radhicasookraj@guardian.co.tt
As thousands of people await the chance of working aboard Royal Caribbean cruise liners, former Royal Caribbean Guest Services manager Marc Hadeed says T&T needs to market itself better to attract opportunities from the cruise line industry.
In an interview with Guardian Media yesterday, Hadeed said he spent nine years in the industry but returned to Trinidad in 2012 to start an interior design career.
Since then, he said, he has been trying to meet with the various Ministers to discuss how T&T could benefit from the cruise ship industry.
“We need to market Trinidad as a hub so that we can get the luxury cruise lines to come here. If here was a port, people could come in two or three days before they dock. We need to promote Trinidad more. I still meet people who do not know where Trinidad is and that is really sad,” Hadeed said.
Working on the cruise ships, he said, presents vast opportunities.
“Many people like Jennifer Hudson have been discovered on these cruise lines. You never know who might meet,” he added.
Hadeed said he started off with Royal Caribbean as a Guest Services Manager, then moved to Disney where he received the Disney President Medal for outstanding guest management before moving to Seabourn luxury cruise liners.
Crew members face long working hours, small living quarters and demanding guests, but have the opportunity to climb up the ranks as long as they were hardworking, pleasant and determined to succeed, he explained.
“We Trinidadians have that warmth that is needed to be successful,” he added.
However, he said some Trinidadians must lose their attitude.
“The biggest advice I can give is is lose all attitude if you work in the industry. You go in there to work with people you don’t know. You get orders from people you don’t know. You can’t say you don’t like long hours. You cant say that’s not my job. We have a lot of attitude in Trinidad and you have to lose the attitude,” he added.
Hadeed said because of the different nationalities and races, anyone who works in the cruise industry must be all-embracing.
“No racism either—you have to think that you have an opportunity and you’re going to make the best of it. You must love dealing with people. Always be pleasant and do the best you can,” he pointed out.
Megan Gill
Meanwhile, technical producer and creative industry professional Megan Gill, who has also worked in the cruise ship industry also agreed that the opportunities in the industry were vast.
“You should apply to as many cruise lines as you possibly can. Sometimes you may not get a job in your field but there are always opportunities,” she said.
Saying cruise life is a different type of existence than on land, Gill explained: “You never really understand it unless you go there to work. The crews have their own culture in the way to operate as a unit. You have to adapt.”
Gill admitted that the biggest challenge was not having the food that she was accustomed to eating.
“They do try to incorporate a host of different cuisines. You don’t have pelau or doubles. The food is different,” she added.
Gill had advice for the people who did not get through with the recent Royal Caribbean interviews.
“Opportunities are vast. Be prepared for the ride of your life. It’s one of the most unique experiences you will ever have. To those who weren’t able to apply, you really can go online, multiple different cruise liners are always looking for crews. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney, Carnival, don’t get discouraged. Look them up and apply, all the information is online,” she added.
Royal Caribbean is planning to hire 2,000 workers and from November will include T&T as a destination in the upcoming cruise season.
