Past Celebrity Employee - Answering Your Questions

[hstrybuf]

Well, this has certainly been interesting reading. It's getting attention from the other forums and even other boards. As an outsider looking in, never cruised on X, I'm finding it, ummmm, entertaining.

 

How would knowing CE's name and what ship he worked on make him more believable? Even if it's all crap it makes for interesting reading... :p

Now this is a good question! And here I'm probably in the minority, but what the heck. I rarely read this board anyway. Aside from the fact that it's interesting, knowing the ex-employee's background (what ship(s), what job) would add some validity to the information. No name needed. They can't fire an ex-employee.

 

Okay, carry on! :D

[wallie5446]

First let me say thank you to the OP. This is one of the most enjoyable, interesting and informable thread I ever read.

Thank you for taking so much time to answer our questions.

 

To Wallie and friends: Are you jellous that there is somebody else who has insight information from the company. Are you jellous that these are first hand information and ha don´t have to say "I know from ..."

I think all reading and posting here are grown up and able to decide what information is reliable and what isn´t. And as discussed knowing who he is doesn´t make him more or less reliable. And we all know now where your daughter works.

So please move on and let Cruiseemployee answer our questions without getting flamed by you!!!

Jealous, no.

Name dropper, no. I answered the 'flame' about who I was. It was not first given.

Reliable, if he said 'joe schmoe' would you be here ?

As Master Chef, for Celebrity, Michel Roux says, the proff is in the pudding.

[cruiseemployee]

gkm - We don't go through any special training to handle bad situations. We only go through a crowd management course once at the beginning of a contract. The bad situations are just handled through experience. You live and learn...the bad situations come with the territory.

 

speakerboy & butterfly - I don't know too much about the cleaning of the cabins. But I do know that they have time to eat on Celebrity. They have a lot of rooms to clean, but each cabin steward has an assistant so no need to hire help to finish the rooms. Most housekeeping gets paid a base salary (which is a very small salary) and then make all their money on tips. They must be treated ok on celebrity because I met one guy who had been cleaning rooms for 14 years. And the alcohol thing. Of course it's expensive for the guests. We've got you in the middle of the ocean...where you gonna go for a drink??? Kind of a monopoly market wouldn't you say?

 

Pearl Jammer - January huh. Will probably be slow for the younger crowd then...you're right. There will be some young ones though. Meet the activities staff at the first singles get together. They'll introduce you to people the first night and then you're set. (You don't have to be single either...it's just a chance to meet people) Best time to go with celebrity for your age is during spring break...it's a party. Disco closes at like 4 or 5 every night then. As for the money thing...how much will you spend?? I'm not sure...how much do you drink? Buying souvenirs at all??? Cashwise, you only need for the casino on board and anything on land. Everything else goes on credit cards. Just a guess but I'd say you can get by on 300 - 400. You'd have a good time with that amount.

 

cyberhankster - I'm not sure what extra pampering you need that they don't already offer you. They're already planning to do that. Give me some insight as to what you mean.

 

Zigster - Honestly have no idea. Could be linked to anything really; crew turnover, midcontracts, itinerary change or lack there of, or even a bad vibe from the guests. Didn't hear so don't know. Sorry.

 

Hulagirl - Chances are most of the people will be on a different ship. When I finish my contract, someone comes to replace me for 6 months. So I am almost guaranteed to go to a different ship. The only people you'll see on the ship are the ones that are just finishing up their contracts. That's why when we finish 1 contract and go to the next, we always know someone on the next ship. Kind of like a big web. If you do enough contracts, you eventually meet the whole fleet. So no, you won't see many of the same people.

 

kooltravelers - kind of afraid to answer your question...but...most outer decks do have cameras. In fact any open deck will have one. If someone was to ever fall off the ship, there would be footage that security could go back to in order to verify they'd fallen off. The number of cameras does depend on the age of the ship. Older ships seem to not have as many; while the new ones have a camera everywhere. And the cameras can be turned too!!!

 

hotvwchick - 1) the babysitting is usually done by housekeeping staff. They have asked the dancers to help out during busy times however.

2) There are child's lifejackets provided

3) They're not that sound proofed. You can hear what goes on next door!!

4) Not too often. But a lot of times we get delayed 10 mins at each port because someone is late... I'd say maybe one couple per cruise on average. If it's an excursion through the ship however, they'll wait.

5) For christmas, we may have a christmas dinner for the crew, sometimes up in the windsurf. We'll close it off at 10pm and have our own little dinner... Other than that, business as usual.

 

tdebolt - Honestly don't know. I just work on the ship, don't know about upgrades on the pier, or price. But any marketing person will tell you the factors are length of cruise, demand based on time of year and itinerary.

