Cruise Ship Crews Overworked?

I just took my first cruise in INSPIRATION on 10/10. It was fantastic! The crew was wonderful, helpful, and went out of their way often to meet our families needs.

BUT - I had the opportunity to watch many of the people as they were working... housekeeping, cabin stewards... they all looked so tired, even exhaused. In my opinion, they generally looked sad.

I know they choose to be there and it is a job. However, it is not a job as any American knows. There are no limits to the amount of hours worked or days worked. Most work 12-16 hours at a time, 7 days in a row, for their entire contract. While waiters may make $2000-$2500 monthly, if you divide the hours (they work all three meals, everyday!), it comes out to less than $2.75 an hour.

I met a young man (from Indonesia) on the cruise whose job was to walk around and get drinks for everyone... He was very nice to me and my family. He smiled alot. On the last full day of our cruise, I tipped him $5 and told him a sincere thank you. When we left, he found us and I was overwhelmed with his appreciation.

I ask you to read more about this and then add your comments... It would seem like everyone would have an opinion on this...

Andy1

Georgia

There are many, many topics on this...

It usually gets people all riled up :)

On my cruise i talked to serveral of the staff, cabin stewartess, casino staff, bar staff, resturant staff, etc all but one of the casino staff enjoyed it alot and had great things to say about carnavil as an employer. The one casino staff member said she was not signing because she had done this too many years and now knows enough english to teach or get a good job, back in romaina.

Thanks for the response. Not sure what my opinion on this is yet... looking forward to hearing others on this point.

........I ask you to read more about this and then add your comments... It would seem like everyone would have an opinion on this.......

...........I always carry around plenty of $1.00 bills, and often give a few to the guy who vacuums the hallway, the guy who pushes a cart full of dirty dishes, the guy who is working on fire hoses, etc. In other words, I also tip staff I see working who are not normally within the "tipping pool"........

John

On our last cruise we talked to one of the waiter he worked on 1 ship and his wife on another. They left their children back in Indonesia with grandparents and they finally decided the wife would stay home and he would finish his contract then probably go home till the children are older they were under 6 and always asking "where's daddy" he said it broke his heart to return to sea but due to the economy in their country it was neccesary to go abroad to work.

He would work breakfast in the buffet then we saw him at lunch, sometimes at the pool grill, he would get a few hours off to sleep or what ever before the dining room evening duty.

On embarcation/disembarcation days they did double duty as baggage handlers and delivering bags to the cabins.

They got one day every 7-10 days off

It is not work by North American standards by any means.

I work in a community mental health setting near Port Canaveral and we see a lot of cruise ship employees, mainly younger ones with an adjustment disorder or reactive depression, both usually attributed to the changes in their lives, the long hours and homesickness. Probably about 90% of the crew say they love their job, when I asked one girl about the hours she worked, she said in Romania she would be working much harder, for much less.

I know the staff works hard. There have been changes though. Now most cruiseline automatically charge tips to your Sail and Sign account so at least they are getting at least basic tips. The room stewards work morning and late afternoon with time off in the middle. They still work hard and about 10 hours a day but at least it's not sun up into evening.

The room steward on our last cruise did seem really stressed, almost to the point of tears. She was finishing her contact shortly and I think was happy to get home to her 3 yo daughter.

Should they get paid more? I don't know. I guess in their home country they would work almost as hard for far less. On a ship their room and board and health care is covered and they get to work on their English.:rolleyes:

It is a rough life but their choice. There was a time in my life when I worked 3 different jobs at the same time. I was young and single with no other responsibilities.

bump

I met a young man (from Indonesia) on the cruise whose job was to walk around and get drinks for everyone... He was very nice to me and my family. He smiled alot. On the last full day of our cruise, I tipped him $5 and told him a sincere thank you. When we left, he found us and I was overwhelmed with his appreciation.

 

 

 

Andy1

Georgia

I'm sorry, but $5.00??!!

Agreed. Next time, I plan to do better. My point was that for such a low amount, it seemed to make his day.

bump

Andy:

Bumping is against the rules, and the thread hadn't even left the front page when you bumped it.

Just trying to save you some grief later from having to deal with the wrath of one of our Hosts... :D

This is an interesting convo, but one that's been here before and I'm sure it will get a lot of responses. Hang in there!

