Q & A From an Actual Celebrity Employee

[Ms. gcurry]

I appreciate your quick response. I think it is neat that you made yourself available to answer questions.

 

I read on another post that giving International phone cards to helpful ships personnel was a good idea. Do you agree?

 

Are you from the US?

[davekathy]

We will be sailing out of San Diego 7 Feb. 2005 on the Mercury. I have read that carrying a couple of bottles of Wine on the ship is acceptable. What about a 12 pack of domestic beer?

[Nancynurse]

We will be cruising on Mercury in early June. Is there any way of finding out if there are kids programs in the first week of June. I know that many schools don't get let out for the summer until mid to late June. Do you know when the programs start to gear up for the summer?

 

 

On another note, did you enjoy Mercury? Any secrets you can relay? We have been on Disney in years past, and really enjoyed it. From what I hear, this cruise will be just as enjoyable (maybe even more so).

 

Thanks for your input! Nancy

[TEXASMUNK]

Our one HAL experience was disappointing....The pool band played for only about 30-45 minutes per day and it was more chamber music that music geared to the Caribbean.

 

Does Celebrity provide poolside entertainment, ie, a steel drum band or similar?

 

And please tell me, celebrity does not jack up the volume to announce BINGO like HAL does.

[icewolf14]

cruiser013: its great to have employees answering questions for the rest of us "civilians"..... since i was 18, ive wanted to work on a cruise ship.... what qualifications are needed to work onboard, especially with the activities staff? im also looking at getting my personal training certification, maybe doing that.....ive been a soccer coach for a few years, 13-16 year old girls (they are the toughest to coach)....any information at all would be greatly appreciated :)

[cruiser013]

Our one HAL experience was disappointing....The pool band played for only about 30-45 minutes per day and it was more chamber music that music geared to the Caribbean.

 

Does Celebrity provide poolside entertainment, ie, a steel drum band or similar?

 

And please tell me, celebrity does not jack up the volume to announce BINGO like HAL does.

 

Celebrity has some excellent poolside entertainment. We have great party bands from St. Lucia and the Philippines who are great entertainers and have a wide ranging playlist. Definitely something for everyone. They usually play 2 or 3 pool sets on sea days and for the port sail away parties. You can also find them in the indoor nightclub or back lounge area as well as the theme parties.

 

The staff also host a number of poolside events. Trivias, competitions, etc. The poolside activities are fewer in Alaska for obvious reasons.

 

As for Bingo, Celebrity has a no announcement policy. The only time you will hear any type of activity related announcement is on sea days. The captain makes his usual noon announcement about sea conditions, current position, etc. The Cruise Director then highlights a few of the day's major activities and events.

[cruiser013]

We will be cruising on Mercury in early June. Is there any way of finding out if there are kids programs in the first week of June. I know that many schools don't get let out for the summer until mid to late June. Do you know when the programs start to gear up for the summer?

 

 

On another note, did you enjoy Mercury? Any secrets you can relay? We have been on Disney in years past, and really enjoyed it. From what I hear, this cruise will be just as enjoyable (maybe even more so).

 

Thanks for your input! Nancy

 

The Youth Program runs year round. We have excellent staff available to keep your kids entertained while the adults enjoy some grown up time. You might find a fair amount of kids in the program around that time as it gets closer to summer.

 

I enjoyed Mercury so much I did two contracts on it. Try and sign up for the excursions in Alaska early as they sell out fast. I recommend the Helicopter glacier tour or the dog sledding one. Also, in the Cova Cafe on the port side, in the back of the smoking area before the photo gallery, you will notice a black and white piece of art made of wood. Walk up to it and smack it with your hand and it will fold down into a nice chair. Handy in case there's limited seating.

[cruiser013]

cruiser013: its great to have employees answering questions for the rest of us "civilians"..... since i was 18, ive wanted to work on a cruise ship.... what qualifications are needed to work onboard, especially with the activities staff? im also looking at getting my personal training certification, maybe doing that.....ive been a soccer coach for a few years, 13-16 year old girls (they are the toughest to coach)....any information at all would be greatly appreciated :)

 

I can only really give you info about the Activities Staff position. Anything else, a search of the web will give a basic outline of what other jobs entail.

