Welcome to Cruise Talk the Internet's most popular discussion forum dedicated to cruising. Stop by Cruise Talk anytime to post a message or find out what your fellow passengers and industry insiders are saying about a particular ship, cruise line or destination.
>>> Reader Reviews >>> CruisePage.com Photo Gallery >>> Join Our Cruise Club.
Latest News...Princess Cruises, the world-famous cruise line delivering dream vacations to millions each year, celebrated a major construction milestone today of its second Sphere-Class vessel, Star Princess, with the traditional maritime float out ceremony at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. The new ship will now transfer to the outfitting quay where construction...
Latest News...Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) announced financial results for the third quarter 2024 and provided an updated outlook for the full year and an outlook for fourth quarter 2024.The cumulative advanced booked position for full year 2025 is above the previous 2024 record with prices (in constant currency) ahead of prior year.....
Latest News...Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) today unveils its new brand positioning, "MORE," reinforcing and extending its legacy of delivering more onboard offerings, more places to discover and more value with the launch of its all-new upgraded 'More At Sea' package.NCL has a history of delivering endless options with over 600 unique itineraries through 2026 ...
Miami New Times "The Perfect Scam"
Any insider comments?
I guess what shocked me was a 98 hour work week for $150. Even with room and board that's a crime....or are they exaggerating their plight?
Here are the benefit (?) of working with Princess rincess offers salaries and benefits competitive within the cruise and cruisetour industry.
Princess offers eligible land-based employees the following benefits:
Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance Packages Basic & Supplemental Life Insurance Plans Short & Long Term Disability Plans 401k Employee Assistance Program Tuition Reimbursement Program Discounted Travel Program
In addition, Princess offers opportunities and programs to encourage a comfortable work environment, personal enrichment and lifestyles, by providing the following:
Business Casual Dress Code Health and Wellness Programs Company-paid Training Programs
True or not?
The article was about jobs that are primarily occupied by people from third world countries. Most "white collar" positions are held by Americans, Canadians and folks from your neck of the woods. I honestly don't think you would accept a job as janitor or waiter on a cruise ship but rather as one of the ships photographers, shore excursion, casino or boutique employees. And yes the pay and benefits are much better, or these people wouldn't work these jobs. Cruise directors can make a very good living, and if good at there job, often lured away by other cruise lines.
It is more worse, than on Soviet Ships in Time of Communism.
It is much more worse than on German Ships in the so called "Second Register".
And Carnival is the bottom of the Industry...
There are better Companies...
...ask your Waiters on your next Cruise. They know this. Waiters, who served for Celebrity, for example, will never change, if they are not thrown out by the Company.
Guessing.......
Got it?.....
Answer.......
You should have wrote euro (€ not punts lololol god danm Southener lol (just kidding)
The Problem is, that these Jobs for an Minimum wage are something like Slavery Work, and the Slaveholders are not the Passengers, they are the Companies, the employers of these People.
The Wages in Service on Celebrity Ships are very low, as i knew, i did some Cruises with them.
The Crews are not unhappy, because they get good Tips. The Segment of this Company is higher than this of Carnival, so i think, at Celebrity they will get better Money. Passengers are more satisfied and in average i think of an higherStandard...
The Medal has two Sides: one Side offers these Conditions, and the other accepts them.
On my next Cruise with the Astor, the Tips are included in the Price, the Service Crew get Wages, but they come from Ukraine, so i think, the Wages will not be very high, but much better than in the Country.
In 1993 i met an Navigator on the Astra, which has an Soviet Company and worked at that time for Neckermann Cruises in Frankfurt. He has an Salary of 550 German Marks, at the same Time, Salary in Russia for an Captain was 10000 Roubles, this is 100 Marks.
So on one Side, 550 Marks is very small for us, but it was much better than in Russia and it is better for an Job of 3x4 Hours each day than 50 Dollars for more Hours with Stress.
