Hello! I'm a crew member!

[ROYAL CARIBBEAN DUDE]

18 hours ago, Kayla103 said:

Thank you for sharing this! 

I do have a question, do you get sick time like any office job?

Working in the shops, we did not get any sick pay. If we took a day off for illness, we didn't get payed for that day. It might be different when I switch to my new casino role.

[Kayla103]

2 minutes ago, ROYAL CARIBBEAN DUDE said:

Working in the shops, we did not get any sick pay. If we took a day off for illness, we didn't get payed for that day. It might be different when I switch to my new casino role.

Thanks! I always wondered as illness can happen to anyone.

[ROYAL CARIBBEAN DUDE]

On 8/20/2019 at 1:02 PM, 808lady said:

What did/could a passenger do to make things easier or more fun for crew or staff?  You all give us a wonderful experience.  What can we do for you?

 

Those crew comment cards that you guys can fill out at guest services, where you actually name a specific crew member for providing excellent service, can go a long way for some crew members.

 

I personally find it really nice when guests go out of there way, to take the time to thank me specifically.

[SRF]

On 8/21/2019 at 2:08 AM, Billy Baltic said:

 

So now we know they get drunk in the crew bar 😉

 

You had doubts????

 

😄

 

[molsonschooner]

On 8/21/2019 at 8:45 AM, ROYAL CARIBBEAN DUDE said:

You're right, I don't smoke. I heard Royal were going to ban smoking from the casino, and only have the outside designated smoking areas on the ship.

That would be nice

[jbethel11]

32 minutes ago, ROYAL CARIBBEAN DUDE said:

 

Those crew comment cards that you guys can fill out at guest services, where you actually name a specific crew member for providing excellent service, can go a long way for some crew members.

 

I personally find it really nice when guests go out of there way, to take the time to thank me specifically.

On the topic of annoying cruise passengers, how do you deal with them?

 

I am shocked that you don't receive tips! Does that mean the gratuity doesn't really go directly to the crew members?

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

On the topic of annoying cruise passengers, how do you deal with them?

 

I am shocked that you don't receive tips! Does that mean the gratuity doesn't really go directly to the crew members?

Not all crew are part of the tipping pool.  Those that aren’t are paid a higher salary than those that are.

[Milwaukee Eight]

Following 

[Wordell1]

On 8/21/2019 at 7:45 AM, ROYAL CARIBBEAN DUDE said:

You're right, I don't smoke. I heard Royal were going to ban smoking from the casino, and only have the outside designated smoking areas on the ship.

 

That would be good news.  The smoke on the whole floor is unbearable.

[uvadover]

Saw your awesome post about Christmas time cruising.  We are sailing on 12/29 for the New Year's Eve sailing.  Silly question, but would you expect the Christmas decorations/tree to still be up?  Absolutely fascinated by your blog.  Thanks!

[DancerMama25]

Oh, I’m excited to follow along!

[Cyn874]

I love the peek behind the scenes! Thank you for posting, and I'll be watching your vlogs. 🙂

 

Here's something I'd love to know directly from a crew member. What about gifts from passengers? I've seen much debate on these forums about what is appreciated, in addition to extra tips! Yes, we all know that nothing can beat cash. But sometimes we just really want to give something a bit more tangible, even if it's just food or some kind of treat from a port. But we also understand the limited space crew members have in their cabin. What sort of things make crew members smile, aside from tips?

[Ourusualbeach]

26 minutes ago, uvadover said:

Saw your awesome post about Christmas time cruising.  We are sailing on 12/29 for the New Year's Eve sailing.  Silly question, but would you expect the Christmas decorations/tree to still be up?  Absolutely fascinated by your blog.  Thanks!

In our experience they take the tree down Jan 2

[Saab4444]

1 hour ago, jbethel11 said:

On the topic of annoying cruise passengers, how do you deal with them?

 

I am shocked that you don't receive tips! Does that mean the gratuity doesn't really go directly to the crew members?

Why should we all tip Sales people in the shops? Do you tip people in shops at home when you pass by?

[PhoenixCruiser]

On the topic of annoying cruise passengers, how do you deal with them?
 
I am shocked that you don't receive tips! Does that mean the gratuity doesn't really go directly to the crew members?

Why would the shops employees be included in the tipping pool?

People who have access to our food and toothbrushes are included, as should be.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Esprit]

My DD is an Activities manager for Celebrity (currently between contracts after opening the Edge last Autumn). She never got a share of the tips but did get a bonus if the ship ratings were high for entertainment. There is much competition between ships hence why they plug the rating you give must be a 10 and not a 9 on the end of cruise questionnaire.

 

She was considered privileged as her cabin was on deck 4 just beyond the crew door after the passenger cabins and had a port hole!

[Bronx12]

On 8/20/2019 at 1:55 PM, ROYAL CARIBBEAN DUDE said:

Hi everyone,

 

For 6 months, I was working in the shops onboard Independence Of The Seas. I actually got the opportunity to meet some of you guys, and I just wanted say thank you for saying hello!

 

I actually made some YouTube vlogs of my experience during this contract, and wanted to share it with you guys. I'm trying to show what being a Royal Caribbean crew member is like. For example: what our cabins look like, where I work, what we eat, what the crew bar looks like, what I do in my free time.

