Past Celebrity Employee - Answering Your Questions

[Bethwte]

First off I would like to thank you for taking your time to answer all of our questions. I'm sure almost every cruiser is dying to sit down with an employee and get all sorts of info and answers to their questions.

Also, sincere apologies if I repeat any questions... I wanted to get mine down while they were still on my mind, and I'll continue reading the 300+ posts afterwards.

 

1. I know you've been asked about staff/passenger relations already, but I have a fairly specific question. If a staff member is not working, and they go off the ship and onto a port, do the rules against fraternizing still apply. Technically they aren't on the ship, so I've always wondered. While on the Millenium I met an extremely nice waiter who refused to let me explore one of the ports (Nassau) by myself (I was 17 at the time). I’d convinced my parents to let me go, but when I was on my way out he saw me, asked what I was doing that day, and when I told him, he replied that it was just simply not safe for "young and attractive girl" to be going around the island by herself. He was going to be on a break in half an hour, and offered to take me around the island. At first I thought, "great line"… but that was all he did, give me a tour of the island. He’d point out little landmarks, give me tips, and I definitely felt safe with him. And he never tried a thing! Not even close to it. I just hope someone didn’t see this and think it was anything more than it was. I would hate for him to have gotten in trouble for doing me a favor. :(
   
2. I’m going to be going to school for hospitality next fall, and I was wondering if you know any info about positions such as the social hostess or anything in that type of category? Do they need college degrees? Also, is it a good job in general, or are the salary/hours something that wouldn’t be comparable to a hotel. I’d love to work on cruise ship, as they are what got me interested in the field; I’m just worried about horror stories I’ve heard about employees being like slaves. I’m not sure if the positions I’d be interested in are like that or not though.
   
3. Do cruise lines ever keep track of those who stiff them on tips? (I hate those people) Probably not, but in my opinion those who can’t respect the industry and the employees enough to tip should not be allowed to travel within that industry. I’m just interested to know if in some way those who tip well tend to be treated better, or if those who don’t tip are treated any worse.
   

Thanks again for all of your help :)

 

[alanbarb]

I'm just curious if the cruiseline is unionized, and to what extent. If so, what were the benefits enjoyed?

It's not my intent to start a debate about unionization itself. But I do wish to hear your perspective - if my questions are applicable.

 

Regards,

 

Alan

[wieslaw]

Hi:)

 

Pamela.... I think they are totally different......so when you ask which position is better.....I would think it is sort of like apples to oranges.......

 

One area books upcoming cruises.......the other helps folks on that particular sailing with excursions. I can say on Constellation the Future Cruise Consultant is Umberto....fantastic person:)

 

But maybe cruise employee has a different take on it!

To start with: I do read with interest all of the answers of Past Celebrity Employee and I do thank You for spending the time on mine and others 'education'. I am sure You have other more enjoyable things to do with your time but You have chosen to 'help us' with some of the dilemmas that some of us have.

I also congratulate You on spending your time on the cruise ships wisely and not becoming absorbed by some of the 'ship's easy way to 'destruction' - youth, loneliness, cheap booze and too many bars and temptations are a Rx for disasters for many, especially if some heavy emotional baggage went with them on the ship.

It seems that You are a good and successfull young person and any organization on sea or land should consider You to be an asset to their operations.

Wishing You a very Happy New Year.

 

 

Hi Lois,

I do not want to disagree with You on anything ....(You have too many 'fans' on this board) .......but I also met the the "Cruise Sales Manager" on the Constellation and his name is Humberto Sousa (You were close).

 

Hi Pamela - I can not give You the answer but what would You prefer to do?:

sell cruises to somewhat happy and satisfied cruisers (they must be if they are booking some new ones) or face often frustrated or unhappy cruisers because of number of reasons that You can not control like: sold out excursions, cancelled excursions - for many reasons, or unhappy cruisers because something went wrong on their excursion ? These things do happen.

 

Wes

[cruiseemployee]

CruiseEmployee -

 

Shore Excursion Manager or the person who books people on their next cruise on board. Which on is the better position?

 

Thanks,

 

Pamela

Wieslaw is right on the money. I'd take the future cruise sales position. I've seen shore excursions managers crying in the back due to cancelled cruises and the stress that is involved with handling refunds due to bad weather, missed ports, etc. Guests are incredibly harsh on shore excursions when it comes to cancelled tours.

[Lois R]

Hi Wes:) ...sorry, I mis-spelled his name......I have my future booking right in front of me.....I should have read it first.

 

You can disagree with me anytime you want.......it is a public forum.......