There are a lot of Jobs in US too, which are payed small, so called "Mc Donald Jobs", for 5 Dollars an Hour, not only at this company. Take Cleaners or Service People in Shops, it is the same. The People, who work for this have an Hard Job and are poor, so called "Working Poor".
I knew, the Passengers has an Benefit of low payed Crew, because the Price for the Cruises sunk dramatically (the Quality sunk too), but he is not the Employer of the Crew and not responsible for their Working Conditions.
O.K., i should think about some Tipping, when i am back again on an Ship with non-payed-Crew...
I do not like this, and it would be better, not to look for the best Deal, but on the other Hand, i am no Millioneer and like to cruise, and if it is possible, i take the better Company and not the worse...
It would be more honest, to calculate the Prices fair and complete and not to press Passengers to give Tips, when they are on Board, or take veryexpensive Prices for Drinks (i do not drink) or Excursions (i make them most myself).
When i see an good offer of an good Company, i myself get weak and cannot stand. So i book them again, with the feeling, it should not be...
...but you are right, for the Time, where People are asking those Jobs (and a lot of them ask), there will nothing be changed.
The Benefit of this has the Company and the Passenger.
Regular payed Crews would make Cruises more expensive (i think minimum 50 per Cent more)and it would not be possible, to fill all these Ships (and each Year comes a big Number of Newbuilts). So, this is an Automatism, which brings Prices down and makes number of Participants high.
We will not change this, and i will book again,if i get an good offer of Celebrity and can take Holidays from my Company.
I must ask always three: My direct Boss of my Employer, the direct Boss of my Wife of an other Employer and the DOGPENSION. This is the most important Point. I have an very strong Rottweiler Male Dog, and he need for our vacation his place in always the same Pension, where he is welcome and good treatened, until we come back.
In the Future, as i am now working together with Cruisetravel, i will have an special look on Ships of HAL, P&O, Princess and Cunard, too.The first 3 are seldom offered in Germany.
Our agencies prefer Costa, NCL, MSC, Festival and the German Ships, the last are expensive, the others not the Best...
For my next Cruise i got an special offer of the ASTOR, it is my first Cruise with an German Ship except two on the River Rhine in 1992. The offer comes from Cruisetravel for Euro 2194 each for 18 days.
You can book the same Cruise, 4 days longer in Germany for an Minimum of Euro 4500 each.Starting Benoa/Bali and ending Bombay/India for me and Dubai/Emirates for the most German Passengers.
So, our own Agencies ripped us off, as Malcolm writes for British in Britain...
And please tell us, "how did I know his language"? Regards, Colin.
The language question. When I was about 12 I got a penpal (You remember those......where you used a pen and paper and then put the handwritten thing in an envelope with stamps?) She was listed in a magazine and the Philippines seemed so exotic and far off so I wrote her and we wrote for over 15 years. When I got older and went on a couple of USO tours of Asia I got to meet her. She owned a little sari-sari store. She taught me bits over the years in letters. I don't know a lot. Just basic phrases. It's a colourful, lovely culture and I liked the people. And they are very loyal to you if you are their true friend. Funny thing. I never believed in miracles until I met this lady in person. I always knew that one day we would meet. I had a very hard time finding her when I went to the P.I. I had to take a non-air conditioned bus over 8 hours of dirt road from Olongapo to near Angeles City. The town was under marshall law and you had to be inside your hotel compound by 10PM. It was a bit scary and I had been warned about going alone but I felt like I HAD to see her in person. Once in the town in a stopped taxi a child ran up and grabbed my hair through the window and laughed loudly. It frightened me and the driver said "He never sees yellow hair." It was strange. When I finally saw her I was so shocked. She was very thin and sickly and had the most rotted teeth I'd ever seen. Not at all pretty and plump like in her pictures. She was the same bright and lovely person as in the letters, though. I went back to my hotel that night and "something" told me to just use the money that I had with me extra to see if I could