Captain's (and other officers) Quarters

[GUEST71919]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Not sure what your comment "those in the Navy are not living there, it is temporary quarters", means.  For the length of the deployment of the vessel, that berthing ...

 

And while it may seem to you to be "demeaning" to live in a shared cabin with a stranger, you are placing your cultural experiences and preconceptions on others from different cultures, where shared accommodations during periods of employment away from home is more common and accepted.

 

Now this has become ridiculous! My sister was in a tent on Iraq for a long time, it wasn’t her permanent living quarters. I spent 30 years with my husband and children in service to our country - moving frequently, not being able to really own much, living on many places (some not pleasant), and having our family divided half of that time. Those are facts. So you have NO right to try to shame me. 

 

I used a single term when trying to show empathy for crew members and then another in trying to explain (that horridly insulting term “permanent”) and now military men on CC need to bayonet me over things so tiny and unimportant?!?  But I would think that you should have something better to do with your time to than to attack a military wife and create drama over something that is not a real issue. It is childish. There is no honor in acting that way nor bravery on witnessing it without a word.

 

I have better things to do so keep fighting alone. 

Edited July 4, 2019 by 2Beeze

[brillohead]

2 hours ago, 2Beeze said:

I thought I detected some real message, I just could not figure out why there seemed to be some sting to it as I didn’t think I had in any shape or form been insulting to anyone. I can see what you mean, but hopefully you can also understand that that the two are VERY different in the way I discussed it: 1. Those in the Navy are not living there, it is meant to be temporary quarters. Those on cruise ships are given those bunks as primary living quarters. Most in the Navy do it only at points in time over 4 years, not for most of the year for decades as with cruise ship crews. The Navy memberstend to be relatively young people on average, many very young, Those on cruise ships are often middle age or closing in on it.  There are other difference, but there is no need to list them all. The situations are overall quite different.🇺🇸

You obviously have no idea how military life OR cruise ship life works, in spite of your declarations otherwise.  I suggest you look into it a bit before commenting more on the subject.  

Although chengkp75 has already mentioned it, I'll repeat it -- cruise contracts are typically under a year, after which time the employee goes home for a few months to spend time with family.  Military deployments, on the other hand, can last much longer than that, and the soldier/sailor/airman might only get a week or two of vacation after returning before they're back on duty.  

My son spent seven months living in a room of 25 bunkbeds, fifty guys in one room, just this last year.  (Would have been considerably longer -- up to another six months -- but he opted out of RASP because the waiting period was just too long.)  He had guys in his unit who were over 30yo and married.  

Cruise ship crew members know what they're signing up for when they sign that contract on the dotted line.  So do our military men and women when they do the same and raise their hand to give the oath.   The only thing making any of them, from either group, feel demeaned over the job they do is attitudes like yours.

Edited July 4, 2019 by brillohead

[George C]

Captain suite should be included in cabin crawl

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, 2Beeze said:

 

Now this has become ridiculous! My sister was in a tent on Iraq for a long time, it wasn’t her permanent living quarters. I spent 30 years with my husband and children in service to our country - moving frequently, not being able to really own much, living on many places (some not pleasant), and having our family divided half of that time. Those are facts. So you have NO right to try to shame me. 

 

I used a single term when trying to show empathy for crew members and then another in trying to explain (that horridly insulting term “permanent”) and now military men on CC need to bayonet me over things so tiny and unimportant?!?  But I would think that you should have something better to do with your time to than to attack a military wife and create drama over something that is not a real issue. It is childish. There is no honor in acting that way nor bravery on witnessing it without a word.

 

I have better things to do so keep fighting alone. 

While I appreciate your husband's service, and your family's sacrifices, I would be willing to bet that he would be the first to acknowledge that billeting in the Army, Marines, or Air Force bears no resemblance to billeting aboard a ship in the Navy.  That is where the comments started, comparing the Navy to a cruise ship, and it is the only valid comparison.  Land billets have the ability to expand as needed either for increases in manning, or to better creature comforts for those on station, whether that expansion is lateral taking up more land, or vertical adding more floors to a building.  A ship, be it a Naval vessel or a cruise ship, has a "fixed universe" that you cannot expand outside of.  In one post, you say "I get the "room" issue" but don't understand why bunks are required.  It's the "room issue".  Two bunk beds take up 1/2 the floor space of 2 twin beds, and with a thousand or more crew, and a "fixed universe", that makes a huge difference.  The major difference between the Navy and the other branches of service is that the Navy lives in the same "building" that they fight in, just like cruise ship crew work and live in the same "building".

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, George C said:

Captain suite should be included in cabin crawl

He has to put up with passenger meet and greets, don't subject him to having his room and private space invaded as well.

[sparks1093]

51 minutes ago, 2Beeze said:

 

Now this has become ridiculous! My sister was in a tent on Iraq for a long time, it wasn’t her permanent living quarters. I spent 30 years with my husband and children in service to our country - moving frequently, not being able to really own much, living on many places (some not pleasant), and having our family divided half of that time. Those are facts. So you have NO right to try to shame me. 