[POLSON]

I had a feeling that was the case between the two positions. It seemed like the person booking the cruises had one of the best jobs on the ship from what I saw! Very specific hours - sometimes by appointment only. on our RCCL ship, they certainly had the most beautiful office!! Way up on deck in a beautful part of the ship.

 

I have been in Customer Service for over 15 years and it always amazes me how people think the nastier they are the better service they will get. If people only realized the more pleasant they are the further they will get. I can almost pinpoint what part of the country someone is from by their behaivor. No offense against anyone but the people from the Midwest are soo very nice.

[usha]

Well, POLSON, I've heard us Midwesterners called "hard-working", but "soo very nice"? WOW!:D

[HeatherInFlorida]

Polson, you are sooooo right. Everyone knows that about Midwesterners. They are the best! And the nearer you live to a city, sorry folks, but the nastier you are:o . Easterners, sadly, are known for their curtness and abuptness. Once visiting San Francisco when I lived NYC, someone from the area told me "You can't be from NY, you're too nice"! Unfortunately, that's just the way it ususally is.

 

And everyone should learn the easiest lesson: You catch way more bees with honey;) .

[xpcdoojk]

I have been reading this for weeks, now, and I guess I don't get it. Why is everyone so excited that a "crew person" is talking to us?:confused: It would be one thing if we knew the "crew person", and we knew that we were learning bonafide information that we couldn't learn anywhere else, but I have yet to learn anything from this thread from the OP, and I still wonder if the OP is telling the truth or is just having a fun time being so needed? :confused: Don't get me wrong, if you all are enjoying this, I think that is great, but I still don't get it. :D

 

jc

[HeatherInFlorida]

I have been reading this for weeks, now, and I guess I don't get it. Why is everyone so excited that a "crew person" is talking to us?:confused: It would be one thing if we knew the "crew person", and we knew that we were learning bonafide information that we couldn't learn anywhere else, but I have yet to learn anything from this thread from the OP, and I still wonder if the OP is telling the truth or is just having a fun time being so needed? :confused: Don't get me wrong, if you all are enjoying this, I think that is great, but I still don't get it. :D

 

jc

jc, since you've been reading this thread "for weeks now", you also know that this debate has been beaten to death already and those that are enjoying the thread are continuing to read on and those that are not have left.

 

So I have to wonder why you're trying to rehash that which has already been said over and over. We feel Cruiseemployee has information we want, we want to read it, and so we do.

 

You don't enjoy it, so you certainly don't have to read it. But there's no reason that I can think of that you have to be rude about his authenticity or disparaging to him. Simply move on.

 

There's really no reason you have to "get it". There's a lot of stuff I don't "get" ... so I just cruise on by.

[tbelian]

Still in.

 

But keeping quiet.

[MysticRhythmCruiser]

I have been reading this for weeks, now, and I guess I don't get it. Why is everyone so excited that a "crew person" is talking to us?:confused: It would be one thing if we knew the "crew person", and we knew that we were learning bonafide information that we couldn't learn anywhere else, but I have yet to learn anything from this thread from the OP, and I still wonder if the OP is telling the truth or is just having a fun time being so needed? :confused: Don't get me wrong, if you all are enjoying this, I think that is great, but I still don't get it. :D

 

jc

First...if it's such a waste of YOUR time...why are you here?

 

Second...just because you're neither enlightened nor impressed by CruiseEmployee's answers, it doesn't mean other people fail to appreciate it or are getting valuable information. That you needed to point this out was a swipe towards the rest of us "great unwashed" reading and participating in this thread...not sure why that was necessary, but again, I refer to my first question :)

 

Third, if, as you say, all of this information could be acquired elsewhere, why aren't you contributing your insight into the questions being posted? And if that's not something you're interested in doing, again, I refer to the first question :)

 

Sheesh...I guess it's true that no good deed goes unpunished.

 

CruiseEmployee, thank you for giving so much time (and having so much patience) with our many questions...this has been one of the best threads I've seen in a long time and greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers,

Esther

 

P.S. Know what...if CruiseEmployee turns out to be some prankster, I STILL think this thread is TOTALLY worthwhile.

[POLSON]

I also enjoy the insight that a cruise ship employee has to offer. I have been looking at a job on a ship and the inside information is very important to me.

It has been most beneficial for me.

 

I like to know the inner working etc since it is something that that the public is not exposed to.

 

Thank you, thank you for this forum!

 

Pamela

[tbelian]

Enquiring minds want to know.

[hulagirl101]

CruiseEmployee - I am also still enjoying this thread! Please keep it up.

 

Q: How might I get an address for the Celebrity Infinity to send a thank you note to a crew member? A good deed deserves a written note of thanks! (I do have the person's complete name & position; can't think of anything else I might need?)

