tho: Unlike employment agencies here in the US where the employer pays the fees - in Indonesia, Philippines, etc., it's the prospective/hopeful employees who must pay the employment agency to be considered for a job aboard the ships, and the individual must also pay their own tuition to attend any cruiseline sponsored training schools such as HAL's M/S Jakarta.

[Saga Ruby]

I am a solo passenger and have been cruising since 1957. By dint of repetition, I have become interested in onboard staff, their back stories, their interests. Due to the patience and kindness of staff, I now have a few words and phrases of Tagalog which I look forward to refreshing on Prinsendam in May - perhaps I can pick up a few words of Indonesian.

 

My tipping policy has evolved with the suggestion of various cruise ships. But the best tip I can give on a long cruise is midway in the itinerary. I sign up for auto tips, but then give $20 or $50 to each steward before we get to Istanbul or Dubai and the response is heart-warming. After all, what is that amount to me versus that amount to the cabin stewards who work so very hard to give their families a better life? In Dubai, as we sailed past the Strait of Hormuz, each of my stewards brought me their purchases - one steward had put the money toward wedding rings for his upcoming nuptials.

 

My one regret about anytime dining is that it prevents me from making a financial gesture to dining-room staff who have given outstanding service. On the other hand, it is painful to hear some passengers brag about not tipping at all or short-changing the people who took such wonderful care of them.

 

Anyone sailing on a cruise ship is exposed to wonderful cultures of food and social custom - it is up to us to expand our borders and our horizons on these unique adventures. Massive hordes of tourists and tour buses have nothing to do with local culture; saying a few words to your stewards can yield high dividends.

 

I salute CruisingChics for shining a positive light on the "behind the scenes" reality onboard cruise ships.

 

Ruby

[Roz]

I've never sailed Norwegian, but thought the show was very well done. One of the few times I've seen cruising portrayed in a positive light. But then, Peter Greenburg himself enjoys cruising, and promotes it on his show and in his books and articles as good vacation value for the money spent.

 

The show presented things in a very balanced light, IMO. I may even try Norwegian some day!

 

Roz

[rochelle_s]

CruisingChics,

 

Thanks for sharing your personal experience with us. Your unique perspective will hopefully open some eyes. Wishing you calm seas and pleasant passangers on your next contract.

 

Rochelle

[flag fan]

CruisingChics,

 

Let me add my thanks for your comments.

 

Personally, I think "tipping" should be automatic--a service charge that is required and cannot be elminated or reduced. It is really part of the cost of cruising; labeling some of the fare as a "tip" is just a way for cruise line marketing departments to create the artificial impression that cruising costs less than it does. This is particularly misleading to passengers from countries outside the U.S. with less of a tradition of tipping. They view such extra payments as unnecessary because the employer should be paying the wages, not the customers--true, but that's not the way it works in some service jobs in the U.S. and cruise ships follow that U.S. model.

 

Of course, there are also a lot of U.S. passengers who find reasons not to tip or to limit tipping to some favored few. IMHO "tipping" should not be a discretionary payment for spectacular service (like a bonus), but just part of the basic wages. Anyone who wants to give more is free to do so, but everyone should pay their fair share of the cruise costs, which includes the suggested/automatic tips, regardless of how that money is split up among the crew.

[hammybee]

Cruisingchics.

 

Thank you for your comments. I share and am humbled by your embarassment.

 

Other people's compensation is none of anyone's business.

 

I am a huge advocate of the Hotel Service Charge because it allows the crew and cruise line to decide for themselves how to best allocate the amount.

 

As far as I am concerned, the only reason it is not quoted as a part of cruise line fare is that unless all the cruise lines do it, the ones who do not not include it, will be viewed as the lowest cost cruise by the general public.

[kryos]

The show presented things in a very balanced light, IMO. I may even try Norwegian some day!

Just be ready to get nickle and dimed to death!

 

Every review I've read about NCL makes reference to that fact. Yes, they have a couple of restaurants onboard that are no added charge, but the vast majority of them, including all the ones with "edible" food will incur an extra charge. That's exactly how NCL keeps the cost of the basic cruise down.

 

I also hear, though I cannot vouch for this, that their drink prices are higher than the average too.

 

Not saying this necessarily makes NCL a bad line to sail ... if they had a ship sailing out of Philly at the right time and right price for me ... and the timing was right ... heck, I'd probably sail them too. But, just be aware of what you are getting into. That, more than anything else, will avoid disappointment in your NCL cruise.

 

As a sidenote, I talked to a business associate about six months ago who had just returned from an NCL sailing. He said that after the first night, and the terrible time they had getting seated in one of the "no pay" restaurants, winding up in the buffet with sub-standard food, he and the people he was with made a decision to eat all of the rest of their dinners in the specialty "extra charge" restaurants. From that point on, he said, they had a wonderful time on NCL and can't wait to go back.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[cruzky]

I cruised with NCL in 94, 96 and 01. In 94 and 96 the crew we met and spoke with were given time off. You would see a lot of the staff going into St Maarten on the tenders with you to enjoy their time off. (We were on a tender with our cabin steward). They also told us they were given time off on turn around day if they completed all their work. When we cruised with NCL again in 01 they had been sold to a company over in Asia and things really changed on their ships. Their cruising experience changed a lot from 96 to 01. I haven't been on one of their ships since.