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Can X staff do whatever they want when off on the islands?

mafig

By mafig,
in Celebrity Cruises

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mafig

mafig

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Just wondering.

 

We were in Curacao last week and we were at the casino that's right near the port.

 

As we were leaving we saw our waiter at a slot machine. It seemed like he was having a good time.

 

We didn't go up to him, figuring his time was his own, but the next time we saw him at dinner we asked him what he did in Curacao and he said he just went to an internet café. We laughingly said "BUSTED! We saw you. At least you didn't say you were at church."

 

He said (also laughingly), "no, that wasn't me, I must have a twin."

 

That led us to wonder if there are restrictions placed on them as to what they can and cannot do while off the ship.?

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eandj

eandj

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My nephew spent part of a day at port with a staff member he had met on an earlier cruise. But it had to be "cleared" by his superior. ????? Makes sense that you wouldn't want the staff to be involved with any current passenger on or off the ship. This was on a Royal C. cruise. I'd assume it is the same on X.

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mafig

mafig

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My nephew spent part of a day at port with a staff member he had met on an earlier cruise. But it had to be "cleared" by his superior. ????? Makes sense that you wouldn't want the staff to be involved with any current passenger on or off the ship. This was on a Royal C. cruise. I'd assume it is the same on X.

 

I think I've been misunderstood.:confused: I didn't intend to spend time with my waiter in a casino (I was with my husband and we were leaving). I just mentioned that we saw him there and he denied it and I wondered why. BTW we did see lots of other crew there too.

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johhnnyt

johhnnyt

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Yes they are prohibited from "fraternizing" with passengers, but many times you see a small group crew that has a few hours off together seeing the sights, or just hanging out at a local casino, hotel or restaurant. I know they have some rules regarding their port visits (like no more than 2 beers/drinks or .04% alcohol upon return), as even out of uniform they still are the faces of the ship.

 

 

Other times you'll see that some are chosen to help out on excursions and provide an extra set of eyes for the tour group.

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eandj

eandj

Posted
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I think I've been misunderstood.:confused: I didn't intend to spend time with my waiter in a casino (I was with my husband and we were leaving). I just mentioned that we saw him there and he denied it and I wondered why. BTW we did see lots of other crew there too.

 

Yes, I understood that. Just wanted to answer your question regarding activities not allowed.

 

You offered a joking remark to the waiter who responded in kind. He wasn't doing anything against ship rules.

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Hydrokitty

Hydrokitty

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On our Baltic Caps cruise we had a crew member join our shore X to Berlin. I didn't know he was crew and he was sitting in front of me on the 3 hour bus ride and I and we had a delightful time chatting. It wasn't until we returned to the ship and he broke off from us for the crew entrance that we knew he was crew. Outside of drinking to excess or "criminal" behavior, I should think they could do whatever they chose. We've seen them in supermarkets and restaurants but don't let on if we recognize them.

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miched

miched

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My question is why you are asking?

 

They have their free time and as long as they aren’t doing anything illegal in that country they should be able to do what they want.

 

I don’t know about a rule against socializing with the passengers as I have been at a few bars with them and bought them a drink and socialized with them. We were in Alaska and one of the staff members was from Canada. We were in a bar to watch a hockey game. Our hometown Red Wings were playing. A staff member was also there and we asked him to join us. He was for the opposite team. We had a great time together buying drinks when our team scored ( a friendly hockey rivalry tradition ) a very fond memory especially since the Wings won and it was a playoff game.

 

Then again if I see a worker in port I don’t expect them to be my best friend. They have llimited time to take care of business. I think they may say it is against policy so they don’t appear rude because they want to connect with their family instead of hanging with a passenger. 🤗

 

Happy cruising 🌊🛳🇺🇸🌅

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chengkp75

chengkp75

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They have their free time and as long as they aren’t doing anything illegal in that country they should be able to do what they want.

