i'm CREW OF HAL... any ??? go to me!

[buggsie10]

i like how all im doing is trying to help peeps out, yet im being ridiculed... oh well. guess i wont bother.

 

as for my parents... they're platinum level carnival guest. love it. does that mean i cant work for them?

 

you could cruise 40x a year, yet only know 1/100th of what you know when working on ships.

 

cheers!

jordan

[CathieM88]

Jordon - this is very nice of you to post here and answer our questions, thank you! My best friends daughter is about to get her license as an estitician (sp?) (spa facials, makeup etc). She is seriously thinking about looking for work in the cruiseline industray. Any pointers or suggestions I could pass along to her? She is a good kid and we really want to see her excel at this.

 

Thanks again!!!

 

Cathie

[twinkletoes4445]

Here's a question...It may have been asked, but I didn't see it.

 

We like the auto tip program. I like the idea of having the tips added to my account. I understand that they are distributed to a number of people.

 

When we cruised last time, we gave the room steward, bar tenders, and others who helped us cash tips along the week. I am understanding that they are able to keep those extra tips for themselves, and not have to share them with everyone else? Is this correct?

 

If someone goes above and beyond, I want the money to go to them, not into the pool (with the regular daily tippping that is automatically added to your ship account).

 

And thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. :)

[HeatherInFlorida]

I know someone posted that the whole issue of tipping is asked and answered, but I'm just reading this thread for the first time and I'm totally confused. The auto-tip issue was explained in detail (I even believe there was something on HAL's website about it).

 

We were told that one of the main reasons for auto-tipping is to get tips to the "behind the scenes" people like housekeeping staff, etc. In fact we had a very long thread about that some time ago ... the pros and the cons. Personally I don't like to tip anyone who hasn't given me direct service which is one reason I hate the auto-tip.

 

So if Jordan is correct (and I have no reason to believe he's not), then we have been severely misled by HAL about where the tips go. I even remember a percentage being laid out showing specifically how the tips are distributed and it included a lot of housekeeping people, etc.

 

Jordan, don't be put off by the "Nancy Drews" here:) ... we like doing that. It fills our time. But you don't have to use your old name or your parent's name ... you can easily log on with a whole new name, come right back on this thread and tell us it's your new name. then no one will be confused about who you are.

 

Unfortunately, we've been burned a lot here so we're a little suspect.

[djallar]

Jordan, don't be put off by the "Nancy Drews" here:) ... we like doing that. It fills our time.

Actually I feel more like a "Mike Hammer" but look more like a "Kojak" :D

[trubey]

I have no idea who bugsie10 is/was, but there is a guy named Jason who has an interesting blog about shipboard life. Is that you?

[cruisequeen10]

Jordan,

 

When you give the tips in cash to your cabin steward, table waiter etc. do they get to keep all of it, or is it placed into the pool and gets divided. That is the way they do it on NCL. Any extra tips they still have to share.

[NJcabanas]

Greetings!

I have a Club Hal question. I would like to get some details about the Club Hal activities for the Alaska cruises. We will be on the Volendam in August with our kid in the 8-12 age group. Do the kids get special viewing sessions during the Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm sailings or a chance to talk with the rangers/naturalist? Are the activities oriented toward taking advantage of the Alaska culture/enviornment or do Club Hal activities mostly revolve around the traditional summer camp crafts and games? Thanks for the help, I really appreciate all the great info I have gotten off these boards.

[the2ofus]

Jordan,

I think part of the problem, in addition to posting under another person's name, is how you present yourself. If I understand correctly, you are a college-age person with a reasonably good education. (Inferred from previous posts about how good you were as a Club HAL counselor.)

 

Your grammar and punctuation and the slang terms you use would never place you above the level of a high school student, IMHO. If you want to be considered credible on a board populated mostly by adults, you need to be a bit more careful with the way you express yourself.

 

I'm sure you have useful information you can share. Since I am hoping to cruise with my grade-school age grandchildren next year, your input would be very valuable to me, if I can trust that you really are who you say you are.

[buggsie10]

HeatherInFlorida i would love to create another name, however my email address (i only use one) is already allocated to a CC login name (what i made up years ago) however w/o knowing the password, CC said they wouldnt/couldnt reset it. i didnt really look much into it for i've been on ships and internet costs $$ so...

