What a Difference an Officer Makes . . .

February 24, 2012 – What a Difference an Officer Makes . . .

It is first, last, and always about the guests. And one of the distinguishing factors of Celebrity, as said before, is the accessibility of our officers. When guests assess their overall cruise experience with our company, they even have a specific line item to rate our officers. I’ve been on three other different cruise lines and I rarely, if ever, saw an officer. Our officers are out in such force at certain times of the day that we are in danger of overwhelming the ship.

Given that tendency, I like to make the time to be available when others are not. This provides an additional potential encounter for guests and the different time of day results in guests with different shipboard habits to experience this, as well. The standard times are well set out. Besides the specific Officer/Guest activities: ping pong, pool volleyball, Slots Tournament, Texas Hold ‘em Tournament, and Dancing With the Stripes, we are each encouraged to do Walkarounds, generally in the 8pm time frame. At this time we catch the first seating diners after they eat and before they go to the theater and the late seating diners just before they go in to eat. I certainly make a point to be present at those expected times, but I add a few extra moments, as well.

Sea days at Café Al Bacio in the mid-to-late morning is definitely a time for impromptu guest engagement. If the Al Bacio’s is not completely full, it is a good place to sit for a few minutes and grab a good cup of coffee or tea. As one of the busiest places on the ship, midship Deck 5, overlooking the Grand Foyer, a few quick greetings and brief words as you pass a table go a long way. If the Café is near capacity I forego the coffee, share a greeting with the service staff, and take a little more time to stop at a table or two. The trick is knowing which table really wants to talk.

You don’t want the awkward moment of trying to strike up a conversation with the wrong table. So, if a group studiously avoids eye contact or are leaning toward each other in conversation, no attempts will ever be made. However, any table that makes eye contact as you pass has potential. Once eye contact is made a quick Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening is always appropriate, but the key to whether you have a conversation or not is this simple. Do they ask the question, ‘How are you today?’ If so, they want to talk. Once you ask them where they are visiting from and whether they have cruised with us before, you always have enough information to keep a conversation alive. If one or more in the group begins to lose interest, you simply wrap up the conversation as quickly as possible, which allows you to score points with all members of the group.

Sometimes, though, trying to extract yourself from the conversation is the problem. Once some people have you they don’t want to let you go. These are generally very happy people who have not a care in the world while on vacation. You are there for them, no matter that you are at work with plenty of demands awaiting you at your office. So you stay, and stay, and stay and look for that window of opportunity to ‘ease on down the road.’ More times than I care to think about my phone has been vibrating in my pocket and I have to completely ignore it, focusing on the guest, who is our first concern at all times.

Officers rarely walk around in the afternoon during International Siesta Time. So, I tend to start my break 30 to 60 minutes later. I then go up to the Oceanview Café to get my afternoon coffee or tea, which puts me on a ten to fifteen minute stroll through a guest area with no other officer in sight. Sometimes, one suffers the fate of any scarce resource at that time, and your time stretches beyond your intended limit, but if the guests are happy the ship is happy.

Many times the presence of an officer can also quell any bad feelings. More than once a guest has sought me out because of my stripes after not receiving the resolution that they desired to an expressed concern. They stop me to voice their complaint and are amazed when I pull out my phone and immediately follow up for them. Even though nine times out of ten I will give them the exact same answer already received from our well-trained crew, they seem much happier now that an officer has been involved.

And all of that explains how a ten hour day easily becomes a twelve hour day . . . or more . . . every day . . . for four months . . .

And the adventure continues . . .