LIVE from QM2 June 29 to July 6

[S1971]

47 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

No, I wouldn't want to live like that either but again, many folk have a far better life at sea than the small villages in,say, the Philippines and a huge plus, many finance their whole family by working like this and I heard this personally,  from staff we've interacted with over the years.

 

I don't disagree, I've had similar conversations with crew myself.

 

That said, I'm also aware that crew are also very cautious in what they say to passengers, it's not in their interest to be critical of their employer, having witnessed the way some senior crew chastise junior staff for minor issues, I can understand why.

[Victoria2]

39 minutes ago, S1971 said:

 

I don't disagree, I've had similar conversations with crew myself.

 

That said, I'm also aware that crew are also very cautious in what they say to passengers, it's not in their interest to be critical of their employer, having witnessed the way some senior crew chastise junior staff for minor issues, I can understand why.

I have no reason to disbelieve the staff I've spoken with. They are quite senior and have worked their way up from room stewards. Two were sponsoring relations  to come and work for Cunard in the kitchens.

 

I have seen the villages and to be accurate, dwellings many, many folk live in, in S.E.Asia including 'under the bridge' and under tarpaulins.

Under the bridge chap turned up for work in worn clothes, but clean and fairly well pressed. He washed them in the river, dried them on the stones and smoothed them out to effect a pressing. He was determined to work for himself and his parents.

 

The work ethic was astonishing and there will be hundreds and thousands like him in the world so we can't put our Western values on those who choose to work at sea in what 'we' would call not very nice conditions but which are a damned sight better than those they had at home, and they are sending money back to boot.

 

 

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I have no reason to disbelieve the staff I've spoken with. They are quite senior and have worked their way up from room stewards. Two were sponsoring relations  to come and work for Cunard in the kitchens.

 

I have seen the villages and to be accurate, dwellings many, many folk live in, in S.E.Asia including 'under the bridge' and under tarpaulins.

Under the bridge chap turned up for work in worn clothes, but clean and fairly well pressed. He washed them in the river, dried them on the stones and smoothed them out to effect a pressing. He was determined to work for himself and his parents.

 

The work ethic was astonishing and there will be hundreds and thousands like him in the world so we can't put our Western values on those who choose to work at sea in what 'we' would call not very nice conditions but which are a damned sight better than those they had at home, and they are sending money back to boot.

 

 

It does seem also that there is some sort of path for proportion, for the dedicated and lucky. Junior waiters become waiters, and a few of them go on to be senior waiters, etc. Our waitress on QE2 in 1999 was managing the Verandah on QV in 2019.

[Clewgarnet]

A good friend used to be involved in hiring crew for Cunard, among other lines. It was a while ago that I spoke to him about this, and it was even longer since he was doing the work, so things may have changed.

 

Cunard outsourced their crewing recruitment to his company. His company then outsourced to local agencies in the Philippines, Malaysia, etc.

 

The big cruise lines have their pick of staff. The work is hard, but is generally safe. The accommodation is clean, and food is good and plentiful. Tipped positions are, understandably, the most sought-after, especially on lines that carry a high proportion of Americans.

 

The general agreement is that the hardest part is being away from family. The best part is that, rather like a posting to the Falklands, there isn't a great deal to spend your money on, so it's easier to save. The cramped living quarters aren't a consideration.

 

Conversely, another friend used to be entertainments director on various P&O ships, having worked his way up from pianist. He was single at the time, so being away wasn't as much of a hardship. He says he didn't mind sharing a cabin but hated sharing a bathroom! He loved the work but, eventually, he just wanted a change after fifteen years or so at sea.

 

Edit: Just to add, I've been at sea for a few months at a time myself, in one of fourteen bunks in the fo'c'sle. It's amazing how quickly you adapt.

Edited July 10 by Clewgarnet

[Germancruiser]

OH what utterly nonsense that 4 class idea is. If Britannia Class is considered 4th class- I am happy to take that anytime. Does one really feel " 4th Class" when sitting in one of the wonderful Lounges on board QM2- say Chart Room Bar, Commodore Club, Champagne Bar?

I do not want a behind the sceanes tour- other then the technical part- etc. I do not want to see the accommadations of the crew- as one mentiones already- it is their sanctury - the only place they have for themselfes. Nobody forces anyone to work on a ship- sometimes the crew members feed whole families from what they make on their contracts.

[Victoria2]

21 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

It does seem also that there is some sort of path for proportion, for the dedicated and lucky. Junior waiters become waiters, and a few of them go on to be senior waiters, etc. Our waitress on QE2 in 1999 was managing the Verandah on QV in 2019.

One of our waiters from well over a decade ago is now a Britannia maître d', not that we're surprised at all and similarly, one is now a Head Waiter in Sir Samuels. Hopefully, she'll be a maître d' one day.

