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CHRIS WONG

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Posts posted by CHRIS WONG

  1. Come Say Hello! I Work On Independence Of The Seas!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    Hi cruisers!

    For those of you who don't know me - I'm Chris from Liverpool, and I work in the duty free shops onboard Independence Of The Seas!

    I'll be joining the ship on December 1st to start my new contract, and I'll be on the ship for at least 6 months! That means 5 months in the Caribbean, and 1 month in Europe!

    Let me know if any of you guys will be cruising on the ship, and do say hello if you see me in the shops. We should get a photo together!

    I plan to post content everyday on my social medias throughout this contract - so make sure to follow my ship life and see everything I get up to, both on and off the ship! I want to give you guys a true insight into what living/working on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship is really like.

    My Instagram is 'ChrisWongVlogs' and my Facebook page is also 'ChrisWongVlogs'

    Also, ask me any cruise related questions, and I will do my best to find the answers for you when I am onboard.

    I can't wait to meet some of you guys!

    39515004_10156485125359043_5413546753209139200_o.jpg

  4. THE TRUTH! What Life Working On A Cruise Ship Is REALLY Like!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    19 hours ago, hayley_bopp said:

    Interesing post. Thanks @CHRIS WONG 

    Do other crew members have to chip in and help clean cabins in disembarkation/embarkation day?

    @hayley_bopp There's no official rule for this, but crew members will often tidy and clean the cabin for before their replacement arrives. It's just a nice thing to do really.

    We have cabin inspection every week, and there is a standard to which we have to maintain our cabin anyway.

  5. THE TRUTH! What Life Working On A Cruise Ship Is REALLY Like!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    On 16/03/2018 at 6:29 PM, JLMoran said:

    Just thought of one other question I had -- Do the ship's performers (actors in the Broadway / main theater shows, ice skaters, Spectra's Cabaret type shows, etc.) have to work other shifts like bartending or busing tables during the day, or do they just focus on their performances and doing "dry runs" each day, checking equipment / props, etc?

    How about the technical staff for those productions (lighting, sound, effects, stage controls for platforms, etc.)?

    @JLMoran Yes mate, this is actually what happens.

    Because the cast have a lot of free time on the ship, some of them will find other jobs onboard by helping out other departments - and they can add these hours to the system, so they can earn a bit of extra money.

    The tech-crew actually helps us shop staff out whenever we have big set-ups to do, that require a lot of heavy lifting.

    In our crew areas, we actually have a bulletin board where departments can post jobs where they need a bit of extra help.

    On 16/03/2018 at 6:29 PM, JLMoran said:

    I realize that just doing the shows is probably quite draining every day as they have to belt out songs and lines, dance, perform aerial tricks, etc. If they do "get the morning off" every day, how does the rest of the crew regard that? Understanding, annoyance, jealousy?

    @JLMoran The majority of us crew all socialise with each other anyway, so there aren't any hard feelings towards each other.

  8. THE TRUTH! What Life Working On A Cruise Ship Is REALLY Like!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    On 13/03/2018 at 12:48 PM, RestingBirds said:

    I agree, trash in the shops and other bad places annoys me, though I can't say I remove it as you do.

    I do the same thing in our stateroom.  I'm constantly trying to keep things somewhat tidy for our attendant, especially trash in the can(s).

    Thanks @RestingBirds! I just hate the idea of - someone else will come along and clean it up.

  11. THE TRUTH! What Life Working On A Cruise Ship Is REALLY Like!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    23 hours ago, Floski said:

    Hey Chris - has anyone ever bought one of these (or similar)?

    Do you guys make any kind of commission or incentive if you were to sell one?

    @Floski It's actually very rare that guests will buy something like this. It's often found cheaper in the Duty Free shops in port, like Jamaica.

    We actually don't get individual commission! We have a sales target at the beginning of every cruise, and anything achieved more than that, will result in a bonus on our salary.

  12. THE TRUTH! What Life Working On A Cruise Ship Is REALLY Like!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    On 08/03/2018 at 6:33 PM, twangster said:

    Does crew have access to the internet on board and what does it cost?  How is it communicating back home to family?

    @twangster We do have access to internet, but it's not great. It can only be used to email and Facebook. It's not strong enough to load YouTube videos. I tend to find wi-fi in port - this is how I usually communicate with people back home.

    It costs about 10c a minute, but it so should be free!

  13. THE TRUTH! What Life Working On A Cruise Ship Is REALLY Like!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    7 hours ago, FLGooner said:

    We have a friend (also a Brit Ex-Pat) that used to work as a dealer on the ships, most of her stories are great. We've always heard that the crew have more fun than the passengers.

    Thanks for the blog, great read. And someone's already beaten me to the Scousers and Hub caps comment :)

    @FLGooner Then you'll know all about our parties in the crew bar! From themed nights, fancy dress, birthdays, independence days - you name it! Alcohol is really cheap for us, and we have to let loose every once in a while.

