Working for RCI?

[mrsdoc3]

The crew members who work the hardest are the deck hands...these guys are behind the scenes and make sure things on the ship are running properly and that the ship is being maintained. Usually they do things that no other person would want to deal with such as garbage, sewer systems, etc.We call them blue boys because they wear blue coveralls. I give them so much respect. The crew members who work the least but get so much praise are the RCL singers and dancers and musicians. They don't work at all except their shows and tech runs. They have so much time off because they have different contracts. Usually since they have so much time off, they will help out the port and shopping guide or art auctioneer to make extra money.

 

I was on Navigator this past December on a cruise that was immediately after a noro outbreak. We were not allowed to serve ourselves in the buffet, and the "blue boys" were up there helping to serve some of the food. They had the biggest grins on their faces, I guess because they finally got to appreciate doing work that was different from their usual duties. I hoped that some guest contact was also part of the reason for their smiles.

 

Also, one of the musicians was our muster master. We also saw him several times serving in the buffet.

[catrick]

My Aunt and "now" Uncle-n-law worked for RCCL for approx. 13 years for her and 20 years for him. He was a chief engineer and she was the secretary to the captain. We went on a couple cruises with them while they were on board working. They got married and retired from RCCL but that's another story :-). We were able to tour the employee areas and their cabins are extremely tiny! My uncle's cabin though since he was the chief engineer was HUGE and had an amazing balcony, I can only imagine what the captain's cabin is like :-)

[chengkp75]

My Aunt and "now" Uncle-n-law worked for RCCL for approx. 13 years for her and 20 years for him. He was a chief engineer and she was the secretary to the captain. We went on a couple cruises with them while they were on board working. They got married and retired from RCCL but that's another story :-). We were able to tour the employee areas and their cabins are extremely tiny! My uncle's cabin though since he was the chief engineer was HUGE and had an amazing balcony, I can only imagine what the captain's cabin is like :-)

 

Actually, Captains and Chiefs have reciprocity agreements, so the Captain's cabin is not much larger than the Chief's. While Captain/Chief cabins on cruise ships are nice, on many cargo ships they are even larger, as the entire deck below the bridge is often occupied only by the Captain and Chief. But balconies are very hard to find! Other officer cabins, and all crew cabins on cargo ships are much larger than on cruise ships. It's one of the problems that NCL has attracting officers to the POA.

[BearBear69]

I ended up ordering 3 of the books recommended as fun reading on this thread...THANK YOU!!!

 

I ordered them through Barnes and Noble...mailed to my house. The one I still cant get my hands on is "Ship for Brains".....ha ha ha ha ha laughing still at that ingenious title!:D

 

The B and N ordering clerk was busting up laughing at that title also! Apparently it is only printed when its ordered and they couldnt find out how. I will now try Amazon.com

[scorpluvsdolphins]

Thanks for the video!

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

My wife used to work for RCI. She had a few contracts on the Majesty and then the Brilliance. After Uni she decided to go travelling and thought cruise ships would be interesting place to start. She worked in the shops selling perfume. I think she chose this as they are closed when in port so she would have free time to explore the ports. But as others have said when you are working the hours can be long.

 

She has also mentioned a below decks alternative economy. In the perfume store they used to receive various promotional items that they would not put out for customers and would basically trade with other crew members. Security would get some perfume and the parties they had would last a little longer before being shut down, some bar staff would get perfume and amazingly additional booze would appear for various parties etc ....

 

It was hard work but she loved the time she spent on the ship and made some great friends from around the world.

 

I wonder if I've met your wife! I've sailed on Majesty many times for years (starting in 1998) and always bought my favorite perfume onboard. Funny :)

[stretchcruz]

Go on Brian David Bruns Facebook or Twitter he may have a link to order. I'm riding in the car or I would have checked.

[BearBear69]

THANKS...never thought of that :)

[MikeBayAreaCa]

My son was offered a job as a sound technician on RCI, but decided to finish school first. He would have been able to get us some discounts so I encouraged him in a tongue in cheek way. I think he made the right decision.

[freddy07043]

I was on Navigator this past December on a cruise that was immediately after a noro outbreak. We were not allowed to serve ourselves in the buffet, and the "blue boys" were up there helping to serve some of the food. They had the biggest grins on their faces, I guess because they finally got to appreciate doing work that was different from their usual duties. I hoped that some guest contact was also part of the reason for their smiles.

 

Also, one of the musicians was our muster master. We also saw him several times serving in the buffet.

 

Yes the "Blue Boys" are always smiling and happy. We actually call them the smurfs on board because they were so hard and are always joking around and laughing. So yes a change in environment for them and interacting with guests was probably good.

On another note, when the norovirus outbreak spreads on board, it is so hard to contain and hell for the crew and inconvenient for the guests. Our hours probably double since every area has to be sanitized...even in the kid's center, the smallest thing like a crayon has to be wiped down. Very tedious work! lol!

As far as the Captain's room and Chief engineers rooms...they are HUGE! On the Voyager class, the chief engineer has a living room probably the size of a regular stateroom, then a separate bedroom and a bathroom with a tub. The captain has even a larger space and dining area. When I worked on the Serenade, the captain used to invite crew who got service awards up for cocktails and finger food in his room. That room was smaller in size but still was very nice. What's funny is when you go back to your room with a bunkbed, it feels like you compare your room to the captain's walk in closet. lol!

[freddy07043]

My son was offered a job as a sound technician on RCI, but decided to finish school first. He would have been able to get us some discounts so I encouraged him in a tongue in cheek way. I think he made the right decision.

 

Its smart for him to get his degree first. The sound technician job will always be there..so he made the right move. The discounts are a nice perk for family members. lol!

[chengkp75]

Its smart for him to get his degree first. The sound technician job will always be there..so he made the right move. The discounts are a nice perk for family members. lol!

 

Quite right, Freddy. My son is a grip & electric hand on TV and commercials, but he was smart enough to get his degree, so that his horizons are not limited.

 

When I was at NCL, depending on when we booked, we could get the cruise for just the port taxes and fees, really nice. I took my wife, SIL and MIL on a cruise that I wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise. (Sorry all Diamond and Platinum members). We also would let the ship know we were there, and the CD that I had worked with before, and they gave us some extra perks as well! Really, for a US worker on cruise ships, probably the best employment perk that is offered.

[hollon]

I don't personally know anyone who has worked on a ship, but Brian David Bruns did and he wrote a couple books about the experience. I've read them and as an avid cruiser, I find them very compelling.

 

It definitely changed my attitude toward the staff. Not that I was ever nasty or overly demanding, but I certainly have a new found understanding of the life they live on board.

 

http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=cruise+confidential&ugrp=2

 

I thought I'd pick up some of his books, but looks like there is more than two, what two did you like and have you read the others about cruising?

[stretchcruz]

Cruise Confidential and Ship for Brains (cruse confidential part 2) were good, as was Unsinkable Mister Brown. The latter is more of a love story with he and his future wife, who worked on ships too.

[hollon]

Cruise Confidential and Ship for Brains (cruse confidential part 2) were good, as was Unsinkable Mister Brown. The latter is more of a love story with he and his future wife, who worked on ships too.

 

thanks, is there a vol 1 or 2 for ship for brains - which is better?

[stretchcruz]

They are both cruise confidential , ship for brains cc vol 2. I would read them in order , enjoyed them both

[dwjoe]

Great thread!

 

Thanks to cheng and freddy for posting their onboard experiences. I really enjoyed reading about them!