Any thoughts on Cruise ship staffing.

[SelectSys]

On 6/11/2021 at 3:11 AM, Honolulu Blue said:

NCL hinted at crew acquisition and deployment problems when their announced some of their ship deployments recently.  And Royal (and perhaps others) have added an extra quarantine layer to employees coming from the latest COVID-19 hot spots.  So there are hints that the re-crewing of ships is going, perhaps, a bit slower than they would like.

That would make sense.  It is more about the logistical complexity of reconstituting ship crews rather than a willingness to work.  I think it will get more streamlined over time.  I think one of the biggest barriers might be the lack of international flights.  I wonder if the lines are still using their ships to transport crews to and from their home countries?

 

18 hours ago, donaldsc said:

How many American workers would be willing to work the hours required at the salary offered under the working conditions they would experience

I haven't seen too many 1st world cabin stewards or deck hands from Canada, Australia, the UK, France, Germany, Japan either - at least on the mass market lines.  I doubt this is strictly a US phenomena.  

 

 

[CPT Trips]

8 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Just ask workers at Amazon, and meat packing plants.

You mean the Amazon workers that followed the advice of The Police and left a “ message” in a bottle.

[getting older slowly]

Here in Australia..... Our Government is saying they want cruise ships with an Australian Crew...

 

Tell them they're dreamin''.. 

Firstly the whole hospitality industry... is struggling to find staff.....  not going to find any for cruise ships.

Secondary as with the US.  working condition, hours and particularity the paid would not get any takers ...

 

So Cruise ships in Australian Water.... not likely... borders are not opening  later half of 2022   soonest would be october 2022 ... but we will see...

 

 From the customers point of view, me... 

Cruising is off the list.... and will check back in a year or so

 

Don

[chengkp75]

8 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

You mean the Amazon workers that followed the advice of The Police and left a “ message” in a bottle.

And the chicken processing plant worker who just left that same "message" on the floor under the conveyor, or the ones who wear diapers to work.

[rkacruiser]

On 6/16/2021 at 7:08 AM, ontheweb said:

And the walking off the ship and not returning was easy for the crew on the first ships in Hawaii that received the PVSA exemptions. In addition to the US labor laws NCL had to follow, they had to deal with crew leaving.

 

I remember the issues that NCL had when they entered Hawaiian service.  

 

On 6/16/2021 at 9:21 AM, chengkp75 said:

in the beginning, there was a 2 month "school" at the union headquarters in Maryland that had the recruits living in dormitories (a new experience for most), and eating in cafeterias, while learning housekeeping and restaurant duties.  

 

Was this at union headquarters or a different facility?  I attended a SSHSA Annual Meeting in Baltimore at a maritime training facility.  I wish I could remember its name.  I wonder if this was the facility that was used.  

[chengkp75]

30 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I remember the issues that NCL had when they entered Hawaiian service.  

 

 

Was this at union headquarters or a different facility?  I attended a SSHSA Annual Meeting in Baltimore at a maritime training facility.  I wish I could remember its name.  I wonder if this was the facility that was used.  

This was at the Harry Lundberg School of Seamanship, which is the SIU union training facility.  There is also the MM&P school, MITAGS, in Baltimore, and finally MEBA has the Calhoun School of Marine Engineering in Easton, MD.

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

This was at the Harry Lundberg School of Seamanship, which is the SIU union training facility.  There is also the MM&P school, MITAGS, in Baltimore, and finally MEBA has the Calhoun School of Marine Engineering in Easton, MD.

 

Thanks.  Looking at the MITAGS  web site, I think that was the facility where SSHSA held their Annual Meeting.  It was quite an experience for me.  

[Covepointcruiser]

We have also met at that facility as part of an Annual Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.  My Priest and I tried to wander, on a break, to view the simulator side but we were quickly sent back to our assigned meeting space.   What we did see was fascinating.

[SelectSys]

21 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

Secondary as with the US.  working condition, hours and particularity the paid would not get any takers

thanks for confirming my intuition.

[Sue Do-Over]

In the Philippines, there isn't enough industry to employ all their citizens.  Instead, their economy relies on training workers to be 'exported' to other countries, who then send home part of their pay.

