Tues Nov 15th Still in the Arabian Sea
By Jain
With the clocks turned forward an hour it was really only 5:30 a.m. when Jomar delivered our coffee and orange juice. Jay answered the door and I was sleeping. Jomar Sapungan, our butler, is very efficient and respectfully calls before he comes to our cabin door. In addition to delivering our morning coffee and juice, each afternoon he delivers a cheese plate, chocolate strawberries or some fancy canapés. Before he was butler he probably was a room steward or dining room steward. Longevity and a proven track record of providing excellent customer service are essential if you want to be moved up the ladder. Some butlers could be hired with no prior experience if they have a degree in hospitality and extensive food and beverage experience, but having previous cruise ship experience tops all. In his position as butler he will probably get additional tips for his service at the end of the cruise. Most cruise lines now charge each passenger a mandatory amount for gratuities, yet it only seems right to give them more for all they do.
Cruise Lines will brag they have 60 or more nationalities on a ship but admit to hiring in what is called a "stratified" manner; which is a polite way to say they hired certain nationalities for certain jobs. Their long standing contracts with recruitment agencies perpetuates this hiring practice. For the most part cruise housekeepers are Filipino, food service staff are South Asian, cooks are Indian or Asian, deckhands are African or Southeast Asian, Security staff are Italian. Cruise directors, activity staff,entertainment, musicians are usually from US, Great Britain, Canada or Australia and Norwegian Cruise Captains are from Norway. (Who else would you expect to command the ship?)
Our room steward is Jeffery, my favorite. He works hard tidying up our cabin twice a day, puts those towel animals with the chocolates on our bed every evening. By the way I am not really a fan of towel animals, (no wonder they have to wash so many towels on aboard), but at least on this cruise there has been a variety; elephant, shark, crab, pig, armadillo, and I think a monkey. Sometimes it's hard to tell what they are but the effort is appreciated. Jeffrey is from the Manila, Philippines and has worked for Norwegian Cruise line for five years. Again he has been assigned his housekeeping duties for cabin suites probably because he has had an excellent record with Norwegian. This position will yield him extra tips, which is good thing since a typical cabin steward (housekeeper) makes only $1,600 to 2,000 a month. Of course their expenses are almost nothing allowing many to send money home to their families.
Our Concierge is Hanno Meyer. He is German, very polite, informative, helpful and very tall. Standing at 6 foot 7 inches tall, he has learned to duck under the light fixtures and some doorways. Each morning he makes sure he spends time talking to everyone, answering their questions and calming their concerns. His hometown is very near Meyer Werft, one of the major shipyards located in Papenburg, Germany. This is where many cruise ships are built and then guided down the river Ems to the sea. He has been working for Norwegian for 10 years.
I know you have heard me complain about the food and I suppose I could be critical of other things on the ship like how it is laid out, entertainment, or the process of getting on and off the ship. But I think the staff on board are excellent. Everyone is cordial, polite, willing to please. There is a 10 and 5 customer service rule everyone seems to follow. If the customer is 10 feet away you greeted with a smile, if they are 5 feet away you are verbally acknowledged. The "Washy Washy" girl who sprays you hands with disinfectant before you enter the cafeteria must say hello to a 1,000 guests a day but always has a big smile on her face that is genuine.
On a 21 day cruise you get to know their names, where they are from, if they have families and they get to know you. Many call Jay, simply Mr. Jay. They know what he likes to drink and how he likes his eggs. The great customer service has added to the enjoyment of our vacation.
Mr. Jay is proud that I have written something that is positive!
By Jain
With the clocks turned forward an hour it was really only 5:30 a.m. when Jomar delivered our coffee and orange juice. Jay answered the door and I was sleeping. Jomar Sapungan, our butler, is very efficient and respectfully calls before he comes to our cabin door. In addition to delivering our morning coffee and juice, each afternoon he delivers a cheese plate, chocolate strawberries or some fancy canapés. Before he was butler he probably was a room steward or dining room steward. Longevity and a proven track record of providing excellent customer service are essential if you want to be moved up the ladder. Some butlers could be hired with no prior experience if they have a degree in hospitality and extensive food and beverage experience, but having previous cruise ship experience tops all. In his position as butler he will probably get additional tips for his service at the end of the cruise. Most cruise lines now charge each passenger a mandatory amount for gratuities, yet it only seems right to give them more for all they do.
Cruise Lines will brag they have 60 or more nationalities on a ship but admit to hiring in what is called a "stratified" manner; which is a polite way to say they hired certain nationalities for certain jobs. Their long standing contracts with recruitment agencies perpetuates this hiring practice. For the most part cruise housekeepers are Filipino, food service staff are South Asian, cooks are Indian or Asian, deckhands are African or Southeast Asian, Security staff are Italian. Cruise directors, activity staff,entertainment, musicians are usually from US, Great Britain, Canada or Australia and Norwegian Cruise Captains are from Norway. (Who else would you expect to command the ship?)
Our room steward is Jeffery, my favorite. He works hard tidying up our cabin twice a day, puts those towel animals with the chocolates on our bed every evening. By the way I am not really a fan of towel animals, (no wonder they have to wash so many towels on aboard), but at least on this cruise there has been a variety; elephant, shark, crab, pig, armadillo, and I think a monkey. Sometimes it's hard to tell what they are but the effort is appreciated. Jeffrey is from the Manila, Philippines and has worked for Norwegian Cruise line for five years. Again he has been assigned his housekeeping duties for cabin suites probably because he has had an excellent record with Norwegian. This position will yield him extra tips, which is good thing since a typical cabin steward (housekeeper) makes only $1,600 to 2,000 a month. Of course their expenses are almost nothing allowing many to send money home to their families.
Our Concierge is Hanno Meyer. He is German, very polite, informative, helpful and very tall. Standing at 6 foot 7 inches tall, he has learned to duck under the light fixtures and some doorways. Each morning he makes sure he spends time talking to everyone, answering their questions and calming their concerns. His hometown is very near Meyer Werft, one of the major shipyards located in Papenburg, Germany. This is where many cruise ships are built and then guided down the river Ems to the sea. He has been working for Norwegian for 10 years.
I know you have heard me complain about the food and I suppose I could be critical of other things on the ship like how it is laid out, entertainment, or the process of getting on and off the ship. But I think the staff on board are excellent. Everyone is cordial, polite, willing to please. There is a 10 and 5 customer service rule everyone seems to follow. If the customer is 10 feet away you greeted with a smile, if they are 5 feet away you are verbally acknowledged. The "Washy Washy" girl who sprays you hands with disinfectant before you enter the cafeteria must say hello to a 1,000 guests a day but always has a big smile on her face that is genuine.
On a 21 day cruise you get to know their names, where they are from, if they have families and they get to know you. Many call Jay, simply Mr. Jay. They know what he likes to drink and how he likes his eggs. The great customer service has added to the enjoyment of our vacation.
Mr. Jay is proud that I have written something that is positive!
Sent from my Galaxy Tab® S2
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