Any routine posts/threads from RCL crew members?

[Biker19]

2 minutes ago, miraflores said:

Our guest satisfaction ratings for that one cruise were so low that it brought down our average so much that it took us the entire rest of the year to just make our minimum ratings targets.

The cruise started with a bunch of dissatisfied guests  due to the change in itinerary (a couple of threads on it here on CC) - nothing to do with you or other staff.

[miraflores]

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

The cruise started with a bunch of dissatisfied guests  due to the change in itinerary (a couple of threads on it here on CC) - nothing to do with you or other staff.

 

Thanks.  Much appreciated.  The front line staff really took it on the chin hard that cruise.  There were so many issues with that cruise, but I can assure you...nobody onboard knew anything in advance.  I actually live in Victoria and my mom came down from up-island to visit, and we didn't even end up staying long enough for me to get off the ship.  The overnight in Vancouver was great though...us crew members needed that.

 

We definitely learned our lessons that cruise.  The second time we did it was much smoother, although it was the other way...and Vancouver to Hawaii is always better than Hawaii to Vancouver...no matter what happens onboard.  I've done that run a few times, and it's always better going south and ending in Hawaii.

[livingonthebeach]

7 hours ago, miraflores said:

 

Thanks.  Much appreciated.  The front line staff really took it on the chin hard that cruise.  There were so many issues with that cruise, but I can assure you...nobody onboard knew anything in advance.  I actually live in Victoria and my mom came down from up-island to visit, and we didn't even end up staying long enough for me to get off the ship.  The overnight in Vancouver was great though...us crew members needed that.

 

We definitely learned our lessons that cruise.  The second time we did it was much smoother, although it was the other way...and Vancouver to Hawaii is always better than Hawaii to Vancouver...no matter what happens onboard.  I've done that run a few times, and it's always better going south and ending in Hawaii.

 

Thanks -- that's good to know.   I was thinking of booking a Vancouver to Honolulu cruise in 2021 or 2022, will keep that in mind.

[shipgeeks]

Miraflores, Thank you for your posts.  And I do appreciate what you and your colleagues do on a normal cruise, even though you are typically invisible.  Here's why.

I've been a group fitness instructor for 30 years.  I'm quite confident in my ability to provide good classes.  But when I have a bad dream, it's always about something going wrong with the sound system or other facilities, just as I am about to teach.

And then, when classes were abruptly stopped in March, the only instructors who could teach in the Summer and Fall terms were those who were competent with Zoom.  I am not.  I've done the training, I bought a new laptop, I set up an account.  And it just does not work for me.  Wish you were here!

On Grandeur several years ago, I attended a guest teacher's Tai Chi classes.  He used a mic, but had an appropriately calm voice.  One day, partway through the class, his voice was suddenly interrupted by loud voices that seemed to be from the soundtrack of a porn movie.  A tech person instantly appeared, cut off that transmission, and got our teacher back on the right track.  Maybe there was crew matinee on a nearby freighter; we'll never know, I guess.  Saved by the AV guy!

[catlady66]

18 hours ago, miraflores said:

 

I am the Head Broadcast Technician onboard and am in charge of the A/V systems onboard.  As we're now in "minimum-manning" I am functioning as the entire Cruise/Entertainment Division...which is usually about 150 people.  Most of the RCL ships in minimum-manning have left the Head Broadcast Techs onboard because television is an "essential" service for the crew left onboard, and because the Head Broadcast Techs actually have the widest set of technical skills needed to be able to maintain the onboard entertainment systems, and to handle all the paperwork/admin that still needs to be done. 