[cyberhankster]

For Cruise Employee

 

Re: extra pampering issue. The fact that my wife and I are booked into a Conceirge Class stateroom on the Penthouse Deck of the Century should indicate we are seeking the highest level of service. I want to send the signal to our head waiter and main cabin attendant that we are not afraid to tip....and tip well... for truly outstanding service.

 

Our two adult children will be joining us at a table for four. I want our head waiter to feel he or she is serving the most important table on the Century. When we get to "lobster night"....I want my head waiter to have extra lobsters lined up. When I say I want my filet mignon medium rare....I want to be "wowed."

 

Similarly, with our head stateroom attendant.....I want he or she motivated to pull out all the stops. I've seen too many threads saying the canapes aren't worth it....instead should I request they arrange to bring us escargot or shrimp cocktails prior to the evening meal?

 

In short.....what can I do to motivate the staff to really pour on the service? I want our staff to know we are going to take good care of them.

 

Once again, thank you for your thoughts.

[CoasterBill]

Thanks so much for sharing! I have really enjoyed this as well as so many others. I think the entertainment staff on Celebrity does a great job and I am looking forward to being back on one of her ships. I think I would have really liked working with the entertainment staff years back and I am so glad you seemed to enjoy your time on the ships. Have a great Holiday!

[Jumbie]

Hi Jumbie:) not sure if she told you, but I had the pleasure of meeting your g/f on board....she is extremely nice...but of course you know that already;) .....

Yeah, she had told me that someone had asked one of her co-workers for "a girl that had a b/f in Grenada" and then that she had later met you.

 

Thanks for the compliment about her. She said it was nice to meet you although she laughed at me for hanging out on an internet forum *grin*

 

I can't wait for Jan 12, when she will be here!!

[cruiseemployee]

what can I do to motivate the staff to really pour on the service? I want our staff to know we are going to take good care of them.

 

Well, just a suggestion. I would write a little note saying that this is a very special cruise for your family and anything extra that can be done would be appreciated. Insert your extra tip in with the note and I guarantee you that this would get their attention. Writing notes actually do go a long way on a ship. I've seen plenty of suggestions and comments go across the cruise director's desk before. And they were definitely noticed.

[Host Walt]

Well, just a suggestion. I would write a little note saying that this is a very special cruise for your family and anything extra that can be done would be appreciated. Insert your extra tip in with the note and I guarantee you that this would get their attention. Writing notes actually do go a long way on a ship. I've seen plenty of suggestions and comments go across the cruise director's desk before. And they were definitely noticed.

I'll second that comment. Back in January 1991 on board a 10-day Mexican Riviera cruise aboard the old Fair Princess, where the only TV on board was in the public lounges, we sailed a few days before the start of the First Gulf War. (The only in room entertainment consisted of 5 piped in radio channels.)

 

The first five days were at sea (due to a port sequence change). The war started on day 2. The poor CD (Janet Edwards, the first female CD in the industry) tried hard to keep to the Princess standard ... a cruise "fun" atmosphere. The only thing she did up to that point was set up the TV screens in the public lounges.

 

I sent a note to her suggesting that she have a moment of silence at 11:00pm, the time the war was starting, in consideration of our troops. She did that one better by having the second show delayed until after 11:00 and had the Catholic priest on board recite a non-denominational prayer for our troops, then announced that shipboard activities would continue to be available.

 

After the War's first day, there was a sort of bonding created by the shared experience that Janet saw and joined.

 

Clearly, she was tuned in to the interests of the passengers.

[cruiseman_tx]

No questions here. Just want to say what an enjoyable thread this has turned out to be. It's been very informative and entertaining, and with 44 people reading at the time I started this post, I'd say many others are enjoying it also. Thanx cruiseempolyee!

[SeaBreezy]

Thank you for answering our questions!

 

1. Do you think that ship's officers enjoy the part of their job that includes socializing with the passengers or do they just tolerate it as part of their job?

For example, the captain at the Captain's Reception/Cocktail Party. Or, other officers attending certain passenger functions. I know you can't speak for them all, but as a rule, what would you say?

2. Have you ever been on a ship where an employee was dismissed and sent off the ship for breaking a rule? What happened? How is it done? Do they just say, "OK, that's it. You are off next stop" and the person goes to pack their bag immediately? What happened in a situation that you know of (if you know of one).

3. I've always heard about "crew only parties". I envision these wild, loud music, heavy drinking, free for alls. I don't know why, I just do. Maybe it's the crew people that I've experienced. How are they? How often? Where are they?

