Ship officers and staff

[OctoberKat]

Then there's the entitlement issue. With regard to dining with officers, it's my understanding that this is a perk dispensed according to dollars spent and / or loyalty level. Sure, there might be some random agency at play* but, in the main, it's a perk which means "earned" by one means or another. A perk some welcome and others don't (remember the aforecited nuts).

 

I'm open to meeting and greeting officers at various functions, just as I would meet anyone aboard.

 

*it feels necessary when posting in this forum to account for each and every eventuality because, if you don't, this will be used as evidence to prove how very wrong you are. Thus, if it happened once to someone else, then your post is nullified. Alternatively, if it happened to one but not to another, then your post is in error and whatever it is never happened. This is known as "lose-lose." Thus I remind myself that consistency is bothe a learned and learned trait much to be desired. Two salient meanings of "learned."

Edited April 25, 2015 by OctoberKat

[Pam]

Kat, you are funny; I like you.

 

I have no clue who on this forum has dined with officers and who hasn't. We did, with the Hotel Director (I think the title has changed since then) twice; it actually happened to be the same person both times. He was funny, we enjoyed him, but if we hadn't it would have been just fine. We were invited ONE TIME to dine with the captain; that time we had decided to skip formal night (that was when they still had them) and hadn't taken the proper clothing. I hated to miss that one, the captain was a charming guy who lived part time in France and part time in S. Africa. He was forced to retire soon after that, because of age. I have a really funny, long-winded story about him that I will spare you from.

 

If somebody cares enough to go back through my posts to prove me wrong about something, more power to them.

[OctoberKat]

Heh, Pam, I like your nougat.

[JMARINER]

Kat, you are funny; I like you.

 

..... the captain was a charming guy who lived part time in France and part time in S. Africa. He was forced to retire soon after that, because of age. I have a really funny, long-winded story about him that I will spare you from.

 

.........

 

 

I want to hear your story. Was it the Captain that spoke like Maurice Chevalier?

 

j

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I know fondly of both captains to whom you are speaking.

 

Captain Knute was quite the delight to dine with. He was required to retire when Radisson was purchased by PCH - The contract for Vships ran out and he was their employee. Our travel agent had several group cruises each year and one night of her groups we often dined with officers. It was not elitist then - we all traveled as a group and we all just went in together usually after a R sponsored cocktail party. Those were the golden age of Radisson/Regent Cruising days.

[Travelcat2]

I know fondly of both captains to whom you are speaking.

 

Captain Knute was quite the delight to dine with. He was required to retire when Radisson was purchased by PCH - The contract for Vships ran out and he was their employee. Our travel agent had several group cruises each year and one night of her groups we often dined with officers. It was not elitist then - we all traveled as a group and we all just went in together usually after a R sponsored cocktail party. Those were the golden age of Radisson/Regent Cruising days.

 

Things have not really changed in terms of the TA's group cruises and dining with officers. As you know, this continues. It was not elitist then and it is not elitist now. What I do find interesting is the reaction of people on the Regent board to this very common practice. If you read the Crystal board or Silversea board, posters talk about their dinners, friendships, etc. with officers and crew. People post photos on CC of their special dinners with different members of the crew. It is no big deal there but it is here.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Things have not really changed in terms of the TA's group cruises and dining with officers. As you know, this continues. It was not elitist then and it is not elitist now. What I do find interesting is the reaction of people on the Regent board to this very common practice. If you read the Crystal board or Silversea board, posters talk about their dinners, friendships, etc. with officers and crew. People post photos on CC of their special dinners with different members of the crew. It is no big deal there but it is here.

 

Yes - it is different - the line is not the same, the people have mostly moved on and are not cruising Regent. It has taken a different tone. The comraderie that was is no longer. And the tone on the board has changed. Few of those people post here mostly due to the tone of the board here.

[pingpong1]

ChatKat - Could it also be that the people who used to cruise on Regent, and post on this board, are no longer with us - as in, they have gone on to the "great reward" or have perhaps reached an age where they simply cannot cruise anymore? Just wondering.

[Pam]

ChatKat (there are too many Kats), I wasn't talking about Captain Knute; I never met him. The funny captain was a young man whose first and last names sounded almost the same; he was injured in a motorcycle accident, and I don't know if he came back to the ships or not (we met him on Navigator). The older captain, I don't remember his name right now either, but JMARINER is probably thinking about the same one.