 

CathieM88: get ur friend's daughter to do it! its a lot of fun. have her check out STEINER. its a london-based salon company that contracts out all but Princess' salons. ( i think ) have her apply to their website and see what happens. they do have to travel to london for training then sent out to ships. dont know time lengths or more info on that.

 

TIPS QUESTIONS: what i stated before needs to be cleared up. all i meant to say was that when explained the whole auto-tips, it sounds (from the CD and what seattle HO makes them say) is that autotips are for your waiters, room stewards, etc; and the 'behind the scenes' people like chefs, garbage men (yes there are them on ships) deck cleaners, etc. the people that 'you dont see'. about PERSONALLY giving them tips, im not sure what their department allows them to do: keep it or turn it into a pool; but in CLUB HAL we have to pool them in together and then divide it up.

 

NJcabanas: When i was on the OOST during the summer, we stopped at Glacier Bay and from 11am-12noon we had TWEEN (8-12) glacier viewing and the counselors (well we were well educated about the glaciers for we're there every week...) we talked about glaciers and described caving and 'white' thunder, etc... there are Rangers/Naturalist that board the ship. On the OOST we never had one literally talk to the kids directly, however on other ships the staff and YPDs have said that they did have them in club HAL. on the ZUID for the summer, our YPD michele got this program for alaska in which the kids will be participating in a RANGER-like school and have a packet for the week and complete games/tasks involving Alaska and its environment and at the end of the week they 'graduate' the class and recieve some honorary ranger diploma or something cool like that. caribbean programming and alaska programming are somewhat different. crafts include totem pole making and eagle puppets and some games are modified to include alaska themes.

[buggsie10]

QUOTE

Your grammar and punctuation and the slang terms you use would never place you above the level of a high school student, IMHO. QUOTE

 

 

 

isnt that slang? didnt my generation create these abbreviated terms? if this is what i get for being nice... i stop right here. no more talk. if u actually do need help instead of wasting time, u have my email.

[WillK]

Jordan- I think your posts are great and wonderful opportunity for the rest of us to get an idea of what goes on behind the scenes. I think it's very kind of you to take the time to answer our questions. Unfortunately, as you can see, some of us never passed our kindergarten class in basic manners.:D

[the2ofus]

IMHO is not slang, it is an acronym in common use for a number of years on the internet.

 

It was not my intention to insult you. Rather, I had hoped to help you to be able to better serve the purpose you intended. As a mother, grandmother and volunteer in the children's programs at my church, I care a great deal for young people and helping them to grow intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. A more adult response from you would have been. "Thank you, I was unaware of how I might be perceived. I appreciate your interest."

[Copper10-8]

QUOTE

Your grammar and punctuation and the slang terms you use would never place you above the level of a high school student, IMHO. QUOTE

 

 

 

isnt that slang? didnt my generation create these abbreviated terms? if this is what i get for being nice... i stop right here. no more talk. if u actually do need help instead of wasting time, u have my email.

 

Another succesful "outting" ! Thanks for trying to give out some inside info, Jordan!

[formercruisestaff]

Wow this is getting heated...:eek:

[Copper10-8]

Wow this is getting heated...:eek:

 

Hope you didn't think getting in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee was tough:eek:

[HeatherInFlorida]

Jordan, simply ignore it. Anyone who questions who you are doesn't have to stop by. Since there's people here who value the information you're willing to share, I'd just ignore the others. Just try to understand that no one means to be unkind ... they just honestly are never quite sure who is "real" and who is not.

 

I forgot that there's a problem signing in with another name because with AOL for some reason you can do it. Once I was going to dump this name and start all over, but I realized I'd quickly be recognized and never have any credibility again. So I have another name dangling somewhere here on CC ... you can have that one!!!!:) Kidding.

[patval]

Jordan I second what Heather said about not sweating the other people or what I call the small stuff!

 

The questions people are asking are not what I would consider be so risky to trust someone about the background on it.

 

Please Jordan continue to answer peoples questions but I can understand that a few bad apples can spoil a bunch and there are other sites that would appreciate your help.