 

I used a single term when trying to show empathy for crew members and then another in trying to explain (that horridly insulting term “permanent”) and now military men on CC need to bayonet me over things so tiny and unimportant?!?  But I would think that you should have something better to do with your time to than to attack a military wife and create drama over something that is not a real issue. It is childish. There is no honor in acting that way nor bravery on witnessing it without a word.

 

I have better things to do so keep fighting alone. 

I don't think anyone is trying to "shame" you, I know that I am not. For at least half the crew on all of the ships that I was stationed on the ship was their "permanent" abode for the time that they were stationed there. They lived onboard 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for the length of their assignment. Of course it wasn't "permanent" in they wouldn't live their for the rest of their lives, but it was permanent for the 3 to 5 years that they were stationed on that ship. It's part of the "free housing" that recruiters refer to. Fortunately for me I was married most of the time so when the ship was in home port I was billeted ashore in private housing secured by myself, but as I mentioned during one divorce I did in fact live on the ship 24/7.

[George C]

28 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

While I appreciate your husband's service, and your family's sacrifices, I would be willing to bet that he would be the first to acknowledge that billeting in the Army, Marines, or Air Force bears no resemblance to billeting aboard a ship in the Navy.  That is where the comments started, comparing the Navy to a cruise ship, and it is the only valid comparison.  Land billets have the ability to expand as needed either for increases in manning, or to better creature comforts for those on station, whether that expansion is lateral taking up more land, or vertical adding more floors to a building.  A ship, be it a Naval vessel or a cruise ship, has a "fixed universe" that you cannot expand outside of.  In one post, you say "I get the "room" issue" but don't understand why bunks are required.  It's the "room issue".  Two bunk beds take up 1/2 the floor space of 2 twin beds, and with a thousand or more crew, and a "fixed universe", that makes a huge difference.  The major difference between the Navy and the other branches of service is that the Navy lives in the same "building" that they fight in, just like cruise ship crew work and live in the same "building".

We toured the intrepid in nyc was amazed on tiny living quarters  and bunks on that ship. Highly recommend doing this tour  and if you are a veteran you get a discount. 

[cello56]

None of the crew are indentured labor. No one is MAKING them choose to work on a cruise ship. No one is forcing them to choose a job that requires them to share a small room with strangers. They themselves are choosing this lifestyle. They know in advance, before signing their contracts, what is involved. They must not have too many issues with it given the fact the vast majority of them sign up for additional contracts! 

 

Stop creating false drama over their 'living conditions' that do not meet YOUR standards. Everyone gets to make their own choices in life. The crew have made the choice of sacrificing some of their personal privacy in order to earn more money then they would likely be able to earn in their homelands. 

 

I have great respect for the crew, and show this by leaving my auto grats in place, by understanding that they are working for money - not tokens from where I live, and by speaking to them in a polite and respectful manner. Where they sleep and whether it is in a bunk bed is none of my business. That is between employee and employer. 

[Esprit]

My DD chose working on a cruise ships following all the cruises she shared with us as a child. 

Yes, she shared an inside cabin (which was tiny) with a stranger on her first contract but it didn't put her off. Neither did the low wages and no days off bother her either. She's had many more contracts aboard Celebrity ships since 2010.

 

She also met her husband whilst working aboard Constellation. He's a wonderful son in law who fled Venezuela for a better life and now he has it.

[SailorJeff66]

On 7/2/2019 at 8:58 PM, 2Beeze said:

I still found it a bit sad - I cannot imagine sharing such close quarters after the age of say 30! I realize many on the ship do, but since I know many of the concierge’s on a different level it just seemed different.  I wonder if the couples like John and Katrina on the Grandeur get a benefit or loss by being a married couple in terms of living quarters?

Um, have you seen the living quarters for the average U.S. Navy enlisted sailor? An 8 person bunk room is a luxury senior enlisted get. Pay grade E-6 and below live in 60-80 person berthing compartments.

[John&LaLa]

6 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

As I mentioned in a previous post I slept in a bunk as an E-8 at the ripe old age of 33. The crew serve 6 to 9 month contracts, which is the length of many deployments in the Navy and once their contract is fulfilled they return home until their next contract (of course I did too but I was still assigned to the ship and had to stand duty every 3 to 5 days at which point I was sleeping in my bunk again). Yes, it was meant as a light hearted comment, but it was a serious one even so. There is nothing wrong with sleeping in a bunk bed if that is what your job requires, there is nothing demeaning about them.

 

We all appreciate the time you served Chief, and Happy 4th.

Reagan has been 3 months in Japan 3 months out for 4 years. Forward deployed is hard. He only made it home once that whole time. They did visit some interesting places, though.

