Is Cruise Confidential a realistic portrayal?

[tree.critter]

I just finished reading Cruise Confidential and my heart has sunk. I know the employees are mainly from third world countries but does that give any corporation the green light to treat them like slaves with work hours so long that they can barely function? I can understand a 12 hour day, 7 days a week BUT requiring more than those 12 hours and not allowing a decent time to sleep seems so inhumane to me.

Is Carnival worse than the other cruise lines to their employees? I currently have one more cruise booked in Jan. '13. As much as I love cruising this is a deal breaker for me and I am very unlikely to support the cruise industry after this.

[treasure4two]

I just finished reading Cruise Confidential and my heart has sunk. I know the employees are mainly from third world countries but does that give any corporation the green light to treat them like slaves with work hours so long that they can barely function? I can understand a 12 hour day, 7 days a week BUT requiring more than those 12 hours and not allowing a decent time to sleep seems so inhumane to me.

Is Carnival worse than the other cruise lines to their employees? I currently have one more cruise booked in Jan. '13. As much as I love cruising this is a deal breaker for me and I am very unlikely to support the cruise industry after this.

 

I believe all cruise lines are the same in treatment, and I do not believe it is as bad as the article says. I have a good friend that has worked the ship for 12+ years. She is from Europe-smart, educated, hard working and is tired alot but has never complained like she was being treated as a slave-just hard work. An American friend also worked on ships for about 5 years and said they worked like 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, and she also never said she was treated bad-just worked her butt off.

Also, if people stop cruising, then their tips go down, staff is cut, and if you think they are suffering now, it will be worse.

[golfadj]

I wondered about it but also notice that if conditions were that bad the cruise ships would have trouble finding employees and they seem to not have that problem.

[Dave85]

Brian David Bruns is very interested in dramatizing the experience (I've read all 3 of the books). While I greatly enjoyed 3 (the first was by far the best, IMHO), I found the last one frustrating as it seemed that his dramatizing the story overtook the narrative to an extent. If you go into the book realizing that though, you know what to expect and can just sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

I'm not doubting at all that he was mistreated or discriminated against for being an American working in the Carnival dining room, I just wonder how many of the specific details are the result of embellishment rather than a sober accounting of how things went down. I would agree that if all crew members were treated so poorly the ships would have difficulty retaining employees.

 

That said, READ THE BOOKS. He's an excellent writer and had me cracking up each time!

[FiremanDan]

There's another tread about crew life and includes an article. "Newsweek about crew life"...thread was on page 2.

 

Crew does work "hard" for low pay...but define low pay based on your job and needs. The places they come from consider the pay high by their standards and line up to get the jobs and after they get the jobs they find out just how hard it is and how low the pay. Not sure what options they have. Some love the job, some hate the job, but they all need the job. The cruise lines are getting rich off the help. If they raise the pay, they raise the price of cruises and we whine...circles inside circles.

[wrigley80]

I read Cruise Confidential as well and I know we have talked to quite a few Carnival cruise ship employees that say they work 16+ hours a day. :o you will never find Americans working in the service positions on a cruise ship because we could never work hours like that for the pay that they receive :(

[Lisah101]

I read the first book only and at first was a bit shocked at the described working conditions, but if you go back and read the book again. He only gives details to the work issues, however he briefly mentions in passing SEVERAL times, how he was having difficulty with work because he was hung over from a crew party the night before. Over and over he mentioned trying to work in a fog or something like that after he had little sleep because he was in the crew bar.

 

There was a lot of complaining about work hours, then one line about who he spent the day with on what beach (bragging about how much they drank) in a port that day.

 

I also remember the excerpt about how he felt he was ridiculed for asking which dining room on the legend when he showed up there. It was another arrived late (might have been due to flight issue), rushed to ship, rushed to find station, rushed to get to work on time. I got the feeling he was just a very disorganized party boy who now functions much better selling overpriced paintings instead of waiting on tables.

 

He continually whined about favoritism in dining room assignments, wine steward, etc. I wanted to scream when I read that because working in Corporate America for almost 30 years.... thats the game and you have to learn how to play! I work hard and do the right thing, but bosses promote their favorites, you can't mouth off to your boss, then expect preferential treatment.

 

I do think they work them very hard and pay them very little.....but the book read to me like a lot of whining and lack of ownership for his decisions and choices.