 

You have to at least have a basic understanding of lighting/sound/video/production in order to do this job, and you also need to be able to manage the division, so we're the last ones standing on almost all the ships.  In the past, this company has unfortunately tended to underappreciate/understand our role/skills (you don't just plug it in and it works), but that will have to change after this...because the video aspect of the cruising experience will be very obviously front-and-centre once things go back to normal, and they won't be able to justify keeping us on the bottom of the pile, when we're clearly in charge of a massive part of the onboard experience.  Head Office has always treated our production casts/managers like they're the stars (because most of the executives in our dep't come from that background), but it's turning out the the HBT's are the ones who are really delivering right now, and will continue to be in the future.   We don't stand in the light...we're the ones holding it.  They're going to need to realize that, or we'll all be in the dark.  Nobody really knows what we do, but everyone is beginning to realize that we do a lot.  I work 10 hours a day, to make it look like I'm not working.  Usually, the only time I'm noticed is when there's a problem.  And, if I'm doing my job, then I'm virtually invisible.  That is hard for people who are used to being on stage to understand.

 

As to my daily duties...I make sure the TV system is working first off, and then do whatever maintenance is necessary to keep it running (today I'm fixing a camera that stopped working, and then repairing a satellite receiver that also stopped working).  After I'm happy with my areas, I do a walkaround of all the other entertainment venues and I do checks on the systems there.  From time to time, I'll turn on the lights/sound systems and make sure everything is okay, and I make sure the venues are in good shape.  I also do lots of inspections of non-entertainment venues.  I go around (with everyone else) to crew/guest cabins and run water in sinks and flush toilets to keep water from going stagnant.  We make notes of things that need fixing and involve maintenance when needed.  We get assigned an area of the ship every week and we have to walk it and make maintenance notes.

 

And, on some days (like today where we're signing on returning crew for other ships), I function as the Cruise Division and work on the gangway.  This afternoon, I'm checking people in and taking their temperatures.  We've all been called on to go way above and beyond our normal roles...but, we're all in it together, so it really has brought the onboard team a lot closer together.

 

We're all receiving our normal wage...well, anyone who is still working.  There are some ships that have crew onboard who are not working, and they're getting room/board...but are not allowed to lift a finger to work.  On this ship, everyone is essential, so we're all just business-as-usual.

 

We wear masks whenever inside and, when we move the ship close enough to receive supplies/crew, we wear masks inside and outside.  You get used to it.  I, for the life of me, can't figure out what the big deal about wearing masks is.  You get used to wearing it and it's helping us all get back to normal quicker. 

 

The crew doesn't pay for food.  We've never had to do that, unless we wanted to go to a speciality restaurant...and those are all closed right now.  We all eat in one of the guest dining rooms and the food's been really good.  The Executive Chef is an essential position, so he's here making awesome food for us.  We do have very limited times to eat though...so we all have to budget our time and make sure we don't miss meals.  Usually, we have a much wider range of times we can eat, but right now...it's pretty limited.  7-8am for breakfast, 12-1pm for lunch and 6-7pm for dinner.  That's it.  You miss that, you don't eat.

 

Hope that answered your questions.

@Miraflores Thank you so much for such detailed answers!  Going thru this time with your fellow crewman will create a bond much stronger than could happen during normal times.  As you mentioned, it is also waking up the management as to who is really important in the functioning of the ship, and who is just window dressing. 

 

I'm glad to see you also get a variety of other tasks to keep you busy.  Your positive attitude is apparent from your enthusiasm regarding these other roles you're performing.  I'd take you over the leading man any day!

 

Also glad to hear you never have to pay for food.  I always wondered if there was a "Company Store" scheme taking part of the wages of the crew (You're probably too young to understand that--look up the song "16 tons") .  Which begs the question--is there a crew commissary where you can get toiletries, medicine, books, snacks etc at real world prices & not inflated tourist rates (and are you able to get those things now)?  Sorta related, can you receive mail & packages on board? I assume you can since it is your residence for so long. 

 

The mask issue can be divisive.  Many states (such as mine) didn't make it mandatory til June! During height of the "sickness" when it was optional most didn't wear it (in my state).   It saddens me to see solitary people driving cars or even walking down the street wearing a mask. 

 

I checked out your You Tube channel--with your skills and unique position in cruising, consider putting out more videos!  I watch several channels dedicated to cruising--most are travel agents or frequent cruisers but very few (only 2) are crewman.  I understand there are probably many things you're not allowed to share  for security reasons, but a peek behind the curtain of what really makes a ship tick would be You tube gold!