 

We were in the Grand Suite (really NICE double upgrade from Seven Seas Aft) on Mariner, so our balcony was directly beside the "wing" of the bridge. We were in one of the Mexican ports, the one that is a working shipyard, and you had at that time to ride a tram thing from the ship to the gate. It was time to sail, but the gangplank was still out, so I walked out onto the balcony. There were several people out, obviously waiting to put the gangplank in, and we waited. The captain was out on his "wing", and we waited. After a bit, the tram came flying across the yard, a couple jumped off it and ran up the gangplank. The captain looked at me, grinned, and kind of slapped the railing, like "well, dang it, there goes my fun". Which is probably why we got the invitation to dine, that we couldn't accept.

[diebroke]

There was no (zero, zip, zilch) clotted cream aboard Navigator on my cruise of January 27 - February 6, 2015.

 

You forgot, you weren't supposed to care.

 

BTW, most Americans do not know the difference between clotted cream and whipped cream. Even my very proper British husband accepts the whipped cream provided on ships without criticism as he understands what they are dealing with in terms of keeping things fresh on a cruise ship.

[Travelcat2]

You forgot, you weren't supposed to care.

 

Although this is probably the most off-topic post on this thread, it reminded me of the post that stated that there was no clotted cream on board. It was a convincing post -- I questioned myself and believed that Regent may not provide clotted cream for their scones. Not sure what your comment means but I learned to trust my memory rather than what I read. In addition to seeing clotted cream on our cruise, I asked about it and was told that it has always been available on all ships.

[LoonCall]

Or does anyone else not understand the point of the OP?

 

I personally don't care to mingle or dine with the staff or officers, that's not say I haven't enjoyed many pleasant encounters with them. However, as far as I'm concerned if a passenger would like to dine with the officers, so be it. I posit people do it for all sorts of reasons; from the conviviality of it to genuine interest as to who is "at the helm" to yes - the bragging rights of having dined with the captain. This last one is akin to those who boast, either subtly or not so, about their suite selections, hotels, possessions, etc. I steer clear of these boors onboard and thankfully on CC have found the ignore button.

[LoonCall]

Although this is probably the most off-topic post on this thread, it reminded me of the post that stated that there was no clotted cream on board. It was a convincing post -- I questioned myself and believed that Regent may not provide clotted cream for their scones. Not sure what your comment means but I learned to trust my memory rather than what I read. In addition to seeing clotted cream on our cruise, I asked about it and was told that it has always been available on all ships.

 

Agreed TC2, from my experience there has always been clotted cream at tea.

[ChatKat in Ca.]

As to the original post's mission: If you repeatedly sail the same ships, and even when you do not socialize with the ship's crew and officer's, you do notice a difference in the service and staff morale due to different leadership styles from the Captain down. Same with the Cruise Director. Their own personal style changes the onboard activites and your on board experience.

[NJBelle]

The only staff person we care about is the Chef - and that is because we dine with him/her every night.

[OctoberKat]

The only staff person we care about is the Chef - and that is because we dine with him/her every night.

 

Hah, you got that right.

[Travelcat2]

As to the original post's mission: If you repeatedly sail the same ships, and even when you do not socialize with the ship's crew and officer's, you do notice a difference in the service and staff morale due to different leadership styles from the Captain down. Same with the Cruise Director. Their own personal style changes the onboard activites and your on board experience.

 

You are so right. I'm sure you remember when Capt. Dag was on the Voyager. He had a following that was amazing. Some Seabourn passengers still book a cruise specifically because he will be the Captain. Sadly, he no longer takes passengers to his hometown. Sorry that I missed that.

[OctoberKat]

Cruising encompasses all sorts of us with many different perspectives which is why I started this thread. I've seen many queries and discussions here in the Regent forum about officers and staff on voyages. I wondered about the apparent interest and sometimes fervor over this phenomenon. I'm curious and could not help wanting to know what this is about since my own reaction to the notion is of the when-hell-freezes-over sort.

 

Jim and I cruised together for the first time in January aboard Regent Navigator to the Western Caribbean, a test to see how we fared. It was pleasant and restorative. Our cruising future isn't an open window, ours is a limited outlook. I envy those who have been cruising for years. That is not our lot so we are focused on maximizing our opportunities. Thus, yes, top suites, better wine and the best we can arrange including fab hotels. No apologies therefore.

