Taking a crew member on an excursion?

[peety3]

What's the protocol for inviting/taking a crew member on an excursion? We made several friends aboard the Ruby in April/May, and are hoping to take one or more with us for excursions when we return in August.

 

Is it possible to call Princess and reserve a third seat on an excursion before boarding? The online excursion tools don't seem to allow more tickets than people in the cabin.

[donaldsc]

What's the protocol for inviting/taking a crew member on an excursion? We made several friends aboard the Ruby in April/May, and are hoping to take one or more with us for excursions when we return in August.

 

Is it possible to call Princess and reserve a third seat on an excursion before boarding? The online excursion tools don't seem to allow more tickets than people in the cabin.

 

Two points -

 

I doubt if you can

 

I really doubt if they really want to spend their off hours with you. They may be friendly with you but they are not your friends.

 

DON

[partybarbie]

The first problem that I can see is that just because the ship is in port, the crew doesn't automatically get shore leave.

 

Secondly, if a crew member does have shore leave, they do have the option of going on a Princess excursion. On several occasions, we've had crew members on our Princess excursions. Sometimes the crew member pays to go, and other times they go for a discounted price, or free, in exchange for helping out on the tour.

 

A better way to thank crew members, IMHO, is to leave them an extra tip or a gift of something you know that they want. For instance, we wanted to show our appreciation to the Captain's Circle hostess. I wouldn't feel comfortable tipping her, but she happened to mention that she liked this certain candy and that she wished she could go and buy some, but that she couldn't get off the ship that day. DH and I found the candy and bought it for her. She was quite happy and surprised to receive it.

[Shogun]

Hi

 

The biggest issue you will have is with them getting time off,

 

if every passenger wanted to be nice to a crew member, then there will

 

not be any crew left onboard,

 

Now I have spent many hours with crew,

 

the best way is to find out when they have time off, and simply invite

 

them to join you.

 

Most of the time I have spent is with senior crew, showing a Captain an interesting church for a couple of hours, or may be a local bar with a cruise director.

 

If you are talking bar staff or waiter then their time off is only measured in hours not long enough for a tour,

 

however if you go to hotel general manager and advise a crew member has gone above and beyond, I have seen them grant an extra hour or two time off to that crew member and advised the crew member why they were getting the time off, but it might be weeks before they get this.

 

The way I measure if they are friends is if they give you their mobile numbers or e mail etc with out asking and they ask you to keep in touch.

 

yours Shogun

[Potstech]

Have been on many an excursion with crew members. They all said they have limited time off and had to request days well in advance. They can not just leave when a passenger wants them too. Sometimes, due to their schedule, they do not get off the ship for several weeks. They are to be available 24/7 during the cruise and you will often see a crew member performing various tasks through out the ship.

[shredie]

Two points -

 

 

 

I doubt if you can

 

 

 

I really doubt if they really want to spend their off hours with you. They may be friendly with you but they are not your friends.

 

 

 

DON

 

 

I agree.

[OCruisers]

I agree.

 

I also agree with Don! ;)

 

LuLu

[cb at sea]

I thought it was against the rules for crew and staff to "mingle" with the passengers......

[Cruisin' Chick]

On our last cruise, one of the ship store workers was on the same excursion. I'm guessing as many have suggested above that they have to arrange for time off in a port that would allow an excursion (and hopefully they get a discount). I've also been on tenders with ship employees.

 

I would not impose on a crew member by asking them to accompany us in port for many of the reasons mentioned. But certainly filling out a "consummate host" and giving them a tip (in addition to the autotips) would certainly help them. Let them decide what they want to do on their time off. They don't often get days off (really it's more a shift or two off) so it must be extra special for them when they do.

[caribill]

On our last cruise' date=' one of the ship store workers was on the same excursion. I'm guessing as many have suggested above that they have to arrange for time off in a port that would allow an excursion (and hopefully they get a discount).

 

[/quote']

 

Princess often has staff on the excursions to help observe that the vendor is properly doing the excursion. My understanding is that eligible staff can volunteer to do this and a number of them will be selected. We have seen entertainment staff and shop staff on our excursions as the "observer."

 

Staff such as cabin stewards and restaurant personnel are probably not part of the staff allowed to participate.