 

[TouchstoneFeste]

1 hour ago, Germancruiser said:

OH what utterly nonsense that 4 class idea is. If Britannia Class is considered 4th class- I am happy to take that anytime. Does one really feel " 4th Class" when sitting in one of the wonderful Lounges on board QM2- say Chart Room Bar, Commodore Club, Champagne Bar?

I do not want a behind the sceanes tour- other then the technical part- etc. I do not want to see the accommadations of the crew- as one mentiones already- it is their sanctury - the only place they have for themselfes. Nobody forces anyone to work on a ship- sometimes the crew members feed whole families from what they make on their contracts.

Personally I was disappointed in the quality of the ceilidh we experienced in Cunard 4th class 🙂

 

We did the behind the scenes tour last December.  We passed through the crew quarters area, but weren't allowed into any actual cabins. While passing along the Burma Road we were allowed to peek into the crew cafeteria, which seemed large and cheerful. We were told the food catered to the taste of the mostly Asian crew (so I agree with the suggestion that a "crew menu" night might be very good.)

[BigMac1953]

Forgot to mention; the crew also get very cheap internet (subsidised by the passengers!)

[NE John]

1 hour ago, BigMac1953 said:

Forgot to mention; the crew also get very cheap internet (subsidised by the passengers!)

If that means the crew can stay in touch with family back home and help keep up morale, I’m happy to help subsidize them. Us pax also subsidize the Children’s activities and I’m glad to do that too so we don’t have bored kids around the ship during the day and especially in the evenings. 

[S1971]

3 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

I have no reason to disbelieve the staff I've spoken with

 

Me neither, but I can't recall ever having any meaningful conversations about their home life and whether they live in poverty or not

 

It's not something I would personally want to know about or question them on.

[Victoria2]

13 minutes ago, S1971 said:

 

Me neither, but I can't recall ever having any meaningful conversations about their home life and whether they live in poverty or not

 

It's not something I would personally want to know about or question them on.

Believe it or not, poverty is subjective.

When you have heat from the sun, food to pick off the trees, you won't be cold and you won't starve but living in a house rather than a shanty and to provide that for your family is the goal of many and apart from seeing that for real when we lived in S.E.Asia, we were told how the staff we talked to support their families back home without us asking so no, we didn't 'question' anyone. That would be crass and we are most definitely, not crass.

 

When you meet the same staff over the years, we chat and  it's amazing how you DO become part of the family and you learn about the lives of staff and their families, again, without asking but because we are interested, we learn and we ask after them and admire the photos as the children grew up.

 

I can tell you which football teams some support, which schools some of the children go to [educating their children is a goal of many of the staff], how their children have progressed to university and which of the computer science courses they are taking.

 

So no, we don't intrude and ask and it's not being nosey, it's being interested in staff as people rather than just 'staff' and that might be why we are welcomed as if coming home.

 

 

[Victoria2]

Try this Kordy

https://www.cunardcareers.co.uk/life-at-cunard/

and specifically

Learn more about living and working at sea.

[tacticalbanjo]

11 minutes ago, Kordy said:

Also, the crew get bills and statements like we all do !!!  And they get charged for food/restaurants as can be seen here:

 

The dining charge appears to be for a speciality restaurant. It's fair enough for that to be charged for as passengers would also have to pay for it.

 

Crew get internet connectivity at much lower prices than passengers pay. 

From https://theinsider.carnivalukgroup.com/stay-connected-new-and-improved-internet-service/cunard-crew-internet/

[Kordy]

10 minutes ago, tacticalbanjo said:

The dining charge appears to be for a speciality restaurant. It's fair enough for that to be charged for as passengers would also have to pay for it.

 

Crew get internet connectivity at much lower prices than passengers pay. 

From https://theinsider.carnivalukgroup.com/stay-connected-new-and-improved-internet-service/cunard-crew-internet/

 

This is a great find !! thank you :)

 

These prices are way better than Royal Caribbean !  Cunard is doing a decent job by providing relatively affordable Internet for the crew.

 

My only concern here is that in order to call your family back home you have to go for the 2nd highest package.  I think that WhatsApp audio calling should be included in the $0.90/day package and only video calling should be in the more expensive package.

[S1971]

25 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Believe it or not, poverty is subjective.

When you have heat from the sun, food to pick off the trees, you won't be cold and you won't starve but living in a house rather than a shanty and to provide that for your family is the goal of many and apart from seeing that for real when we lived in S.E.Asia, we were told how the staff we talked to support their families back home without us asking so no, we didn't 'question' anyone. That would be crass and we are most definitely, not crass.

 

When you meet the same staff over the years, we chat and  it's amazing how you DO become part of the family and you learn about the lives of staff and their families, again, without asking but because we are interested, we learn and we ask after them and admire the photos as the children grew up.

 

I can tell you which football teams some support, which schools some of the children go to [educating their children is a goal of many of the staff], how their children have progressed to university and which of the computer science courses they are taking.

