Crew for World Cruise

[AD5ZA]

How are the service crew selected for the World Cruise on the Amsterdam? Merit? Luck of the draw? Volunteer? Whoever is available at the time? Anyone know?

Is the majority of the crew the same from year to year?

Experience tells me that most are top-notch, highly motivated individuals and I was just curious how or why they were a part of the World Cruise crew.

 

 

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[SilvertoGold]

Some pax would like to think the WC gets the creme de la creme, but not the case. Some senior officers no doubt picked especially, but regular crew like waiters and room stewards, no.

 

Friends with 3 WCs talked to 4 waiters and 2 room stewards on their very first contract with HAL. Several more with little experience, 2 or 3 contracts.

 

Obviously this will vary.

[catl331]

Merit? Luck of the draw? Volunteer? Whoever is available at the time?

Probably a bit of each. I would think that a lot of them are simply those who were on the cruise immediately prior to the GWC, whose contracts had not yet ended. There are some who leave mid-cruise as contracts expire, and are replaced by new.

Is the majority of the crew the same from year to year?

I tend to doubt it. I've read that many do not like the WC because the cash tipping (i.e. above HSC) is lower, casino attendance is lower, shop sales are lower, etc. There is less urgency to "do it all this week."

[Tampa Girl]

Probably a bit of each. I would think that a lot of them are simply those who were on the cruise immediately prior to the GWC, whose contracts had not yet ended. There are some who leave mid-cruise as contracts expire, and are replaced by new.

I tend to doubt it. I've read that many do not like the WC because the cash tipping (i.e. above HSC) is lower, casino attendance is lower, shop sales are lower, etc. There is less urgency to "do it all this week."

 

How much choice, however, does the crew have in selecting a ship?

[SilvertoGold]

For the ordinary crew, not much. One guy we talked to seriously wants to do the WC, but is waiting with fingers crossed to see if he is assigned to the Amsterdam. If he is, his contract will go through the WC window. If he is assigned to another ship, no WC for him.

 

Officers no doubt have some say in this, other than saying they want to be on it.

[rkacruiser]

Some pax would like to think the WC gets the creme de la creme, but not the case. Some senior officers no doubt picked especially, but regular crew like waiters and room stewards, no.

 

Friends with 3 WCs talked to 4 waiters and 2 room stewards on their very first contract with HAL. Several more with little experience, 2 or 3 contracts.

 

Obviously this will vary.

 

This mirrors my experience as well. There are some of the crew, two Assistant Dining Room Managers come to my immediate mind, who are long time HAL employees and always seem to be on the Grand World Voyage. They are extremely competent and excellent in their service and concern for their guests.

 

The great majority of the crew do their "as expected HAL best" just as one finds on any HAL cruise.

 

However: my Cabin Steward was only on his second contract with HAL. My stateroom was not ready when I embarked (no soap or towels in the bathroom and the Daily Program was not present, etc.) His service remained marginal for much of the cruise with a Supervisor frequently in my corridor checking on him. He was so unhappy that he tried to "jump ship" when we were in Singapore so that he could return home to Indonesia. (Security caught him as he tried to leave the ship with a suitcase and with no Passport.)

[Storylady]

We just got off the Amsterdam. And I do know that The Dining Room Manager and one of the Assistant Dining Room Managers (Intan) are repeats on the World Cruise. I was told by Philip Stolte that he has hand selected several of the wait staff to follow him from ship to ship. We had several of those stewards as our stewards.

 

Also recognized quite a few of the stewards from previous cruises. Plus, an excellent AYWD Host that was on the Volendam this fall, Suta, boarded mid-way of the cruise.

 

I actually thought the the service was definitely better than we have had on other ships. In other words, it was a Grand Experience. And it didn’t seem to change wherever we sat for breakfast or lunch in the dining room. We were fixed for dinner. I think they had a few extra stewards with no assigned tables for the early evening seating as it was definitely the most crowded.

 

Bill and Maryanne mentioned in their blog that they have had the same Steward for the last two World Cruises.

 

For those who want extremely fast service, eat at 5 PM or eat late as that is the least crowded times. We actually enjoy sitting and talking during our meal. And are in no hurry to get out of the dining room.

 

Nice thing was we kept the same stewards for the entire World Cruise, including our wine Steward.

 

Our room stewards were excellent. In fact both were so good that we though we had two leads. Also recognized another excellent room steward in the aft section our hall. I can’t say enough good words about how excellent these young men are. I am sorry if someone else didn’t have such a wonderful experience as we feel the “crew” is incredible on all of the DAM ships.

