Could this possibly be true

[ozziecruiser88]

We recently completed a 12 nt cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas.

 

There are two rumours I heard about the arrangements between RCI and their staff which I am keen to follow up and see if they are factually based.

 

Rumour 1. some of the staff have to work for free for some of the cruises forming part of their contract and they are not allowed any off days unless they receive 3 positive feed back reports from guests?

 

Rumour 2. the cabin attendants earn no salary at all and rely solely on tips for their income.

 

I am desperate to know if either of these rumours are true because if they are it would bother me and i feel many other guests of the RCI lines.

 

Also. we were unable to go ashore at Mykonos due to the captain regarding the tender process unsafe. I had really based a lot of my decision to make the trip because of the stop at Mykonos. Has this happened before and does anyone know if RCI ever gives any form of compensation to passengers who miss out on a key stop like this.? i doubt it but i was just wondering.

 

regards

Ozziecruiser88:confused:

[madforcruising]

We recently completed a 12 nt cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas.

 

There are two rumours I heard about the arrangements between RCI and their staff which I am keen to follow up and see if they are factually based.

 

Rumour 1. some of the staff have to work for free for some of the cruises forming part of their contract and they are not allowed any off days unless they receive 3 positive feed back reports from guests?

 

Rumour 2. the cabin attendants earn no salary at all and rely solely on tips for their income.

 

I am desperate to know if either of these rumours are true because if they are it would bother me and i feel many other guests of the RCI lines.

 

Also. we were unable to go ashore at Mykonos due to the captain regarding the tender process unsafe. I had really based a lot of my decision to make the trip because of the stop at Mykonos. Has this happened before and does anyone know if RCI ever gives any form of compensation to passengers who miss out on a key stop like this.? i doubt it but i was just wondering.

 

regards

Ozziecruiser88:confused:

 

I can´t comment on any rumors, but it´s a quite known fact that tip related positions onboard get their salary mainly from the tips and not the cruise line.

 

As for missing a port, especially a tender port - it´s not an uncommon occurance. I can´t say specifically about Mykonos but in general it´s not uncommon.

I´ve missed a number of ports due to different circumstances and never been compensated. The cruise line has every right to alter the route and especially if it´s unsafe to go to a port.

 

If a stop is a "key stop" for you it´s better to take a land based vacation to that place as a cruise will always have the risk of missing it.

[derf5585]

some of the staff have to work for free for some of the cruises forming part of their contract and they are not allowed any off days unless they receive 3 positive feed back reports from guests?

 

That is the reason I mention the dish washers, Laundry personal, Deck cleaners and window washers on my evaluation.

[PennyAgain]

Salaries on ships are tiny by US standards. Very tiny!

 

Recently there has been feedback about the employees on ships that are staged in Europe pleading to be tipped in Euros and their $ based salaries are slipping in value.

 

Very good point about mentioning all sorts of people in your cruise comments. I will do so from now on. That is a very kind thing to do.

 

The reasons you see few to no North Americans working on cruise ships are salaries and working conditions.

[cb at sea]

While they don't make alot of salary, they AREN'T slave labor--they do get paid! If they don't get satisfactory evaluations, they get fired! Tips are an important part of their pay, but they do receive a pittance before tips--just like waiters/waitresses here on land!

[ECCruise]

While they don't make alot of salary, they AREN'T slave labor--they do get paid! If they don't get satisfactory evaluations, they get fired! Tips are an important part of their pay, but they do receive a pittance before tips--just like waiters/waitresses here on land!

 

Yes, they do. Tip dependent employees (stewards, dining room wait staff, servers) receive a stipend of $50.00 per month.

[Happy ks]

The service crew compensation is pretty much the same with many cruise lines, it's not exclusive to RCI. Some luxury lines pay their employees more and gratuities are not expected from the guests, but the fare is much higher than the main stream lines.

 

They are paid a stipend, plus room and board, dpending on tips as their main source of income. It's different thinking for people coming from countries that typically don't tip at all.

 

If the Captain of the ship deems the weather to be too dangerous to tender to dock, believe them. It is for the safety of the passengers and crew. Tendering even in calm waters can be a bit scary, if there are currents or waves that knock the tender boats around, you don't want to run the risk of losing a leg to the gangplank.

