Crew conditions

[Alanxx]

Do the crew have a bar,a club,a swimming pool etc.Do the entertainers also entertain the crew.How much is a beer or a packet of cigarettes for the crew.What happens if they are I'll.Do they see the ship's doctor.Do they have to pay.Do they have a canteen.Do married members share a cabin etc etc

No ulteria motive.I am just interested

[Pennbank]

Do the crew have a bar,a club,a swimming pool etc.Do the entertainers also entertain the crew.How much is a beer or a packet of cigarettes for the crew.What happens if they are I'll.Do they see the ship's doctor.Do they have to pay.Do they have a canteen.Do married members share a cabin etc etc

No ulteria motive.I am just interested

 

You may be interested in reading this

http://wearecunard.com/2012/11/cunards-behind-the-scenes-ship-tour/

 

The Cunard crew have a Bar called The Pig and Whistle

When crew are ill Yes they see the doctor and do not pay,.

Yes They have a canteen as do the Officers who have their ward room.

Some staff are allowed to eat in The Lido/Kings Court.

Yes Married members share a cabin.,

Don't think Cunard ships have staff Pool or Jacuzzi like other ships do for staff. Bt they do have their own outside deck space.

Edited March 11, 2017 by Pennbank

[Lilydes]

They have a small pool on Queen Victoria, so I assume it's the same on Queen Elizabeth. I know their bar drinks are lower than standard bar/pub prices. From what I've heard from various crew members over the years, you need the stamina of an ox and be able to function on very little sleep. All crew departments like to play very hard.

[BigMac1953]

Our daughter spent the best part of a year as the principal female Headliner on the Ventura, where the rules are the same as Cunard.

 

She had officer status and that entitled her to dine in the canteen or ward room. She could also use any other restaurant as she please providing she was appropriately dressed and wearing her name tag.

 

The crew have a 2 drink limit per day as they must respond to any crew alerts at any time.

 

In the public bars she had a 40% staff discount, with the exception of champagne. In the shops it was 20%.

 

The crew shop was unbelievably cheap.

 

Her accomodation was very good (because of her status) and she had a single, en suite room with 2 port holes. As you go down the food chain it was then 2 to a room, then 4 to a room then 4 to a room with a shared bathroom, with many being really low down so no port holes.

 

Our daughter now works for Color Line, where pay and conditions are so much better.

[Misterandrews]

This is a fascinating thread. Thanks to all for responses.

[Lakesregion]

Do the crew have a bar,a club,a swimming pool etc.Do the entertainers also entertain the crew.How much is a beer or a packet of cigarettes for the crew.What happens if they are I'll.Do they see the ship's doctor.Do they have to pay.Do they have a canteen.Do married members share a cabin etc etc

No ulteria motive.I am just interested

 

 

Unless they have late night duty, most of them go home after their shift is over.

[Pennbank]

Unless they have late night duty, most of them go home after their shift is over.

 

Unless they are having a party in the Pig and Whistle !

[BigMac1953]

Unless they have late night duty, most of them go home after their shift is over.

 

You should see the queue at the bus stop! :-)

[Lilydes]

I got lost on the QM2 once and wandered into a crew karate class.

[orvil]

We did the behind the scenes tour on the QV. We visited the sick bay. The doctor said that there were two doctors aboard. One dealt with the passengers and the other was assigned to the crew.

[Jim Avery]

I was invited to the Pig a time or two on QE2. In the "good ole days" they most definitely did not have a 2 drink limit........:cool:

[cruiseluvva]

I was invited to the Pig a time or two on QE2. In the "good ole days" they most definitely did not have a 2 drink limit........:cool:

The 2 drink limit may be the maximum they are allowed to drink, but I know for a fact that it is not followed. I have eyes and can count!

[BigMac1953]

The 2 drink limit may be the maximum they are allowed to drink, but I know for a fact that it is not followed. I have eyes and can count!

 

Gill, you're absolutely right, but woe betide anyone caught.

