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Does The Captain Matter

travler27

By travler27,
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travler27

travler27

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We've noticed that if the ship's captain is "just one of the guy's" around the rest of the crew the ship doesn't seem to be as "shipshape" as when the crew "snaps to" when the captain is around. Is it just our imagination?

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rolaur

rolaur

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The captain matters believe me. Every ship I've worked on, whether the captain was a "cool" guy or a hard a$$, good captains have the ship kept spotless. They can be the crews best friend but when it counts you better get it done.

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Bookbug53

Bookbug53

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I am sure that in a lot of ways the Captain matters! :p

 

The only one that we have really noticed was on the Star Princess. We have actually strayed to others a couple of times. :p

 

While on Princess we had a couple of very rough days at sea and the waves had been brutal. The next day, at a party in the main lobby, the Captain made an appearance and did his best to allay our concerns. He was there for the good part of an hour, circulating and chatting with passengers. The best 'at sea' joke I ever heard came from him. He had done his best to talk with us, answer our questions, and insure we were having a good time.

 

He then reminded us all, during a toast, that we were "upon the bosoms of the sea". He paused and then said we should all know that "Bosoms Heave"!. :D

 

Give me a man that can make me feel secure when I am worried and stay hidden when it is warranted and I will be happy on a cruise ship.

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dancinman66

dancinman66

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The captain needs to have good terms with all crew but must also remain in control and form to keep respect if the crew

 

Crew are offsides if captain is too over bearing or harsh. Or not caring is what I've found and a captain who walk the ship and shows interest in the crew has better control and the ship ends up a happier ship

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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cruisead

cruisead

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You can bet the captain matters. We've been on ships from the same line and the differences in crew attitude was dramatic. We know of one instance where a particular captain ran a very tight ship, and you could tell because everything on board ran very well. There was another ship in the fleet that passengers knew was in trouble, and they sent that captain over to the other ship. Within a few months, the underperforming ship was totally changed, for the better.

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leaveitallbehind

leaveitallbehind

Posted
Posted (edited)
We've noticed that if the ship's captain is "just one of the guy's" around the rest of the crew the ship doesn't seem to be as "shipshape" as when the crew "snaps to" when the captain is around. Is it just our imagination?

 

Not sure I understand this - nor agree with it. Are you saying that if the public persona of the Captain - that you as a passenger would have the opportunity to observe - is more relaxed when around the passengers and his staff then the condition of the ship or attitude of the crew is somewhat diminished? I've never seen that. And of course the Captain matters - he is the Master of the vessel.

 

Keep in mind the only time you as a passenger typically would ever see the Captain on most cruises - or any other senior staff for that matter - is on a very limited basis and usually at planned functions. The rest of the time they are behind the scenes doing their job.

 

In most of those functions in our experience their tone is intentionally relaxed and more "one of the guys" as you put it. How can those brief encounters possibly allow a passenger to judge his actual and functioning demeanor as a Captain? Or how can anyone determine that the crew doesn't "snap to" otherwise?

 

You will never have the opportunity to see him functioning in his role as Captain or interacting with his staff the other 99.9% of the time when he is doing his job to know how he is in terms of his formality or discipline and the respect he commands behind the scenes.

 

Yes, IMO I think it is just your imagination.

Edited by leaveitallbehind
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FTLcruisers

FTLcruisers

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I never gave much thought to the importance of the captain until we sailed on the Independence of the Seas a few months ago. We had been on her about a year earlier and really had a great time, great service and a CD that we really liked. But on the more recent cruise, the service was horrible - from our waiter, to the cabin attendant and even guest services. The only difference (as far as we could tell) was there was a different captain!

 

Marianne

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leaveitallbehind

leaveitallbehind

Posted
Posted (edited)
I never gave much thought to the importance of the captain until we sailed on the Independence of the Seas a few months ago. We had been on her about a year earlier and really had a great time, great service and a CD that we really liked. But on the more recent cruise, the service was horrible - from our waiter, to the cabin attendant and even guest services. The only difference (as far as we could tell) was there was a different captain!

 

Marianne

 

Not sure that a rotation Captain would be the reason for that. It could have just been an off week in your experience. Besides, it is the Hotel Director who has direct responsibility for all the functions you mention and would have the most direct influence on those roles. There are also several levels of staff in between. But perhaps his rotation had come as well? Not saying that different Captains don't have different styles of leadership but I just don't know that there would be that correlation.

Edited by leaveitallbehind
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chengkp75

chengkp75

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Posted
Not sure that a rotation Captain would be the reason for that. It could have just been an off week in your experience. Besides, it is the Hotel Director who has direct responsibility for all the functions you mention and would have the most direct influence on those roles. There are also several levels of staff in between. But perhaps his rotation had come as well? Not saying that different Captains don't have different styles of leadership but I just don't know that there would be that correlation.

 

This is closest to my experience. The Captain certainly sets the tone for the management of the entire vessel, but really deals with the crew through the Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Staff Chief, and Hotel Director. Each of these department heads, along with the lower level supervisors, will have their own management style, and despite the Captain's personal style, this individuality will always show.

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leaveitallbehind

leaveitallbehind

Posted
Posted (edited)
This is closest to my experience. The Captain certainly sets the tone for the management of the entire vessel, but really deals with the crew through the Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Staff Chief, and Hotel Director. Each of these department heads, along with the lower level supervisors, will have their own management style, and despite the Captain's personal style, this individuality will always show.

 

Always a pleasure to hear your experience-based input. :)

Edited by leaveitallbehind
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DonnaK

DonnaK

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Posted (edited)

The captain is the host of the cruise. A charming and charismatic Captain does make a the cruise feel more special and enjoyable!

 

For example: Capt Leo on the Celebrity Summit had a wonderful sense of humor. He participated in a lot of the events (such as serving as a judge in the dancing competition) and it really added to the fun!

Edited by DonnaK
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