 

So no, we don't intrude and ask and it's not being nosey, it's being interested in staff as people rather than just 'staff' and that might be why we are welcomed as if coming home.

 

 

 

Each to their own isn't it, I personally have no desire to establish any such relationships with crew.

 

Of course on occasions one gets recognised when returning on certain lines or ships and the customary it's nice to see you again Sir & Madam and during our stay we may converse generally but that's enough for me.

 

Harsh as it may seem to some, I don't want to know about how they are working away for months on end to support their families at home, I'm already aware of that.

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, S1971 said:

 

Each to their own isn't it, I personally have no desire to establish any such relationships with crew.

 

Of course on occasions one gets recognised when returning on certain lines or ships and the customary it's nice to see you again Sir & Madam and during our stay we may converse generally but that's enough for me.

 

Harsh as it may seem to some, I don't want to know about how they are working away for months on end to support their families at home, I'm already aware of that.

It's not harsh to me but when you're in close contact with staff for a month or two, or even three plus if on the whole Worldie, it's easy to build up a rapport, especially when it's on the same ship.

 

 

[JT1101]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

Believe it or not, poverty is subjective.

When you have heat from the sun, food to pick off the trees, you won't be cold and you won't starve but living in a house rather than a shanty and to provide that for your family is the goal of many and apart from seeing that for real when we lived in S.E.Asia, we were told how the staff we talked to support their families back home without us asking so no, we didn't 'question' anyone. That would be crass and we are most definitely, not crass.

 

When you meet the same staff over the years, we chat and  it's amazing how you DO become part of the family and you learn about the lives of staff and their families, again, without asking but because we are interested, we learn and we ask after them and admire the photos as the children grew up.

 

I can tell you which football teams some support, which schools some of the children go to [educating their children is a goal of many of the staff], how their children have progressed to university and which of the computer science courses they are taking.

 

So no, we don't intrude and ask and it's not being nosey, it's being interested in staff as people rather than just 'staff' and that might be why we are welcomed as if coming home.

 

 

I've chatted with my waiter/sommelier before as well as with my room steward. The steward talk was fun as we shared tea (I was brewing and offered a cup) and he was with Cunard 22 years at the time and came over from QE2. Cunard has always had this way where the touch of formality stays while you can get chummy with the crew at the same time. 

[S1971]

6 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

It's not harsh to me but when you're in close contact with staff for a month or two, or even three plus if on the whole Worldie, it's easy to build up a rapport, especially when it's on the same ship.

 

 

 

Not having done cruises of that length I can't really comment, but yes on significantly longer cruises I guess it's easier to build a repport for some people.

[Victoria2]

7 minutes ago, JT1101 said:

I've chatted with my waiter/sommelier before as well as with my room steward. The steward talk was fun as we shared tea (I was brewing and offered a cup) and he was with Cunard 22 years at the time and came over from QE2. Cunard has always had this way where the touch of formality stays while you can get chummy with the crew at the same time. 

You are right. It is possible to have a rapport without any familiarity on either side and that's what we have found and experienced.

[BigMac1953]

On QV, we had the same butler three times in a row. It turned out, on the third occasion, that they had noticed us on the manifest and asked to look after us.

 

We got to know the individual very well and even received a Christmas card from them.

 

A couple of years later, we met the same person on QM2 having being promoted to Deck Manager. We had a visit, and another bottle of champagne, along with a lovely floral display. On our return journey from NYC, a replacement floral display turned up.

 

Unfortunately (for us) the individual left Cunard, but, nevertheless, we enjoyed this person's company and stories about "back home" for the best part of 10 years.

Edited July 10 by BigMac1953

[Red Ray]

I always make a point of addressing crew members by their name and the vast majority seem to appreciate a little chat about their country, family, cruise experience etc. What was noticeable on QA last month was the number of Zimbabweans amongst the crew - it appears Cunard are casting the recruitment net more widely. There was also an extremely polite young man working in the shops who came from Ecuador.

[WantedOnVoyage]

Maybe it's one of the reasons we love QUEEN VICTORIA... we remember so many of the crew and they remember us.  And by name, too. And if don't see a familiar face, we ask about them, too. Since the itineraries are SO same old, I'd almost rather plan our cruises around the crew rotation than anything else. 

 

I can still name stewards from voyages of 30-45 years ago, too. One can be content with faceless, efficient service but we make an effort (and yes, it means putting on the specs, too) to read the name badges of everyone who makes our holiday special. And remember their names or try to.  I do wish they would make the letters bigger, though, on those badges.....

 

 

Edited July 10 by WantedOnVoyage

[Victoria2]

13 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

...I do wish they would make the letters bigger, though, on those badges.....

 

 

Oh so do I!.

 

Memory fails sometimes and I have no wish to show that when we are remembered [probably from passenger photos but hey it's nice to think from actual memory!] and short of getting a magnifying glass sometimes, it's hard to see the name badges! 😀