For my Boston Globe article on spending 10 days at sea, click here.
By Richard P. Carpenter
HONOLULU -- Although it seems hard to believe, cruise directors insist that passengers often ask them this question: “Does the crew sleep onboard?”
The answer, of course, is yes. They snooze onboard, work onboard, and live onboard in a society all their own. A rare insight into just how unique that society is was given by the cruise director and assistant cruise director of the Golden Princess as the 2,600-passenger ship visited the Hawaiian islands during a recent sailing.
Sharing that information was cruise director David Cole, 46, of Pennsylvania, and deputy director Anna Fell of England, who is younger than that. Both spoke frankly about life on the lower decks, discussing everything but salaries because, as Cole noted, that information should be between employee and employer.
It has been established that the crew sleeps aboard, but where? Most of the 1,100 crew members have rooms for two that are “really small,” Cole said, and have bunk beds. Differentiating between the hotel staff -- most of the people that passengers interact with -- and the marine staff, he said that the higher up one goes in the ship hierarchy, the bigger the room they get, “and the less time they have to spend in it.”
A ship’s staff is indeed kept busy. They are required to get 10 hours rest every 24 hours, but that still leaves the possibility of 14-hour days and depending upon circumstances, they have been know to work all of those 14 hours.
A crew has to eat, and the workers get the same good food as passengers, although there are separate “messes” for the entertainment staff, crew, and officers. Fell noted that there is a buffet table, nicknamed The Trough, which is used often by staff members on the run. And there’s a funny thing about good food: You can get tired of it. “When I go ashore, I stock up on Subway sandwiches for my refrigerator,” Cole said. There are, of course, many other services for the staff, from laundry to tailoring, and one deck containing such services is nicknamed the M1, after the British highway.
How does one get hired? Cole, who has spent 21 years at sea, has a background in musical theater and never even saw a cruise ship until he decided to apply and was quickly hired. Fell, who has worked on ships for six years, also has a background in performing arts that includes entertainment at a theme park in Spain. Both have homes to go to (Fell just recently bought hers) during the six to eight weeks between cruises. Other workers, such as waiters and cabin stewards, are often recruited, and while there are some 50 nationalities aboard, about a third of the crew comes from the Philippines.
Then there are the extremely temporary “employees,” such as the people who give lectures on the ports cruisegoers will visit, or the history of the cruise industry, or any number of topics to help passengers pass the time. There are agencies such as Sixth Star Entertainment & Marketing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that specialize in getting such people aboard ship. The lecturers’ remuneration is a free cruise, although they are usually responsible for their flight and port taxes.
As for the permanent staff, most are young and healthy, and many are single. Nature does take its course, and during the discussion of ship life, the name “Peyton Place” understandably came up.
Speaking of food, check out EpcotBermuda's Elbow Beach resort has launched two new packages for the fall. The Girls Just Want to Have Fun package provides welcome sweets, beach and pool time, a two-hour session at the spa, and a wine- and cheese-tasting event. Rates at $430 per person, with breakfast and dinner included. The package includes a fourth night free for a minimum four-night stay and includes taxes and gratuities. The golf and spa package, meanwhile, offers a variety of holistic treatments to choose from at The Spa at Elbow Beach, and a tee time at the newly renovated Port Royal Golf Course. Rates start at $420 per person with breakfast, dinner, two hours at the spa, and a round of golf. This package is for a minimum three-night stay and includes taxes and gratuities. Both packages are valid until Dec. 31.
For details, click here or call 441-236-3535.
Worth quoting
“Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey.”
- – Fitzhugh Mullan
Where the deals are this autumn
The Orbitz Insider Index has reviewed average hotel costs in 10 popular shoulder-season destinations, with an eye toward the ones that give travelers the most value this fall. International hot spots Dublin and Bermuda top the list, offering the highest percentage of savings, 44% and 38% respectively. But, savvy spenders should also set their sights on a fall trip on to Las Vegas, San Juan, and once again, Dublin, all of which offer average hotel rates under $100 per night.
For hotel rooms beginning at $29 a night, visit www.orbitz.com/sales.
Be prompt, and save big at Squaw Valley
Starting tomorrow, Sept. 29, the first 100 people to book a winter stay in the Village at Squaw Valley USA will get 40 percent off the price of reservations. Book by calling 866-818-6963 or visiting www.thevillageatsquaw.com beginning Sept. 29 at midnight. Blackout dates and restrictions apply at the California resort; and at least two nights must be booked to receive the rate. High-season prices start around $209 a night
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