Poor experience on the Infinity

[aSiAnRiCk]

We just returned home from our cruise to South America and I just want to share the incidents we experienced on the Infinity February 28 sailing, from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso.

 

The first incident occurred when my partner visited the ship's infirmary because he needed a band aid after a tour of Montevideo. He walked in and explained to the nurse what happened and the nurse told him that he's not supposed to be in that office. Confused, he asked where is the correct office? She then said, "aren't you a crew member?" and he said no, he's a passenger. Without an apology, she told him to have a seat. After about ten minutes wait, he returned to the window and told her he just needs a band aid.

 

The second incident occurred on a sea day when we sailed Cape Horn. We had such a beautiful day with the sceneries and later, a nice dinner at the specialty restaurant Q-Sine with two new friends. After dinner and feeling full, both of us decided to walk it off and head to the casino. There we met other friends whom we met during the cruise and spent about thirty minutes at the Blackjack table. Then we decided to go up to the Constellation on deck 11. On the way, I decided to put money in the slot machine and that's when casino staff member approached us and said we shouldn't be there. I asked what he means with this question and he asked if we are crew-members. I said no but he still was not satisfied and continued to ask for our room cards. There were few other guests next to us and they were looking at us at this point so I showed him our cards.

 

I started walking towards the elevator to go up and told my partner the incident bothers me. He told me to let it go but I told him I'm going to return to the casino to talk to him. I approached the same staff and asked to speak to him in private. I then told him how we did not appreciate his approach to us. He answered he was just doing his job. I told him, yes but there are different ways to do his job and he could've been more polite and more discreet without attracting attention. He said sorry we felt that way and still was adamant that he was doing his job.

 

I did bring this up to Guest Relations that night and the next day had a meeting with the Assistant Guest Relation Managers as well as Head of Security who told me that the whole thing was a misunderstanding and they did not mean to stereotype.

 

My partner and I are both Asian, in our 30's. I'm in law enforcement and he's in nursing. I understand that in this sailing, there were mostly older and Caucasian guests. However, they shouldn't have stereotype and questioned us based on our looks.

 

Perhaps we expected higher standard with Celebrity?

[neverbeenhere]

For many years, fellow passengers and crew were coming up to me to ask questions, directions, or where I was assigned. My wife and I always had a laugh, because the questioners didn't always get the answer that they expected. :D

I passed it off as just in keeping with Her total disconcertedness.

- David Gates - Lyrics

 

BTW... I'm 6'7",of Irish Heritage. (no red hair though)

[Jade13]

Yes, you should expect better. I'm kind of surprised because Celebrity is known to have crew members from many different nationalities whereas HAL (as one example) has primarily Indonesian and Filipino crew and assume few guests from either of those nationalities.

[DrivesLikeMario]

That's ridiculous that you were treated that way! Half of So. Cal. is Asian (or at least parts of it are), and in fact, I think about 80% of my sons' university was as well. I wonder where these crew managers are from that they are so out-of-touch with reality?

 

If both of the crew managers had a question about who you were, they should've just come up to you and asked if you were indeed a crew member. Maybe they have a crew member that looked just like you? Either way, they should've apologized in person and sent a hand-written note of apology.

 

I'm sorry these two incidents ruined what should've been a terrific cruise. I hope you can let it go and chalk it up to bad training or simple ignorance.

[OCruisers]

Hate you had such bad experiences. :(

Do hope the other things on your cruise were good and made up for them.

[wwcruisers]

Sorry this happened to you -- but, keeping a sense of humor can often save your vacation from ruin. I used to live in a small tourist-ey ski resort town. One day, I saw a t-shirt that summed it all up for me: "No I'm NOT a tourist -- I live here -- and no, I DON"T give directions!" ;)

[reedprincess]

We've had similar incidences many times on Celebrity, specifically my husband. Coming back onboard from ports, about half the time he's told he's at the wrong entrance and that the crew entrance is the other one. Always entertaining to see the officer or security guards face when he re-flashes his guest room card to them. Never gets an apology, ever - from security at the time, from Guest Services, nothing. Quite frustrating when it happens several times on the same cruise. He gets "carded" at times onboard also, sometimes in the MartiniaBar, sometimes in the casino, at this point - he mainly shrugs it off as it has happened on multiple Celebrity ships, in different spots on and off board, but it does bother him and is sometimes a deciding factor in choosing a different cruise line over Celebrity for similar itinerary... We joke each time that he really should just get a name badge made up and enjoy the freedom of movement it would give him.

It's amazing that in this day and age, the Celebrity onboard culture still assumes guests are white and middle to older aged, while people of color, especially younger ones, must be crew. We continue to cruise Celebrity, but it is part of our consideration each time.