 

As to the officer/staff issue, as short-timers, we couldn't see the point yet we see now there are reasons benign; and appreciate the correction.

 

Likewise, I note there is sufficient cause to confirm the currying of favors amongst some.

[TrulyBlonde]

Happy Sailing OctoberKat! I hope you enjoy many many cruises and remember, how you cruise is your choice. We certainly are going to spend it and whatever is left for the kids, so be it :)

[Pam]

And Captain Dag was the one who struck me as very cold and distant when we sailed Voyager in the British Isles. He and Jamie Logan, and a couple of other members of the staff had their group of cohorts and they all "traveled" together on the ship. Dana Logan was the only one of that trio who was friendly, and she was incredible.

 

/lane swerve/ TC, OctoberKat said there was no clotted cream on her cruise. /swerve back/

[Travelcat2]

And Captain Dag was the one who struck me as very cold and distant when we sailed Voyager in the British Isles. He and Jamie Logan, and a couple of other members of the staff had their group of cohorts and they all "traveled" together on the ship. Dana Logan was the only one of that trio who was friendly, and she was incredible.

 

/lane swerve/ TC, OctoberKat said there was no clotted cream on her cruise. /swerve back/

 

We didn't know Capt. Dag but did sail with him. A lot of people I know love him. The stories about his hometown visits were amazing. After 20 cruises, we have yet to sail with Jamie and Dana Logan. My "dream team" no longer exists. Capt. McNeil retired and Paul Reynolds jumped ship to Viking Ocean. IMO, Regent needs to hire some really good C.D.'s.

 

When officers do not engage the guests, it does not feel like the "Regent Experience" that so many guests enjoy. Even if you don't want to mingle with the staff, having them available and friendly is important. For instance, on Regent, you can walk into the G.M.'s office anytime. On Oceania, his office is hidden. It is a very different atmosphere than Regent.

[Gilly]

Pam, this was exactly our experience too. There was a small group who took over the pool deck (and sometimes, the pool too) at lunchtime - Captain Dag, Jamie Logan and their friends. As it was our first Regent cruise, we had no idea who these people were and felt totally excluded. Though my dh thinks highly of JL as a CD, I'm afraid I have never quite got over that boys' club concept they kindled and thankfully (IMHO) the Captain left Regent shortly afterwards.

 

I'm pretty relaxed about which officers are on board, though agree that they can influence the general atmosphere of a cruise. I have, however, reached the conclusion that the attributes of a great cruise director are at odds with the qualities I admire in a person and as a result, I am likely to take against the kind of person who is perfectly suited to the role! That's my problem, not theirs ;-)

 

We just received the latest issue of Regent Times, the magazine for UK SSS members and in there is a list of Officers from April until August. I know there are some who'd like to know what's what, so I uploaded it here http://*******/1JLDVu6

 

(hmm....looks like CC doesn't want to include the full url.....it should have bit<dot>ly instead of those asterisks)

 

(hope that works)

Edited April 27, 2015 by Gilly
Adding the url correction

[Travelcat2]

Gilly - thanks for trying. Unfortunately, I could not get it to work. It is strange that Regent apparently prefers that Regent guests in North America not have this information. It is especially odd since it is provided for Oceania guests.

 

I've tried to figure out who will be where and it isn't easy because Regent changes assignments with very short notice. Once a Captain, G.M. or C.D. is on board, they are typically on for 4 months while servers are onboard for 8 months (this isn't written in stone and often changes). Many people we spoke with on the Mariner are going to the Voyager for their next assignment. Interestingly, many prefer the Voyager because of her itineraries in Asia. When I think about it, the Alaska itineraries can get boring quickly (to some extent the same can be said for the Caribbean). We did not realize what a challenge parts of South America can be in terms of getting fresh food on board (particularly Brazil).

 

I don't believe that anyone would cancel or not book a cruise due to the officers that are onboard however, the crew - particularly officers - do make a difference.

[computerworks]

Gilly... I decoded the link, but... your album is Private. :o

[JMARINER]

Gilly... I decoded the link, but... your album is Private. :o

 

Gilly, go to your google gmail photo page and mark the permissions as public. Click on your host page and the the + in the upper left to open the permission box. Set to pubic. Also you do not need to post a "tiny" or "bitly" url. Just use the hyperlink icon in the CC edit. It is the icon just below the white smiley face above.

 

Here is your link

 

j