Lisa Bauer - Senior VP, Hotel Operations
Greetings from 35,000 feet. We are just on our way back from an amazing visit to Brilliance of the Seas in Dubai. The three of us John Mc Girl, VP Human Resources and Captain Bill Wright, Sr. VP Marine Operations (also known as Captain Storm by me from his time on Oasis) continue our travels to all 21 of our ships.
This weeks Anchored in Excellence Program (AIE) was to Dubai to visit the leadership team and crew onboard Brilliance of the Seas. Brilliance began her 7 night itineraries three weeks ago, and we wanted to see how this new itinerary for our brand was being operated and received by our guests.
We held an all crew meeting, and then any crew member that wanted to meet with us 1:1 came by to visit to share their feedback, suggestions or concerns. The biggest number of crew feedback is really around our career “pipeline.” We had a number of defined positions with specific career tracks. Our crew is always anxious to get promoted, so they do the interviews and qualifications for the new position they want, and then they go into the pipeline for when a position becomes available. They usually come to see us too because they want us to know that they are anxious to grow with the company and want to know “how much longer?”
We also met with the hotel and marine departments and got business updates on all the areas of guest satisfaction, and key operational challenges. One of the items that surfaced was the need for some countries to have multiple visas, as the ship re-enters the UAE three times during the week, so the degree of complexity for guest services to ensure everyone has the correct documentation was quite an experience. We also did an overnight in Dubai, so our staff is working 24×7 with guests checking in at all hours of the night and early morning. As a result, we had to add additional staffing. Lots of lessons learned early in the season!
Personally, I had never been to Dubai or any of the United Arab Emirates before, and can’t wait to go back. What an amazing cultural experience. This is true both in the ports and onboard. We had guests from 35 different countries onboard for this sailing, with the majority from the UK, Germany and US. Everyone I talked to onboard was just in awe of the overall experience – both onboard and the experiences in the ports.
Key things that really impressed us was how clean and pristine everything was and how everything is new in Dubai. The warmth and hospitality we experienced was consistent everywhere we went. This was especially true in Muscat, Oman. The people are so friendly and welcoming and we always felt very safe and welcomed everywhere we went.
I came away from this trip truly feeling the globalization of our brand and how exciting it is to be able to offer these familiar Royal Caribbean experiences in very far away places.
Hello,
You mentioned that Captain Bill was with you. I thought he was the captain on Oasis right now. Is he not the captain right now and if so will he be returning? We are sailing on Oasis on May 22nd and look forward to meeting him.
Thanks!
Hi Bryan. Captain Bill Wright has returned to his regular job of Senior VP, Marine Operations, and will not return as Captain of Oasis of the Seas.
hello rohit baliga in the windjammer, still there?
I would like to know if I can utilize the use of my newly acquired laptop while on a cruise,& if so,does it require a cost?
( I have reached “Platinum” level with the Crown & Anchor Society.)
Hi Ron. Guests are welcome to bring their own laptop onboard for their personal use. You can find more information here: http://bit.ly/bYBKYW
Thanks for this blog and for this post. Have you considered adding photos to more of the posts? I enjoyed the photos on the Oasis website and of the Haiti relief and would like to see more photos of other RC ships, employees, events, etc.
Will it be captain Bill Wright who’s bringing the new ship, Allure of the Seas, to her home port in the fall?
Thank you for asking, Mai. Captain Bill will not be the Captain for Allure of the Seas. Captain Hernan Zini will be taking Allure of the Seas out from Turku to her home port in Ft. Lauderdale.
we also had a great visit in Muscat, Oman from the Brilliance of the Seas – our clients really enjoyed your ship especially The Captain
Hi i have a question for the H.R deparment i was looking at the job onboard web site because i wanted to apply as a J.R Waiter but I never found such position . However I apply as a cafe attandant for celebrity cruises a few weeks ago and my question is what do I need to do in order to work for this great company? i always wanted to work for royal ever since I started working for chilis at bay side Miami and most of my guests were crew from royal and they always talk about how well the company treated them and after hearing all those positive coments i became intrested on working for royal and I apply for a server position and I got a letter from h.r saying that I did not have sufficient experience for the position. that day I was quite sad but I said to my self one day I hope to work onboard of thier ships . But I ended up working for ncla in hawaii but that did not go so well for me however I got to know how was life like working onboard and I really enjoy it the small cabins and showers di”int boder me at all . so now that i have some sea experince I would like to join your crew and I m willing to work hard for the company if you guys give me that chance I would deeply apreciated I have all the certifications and documents inorder to work on most vessels. Once again I thank you for your time and concideration best regards nedelko corria
Thank you for your interest in working with Royal Caribbean International. To find career opportunities available with Royal Caribbean, please visit, https://jobs.rccl.com/jobs/rccl_jobs.nsf/shipboard.
Dubai just sparked my interest, how long is the Briliance there?
Hi AIDA. Brilliance was in Dubai January through March of this year and will be back again in January 2011.