4. And last, what did you do when the ship was in port offloading and loading new passengers?

Thanks!:)

[CruiserJen]

CruiseEmployee:

 

Not sure how long you have been "retired" from Celebrity. The general comments on this board probably do not apply to Celebrity's newest ship, Xpedition, which is in the Galapagos. My brother took this cruise a few months ago and said it is an awesome adventure. He told me that most of the employees are local Ecuadorians, but there were a few who were from San Diego or Canada who had moved to Ecuador or Galapagos and/or married local women. Celebrity is operating in a specialty market with unique issues, & are restricted by the govt. rules & regulations of the Galapagos National Park.

 

Have you heard anything about how the staff & crew on Xpedition differ from the other Celebrity ships. I am told that the service on Xpedition is outstanding. If you read the posts from people just returning -- they give rave reviews. Any comments on Celebrity moving into other specialty markets? Do you think we can expect to see more of this in the future?

 

I am considering this cruise so I would like to find out as much as possible about the product. Everything I have read & heard thus far is that it is all-inclusive & an unbelievable experience.

 

Jen

[cyberhankster]

Dear Former Cruise Employee

 

Thank you for a "cracker jack" solution. Now that you mention it....I've written notes to staff on other cruiselines...and they really paid attention.

 

I like your suggestion that my note contain the importance of this cruise to our family. Now....how much money do you think I should enclose to get everyone excited?

 

Would you recommend one note for the main cabin attendant and one note for the head waiter?

 

I do appreciate your most courteous suggestion. What a nice way to get the ball rolling.

 

Cyberhankster

[hdawson]

Jen. I seem to remember reading that Celebrity had also leased a Russian ice breaker cruise ship to visit Antarctica.

[HELENROSE]

I have a couple quiestions, but I first want to say a big THANK YOU for your time in answereing all our questions. We have saled 35 cruises and we are still learning the do's and don'ts.

 

Does Celebrity or any cruise line really watch the lounge charis around the pool and remove items if it is real crowded, if the people do not return after an hour or more?

 

How do you handle the seat savers in the show lounges. I have seen almost fights where the seats are saved. I know you already replied to one about saving with shoes etc. but is there any one who watches for these savers. and do we have the right to go ahead and take two of the ten seats they are saving?

 

Our last cruise on Zenith, the CD said the waiters etc do not pool their tips, is this true? We have never given the suggested amount. Always more because of the great service, but we want to make sure the person who we give it to and has earned it, gets to keep ALL of it.

 

Now on a person note, HOW CAN I WIN AT BINGO??????

 

Thanks again for all your time in answering all our questions.

[newtocc]

If I’m celebrating a special occasion and I want to bring my smuggled beer to dinner, will I be charged a corkage fee?

 

Thanks!

[fireguy091]

If I’m celebrating a special occasion and I want to bring my smuggled beer to dinner, will I be charged a corkage fee?

 

Thanks!

Not if you open it before you get there... :D

[mr green]

:confused: One form of entertainment, while enjoyable, I think should be dropped. I refer to acts being put on by the regular cruise staff. I believe that waiters, cabin stewards and the like have more than enough to do, without having to entertain the guests, in a way which seems to me 'above and beyond the call of duty.' If the staff really enjoy it, fine, no problem. Not all cruie lines do this, and I don't know about X, but I would like to read any comments that you may have on the subject. I am taking off on Thursday to see relatives, so, at this time I would like to give you a big 'Thank You', and wish you a very merry Chistmas, and good health for the New Year. :) john taylor.

 

Please note, to my mind if we can't say 'Christmas', and mean it we should forget the entire holiday, as it would mean nothing! john taylor

[hdawson]

John the crew show on HAL is great and of course teaches a bit about the Indonesian culture. The really seem to enjoy presenting it.

And a very Merry Christmas to you.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Merry Christmas:D

[seattleadjuster]

Thank you very much for starting this thread. My only complaint is that you started it after my 12/10/04 Horizon cruise!

 

My question: one of the guest speakers stated that Celebrity scrutinizes evaluations for anything less than outstanding. The speaker requested that we only give the highest possible marks. I've always felt that evaluations with all "outstanding" don't get the credibility that a more critical evaluation (with some averages or above average) receives.

 

Also, my waiter and assistant matre 'd (or however its spelled) were great on the last cruise. The ass't matre 'd came by every night to inquire as to our service and answer any questions -- good shore excursions, good local bars, etc. -- and, on prior cruises the first time we met him was when we handed out tips. Would a letter to Celebrity, in addition to the comment card that we completed, once we returned home be helpful on those persons evaluations? We have been on about 8 cruises, 5 this year alone, and we were really impressed with this level of service.