get her teeth fixed. So I said a little prayer and then went to the front desk and asked the manager if he knew a dentist in town. He said "My wife is a dentist in town." The next day I went to my friends little street store and told her that I wanted to take her to the dentist. She protested a lot but finally her sister came to run her store and I hired a jeepney and went to this lady dentist. She had to lock us in her office with her because of the crime in that area and her children played on the floor in the same room as she worked on my friends teeth. Pretty primitive and scary with soldiers everywhere and rumours of Huks around the town. Anyhow, it turned out that my friend had such a massive infection in her teeth for so long that it was actually making her blind in one of her eyes. She couldn't eat and was in constant pain. I'd never heard of such a thing but I made a call to a military dentist there on the AirForce base in Angeles City and he said it was possible, very likely and quite common there. She gave her massive doses of antibiotics and I couldn't stay but a few days even though the dentist said that she needed to have the teeth all pulled and get dentures. They did pull them a few days later but they had to wait for the swelling to go down before they could fit her for dentures. I was worried that I'd get cheated (shame on me, I know) and I didn't have enough money for all that and asked the dentist what kind of arrangements I could make to pay her when I got back home but to my surprise she said "My father trained in America and he's in Manila. He has an American Express account and will take your personal check." Now THAT was just unheard of in that little town!!! I left a check for the amount that she'd need to get dentures (which was very cheap compared to America) Within a few weeks I got both a letter from the dentist and a note from my friend saying that she was well and her teeth fit. Her next picture showed her looking fine and not thin anymore. I really think that all the timing and circumstances made for the closest thing to a miracle that I'd ever experienced. The dentist said in the note that in time she'd have gone totally blind from the infection. Okay, okay..........so I got off the track on cruising. Isn't it great that we're all blessed with the resources to be able to cruise and not so very POOR like our cabin stewards and waiters from third world countries? THERE. Hey, who do you want to speak Tagalog to? Just curious? It's NOT an easy language.
Cruisers, please bear with us.1. Tagalog.I was a passenger on the USNS "General R. M. Blatchford", of the USN's "Grey funnel Lines", in 1945. We were the first troopship in Manila Bay, and in landing craft, we cam ashore on (then)Dewey Boulevard. While onboard we got the news of FDR's death, which sets that date exactly.
I remember snipers still in the half-sunken wrecks of Japanese ships in Manila Bay. We anchored --way-- out and at the 6 knot speed of the LCVPs it took a long time.
I had acquired a little Tagalog handbook and knew "Bawal ang pamosk,"I believe, meant "Keep Out," and "Mabuhay" which was either "Welcome" or "Banzai" I am not sure which!
The trucks carrying us to our replacement center camp went through many little Philippine Villages, where the words "Victory Joe!" were the most common. Although I prided myself in recognizing "Mabuhay!"
Then, what tagalog I eventually learned was on Armed Forces Radio, and, in finally my Tagalog handbook was shortly replaced by a Japanese Handbook as we prepared to go north!
2. You mentioned USO. The "Blatchford" carried the USO-Camp Shows troupe of "Oklahoma! They were great and talented young singers and dancers and a real pride to the organization. Is there any website I can try to locate any of them- now so long ago?
3.Angeles.
I was sniped at while traversing the road to Angeles to see the "Oklahoma" Camp Show at Subic Bay. Before the "Huks" there were the "Japs." [that is a term I have not used for years, but was appropriate in wartime to use such pejorative when applied to those who then were trying to shoot you.] So I followed a tank up "zig-zag pass;' the snipers were quieted; and I had a hearty and happy reunion with my "Blatchford" USO-shipmates! Particularly those of the female persuasion!
And now, sorry people, I have nattered on for far too long off topic.
Off topic or otherwise, I enjoy your natters!
[ 03-10-2002: Message edited by: Katie O'Girl ]
I would love to go back....
Ultimate Bulletin BoardTM 6.1.0.3
More Vacation & Cruise Specials...