who reports to whom

[royal65]

I guess I have too much free time time on my hands while awaiting my next cruise and was wondering: does everyone on the ship have a direct line reporting through others up to the captain or do some report to the hotel manager who in turn reports directly to Seattle, rather than the capitan? To whom does the head chief report and how about the cruise director? thanx

[sail7seas]

In the end, everything is reportable to the Captain but certainly dining room issues, Lounge/bar matters, Lido, Chef, cabin stewards/housekeeping comments to go Hotel Manager who may or may not bring them to Captain.

 

Before Hotel Manager is Dining Room Manager, Chief Housekeeper, Culinary Operations Manager, Bar Manager, Guest Relations Manager...... all these departments are answerable to Hotel Manager but ultimately Captain.

 

 

 

[djhsolara]

Funny...I've always wondered that. I have found myself on the ship saying "Does that person report to someone here on the ship or do they report to Seattle?"

[sail7seas]

In the end, EVERYONE on board is answerable to Seattle but it goes through channels until it 'gets there'. While Captain has the last word, he often/usually consults before making final decisions as circumstances arise.

 

[Kween Karen]

I was originally surprised to find out that the Hotel Manager was basically 2nd in command.....but after finding out about his job.....I understood why. That person is certainly in charge of a LOT!!

[djhsolara]

I guess what my thought revolves around is who does the performance evaluations for whom. Not that is it ANY of my business, but if I'm going to leave positive feedback for someone, I want to be sure that it is getting to the right person. I'm sure that my few words do not mean much in the entire scope of things, but I'd still like to know that if I have something good to say about someone I'm giving that feedback to someone to whom it truly matters.

[sail7seas]

I was originally surprised to find out that the Hotel Manager was basically 2nd in command.....but after finding out about his job.....I understood why. That person is certainly in charge of a LOT!!

 

 

Captain and Hotel Manager both wear four stripes but one is navigation and the other hotel department.

 

In the event of incapacitation of the Captain on an HAL ship, Chief Officer takes command. They hold Captain's license. For that matter, Chief Engineers (some) also hold Captain's license.

 

Hotel Manager clearly cannot 'drive the ship :) though (s)he has a lot of responsibility and it's a very big job with attention needed in a great many areas..... everything having to do with running a hotel at sea.

[Taxguy77]

I guess what my thought revolves around is who does the performance evaluations for whom. Not that is it ANY of my business, but if I'm going to leave positive feedback for someone, I want to be sure that it is getting to the right person. I'm sure that my few words do not mean much in the entire scope of things, but I'd still like to know that if I have something good to say about someone I'm giving that feedback to someone to whom it truly matters.

I have always been told that pax forms are read, and comments are used in promotion or not renewing the contracts of people. All I know for sure is when I told the waiter and asst. waiter I had recommended the asst. for promotion to waiter, he had the biggest smile I have ever seen!:):D (The waiter had told me he hated to lose him as an assist., but he was ready and his family could use the money, but he WAS ready to be a full waiter in ANY restaurant!)

[wilsonqbc]

Not on HAL, However some other lines also have Staff Captains,

[RuthC]

More than once I have asked a steward for the correct spelling of his/her name so that I would have it right when I spoke highly of him/her on the Comment Form. You would have thought I had just told them they had won the lottery.

A good word from a passenger must end up going to the right person to generate that kind of reaction.

[djhsolara]

On our last HAL sailing I mentioned people on the survey, however I also sent a note to the captain complimenting certain people who really helped to make our trip special.

[E-500]

On the Westerdam earlier this year had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with the enviro officer. He indicated he reported directly to Seattle with a dotted line to the Captain, every other position on the ship reported thru the Captain. He said this was not an issue as the Captain was in full support of his responsibilities and they had zero conflicts.

 

Interesting gentleman with a real committment to see that the ship followed all the rules to maintain the seas in a pristine condition and safety/sanitation for guests and crew were a priority.