[hotvwchick]

Thanks for you response. I was actually thinking I made a BIG mistake booking Celebrity as I've seen so many complaints in other threads about children. Though I'm not a member of the Captain's Club, I phoned them as the main reception for Celebrity were not shall we say.....co-operative. The rep at the Captain's Club said that my 20 month old daughter would be more then welcome onboard and they would accomodate my few requests(a crib, a high chair, and cutting up her food into small pieces). She also said that the playroom would lend us toys. True???? As we are stuck in the late seating for dinner, I'm thinking of opting for babysitting for dinner every night except formal evenings where we will dine as a family somewhere....even if its in the cabin. Which leads me to my next question....if we bring Ana to the diningroom, would they speed up service for us or is it best just to get a sitter? If we want to see a show, is she allowed in? What about lounges, is she allowed in them? Yes, I know she is not allowed in the pool with a diaper but what if she is potty trained? I am sooooo worried that we might offend/upset a fellow cruiser because our daughter might not behave in an appropriate manner. Our last cruise was on Carnival last winter(by the way the food sucked!). Our daughter was for the most part welcome there but I'm worried about the demographics of Celebrity(older crowd, not many kids, ect.) and I've heard a lot of "I didn't come on a cruise to have to deal with kids...." on other threads. Do you have any suggestions to help make this 14 night cruise a pleasent experience for both my family and fellow cruisers?? Guess I'm just a stressed out Canadian mother!!

Again, thanks in advance!

Jennifer

[HELENROSE]

One other question, does the Captain every eat at main seating or is it always late seating?

 

If you mention someone by name, on your comment card,that you received exceptional service, Does that employee receive any benifits from that and if they do can you tell us what they receive? Some say they get extra time off in ports.

 

Merry Christmas to all.

[hdawson]

I think most families with young children choose the early seating in the dining room. Dinner takes a couple of hours and many children get bored.

It's hard to speed up the various courses for someone as cooking is kind of in courses and in mass.

[jgnova]

Jennifer:

 

You don't sound like the kind of parent who would have your child stay in a situation where she wasn't behaving well -- you'd probably remove her to another location. I think the staff probably would dote on a charming toddler. Many of them have their own children and miss them -- she would benefit from this!!

 

I'm sure you'll take your daughter's must-have comfort toys with you and you'll probably want a few others, maybe a tried and known long-play toy and something new. Someone who's used the child services will know if they lend toys -- I don't. Be sure you have at least something for the pool for her -- bathtub toys kind of thing. If there aren't a lot of kids on your sailing, maybe they'll let you take her into the pool where the kid's playroom is. Maybe.

 

As you board, go to wherever they tell you the dining room staff will be and get on the waiting list for early seating, if that's what you want. Actually, your travel agent should put you there now and then you'll be reinforcing it when you board.

 

I don't think they can speed up dinner service if you want the regular menu for yourselves and for her. The wait staff bring all the appetizers, all the salads, all the soups -- then they get all the entrees. You might talk to the dining room folks when you board about the options there. She probably won't be eating that many courses and probably not the salads or soups that much -- though you might find that she likes the chilled fruit soups, since they tend to be sweet (and yummy -- be sure to get them for yourself and maybe just a small empty cup for her to have a bit of yours, if you can give it up). Maybe pre-arranged, they can bring her the kid's menu items with your appetizers -- ask for the children's menu and also for the vegetarian menu, which is available for lunch and dinner. You'll find you can mix from all the menus for yourselves and for her.

 

Dinner gets to be fairly long. You could try her out on one and see how she does. Take her for walks around and out to the rest room and near the musicians or whatever will give her a break in between courses.But one of you should be ready to take her out if she falls apart -- before that, I mean. You'll know her limits.

 

It's also possible (remotely) that you'll meet someone with a child about Ana's age and the two children get along well enough that you could trade off evenings with the children eating in the cabin (you can order from the dinner menu, including kiddie menu during dinner time) and the parents taking turns having a real dinner. Or even sharing a sitter and both sets of parents going to the dining room. (I know -- not super-likely but it is possible.) A sitter might be best if you end up with late seating, depending on whether she can make it that late before she eats.

 

I don't think you've made a mistake. Celebrity does fine with children. It's the passengers who don't appreciate misbehaving children and the parents who don't parent their own children. Understandably so. As I said, you don't sound like that kind of parent. Go and enjoy!!

 

S

[wsw]

Cruiseemployee: thanks for all of the great info, I have really enjoyed reading your responses to our oh so many questions. Speaking of which...is there some way of getting in touch with a celebrity employee, some kind of central email, not sure what ship she is on anymore but would love to touch base with her. If I emailed the company would it get passed to her, by the way she is a Bar Manager if that makes a difference. Thank-you, wend