    That's 2 scouse comments now, I can't get away from it even off the ship.

  16. THE TRUTH! What Life Working On A Cruise Ship Is REALLY Like!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    19 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said:

    I'm guilty of assuming that.  I do wonder if you enjoy it because you seem to be a pretty outgoing individual?  Or are most crew happy and involved even with some of the language barriers that some have?

    @Sabrinaklai Lucky for me, every crew member can speak really good fluent English. There is a lot of crew members from the UK as well, which also makes it a lot easier for me to make friendships. I would say in general, you have to be an outgoing person in order to enjoy working on ships. Going off into port, and exploring new parts of the world with your fellow crew mates is half the fun.

  17. THE TRUTH! What Life Working On A Cruise Ship Is REALLY Like!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    15 hours ago, JLMoran said:

    Hi @CHRIS WONG, very interesting read from the "insider's perspective"! I'd be curious to know if during your stints on the different ships you met crew members who had transferred in from other cruise lines and what their opinion was as far as how Royal treated everyone and general workload compared to their prior line. After reading so many comments here and on CC / ShipMate about MSC Cruises staff always appearing understaffed, overworked, and constantly stressed or frazzled, I can't help but wonder if folks who went through something like that decide to almost literally "jump ship" and never work on a cruise ship again, or do they switch to another line like Royal, have a much better experience, and feel like it's actually a good job after all.

    @JLMoran This is a great question!

    Firstly, there are definitely jobs onboard that are more stressful than others. Crew who are cabin stewards, cleaners, waiters - I would say work harder than anyone on the ship. I actually never see crew members from these positions socialise or in the crew-bar. There either constantly working, or asleep. As shop staff, although we work long hours, I actually have a pretty good life onboard.

    But you are right, there are crew members who have definitely switched cruise lines for a better work-life. In fact, I have heard about crew members on other cruise lines that have gone off into port and not returned to the ship.

  20. THE TRUTH! What Life Working On A Cruise Ship Is REALLY Like!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Lindsay said:

    Oh my gosh Chris!!!!!  The trash, cups and plates guests leave everywhere irritates the YOU KNOW WHAT out of me too and I am guest!  When I see anything out of place I pick them up and put them in the proper place.  My husband gets SO irritated with me...he is like - Honey, why in the world are you cleaning?  We are on vacation.  

    I also clean up my stateroom like this.  I make sure everything is in the trash and things are not left out and about.  I make the bed and I even compile the towels and put them in the bathtub when we are ready for new ones.  It drives my husband crazy (even after being together/married for 22 years)!  But I know that it's appreciated.  That is why I do it.  

    @Lindsay Wow! You're like the perfect guest! My mother is the same.

    I thank you on behalf of all crew members for helping us keep the ship clean.

  21. THE TRUTH! What Life Working On A Cruise Ship Is REALLY Like!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    2 hours ago, rjac said:

    Hello Chris,

    Your posts are great! What are some of the things that cruisers do that really piss you off as well as other crew members (other than being cheap on tips)? Thanks.:27_sunglasses:

    @rjac Thanks for taking the time to read my article!

    I get irritated when guests leave cups and plates in the shop. Sometimes guests will try and bargain with me to get a lower price, and when I say the price is final, they will ask another shop-staff - thinking they will get a different answer.

  23. THE TRUTH! What Life Working On A Cruise Ship Is REALLY Like!

    in Royal Caribbean Discussion

    Posted

    19 hours ago, HLWIser said:

    Hi @CHRIS WONG VLOGS! Thanks for sharing!

    I've always been so curious about crew members' lives onboard. Would you say from week to week it ever becomes monotonous - or do the different passengers and guests each week that you are able to meet keep it interesting? Do crew members have parties on board that change week to week?

    Not sure if you're able to answer this due to policy reasons but just out of curiosity - is there a level of seniority amongst crew to where you are able to choose which ship you are on for a contract? Are the larger vessels more or less desirable (more people = more stress but also more money?)

     

    @HLWIser I'm loving your questions!

    When you work on ships, time goes so fast. You completely lose track of days, and a 6 month contract flies by. Engaging and interacting with the guests definitely keeps the job exciting. I actually enjoy exchanging life stories with one another.

    We party all the time! There are lots of events and themed nights in the crew bar - I guess this helps us stay loose during the course of a contract, and this is also how we socialise with all the other crew members. I've had some of the best nights in the crew bar - my birthday was a lot of fun!

    When it comes to my next contract, you can request what ship you would like to work on, but it really depends on availability. My recruiter will tend to give me an option of 2 or 3 ships. I personally prefer the bigger ships, just because it keeps me busier. I'd be so bored on a quiet ship.  

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