Pearls of the Aegean

[sunbather11]

Hi i have just looked at a post on another web site and they said they had problems with there cabins they said that the ones that they had booked were given to other people has anyone else had similar problems, it goes on to say the crew has changed to greek.:cool:

[jodanuke]

We are going on this cruise in 2 weeks time. What other site where you looking at?

 

Thanks

Peter

[sunbather11]

holiday truths

[jenny wren]

We did this cruise on Emerald and some of the crew were Greek then as they were on Calypso which also cruises that area......I heard someone say on board that they have to employ a certain percentage of Greek staff when they sail out of Greek ports i.e. Corfu/Thessaloniki.They were still very good !!!

[davecttr]

Which is probably why next year the Celebration will be based in Marmaris

so they can bring back her superb eastern crew.

[jilljoy]

We did this cruise on Emerald and some of the crew were Greek then as they were on Calypso which also cruises that area......I heard someone say on board that they have to employ a certain percentage of Greek staff when they sail out of Greek ports i.e. Corfu/Thessaloniki.They were still very good !!!

you are right thomson have been told to employ a small percentage of greek staff,when we were onboard last week the captain told us this and was not a happy bunny as he had to send home some of his regular staff

[aligarter]

you are right thomson have been told to employ a small percentage of greek staff,when we were onboard last week the captain told us this and was not a happy bunny as he had to send home some of his regular staff

 

 

Did you do the 2 week cruise jilljoy or just the one week. Were the Greek crew in the bars or resturants or both? I will be able to practice my Greek before my July holiday. If you did Both weeks can you reccommend any trips for the adriatic leg ?

[Miss Babs]

Hi. We are going on this also on 29th May - our 1st time cruising. We will have our daughter with us, nearly 6. We are spending a week on Corfu first, booked independently and are experienced travellers but would welcome any advance info or tips on this itinerary or the Celebration. We have booked a Deluxe cabin and pre-booked on deck 7. We will probably only do Athens as a booked excursion and do our own thing at other ports. Who else is on this cruise?

 

Cheers

Miss Babs

[jilljoy]

Did you do the 2 week cruise jilljoy or just the one week. Were the Greek crew in the bars or resturants or both? I will be able to practice my Greek before my July holiday. If you did Both weeks can you reccommend any trips for the adriatic leg ?

we only did the 1 week cruise, the greek staff took over half way through our week,they were in all departments

[kruzseeka]

I think you're right, Dave, that is the rationale behind putting Celebration in Marmaris next year - Spirit is owned by Louis Lines (Greek Company) so perhaps that makes a difference and why they are basing Spirit in Corfu instead. Each Friday they go back to Corfu it seems as though more Greek personnel are joining the ship (although we did also hear that a few had resigned alredy as the hours were too long!). You got wind of this some months ago Dave, so your intelligence was correct!

 

The saddest thing about this situation though is that it's ruined the normal rotations of the Filipino crew doing their contracts, having a couple of months vacation then coming back. If a percentage of Greek staff have been employed in the meantime, then 'their' jobs may not be available at the end of the vacation period. They won't be able to wait for another 4 months or so for jobs to become available again, so are likely to seek employment elsewhere. This is awful for them and for the Celebration which has had many of the same crew coming and going since 2005. It's they who have created the atmosphere and special 'feel' of the Celebration and I feel heart sorry for the position they are now in. I only hope Thomson are able to get many of them back in November when they relocate.