An Important Review- Carnival Elation 5-night Baja CA

[Vooshlbrgr]

I sailed the 5-day Baja California cruise with Carnival Elation with my husband on Dec. 13-18. It was my first cruise. Overall, I was disappointed with the ship's decor. It was unbelievably outdated and worn-out looking. I initially thought the ship was built around the '70s but was suprised to hear that it is only 10 years old.

I was blown away by the service. It completely exceeded my expectations. Stateroom stewards greet you in the hall, entertainment & dining staff very courteous and warm- not fake. Entertainment was geared mostly toward children under 12 and adults over age 40. Not enough activities for young adults. Musicians were mostly top notch.

Be sure to go when the weather is nice. Rooms are cold with no heat. Ensenada was cold, rainy and windy; we spent a short time off the ship before giving up and going back in because of the terrible weather. Also, bad weather and winds makes the ride more rocky.
Embarkation & Disembarkation of the ship was smooth and easy- much more so than I had anticipated.

But the real reason I wanted to write this review was to share what I had learned about crew member working conditions on the ship. Carnival boasts its diverse team made up of 50 different nationalities. Over the first few days, I started wondering why all the employees seemed to be from small, poor, foreign countries. The ship's home port is in San Diego; why aren't there any American workers? I soon found out that this was because no American in their right mind would work for the wages Carnival offers. Crew members from foreign countries are paid "well" in comparison to what they'd be making in their home country, but shit in comparison to U.S. wages. From speaking to our dining room waiter, as well as others, we learned that crew members sign up for a 6-10 month contract on the ship, work 7 days a week, and are regularly required to work 12-14 hour shifts. (I'm talking about food & dining, housekeeping, and janitorial staff- not bar staff, entertainment, etc.) There is no break in between cruises, as old guests debark and new guests board within 3-4 hours of each other-so they have no days off. Our dining room waiter told us that he gets paid a base rate of $70/month. Depending on the number of guests (which fluctuates by time of year, the economy, etc.) he can earn anywhere from $1000-2000/month, tips included. Why does this happen? Because Carnival can get away with it. Despite the fact that they cater to U.S. passengers, since they sail in international waters and register their ships in foreign countries (mostly in Panama), they get away with being able to stray from U.S. labor laws. We also learned that crew members live in a small shared room with 1 other person and share a bathroom with 5 other people. They are not allowed to eat the same food served to guests. Outside of work hours, they are forbidden to hang out in the public areas of the ship- they can only pass through. After renewal of a contract, individual crew members are responsible for paying their own plane ticket to the home port. With plane tickets costing what they do, these individuals are in debt before they can even start working. If this is not indentured servitude, then I don't know what is. As for crew members with family, it is difficult to keep in contact. Out in the middle of ocean, guests rarely have cell phone service. I assume workers would have to either have an international satellite phone of some kind, or use the ship's phone, which is not free to them. All I know that it costs guests $6.99/min to use the ship's phone, and crew members get a "discounted rate".

So Carnival avoids abiding by U.S. labor laws, but they DO choose to abide by U.S. Food Safety regulations (or claims to, at least). They import food from the U.S. and claim to abide by U.S. food handling and safety guidelines- for the guests' benefit, of course. (So I guess they can pick and choose what laws to abide by..?)
The reason they use their workers as slaves is for the guests' benefit as well. If they were to pay their workers according to U.S. labor laws, cruise prices would skyrocket. They'd be unaffordable to the mass public. So it's a quandary. But we can help break the chain and not lend support to these slave labor-using companies. Anyway, be informed and inform others. I hope you consider this when looking for a vacation- it certainly changed my perspective.

 

[jetblue]

You pretty much hit the nail on the head but just about everyone knows this already. It's nothing new. The only thing you fail to mention is that it's not just Carnival, it's every cruise line. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, Holland America, Norwegian, Disney... they all do it. But by all means in no way do they force the crew members to take these positions. It's a personal choice by the individual. In many cases they are making much more money than they would at home and send this money to their families back home. It's great that the cruise lines at least offer these opportunities for those who can handle it.

Also it's important to remember that every country is full of people who think differently from you and I. What might seem like slave labor to you and me might seem like a dream job to others. Most of these crew members come from poor countries where the mentality is normal to wait on people hand and foot to make them happy. American's are primarily concerned about themselves and can't handle serving others. Just ask NCLA. But if it really bothers you that much than just stick with land vacations. The choice is yours but I'd also like to add that I spoke with many crew members who were happy with their job and were grateful to the cruise line for hiring them and giving them and their family a chance.

