Breakaway Smiles

[kylenyc]

A recent poster wrote she had been reading many negative comments about the Breakaway crew while she found the staff to be "friendly enough", Guest Services "wonderful", and wait staff "attentive and sweet". So, I thought I'd post a collage of just some of many friendly crew I met and got to know on just one vacation aboard the Breakaway. Many more smiles I didn't take pictures of... Like my excellent cabin steward Winston, Cruise Director Julie, Hostess Meaghan, and so many more.

 

If that's not a smile you see, then I gather it's a look of hard work, concentration, and determination to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. Try catching them on those rare occasions when they get a breather, say hello, get to know them, and I think you'll find most to be warm and friendly and the best of Norwegian's fleet.

 

[Nalagh]

What great pictures of Ben with happy Crew! :D

[misterm32]

I like the whole concept of Ben.

I always read your posts with a smile.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[Keith1010]

Very nice.

 

Keith

[Cruisegirl6]

Nice but nobody smiled at us anywhere on the ship, in fact we thought there was a no passenger staff interaction rule.... We also didn't get any nice conversation hello, good bye nothing only from August in O'Sheehans because I gave him a few cash bills (20's).

 

Of course if I wanted to take a photo of the staff and asked them if it were ok Im sure they would of smiled. Its natural somebody taking a photo of you one will smile.

[kylenyc]

@Nalagh - Thanks! Brings back fond memories.

 

@misterm32 - Thanks for making Ben smile :)

 

@Keith1010 - Thanks Keith.

 

@lyndamr - Hummm... Those smiles look rather genuine to me. :rolleyes: And why would you go out of your way to tip someone who wasn't friendly and smiling toward you. Sorry you had a poor experience but mine was clearly different. Jelyrose, Carlos, Mary Lou, Dhruv, Maurice, Leonara, Serge, Oddiemar... Ben knows most by name and they always said hello and smiled pre-picture. Many of those pictures I took after I met and got to know them, and had to hunt them down to take a picture to remember them by.

[www3traveler]

Thank You, you have made my day.

[sjnyc323]

You know it's a new ship and crew are getting used to it. Maybe you shouldn't be so hard on them. Also you say they didn't smile at you but did you engage in conversation with them? That's what I always do. Ask about where they come from and about their families. I treat the crew and staff like family and always have wonderful experiences

 

 

Suzanne

[smokeesdad]

BRAVO to you!! Thank you ... A comment I had posted in one of my replies was it only takes a moment for the individual person to offer a "hello" or smile and not wait for the crew to do so.

 

Everyone we encountered was friendly!

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

[sailingnut]

I always make conversation with them but of course I happen to be very friendly!:)

[sjnyc323]

BRAVO to you!! Thank you ... A comment I had posted in one of my replies was it only takes a moment for the individual person to offer a "hello" or smile and not wait for the crew to do so.

 

Everyone we encountered was friendly!

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

 

I agree. I give the staff and crew a lot of credit. They are away from their families between 4 and 9 months depending on their positions and I always like speaking with them as a friend and extended family member not just a waitress or whatever. It's just as easy for a guest to make the first gesture of hospitality as well as the crew member but that's my opinion

 

Suzanne

[Cruisegirl6]

kylenyc O'Sheehans was next to the casino where my other half plays so its the closest bar I can get my drinks and went there the most. We usually do tip extra to somebody we use most. We had the UBP and I felt because I used him most he deserved more of a tip.

Yes, the smiles are genuine, but if I had a bad day and not smiling and somebody took a photo of me I put on a great big smile regardless of how I feel....think we all would.

 

Oh at the guest services they did smile and engage in conversation have to say that. :)

 

sjnyc yes we tried but we found many asking us over and over what we had ordered, for instance a few times this happened to my other half, he would order a jack daniels and soda water, but to have them repeat what he asked for 2-3 times and then few times he was given Johnny Walker and even Scotch...never had this happened to us on other cruise lines, and it happened at the atrium bar twice as well as the Mix bar I believe it was at near Cagneys and Moderno. Our experiences especially on RC were to engage in conversations, say hello, etc. We always find friendly staff on RC even Carnival but this staff seemed distant. Maybe they need more time to get used to things....

 

We also tried to make some conversation only to find them looking at us like they not understanding, we truly feel part of the problem is they are not fluent speaking English.

[camz]

I have found that if you just smile, nod and say Hello, you will get a warm response for any of the crew. It doesn't matter what the language barrier may be with these simple gestures. Just my observation........ :D

[sjnyc323]

I never encountered a staff or crew member that didn't speak English. In fact I am positive it is a pre requisite that crew speak fluent English. In fact many crew members speak several languages with English always one of them or so I assumed. I can't believe NCL would hire bartenders and waiters that do not understand English as they wouldn't hire a Hotel Director who didn't speak English either. Accents are a different matter but even with an accent I sure understand them when they speak English to me.

[kylenyc]

@Suzanne - Well said.

 

@smokeesdad - Thanks. Love the smiles. They are infectious.

 

@sailingnut - Thanks. Glad to hear that too. Everyone I got to know were very friendly.