 

Thank you,

 

Paul

 

 

I AM GOING TO GET FLAMED OVER MY COMMENT!:eek::eek::eek:

[zaandam_2]

if you go to yahoo, hotmail.com, juno.com or several other places, you can create a free email account. no problems and they don't ask for a lot of personal info. its free!

[BruceMuzz]

I believe that Jordan is who he claims to be. And he has already proven that many staff in the Entertainment Department on ships do not really know how the ship really operates.

 

For example he explained that many ships have plumbing problems. That is quite true. Most of the problems stem from passengers using their toilets for garbage disposals. They stop up the pipe that services about 60 other toilets and they all stop working at the same time. Then the Engineers go below decks with hacksaws and start cutting pipes, looking for the stoppage. A few hours later, they weld the whole mess back together and the system works again - until another idiot pulls the same stunt.

But he is mistaken that ships hold empty cabins for these emergencies. Cruise Lines simply cannot afford to do such things these days. We used to do that - in the good old days when people paid real money for a cruise. But with today's prices, not a single mass market cruise line will block revenue cabins. Even company Vice Presidents who want to sail usually must go Standby.

 

Jordan is also unclear on salary structures on ships. In the Hotel Department, the Service Staff have been part of a tipping pool for the past 100 years or so. Until auto-tipping came along, the people who received tips directly first pooled those tips, then tipped out cash to the cooks, dishwashers, and other back of house helpers. With the new auto tip system, the money is still pooled, but instead of the service staff tipping out cash to the back of house, it is now done automatically through payroll.

Waiters and Cabin Stewards have always been paid next to nothing onboard cruise ships. Most large cruise line companies today pay each one approximately $1 per day plus tips. Contrary to what Boatdrill posted, the salaries of service staff DID NOT go down with the advent of auto tipping. This $1 per day plus tips system has been in place since the 1950's, when it was increased from about 50 cents per day plus tips. It actually started when American Financier J.P. Morgan purchased the White Star Line in 1909. He was too cheap to pay his crew a proper wage, so he started a system where they were paid about 25 cents per day plus tips.

 

The people who work in the back of the house are paid a salary, based on their position. The salary is generally rather low. That is why it has always been supplemented by indirect tips; from the waiters and cabin stewards in the "old days", and now more directly through payroll with the new auto-tipping system. This is hardly unusual. Many hotels and restaurants in America operate in a very similar fashion.

 

Bar staff are also a bit different. They rely primarily on the automatic 15% tips that are now standard on just about every big cruise ship in the world.

Depending on the bar setup, they are generally pooled amongst the Bar Staff only. This is an incentive system that encourages the staff to sell more drinks if they want to make more money.

 

The entertainment department on a ship is quite a different story. These people are paid a salary. They are not really part of the service staff, although they do provide services to the passengers.

[sailroscoe]

Jordan, I am enjoying your postings, so ignore the "older" folks who don`t seem to like someone young giving out advice

[Bramcruiser]

Yikes. I was very hesitant to post that question I raised this morning and now I see I should have kept quiet. Yeah, I was the culprit who raised the point that certain postings didn't add and I said so. I think its the accountant in me to dig in deeper behind the scenes. However, I left the door open for any explanation and I left it at that.

 

Let's move on. I am.

[twinkletoes4445]

Jordan...thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. I for one appreciate you doing so. :)

[SDHALFAN]

Wow this is getting heated...:eek:

 

Hi Jordan, and "formercruisestaff".

 

I, for one, really do appreciate your input and have learned a lot from your posts.

 

Certainly there are "Trolls" lurking on these boards and ready to strike at any time so some of us have a tendency to take everything with a grain or two of salt.

 

You two though seem to be the genuine articles and once again thanks so much for the insider information.

 

Please keep your posts coming - they are appreciated by the majority of us.

 

Hope to meet one, or both, of you on some cruise very soon.:)

 

p.s. I am one of "the older folk" that someone mentioned, however I am still enjoying your posts and am learning a lot. We "older folk" still love to live and learn, even if we seem like doddering old fools at times;).

[Gypsea]

One line I have yet to sail is HAL. I have been selling travel for several years but sail as much as possible without flying. Here in the northeast that limits me somewhat. I hope to try the Noordam when possible since she will be in the neighborhood. What can you say to convince me to try this line...or do you think others may be superior?