Guesstimate of Filipino staff for those who've sailed the EPIC??

[JRoadZ]

I was told when on the NCL Star it was like 70% but such a new ship like the EPIC should have had several transfers from existing employees on other ships of other nationalities. A lot of the videos on NCL's site when you're looking at the Deck Plan's (Ice Bar, and several of the restaurants) show my Filipino brothers from another mother.

 

I brought this up on another thread, but never created a new thread about this.

 

Just curious...as PINOY AKO and proud!! I actually have the flag tattooed on my shouder (very similar design to the half Filipino, half Greek WWE wrestler, Batista)

 

:)

 

Peace all...

[johnjovi]

My partner is Filipino and we have made lots of friends with Filipino crew over our 6 NCL cruises. We were on the Epic TA and I would guess up to 70% of the crew was Filipino!

[sandancer]

We were told by a waiter that 50% of the staff are from the Phillipines.

[wasiii]

I was told when on the NCL Star it was like 70% but such a new ship like the EPIC should have had several transfers from existing employees on other ships of other nationalities. A lot of the videos on NCL's site when you're looking at the Deck Plan's (Ice Bar, and several of the restaurants) show my Filipino brothers from another mother.

 

I brought this up on another thread, but never created a new thread about this.

 

Just curious...as PINOY AKO and proud!! I actually have the flag tattooed on my shouder (very similar design to the half Filipino, half Greek WWE wrestler, Batista)

 

:)

 

Peace all...

 

.....what difference does it make? Will the cruising experience be any different? I would think not.

 

:confused:

 

wasiii

[Bgem75]

I love to see all the different nationalities that come together to make our trips possible. I thank all not just one for contributing to our experience.

[JRoadZ]

.....what difference does it make? Will the cruising experience be any different? I would think not.

 

:confused:

 

wasiii

 

I don't mean anything mean or sarcastic by this, but if you go on vacation to say Hawaii or somewhere where staff is paid in USD with US salary standards versus a vacation in the Philippines you will see a HUUUUUUGGGGGEEEEE difference a customer service, in them busting their hump for a fraction of what a cruise staffer on a US flagged shipped make, etc. When you call up Dell, DirecTV, eTrade, Western Union, etc customer service call center now a days, you no longer get India. You get the Philippines (easier to understand accent IMO, again no discrimination meant by above statement). These customer service reps pull in $15K USD a year for someone in the US who pulls in maybe $40K...and they still work harder than ever.

I don't know if it's just me being a Filipino-American and when vacationing in the Philippines, the number of strangers greeting you, "Good (morning/afternoon/evening) Maam/Sir. And I noticed this on my last cruise on the NCL Star. And every time you are addressed is Maam/Sir (first name). Super friendly and super polite people.

 

And if all of the above was not enough, or you don't agree with me on...being Filipino-American, it's nice to know that my cruise dollars are being funneled somehow/someway to the pockets of the Filipino NCL employees who send all their salary back to their families in the Philippines...and which employees sign a contract and do not get to see their families for 10 months, and the 2 months they are with the families it's done getting all the necessary paperwork and visas together for their next assigned sailing for the following 10 months. I was talking to a waiter onboard our last cruise who had a child the same age as my daughter at the time (19 months) and I couldn't fathom not seeing my child grow up, take their first steps, say their first word, know who their dad is, etc.

 

Hope that explains my opinion in why I started this thread...