 

In order to perform my job, you would have to be comfortable using a microphone, speaking in front of a large group of people, and have some sort of education beyond high school. Preferrably a degree but not mandatory. Also, you must be able to work well with others, under pressure be independent and a leader. It would also be an asset to be adaptable and willing to share your living space because you really don't have much of a choice.

 

The training isn't so important for my job, but any lifesaving or first aid courses you have would be great for the safety training classes and in case you decide to go the Youth Staff route as you sound qualified for that as well.

[cruiser013]

We will be sailing out of San Diego 7 Feb. 2005 on the Mercury. I have read that carrying a couple of bottles of Wine on the ship is acceptable. What about a 12 pack of domestic beer?

 

To be honest, I am not sure about the beer. It might cause some problems when your bags are X Rayed. I would recommend to bring the wine and leave the beer at home, as the ship has a number of reasonably priced brands of beer. They also offer a discount, if you buy 4 beers you get one free.

 

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

[cruiser013]

I appreciate your quick response. I think it is neat that you made yourself available to answer questions.

 

I read on another post that giving International phone cards to helpful ships personnel was a good idea. Do you agree?

 

Are you from the US?

 

I recommend the phone cards. Any gift we receive is appreciated. You can't go wrong with phone cards.

 

I am actually from Canada.

[bean bag]

male or fem??

[Nancynurse]

Cruiser013,

 

Thanks for the reply...you are very quick and informative with your replies. We did try to sign up for the dog sled/ heli tour, but they said that those don't actually get started until Mid June. We did sign up for a helicopter/glacier tour, a float plane tour, and we rented a car in Skagway to drive to Emerald Lake.

 

Do you actually remember which ports we will actually dock ot tender in?

 

I also heard rumors that last year they sometimes cut port times by a couple of hours? Is this true?

 

Thanks...Nancy

[AFT_LOVER]

signs all over stating they are NOT allowed in pools & hot tubs, but some foreign cruises they are! No "X" crew member do anything! They were even in the T-Pool!

 

Also diapers in 2005 are not just for babies with Depends, etc you need to watch seniors in the pools & hot tubs. SO how is this being handled?

[c-to-sea]

We have just received our cabin assignments for Summit Apr. 22 Panama Canal

Looking at the picture I have of Summit, I see that these forward cabins,

Vista Deck 7014 and 7016 are 'boxed in' by part of the superstructure and are

just aft of the oceanview cabins that extend outboard.

How does this affect our view? Are the verandas the same size as the rest?

Not too concerned but would like to know more of what to expect when we arrive. Thanks

[hajekfam]

I have only toured Galaxy, but have worked the Mercury, it's sister ship. The layout is pretty much the same.

 

 

I would recommend that you use the Rendez-Vous Lounge, or the lounge where the ship's "Duo" is playing.

 

You may also feel free to ask the resident party band or if the Orchestra is doing a Big Band or Jazz set at some point throught the cruise, you can ask them as well.

 

We are all there to help make your cruise vacation enjoyable, so I can pretty much say go to wherever there is live music and ask the musicians to play something you can dance ballroom to.

 

Hubby and I also ballroom dance. I agree that the the duo in the Rendez-vous play the best "ballroom" type music. In fact on our past few cruises, they have even announced what type of dance music they were going to do. They usually take requests - we have had them do some boleros and even paso doble.

[Tatka]

2 years ago we sailed on Century and during 2 formal nights they had pizza party for the kids...and kids club was open until 1 am.

 

This time we are sailing on Mercury (California Coastal). Do you know if they have similar thing too?

[Bisous3]

Hey cruiser 013, we are sailing the Summit on 3/21 so see you there...

As a dance teacher/dance studio owner/choreographer I always have great interest in the musical productions and have always wanted to watch rehearsal, but have been reluctant to be pushy and ask. If I were to ask- who is the appropriate person?

To the person who has a 2 year old and wants them to be in the Fun Factory....( I teach little ones too and only take them when they are 3) after 6 X cruises with my now 5 year old I can tell you that there are a whole host of "issues" with 2 year olds (seperation anxiety, short attention span, limited activities) that make it hard for them to attend the Fun Factory activities. Even if your child wouldn't have these problems as not ALL 2 year olds do, if the accept one the have to accept all, and it opens a huge can of worms.

