The Driver, not captain!

In answer to a thread by BigFoot just now, I wonder how folk feel about the change in titles to the Senior Officers. As an 'old' cruiser we were brought up with the titles of Purser and Cruise Director, which are still used on some lines. Carnival clearly feel that ships are now hotels and titles should reflect that! I wonder when the Captain will become the Driver.

Just a thought!

Bal

In answer to a thread by BigFoot just now, I wonder how folk feel about the change in titles to the Senior Officers. As an 'old' cruiser we were brought up with the titles of Purser and Cruise Director, which are still used on some lines. Carnival clearly feel that ships are now hotels and titles should reflect that! I wonder when the Captain will become the Driver.

 

Just a thought!

 

Bal

Perhaps they'll do away with Captains and control the ship remotely from a computer ! :-)

There has been a rather ridiculous move from calling those who work at sea by their correct title to trying to pretend ships are land locked objects. A captain will always be a captain not a sea platform manager a purser is not a receptionist and suites are actually cabins. This is because a ship is not a hotel, if Carnival need help with this a hotel is still in the same place in the morning when you wake up, a ship has moved so the view will be different out of your CABIN window!

I have thought for years the concept of "Hotel Director" was a bit ridiculous and calling the cabins "Rooms" strange. I think the idea is more American than British but we seem to have been dragged in on the trend.

It is as though they are trying to get away from the fact that you are on a cruise; (perhaps they are thinking cruises are a bad idea) and present instead that you are on a proper holiday at a resort. In this respect eventually someone may come up with the idea that the resort should have a "theme", one that comes to mind is "Nautical".

Regards John

I agree. I love the proper nautical terms and want to feel I am on a ship - NOT a floating hotel! I think it is an American thing and certainly with the new huge ships like Oasis - there is no feeling whatsoever of being at sea with no sea views from any public rooms safe the buffet!

I have thought for years the concept of "Hotel Director" was a bit ridiculous

I think it makes perfect sense.

No matter what anyone thinks, the ship is a floating hotel.

So it is logical to draw a clear distinction between the person who is simply responsible from getting the ship from A to B, and the person responsible for everything and everyone the customer actually comes into contact with.

For most customers the actions of the Hotel Director will have far more impact on their holiday than the Captain.

I think it makes perfect sense.

 

No matter what anyone thinks, the ship is a floating hotel.

 

So it is logical to draw a clear distinction between the person who is simply responsible from getting the ship from A to B, and the person responsible for everything and everyone the customer actually comes into contact with.

 

For most customers the actions of the Hotel Director will have far more impact on their holiday than the Captain.

The Captain may be the person responsible for getting the ship from A to B and as such have less impact on their holiday, or cruise as I see it (remember we are trying to get away from the less favourable "cruise" term, lol.

However the person who the Hotel Director seems to be replacing is the Purser and they are responsible for most of the things which relate to the quality of the cruise which directly relate to passengers experience.

A lot of this type of thing is Americanisms creeping in, others which one could mention are floors instead of deck, rooms instead of cabins. Many cruiselines announce forward, midships and aft plus port or starboard as part of an announcement of where an event is taking place in conjunction with Promenade Deck, deck 7 for example. This makes it a lot easier to move around the ship and find places quickly, whereas people stuck in hotel mode more likely will need to ask people on the way if you remove the useful terms.

Regards John

The Captain may be the person responsible for getting the ship from A to B and as such have less impact on their holiday, or cruise as I see it (remember we are trying to get away from the less favourable "cruise" term, lol.

 

However the person who the Hotel Director seems to be replacing is the Purser and they are responsible for most of the things which relate to the quality of the cruise which directly relate to passengers experience.

 

A lot of this type of thing is Americanisms creeping in, others which one could mention are floors instead of deck, rooms instead of cabins. Many cruiselines announce forward, midships and aft plus port or starboard as part of an announcement of where an event is taking place in conjunction with Promenade Deck, deck 7 for example. This makes it a lot easier to move around the ship and find places quickly, whereas people stuck in hotel mode more likely will need to ask people on the way if you remove the useful terms.

 

Regards John

I'm with you John.

Bal

The Captain won't become the Driver any time soon. Ship's Officers don't touch the helm. An able bodied seaman does it. Been on the Bridge twice when the ship came off AutoPilot and both times the Officer of the Watch just watched.

The Captain won't become the Driver any time soon. Ship's Officers don't touch the helm. An able bodied seaman does it. Been on the Bridge twice when the ship came off AutoPilot and both times the Officer of the Watch just watched.

But the helmsman follows the orders of the officers.

But the helmsman follows the orders of the officers.

So that would make the captain (or his/her deputising OOW) the back-seat driver. :)

It's interesting talking about the helm which conjures up a large wheel with the helmsman wrestling with it. Although there is a wheel on the bridge, the actual mechanism for steering is with a joy stick! Won't be soon before it will be controlled via i phone from the Captains quarters .. giddy aunt!!

