Cruise Ship Blues: The Underside of the Cruise Ship Industry (29 page)

The prohibition against passengers bringing onboard their own beverages is a good example. The whole thing is foolish: my sister-in-law inquired about bringing bottled water onboard a Carnival Cruise Line ship and was told she could not; she’d have to purchase it onboard. I understand the reason for the prohibition — money — but I don’t understand the logic. I have never had a hotel inspect my hand luggage to ensure I wasn’t bringing beverages into my room, nor check my shopping bags every time I returned to the hotel from outside. Yet that is exactly what the hotel department on a cruise ship does.

Security and Safety

Several issues relate to security and safety. The safety of the ship is largely under the control of the cruise line. It chooses whether to allocate the staff required by its own operational manuals, and it defines the hours of work and of rest had by those on the bridge and in other work settings. That fatigue is a major factor in shipboard accidents and injuries reflects a problem with the system. The problem is easily fixed, but it has financial implications. It is also contrary to the wave in the industry toward having ships with more passengers and fewer staff.

Physical safety and security of passengers may be a more thorny problem, but still not insurmountable. Cases of sexual assault suggest that it needs to be made clear to workers that rapes and other assaults will not be tolerated. As well, given the closed setting of a cruise ship, it may be worth the investment to have a counselor onboard a ship, available to both passengers and crew.

The counselor would be someone competent in dealing with cases of sexual assault, who could serve as an ombudsperson in matters arising between passengers and staff or between shipboard employees. If a counselor is to be effective and seen as someone to turn to, it is essential that he or she be independent of the ship’s hierarchical structure — a status similar to the ship’s physician, who on medical matters essentially answers to no one onboard, not even the captain. Counselors would need to be independent, and independently available. The simple fact is that abuses are known to occur on ships, but the information is kept within the shipboard community. The only way that information gets out is by having an outsider brought in.

safety from illness can also be improved. Cruise line galleys should be more vigilant in following guidelines for food preparation and storage, and ships generally must take greater responsibility for sanitation and cleanliness. The fact that a cruise line can be consistently cited by the Vessel Sanitation Program of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for the same deficiencies on several of its ships suggests a weakness in the cruise company itself rather than a random case of oversight. A ship doing its job shouldn’t be failing its sanitation inspection, and those that are cited for major deficiencies should not be passed with a perfect score.

ships can similarly take more responsibility for cleanliness, including air vents. Although it shouldn’t have been necessary, I had to request that fuzz, dust, and whatever was growing within be removed from the recessed light fixtures in my cabin on the
Radisson Diamond.
This was minimally taken care of, but the accumulation of “stuff” in the bathroom light fixture was left untouched. I have been in very few cabins on cruise ships that were comparable in cleanliness to an onshore hotel. Aside from the question of whether or not dust and other debris is a health risk, there is the issue that going on a cruise means often living in a room with dirt and debris that other people leave behind.

Although it seems incomprehensible, I once had a bathroom with dried blood speckled down the tile wall.

Medical care is another area in which certain cruise lines could greatly improve. All cruise lines should be clear about the nature and limitation of medical services available onboard. They should also be forthright about their policies regarding medical personnel. Passengers go on a cruise, never thinking twice about whether a doctor will be available and whether the doctor is qualified. Cruise lines should clearly state in their brochures the nature of their medical team, including the minimum qualifications of those hired. While that may not eliminate lapses in medical service, it would give passengers information that allows for an informed decision in choosing a cruise line. In addition, if minimum qualifications were not present, then the passenger would have greater recourse than is presently the case.

Environmental Protection

Despite all the hype about being environmentally responsible and environmentally friendly, the environment remains one area in which the cruise industry has considerable room for improvement. The industry has not demonstrated that it takes the environment seriously, nor has it acted voluntarily. The first statement by the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL) on environmental issues coincided with the plea agreement between the uS Justice Department and Royal Caribbean International in 1999. The second statement, issued two years later, included environmental standards for cruise ships and coincided with the final stage of the Alaska Senate’s consideration of legislation that would monitor the industry and enforce environmental standards. Rather than welcoming this sort of development, the cruise industry has resisted attempts to produce greater environmental responsibility.

If the industry wanted to make a positive impression, it could unilaterally announce measurable environmental standards, more stringent than the minimum allowed under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MAR-POL), which would be certified, monitored, and enforced.

If the hype were more than just hype, this would be an infinitely sensible way to proceed. Instead, the cruise industry’s approach appears to be one of deploying clean ships where environmental standards are enforced and sending other ships to areas without enforcement. To live up to its pronouncements about environmental responsibility, I believe the industry needs to do more than the minimum provided by international regulations. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if cruise lines were, as they sometimes label themselves, actually leaders in the environmental movement? They have the technology and the ability, but do they have the will?