[notentirelynormal]

I thought it was against the rules for crew and staff to "mingle" with the passengers......

 

They have rules for mingling on board but we have often taken crew on mini tours of Vancouver when we lived there. The Staff Captain was well aware of it and thought it a nice thing to do. We've taken crew members to our house even.

[skynight]

What's the protocol for inviting/taking a crew member on an excursion? We made several friends aboard the Ruby in April/May, and are hoping to take one or more with us for excursions when we return in August.

 

Is it possible to call Princess and reserve a third seat on an excursion before boarding? The online excursion tools don't seem to allow more tickets than people in the cabin.

]

 

What rank of crew member? Officer? Maybe they can get shore leave. Staff, like an entertainer, maybe they also can get shore leave. General crew like a bartender, room steward, waiter, unlikely they will have enough shore leave time to participate in an organized tour, and they may not even be allowed to do so. Why don't you contact the crew member to see, 1. if they will still be on board when you are on board, and 2. if they want to and are able to go along.

 

Suggestion: If you really wish to do something other than an extra tip for a crew member ask them if they are permitted to meet you on shore at some restaurant and pay for their lunch. Another suggestion, providing the crew member is an officer, is to ask them if they are able to obtain time off to dine with you at Sabatini's or the Crown Grill. Officers are allowed to dine in these restaurants. I have done this with a senior officer.

[johnmik1]

I thought it was against the rules for crew and staff to "mingle" with the passengers......

 

We once had our room steward invite us to a beach bar in Mexico.When we got there,he had about 15 other crew members there eating and drinking.I recognized many of the other crew at the table and we had a great time.When we were leaving I tried to sneak out and pay the tab but they saw me and would not allow it,as we were their guests.

[Colo Cruiser]

On our last cruise' date=' one of the ship store workers was on the same excursion. I'm guessing as many have suggested above that they have to arrange for time off in a port that would allow an excursion (and hopefully they get a discount). I've also been on tenders with ship employees.

 

I would not impose on a crew member by asking them to accompany us in port for many of the reasons mentioned. But certainly filling out a "consummate host" and giving them a tip (in addition to the autotips) would certainly help them. Let them decide what they want to do on their time off. They don't often get days off (really it's more a shift or two off) so it must be extra special for them when they do.[/quote']

 

Crewmembers can join excursions as escorts.

[Friscoonetwo]

Another point not mentioned, if you made these crew member friends in April/May on the Ruby, by August they may well be on another ship. Or their contract is up and they are back home for a while.

[peety3]

Another point not mentioned, if you made these crew member friends in April/May on the Ruby, by August they may well be on another ship. Or their contract is up and they are back home for a while.

One told us his contract was extended from September out to November, but we'd be safe in August either way. A second told us she'd be on until October. The third was our waiter on his final night of the contract, with a flight the next morning Seattle to Frankfurt and Frankfurt to Ukraine, but said he'd be returning to the ship late July.

 

We're in email contact with the first (he's getting a very personalized thank-you gift of 6 DVDs of our Alaska cruise photos and videos, hopefully delivered tomorrow), and I'll ask him to reach out to the second.

[shredie]

We're in email contact with the first (he's getting a very personalized thank-you gift of 6 DVDs of our Alaska cruise photos and videos, hopefully delivered tomorrow), and I'll ask him to reach out to the second.

 

 

I guess someone would appreciate the details of someone else's vacation, but I wonder if he will be remembering the hours he was working while you were not.

[peety3]

I guess someone would appreciate the details of someone else's vacation, but I wonder if he will be remembering the hours he was working while you were not.

He's one of the ship's officers. He noticed me waiting for an elevator and wanted to see what sort of photos we'd taken (trust me, I'm obvious: ). He asked where we'd be dining that night, and afterward we sat down to show him pictures from our previous cruise on our iPad. He had a genuine interest in our pictures, and reached out later in the cruise to provide us with a memorable experience aboard the ship. We felt that was worthy of a thank-you gift regardless of seeing him again.

[yukongold]

The first problem that I can see is that just because the ship is in port, the crew doesn't automatically get shore leave. Secondly, if a crew member does have shore leave, they do have the option of going on a Princess excursion. On several occasions, we've had crew members on our Princess excursions. Sometimes the crew member pays to go, and other times they go for a discounted price, or free, in exchange for helping out on the tour.

