veendam log 10.17.2007

This is going to be a LONG post. Consider yourself warned.

Some interesting incidents since my last entry:

1. I performed in my very first crew show tonight. I was asked to sing Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas after just 2 runs with the band who’d just notated the piece 2 nights ago. Stress!

Awa ng Diyos nakaraos naman. I was nervous during the first few lines but I managed to pick things as the song progressed and ended it pretty decently.

2. We had a full-fledged fire alarm last October 14th. I was at my TC shift when I received a call from one of the staterooms. The guest, a woman, said that she thought there was a fire in her room. I went cold.

Without thinking, I asked her where the fire was located and if she could see an actual flame or just smoke. After the call, I informed my supervisor, who ran up to check on the situation himself.

After what seemed like only seconds, we heard the fire alarm. Everyone went to their positions to wait for the Captain’s public address as well as further instructions from our manager.

The first address from the Captain informed us that the alarm was not a drill and that the fire report was being investigated. After a few minutes, the Captain came on again to tell all the passengers and crew that the was indeed a small flame caused by a short circuit – evidently the guest had been flicking the light switch over and over – and that it had been contained. We could all rest easy.

Later in the afternoon, I was commended by our other supervisor for staying calm during the whole incident. Apparently she’d been observing me the whole time… even when I answered a call from one guest asking about the fire alarm (I simply informed her that we had received a call from one of the guests, that sounding the alarm was a standard procedure, and that we should stay calm and wait for an announcement from the Captain).

2. I encountered an extremely rude guest on October 15th. He’d just come from the library on Deck 8 and had a complaint. I then proceeded to ask him the standard questions:

1. What is your name?
2. What is your stateroom number?
3. What is your concern?
4. How may I be of assistance?

Before I could even finish my first question, he says, “I don’t want to talk to you. I want to talk to the guy who stood up in front of everyone on the first day of the cruise and told us to come to him if there was any problem.”

I then asked him who the gentleman was and he couldn’t tell me. So I offered my assistance once again. I told him that I’d be able to inform the necessary departments if he’d allow me to help him.

Again, before I could finish my sentence, he interrupted by saying, “How many times do I have to come back here before you let me speak to the man who told us to come to him?”

What I wanted to answer with was, “Just once, sir, if you could tell us his name and what he looks like. But seeing as you don’t remember, it looks like you’re going to have to make a few trips.”

What I did say was, “I would really love to help you set up a meeting with that gentleman, sir, if you could just tell me what your concern was so I can inform the necessary department immediately.”

While all this was happening, one of the supervisors was already standing by behind me just in case he started acting out of order.

In the end, we set up a meeting with him and the Hotel Manager so he could air out his concern, which turned out to be the lack of chairs in the library.

Seriously? All that drama and aggravation just for chairs? And I thought girls were supposed to be the over-emotional ones.

3. On Day 2 of the voyage, we had about 58 passengers check in. 48 of them were guests who’d booked the cruise online. Because of a delayed United Airlines flight, these guests weren’t able embark on the 9th when they were supposed to. What made things worse was their luggage had been lost because of all the delays and transfers.

We were prepared. All the GRAs were informed of the situation and we were ready to face all these angry passengers. What we weren’t prepared for, or at least I wasn’t, was being ganged up on on Day 3.

It was just one of them at first. She was inquiring about updates regarding the lost luggage and reimbursements for the hotel charges they’d incurred (the hotel stays were going to be reimbursed, fyi). After I’d answered her questions, she went on to talking about the reimbursements not being enough since there were still things they needed that they didn’t have access to. Case in point: her husband’s need for a shave.

I suggested the salon on the Lido Deck for her husband’s shaving needs, which she accepted. However, she wanted the shave to be complimentary. I informed her that the salon would not provide a free shave and that there was nothing the FO or anyone on the ship could do to change that situation since the salon is an independent vendor.

It was at this moment that her companions came down to start complaining. It’s true what they say: there is strength in numbers. They just fed off each other. They were only supposed to ask about the status of their luggage and all of a sudden they were asking me what Holland America intended to do for them for the inconvenience. The hotel reimbursement wasn’t enough.

It was all the about the money. Nevermind that it was United Airlines that caused their delay. Nevermind that it was United Airlines that lost their luggage. United Airlines wasn’t there. We were. And they were looking for someone to blame. And since we were in a cruise ship, we couldn’t really run away.

But see, it’s not even their complaints that bothered me the most. What really got to me was that even after I’d taken note of their requests and assured them that I would inform my supervisor and manager, they still didn’t leave. Instead, they stood a few feet away from the front desk and started talking amongst themselves about me. I was right there and they talked about me as if I wasn’t there, as if I didn’t just offer them assistance.
I found that arrogant and rude.

I just looked at them. The entire time they were there. I continued sending out emails, answering calls, stuffing folders… all the time keeping my eye on them. Every time one of them looked in my direction, I made eye contact and didn’t break it. They left after a few minutes.