[larkz]

I don't think the crew treatment described in the book is so hard to believe, nor out of line for any corporation that can get away with it. Face it, if this were 200 years ago, Carnival might easily be a slave shipping company.

 

This is what irks me about snobs, bigots, and misanthropes who rip on the hardworking stewards, MDR staff, and other lowly crew who have obviously been drawn from third world countries (because, let's admit it, they're easier for cruise lines to exploit).

 

And any talk about this being a great opportunity -- because these workers make so much less on the average in their own countries -- is ludicrous. It comes off like self-righteous blue-bloods snooting about the peasantry. Human beings are worthy of decent treatment no matter which country they come from. The least cruisers could do is treat them kindly and have a little respect and empathy. And quit trying to justify stiffing them on tips (because of some fake and convoluted theory of why the tipping system is ill-conceived).

 

I don't see how anyone can read that first Cruise Confidential book, even taking its accuracy with a grain of salt, without feeling compelled to tip above and beyond for good service. As I've said before, the better paid guest services reps could learn a thing or two from the real workers.

[tree.critter]

Thanks for a little perspective..... The shows, games, casino and drinks have never been highlights of my cruises. It has always been the warm, gracious service with a smile and the people that served me that are most memorable...... and being on the ocean. I am in a service industry and have always been a generous tipper, for good service anyways, I can say that reading this book will probably make me even a little more so in the future.

 

The pay didn't really worry me too much but the hours, oy vey. I'm beat by the end of a 9-10 hour shift!!

[Gailerina]

I have not read the book, but your review kind of makes me want to. It's the little things in books like that, that are often skip but make everything much clearer to understand.

 

I read the first book only and at first was a bit shocked at the described working conditions, but if you go back and read the book again. He only gives details to the work issues, however he briefly mentions in passing SEVERAL times, how he was having difficulty with work because he was hung over from a crew party the night before. Over and over he mentioned trying to work in a fog or something like that after he had little sleep because he was in the crew bar.

 

There was a lot of complaining about work hours, then one line about who he spent the day with on what beach (bragging about how much they drank) in a port that day.

 

I also remember the excerpt about how he felt he was ridiculed for asking which dining room on the legend when he showed up there. It was another arrived late (might have been due to flight issue), rushed to ship, rushed to find station, rushed to get to work on time. I got the feeling he was just a very disorganized party boy who now functions much better selling overpriced paintings instead of waiting on tables.

 

He continually whined about favoritism in dining room assignments, wine steward, etc. I wanted to scream when I read that because working in Corporate America for almost 30 years.... thats the game and you have to learn how to play! I work hard and do the right thing, but bosses promote their favorites, you can't mouth off to your boss, then expect preferential treatment.

 

I do think they work them very hard and pay them very little.....but the book read to me like a lot of whining and lack of ownership for his decisions and choices.

[billuk]

Hey I live in the north of England, with snow in june never mind the poor crew that Cruise the caribbean all year, the guys that own the ship guilt us suckers to pay them tips + 15% on our bar bill I could work on the ship for 4 months in the winter.

[jonbgd]

I don't think the crew treatment described in the book is so hard to believe, nor out of line for any corporation that can get away with it. Face it, if this were 200 years ago, Carnival might easily be a slave shipping company.

 

This is what irks me about snobs, bigots, and misanthropes who rip on the hardworking stewards, MDR staff, and other lowly crew who have obviously been drawn from third world countries (because, let's admit it, they're easier for cruise lines to exploit).

 

And any talk about this being a great opportunity -- because these workers make so much less on the average in their own countries -- is ludicrous. It comes off like self-righteous blue-bloods snooting about the peasantry. Human beings are worthy of decent treatment no matter which country they come from. The least cruisers could do is treat them kindly and have a little respect and empathy. And quit trying to justify stiffing them on tips (because of some fake and convoluted theory of why the tipping system is ill-conceived).

 

I don't see how anyone can read that first Cruise Confidential book, even taking its accuracy with a grain of salt, without feeling compelled to tip above and beyond for good service. As I've said before, the better paid guest services reps could learn a thing or two from the real workers.

 

The MDR waiters ,Bar tenders and room stewards make more money and have a better life than our Miltary that are humping sand right now.

