Comments on: What Cruise Lines Don’t Want You to Know

By: express shuttle LAX

express shuttle LAX — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 02:22:37 +0000

This article or post is truly an eye opener. And i agree that if you hail form a third world country and working on a cruise line, then you sure are being benefited.

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 23:27:20 +0000

Many of them are probably laughing all the way to the bank at all the people in their fancy resort wear clothing. Many of those people are going into debt to be on the cruise while the workers get many of the same benefits and are paid for it!

By: suzanne@choozientertainment.com

suzanne@choozientertainment.com — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 23:35:43 +0000

The one thing you do not mention is the withholding of a percentage of the monies they make. I believe this is standard procedure with most lines. When we took over the entertainment on Silversea, I was advised to retain 15% of the Artists pay as the previous producer did. I said no. Our starting pay is $1,000 weekly and goes up according to the skill sets they bring to the program.

As to not getting off in ports, totally concur the visa situation. We have a Filipina national who is treated differently from her US counterparts simply because of the passport she holds. We’ve had Artists not allowed off in China because they had no visa. I don’t envy the cruise lines onboard HR departments dealing with all the different nationalities and how they effect the different ports of call. It’s a tough tough job. I saw for myself a bias toward the Brits I was traveling with disembarking in St. Lucia. The U.S. passports were processed first, the Brits last. The immigration laws of each country you port in has the final word as to who gets off and who has to stay.

But in large part I agree with you Paul. The vast majority are happy with their jobs. I have worked for Princess, RCCL and now Silversea and I have heard very few complaints from the employees who work on these ships. They work hard and send money home and are saving for a better future for themselves. I admire maritime crews immensely for the work they do.

By: David Beers

David Beers — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:05:09 +0000

On a Royal Caribbean cruise a few years ago our waiter’s wife was also a waiter in another section of the dining room, so they were both raking in good money. They were from the Philippines and on, I think, their 9th or 10th contracts with the cruise line. They were saving it up to buy a house and start their own business back home, and do both without needing to borrow money. I really admired them for sticking to their goals, plus they were charming and outstanding at their jobs.

By: Paul Motter

Paul Motter — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:19:51 +0000

It is important to understand that crew people are NOT like average US workers. They are generally poor but driven to do better. They WANT to work hard and make all that extra money. They are the kind of people who used to come to America for a better life.

It takes a certain kind of personality to be a crew member, and it is an elite bunch and they take a lot of pride in that. In the same way the cruise lines take a lot of pride in their crew members.

By: Paul Motter

Paul Motter — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:07:24 +0000

In all my yars of working on cruise ships I do not recall a single incident when crewmembers were not allowed off of a ship except ONE time when we docked in Los Angeles back in 1983 (it was still the cold war) and our Polish Musicians were not allowed off because they didn’t have visas. And that was just one time, other times they were allowed off.

If anytime a crewmember is not allowed off it is the local law, not the cruise line, making the rule.

By: Kenneth Eden

Kenneth Eden — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:49:45 +0000

Paul – you state “the vast majority of cruise workers are extactically happy with their jobs” true, and I would only hope so and expect nothing less.

However, there is the carping and griping passenger, not happy with anything that could cause a passenger to upset a crew member.

On last thing, there are a couple of major cruise lies out there that DO NOT LET THEIR CREW OFF THE SHIP IN PORT> At least not far from a pay phone. They never go to the beach and indeed do seem indentured WHY I ask???

And, then, there are the ones that belittle the cruise line, sob about supporting their families back home, I really like “they feed us bad food, we have to pay for good food on the ship” and the ulimate, we have to buy our clothes! Give me a frickin break.