 

Q: How often did you get mail (snail mail, not e-mail) when you worked on-board?

 

Thanks again for the interesting info! Happy New Year!

[cruiseemployee]

questions... .

1. I know you've been asked about staff/passenger relations already, but I have a fairly specific question. If a staff member is not working, and they go off the ship and onto a port, do the rules against fraternizing still apply. Technically they aren't on the ship, so I've always wondered. While on the Millenium I met an extremely nice waiter who refused to let me explore one of the ports (Nassau) by myself (I was 17 at the time). I’d convinced my parents to let me go, but when I was on my way out he saw me, asked what I was doing that day, and when I told him, he replied that it was just simply not safe for "young and attractive girl" to be going around the island by herself. He was going to be on a break in half an hour, and offered to take me around the island. At first I thought, "great line"… but that was all he did, give me a tour of the island. He’d point out little landmarks, give me tips, and I definitely felt safe with him. And he never tried a thing! Not even close to it. I just hope someone didn’t see this and think it was anything more than it was. I would hate for him to have gotten in trouble for doing me a favor. :(
   
2. I’m going to be going to school for hospitality next fall, and I was wondering if you know any info about positions such as the social hostess or anything in that type of category? Do they need college degrees? Also, is it a good job in general, or are the salary/hours something that wouldn’t be comparable to a hotel. I’d love to work on cruise ship, as they are what got me interested in the field; I’m just worried about horror stories I’ve heard about employees being like slaves. I’m not sure if the positions I’d be interested in are like that or not though.
   
3. Do cruise lines ever keep track of those who stiff them on tips? (I hate those people) Probably not, but in my opinion those who can’t respect the industry and the employees enough to tip should not be allowed to travel within that industry. I’m just interested to know if in some way those who tip well tend to be treated better, or if those who don’t tip are treated any worse.
   

Thanks again for all of your help :)

 

1) Ok, any crew-passenger get togethers almost always happen off the ship. They meet each other on it, and plan to meet off it. If a crew member is caught kissing or being intimate with a guest, even off the ship, technically they are supposed to be fired. But off the ship, it's definitely easier to get away with it. Part of the problem is that they don't want to get fired; but the other part is that most don't want other crew members to see as well...Could get a bad reputation among the crew. If you just went on a tour together, no harm in that. We're allowed to fraternize, but we can't make an intimate scene or relationship in front of anyone.

 

2) If you are going to school in the hospitality field, that would be all you need. Most people in this area are just outgoing people that show this in the interview. You're not afraid to strike it up with random people you've never met and would bring out a positive vibe. Social hostess is a good position but it can get stressful. But coming from the hospitality industry, you'd likely be prepared for that. The positions you should look into are Social hostess, activities staff, chief concierge (usually have to work guest relations and then move up), future cruise sales. These positions are usually between 45-55 hours per week and are paid quite well. They would be considered the "good jobs" on a ship. "slave positions" (jobs where you work 70 hours per week) are in housekeeping, dining, and bar areas.

 

3) No, they don't keep track. I would love to figure out a way to keep track though. Would make everyone happy. Those that don't tip aren't treated worse because tipping happens at the end of a cruise. So no one knows who will or won't tip. I really wish, only to avoid this problem, that "tips" (wages that most people rely on in a cruise envirnonment) could be included in the ticket price. Then above and beyond tipping could be offered for excellent service.

 

Good luck!!!

[Jumbie]

CruiseEmployee - I am also still enjoying this thread! Please keep it up.

 

Q: How might I get an address for the Celebrity Infinity to send a thank you note to a crew member? A good deed deserves a written note of thanks! (I do have the person's complete name & position; can't think of anything else I might need?)

 

Name of person

Attention: Shipboard Crew

The name of the ship

Celebrity Cruises

1050 Caribbean Way

Miami, FL 33132

[cruiseemployee]

CruiseEmployee

Q: How might I get an address for the Celebrity Infinity to send a thank you note to a crew member? A good deed deserves a written note of thanks! (I do have the person's complete name & position; can't think of anything else I might need?)

 

Q: How often did you get mail (snail mail, not e-mail) when you worked on-board?

 

Thanks again for the interesting info! Happy New Year!

None of the ships accept any mail directly. All mail goes through head office and then gets re-sent to the ship depending on what itinerary it's currently on. Send your mail to the head office in Miami, FL (I don't honestly know the address. Do a 411 search on the internet). On your letter you must write the ship name, person's name, their department, (Food, housekeeping, entertainment) and it'll get to them. It's very slow though...from the time you send it till they receive it could be a month.

