Cabin Stewards Time Off in Port

[excitedofharpenden]

I have spoken to some of our cabin stewards who have never been on the islands (or country) the ship has stopped at many times. That is sad that they have never even been able to see the island except from the ship.

 

Maybe these stewards were in the minority and they are able to go ashore sometimes. I don't know. Does anyone know if cabin stewards are allowed time off to go ashore?

Having spoken to a number of crew members over the years this has been my experience too, although I would say the cabin stewards work such long hours that a lot of the time they don't seem to be that bothered in the seeing the sights, but rather just being able to stretch their legs for a bit onshore. It's usually only a couple of hours and they wouldn't really get to see much anyway. Also remember they are crew and may not be such enthusiastic travellers as the passengers!

 

Just as an aside, I thought this was a nice story. It's about Azamara rather than Celebrity, but all part of the same group. When I was on Quest earlier in the year there was talk amongst the Philippino crew of them looking forward to being in port at "home" in Manila. They were all going to be given time off there if they wanted it. Azamara laid this on for them all when they were there. A really nice touch:

 

http://ptc.com.ph/home/?page=news_flash&id=88

 

A happy crew is a good crew!

 

Phil

[excitedofharpenden]

BTW I never took your post as "grilling" the crew or anything else negative. I never think of the crew as my buddies, but it's good to show them a little time by talking to them and my experience is they are very happy to do it.

 

Phil

[Shining Clem]

When we were in Melbourne, AUS; one of our early stops was at a Post Office because we wanted to mail a package home. There, in very long, slow moving lines, we saw several crew members from Oceania's Regatta. (There were also lines for passports and other immigration type matters.)

 

One was a few parties behind us, and he was very nervously looking at his watch. We invited him to go ahead of us, thinking he needed to be back at the ship, but he declined. He was very shy when we saw him later on the ship and offered him a smile.

 

BTW, when people speak of the crew sending money back to their family, they also send items. Two of the items included in his arms, seemed to us to be items which he had obtained and were being sent home (children's shoes). We felt sad that the kids weren't having the chance to try them on to make sure they fit. Just another example of things we take for granted.

[Jenna109]

We have met a number of our staff in ports - either shopping, in bars or photographing the sites. Some, I must add, had much better cameras than me! Some are having a good time touring the world. Yes, they do work long hours and they deserve the nice cameras and a good time in port. Others will choose to stay on board through choice - perhaps they have been in those ports before many times and free time on board with fewer staff and passengers offers a great alternative.

As said earlier, do we worry what other people do in the service industry? So many assume cruise staff have a bad deal. Having travelled in the countries where they live I can assure you that life on cruise ships is much better. The ones who have the hard time are the families they leave behind.

[Vol fan]

BTW I never took your post as "grilling" the crew or anything else negative. I never think of the crew as my buddies, but it's good to show them a little time by talking to them and my experience is they are very happy to do it.

 

Phil

 

My daughter works in the service industry and tells stories of how people treat her and her co-workers and friends. It has made me much more aware of how I treat those in the service industry, regardless of their position. I just put myself in their shoes. Golden Rule and all, you know.

[Jenna109]

My daughter works in the service industry and tells stories of how people treat her and her co-workers and friends. It has made me much more aware of how I treat those in the service industry, regardless of their position. I just put myself in their shoes. Golden Rule and all, you know.

 

Totally agree with you. It is just called good manners and speaking/dealing with anyone as you wish to be spoken to yourself.

[lambcom]

I suspect that crew on a ship that spends the winter in the Caribbean making the same loop week after week have seen all they want of any of the ports and use their free time either for a) a quick swim b) the closest inexpensive internet cafe near the ship or c) getting a few extra hours sleep in their cabin.

 

The same would hold true in the Mediterranean.

 

George +

[phoenix_dream]

Spot on.

 

I also wonder how many are as concerned about the hotel 'help' and the lady that cleans their rooms for days on end, that may have two jobs working 18 hour days, and trying to feed kids at home. Do they socialize with the cleaning ladies at the Hyatt, Hilton, or Intercontinental, ask how they spend their off time and where they are from? Buy them little gifts? Even bother to leave a tip at all? :rolleyes:

I really don't think these are fair comparisons. On a cruise ship, you often spend a good amount of time in the company of certain crew members and get to know them somewhat as they do you. In a hotel, I always say hello to staff members I encounter but we rarely do anything but briefly cross paths. The longer the amount of time you spend with someone you are getting to know, the more likely you are to care about them. That's human nature. It doesn't mean you are nosy, are being disrespectful of their culture, or invading their privacy. There have been a number of crew members over the years that I still remember fondly to this day, and I have been on over 30 cruises. I do not consider them my BFF's, but they are human beings that I got to know to an extent and yes, I do (and did) care what happened to them. I think the OP took alot of flack for what seemed to me to be a commendable display of human consideration, not an interrogation or imposition. My opinion.

[Lois R]

Quote by Phoenix_Dream:

" I think the OP took alot of flack for what seemed to me to be a commendable display of human consideration, not an interrogation or imposition. My opinion".

 

Me too....I did not think they were trying to interrogate anyone:eek:

 

If asking my cabin attentant and/or waiter/and /or bartender a bit

about themselves makes me a bad person? Then I guess I am horrible:confused:

I try to get to know them at least a little bit throughout the week

or 10 days or however long I am on the ship. Just some human

kindess, nothing with any bad intentions behind it.

[Alg63]

Having been a housekeeping manager in hotels besides other positions, you do not know hor much it means for a maid to find a few $ under the pillow. So yes it is just as important on hotels if not more, because cruise staff have a tip pool, hotel staff do not.

