Learning Objectives

By the end of the chapter the reader should be able to:

• Understand the roles and responsibilities on a cruise ship, the personnel structures, contracts, and organizations relevant to cruise vessels

• Identify the role and importance of the purser's department and hotel services for the cruise and shipping industry

• Reflect on the shipboard culture and the challenges of managing a multicultural crew

This chapter examines staffing and personnel organizational structures and the concomitant roles and responsibilities on board cruise ships. The role of the purser is considered and the hotel services department described to help the reader understand the lines of authority and importance of human resource relationships on board. Crewing is a complex issue for cruise operators, and particular attention is given to the mechanisms that exist to support the management of hotel services crew, staff development, and the sourcing of skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled labor for the hotel services department. The organizations that exist to provide assistance and support to international crews, often in defense of the crew member's basic employment needs, are identified together with a discussion relating to this sensitive employment issue (Garrison, 2005).

Describing the purser's role and the on-board hotel services creates a link to introducing the range of products and services provided to customers and crew. Doing so, in turn, introduces the distinct areas of operation that are defined as hotel services, including customer services, bars, lounges, restaurants, bistros, and sleeping accommodations. In addition, those services that are concerned with customer...