Edited July 4, 2019 by John&LaLa

[MajorDad]

I only recently joined Cruise Critic and it is not overstating one iota to say that I am shocked by this bully frenzy you have going here. This is how you learned to behave in the service? Picking apart people over the most minor thing and then the rest of you “fine gentleman” swarming like sharks with chum in the water? This woman did nothing to you and nothing wrong, but apparently you needed to hit a tree today and didn’t have one.  It is like you just needed to try to hurt someone or to get out built up anger and this is where you found to lay it. I do note that it started out very nice, @Dat Cruisin Couple starting post was nice and all the others after - until we got to the military guys and then suddenly the nastiness ensued.  Pitiful! She didn’t even return it seems and you are still gnashing with your teeth like some crazed dogs.

 

I know you have no shame, that is quite clear, but you should feel ashamed.  I feel embarrassed and shame for you. I hope that this is not an example of what my wife and I can expect here at Cruise Critic, where the smallest thing sends people into a frenzy of ignorance and bullying.  Bad enough if these were just posted by anyone, but that these posts are by men who served and that they are going after the wife of a military member is far, far worse.  One seems to even suggest she is lying. To what end Mr. Know It All?  Next time it will be your wife, karma bites, so remember your words as they come back to you.

This is embarrassing behavior from brothers, even if there isn’t anyone else with the guts to tell you that.

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, MajorDad said:

I only recently joined Cruise Critic

Not only are these kinds of posts sorta the norm on CC, but many other sites where anonymity lets keyboard warriors have at it. 

 

[MajorDad]

25 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Not only are these kinds of posts sorta the norm on CC, but many other sites where anonymity lets keyboard warriors have at it. 

 

 

Thanks for your response.  Agreed, at YouTube it's insane. Trolls everywhere.

 

But then these are individuals claiming to be former military acting like this and no one saying a thing to them. They then seem to think their behavior is dandy when it's immature at best and I am not allowed to type the words that describe it at it's worst. They appear to think they are big men, but big men don't bully anyone either male or female for fun on some silly trumped up issue. Good God but I can't imagine them sitting around with their brothers whining about that someone said their bunks were demeaning. Geezus H seriously. 🤣

 

The only way to combat bullies is to say something to them, to not let it stand. I hope there will be a few more here and there willing to stand up.

Edited July 5, 2019 by MajorDad

[Capt_BJ]

This is strictly forbidden by international law

 

Really CH'?????

 

What IS "International Law"

 

Having been a Captain of CG vessels enforcing the law at sea, IMO it is a 'theory' and misunderstood by most.

 

The 'International Law' I'm familiar with, and worked under, is a complex set of treaties and agreements country to county.

 

If you know of a set of International Laws and Regulations and a police force that monitors them and a court that enforces them, I'd like to hear about it

 

***********************

 

btw as Captain on my last ship

 

My 'room' had a table that could seat six easily and was used to entertain for meals should I desire, or as a conference table ... altho there were OTHER conference tables around the ship should I chose to not use mine, or needed larger. Here was also my 'office desk' with computer terminal(s) for various purposes AND a multi screen video display allowing me to monitor constantly critical areas of the ship.

 

there was a connected 'sitting area' .... couple of chairs and couch and an entertainment center.  There were two 'staterooms/bedrooms' to either side of the area I've described, each with a single bed and bath room.  One for me and one for a guest or embarked senior officer. IOW a two BR room suite 

 

Attached to 'the cabin' was my private pantry and ship manning assigned me my own cook. 

 

It is good to be the 'top dog' ... quarters wise . . .

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, MajorDad said:

I only recently joined Cruise Critic and it is not overstating one iota to say that I am shocked by this bully frenzy you have going here. This is how you learned to behave in the service? Picking apart people over the most minor thing and then the rest of you “fine gentleman” swarming like sharks with chum in the water? This woman did nothing to you and nothing wrong, but apparently you needed to hit a tree today and didn’t have one.  It is like you just needed to try to hurt someone or to get out built up anger and this is where you found to lay it. I do note that it started out very nice, @Dat Cruisin Couple starting post was nice and all the others after - until we got to the military guys and then suddenly the nastiness ensued.  Pitiful! She didn’t even return it seems and you are still gnashing with your teeth like some crazed dogs.

 

 

 

I know you have no shame, that is quite clear, but you should feel ashamed.  I feel embarrassed and shame for you. I hope that this is not an example of what my wife and I can expect here at Cruise Critic, where the smallest thing sends people into a frenzy of ignorance and bullying.  Bad enough if these were just posted by anyone, but that these posts are by men who served and that they are going after the wife of a military member is far, far worse.  One seems to even suggest she is lying. To what end Mr. Know It All?  Next time it will be your wife, karma bites, so remember your words as they come back to you.

This is embarrassing behavior from brothers, even if there isn’t anyone else with the guts to tell you that.

 

 

 

All was fine until she became the expert on Navy quarters. I was gracious and offered a different opinion. Dissect my post and show me where I went off the reservation 

 

Welcome aboard

Edited July 5, 2019 by John&LaLa

[John&LaLa]

2 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Not only are these kinds of posts sorta the norm on CC, but many other sites where anonymity lets keyboard warriors have at it. 

 

 

I am hardly anonymous 😉

Edited July 5, 2019 by John&LaLa