Overworked, Overtired and Underpaid !

No, I am not talking about the staff at Cruise.Co 😉  well not yet anyway  😉 but I am talking about the staff on board  one cruise ship in particular. On her Maiden Voyage in 2013, she set the travel industry alight in anticipation with the headline ”A unique ship delivering her own individual interpretation on the fine art of Mediterranean cruising” and she was a ‘unique addition’ to the Fantasia fleet, yes I am talking about MSC’s New Ship Preziosa.

MSC Preziosa is a member of the MSC fleet  that I have been excited about and a ship I had always wanted to sail on , she oozes appeal in the most glamorous form and with all the additions you would expect of Fantasia class like the Award Winning Aurea Spa , the luxury of MSC Yacht Club and sophisticated and exclusive restaurants MSC Preziosa has it all but what it doesn’t have unfortunately is happy staff.

I was really disappointed when one of my customers called me on her return from sailing on the Preziosa,  to tell me that she wouldn’t be sailing with MSC again. When surprisingly I asked why, she said the staff on board had no enthusiasm whatsoever. There was no welcome on board , there were no smiles as customers were led to their cabins in fact on the whole cruise there was nothing but staff doing alot of huffing and puffing .

The staff on board were happy to admit that they were working a minimum of 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and were so tired because the Preziosa is so understaffed at the moment so I guess the shortage increases the workload of the current employees. As we know this has a knock on affect which of course it did as some but not all of the staff started to be grumpy  not only with adults but with the children in the restaurant to a point where parents nearly had to intervene.

I read many articles regarding staff on board cruise lines and how they work hard and how they are paid, there is quite alot of controversy regarding how much the salaries are paid to staff , but then you could also agree that what some staff are paid on board is way more than what they could ever earn at home, salaries are another issue completely but I can also appreciate why most of the crew rely on tips so much to make their wage to a reasonable amount.

But to have one of the most stunning ships in the Mediterranean have staff on board that are too tired to smile due to lack of support isn’t great for  the staff member or for the customer, a knock on effect will always follow suit.

If you have had a similar experience with MSC or any other cruiseline with staff on board in this way please do let me know. I would be interested to hear and its such a shame that such a magnificent ship has been let down by the way the management have let down its employees.

Hollyx