 

They also made a choice

[patseacruiser]

You can take this with a grain of salt too but I have met the guy and Brian Bruns seemed to be totally on the up and up. He also wrote about his job 10 years ago. I'm sure Carnival, Royal, all of the ships have changed some of their work conditions in 10 years honestly.

[Brian David Bruns]

I just finished reading Cruise Confidential and my heart has sunk. I know the employees are mainly from third world countries but does that give any corporation the green light to treat them like slaves with work hours so long that they can barely function? I can understand a 12 hour day, 7 days a week BUT requiring more than those 12 hours and not allowing a decent time to sleep seems so inhumane to me.

Is Carnival worse than the other cruise lines to their employees? I currently have one more cruise booked in Jan. '13. As much as I love cruising this is a deal breaker for me and I am very unlikely to support the cruise industry after this.

 

Your concern is most impressive. Please note that my time on Carnival as a waiter was a full ten years ago (anniversary next Jan.). Years back the cruise industry was outed for their treatment of crew and have since taken pains to keep workers at 80 hours a week. Even in my day, 80 hours a week was standard. My rough time on Legend (as stated in the book, and why) was not the norm. Further, there are many industries that split shifts in the manner of sailors, so denial of a full night's rest is simply not that big a deal. I think a great many people forget it's not a hotel, but a ship. That means traditional maritime thinking.

 

As far as the posts stating I was nothing but a drunken whiner, well, my work record speaks for itself. How many Americans do you see in the dining rooms today? How 'bout during the worst of our financial crisis? Few indeed. In my day, everybody drank like fish. I was far from the worst. Carnival provided free hard liquor at parties, for cryin' out loud. If you've EVER met sailors, you know how they behave when in port. Those aren't just fairy tales. Those days on cruise ships are gone, however. Cruise Confidential was my first book, so I thought it would be appropriate to write about the wilder stuff and the extremes, rather than the day to day drudgery. Alas, my diary did not record how many rolls of silverware we produced per shift (as I've been criticized for not documenting, I might add). It did, however, record some amazing experiences completely outside the box. They are meant to be enjoyed and add some enlightenment to an industry I love, but some things are out of date.

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

I would not base my future cruises on a book written by one person. I've read the books and they are entertaining, and I know some of it is probably true. As a previous poster said, the author is usually talking about how drunk he was at various times (which is his choice), so this obviously played into his experience.

 

Cruise employees have a contract, and once that contract is up, they can choose to go home and never look back, yet many of them work on the ships for years.

[Brian David Bruns]

I wondered about it but also notice that if conditions were that bad the cruise ships would have trouble finding employees and they seem to not have that problem.

 

A sweat shop having difficulty finding employees? Not in the vast majority of the planet Earth, I assure you. Cruise ships are actually quite picky about who they hire and have several levels of screening before you get aboard. They turn folks away in droves.

[swilden79]

[quote=tree.critter;

I currently have one more cruise booked in Jan. '13. As much as I love cruising this is a deal breaker for me and I am very unlikely to support the cruise industry after this.[/quote

If you fell so strongly about this you shouldn't go on your next cruise and just let me go in your place.

[tarps14]

A sweat shop having difficulty finding employees? Not in the vast majority of the planet Earth, I assure you. Cruise ships are actually quite picky about who they hire and have several levels of screening before you get aboard. They turn folks away in droves.

 

Mr. Bruns, thank you for pointing this process out. Our daughter currently in her first contract on the Pride. She works with the youth department so is therefore listed as part of the entertainment staff. While I realize the living and working conditions may be different in this area (i.e. two to a room as opposed to four, split shifts with scheduled breaks and a definite limit to the number of hours worked), she has told us that the crew is not treated badly. Each person is made well aware of the hours they are expected to work, the pay (yes, she is salary as opposed to reliant on tips), and the living conditions before the contract is signed. In fact, you don't even sign a contract until you reach your assigned ship giving each one ample opportunity to back out. The interview process is very stringent and as you stated, many are turned away. Complete background checks are done as well as an extensive pre-employment physical. This is not indentured servitude. They are each able to walk away from a contract at any time. They would have to pay their own way home, but, it is an option none the less. As a previous poster stated, if it was indeed as bad as depicted at times, why are many, many into 3rd, 4th and 5th contracts? Our daughter has stated that, yes, you absolutely work your butt off. But, she also has a wonderful supervisor who works with each youth staff member to make the schedule as "user friendly" as possible. I see very little difference between her environment and corporate America. While she works seven days a week, she is also given time to get off the ship in various ports. In fact, this coming week, she will be able to visit 2 of the 3 ports.