[Modern_Viking]

As I understand it, on HAL there are 3 major departments and 1 or two small departments. Each department has a head who has the overall authority and responsibility to run that department. The major departments are

 

Deck: They are in charge of ship navigation, bridge operation, exterior maintenance (painting, swabbing the deck, etc.), safety, security, fire and emergency operations/equipment (including life boats). The department head is the Chief Officer. Officers wear gold stripes on a black background with a "Nelson Loop" (a gold circle) at the top of their braids. The Nelson Loop is traditional for the British and Dutch. In contrast, Scandinavians have a gold diamond at the top of their braids. I've seen other styles, but don't know the details.

 

Engineering: They are in charge of ship propulsion, production of potable (drinkable) water from sea water, air conditioning, electrical generation, radio/communication/IT/computers. They department head is the Chief Engineer. Engineering officers (on HAL) wear gold stripes on a plan black background with no special top on their braid. On some lines, I've seen a gold propeller or other mechanical/electrical item to distinguish them.

 

Hotel: They are in charge of on-board food, beverages, entertainment, passenger facilities (shops, casino, spa), interior cleaning (dusting, vacuuming, etc.). The department head is the Hotel Manager. Officers wear gold stripes on a WHITE background which itself is over a black background. Some major officers in this department include the Cruise Director, Executive Chef, Dining Room Manager, and Chief Housekeeper.

 

Minor departments:

 

Environmental: In charge of ensuring the ship complies with all international environmental regulations, oversees waste processing (both solid waste and gray/black water). The head is the Environmental Officer. (This may be a 1 person department, who audits workers in the deck, engineering, and hotel departments). The Environmental Officer wears gold stripes on a BLUE background (think clear, blue seas and blue skies) over a black background.

 

Medical department: Might actually be a part of the hotel or deck department; I'm not really sure. Includes doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacist, etc. Officers wear gold stripes on a RED background over a black background.

 

IT department: In charge of computes on-board used for point of sale operations, internet cafe, etc. I believe the IT officers report to the Hotel Manager. IT officers wear gold stripes over a GREEN background over a black background.

 

 

Captain: Overall Mater of the vessel. The captain oversees all department heads. He is also a member of the deck department. In ideal situations, the department heads all run their departments, and the Captain just audits them, agrees with their decisions, scowls or smiles as needed, etc. and then stays out of the way. In real life, the Captain mediates disagreements between departments, makes sure officers consider long term needs/decisions and don't just focus on the immediate issues, handles appeals of decisions made by department heads, runs drills, runs inspections of the ship, etc. The Captain (at least on HAL) takes over from the Chief Officer to control the ship during docking, departure, and other especially tricky operations. The Chief Officer and Captain share duty in fog, storms, or other moderately tricky operations. And of course, being a cruise ship, the Captain is the official social host who welcomes the passengers to special events (parties, holiday celebrations, etc.).

 

Officially, the Captain is the highest authority on-board, but I am sure he defers to many people who go directly to Seattle to discuss specific issues on topics like Engineering, food orders, etc.

 

Here is a web site (which is not HAL, and thus has slightly different job allocations) but should help as well:

 

http://www.seabourncareers.com/marine-technical-roles/marine-technical-roles.html

[Tamaracboy]

From what I have read here on CC, it seems the casino and shops staff are concessions and do NOT answer to HAL except through their own concessioner's on-shore offices. I believe this also includes the Photographers and Spa and possibly others.

Of course the concessioners' executives (who never go to sea) want to keep their very lucrative contracts with HAL, but for that concern to filter down to the individual employees onboard, and far away at sea, is a different mater.

Please understand that we, the HAL passengers, have a high level of interaction with these bottom rung concession employees.

There are a number of threads here on CC regarding shop/casino/photo/spa employees and being told by HAL (onboard & Seattle) to complain to the Concessioners' main offices. + HAL employee politely gives the relevant contact information, and is thus relieved of any further responsibility +

This seems to me like HAL passing the buck.

Given that the situation with a HAL customer happens onboard a HAL ship with HAL officers readily accessible who know just how HAL wants its passengers treated.

The HAL officers (HotMan) need to have the authority to deal with any situation involving a casino/shop/concession employee.

JMHO

Any comments or further information would be welcomed.