[DeepWaterMariner]

There are familiar faces in the crew from other long Amsterdam cruises which have already been mentioned. Bar steward Manny is a regular. He should train all the bar stewards who work for the line. By the end of the cruise he was working as a wine steward. One of the younger bar stewards told us they would rather work on shorter cruises where there is a younger crowd that drinks more than the typical world cruise passengers. I felt the service in the main dinning room was better than the typical Holland American cruise and wondered if the staffing level was higher. Our room stewards were about average. The captain, hotel manager, customer service manager, dinning room manager, assistant beverage manager are all regulars on the world cruise. Captain Mercer is coming back for the 2019 World, despite rumors of his retirement.

[Scrapnana]

There are familiar faces in the crew from other long Amsterdam cruises which have already been mentioned. Bar steward Manny is a regular. He should train all the bar stewards who work for the line. By the end of the cruise he was working as a wine steward. One of the younger bar stewards told us they would rather work on shorter cruises where there is a younger crowd that drinks more than the typical world cruise passengers. I felt the service in the main dinning room was better than the typical Holland American cruise and wondered if the staffing level was higher. Our room stewards were about average. The captain, hotel manager, customer service manager, dinning room manager, assistant beverage manager are all regulars on the world cruise. Captain Mercer is coming back for the 2019 World, despite rumors of his retirement.

Manny was our wine steward when he got the promotion. Did a fantastic job!

 

My room steward was great and he had been as assistant when I did a Westerdam cruise a couple of years ago.

 

Our first dining room steward was fantastic but when his contract was up the replacement was poor. He didn't really pay attention to what we ordered and often things had to be returned.

[Sue from Canada]

We just got off the Amsterdam. And I do know that The Dining Room Manager and one of the Assistant Dining Room Managers (Intan) are repeats on the World Cruise. I was told by Philip Stolte that he has hand selected several of the wait staff to follow him from ship to ship. We had several of those stewards as our stewards.

 

Also recognized quite a few of the stewards from previous cruises. Plus, an excellent AYWD Host that was on the Volendam this fall, Suta, boarded mid-way of the cruise.

 

I actually thought the the service was definitely better than we have had on other ships. In other words, it was a Grand Experience. And it didn’t seem to change wherever we sat for breakfast or lunch in the dining room. We were fixed for dinner. I think they had a few extra stewards with no assigned tables for the early evening seating as it was definitely the most crowded.

 

Bill and Maryanne mentioned in their blog that they have had the same Steward for the last two World Cruises.

 

For those who want extremely fast service, eat at 5 PM or eat late as that is the least crowded times. We actually enjoy sitting and talking during our meal. And are in no hurry to get out of the dining room.

 

Nice thing was we kept the same stewards for the entire World Cruise, including our wine Steward.

 

Our room stewards were excellent. In fact both were so good that we though we had two leads. Also recognized another excellent room steward in the aft section our hall. I can’t say enough good words about how excellent these young men are. I am sorry if someone else didn’t have such a wonderful experience as we feel the “crew” is incredible on all of the DAM ships.

 

Does one not get tired of all the fancy dinners on a world cruise. I think after 30 days I'd be craving soup and sandwich for dinner. Or, a hot chicken sandwich. Is they afternoon tea everyday? Thanks

[catl331]

How much choice, however, does the crew have in selecting a ship?

I would imagine like other businesses they try to match employee wishes to their needs, and a lot would depend on the employee's seniority and review ratings. I remember once when were on the Eurodam a Tamarind stewardess was excited that her request to transfer to the Nieuw Amsterdam had been approved. When returning for a new contract after a vacation break they may be offered a choice of ship openings for their particular job. They may even be able to change jobs, say from room steward to dining steward, etc. Edited May 12, 2018 by catl331

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Phillip makes a list for the dinning room

 

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[DeepWaterMariner]

Our first dining room steward was fantastic but when his contract was up the replacement was poor. He didn't really pay attention to what we ordered and often things had to be returned.

 

We did anytime dinning so we had service from several of the waiters. They ranged from terrific to one (only one) who was below the average. Intan, the hostess on deck 4, was phenomenal in remembering names, and table preferences.

[rkacruiser]

One of the Zaandam's excellent Crow's Nest Bartenders in December/January told me that he had requested being assigned to the Nieuw Statendam when she entered service. He did not know when or if he would get such an assignment. So, the crew may request with no assurance that such request will be fulfilled.

[Scrapnana]

Does one not get tired of all the fancy dinners on a world cruise. I think after 30 days I'd be craving soup and sandwich for dinner. Or, a hot chicken sandwich. Is they afternoon tea everyday? Thanks

 

There were some days when I did not feel like changing for dinner or had something that interfered with dinnertime and so I ate in the Lido. You could get soup and a salad there if that was what you wanted. I can't remember if the sandwich bar was still open during dinner hours in the Lido.

 

There is afternoon tea everyday (including port days).