Career Longevity: Crew and Staff

[SeaBreezy]

Just thinking: Wonder how long crew and staff make cruising their career?

Captains and Bridge staff probably make it a lifetime career once started, but what about housekeeping, wait staff, guest relations? What about the crew that hardly ever are mentioned on this forum such as maintenance workers, engine room workers, and the people that work "behind the scenes"?

I'm not talking contracts, but all in all, how many years do you think these people give cruise lines? RCCL particularly. On average, do you think 5 years? 10 years? Not saying there aren't any, but I personally haven't seen many retirement age people working aboard.

This just made me go "hmmmmmmmm"???????????

What do you guys think?

SeaBreezy

[Happy ks]

It's probably different for every staff and crew person onboard. I've talked to some who have been onboard ships for several years and some who are on their first contract. I don't really ask every person I meet onboard, but it has come up a few times, usually just wait staff and cabin attendants, those you talk to a bit more.

 

The on wait person working the longest of any cruise I've taken was Mila, an assistant waitor on the old American Hawaiian Independence, she had been onboard the same ship I think 17 years. She said there were several people onboard who had been on the ship that long.

[KamloopsCruisers]

On our first cruise on the Explorer our fine waiter had working on the ships for over 20 years. A few years ago on the Legend, we met Jorge, the best bar server we've encountered. This was a Christmas cruise and Jorge was spending his 17th consecutive Christmas at sea.

[SeaBreezy]

WOW! 17 years of Christmas at sea!

 

What about the people that we hardly see that work "below"? Do they stay long or do they have a high turnover? I bet the people that work below have seemingly long, drawn out contracts because they are always working around machinery, away from the passengers (new people), and do the same thing all the time. I wonder if they "like" their job?

[springtxbill]

The engine room crew probably stay with the same ship for as long as it sails and then would go to another. They like their jobs as the pay is so much better than they can get in their home countries.:)

[emilygrace]

My husband likes to talk with the crew and we've discovered some of them really like their jobs and have stuck with it for a long time. Our waiter on the Radiance, Scott (we lucked out and got him both times we've been on the Radiance) has been with RCL for 11 years. The room steward on our first cruise had been with RCL for 14 years. He was telling us how when a new ship comes out they have the opportunity to transfer to it (they are chosen by passenger comment cards) but he wanted to stay on the Radiance (this was right before the Serenade came out). Actually, most of the people we talked to had been with the company for quite a while. As Scott was telling us, the Radiance is in the Caribbean for almost 6 months of the year and he gets a chance to see his family in Jamaica, plus he gets vacations too. I just loved Scott......it was like being served by a younger Morgan Freeman!!!