 

An acquaintance of our daughter had one too many and slept through a crew alert. He was hauled before the captain and put off at the next port and had to find his own way home.

 

On her present ship, Color Fantasy, there is a ZERO alcohol limit.

[chengkp75]

According to the STCW and MLC international conventions, all mariners (including all cruise ship crew who are assigned emergency duties) must meet a 0.04 BAC at all times when onboard the ship. Random drug and alcohol testing is required. Many lines have stricter requirements. Many senior officers and deck and engine watchstanding officers have a zero alcohol tolerance.

[Jim Avery]

I am sorry if anyone took offense to my recollection of Olden Days drinking. I too have lived and worked under the same alcohol controls and testing as Chengkp. Times have certainly changed from the Love Boat days when good old Capt. Stubing appeared to spend his entire day in the restaurant or the lounges.

[chengkp75]

I am sorry if anyone took offense to my recollection of Olden Days drinking. I too have lived and worked under the same alcohol controls and testing as Chengkp. Times have certainly changed from the Love Boat days when good old Capt. Stubing appeared to spend his entire day in the restaurant or the lounges.

 

Yep, I can remember on the Northern Europe run when the "Beck's fairy" would leave a case outside my door overnight. Overindulging still happens on the cruise ships, but it seemed like whichever department had a party the night before had the most "random" breathalysers in the morning.

[luckymal]

I was told by a former staff member they only get free medical care if they are injured at work, they need insurance to cover sickness, they also said when sick they do not get paid, this is what I was told.:confused:

[chengkp75]

I was told by a former staff member they only get free medical care if they are injured at work, they need insurance to cover sickness, they also said when sick they do not get paid, this is what I was told.:confused:

 

No, when sick onboard, they still get paid. Any medical treatment given while employed onboard (during their contract), whether by the ship's medical center or ashore facility, is paid for by the company. Perhaps your source left the industry a while ago, as this is covered by the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC 2006) which came into force in 2013.

[luckymal]

Thank you chengkp 75 for the up to date info. The person who told me left Cunard around that period.:D

[Classiccruiser777]

The crew work 70 hours per week.

[Pennbank]

The crew work 70 hours per week.

 

So !

 

They can always leave.

But most enjoy all the benefits it brings them.

 

I do not take a Holiday Thinking of the Staff, the same way I am sure they do not thing about me.(other than if I am going to tip them)

 

What is is about cruising that passengers want to know all about the people thats serve them.

[Salacia]

So !

 

They can always leave.

But most enjoy all the benefits it brings them.

 

I do not take a Holiday Thinking of the Staff, the same way I am sure they do not thing about me.(other than if I am going to tip them)

 

What is is about cruising that passengers want to know all about the people thats serve them.

 

 

I only speak for myself, and I don't want or need to "know all about the people thats serve them".

 

However, I do share a concern for those who work on ships, and a concern for my fellow passengers as well.

 

After all, we are all on the same boat.

 

Salacia

[EJMcruiser]

Ended up at the dentist on a Caribbean cruise and sat next to a crew member in the waiting room. He said he was paying out of his own pocket as the company would only pay for the tooth to be pulled out and nothing else :o

[Alanxx]

So !

 

They can always leave.

But most enjoy all the benefits it brings them.

 

I do not take a Holiday Thinking of the Staff, the same way I am sure they do not thing about me.(other than if I am going to tip them)

 

What is is about cruising that passengers want to know all about the people that serve them.

 

I was the one who originally started the thread.We all have something to gain by knowing the crew conditions.You are entitled to live in ignorance if you wish.It is such ignorance that allows exploitation of workers in the Far East working in the clothing industry in bad conditions for a pittance

[Pennbank]

I only speak for myself, and I don't want or need to "know all about the people thats serve them".

 

However, I do share a concern for those who work on ships, and a concern for my fellow passengers as well.

 

After all, we are all on the same boat.

 

Salacia

 

With respect Salacia

We are not all in the same boat (Good pun)

I always respect fellow guests and crew however

There is a difference and quite rightly so, between a Crew Member and a Guest.