Worker Issues

In its independent study on the shipping industry published in 2000, the International Commission on Shipping (ICONS) exhaustively considered the issue of workers. The report
Ships, Slaves, and Competition
summarizes the problem as “including long hours of work, disadvantageous contractual and pay arrangements, significant national discrimination in the lengths of crew contracts, prevention of access by seafarer missions and unions and lack of safety training for hotel staff. The worst examples of questionable company employment practices for cruise ships relate to the North American market. Most of these vessels, while not US flagged, carry US passengers, operate out of US ports and visit ports in the Caribbean. A considerable number also visit ports on Canada’s East and West coasts.”
¹

The commission recommended that the US government:

(i)    acknowledge the extensive exploitation of seafarers serving on US port-based cruise ships and ensure that minimum standards of decent work as contained in the ILO [International Labour Organization] Convention No. 147 are applied; and

(ii)    ensure that representatives from seafarers’ missions, welfare organizations and unions have free on board access to crew members.
²

These recommendations provide clear direction.

part of the problem is that crew members, like passengers, are not given full knowledge about what to expect when they step onboard a cruise ship. Take, for example, “Magdalena Norkowska of Warsaw, Poland, [who] was attracted by claims she could make $2,000 a month in salary and tips as a bartender and waitress aboard the
Horizon,
a Celebrity Cruise Line ship. The hours turned out to be longer than promised, and the pay less by half.”
³
Her experience is not uncommon.

A further problem is sexual assaults of both male and female employees. The presence of a counselor or ombudsperson might assist in bringing this information forward and having the situation dealt with. I know that what goes on aboard a cruise ship is unsurprising to the people working on and managing the ship. But it might be quite a surprise to the cruise line’s onshore management. Without bold, independent action, the abuses will continue and workers will continue to be exploited and oppressed.

Dealing Honestly with Customers

The cruise industry has done much to create an image of being concerned about its customers. Holland America Line has a “Guest Relations Manager” on each of its ships; Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises both have a “Vice-President of Total Guest Satisfaction.” However, the behavior of these companies is often inconsistent with the labels given their staff. I have listened many times while an irate passenger met with the guest relations manager and have consistently been amazed at how little training these folks have in how to deal with people. As is often the case with the cruise lines’ response to letters of complaint, there is very little indication that a passenger’s concerns are heard. Very often the interaction ends with the passenger simply resigning themselves to the situation.

For all of their talk about concern for their customer, cruise lines could learn to simply listen to what customers are telling them. While most customers simply want to be sure that their concern or problem has been heard, the corporate attitude is one of “us versus them,” an attitude which precludes listening and often relies on explaining why things are the way that they are. Even when a concern is heard, the customer relations folks at cruise lines have an uncanny tendency to write letters that end with a statement of how great the cruise line is, expressing confidence that the passenger will experience this when he or she returns for another cruise. This statement is made no matter how horrible a past cruise has been.

This is sad because cruise lines spend so much money trying to attract the first-time cruiser. But they do very little to keep the customers that they have by addressing even minor lapses.

WHAT CAN
YOU
DO?

In an ideal world, it would be enough to identify what is needed from the industry, which would then respond accordingly. However, the above recommendations, no matter how reasonable, are unlikely to produce changes within the industry. Effecting change requires direct action by individuals and by groups.

Educate

The easiest and most effective means of influencing the industry is through education. The cruise industry is sensitive to public opinion and perceptions; they will be motivated to take corrective action when the underside of the industry is brought into daylight.

Part of this effort can be directed to the general public, including anyone who is thinking of going on a cruise. In my experience, the biggest surprises are that “all-inclusive” does not really mean all-inclusive, that there is incongruity between cruises as advertised and cruises as reality, and that cruise ships are not as safe as most people believe them to be. The public has little awareness about accidents at sea and is often dumbfounded to learn about sexual assaults onboard cruise ships.

Education can also be more focused. Many members of labor organizations are unaware of the plight of workers on cruise ships

— you can make them aware. Likewise, many environmentalists overlook the cruise industry as a source of pollution. They don’t see the smokestack out their window, but the harm to the environment is still there. They, too, will benefit from information sharing.

There are others who need information. Parents welcome information about the risk to their children onboard a cruise ship. Women welcome being made aware of the risk of harassment or assault. And everyone appreciates being forewarned about the risk of foodborne and other illnesses.

Cruise Ship Blues
contains much information; share what you have learned with others. One form of effective action is to see that those needing the information receive it. Talk to people, give or lend them a copy of the book, but make them aware. Some may use the knowledge for their personal vacation decisions; others may use it for personal or collective action. This is how a grassroots movement is born, which realistically can happen with modest efforts.

Advocate

Advocacy can take a number of forms. For example, given the history of the US Congress and the cruise industry, you might find out your congressperson’s and senator’s position on issues related to the cruise industry. You can advocate positions on current legislation, but also advocate more generally for changes in environmental laws, labor laws, and tax laws under which the industry operates. As for tax laws, it can be as simple as “I pay taxes, you pay taxes; why don’t they pay taxes?” Make yourself aware of the issues and let your voice be heard.

Labor issues are another area for advocacy. Labor unions are committed to worker issues and share a sense of solidarity with workers on cruise ships. You can advocate in a local union for boycotts of the cruise industry and work to make this an issue that goes beyond the local. Or you can advocate for a boycott, working independently of a labor organization. Anyone can put together a group, provide information, and advocate for social responsibility.

If you live in a coastal state or province, you can advocate within the state or provincial legislature. A number of states, including Florida, Hawaii, and California, are considering action to better monitor and regulate the cruise industry, particularly concerning the environment. Support these efforts and do what you can to advocate others to lend their support. For example, under 2000 state legislation, California implemented an inter-agency task force to make recommendations for reducing cruise ship pollution; a final report is due in 2003. Monitor the work of the task force and advocate for recommendations you agree with. Similar initiatives are being undertaken, or should be undertaken, in other coastal states. You can be a catalyst or a supporter.