 

And yes do leave it under the pillow because if the mini bar person...or housekeeping supervisor comes in before..the maid may not get it.

[Taxguy77]

These days of overcrowed DRs and overworked servers, you don't get to know many of the people who make your vacation above average. WE HAVE BOUGHT DRINKS FOR CREW WE KNEW, AND OUR FRIENDS DID TOO. [sORRY FOR SHOUTING, I think caplock was pushed by mistake.].

In the past, we have been told by our waiter that the line on the dock was more expensive but those in line did not have enough time off to go to town to XYZ cafe and call home for half price. That if we wanted X we should check YZstore and how to get there.

At a Margargitaville we saw a bar server and (girl)friends) have a number of drinks (Paid for by pax who recognized them, thank the Lord). My bill for 4 beers was the highest I had ever seen!

[gold1953]

We conversed with our cabin attendant and his assistant often. They get a couple of hours off on some days but said they wanted to sleep most days.. but also loved to get off the ship to breathe fresh air that was not from an air conditioner. We were not being rude , we just cared about them. On the last day we were thanked for being to friendly and caring about them. They said they did not feel like they were working when they cleaned out cabin!

[twosit]

I also believe the OP took a lot of flack on what seemed to me to be a simple question that was made out of concern.

 

I believe the cabin attendant and assistant have very little time off. There are definitely different "levels" of crew--some have more time "off" available to them then others. I think that the cabin steward and assistant come much lower on the scale than the waiters. As most of us have noticed, the staff seems to be stretched thin, waiters have more tables and cabin stewards have more rooms. I don't imagine there is much time available "after all their jobs are completed". Next time you are on the ship take a look at how many rooms they have to do and how long in the morning it takes them to get it done.

 

There is a reason why these ships are not US flagged. They have different standards then we do in the US.

 

Thanks for the tip on leaving the gratuity under the pillow in hotels--I always wondered about that.

[jacketwatch]

Same here. There was the intimation that the OP was grilling the crew members about their time off. Rather, I detected more than a little note of concern for them in her post (I guess I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt). I have found it to be the case that very often they start talking about this and similar topics themselves. I don't expect them to be my friends, but if they offer information like this in a conversation I certainly want to be friendly back.

 

I completely agree. I read no intent of grilling or prying into their business. The OP IMO was concerned in a positive way about them. Anyone who has cruised knows how hard they work so of course they need time off as well.

 

We have usually become friendly with the crew we meet and see how tough it is for them.

 

I think it's preferable to know them and their situations vs. knowing nothing at all.

[dmwnc1959]

I really don't think these are fair comparisons. On a cruise ship, you often spend a good amount of time in the company of certain crew members and get to know them somewhat as they do you.

 

I've only been on a few more cruises than you (45 so far with two more booked later this year and three next year) but in all of the cruises I have ever been on I have never spent time in the presence of crew (other than in the MDR) long enough to strike up a 'social' conversation with them. Even in the MDR there have been very, very, very few times I have engaged in 'small talk' with the waiters and waitstaff. I appreciate their hard work and what they are doing (and I let them know it repeatedly during the cruise), say 'Thank You' a lot, and mention them in my comment cards. I see my cabin steward maybe once a day (usually in the morning) but I still properly greet him/her in a gracious manner and always say 'Thank You' and mention them in my comment cards. I also don't spend time at ships bars, lounges, or other venues socializing with the staff behind the counters. I'm not being stand-offish to them, I just don't go out of my way to get to know them. And it's not that I don't care about them as humans or people. I just prefer to spend my vacation time with whatever friends I have made on board, quietly reading a book, enjoying some music, or quietly admiring the ocean views. But that's just me.

 

Some people just love to interact with the crew. Maybe it enhances their vacation. They make friends with the staff, have pictures taken with them, give them small gifts, and if they're lucky, see them again next year when they cruise again so they can do it all over again. That's just not me.

 

My next cruise in Nov/Dec is a B2B on the Allure of the Seas and Ruby Princess. I have no plans on socializing or getting to know the crew. Maybe that's my loss. But I will still show respect to them, greet them with a warm and friendly smile and a 'Hello!' or 'Good Morning!' every time, say THANK YOU and mean it, tip them at the end of the cruise more than what is recommended, and mention them in my comment card. As I leave the ship and the next 6000 people come on board I couldn't care less if the crew remembered me or my name, as long as I know that I treated them with respect and dignity. But that's just me.

 

.

[CaptData]

I was on a B2B and had written excellent with his name mentioned. On an island on the second half he told me that due to the reviews he had gotten the last week he was on a crew excursion to Atlantis. Tour including a swim in the ruins. We paid over $100.00/per person for this excursion. This was his reward. They went in the morning and his asst had to cover for him. It was great to see him there swimming and having fun. It did cost him a bit but not near what it cost us. When we got back we told him we seen him and waved. He said he enjoyed it. When I found out what it cost him, my reward at the end of the cruise was the amount he had paid for the trip (over and above the normal tip). He hugged me.

[Charles4515]

[quote name='dmwnc1959']

Some people just [i]love[/i] to interact with the crew. Maybe it enhances their vacation. They make friends with the staff, have pictures taken with them, give them small gifts, and if they're lucky, see them again next year when they cruise again so they can do it all over again. That's just not me.

[/QUOTE]

We are all different and so is the crew. I do what comes naturally as far as interaction. Sometimes had quite a bit of interaction. Sometimes none. I would not worry about it or think about it.