 

Along with cruise and hospitality workers, a large number receive training in nursing.  The US actually waived some immigration requirements during/after WWII to get enough hospital staff, and continues to have some exceptions for nurses.  These imported nurses are often assigned lower-skill tasks, like bathing, diapering, wound care, etc. that the 'real' nurses (trained in the US) didn't want to do.

 

These nurses and cruise ship employees send a LOT of their pay home to support their extended families, who many times are raising their children.  When tens of thousands of cruise ship employees were sent back home, whole households suffered.

 

IMHO, they are eager to get back to work, and will accept any vaccine offered to do so.

[rkacruiser]

19 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

We have also met at that facility as part of an Annual Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.  My Priest and I tried to wander, on a break, to view the simulator side but we were quickly sent back to our assigned meeting space.   What we did see was fascinating.

 

During our meeting, small groups of us were allowed to enter the Bridge simulator room and try our hand at being at the helm in different world ports.  When my turn came, the port was New York Harbor.  My "ship" started in the Lower Bay with beautiful weather.  I got the ship successfully under the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, then all heck broke loose!  The weather changed to a severe thunderstorm with high winds and suddenly rough water and very reduced visibility.  I ran over a Staten Island Ferry Boat, nearly collided with a freighter, ended up colliding with the end of a pier on the Hoboken side of the River and starting a large fire.  Needless to say, I didn't get my Master's License.  😁   It was an interesting and sobering experience for all in my group.  

[chengkp75]

Don't feel bad, when SeaLand wanted to start bringing in Panamax container ships to Port Everglades, the PEV pilots went to the simulators, and failed, crashed and burned the first 47 times.

[rkacruiser]

2 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Don't feel bad, when SeaLand wanted to start bringing in Panamax container ships to Port Everglades, the PEV pilots went to the simulators, and failed, crashed and burned the first 47 times.

 

Such an experience gives one a greater appreciation as to what a ship's Officers may experience.  For an inexperienced cruise guest--it all seems so "easy"--but, it isn't!  

[Heidi13]

7 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

During our meeting, small groups of us were allowed to enter the Bridge simulator room and try our hand at being at the helm in different world ports.  When my turn came, the port was New York Harbor.  My "ship" started in the Lower Bay with beautiful weather.  I got the ship successfully under the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, then all heck broke loose!  The weather changed to a severe thunderstorm with high winds and suddenly rough water and very reduced visibility.  I ran over a Staten Island Ferry Boat, nearly collided with a freighter, ended up colliding with the end of a pier on the Hoboken side of the River and starting a large fire.  Needless to say, I didn't get my Master's License.  😁   It was an interesting and sobering experience for all in my group.  

 

Simulators are the fun part of the job.

 

Just remember you were thrown in at the deep end, giving you a nightmare scenario on the equivalent of your first day at sea. Before my first command, I spent 10 years at sea being taught by some exceptional officers and captains, all on real ships, as we didn't have marine sims available to us in the mid 80's. I still remember my first day in command and fortunately it was reasonably smooth sailing.

 

Getting safely under the bridge was an accomplishment.😀 

[CPT Trips]

7 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Don't feel bad, when SeaLand wanted to start bringing in Panamax container ships to Port Everglades, the PEV pilots went to the simulators, and failed, crashed and burned the first 47 times.

Chief, totally off topic. If you have time, could you wander over to river cruises and check out “The Captain Refuses Vaccine.” I would appreciate you posting there with any insight you might have. 

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

Chief, totally off topic. If you have time, could you wander over to river cruises and check out “The Captain Refuses Vaccine.” I would appreciate you posting there with any insight you might have. 

Could you post the url for that thread; it sounds like it should be very interesting.

[ColeThornton]

23 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Could you post the url for that thread; it sounds like it should be very interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CPT Trips]

The river cruising isn’t overwhelmed with posts, so it’s an easy to find thread. If you go to that board, you’ll have no trouble finding it.

[ontheweb]

29 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

The river cruising isn’t overwhelmed with posts, so it’s an easy to find thread. If you go to that board, you’ll have no trouble finding it.

Thanks, I found it. I looked earlier before I asked, and don't understand why I did not find it then. But now with it being right on the top, it is extremely easy to find.

[ColeThornton]

 

 

Edited.

Edited June 19, 2021 by ColeThornton