 

Read your contract carefully, although the Captain and the cruise line wants to make every single port and keep the pax happy, the contract reads that they can deviate to different ports or miss a port altogether with no liability to them. There have been times when the passengers receive a small compensation, such as free drinks or a small onboard credit, but they don't owe you a thing for a missed port.

 

Before cruising on any cruise line, a contract is signed or initialed that the customer understands the cruise purchase. I know I rarely read them any more, but our first few cruises I read each one over several times, fairly boring but important information.

[Lynn the Cruiser]

We recently completed a 12 nt cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas.

 

There are two rumours I heard about the arrangements between RCI and their staff which I am keen to follow up and see if they are factually based.

 

Rumour 1. some of the staff have to work for free for some of the cruises forming part of their contract and they are not allowed any off days unless they receive 3 positive feed back reports from guests?

 

Rumour 2. the cabin attendants earn no salary at all and rely solely on tips for their income.

 

I am desperate to know if either of these rumours are true because if they are it would bother me and i feel many other guests of the RCI lines.

 

Also. we were unable to go ashore at Mykonos due to the captain regarding the tender process unsafe. I had really based a lot of my decision to make the trip because of the stop at Mykonos. Has this happened before and does anyone know if RCI ever gives any form of compensation to passengers who miss out on a key stop like this.? i doubt it but i was just wondering.

 

regards

Ozziecruiser88:confused:

Yes, one cruise we were unable to dock in the Bahamas because their pier collapsed and there was no time to schedule another port. That was the only island that I had never been to, all the others were repeat islands. We all got free drinks for 2 hours. That was all. Then the ship was full of drunk people who didn't care that the island was missed!:eek:

[derf5585]

Yes, they do. Tip dependent employees (stewards, dining room wait staff, servers) receive a stipend of $50.00 per month.

 

 

Laundry Staff - Salary $1000-1400/month.

Launders and dry cleans clothing and linens. No experience required.

 

Dishwasher- Salary $900-1200/month.

Washes and stacks dishes. No experience required.

 

Cleaner - Salary $900-1200/month.

Responsible for cleaning assigned passenger areas. No experience required.

from

http://www.cruiseshipjob.net/joblistings/

[ozziecruiser88]

thanks for the responses everyone. it was enlightening. I personally feel that the liners should disclose to guests prior to travel that a component of their staff compliment will be trying very hard for the entire duration of the cruise to do what ever it takes to "encourage" the guests to give tips. if people come from a non tip paying culture and will feel awkward about being "worked" the whole time, they should have the discretion to select a cruise line that deploys a different policy. sometimes when people are on holiday they don't want to be worked over incessantly as this can detract from the holiday mode.

[tomko2]

Really sorry to hear you were unable to go into Mykonos; I would have been very disappointed as well.

As for the staff, I agree with the comment from the poster referring to land-based wait staff; I believe the min. wage in Florida for wait staff is under $5.00 per hour (someone please correct me if I am wrong). Some days are slow and tips are low yet the staff still have to pay their accommodation costs, food, transportation, etc.

We follow the tipping guidelines on the ships, fill out the comment forms and tried to put in names of the staff, plus we tip additional amounts for special requests or just because the person made our trip a little brighter.

Kathy:)

[caribbeanboy]

people like waiters and the cabin steward get about $50 from the cruise line.They get free room, food & (non alcoholic) drinks

 

But those people can make as much as 3000 to 4000 dollar monthly.

 

A waiter on the Destiny told me that every month he gets between 3500 and 4000 dollar, so in the end not a bad deal.

[derf5585]

people like waiters and the cabin steward get about $50 from the cruise line.They get free room, food & (non alcoholic) drinks

.

 

Cruise Ship Job - Cabin Steward

The salary is typically about $1,800/month

from

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art32734.asp

 

Dining Room Junior Waiter / Salary range: $1200-1800 U.S. per month,

from

http://www.cruiseshipjob.com/foodand.htm

[Rancher Dave]

Laundry Staff - Salary $1000-1400/month.

Launders and dry cleans clothing and linens. No experience required.

 

Dishwasher- Salary $900-1200/month.

Washes and stacks dishes. No experience required.

 

Cleaner - Salary $900-1200/month.