 

 

There are instances where company policy dictates against "doing whatever they want" for crew. As noted, while there may be a different, or none, blood alcohol limit in a given port for being considered drunk, international law requires that crew members have a BAC no higher than 0.04% (about half of the common US limit) when onboard the ship, and they can be breathalyzed when returning to the ship. Also, many times certain positions have a 0% BAC limit (deck and engine watch officers, Captain, Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Staff Chief Engineer, Hotel Director on NCL) for the entire time they are working on the ship, whether on duty or off, whether on shore or onboard.

 

The "non-fraternization" policies are a bit gray, and vary by line. Most allow crew to take excursions if they want. Most lines place some conditions on when and how crew can interact with passengers, even in their off time. These are contractual agreements that the crew agree to when signing on the ship.

 

Other than these areas, the crew is basically free to do whatever they want ashore (legally), but poor behavior that is reported back to the ship's management may still result in disciplinary action, as the crew are legally under the ship's "charge" while onshore. This, again, varies by line, and is a contractual agreement.

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Tiggertastic

Tiggertastic

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We spent a lunchtime in st Lucia with one of the bartenders at a local bar having a good chat and he had a few beers and a few colleagues were in the bar. At 2.30 they shouted duty and went off to open an onboard bar so would be serving us having had a drink themselves. There seemed to be no issue with it.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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waterbug123

waterbug123

Posted
Posted
Also, many times certain positions have a 0% BAC limit (deck and engine watch officers, Captain, Staff Captain, Chief Engineer, Staff Chief Engineer, Hotel Director on NCL) for the entire time they are working on the ship, whether on duty or off, whether on shore or onboard.

 

 

Apparently that does not apply for lines who invite passengers to have dinner at the captain's table or other senior officer's table. We had such a dinner one night with the hotel director hosting, and he drank the wine that was served to the guests.

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Oceangoer2

Oceangoer2

Posted
Posted (edited)
My daughter has worked both for Disney Cruiseline and P&O and has been able to spend her spare time doing whatever she wants in port. :)

 

My daughter was an entertainer on most of the lines. The crew was restricted (at least on one of these lines) from being on a motorbike and I suppose any other activity like that. One of the entertainment crew was involved in a motorbike accident involving a trip to a doctor and there was a problem answering to the captain re how it happened. I think they signed that restriction in their contract and it's insurance related - not to mention what happens to the show when a person has to be replaced. Maybe it's changed now, this was a few years ago.

Edited by oceangoer2
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chengkp75

chengkp75

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My daughter was an entertainer on most of the lines. The crew was restricted (at least on one of these lines) from being on a motorbike and I suppose any other activity like that. One of the entertainment crew was involved in a motorbike accident involving a trip to a doctor and there was a problem answering to the captain re how it happened. I think they signed that restriction in their contract and it's insurance related - not to mention what happens to the show when a person has to be replaced. Maybe it's changed now, this was a few years ago.

 

You're right, since the cruise line is liable for all medical expenses for the crew while employed, whether on the ship or off, they can set limitations on "dangerous" activities.

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ClaudiaB

ClaudiaB

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Well I guess they can! I have one story that suggests that: The assistant maitre d' in Blu (I forget which ship) about 4 or 5 years ago was a sweet lady and we always talked with her, particularly at breakfast. When we were in St. Maarten she asked if we were going to Orient Beach. We had other plans, but she encouraged us to go, and to at least "take my top off" because it's so fun. Well I laughed at the mere idea of that, but she was dead serious. She said, "oh no you don't need to go all naked, just your top. That's what we all do." So....... when off the ship and off the clock I suppose anything goes. Legally of course. Disclaimer: Didn't happen. Wouldn't happen. Have no intention ever ever.:o

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broadwaybaby123

broadwaybaby123

Posted
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It depends on if they are on duty or not. They do have free time on each cruise, but only about half the crew stays onboard when in port. There are still activities and such that need to be run for passengers still onboard the ship. Plus, that is when they do the cleaning and lifeboat drills for the crew.

 

With that said, they can do whatever they want to on land, provided that they don't do anything illegal or something like that. Some even call home when in port, especially if they don't have the phone/internet package provided by the cruise line...yes they have to pay for that too!

 

How do I know some of this? Over the years, I've asked various crew members what they do on their days off or how this sort of thing works. Some of them I've even run into while in the ports!

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