Recently went on a cruise - working conditions for the Phillipino waiters...?

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David M

I recently returned from a cruise, and it had ALL Phillipino waiters.
It makes me kind of sad to hear that they have such long working conditions.
The waiter for our table in the dining room was so nice. He new everyone's name in our very large group. We would also see him at the pool in midday.

Kiddo

Okay, first of all, they do get days off. They take turns when the ship is docked for the start or end of a cruise. They also take turns during the cruise at the different ports. If a waiter works lunch and dinner, they were probably off during breakfast. They have their own section of the ship, crew quarters, where they have their own kitchen, t.v. stereo, ping-pong tables, etc. They get paid a small salary, but the tips they receive are more than you can imagine. And when they shop, they only buy the best. And being foreign, they shop duty-free! I've been shopping with them before. They also all usually run some little side job. Their meals are provided, as well as their cabins onboard. They are flown at the company's expense to and from their country to wherever they are to board the ship. How do I know? I was married to a Filipino man that worked as a security officer on cruise ships.

masterlymayhem

9 months is actually a short trip - alot if not most phillipino/indonesian crews on cruise ships are on there for 12 months...yep a whole year without a day off.

They work 10 hours a day, 7 days a week - with paid overtime sometimes on top

Yes, to us westerners that sounds a complete outrage, however they - the barstaff/waiters/cabin stewards can be on around $2000 a month, which in indonesia goes a long way to having a very comfortable life - alot of the guys on my ship also ran 2 or 3 buisinesses at home started from the money they make on board

If you want to talk about awful, next time you go on a cruise ship and see how well maintained the exterior is, and how the ship is always on time, spare a thought for the indonesian or philipino sailors and wipers (engine room workers) they work about 12 hours a day, hardly ever any over time and are paid about $600 a month - yes - the people who will put their lives in great danger to save your life if there is a fire or if you ever have to abandon ship are the lowest paid people onboard, yet are amongst the hardest working people i have ever met.

why so little? because you never see them, and they dont contribute directly to increasing the companies profits (unlike barstaff for example)
So as a Deck Officer incharge of these hard working guys, ill hope next time you see some sailors work, stop and spend 10 seconds of your day to tell them what a good job they are doing - itll be 10 seconds for you, but will make their day

Thanks :)

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Cruiselines are very upfront about working/living conditions, benefits they offer and their pay. They provide contracts to their employees and it's due to years of their employees requesting it to be this way. I have been on cruises and spoke to employees who all state they enjoy what they do.

Baby Kangaroo

my brother works in a cruise liner also...
i kinda envy him coz i sit in front of my computer desk everyday... while he's travelling the world...
but then, that's him and this is me... we make our own choices...
oh wait the question, well my brother's not a waiter, but he does tell me that if you're not emotionally strong, you can go crazy on a ship... so i guess it's a risky job, hehe...

stella39

That's the way it is on cruise ships. They get off for 3 months after their tour. Not a bad deal. They are hard working and they have excellent work ethic. Thank goodness they have a job.

I know a girl from US that was an entertainer on a Disney ship and it was the same, no days off.

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Kaffy

Totally agree with Kiddo...........while they are paid a small wage, they have one fab life on board, much better than at home. They have their own quarters where they can cook their own food, and they also have the opportunity to earn extra money, they have different competitions like best cabin, bingo, employee of the month, where they can earn extra money, and when they get paid in USD, believe me they are like kings and queens at home after their contract, some even have jobs like piolts or doctors at home but come on the ship to work and get paid a hell of alot more, they are not treated bad AT ALL.......do you really think that they wouldnt get a day off??? I used to work on board, and had some great friends that were Phillipino..

Alfreda W

Im filipino and I've been 2 the philippines. It's a poor country and people there dont really get much education, especially if there poor and they cant get good jobs because they work to hard to take care of there parents, which is exactly what happened with my mom. So it is true that its unfair, but what can you do if you have no education, look for another job? do u know how hard that is and my mom is STILL unemployed and my parents are divorced so my mom doesnt do well, luckily she saved up money though. but enough about me. It is true, thats not fair. I agree to how awful it is. there is nothing good about it anyway

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