 

In this first vlog, I show you the sign-on process. Me, walking on to the ship as a new crew member - followed by a ship tour.

 

https://youtu.be/TwY2wMDjpBk

 

I'm actually about to start my next contract onboard Mariner Of The Seas for 7 months, starting my new role as a Casino Host.

 

I hope to meet more of you soon, and ask me any questions you may have about being a crew member!

 

Chris

When do you start as Casino Host? We are going to be on Mariner September 2-6 and September 6-9/19, and we frequent the casino a lot!

😉

[chengkp75]

7 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

On the topic of annoying cruise passengers, how do you deal with them?

 

I am shocked that you don't receive tips! Does that mean the gratuity doesn't really go directly to the crew members?

And, away we go.  There are very many crew positions that are not part of the DSC pool.  Certainly the shop personnel, who are not RCI employees, but employees of the concessionaire that operates the shop, are not part of the DSC pool.  Most of the galley staff, the sanitation crew, deck and engine, laundry crew are not part of the DSC pool.

[chengkp75]

On 8/20/2019 at 3:08 PM, Billy Baltic said:

 

So now we know they get drunk in the crew bar 😉

 

On 8/20/2019 at 4:48 PM, Esprit said:

But they have to be careful not to get breathalysed. Caught being drunk is a dismissable offence.

 

7 hours ago, SRF said:

 

You had doubts????

 

😄

 

BAC for all crew, at all times on the ship (working or resting), is 0.04%, or about half of what is considered intoxicated in the US.  Crew are subject to random drug and alcohol testing, as well as "reasonable cause" testing (if a supervisor or a surveillance camera sees actions that could be indicative of being intoxicated) at any time.  Needless to say, the camera outside crew bar is constantly monitored, and times like crew parties, as well as the areas close to the crew gangway after port calls.

[chengkp75]

On 8/21/2019 at 8:46 AM, ROYAL CARIBBEAN DUDE said:

Working in the shops, we did not get any sick pay. If we took a day off for illness, we didn't get payed for that day. It might be different when I switch to my new casino role.

 

On 8/21/2019 at 8:49 AM, Kayla103 said:

Thanks! I always wondered as illness can happen to anyone.

I'm very surprised to hear this statement, as it directly contradicts the law.  International law, in the form of the Manila Labor Convention 2006, says that a seafarer gets paid every day they are onboard the ship, whether sick or working.  Now, they need to have visited the doctor and been told to take time off, they just can't decide they don't feel like working because they have a cold or a headache.

 

If Chris was genuinely ill and was docked pay because of it, he has a grievance under the MLC, which can be reported to any national maritime agency (USCG, CCG, UK MCA, etc) for resolution.

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

 

I'm very surprised to hear this statement, as it directly contradicts the law.  International law, in the form of the Manila Labor Convention 2006, says that a seafarer gets paid every day they are onboard the ship, whether sick or working.  Now, they need to have visited the doctor and been told to take time off, they just can't decide they don't feel like working because they have a cold or a headache.

 

If Chris was genuinely ill and was docked pay because of it, he has a grievance under the MLC, which can be reported to any national maritime agency (USCG, CCG, UK MCA, etc) for resolution.

While I’m surprised that the concession company would be breaking a rule like that isn’t the employee kind of in a catch 22 situation in that case.  

 

Sure they could report it and get that extra day pay but since they are on a contract and want to come back it’s pretty easy for the company to just not renew employees contract.  It would be pretty hard if not impossible to prove that not renewing a contract was directly tied to the employee complaining.

[icsys]

On ‎8‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 7:51 PM, ROYAL CARIBBEAN DUDE said:

 

Working in the shops, we do not receive tips for our role. So, I genuinely do not know how the gratuity system works.

 

I will find out exactly how it works, when I start my new role in the Casino.

 

Don't they add 18% onto shop purchases?

[grapau27]

On 8/20/2019 at 5:55 PM, ROYAL CARIBBEAN DUDE said:

Hi everyone,

 

For 6 months, I was working in the shops onboard Independence Of The Seas. I actually got the opportunity to meet some of you guys, and I just wanted say thank you for saying hello!

 

I actually made some YouTube vlogs of my experience during this contract, and wanted to share it with you guys. I'm trying to show what being a Royal Caribbean crew member is like. For example: what our cabins look like, where I work, what we eat, what the crew bar looks like, what I do in my free time.

 

In this first vlog, I show you the sign-on process. Me, walking on to the ship as a new crew member - followed by a ship tour.

 

https://youtu.be/TwY2wMDjpBk

 

I'm actually about to start my next contract onboard Mariner Of The Seas for 7 months, starting my new role as a Casino Host.

 

I hope to meet more of you soon, and ask me any questions you may have about being a crew member!

 

Chris

Following.

[Clarea]

Just now, icsys said:

 

Don't they add 18% onto shop purchases?

 

I don't think so.

[Ourusualbeach]

4 minutes ago, icsys said:

 

Don't they add 18% onto shop purchases?

No, you may find VAT or other tax depending on the part they sail out of but not a gratuity 

Edited August 23, 2019 by Ourusualbeach