 

@www3traveler - Thanks! :)

 

@ lyndamr - Hmmm that's interesting. I see where your coming from. Not all the bar staff are perfect and I always make it a point to find a bar where I'm comfortable (and bartender who serves the best drinks :p). I expect a certain level of service... Napkins placed under drinks whether you ordered them or not, a polite smile whether you are ordering a drink UBP or not, or just asking for a cup of water, etc. I remember the one time that I was at O'Sheehan's on the bar-side with a group of friends, we found the service lacking from the get go, but as Suzanne said ... new ship, new routine, doing it day in and day out for months around the clock, and not just learning one new routine. Crew can be moved to different assignments wherever and whenever there is a need and they may have to learn a new routine that very day. Leanora is hosting Shanghai's during lunch one day, O'Sheehan's another, then Restaurant Reservations then Manhattan, who knows what else. Meaghan is hosting solo travelers at 9 am in Atrium, general activities during the day, the solo gathering at night 5 pm, performing in the 80s party at 10 pm... do the math! :eek:

 

The one time having lunch at the restaurant-side of O'Sheehans was very nice. Needless to say, I hung around where I was most comfortable which was Maltings. P.S. I don't ask people who I'm uncomfortable or unfamiliar with for pictures... with the exception of Kevin cuz he's the big cheese, time is valuable, and many folks where lined up to meet him and tell him how to run a cruise line :p.

[david_sobe]

Love it

The photo with Kevin Sheehan is so cool! :)

[Nalagh]

Smiles are contagious, just saying. :D

[beachmonkey]

OP...Thanks for posting the pictures and comments. We were on the first Bermuda sailing and found everyone to be extremely friendly. I also noted to Smokeesdad that it is amazing that you never see the crew just standing around, chatting, etc. The crew always seems to work so well as a team too. Try finding that kind of attitude anywhere else.

 

Thank you to the wonderful Breakaway staff...including...Ruth Haggar, Dennis (Casino wait staff), Raluca Udrea, Jose Marena, Denis Pruguda, Etienne Saladin, and Julie Valeriote!!! You made us feel like family...well, actually better than family ;)

[Cruisegirl6]

I wonder if having the UBP is why we didn't get such friendly service?

[sjnyc323]

I wonder if having the UBP is why we didn't get such friendly service?

 

I hope not that would be awful. You paid good money for that package. What is it $56 per day per person? It's not cheap

[johnjovi]

Try catching them on those rare occasions when they get a breather, say hello, get to know them, and I think you'll find most to be warm and friendly and the best of Norwegian's fleet.

 

Kyle - love this post! Having sailed with you previously, I am confident that the smiles you receive are genuine - because you are a very nice, friendly, respectful, and funny person - exactly the type of passenger the crew loves to not only smile at - but to talk to, laugh with and get to know.

 

Granted, I have sailed NCL 18 times - so my partner and I know A LOT of crew members - but we don't just get smiles and hellos from crew members we met previously (although we do get a tremendous amount of hugs each sailing) -we get them from most crew.

 

I am confident that how we as passengers carry ourselves and interact with the crew goes a very long way.

 

One other point - talking with several crew members (as we spent a collective many hours doing over the week) - we did pick up on a theme of how "hard" it is to work on such a large ship. The distance they have to walk between their cabin and work area is very long in most cases. The servers in the Manhattan have to take an escalator to/from a HUGE galley on deck 6. AND they are still getting to know their way around their work areas - yes, NCL picked "the best of the best" (although each crew we mentioned that too dismissed it - I think NCL saying that puts even more pressure on them) - but the layout of the ship and the workflows still need to be established.

 

My last paragraph doesn't excuse POOR service (which we never received), but it may help to shed some light on what else the Breakaway crew is dealing with as this ship settles into the fleet.

 

:D

[Cruisegirl6]

Im not sure what they get for the tips how they distribute them....

[smokeesdad]

Jlstilp ...

I totally agree with you. If only a lot of people had seen the making of the Epic that was on TV a few years ago ... So much goes on behind the scenes. And I also agree with you ... it's the way you put yourself out there.

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

[kylenyc]

Try catching them on those rare occasions when they get a breather, say hello, get to know them, and I think you'll find most to be warm and friendly and the best of Norwegian's fleet.

 

Kyle - love this post! Having sailed with you previously, I am confident that the smiles you receive are genuine - because you are a very nice, friendly, respectful, and funny person - exactly the type of passenger the crew loves to not only smile at - but to talk to, laugh with and get to know.

 

Granted, I have sailed NCL 18 times - so my partner and I know A LOT of crew members - but we don't just get smiles and hellos from crew members we met previously (although we do get a tremendous amount of hugs each sailing) -we get them from most crew.

 

I am confident that how we as passengers carry ourselves and interact with the crew goes a very long way.

 

One other point - talking with several crew members (as we spent a collective many hours doing over the week) - we did pick up on a theme of how "hard" it is to work on such a large ship. The distance they have to walk between their cabin and work area is very long in most cases. The servers in the Manhattan have to take an escalator to/from a HUGE galley on deck 6. AND they are still getting to know their way around their work areas - yes, NCL picked "the best of the best" (although each crew we mentioned that too dismissed it - I think NCL saying that puts even more pressure on them) - but the layout of the ship and the workflows still need to be established.

 

My last paragraph doesn't excuse POOR service (which we never received), but it may help to shed some light on what else the Breakaway crew is dealing with as this ship settles into the fleet.

 

:D

:o Awww geez thanks. You guys are awesome too and no doubt why you get hugs from the crew. Woohoo! I CAN'T WAIT to cruise with you, Jovi, and Linda again. Last time was a real blast and we had such a fun roll call, and couldn't have done the cabin crawl without you.

 

 

Jlstilp ...

I totally agree with you. If only a lot of people had seen the making of the Epic that was on TV a few years ago ... So much goes on behind the scenes. And I also agree with you ... it's the way you put yourself out there.

Love that show and CNBC's Cruise Inc. I love watching ever so often to get psyched up for a cruise and real appreciation for what they do every day of the week for months at a time. If I didn't get my beauty sleep every night and weekends off I'd more than stop smiling I'd be down right ornery :p

[sjnyc323]

Kyle International HugFest on BA 9/8/13

 

Suzanne