I take 2 going on 3 year olds on a case by case basis....as some are great and some just aren't ready for dance, but then again, I am the boss.

[Tatka]

To the person who has a 2 year old and wants them to be in the Fun Factory....( I teach little ones too and only take them when they are 3) after 6 X cruises with my now 5 year old I can tell you that there are a whole host of "issues" with 2 year olds (seperation anxiety, short attention span, limited activities) that make it hard for them to attend the Fun Factory activities..

 

What is the reason that a potty-trained 2 year old is not allowed in the Fun Factory even with a parent?

 

I guess key word was "even with a parent".;)

[cruiser013]

male or fem??

 

Male

[cruiser013]

Cruiser013,

 

Thanks for the reply...you are very quick and informative with your replies. We did try to sign up for the dog sled/ heli tour, but they said that those don't actually get started until Mid June. We did sign up for a helicopter/glacier tour, a float plane tour, and we rented a car in Skagway to drive to Emerald Lake.

 

Do you actually remember which ports we will actually dock ot tender in?

 

I also heard rumors that last year they sometimes cut port times by a couple of hours? Is this true?

 

Thanks...Nancy

 

The ship will dock in all ports except for Sitka and Icy Strait Point. All others are docked.

 

The only reason a port time would be shortened is if extremely bad weather was coming in the path of the ship. In order to prevent any type of delay, ie arriving late back in the home port, the ship might leave early so the weather doesn't prevent the ship from making it back on time. Also, guests would much rather prefer calm seas.

[cruiser013]

Hey cruiser 013, we are sailing the Summit on 3/21 so see you there...

As a dance teacher/dance studio owner/choreographer I always have great interest in the musical productions and have always wanted to watch rehearsal, but have been reluctant to be pushy and ask. If I were to ask- who is the appropriate person?

To the person who has a 2 year old and wants them to be in the Fun Factory....( I teach little ones too and only take them when they are 3) after 6 X cruises with my now 5 year old I can tell you that there are a whole host of "issues" with 2 year olds (seperation anxiety, short attention span, limited activities) that make it hard for them to attend the Fun Factory activities. Even if your child wouldn't have these problems as not ALL 2 year olds do, if the accept one the have to accept all, and it opens a huge can of worms.

I take 2 going on 3 year olds on a case by case basis....as some are great and some just aren't ready for dance, but then again, I am the boss.

 

The rehearsals are usually closed to the public. This is because the technical staff are usually adjusting lights in the ceiling, checking sound levels, etc. So there are ladders and cables and other materials all over the place during that time. I also believe that the singers/dancers may not want a guest in there watching due to comfort, nervousness or what have you.

 

However, should you want to ask, it can't hurt really, the best bet would be the Assistant Cruise Director. He or she can usually ask the appropriate people and let you know. The worst anyone can say is "No" and it would likely be for the reasons mentioned above.

[cruiser013]

2 years ago we sailed on Century and during 2 formal nights they had pizza party for the kids...and kids club was open until 1 am.

 

This time we are sailing on Mercury (California Coastal). Do you know if they have similar thing too?

 

The youth program is pretty much standard fleetwide. It's likely it should still be the same, but check with the youth staff in the terminal when you check in. They are the people in the purple or dark red blazers.

[patrickc]

We were spoiled in B-more with Galaxy making us a home port. Any word on future departures from our home port? I think they were very popular/sold out.. we now only have RCCL- Grandeur-- not quite the same! thanks..

[cruiseemployee]

Hey cruiser013,

Email me when you have time...I'm the author of the "other" cruise employee thread. cruiseemployee@hotmail.com Wanna chat.

[AnotherVirginCruiser]

I will give you the answer straight from the Youth Supervisor. The reason is that the US Public Health Commission doesn't allow any child under the age of 3 in there potty trained or not. I don't know why the magic number is 3. I will try and find more information for you and post at a later time.

 

Thank you- I guess you asked my real question- why is the magic number 3? I read the US PHC reason- but quite puzzled about the age when I'm sure it had to do with diapers...and if the child is potty trained, etc...:confused:

 

So thank you for any further info! :)