 

Sorry I've went on at length again. On behalf of all of my fellow travelers, thank you for your time explaining things to us and for your dedication to a job that brings so much happiness to so many people.  I hope to meet you one day & shake your hand!

 

 

[Luckynana]

Thank you, miraflores, for your video and for letting us all in on your daily life on board such an empty ship.  Keep up the good work!  My DH and I rely heavily on our 13 year old grandson to help us with all things related to our cell phones, chromebook, Roku and tv problems, etc.  You get the picture!!!  He is now in the process of building his own computer, and was invited by our township Dept. of Education meeting to show a video about autism that he had made while he was in the 6th grade.  He's made several impressive videos,  I will have to mention your job as another branch in the field that he is most interested in!

 

Good luck, miraflores, and thank you again!

[miraflores]

10 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Miraflores, Thank you for your posts.  And I do appreciate what you and your colleagues do on a normal cruise, even though you are typically invisible.  Here's why.

I've been a group fitness instructor for 30 years.  I'm quite confident in my ability to provide good classes.  But when I have a bad dream, it's always about something going wrong with the sound system or other facilities, just as I am about to teach.

And then, when classes were abruptly stopped in March, the only instructors who could teach in the Summer and Fall terms were those who were competent with Zoom.  I am not.  I've done the training, I bought a new laptop, I set up an account.  And it just does not work for me.  Wish you were here!

On Grandeur several years ago, I attended a guest teacher's Tai Chi classes.  He used a mic, but had an appropriately calm voice.  One day, partway through the class, his voice was suddenly interrupted by loud voices that seemed to be from the soundtrack of a porn movie.  A tech person instantly appeared, cut off that transmission, and got our teacher back on the right track.  Maybe there was crew matinee on a nearby freighter; we'll never know, I guess.  Saved by the AV guy!

 

I've worked on ships off-and-on for years and, when I'm not working on ships, I usually do A/V production for live events (corporate/government/education/entertainment).  One of the things that becomes painfully obvious...especially in corporate/government/education settings...is that the AV tech is usually, by a long shot, the smartest person in the room.  I swear, there is almost a direct, reverse sliding scale on influence/intelligence.  I've worked with so many CEO's/Executives/Politicians, and the more well-known/influential/important they are, the dumber they are.  I remember doing a fundraiser with Mitt Romney once and I pulled him aside and explained how he needed to use the microphone in order for people to hear him.  Right up to your mouth...and don't stand in front of the speakers.  So, what does he do?  He holds the mic down by his waist and stands RIGHT in front of the speaker.  I'm like "you want to run the most powerful country in the world?"

 

This is an interesting blog post that talks about AV Techs: https://treffensaintjohn.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/audiovisual-technicians-are-the-smartest-guys-in-the-room/

 

I've often thought about starting a business who's only role is to educate executives on really basic A/V techniques.  Mic technique, how to start up and run a PowerPoint, how to do basic video conferencing, etc.  Could be a really big business...except that executives usually think they already know everything.

[miraflores]

5 hours ago, catlady66 said:

@Miraflores Thank you so much for such detailed answers!  Going thru this time with your fellow crewman will create a bond much stronger than could happen during normal times.  As you mentioned, it is also waking up the management as to who is really important in the functioning of the ship, and who is just window dressing. 

 

I'm glad to see you also get a variety of other tasks to keep you busy.  Your positive attitude is apparent from your enthusiasm regarding these other roles you're performing.  I'd take you over the leading man any day!

 

Also glad to hear you never have to pay for food.  I always wondered if there was a "Company Store" scheme taking part of the wages of the crew (You're probably too young to understand that--look up the song "16 tons") .  Which begs the question--is there a crew commissary where you can get toiletries, medicine, books, snacks etc at real world prices & not inflated tourist rates (and are you able to get those things now)?  Sorta related, can you receive mail & packages on board? I assume you can since it is your residence for so long. 

 

The mask issue can be divisive.  Many states (such as mine) didn't make it mandatory til June! During height of the "sickness" when it was optional most didn't wear it (in my state).   It saddens me to see solitary people driving cars or even walking down the street wearing a mask. 

