AT SEA (4/28/10)

Sorry for the delay in getting this out… As we are not in the home stretch making our big push to the finish!

This was day two of a three days at sea before we reach Banjul, The Gambia which I read is less better off that the other places we’ve visited… We’ll soon see

Today was the day that I chose to do a fundraiser for our Crew Welfare Fund which I believe most cruise lines have, at least of some sort. We have a Crew Welfare Committee which has a representative from each department and is administrated by our Human Resources Manager.  This fund helps us enhance the life on board for all crew which, of course is most important – Happy crew, happy ship, happy guests!

This is Debbie, the current HR Manager on board and one fine trainer!. (Used with permission)

Deborah, our HR Manager does a terrific job on board! Among the myriad of other tasks and issues she deals with daily, she spends a large amount of her time training our crew on various aspects of service, in particular, our program C.A.R.E..  I have seen a lot of trainers over the years, but I believe have found her training to be exceptional. One way I believe our company (Prestige Cruise Holdings) sets itself apart from others is that it has invested a lot of time, money and effort in our training programs and Debbie is one on board that has the task to bring all that information to life and makes it pertinent and applicable. I applaud her and others like her.

I started doing “White Elephant Sales” on the Seven Seas Voyager’s first world cruise in 2004 but this year I came up with a bit of a different twist.

We set up 90 chairs on deck 4 in our beautiful Atrium. Guests also stood at the railing from deck 5 and even on 6 and sat on the stairs. It was a great atmosphere! Above the stairs was the ship's flag that flew above our ship for the world cruise. The tattered jack flag sold for just under $700 and is going to be flown on the purchasers 60 foot yacht.

 First, we advertise and collect unwanted goods from our guests who donate stuff they’ve collected along the way that they no longer want…Wood carvings, native jewelry, fabrics, T shirts, you know, the usual tourist stuff.  But then we came up with an entire list of out of the ordinary things guests can do to add to their overall experience. A few examples of the list of 32…

Here a chefs jacket is being modeled by Pia, our chef d' cuisine (2nd in command) who has been with Regent a long time and is a GREAT and talented lady, and next to her is Fabian, our Excecutuve chef (#1) who, our guests would agree did and absolutely amazing job this world cruise! Behind me in Konchok, who is F & B Manager, a good friend who will move into the corporate office after the cruise and J.R., a terrific vocalist and team player in our department.

 “Flirty Dancing” – One 45 minute private ballroom dance lesson with our International Ballroom Champions Igor & Natalia followed by dinner.

“Bird’s Eye View” – Watch the Regent Singers & Dancers perform from the Stage Manager’s Booth.

 “Cast Aways” – Five cast members will join you for dinner.

 “An Interactive Debut” – Be the day’s host for Regent Interactive TV and interview who you want for the Voyager Today.

 “A Very Rare Opportunity” – Learn how to make Steak Tartar with personal instruction by our Executive Chef.

“One Cruised Over the Coo-Coos Nest” – The Galley Team will sign their version of a strait jacket.

“Quiet in the Storm” – Enjoy a special dinner for 2 in the Main Galley during full dinner operation, hosted by our Executive Chef.

“Raising the Bar” – Be guest bar tender in the Voyager Lounge and do the 10:30pm – Midnight shift.

“Quality Time” – Enjoy a private wine tasting for six, hosted by Head Sommelier Ricardo.

“Country Flair” – You and your friends will host your own game and booth at the Country Fair to be held on Tuesday, April 27^th.

 “Goodfellas Pasta Co.” – Two of you may join the Captain and his wife and General Manager and his wife for and Italian dinner served in the Captain’s suite.

“T Time 2010” – The entire Crew have signed a T shirt for you to have as a special souvenir.

 “Flown High and Proud” – Own the Regent flag which was flown high atop Seven Seas Voyager for the world cruise.

The event in the Atrium, the heart of our ship on deck 4/5 and played to a full house. It was fully supported by our General Manager and Captain which helped everybody get behind this. Thanks to the great generosity and kindness of our guests we were able to raise $32,000! The respect and admiration our guests have for our crew just blows me away!  Which brings me back to a recurring thought…“We are all together in a very special place!”