Now to avoid a thread hijack:

For what it's worth, we plan to be among those who tip more than the "required amount" if warranted just for that reason. We have both been to "third world countries" and appreciate and admire the work ethic and the home-lifestyle of many of the folks who are going to be aboard the ship - we'll do what we can.

Thank you...

we can't apply our standards to them, there are many more industries that require more time away from home and pay less than working on a cruise ship. The competition for these jobs is fierce, I do feel for those separated from family, but it is a choice based on a standard of living that far exceeds what most could earn in their own countries.

No different than some of the executives that spend all their time away from family.

My Dad was a construction super and was always gone for months on end, he regrets a lot of being gone now that he is retired, but it was a choice to provide us with a standard of living, I missed him but respect that he always provided for us, that was important to him.

Many articles have been written, many have asked for reforms or more money, some progress have been made, but the bottom line, there are, I have heard, a thousand waiting for a job, for each person from these countries that is given the opportunity to work aboard.

I don't tip out of sympathy, I still have to receive service, if I get good service, I will always tip appropriately for my circumstances.

You ever notice that they dont hire AMERICANS. we would be eating the food and fooling around. The best jobs on the cruise ship???????? CASINO...... STORES... They are closed during port stops and the employees in those areas get to go enjoy the day............;)

the 24 hour pizza guy was there at 6am, and still working at around 1am. This guy must of worked 16hour days

...blah blah blah... they all looked so tired, even exhaused. In my opinion, they generally looked sad...yada yada yada...

I think that's really nice of you to care.

Too often I see other passengers giving crew members a hard time, being (what I consider to be) overly demanding and rude then wondering why the crew didn't go out of their way to knock their socks off with service.

Gee, I wonder why???

But then I see the same situations on land at stores, restaurants or just about any place that is service oriented. The fact that so many crew members speak little English doesn't seem to matter. Rude is rude in any language and they don't like it either.

Maybe some of them actually ARE sad.

Personally I think the number of them that are sad or feel overworked are thankfully the minority just as the nasty passengers are. I wish there was some way to isolate the nasty passengers and the surly crew members and let them have a go at each other.

I was talking to somebody today who told the same story I've seen so many times when we are on a cruise having a fabulous time. There's always somebody who wants to moan about something. Some moan so much I just can't figure out why they're even on the ship.

I don't mind that so much as I do the moaners that want you to join in on the moaning. Like they might say:

"Can you believe that they only have just ONE way to get off the ship and that we have to stand in this line"

Then give me the look and there's the pause while they're waiting for me to nod, agree, add fuel to the fire, shake my fist or holler "ARGH!!".

Can you imagine having to put up with passengers like that as your job??

The one thing I think is great about nasty passengers is that the crew REALLY appreciates nice ones. We're always nice to them, maybe do the tipping up front thing, and they genuinely appreciate it. I don't think it's just luck of the draw that we do NOT get bad cabin stewards.

I think we know how to play the game, they know the game too and it all works out good for everybody.

Again, a good attitude goes a long way.

OP: Good post

There's always somebody who wants to moan about something. Some moan so much I just can't figure out why they're even on the ship.

Amen to Chris! You know if they're complaining on the ship they more than likely complain when their at home too! I'd prefer them to JUST STAY HOME!

I appreciate everything the people who work for the cruise line do for me! It's the only time I get to be pampered! I don't do laundry, cook or clean for 7 SWEET days!

Perhaps this is not as big of an issue to others as I thought it would be... If you get time, read about this at the following websites...

http://www.chron.com/content/interactive/special/maritime/96/09/29/crews.html

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/gangbox/message/11952

I'll follow up and see if any new ideas appear. Thanks to those who have posted.

I look forward to cruising again very soon!

Andy1

I proudly served as a 9-year US Navy Officer, & a veteran of the first Gulf War. Comparing those years of service aboard a US warship vs the 9 cruises on civilian cruise ship is no comparison.

First off, my hats off to all the current men & women who's currently serving around the world so that we can have the freedoms & voice to sail & say whatever we want to. Those American sailors are truly the ones who's working their tail off for below mininum wages. If you count the 4 - 6 hour watches, rotating half-on, half-off, or in 3 rotations, plus their daily equipment & compartment maintainance duties, plus administrative duties, plus the daily general quarters, etc... They really have very few hours of sleep & personal time. But they are professional soldiers/sailors, that's what they get paid minimum wage for.