 

I appreciate you pointing out the context with which you wrote your first book and for pointing out that it was written to highlight the extreme. Alot of folks just don't realize that talking to a staff member for moments at a time in any given week only gives a partial picture. You must have knowledge of the whole of a situation (of which even I don't have at this point) to accurately judge.

[tree.critter]

[quote=tree.critter;

I currently have one more cruise booked in Jan. '13. As much as I love cruising this is a deal breaker for me and I am very unlikely to support the cruise industry after this.[/quote

If you fell so strongly about this you shouldn't go on your next cruise and just let me go in your place.

 

LOL, fat chance!!! My next cruise is with my DD, 38, and this will be our first chance to cruise together. She'll be spending a couple extra days here in FL with me, her first trip to FL since a family vacation to Disneyworld when she was about 10. It would take an act of war or premature death to cause me to cancel this one!

 

My dad is retired Navy, Chief Petty Officer, and I've heard quite a few stories of life on the high seas. Their limited time on shore sounded very much like the crew time David shared in his book. David, surprised me to see you show up here..... in a good way!!

 

I am thankful to believe that times have indeed changed a bit. As much as I enjoy being on the ocean, too much of a good thing and I'd go stir crazy real quickly...... sitting in the fresh mountain air after a nice snowfall is my next favorite great escape. The pure quietness heals the soul. I haven't ever been spoiled by room stewards and servers like I get on my cruises though so it's a whole different experience. I am grateful that there are people that are so good at their jobs on the ship, they are the ones that make my escape from the way of the world so sweet.

[Blk Cherry Mojito]

Our last time on the Fascination we spoke with a bartender and he said he makes a killing (by his countries standards or ours, he didn't say). He said his wife doesn't have to work outside of the home, they have 2 houses that were paid for that they had custom built etc.

 

He said the only time he didn't make a lot of money was when the Christian Music boats had their cruises because no one drank.

 

Now, I don't know about room stewards etc but the bartenders were not complaining.

[golfadj]

The MDR waiters ,Bar tenders and room stewards make more money and have a better life than our Miltary that are humping sand right now.

 

They also made a choice

 

Very very true

[19snapshot]

As far as the posts stating I was nothing but a drunken whiner, well, my work record speaks for itself. How many Americans do you see in the dining rooms today? How 'bout during the worst of our financial crisis? Few indeed. In my day, everybody drank like fish. I was far from the worst. Carnival provided free hard liquor at parties, for cryin' out loud.

 

Wow. I sure am glad I am not being judged for how much I drank when I was young! I didn't read "drunken whiner" at all.

 

It did give me pause to think about how I show appreciation to crew and to talk to my children about how hard they are working. I pay much more attention to such things now. On our recent cruise, I saw my husband pick up a glass someone else left near a deck chair and bring it to the bar on the serenity deck. He doesn't usually bring his own glass to the sink at home. I knew it was in response to conversations we have had about the book.

 

I am glad I read the first two books. Sadly, I haven't gotten to the third one yet.

[golfadj]

A sweat shop having difficulty finding employees? Not in the vast majority of the planet Earth, I assure you. Cruise ships are actually quite picky about who they hire and have several levels of screening before you get aboard. They turn folks away in droves.

 

I must say I enjoyed your first book and have been meaning to read your others.

 

Have spoken to quite a few crew members about what they do and most of them keep coming back for more.

 

If smart they save their money, work for a finite number of years and go home and invest in a business.

 

As a result why would anyone feel sorry for them?

[TullMan]

Working conditions aboard any sailing vessel have always been tough. I'm sure they complained in Mesopotamia about the conditions aboard Reed Boats. To not-cruise in protest only hurts the workers. Surely the wait/steward workers have it the worst. I always tip those a little extra on the last day and in private.

[pinkmaija]

I love all 3 of Brian's books....an interesting look into the industry, for sure - and it definitely makes me rethink the pre-set amount of tips when given excellent service.