 

I checked out your You Tube channel--with your skills and unique position in cruising, consider putting out more videos!  I watch several channels dedicated to cruising--most are travel agents or frequent cruisers but very few (only 2) are crewman.  I understand there are probably many things you're not allowed to share  for security reasons, but a peek behind the curtain of what really makes a ship tick would be You tube gold!

 

Sorry I've went on at length again. On behalf of all of my fellow travelers, thank you for your time explaining things to us and for your dedication to a job that brings so much happiness to so many people.  I hope to meet you one day & shake your hand!

 

 

 

There is an onboard "company store".  We call it the "Slop Chest".  It's like a convenience store for snacks, toiletries, etc.  Basic things that you might need from time to time.  Prices are usually really decent.  It's like they run it at break even as a service to the crew.  No books, but we have an onboard library, like the guests.  Most crew spend most of their down time on their phones though...and internet is NOT free (although, right now it is).  Internet on ships is a huge issue for crew.  We all want/need it, and the company is pretty conscious of that.  It's not a good deal...we pay a lot for it.  Hopefully, that will change when we return to service, because it's an essential need these days.

 

I may decide to put out some more videos.  I am the onboard video tech and the company has me working on a lot of projects for them right now, so I don't have a lot of time to work on outside projects.

 

One thing I am working on though, is a card game about cruise ships.  I've actually finished the game, and I'm just working on putting together the kickstarter page to get funding to produce it.  It began as a joke project me and a few friends would work on in the crew bar, but while I was in between contracts this spring, I really got to work on it.  I got to a point where I actually printed a couple of test decks and it's a lot of fun to play.  I have two versions.  One is a game about being a guest, and one is about being crew.  Hopefully I'll get the kickstarter done soon!

[miraflores]

4 hours ago, Luckynana said:

Thank you, miraflores, for your video and for letting us all in on your daily life on board such an empty ship.  Keep up the good work!  My DH and I rely heavily on our 13 year old grandson to help us with all things related to our cell phones, chromebook, Roku and tv problems, etc.  You get the picture!!!  He is now in the process of building his own computer, and was invited by our township Dept. of Education meeting to show a video about autism that he had made while he was in the 6th grade.  He's made several impressive videos,  I will have to mention your job as another branch in the field that he is most interested in!

 

Good luck, miraflores, and thank you again!

 

It's a great field to work in and, as far as entertainment/media tech during these tough times, it's actually pretty resistant.  Video conferencing is a big thing right now and techs who understand it are working.  Video production will always be there, but these days it's really hard to get decent work/pay.  Technology has evolved to the point where 13 year old grandsons can make videos on their phones...and that's really swept the legs out from underneath professionals who were used to getting decent wages.  Wages haven't been going up in the field...they've been going way down and you almost have to produce a complete product and market it successfully in order to make decent money in TV production these days.

 

That being said, there are a lot of people making money producing their own content...it's just harder and harder to specialize in one thing.  When I went to college back in the 90's, I was often told I'd need to stop trying to do it all and just focus on one thing.  Boy, am I ever glad I didn't listen to that.

 

Ships are a great way to learn a lot hands-on, and they're great environments for learning a lot of different skills.  Nobody onboard understands what I do, and I've had a chance to work on multi-million dollar setups...with virtually no instruction/guidance.  I'd never get a chance to work in a room like Two70 on land, without years of experience.  I was in Sydney all spring this year, and they lit up the Opera House with projectors one night.  I took a look at the setup and was like "this is less than we do in Two70!".  I could seriously come into my office, flip ONE switch, and it would take the rest of the crew MONTHS to figure out what I did.  I was working on a project last month and one of the security guards said he was interested in watching me edit.  I invited him to come check it out and he sat there for a while and was like "this is all going over my head...I have no idea what you're doing".  People walk into my office and they feel like they're on a spaceship.

