Who's who in cruising
Carnival Cruise Lines
As the largest cruise line in the world, Carnival claims to carry more passengers than any other operator. Ships are designed to appeal to holiday-makers of all ages, and the company promotes its informal style of "floating resort" that is becoming increasingly popular with UK travellers. Subsidiary companies are Windstar, Holland America Line, Seabourn and Cunard - which is to launch the Queen Mary II, the world's largest cruise ship, later this year.
Fleet: 18 ships.
Where: Worldwide.
Training: Carnival has created a range of programmes for both shipboard and shoreside employees, including orientation training, safety, English as a foreign language and specialised departmental training. It has launched crew training centres on all 18 ships which allow individuals to learn by computer.
Contact: Carnival Cruise Lines, Carnival Place, 3655 NW 87 Avenue, Miami, Florida 33178, USA.
Tel: 00 1 800 438 6744
More information: www.carnival.com
Celebrity Cruises
This group is part of Royal Caribbean International. Founded in 1989, it has the youngest fleet of the major operators. Its marketing line is to offer "almost de luxe" cruises at more affordable prices.
Where: Alaska, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii and South America.
Fleet: Nine ships.
Training: Like Royal Caribbean, the group has "a mission to provide a culture of learning and development" on board each vessel. This involves induction courses and ongoing training for safety, service and company style. Employees' training records and career development are monitored by department heads on a regular basis.
Contact: Celebrity Cruises, Aviator Park, Building 2, Station Road, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 2PG, UK
Tel: 0845 456 1520
Email:infouk@rccl.com More information:www.celebritycruises.co.uk
Costa Cruises
This Italian company is also a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation. Cruises are marketed to Europeans, with one ship dedicated to the German market. It promotes its Italian style, offering guests Mediterranean cuisine.
Fleet: Eight ships.
Where: Worldwide.
Training: Courses to meet international regulations (IMO-STCW) and internal company requirements, on specific subjects such as safety, health, environment, survival and rescue, fire and first aid. Hospitality managers (officers) also follow an ongoing training programme to develop management skills for both on-board and shore-based roles. All on-board personnel are involved in a service workshop covering Costa values and style. Language courses are also offered to improve communication skills and efficiency of service.
Contact: Costa Cruises, 5 Gainsford Street, London SE1 2NE.
Tel: 020 7940 4490
E-mail:client.service@uk.costa.it
More information:www.costacruises.co.uk
Festival Cruises
This Greek-Italian company is the largest privately owned company in the cruise industry. It offers luxury cruises to wide variety of destinations.
Where: The Caribbean, the Mediterranean and northern seas.
Fleet: Seven vessels.
Training: Includes an intensive induction plus food and beverage training of one hour every day while on board. The group also trains in firefighting, basic safety and survival techniques. Written tests are performed regularly and any crew member promoted to F&B management has to perform written and practical exams within the first three months of promotion.
Contact: Festival Cruises, 99 Akti Miaouoli, 18538 Piraeus, Greece
Tel: 00 30 210 429 0012
E-mail: Claudio Gaverini at gaverini@festival.gr
More information:www.festivalcruises.com
Holland America Line
Established 130 years ago, Holland America is one of the oldest cruise companies. It sets out to combine the standards of a de luxe hotel with the comforts of home.
Fleet: 12 ships.
Where: Worldwide.
Training: The company claims that labour agreements between the ship-owning companies and unions in Holland, Indonesia and the Philippines restrict recruitment for most service positions to members of unions in these countries. Holland America Line has its own hotel, the SS Jakarta where Indonesian and Filipino staff are trained.
Contact: Holland America, Attn: Human Resources, 300 Elliot Avenue, W Seattle, WA 98119, USA.
Tel: 00 1 206 286 3496
More information:www.hollandamerica.com
Norwegian Cruise Line
This group, part of Star Cruises, operates what it describes as a "freestyle" cruising concept with less rigid patterns than many ships. With some ships operating up to 10 restaurants, passengers have a wide choice of places to eat. It also boasts an average of one crew member per cabin, with a policy for staff to be "unobtrusive but very much there".
Where: The Caribbean, Alaska and New York.
Fleet: 10 ships.
Training: The company provides a basic safety course and some culinary training.
Contact: Norwegian Cruise Line, 7665 Corporate Center Drive, Miami, Florida 33126, USA. Tel: 00 1 305 436 4000
E-mail human resources at:webmaster@ncl.com
More information:www.ncl.com
P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises has five ships under the P&O brand including Arcadia, which is to be relaunched as Ocean Village in May. This ship is to cater for families rather than P&O's traditionally more mature guests.
Where: Worldwide.
Fleet: Five ships.
Training: All new recruits go on a five-day induction course before joining a ship. Once on board, they also receive safety training. P&O works with Southampton City College to offer NVQs to hospitality staff. It is currently developing courses for supervisors and junior managers.
Contact: P&O Cruises, Richmond House, Terminus Terrace, Southampton SO14 3PN.
Tel: 023 8053 4200
E-mail:alison.blackburn@pocruises.com
More information:www.pocruises.co.uk
Princess Cruises
The North American premium brand owned by P&O offers luxury US-style. Princess rose to prominence in the late 1970s when its original ship became the star of TV series The Love Boat, introducing many viewers to the concept of a seagoing vacation.
Where: Worldwide. Alaska is a particularly important destination.
Fleet size: 10 ships. Two more ships will come into service this year and a further three in 2004.
Training: All staff received three safety inductions as part of their first week on board. Newcomers receive on-the-job training once on board within their departments.
Contact: Princess Cruises, Richmond House, Terminus Terrace, Southampton, SO14 3PN.
Tel: 023 8053 4200
E-mail:princessrecruitment@pocruises.com
More information:www.poprincesscruises.com
Royal Caribbean International
This company's four 142,000-tonne ships are the largest in the world, with an array of dining and sports facilities including a full-size ice-skating rink, basketball court and rock-climbing wall.
Fleet: 16 ships in service and three more under construction.
Where: Worldwide.
Training: As part of Celebrity, this group has "a mission to provide a culture of learning and development" on board each vessel. This involves induction courses and ongoing training for safety, service and company style. Employees' training records and career development are monitored by department heads on a regular basis.
Contact: Royal Caribbean International, 1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, Florida, 33132, USA.
Tel: 00 1 305 379 2601
More information:www.royalcaribbean.co.uk
Star Cruises
The fourth-largest cruise line in the world, which has its headquarters in Malaysia, owns Norwegian Cruise Lines and Orient Lines and is a major operator in South-east Asia.
Fleet size: Eight ships, two of which are marketed to the UK and Australia.
Where: Worldwide.
Training: Five-day training programmes include shipboard safety, grooming, social skills and some practical food and beverage service and housekeeping. On-board courses are run for line managers, which include appraisal techniques and a team-building module to address the multicultural environment.
Contact: Star Cruises Terminal, Pulau Indah, Pelabuhan Bapat, 42009 Pelabuhan Klang, Srlangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.
Tel: 00 60 3 3101 1313
More information:www.starcruises.com