Bal

I don't see it as a floating hotel at all. It's a ship. It moves! I see some ships that look like blocks of flats, but not hotels :-)

But the helmsman follows the orders of the officers.

Does it matter one iota what they are called.

But I did like it when the rooms/cabins were called Staerooms:D

I don't see it as a floating hotel at all. It's a ship. It moves! I see some ships that look like blocks of flats, but not hotels :-)

I am with you on this Jean. In fact when I am next in a hotel I am going to ask the manager what floor my room is on and when they say; "4th floor, sir", I am going to ask what letter that is and request to know the actual name of the floor. If I am in Birmingham I shall insist on a sea view with my balcony, why not, you can always pay extra for a sea view?

Lol John

I have thought for years the concept of "Hotel Director" was a bit ridiculous...

It's about the only job title that makes sense to me - as he is in charge of the "Hotel Operation departments" of the ship (as distinct from the departments responsible for sailing the ship - engine room, bridge etc)

I can't think of what title was previously used for this position - can anyone remember one - or is it a relatively new position due to cruise ships getting bigger and bigger ?

It's about the only job title that makes sense to me - as he is in charge of the "Hotel Operation departments" of the ship (as distinct from the departments responsible for sailing the ship - engine room, bridge etc)

 

I can't think of what title was previously used for this position - can anyone remember one - or is it a relatively new position due to cruise ships getting bigger and bigger ?

It was the Purser, a term used both in the Royal and Merchant Navy. It was a term from the old days when somebody looked after the accounts, hence the use of the noun, Purse.

Bal

The first time I came across the tern"stateroom" I thought it was some kind of superior cabin! Then I realised it was just an American term for ALL cabins :rolleyes:

The first time I came across the term "stateroom" I thought it was some kind of superior cabin! Then I realised it was just an American term for ALL cabins :rolleyes:

There are a lot of Americanisms creeping in and gradually people will think they are the correct words to call things.

It is a sort of marketing political correctness in my book to try and get people who have not previously cruised to do so by booking a holiday without the word cruise being prominent in their minds.

Incidentaly I quite often confuse Americans and Canadians by using correct nomenclature.

Regards John

Having just returned from an amazing cruise on Oceana with an amazing CAPTAIN Andrew Willard I would be horrified if this role was cut down to a driver! The Captain is the figure head and sets the tone for the whole ship ---- a good thing for Oceana as the crew all loved him and were a happy lot!

I just wish we could stick to the original terms and not let Americanisms into the language (no offense to anyone American). I want to enjoy our heritage --- not go 'backwards' to the 'future' ....

Having said that, on our last cruise they were playing some traditional British music at breakfast. The Last Post and Abide with Me was quite not in tune with our mood ......... but amusing :D:D:D

The crew on a ship are effectively a small company which consists of several departments - deck, engineering, hotel, entertainment. (Have I missed one?)

Each department has it's own head.

Deck (Bridge officers) - it's the Deputy Captain/Staff Captain.

Engineering - it's the Chief. (Chief Engineer).

Hotel - it's the purser/hotel manager.

Entertainment - it's the Cruise Director/Ents. manager.

Each of these reports to the Captain, and they have their own organisation to run, with their own managers, heads of sections etc.

The Captain will generally only be driving the ship when mooring up and unmooring, and manoeuvring in confined spaces (e.g. when turning the ship through 180 degrees before bringing it alongside etc). Sometimes it will be the Deputy Captain on the controls.

Some ships are harder to manoeuvre than others, for example ships with Azipods instead of props & rudders. There are several reasons for this, for example with so much power for manoeuvring available it's very easy for the ship to get away from you! Also there are restrictions on what you can do with the azipods, for example the wash from one azipod's propeller must not impart directly on the other pod as it could damage it. Also the propeller rpm must not go below about 30 rpm (On a Vista class ship such as Arcadia) for lubrication and other reasons. Which means that slow-speed manoeuvring is effectively a real-time mental exercise in thrust vectoring - e.g. to remain stationary, the azipods are pointed directly at each other so that the resultant thrust is zero - and so on!

However a Captain who understands all of this can make a Vista class ship manoeuvre in ways and sea/wind conditions that would be impossible for almost any other ship, unless tugs are used.

At sea, Arcadia is driven by the autopilot under the direct supervision of the officer of the watch. They can of course taken manual control if required. Approaching a harbour, a helmsman could be on the helm which on Arcadia is a wheel. But for azipod manoeuvring when mooring, the pods are controlled directly and only by the Captain or Deputy Captain.

VP

I still think that the Captain sets the tone for the ship and that is the feeling we got from the staff we met on Oceana. He / she may have the responsibility for the ship and 'driving' etc but he / she is the figurehead and with that comes great responsibility ... particularly for the passengers. If all is going well he / she is 'just' a driver .... if it all goes wrong it is his / her fault. A big responsibility. Having sailed past what is now the remains of the Costa Concordia recently I think that image said it all ..............