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Cruise Ship Staff
By Dave | December 31, 2007
The staff on a cruise ship are what make each cruise unique from all the others. I have been on quite a few cruises, and the one thing that I usually use to distinguish one cruise from another, aside from the ship itself, is the staff. Unless you travel on the same boat twice in a row, chances are you’ll never see the same group of staff twice. This is what makes them so unique.
Most of the staff on cruise ships are from very poor backgrounds. They will leave their families for months at a time to bring home some money. They’ll often work seven-day weeks, with only a couple hours off each day to eat and sleep. Their jobs are rigorous, and their pay is low. Most of them, however, can still manage to put a smile on your face.
The staff most people get to know the most is their dinner wait staff. On most cruise lines, there is a waiter/waitress and an assistant. There are many types of personalities you’ll discover in these people. Some are subdued and very nice, like our waiter Jude on the Glory. Some are extremely outgoing and even comical. The perfect example of this type was “Mr. Kool” from our Victory cruise in 2001. He had such charisma. Another type is the one who just enjoys his job (or at least appears to), and is willing to stop and chat with you for a few minutes. Their job isn’t just about serving food. It’s also about getting to know you. This was Roberto on our Legend cruise this past summer (2007). He was one of our only waiters who knew us by name and could pretty much predict what we would order. He’d stop to talk with us, answer our questions, and even ask some of his own at dinner. If we’d see him on deck, he’d get a big smile on his face and would take time out from his busy schedule to talk some more!
I don’t drink, so I’m not sure what the bar personnel are like. But I know the drink staff that deliver drinks to you on deck are quite nice. They will learn your favorite drinks quickly and will even begin to know you by name. Another type of staff is the casino staff. Most are very friendly and will have conversation with you, or will explain the game rules to you.
Overall, the staff onboard a cruise ship are very friendly. Considering how intense their jobs are and how little they get paid, I really do have a lot of respect for these guys.
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