Edited March 16, 2016 by reedprincess

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report.

[Project_gal]

I know that these incidents happen and can be annoying/embarrassing/infuriating but as well as demographic, could it also be a matter of dress?

 

When I still worked, if I went to shops at lunchtime, I was constantly mistaken for a member of staff. I did not wear any type of uniform to work. If I visited shops wearing my out of work clothing, it never happened.

 

Whenever we go ashore, as well as pre- and post-cruise, we can easily spot cruise ship crew members. It is not their ethnicity or even their age but their obvious fitness. their respectful manner and the way they dress - always very smart casual. Locals of similar age and ethnicity rarely look as smart [while casual] or as well-kept [health and fitness wise] and usually do not behave as well.

 

I think that I would take it as a compliment to be thought a member of the crew. This does not, however, excuse the lack of apology. However, cruising has taught us that there are very many people in this world who badly handle being proved wrong.

Edited March 16, 2016 by Project_gal

[ThursdaysChild]

We just returned home from our cruise to South America and I just want to share the incidents we experienced on the Infinity February 28 sailing, from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso.

 

The first incident occurred when my partner visited the ship's infirmary because he needed a band aid after a tour of Montevideo. He walked in and explained to the nurse what happened and the nurse told him that he's not supposed to be in that office. Confused, he asked where is the correct office? She then said, "aren't you a crew member?" and he said no, he's a passenger. Without an apology, she told him to have a seat. After about ten minutes wait, he returned to the window and told her he just needs a band aid.

 

The second incident occurred on a sea day when we sailed Cape Horn. We had such a beautiful day with the sceneries and later, a nice dinner at the specialty restaurant Q-Sine with two new friends. After dinner and feeling full, both of us decided to walk it off and head to the casino. There we met other friends whom we met during the cruise and spent about thirty minutes at the Blackjack table. Then we decided to go up to the Constellation on deck 11. On the way, I decided to put money in the slot machine and that's when casino staff member approached us and said we shouldn't be there. I asked what he means with this question and he asked if we are crew-members. I said no but he still was not satisfied and continued to ask for our room cards. There were few other guests next to us and they were looking at us at this point so I showed him our cards.

 

I started walking towards the elevator to go up and told my partner the incident bothers me. He told me to let it go but I told him I'm going to return to the casino to talk to him. I approached the same staff and asked to speak to him in private. I then told him how we did not appreciate his approach to us. He answered he was just doing his job. I told him, yes but there are different ways to do his job and he could've been more polite and more discreet without attracting attention. He said sorry we felt that way and still was adamant that he was doing his job.

 

I did bring this up to Guest Relations that night and the next day had a meeting with the Assistant Guest Relation Managers as well as Head of Security who told me that the whole thing was a misunderstanding and they did not mean to stereotype.

 

My partner and I are both Asian, in our 30's. I'm in law enforcement and he's in nursing. I understand that in this sailing, there were mostly older and Caucasian guests. However, they shouldn't have stereotype and questioned us based on our looks.

 

Perhaps we expected higher standard with Celebrity?

 

I can understand your being upset and angry about this. Racial profiling of any sort disgusts me, and were this me, I would be seriously escalating this to the Corporate office in Miami, because there obviously are training (or lack thereof) issues here. I am sorry you had to have this kind of experience onm what for many is a trip of a lifetime. I too expect better from Celebrity and their senior staff at least. :mad:

[Keith1010]

Sorry this happened.

 

Keith

[paluni]

I was taken for a crew too, but oddly enough I found it very flattering! I was pushing my mother's wheelchair to put her on a cruise with her friend, and was directed to a lower crew entrance to do so. The young staff asked if I was a new crew. They thought I was joining the ship as a new employee. The group seemed Scandinavian, and I look like that somewhat, and I actually felt flattered that I looked "good" enough and professional enough to appear to be a new crew! I also thought it was funny.

But I can see how it would bother you if you were on the ship in the public areas, being a passenger.

[florisdekort]

Not sure what the problem is. I've been mistaken for a crew member on quite a few occasions and I'm a 6'3" white guy. I just laugh it off. Is the problem Celebrity or is the problem that you're hyper sensitive to what you assume is racial profiling because you're Asian?

[bbeltmom]

This is a specific instance wear wearing your seapass on a lanyard may prevent some misunderstandings.

 

Laugh it off. "Make the most of the best and the least of the worst."

[4774Papa]

We just returned home from our cruise to South America and I just want to share the incidents we experienced on the Infinity February 28 sailing, from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso.

 

The first incident occurred when my partner visited the ship's infirmary because he needed a band aid after a tour of Montevideo. He walked in and explained to the nurse what happened and the nurse told him that he's not supposed to be in that office. Confused, he asked where is the correct office? She then said, "aren't you a crew member?" and he said no, he's a passenger. Without an apology, she told him to have a seat. After about ten minutes wait, he returned to the window and told her he just needs a band aid.

