We sailed timely from Tampa following the Carnival Legend back to open waters. The stretch between Tampa and Key West is very tight to make on time, so every minute counted and I kept the Veendam going as fast as the pilot was letting me. By 20.30 we were outside, heading on a southerly course towards the Dry Tortugas. The current that helped to make good speed towards Tampa last cruise, was now hindering us and as a result we arrived 30 minutes behind schedule at the Key West pilot station. Not a big problem, as I just moved departure time up 30 minutes as well, so the total time in port remained the same.
We docked today at the Navy pier. Key West used to have a big Navy presence with it’s own harbor for docking ships. The outer dock is now used mainly for cruise ships although navy ships still comes in for bunkering, repairs and R&R. There are two other docks, one opposite Mallory square and pier B opposite the hotel. These two piers were occupied by Carnival ships. The Carnival Celebration and the Carnival Legend. The latter one is one of those mega carriers and barely fits alongside. It was a dry and very warm day and most of the guests were back early on the ship and were not taking advantage of the extra time in port. Next cruise we are the only ship in port and then we dock at Mallory square which is downtown. For the Navy dock we use little trains to bring the guests to the gate as it is a long long walk otherwise.
Some of you have been asking questions in response to my daily blog, so let me answer a few.
1. Why does Holland America not have Webcams. The answer is I do not know. We have a camera on the bridge, so guests can enjoy the same view from their cabin as I have on the bridge. However the company never made the decision to hook that signal up to the internet.
2. The mascot on the bridge. This is a bit of an un-official tradition with HAL which is now slowly fading as there are no bridge tours anymore. In the past when we had bridge tours at sea and the ship was new, there would always be a nautical inclined guest who would notice the lack of a mascot. One would then duly be delivered. On the Veendam we have a moose on our bridge, which was given to the ship during the first Alaska season. It sits in a rocking chair in the bridge window with a Captains hat on. Later another guest decided that the moose should not be alone so a little otter was added which sits in the lap of the moose. Now last week I added the Schooner Beer bottle in case he would get thirsty.
3. Do I see the guest comment forms at the end of the cruise? Yes I do, I get the ratings and the individual comments are scanned into the ships network where everybody can read them. And we do, all of us. I look for patterns, comparing cruise with cruise. Details about a shower drain or salt in the soup are for the heads of department, but if week after week a specific item does not score the company standard or the trend dips, then I look into it.
We have an issue with the COB’s and that is that they are very much geared to the North American voting system. If an American thinks something is good, he/she will vote a 9. A European or an Asian will vote an 8. A German or an Japanese,will vote a One due to their countries different rating system. With Holland America getting more and more non North American guests, the COB’s (Comment on Board forms) do not exactly reflect the true impression of the cruise anymore. So currently we are in a transition mode. We are going from the current marking system of 0 – 9, to a description marking of Excellent, Good, Not Satisfactory, in several steps.
The Rating Totals go every week to the office plus a summary of the remarks. Individual praises or complaints are shared with the person him/herself, if mentioned, or with the direct supervisor. We take the COB’s very seriously and where we can, we act upon items at once.
Tomorrow we are at sea, sailing west of Cuba into the Caribbean.
October 24, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Captain, thank you for responding to the questions posed by some of your readers. The information you share is so interesting and provides a valuable perspective that we passengers might not otherwise have.
Another area of interest that I have is how HAL provides relief to its captains and senior officers when they are scheduled for vacation or must take emergency leave. Is there a specific captain assigned to cover for vacationing staff or do you all have to take a turn at that? I understand that sometimes captains spend time at the home office for certain duties and they may not always be at sea. What kinds of responsibilities would a captain in this situation have?