 

[Cruizer]

I agree with JetBlue. While an American might be surprised at the working conditions, repeat cruisers are well aware of them. And it is, as JetBlue mentions, common to all cruise lines, not just Carnival.

However, the conditions you describe are not much different than US Navy personal experience.

 

[Mbandy]

I have a freind who worked on board a ship who is an American. She was a future cruise consultant. In her experience, most of the servers on board were delighted to have their jobs. The cruise ship jobs are considered rather presteigious positions in their home countries compared to some of the jobs held by their countrymen. Some of the cruise ship workers would be considered upper middle class in their home countries and make a good living in contrast so others from their countries. (Again, just what my friend told me from her personal experiance)

I agree. They do work long, hard hours for little money. That's why it aggrivates me when people complain about tipping because that's their bread and butter.

As far as the cruise lines flagging their ships in foreign countries to avoid US labor laws (and there are other reasons too). I am glad they do. The launch of NCL America's fleet in Hawaii was a disaster because people were ranting about bad service. Why? American workers instead of foreign workers. Embarassing but true.

 

[SandyBeach]

I so agree with what Mbandy already said. It is very disturbing when people don't tip the staff. Before they started putting the tips on the sail and sign card, it always amazed me the number of people who wouldn't show up the last night at dinner all because they didn't want to tip their waiter. My husband and I continue to tip our room steward and wait staff over and above what they charge to our account. We don't drink alcohol so the waiter/waitress only gets something like 38 cents for bringing our Cokes to us. They always seemed to drag their feet. Who could blame them when they could serve someone else their "real" drink and get more of a tip. We started giving them a buck when they bring us our cokes.
It's amazing how a single dollar bill makes them so much more cheerful!

 

[icemaiden]

Nothing new in the post that I didn't know. I've been on several cruises and have talked to my cabin steward both times, my waitress and a girl who worked in the casino that used to come by everytime I was there just to wish me luck and show support. She even bought me a drink one night in the casino even though I insisted I could pay for it. All seemed to be very intelligent, very happy and friendly people. They loved their jobs and appreciated the fact that living on a ship is in most cases, better than the life they came from.

The workers I talked to had split shifts and although worked 7 days a week, did manage to get off to do some stuff on the islands such as buying necessities they needed. The waiter had went on a scuba diving expedition one day and he was thrilled to tell us all about it.

Yes, conditions are not the best but they also have private parties and social events for staff in a seperate area from the guests. Their food may not be what is served to guests, but they do get fed everyday, obviously not steak and lobster though!! There are people in America that can't necessarily say they can afford 3 meals a day.

Just as in the US there are people that can't afford housing, food, healthcare......how different are conditions on the ship from those in real life, other than it seems easier to turn a blind eye on what is happening at home.

I do always tip my waitress/waiter, cabin steward etc extra. The one person I always hold a grudge against tipping is the Maitre D, even though I do always break down and tip them. My waitress/waiter does all the work and I never order wine nor have I requested a table change. I'd prefer to give my funds to those that actually do something for me. I guess in the grand scheme of things, the dining room wouldn't function nearly as well without one.

 

[WeR911toU]

Unfortunately, MBrandy is correct...the NCL ships that hired Americans hired a young people and they did complain and whine even though they were making minimum wage. The other problem they had is that the workers would just walk off the ship...they were Americans and could quit any time they wanted to...and not a bad place to walk off...Hawaii.

 

[WeR911toU]

I'm not sure about Carnival, but I know for a fact that Princess will fly the employee home at the end of their cruise. The cruise director explained that it is part of their contract that they must be given passage to their home country. The only exception is if an employee is fired for something...very rare.

 

[larsfun]

Mbandy and the rest have said it all and said it well so I won't repeat. Let me just say that when we make these judgements we do it based on our personal value systems (wrong perspective). The cruise lines offer opportunity and training. Most cruise employees have been with the cruise lines for several years quite happily. I met a waiter that was with one line for 17 years, put 1 child through college and was in the midst of financing another through medical school. They are hired knowing that most of their wages are generated through gratuity. On every cruise I have been on, the thing that really really made that cruise gratifying was the service personel always making me feel that I was the most important passenger they ever had. My wife and I always give the requested minimum and then hand out extra at the end of the cruise

Let me say I admire you for your concern. Only a compassionate individual would take the time to voice that type of concern. So I say this not in criticism but respect for your compassionate concern.