 

The second incident occurred on a sea day when we sailed Cape Horn. We had such a beautiful day with the sceneries and later, a nice dinner at the specialty restaurant Q-Sine with two new friends. After dinner and feeling full, both of us decided to walk it off and head to the casino. There we met other friends whom we met during the cruise and spent about thirty minutes at the Blackjack table. Then we decided to go up to the Constellation on deck 11. On the way, I decided to put money in the slot machine and that's when casino staff member approached us and said we shouldn't be there. I asked what he means with this question and he asked if we are crew-members. I said no but he still was not satisfied and continued to ask for our room cards. There were few other guests next to us and they were looking at us at this point so I showed him our cards.

 

I started walking towards the elevator to go up and told my partner the incident bothers me. He told me to let it go but I told him I'm going to return to the casino to talk to him. I approached the same staff and asked to speak to him in private. I then told him how we did not appreciate his approach to us. He answered he was just doing his job. I told him, yes but there are different ways to do his job and he could've been more polite and more discreet without attracting attention. He said sorry we felt that way and still was adamant that he was doing his job.

 

I did bring this up to Guest Relations that night and the next day had a meeting with the Assistant Guest Relation Managers as well as Head of Security who told me that the whole thing was a misunderstanding and they did not mean to stereotype.

 

My partner and I are both Asian, in our 30's. I'm in law enforcement and he's in nursing. I understand that in this sailing, there were mostly older and Caucasian guests. However, they shouldn't have stereotype and questioned us based on our looks.

 

Perhaps we expected higher standard with Celebrity?

 

Perhaps those two incidents could have been handled a little better, however on a scale of 1 to 10 with terrible being a 10, this might qualify as a 1. Frankly, this is probably now worth the effort to post on cc.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

If it happens and it disturbs you, I say post it on CC, if nothing else to get the feedback from fellow cruisers and suggestions on how to handle this.

 

When I read the first incident, I thought to myself "Big deal". The fact that it happened a second time, and in a manner that caused public embarrassment, means it should be addressed.

 

I have not had this happen. If I did, I'd likely laugh it off because my ethnicity does not match the profile of the typical crew member. This means, though, that you and your partner "fit the profile".

 

Possibly this was a cruise just after a number of new crew started their contracts and the rest of the crew is used to new crew making the mistakes they thought you were making. Otherwise, I can't see experienced crew members flaunting or disregarding the rules and procedures as a common occurrence warranting the reactions you experienced. The staff you encountered may have subconsciously calculated the odds against you being a customer and thought this was the most efficient way to handle the problem. This doesn't excuse it, just possibly explain it.

 

You took the correct steps by bringing it to the attention of Guest Services and Security. Since you were not satisfied with the answer, the next step is to contact Corporate. It's always best to keep a civil, friendly tone, of course-- the same tone you used for this post should be fine.

 

Were I in charge at Celebrity, my response would have been, "I'm so sorry you had this experience. I reiterate it was not intended to be discriminatory. While it may have been natural for our staff to make such an assumption, you are right to point out that they should have taken a more civil approach to handling the situation. Given that we do have rules about crew members not using the same facilities as the passengers, what would be your suggestion on how our staff should handle these situations in the future?"

 

And what would be your suggestion? Simply ask (quietly), "Pardon me, but do you happen to be a crew member, by any chance?" Or ask, "Excuse me, sir or madam, do you have your SeaPass card? May I see it, please?" And if you happen not to have your card, "I apologize, but I need to verify your status. What cabin are you in?" Only if it appears there is a likely chance that you are actually an errant crew member, take you aside and sotto voce explain the reasons for the questions. Would those procedures have addressed the problem, or what would you want to have happened?

[excitedofharpenden]

I've been mistaken for crew before. It happens. I'm white, 6 feet tall and like Floris I've laughed it off. To me it's a fuss over nothing very significant. I've had much ruder treatment from fellow guests.

 

Phil

[ghstudio]

Perhaps those two incidents could have been handled a little better, however on a scale of 1 to 10 with terrible being a 10, this might qualify as a 1. Frankly, this is probably now worth the effort to post on cc.

 

I think you are making a judgement based on your background and ethnicity. I can understand why the OP felt singled out and was not happy that he was profiled to be a crew member. You are not profiled every day....those of other ethnicities have to deal with this type of ad hoc discrimination every day.

 

The OP should have been/deserved to be treated like every other passenger and not questioned or assumed guilty until they could prove innocence.

 

I think if I were the OP and challenged in the casino I would have given him my cabin number and let him check the security pictures...as a police officer, the OP knew there was no probable cause, other than ethnicity and profiling.