 

If I was going to do a video series to show people, it'd probably be a tour of the entertainment tech areas.  I think that would be interesting.  The Behind-The-Scenes tours we offer guests are interesting, but the entertainment areas really only focus on the experience of the production casts/performers...because that's what the entertainment executives think people are interested in (because they all came up as performers, not techs).  We get asked all the time by guests if they can see our areas...but they're buried in crew areas, so it's not possible to take people there.  Most of the crew don't even know where my office is, it's so out-of-the-way.

Edited September 24, 2020 by miraflores

[Hoopster95]

Hey Miraflores,

I just watched the video and read through this thread. Thank you very much for your great posts!

I was on that first 11 day Alaskan sailing last year in May. Considering the technology on this ship, and I used to be a tech guy working for BCTel/Telus in previous years, I really value your work on that amazing ship.

 

(p.s. where "up-Island" is your family from? I just toured Courtenay & Campbell River a few weeks ago 😉)

[miraflores]

2 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

Hey Miraflores,

I just watched the video and read through this thread. Thank you very much for your great posts!

I was on that first 11 day Alaskan sailing last year in May. Considering the technology on this ship, and I used to be a tech guy working for BCTel/Telus in previous years, I really value your work on that amazing ship.

 

(p.s. where "up-Island" is your family from? I just toured Courtenay & Campbell River a few weeks ago 😉)

 

My mom lives in Chemainus.

 

That first Alaska sailing was great.  Sitka was a really nice stop.  That was the only time we did that port, and we all wanted to go back!  We were all disappointed we didn't get to go back to Alaska this season.  Hard to believe we were actually supposed to be in Kailua/Kona today, on our crossing back to Sydney from Vancouver after the Alaska season.

 

Thanks for the appreciation.  I've worked in television long enough to know that "the best edits are the ones you don't see" and that you will usually only hear feedback on your work when you've done something wrong...so it's nice to hear something positive once in a while.  This ship is a real challenge to keep running, but it's the amazing kind of challenge.  I really love troubleshooting and repairing stuff, and there's always something to do here!

Edited September 24, 2020 by miraflores

[Luckynana]

Thank you, Miraflores for your overview and expertise about your job..I took a picture of your replies, and texted them to my grandson.  We both very much appreciate it!!

[catlady66]

19 hours ago, miraflores said:

 

There is an onboard "company store".  We call it the "Slop Chest".  It's like a convenience store for snacks, toiletries, etc.  Basic things that you might need from time to time.  Prices are usually really decent.  It's like they run it at break even as a service to the crew.  No books, but we have an onboard library, like the guests.  Most crew spend most of their down time on their phones though...and internet is NOT free (although, right now it is).  Internet on ships is a huge issue for crew.  We all want/need it, and the company is pretty conscious of that.  It's not a good deal...we pay a lot for it.  Hopefully, that will change when we return to service, because it's an essential need these days.

 

I may decide to put out some more videos.  I am the onboard video tech and the company has me working on a lot of projects for them right now, so I don't have a lot of time to work on outside projects.

 

One thing I am working on though, is a card game about cruise ships.  I've actually finished the game, and I'm just working on putting together the kickstarter page to get funding to produce it.  It began as a joke project me and a few friends would work on in the crew bar, but while I was in between contracts this spring, I really got to work on it.  I got to a point where I actually printed a couple of test decks and it's a lot of fun to play.  I have two versions.  One is a game about being a guest, and one is about being crew.  Hopefully I'll get the kickstarter done soon!

You are just a font of information!  Thank you again for taking this time to satisfy our curiosity.

 

The card game sounds killer---I would definitely buy that & betting everyone on this forum would, as well as the cruise lines themselves.

 

Glad you do have a store with decent prices but no free internet?!?! That's ridiculous and they should be ashamed of themselves.

 

You made me laugh in another response where you mentioned Romney! Doesn't surprise me one bit!

 

I look forward to seeing more videos from you & once again thank you so much for answering all our questions

[Hogbay]

This is the most Info we have received (live) thanks 🙂 When you speak to your buddy on RD can you please get a report of what's going on over there ,presumably you are back at Sing OPL .👍

[PTAngel]

I thoroughly enjoyed your video & all these comments.  I've only cruised the Caribbean, Panama Canal (one way). & New England/Canada so these other countries are very interesting to me.  