Responsible for cleaning assigned passenger areas. No experience required.

from

http://www.cruiseshipjob.net/joblistings/

 

 

When taking into account that these folks are often from countries where those wages are huge...it is not so bad...it would stink for most US workers to get these wages because the buying power here is not as good with those levels of pay...(filling the car with gas all month would blow half the salary here, actually far worse in other parts of the world)

 

You do see dedicated US folks on board, mostly in higher paying and entertainment positions, but some at low wages because the love being at sea. One of the hotel directors we met is actually from the US originally, but I think he lives with his wife in Thailand when he is off...his money goes much further over there.

 

The economics of staffing the ship with US workers at or above minimum wage would not work long term, look at NCL-America in Hawaii.

[TEXASMUNK]

and it will continue to be in the future. Nothing worng with that. But, please remember, many of these fine folks seek out these positions because they are a means of elevating their incomes way beyond the average income in their home country.

 

There is a long line for these positions with every cruise line. Additionally, cruise lines compete for the best quality. Staff from one line will move to another based on compensation opportunities. For example, my least favorite cruise line was constantly losing staff to lines like RCI, Princess, HAL, etc because the passenger base either did not tip or gave reduced tips, and they actually started mandatory tipping to solve their problem.

 

We have known a couple that work on HAL that have built a home, put three kids through college and take care of tehir parents....all on the income of a bartender (her) and a waiter (him).

 

Great question, glad you asked!

[watsor1]

We've been on two cruises (RCCL and Princess) where the entire ship was denied tendering at Grand Cayman. We received no compensation, but obviously our excursion costs were refunded.

 

I personally would not expect any compensation for a missed port

[BaumD]

Apparantly Mykonos has tough winds this time of year. Was on Legend the past 2 weeks and we could not tender, but the captain did manage to secure the only pier for Legend. The wind was so strong it took almost an hour to get the ship docked. They got the front end tied off, but could get the rear of the ship into the dock. Finally they did get us tied off.

[caribbeanboy]

actaully you can do the math. My cabin steward on the Caribbean Princess told he has to take care of 17 rooms.Let's say each room has 2 passenger per cruise. 3.50 per perosn per day makes $ 7 per room per day

 

$7 times $17=$119 times 30 days=$3570 per month

[Laticfanatic617]

We've been on two cruises (RCCL and Princess) where the entire ship was denied tendering at Grand Cayman. We received no compensation, but obviously our excursion costs were refunded.

 

I personally would not expect any compensation for a missed port

 

 

i had a similar experience last year....

 

we'd booked a whole day excursion, and the day was near the end of our cruise. we'd had a 'heavy' night drinking the night before ( yeah i know, our fault!!!) and had to get up at about 7am to make the trip.....

 

at about that time the captain made an announcement that they were unable to tender that day because of strong winds etc and he turned the ship around a made off for another island completely...

 

the bonus was that we weren't due there till 11am and i had the best lie in that i think i've ever had!!! the different port was great too, so you don't really get to miss out if you look at it like that....

 

best way to look at it....

 

it happens, deal with it and move on!!

[lakette3]

Unless there is some really upsetting things going on with cabin or elsewhere I usually give good to excellent reviews.

 

Some people there are no pleasing no matter what you do. I have walked by cabins with doors open that guests have really left a mess. Whether I am on a cruise ship, hotel or visiting someone, I have always left my room in a decent condition.

 

I have heard people tell crew members off for really stupid things.

 

I also am of the motto that when someone does or doesn't do something that is not to my liking, I tell the person then. For instance, I reminded a crew member last cruise that they still had not fixed the shower floor with loose tiles and that this was the second time I had told him. It was done that morning after that and he came by again and apologized. This did not ruin our cruise and we appreciated what I consider to be a sincere apology. He did every thing else right for the nine days and therefore I wouldn't consider giving him an unsatisfactory rating for the whole cruise.

 

I also get names of people in the coffee shop, Johnny Rockets or wherever that I feel are giving quality service and have great attitudes.

 

On one cruise the person who handles the Next Cruise Coupons was not very friendly. I told her and I also wrote a letter to President of Royal Caribbean because I thought especially in that capacity she should have made it a point to do so. Believe it or not it wasn't me that had the problem with her but an individual that didn't speak English very well. We sat there and listened to her and the way she talked to them. When we were next she had the nerve to tell us that this person should have brought an interpreter with her rather than use of her time. I did receive a letter back from RCCL thanking me for bringing this to their attention.

