Cruise Law News : Maritime Lawyer & Attorney : James M. Walker : Walker & O'Neill Law Firm : Admiralty Law, Cruise Ship Accidents & Injuries

CCN Travel has an interesting article this morning "Cruise Line Chief:  We're in a Better Place."  The cruise line's President Adam Goldstein talks about the "enormous excitement" generated by its two new mega cruise ships, the Oasis of the Seas which debuted last December and the Allure of the Seas which is now sailing from Europe to Fort Lauderdale and will arrive in South Florida later this week.

Royal Caribbean's Goldstein claims that the cruising experience on Oasis of the Seas has been so "universally positive" that he no longer hears criticism that the ship is "ugly," "obnoxious" and a "monstrosity."   But it is always interesting to contrast happy talk like this to the comments from readers who complained about the mega ship as a "giant floating shopping mall with a captive audience," as well as "long lines, rude employees, and indifferent customer service." 

Although Royal Caribbean experienced a strong third quarter, its financial improvement came at a price to its own employees and crew members.  Over the past two years, the cruise line slashed employees from the company's payroll and terminated medical benefits for hundreds of injured and ill crew members. Royal Caribbean has also reduced the daily stipend for most ill and injured crew members from $25 a day to $12 - an amount that no one in the world can live on.  

In the process, the company's stock rose from a low of just under $6 a share to around $40. 

Not coincidentally, last week President Goldstein unloaded 30,899 shares of RCL stock for $1,200,000.  Not to be outdone, the cruise line's CEO, Richard Fain, pocketed $6,000,000 by selling 150,000 shares. 

Yes, Royal Caribbean's President Goldstein and CEO Fain are in a "better place." 

But their crew members certainly are not.  

Photo credit:   nationofwhynot? blog

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Florida Today has a nice article about a topic that most passengers don't know much about - cafes and "calling stations" which cater to crew members and are operated by former crew members.

"Cruise Crews Find Love, and Everything Else, at 'Matt-Mart" by reporter Keilani Best focuses on former crew member Zvonimir Matkovic who used to work as a busboy and waiter for Premier Cruise Line.  In 1999 he incorporated Europe Crew Corner, L.C. at the Merritt Square Mall in Port Canaveral, Florida to serve crew members who sail into Port Canaveral.  His store provides telephone and internet services and sells European food, beverages, magazines and more.

Stores like this are often called "crew stations" or "calling card" stations.  They developed because of the inadequate facilities at the port for crew members.  When crew members disembark the crew ships, there are only a few pay phones and long lines and no place to relax.  The planners of the hundred-million-dollar port facilities have traditionally given no thought to designing the ports to provide services for hard working crew members. 

Enterprising former crew members like Mr. Matkovic provide a real service for crew members by opening stores nears the ports where they sell phone cards & internet services and provide a comfortable place for the ship employees to sit and relax.  The crew members can enjoy an espresso while using the internet or telephone to re-connect with family and friends before they have to return to the cruise ship.    

One of my friends and former clients, June Tunay, opened a crew store called the "I-95" crew station in Key West after working 14 years for Royal Caribbean.  

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Today I received a telephone call and two emails from crew members from Trinidad, India and Nicaragua. 

Their stories all sounded the same. 

They worked on cruise ships as a waiter or assistant waiter until they suffered back, shoulder or wrist injuries.  After being sent home, they had to call and email the cruise line repeatedly before a medical appointment was finally scheduled.  They received only $12 a day for living expenses.  And their "case managers" - the employees at the cruise line responsible for arranging their medical treatment - would never return their e-mails.

Halfway through their stories, I would interrupt them with the question: "So you worked for Royal Caribbean?"

Right now this particular cruise line has embarked on a purge of removing ill crew members from its "sick lists" and slashing the medical treatment and daily stipend provided to the ship employees. 

We have addressed this problem in prior blog articles -  Cruise Ship Medical Care - Royal Caribbean Gives Their Crew Members the Royal Shaft and "Titanic Dreams" - Royal Caribbean Wins "Worst Cruise Line in the World" Award.

Royal Caribbean requires its waiters and assistant waiters to carry trays weighing up to 50 lbs.  The waiters work over 12 hours a days, 7 days a weeks, carrying the trays over their shoulders.  The result is a rash of neck, shoulder, wrist and back injuries due to the repetitive heavy load and strain.

Once their bodies are broken, the crew members are of little use to the cruise line.  Royal Caribbean sends them back to their home countries, where they are neglected and then abandoned. 

The extreme cost cutting measures are the result of this particular cruise line being caught between the dream of having the most ostentatious cruise ships in the world (the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas), and the reality of being unable to even sell out the Oasis of the Seas for its inaugural cruise. 

For every ten inquiries we receive from injured crew members - like Trinidadian crew members Mr. Ambris (above) and Ms. Villafana (to the right) - nine are former Royal Caribbean crew members.  

Once all of the hoopla over the arrival of the Oasis of the Seas dies down, will Royal Caribbean shift its focus back to the welfare of its hard-working crew members?  Or will receiving emails and calls from Royal Caribbean crew members continue to be a daily occurrence?     

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