Same thing w/ my fellow crew members aboard these cruise ships. It is a job. Probably a very good job, a good paying job. Most likely a much better job than they can find back in their homelands. Throughout my travels from the Persian gulf all the way back to Central America, most of these countries pay very little, w/ very poor working conditions, without proper medical care, nor retirement plans. It is probably a step up, way up to be employed by an American company with the pay & benefits to match. I'm pretty sure there's a very long waiting list to be accepted for these positions. It's not a perfect job, but I'm sure a good one. Anyways, it's usually a 10 month or so contract, worst case, don't renew & go home. Unlike my fellow shipmates who re-enlist for another 3 - 4 yrs, unknowing if another war/crisis comes up in the future.

Again, you must look at the positive side of the situation. To be able to live in the greatest country in the world. To be able to work YOUR own tail off, no matter what your profession is, so that we can save enough to take a vacation where for a week or so, we can let someone else service & pamper us a little bit. A week of not making the bed, not cooking, not cleaning, etc..., but letting someone else work & get paid for it, so that we can do the same when we get back to our own work.

Ain't America great?

I find this an interesting post. but as most have said they would be working much harder an din much worst conditions for less. Yes they do work long and bust their butts but they do it for their families. I had a friend of mine that just finished a 6 month contract. he was a dancer and you would think they only work at night doing the shows but they help out doing things during the day. They do have the time to relax but they have to be on their best behavior the entire time as they have to wear their name badges. He said he would only do it for the money again but didn't really enjoy it. Of course he lives here in america where you dont have to work nearly as hard as they do on the ship. We talked to our waiter and he said he does enjoy his job as he gets to know you he feels sad when they have to part but then he meets new people again the next week.

The overall service on any cruise ship from any cruise line is consistently excellent. I'm sure that for the most part the workers can do better financially on a cruise ship than they could do at home but they do work extremely hard and earn every penny plus more.

Everyone should keep in mind that they aren't there to see the world but rather to make money. If they've done a good job, throw them a few extra bucks (that goes for people in port too). Another thing my wife and I do is to treat them respectfully and not like the hired help, pick up after ourselves to make cabin stewards job easier and thank them for doing a good job.

I hate to be the one to tell you but the concept of the "ugly American" is alive and well on cruiseships. A lot of the crew are not really fans of the American public. Next time you're on a cruise keep in mind that dealing with the drunkenness, gluttony, waste, disregard for rules and obnoxious behaviour of some of the passengers is just a temporary nuisance for you but is a week in and week out factor for the staff and in most cases is their window to the American culture.

I too felt sorry for the crew (Yes, I know they signed up for the job). I remember looking for one piece of stray luggage, and I my jaw dropped when I rounded the corner and saw this pile of luggage, and our room steward sorting through it. No wonder the poor thing looked exhausted all week! We saw numerous crew members early in the morning, and then again in the evening. I wondered when they ate or rested....

I know why they work on cruiseships...many of the people are from countries where a $ a day is probably a good wage. So they took these jobs to make money so they can provide a better way of life for their families. I can't do anything about the economy of the country they are from, but I sure can be nice to them, and tip them. We cruised over New Year's and had a wonderful time...and it was because all of the crew worked so hard so I could enjoy my vacation with my family. We tipped extra, and we tipped all the time. We smiled and asked how they were and where they were from. We were always welcomed with warm smiles.

It did really make me sad to see how overworked most of these people were... :(

When someone sits down to write an article/editorial they have a goal in mind. The goal in your attached articles was clearly fueled by the desire to litigate, 90% of the comments were from attorneys. These guys are involved with the 1% of the bell curve of cruise ship employees.

Cruise lines are big targets, working conditions will always be an issue, but you could also set out to write hundreds of stories that are positive about cruise ship employment - a sample:

http://www.frugalfun.com/cruiseship.html

This was written from the bias to attract people into these jobs, but has more cruise employees commenting than the other two articles.

There are some bad conditions, some positions do have very hard work schedules, but there are many that are grateful, content and happy with the work that they have. I have talked to many of them personally.

I guess it is no different in the office where I work, there are people there that are miserable and complain that they are overworked, and there are people that are just OK, and there are people that are happy.

If I get good service, I tip extra, if the service is poor or their attitude is poor, I tip less - do what you feel best for you and I will do the same.

I know that this proberly will sound silly to some of you and that is o.k. But is it o.k. to maybe take a basket of goodies like homemade cookies and candy and give to them. Of course there will be a list of ingrediants for those with allergies;)