 

I'd suggest that if the casino person wanted to check keys, they check the entire row of folks playing the slots...not just me.

 

If they escorted me out...I'd be asking nicely for the hotel director to join us..NOW!

[clojacks]

My wife and I met aSiAnRiCk on the cruise he mentioned on a bus ride to Ushuaia Argentina to view penguins. We spent a good portion of the bus ride taking in Ricks stories about how successful he has been in accumulating miles to assist in his travels through all the credit card programs available. This wasn't his first cruise by any means, but it appears to have been the first time this experience may have happened to him. I remember telling him on the bus ride how we felt this was the best ship and service we had ever experienced, and he, without expounding, said that his experience had been a little different. Now I know why, and even at the time, he maintained a pleasant demeanor instead of ripping the crew to shreds to us, which he would have been justified in doing. I'm disappointed to hear of his experience, because it was a wonderful experience in our view, from the ship, to the crew, to the excursions, but one persons diamond, is another persons coal. Those of you telling Rick to "suck it up" may want to walk in his shoes some day and see that, in my opinion, he handled himself in hindsight with astonishing self control.

[aSiAnRiCk]

Thank you for all the replies. Some did make me smile, so thank you for that too.

 

Don't get me wrong, we did enjoy the cruise. We met great people along the way, to include crew members. We enjoyed the food, the ports, tours, and everything else. We do partake in most activities and frequent the casino, even after the incident. No, we don't let this ruin our cruise, especially with the amount of money we paid for. Yes, for many this would be a trip of a lifetime and yes, we do try to laugh it off and even joked with our cruise friends about cleaning after their plates, refill their coffee, etc. I'm sure many cruisecritic friends we met on the cruise would vouch that we're not a complainers nor "needy" cruisers. In fact, we kept repeating to them of how blessed we are to be on the cruise and to experience that part of the world. With our line of work, we don't get insulted easy but we do know a thing or two about proper customer service.

 

We started cruising less than four years ago and this was cruise number 11 for us. We're somewhat familiar with cruising and what to expect from them.

 

I do think these incidents can be done better and differently and that's the reason of my original post.

 

They shouldn't have told us that we were in the wrong area of the ship because we're crew members. For example, both the medical staff and the casino staff could have requested to see our sea pass instead. That would be a more friendly approach than telling us to go to the "other office" or telling us that we shouldn't be in the casino because we're crewmembers.

 

I understand they have a job to do but again, there are different and more proper ways to do your job to accomplish the same result.

[bEwAbG]

Pretty galling that anyone would defend what you experienced or tell you to "get over it." Once would be bad enough, but more than once is inexcusable. I agree that the best course of action would be a letter to the corporate office including your suggestions on how it could have been handled. It's definitely something they should stress to their crew with some training edicts. It would have been much easier for them to handle their suspicions had they either asked for your Seapass card or room number like they do in dozens of other settings rather than jumping straight to an assumption based on your ethnicity.

Edited March 16, 2016 by bEwAbG

[OuiOnboard]

The staff in both cases should have conducted themselves in a more professional manner...period.

[brfan]

Pretty galling that anyone would defend what you experienced or tell you to "get over it." Once would be bad enough, but more than once is inexcusable. I agree that the best course of action would be a letter to the corporate office including your suggestions on how it could have been handled. It's definitely something they should stress to their crew with some training edicts. It would have been much easier for them to handle their suspicions had they either asked for your Seapass card or room number like they do in dozens of other settings rather than jumping straight to an assumption based on your ethnicity.

 

While I agree it could have been handled a lot better. However I'm not sure about the Casino situation. If some random crew member asks me for my card or my room number I would want to know why. Especially if all I'm doing is playing the slot machine. Maybe it's because I'm female, I would never give some stranger (even if he's crew) my room number without a valid reason.

 

Perhaps a better method would be to strike up a conversation and ask questions that could easily tell the crew member that you are passenger. Things like have you cruised with Celebrity before, etc.

 

Now for the medical situation, I would expect to be asked for my card or for my room number.

[Big_G]

I think you are making a judgement based on your background and ethnicity.

 

You could have ended it there. People need to walk in others shoes before they pass judgment. As for the casino guy and the nurse, sometimes you can't fix stupid.

[SPacificbound]

This is something I have never heard about before, and based on some responses it seems it happens quite often? That is just crazy.

 

aSiAnRiCk, how awful for this to happen not just once, but again. I certainly understand how unsettling this could be.

 

Even if the crew members had the thought that you are crew, they should have been taught how to better handle it.

 

I hope you will write a letter about your experience. Hopefully someone will post the best place to send it. The only thing I have is concerns@celebrity.com