[negc]

people like waiters and the cabin steward get about $50 from the cruise line.They get free room, food & (non alcoholic) drinks

 

But those people can make as much as 3000 to 4000 dollar monthly.

 

A waiter on the Destiny told me that every month he gets between 3500 and 4000 dollar, so in the end not a bad deal.

 

Such a good deal that even now with unemployment in the US increasing dramatically, very few US citizens seem to be applying for those positions. Could it be that the number of working hours per week, limited time off, time away from family,and other factors, make it less attractive despite the amount they "might earn" would appear?:rolleyes:

[DHADEN]

........There are two rumours I heard about the arrangements between RCI and their staff which I am keen to follow up and see if they are factually based.

Rumour 1. some of the staff have to work for free for some of the cruises forming part of their contract and they are not allowed any off days unless they receive 3 positive feed back reports from guests?

Rumour 2. the cabin attendants earn no salary at all and rely solely on tips for their income.

 

First of all, NIETHER of these rumors are true NOR based in any fact.

 

Refer to the next quote/post:

actaully you can do the math. My cabin steward on the Caribbean Princess told he has to take care of 17 rooms.Let's say each room has 2 passenger per cruise. 3.50 per perosn per day makes $ 7 per room per day

 

$7 times $17=$119 times 30 days=$3570 per month

 

PLUS their $1200 - $1800 salary, PLUS free room and board (valued at around $2500 per mo. - think about what you spend)

 

That's why there is a 1 to 2 year waiting list of people who WANT those jobs. You shouldn't feel sorry for them - some are considered the luckiest and richest in their countries.

 

Such a good deal that even now with unemployment in the US increasing dramatically, very few US citizens seem to be applying for those positions. Could it be that the number of working hours per week, limited time off, time away from family,and other factors, make it less attractive despite the amount they "might earn" would appear?:rolleyes:

 

Unemployment is NOT increasing dramatically. It went from 4.8 to 5, which is still considered very low.

 

If you look at the REAL PICTURE:

 

There is a 1 to 2 year waiting list of people who WANT those jobs. (Yes, U.S. Citizens, too - lots of them)

Just because you wouldn't do it, that doesn't mean lots and lots of others wouldn't.

[negc]

First of all, NIETHER of these rumors are true NOR based in any fact.

 

Refer to the next quote/post:

 

 

PLUS their $1200 - $1800 salary, PLUS free room and board (valued at around $2500 per mo. - think about what you spend)

 

That's why there is a 1 to 2 year waiting list of people who WANT those jobs. You shouldn't feel sorry for them - some are considered the luckiest and richest in their countries.

 

 

 

Unemployment is NOT increasing dramatically. It went from 4.8 to 5, which is still considered very low.

 

If you look at the REAL PICTURE:

 

There is a 1 to 2 year waiting list of people who WANT those jobs. (Yes, U.S. Citizens, too - lots of them)

Just because you wouldn't do it, that doesn't mean lots and lots of others wouldn't.

 

I'll try to remember that the next time I encounter a US citizen waiting on me in the dining room or cleaning my room.:rolleyes: And you might recall how much success NCLA had in retaining its US citizen waitstaff. Seems it didn't take them long to petition for a reduction in the percentage of US citizens that they had to employ, and that was before the removed all but one of their ships from the Hawaii market. Two tenths of a percent increase in the unemployment rate may seem insignificant to you but not to those whose job loss went to make up that increase and that increase is over what period of time and while some may debate the technicalites of whether or not we are currently experiencing a recession, I doubt that there are many who would claim that the US economy is doing just fine, thank you.

My comments weren't based on my personal feelings about these jobs but rather on the claim that implied that the purported salaries for these positions made them quite attractive. Whenever someone tries to compute what a waiter or room steward is making by computing passengers or cabins served multiplied by suggested tips, I am reminded of the old saw that says "figures lie and liars figure".

[Crosboro]

We were told by one crew member that they have a minimum guaranteed salary. The base pay is lower, and they depend on tips to meet the minimum. If the tips don't make it, RCI makes up the difference.

[caribbeanboy]

They only get $ 50 from the cruise line and NO salary.