DRG Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 The stage staff are the only members of the production team that have been given these extra duties (not the techs). The reasoning being the comparatively few hours a stage staff will work. Mostly they'll only work a couple of hours a day on shows (unless they're on duty). We're all contracted for 70 hrs a week, so the company wants its pound of flesh. Often things like rock wall occur on sea days, so it's not like they have anything else to do! I'm pretty sure RCCL's not the only cruise line with these policies. The bottom-line and the lack of space for extra crew in terms of cabins make extra duties a necessity.It's not just stage staff that get these extra duties. Within the cruise division, the cruise staff/youth staff also have to do these things (and they normally work more hours in there regular jobs). Also bear in mind that it's company policy that youth staff have to have a degree (some have teachers credentials). Wheelchair assistance is also peformed by members of all departments (facilites, bar, casino etc). Cruise staff, sports staff and even the CPA (Cruise Director's admin) often do follow-spots for the production shows!
Bryson Posted February 24, 2009 Posted February 24, 2009 What Merlin24 is saying is that other companies manage just fine....so it is a bit odd. I can see that it helps their bottom line - but it doesn't mean you have to want to work for them. My crew used to do about 60 hours a week just on stage work, so where these additional hours come from I'm not sure. But I'm prepared to bet it starts with main and ends in ..ance.
DRG Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 I'm used to smaller ships, and most of the maintenance is performed by the techs. The stage staff might help set-up the scaff, and stand around whilst you're up there, but are generally not required to help beyond that.On larger ships they might help more, but usually there are more of them to "go around."I'm not saying I agree with it, nor that you need to work there. If you do, that's the way it is.
TaliaS Posted May 31, 2009 Posted May 31, 2009 Hi Mac.Calder, I've just been offered a position for Stage Crew on Independence of the Seas leaving on 4th July. You mentioned in a previous post you had worked on it. Can you tell me a bit about it? I've gone onto their website and had a look at the ship but it would be great to hear from someone who knows it. With regards to the medical, where do you suggest is a good place to get it done? The agency said to try my own GP as it will probably be cheaper but others have told me that going to Southampton is also a cheaper option. Someone I know paid £500 at Harley Street in London- could it really be as much as this?? Any other advice you could give would be great. Many thanks,Talia
mac.calder Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 Hi Mac.Calder, I've just been offered a position for Stage Crew on Independence of the Seas leaving on 4th July. You mentioned in a previous post you had worked on it. Can you tell me a bit about it? I've gone onto their website and had a look at the ship but it would be great to hear from someone who knows it. It is a FANTASTIC ship! If you are in Studio B, there are two ice shows - Freeze Frame and Strings! - Neither are overly taxing, but there is plenty of ice maintenance etc that will fill your days, plus helping out in the theatre and doing the parades and other misc duties. If you are in the theatre, lots of work, but great fun. 4 production shows - Center Stage (with about 20 musicians in a musical review), Under the Big Top (a circus-y show), Once Upon A Time (a mash-up of fairytales) and Invitation to Dance (as you can see the shows description is all in the name). The cruise director is fantastic (Graham Seymour), as are the production managers (Moose (St.B) and Craig (Theatre)) and the Stage Staff too...
Kevin Ross Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 Whilst I can’t comment on things from behind the scenes I went on the independence as a paying punter last year and saw all the shows mentioned. They were all excellent in both performance and technical aspects. All of the outdoor events and ad hoc bands were also to a very high standard. The ship is amazing and the crew were very helpful. If I did not have so much anchoring me (pun intended) to where I am I would sign up for a 6 month draft in a heart beat. Enjoy! Ohh and before you think going on a cruse is like gods waiting room, forget it I’m 27 and a lot of the people on board still had their own teeth and hair
merlin24 Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 The cruise director is fantastic (Graham Seymour), Ha Ha I worked with Graham Seymour when he was with Princess Cruises (Grand Princess I think it was or Star Princess I can't remember... Really top bloke though... Andy
DRG Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 I've always got my medicals done by Health Management Ltd, at 127 Harley St. Tel 0870 060 5450. It was £264 (just over a year ago) for everything you need (let them know it's for a RCCL medical). I found it to be a lot more expensive trying to get a medical locally (I lived in the NW).
zonino Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 £264!?! I think I paid about £95 for everything for mine (near Warrington) at my doctors surgery. Bear in mind UK staff don't usually need the chest X-ray etc
DRG Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 My GP quoted me over £400! I tried several around the Fylde coast and the cheapest I could find was Bupa, who still wanted £350. I guess you'ree lucky to have a GP that could do it for that price!Actually thought the £264 was a little steep, considering that the same place, less than 2 years earlier, charged me £175.I've never heard the non-requirement of chest x-ray thing before? One time I was signing-on to a ship and the nurse decided that I was going to need to get another drug test because the results on my medical were hand-written, because "anyone could have written that." Despite the fact that the rest of the answers on the form were written in the same hand, and they didn't require that to be re-done. Fortunately the doctor over-ruled this. The moral is that you need to be very careful that everything is right with the medical.Did have a guy replacing me once who managed to not bring the blood/urine test part of the medical. For some reason he'd sent it to the hiring partner. They made him get it in Corfu, and that cost him 500 Euros! What was worse for him was that when he got back to the ship, the hiring partner had faxed over the original test! His month didn't get any better when they terminated him a week after I went on holiday (he really didn't have a clue).
mac.calder Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 Bear in mind UK staff don't usually need the chest X-ray etc Hmmm... be carefull though - when it doubt, get it done... I had a situation when I was on the Legend, during what I call the transition from hell - we had no sound guy or lounge tech (sound guy was signing on in a week as he was waiting for a visa, lounge tech was signing on in two days because it was a ship to ship transfer), so two stage staff filling the roll of main-room sound and lounge tech, luckily that had been planned for. However we also had the PM signing off, another signing on after a direct flight from another ship, and they were unsure whether he would be on board in time. He signs on 5 minutes before we leave and is told he is "Unfit for duty" because he did not have a copy of the chest X-Ray, even though he came direct from another ship where he had been signed off "In good health". Being a small ship, without an ice rink crew there was just me to oversee everything, 2 cruise staff to help out as stage staff back stage, and I called spots from the rigging computer backstage after starting the show from the light booth (thank god for automation)... The moral being... Make sure your medical is in order
zonino Posted June 2, 2009 Posted June 2, 2009 indeed always check to make sure that you don't need it. The form I got sent (for carnival) specifically stated that anyone from the US, Canada or UK didn't need a chest x-ray if they weren't a dancer (or words to that effect)
DRG Posted June 2, 2009 Posted June 2, 2009 RCCL's policy is that everyone, regardless of nationality, needs to have the same medical. This includes a chest x-ray.
Gazlights Posted June 3, 2009 Posted June 3, 2009 I had a great time with RCCL although I left after an eight month contract because I was tired of not being able to be creative enough because the lighting designs in the main venue are focused for the production shows and cannot be moved.... Also make sure you don't sign on just as the ship goes into dry dock....ouch that was an interesting but bloody hard experience! ** laughs out loud ** the only other advice I would give is to backup backup backup and start from fresh. there are loads of full sailers out there that had some rather strange programming techniques... :D Has anyone ever worked for them NOT through an employment agency?
mac.calder Posted June 3, 2009 Posted June 3, 2009 Has anyone ever worked for them NOT through an employment agency? Me - I went through RCCL productions site, had my interview with shoreside, and was then 'handed off' to an employment agency for the paperwork side. That said, I believe RCCL's policy is to hand off to employment agencies where they know the company is competent (which a vast majority appear not to be from the stories I have heard)
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