 

I have a couple of questions.  It looks like they emptied all the stock out of the stores.  Where do they store all that stock?  Also, I was wondering if the crew had a pool or hot tub to use but I saw in your video that they were all emptied of their water.  Do you have to stay in your cabins when not working or eating or is there a recreation area for you to use?  

 

Thank you for all your information.  I appreciate the time it took you to make that.

 

I hope you don't get in trouble for your comment "I've worked with so many CEO's/Executives/Politicians, and the more well-known/influential/important they are, the dumber they are."  That would be a shame. 

[miraflores]

4 hours ago, PTAngel said:

I hope you don't get in trouble for your comment "I've worked with so many CEO's/Executives/Politicians, and the more well-known/influential/important they are, the dumber they are."  That would be a shame. 

 

Haha, no worries.  That experience was gleaned from a past job, where I worked in Corporate/Government/Education AV.  No connection to working with Royal Caribbean at all.

[NO_Member_Name]

Thank You MiraFlores for all your postings. Normally I'd be getting excited about an upcoming fall cruise, but unfortunately not this year. Hopefully in 2021. It is very nice to hear from at least a few of the people on the ships now.

 

I know something I can ask you. What ever happened to all the webcams on RCL ships? They used to be great to tune into from time to time, and would be especially welcome now. Maybe you guys could set one up on the Promenade or the pool deck.

 

Also, speaking to the subject of this thread, there's a crew member on Symphony who's posting frequent videos on his channel "Exploring Empty Ships". They're cool to watch.  And, Captain Johnny has been posting the occasional video, from Harmony.

Edited September 26, 2020 by NO_Member_Name

[miraflores]

6 hours ago, NO_Member_Name said:

Thank You MiraFlores for all your postings. Normally I'd be getting excited about an upcoming fall cruise, but unfortunately not this year. Hopefully in 2021. It is very nice to hear from at least a few of the people on the ships now.

 

I know something I can ask you. What ever happened to all the webcams on RCL ships? They used to be great to tune into from time to time, and would be especially welcome now. Maybe you guys could set one up on the Promenade or the pool deck.

 

Also, speaking to the subject of this thread, there's a crew member on Symphony who's posting frequent videos on his channel "Exploring Empty Ships". They're cool to watch.  And, Captain Johnny has been posting the occasional video, from Harmony.

 

A lot of the electrical circuits that power things like cameras have been shut off.  I'm on OV, and we don't have a webcam, but our virtual balcony camera circuits are shut down.  The electricians have been shutting off anything non-essential.  We're really running at a fraction of what we usually run at.  The savings are actually really impressive...we're cutting down on tons and tons of fuel by running only what we need.

 

I think you'd be depressed looking at the Promenade or Pool Deck, haha...those spaces are designed for people, and there's nobody there these days!  Not a lot to see, that's for sure.

[ReneeFLL]

 

On 9/23/2020 at 2:16 AM, miraflores said:

.....and Vancouver to Hawaii is always better than Hawaii to Vancouver...no matter what happens onboard.  I've done that run a few times, and it's always better going south and ending in Hawaii.

Just curious. Why is it better going south to Hawaii than going north? We did a TP out of Seattle going to Hawaii and I'm wondering what would have been different if we had been going north.

[Mapleleafforever]

On 9/22/2020 at 10:43 PM, miraflores said:

 

I am the Head Broadcast Technician onboard and am in charge of the A/V systems onboard.  As we're now in "minimum-manning" I am functioning as the entire Cruise/Entertainment Division...which is usually about 150 people.  Most of the RCL ships in minimum-manning have left the Head Broadcast Techs onboard because television is an "essential" service for the crew left onboard, and because the Head Broadcast Techs actually have the widest set of technical skills needed to be able to maintain the onboard entertainment systems, and to handle all the paperwork/admin that still needs to be done. 