We got mail on the ship once a week (or longer for the 10/11 day cruises). It was picked up in the embarkation port. A big list is posted regarding who got mail then we pick it up from the person that handles it on board.

 

 

PS. THANKS JUMBIE. I'M TOO SLOW!!!

[hulagirl101]

Appreciate the speedy reply!

[xpcdoojk]

epoulsen, why did you put words in my mouth? I never mentioned a single time that it was a waste of time. Now the Conga line that is a waste of time. I did not refer to you or anyone else as the great unwashed, and I think you are confusing anyone with a differing opinion as being a snob. I find the thread to be entertaining. Why do you feel so much personal attachment to it? It is just another thread?:confused: I am interested in the entire Rock Star concept. I don't ask for autographs either, so I wonder why so many readers are fawning all over this thread as if it was manna from heaven. :confused:

 

Heather, I do not read it everyday, and I haven't read it for a few days, but everyone in all of the forums knows about this thread, and dozens are reading it everyday, and just because people with a different opinion have been shouted into silence doesn't make their points any more or less valid. I finally decided to ask my somewhat innocent question that is all. I am not accusing anyone of anything, even the OP, and I certainly don't want to be on the bad side of someone I consider to be a friend like yourself. :( So, I am sorry if my question upset you.

 

jc

[HeatherInFlorida]

jc, if you haven't been reading everyday that may explain it. Many posts (I think) have been removed because they were either inappropriate, redundant or unnecessary.

 

Your question didn't upset me at all. You said you didn't "get it" and I don't know what you want to "get". So many times on these boards people come onto a thread and negate it for no fair reason that I can see. I think it's insulting to the OP and as a result it upsets me.

 

But if your question is why is it "exciting" then I can say that I think everyone is always interested and fascinated by any "behind the scenes" information about travel and entertainment. It's kind of like people wanting to know what actor is dating who and who's just broken up. We sort of like to know what pilots and stewardesses do when they're not out there in front of us. What are their lives like "behind the scenes"? It's the voyeur in all of us, I guess. We all love to cruise and really know very little about what goes on in the cruise industry. So along comes CruiseEmployee with some fun and interesting info and people are attracted to it. And that's about it.

 

Truthfully, I don't see where there is a call for an "opinion" here on this particular thread. CruiseEmployee is simply giving us what seems to be very innocent, non judgemental information and people are enjoying it. I can't see it bothering anyone one way or other, but if it does I just can't see why they don't just move on. That's really all I was saying.

[leeh]

Right on, Heather !!

[xpcdoojk]

I understand, Heather. I just find it fascinating that this person only posts on this single thread. I mean he/she doesn't bother answering questions on a single other thread. I just don't function like that is all. I see someone ask a question that I think I can help on and I reply directly to the thread where they post the question. I think that is a more typical way of posting. This doesn't happen with this poster. He/she only posts on this thread. I just find a lot of things here odd, and I am sincerely trying to understand.

 

jc

[Jumbie]

It take a lot of time to read all the other threads. I think it's fine that he is restricting himself to this one. Why is that such a problem?

 

If you have a question pertaining to ship like behind the scenes, then ask it here and it looks like he will answer it in due course.

 

A lot of the other questions can be answered by other people cause they are generally asking something from a passenger's point of view e.g. what's the food like? what's this cabin like? how was your embarkation? what about X port? and so forth.

[MysticRhythmCruiser]

epoulsen, why did you put words in my mouth? I never mentioned a single time that it was a waste of time. Now the Conga line that is a waste of time. I did not refer to you or anyone else as the great unwashed, and I think you are confusing anyone with a differing opinion as being a snob. I find the thread to be entertaining. Why do you feel so much personal attachment to it? It is just another thread?:confused: I am interested in the entire Rock Star concept. I don't ask for autographs either, so I wonder why so many readers are fawning all over this thread as if it was manna from heaven. :confused:

Thanking CruiseEmployee is courteous, not "rock star treatment". That there are a lot of CC'ers thanking this guy is an indication of politeness and graciousness from the people who ARE enjoying what he has to say. It's snowballing because there are a lot of readers...I don't think anyone's ready to crown him King of England :)

 

That you do not feel this is of any worth to you, that you don't "get" those of us who enjoy the thread, just didn't seem blazingly important to point out. You didn't say the precise words "waste of time" or "great unwashed"...it was a perceived tone and theme.

 

However, I do not want to start another flame, so I apologize if you felt your comment was misconstrued and unfairly challenged. Response hereby withdrawn and I'll keep quiet.

 

And I'm still enjoying this thread :)

 

Cheers,

Esther