 

A better way to thank crew members, IMHO, is to leave them an extra tip or a gift of something you know that they want. For instance, we wanted to show our appreciation to the Captain's Circle hostess. I wouldn't feel comfortable tipping her, but she happened to mention that she liked this certain candy and that she wished she could go and buy some, but that she couldn't get off the ship that day. DH and I found the candy and bought it for her. She was quite happy and surprised to receive it.

 

I think that is really the germane point. I think only a limited number of crew members are off at any given port.

[melody hounddog]

 

We're in email contact with the first (he's getting a very personalized thank-you gift of 6 DVDs of our Alaska cruise photos and videos, hopefully delivered tomorrow), and I'll ask him to reach out to the second.

 

How nice of you! I hope you enjoy meeting up again with them. Please post back in August and let us know how it went. And if you can, maybe a picture of all of you?

[sammiedawg]

I've seen Princess run buses for crew members to see unique areas like the pyramids in Egypt. We love when we see crew members out and about but they probably need a break from us. Generally crew members do not fraternize with passengers and maintain a professional social distance. I agree the best gift is a cash tip.

[stoneharborlady]

No disrespect meant to the OP, or to crew members, but they work so hard waiting on passengers all day and night, I would not be at all surprised, or upset, if they wanted time to themselves on their few hours off. They truly deserve it.

[Sue Do-Over]

We've never invited staff/crew to join us, but we often ask where to go in a particular port. Casino staff, where we spend a lot of time, often know the ports well, as they get more free time on port days when the casino is closed.

 

A couple of times, they've volunteered the beach or bar where the group will be headed, and we've met up with them there.

 

If I were a cruise employee, especially one who makes tips directly, there's pressure to be friendly and maybe (maybe) a little flirtatious. It might be easy for a guest to misunderstand and think that the employee wanted a 'date'. Meeting up with a group somewhere can (help) ensure that the employee can leave when they want to, and not be stuck with a guest who wants more than they might be willing to give. Safety in numbers, safety in public, you know?

[peety3]

No disrespect meant to the OP, or to crew members, but they work so hard waiting on passengers all day and night, I would not be at all surprised, or upset, if they wanted time to themselves on their few hours off. They truly deserve it.

No disrespect taken, but holy cow, so many of you are so focused around the 17,000 reasons why the crew MIGHT not want to do it or MIGHT not be available to do it. I GET IT. We're going to OFFER, and if the crew member accepts, WE'LL DO IT. I'm just asking what the protocol is, which had hopefully meant that people who had done it could tell me how it worked for them (including how to book ship-sponsored excursions for more people than what's booked in our cabin).

 

All you negative nellies, I GET IT. Message received. Five square. Asked and answered.

[peety3]

If I were a cruise employee, especially one who makes tips directly, there's pressure to be friendly and maybe (maybe) a little flirtatious. It might be easy for a guest to misunderstand and think that the employee wanted a 'date'. Meeting up with a group somewhere can (help) ensure that the employee can leave when they want to, and not be stuck with a guest who wants more than they might be willing to give. Safety in numbers, safety in public, you know?

He's married. He's been doing this 30+ years. He asked for us to sit down with him and share some of our cruise photos with us. He seemed generally interested in seeing our photos from our April/May cruise, and asked us to stay in touch. He's not flirting with us. He enjoys photography and seeing Alaska. He mentioned that he'd hoped to spend a few weeks in Alaska after the cruise season, but that his contract was extended into November and now that wasn't possible.

 

We've done 3.5 Alaska cruises before (I only count the sampler as half), and therefore have sampled a variety of excursions already. We pick excursions that make for great photographic opportunities (did you look at the action shot of me that's linked a few posts up?) so we can bring home great memories. We're friendly people, wise in our ways yet willing to throw money at the fun of photography (often spending over $1,200 to RENT lenses and such that we don't have other good reason to own yet make great sense in Alaska). Long story short, we're the ones that crew probably WANTS to go on an excursion alongside.

 

But if he says no, he says no. I don't mind saving the money for something else.