 

You have to at least have a basic understanding of lighting/sound/video/production in order to do this job, and you also need to be able to manage the division, so we're the last ones standing on almost all the ships.  In the past, this company has unfortunately tended to underappreciate/understand our role/skills (you don't just plug it in and it works), but that will have to change after this...because the video aspect of the cruising experience will be very obviously front-and-centre once things go back to normal, and they won't be able to justify keeping us on the bottom of the pile, when we're clearly in charge of a massive part of the onboard experience.  Head Office has always treated our production casts/managers like they're the stars (because most of the executives in our dep't come from that background), but it's turning out the the HBT's are the ones who are really delivering right now, and will continue to be in the future.   We don't stand in the light...we're the ones holding it.  They're going to need to realize that, or we'll all be in the dark.  Nobody really knows what we do, but everyone is beginning to realize that we do a lot.  I work 10 hours a day, to make it look like I'm not working.  Usually, the only time I'm noticed is when there's a problem.  And, if I'm doing my job, then I'm virtually invisible.  That is hard for people who are used to being on stage to understand.

 

As to my daily duties...I make sure the TV system is working first off, and then do whatever maintenance is necessary to keep it running (today I'm fixing a camera that stopped working, and then repairing a satellite receiver that also stopped working).  After I'm happy with my areas, I do a walkaround of all the other entertainment venues and I do checks on the systems there.  From time to time, I'll turn on the lights/sound systems and make sure everything is okay, and I make sure the venues are in good shape.  I also do lots of inspections of non-entertainment venues.  I go around (with everyone else) to crew/guest cabins and run water in sinks and flush toilets to keep water from going stagnant.  We make notes of things that need fixing and involve maintenance when needed.  We get assigned an area of the ship every week and we have to walk it and make maintenance notes.

 

And, on some days (like today where we're signing on returning crew for other ships), I function as the Cruise Division and work on the gangway.  This afternoon, I'm checking people in and taking their temperatures.  We've all been called on to go way above and beyond our normal roles...but, we're all in it together, so it really has brought the onboard team a lot closer together.

 

We're all receiving our normal wage...well, anyone who is still working.  There are some ships that have crew onboard who are not working, and they're getting room/board...but are not allowed to lift a finger to work.  On this ship, everyone is essential, so we're all just business-as-usual.

 

We wear masks whenever inside and, when we move the ship close enough to receive supplies/crew, we wear masks inside and outside.  You get used to it.  I, for the life of me, can't figure out what the big deal about wearing masks is.  You get used to wearing it and it's helping us all get back to normal quicker. 

 

The crew doesn't pay for food.  We've never had to do that, unless we wanted to go to a speciality restaurant...and those are all closed right now.  We all eat in one of the guest dining rooms and the food's been really good.  The Executive Chef is an essential position, so he's here making awesome food for us.  We do have very limited times to eat though...so we all have to budget our time and make sure we don't miss meals.  Usually, we have a much wider range of times we can eat, but right now...it's pretty limited.  7-8am for breakfast, 12-1pm for lunch and 6-7pm for dinner.  That's it.  You miss that, you don't eat.

 

Hope that answered your questions.

Being paid to wear a mask at work (which I have to at times as well) and paying to wear a mask on vacation are two different animals. 

[Hogbay]

On 9/27/2020 at 5:28 PM, ReneeFLL said:

 

Just curious. Why is it better going south to Hawaii than going north? We did a TP out of Seattle going to Hawaii and I'm wondering what would have been different if we had been going north.

Just a guess , you get to defrost in Hawaii  , 🏄‍♂️We on out TP Hawaii to Australia , cruise that way as to get the long flight out of the way 🙂

[miraflores]

14 hours ago, Hogbay said:

Just a guess , you get to defrost in Hawaii  , 🏄‍♂️We on out TP Hawaii to Australia , cruise that way as to get the long flight out of the way 🙂

 

In my experience, it was nice sailing south because the weather got better everyday, people got more relaxed as the days went by, and the Hawaiian ports were all at the end of the cruise...instead of at the beginning.  Having all those sea days first is better than having them at the end, and it really reflected in the energy onboard.