| CRYSTAL CRUISES |
MAKING THE CRYSTAL
DIFFERENCE
An interview with the Captain, Hotel Director and
Cruise Director of CRYSTAL SYMPHONY
by Richard H. Wagner
page 2
DIFFERENCE
An interview with the Captain, Hotel Director and
Cruise Director of CRYSTAL SYMPHONY
by Richard H. Wagner
page 2
“There are many companies out there that have great hardware, some have
even newer ships, but I think Crystal is very fortunate in the people that we have
and we have focused on that. It is really the software. We are better than most of
our competitors when it comes to friendliness of service. When we ask our guests
what they like the most about Crystal, they always say: ‘We like your staff.’ I do
think food and entertainment we are a niche above the industry too. But you can
only achieve that if you have the right people working for you.”
Where does Crystal find the right people? “We have a recruiting office in
Oslo, Norway and they do the hiring of all our European staff. We work closely
with our owners in NYK and they have a training center in Manila in the Philippines
where our Asian crew comes from. We have worked with our recruiting agencies
since ‘Day One’ when Crystal was founded. So, they know what we want and we
know how to deal with them. These days, the key element is that you have to
operate globally. There aren’t enough people out there that you can restrict
yourself to two or three countries. We really had to open it up to a wide range of
countries and that is what we do.”
According to Cruise Director Scott Peterson: “They created a culture right
from the beginning at Crystal which recognizes that every single person that works
onboard is a valuable asset. So, they really put a huge emphasis on looking after
the crew and making sure that their comfort levels are taken care of, which then
puts them in the frame of mind where they would just give exceptional service to the
guests.”
“There is so much more training done than ever before for people before they
even get on the ship to make sure that they understand what the expectations are.
There is continuous training that takes place out here now and it is not just your
safety training it is how you can look after the guests better. And as we say here,
you are either someone who serves a guest or someone who serves someone who
serves a guest.”
“You can only re-create [shipboard conditions] so much in any so-called
school environment. A lot of times it is trial by fire. When you have that hands-on
[experience] in the actual area that you are going to be working in and you
understand the limitations maybe of your little section, I think you are going to grasp
it a lot faster. When they see people model those basics and lead them, that is why
it really pays off in the end.”
“We have a tremendous amount of people come on in a position. They get to know
the Crystal way, they get to know the Crystal ship and we always try to hire from
within. Any kind of job always gets posted on the ship so that people already
assimilated into the Crystal culture [can] move up into another position that they are
interested in.”
Once the right people have been found and trained, they still will not perform
in a luxury style without the right management style. “I think it is very much
teamwork. We sit down and discuss things about how to make things better,”
Captain Orland explained.
“Everything is put into making a better, greater guest experience,” adds
Peterson. “In the old days a lot of times you couldn’t get the captain, the chief
engineer, the hotel director and the cruise director and everybody together to pull
on the same rope - - they all had different agenda. [At Crystal,] everybody pulls
on the same rope.”
Having a motivated, friendly staff and good facilities by themselves are not
enough to make a cruise a luxury experience. As Mr. Doppler noted earlier, there
must also be onboard offerings that are a cut above the norm. “We deal with a
very well-educated kind of clientele with a certain level of income. When we talk
about the entertainment, we don’t only talk about shows. A very big focus is also
our enrichment program. We bring out some high caliber lecturers. The
educational part, the learning is a big part in our product as well. If you would
compare it with the premium market cruise, it might not be so important there. The
majority of the clientele is there to have fun. They like to have fun here as well but
at the same time, they sort of like to take something with them. So, we do focus on
that as well,” Mr. Doppler said.
“In general, [guests] do not want to be lectured to like they were in a school
hall or a university but they do want to be stimulated,” continues Peterson. “They
love the world affairs, and they love if we are traveling a region, they love the
history of the region so it puts things in perspective. So, that is the beauty of what
we are able to offer.”
“Recently, we had Mary Maitlin and James Carvel on. A lot of people might
think James Carvel might not match our audience because perhaps our audience is
a little more conservative but he fits in so well because he is so accessible. And then
Mary sort of plays off of him and so the guests get both sides of the coin and get a
chance to see the people that they see on TV. They get the chance to have dinner
with them or have lunch with them or just see them walking around. I think that is a
real thrill for our guests that our enrichment personnel, our entertainers, everybody
is so accessible.”
“The golf, again, that fits right into our demographics. The guests, a lot of
them belong to top country clubs or love to play golf. We bring some of the top
PGA pros in the nation on the ship. I had one this summer who, a few years ago,
was named as one of the top 100 pros in the nation. You give people access to
people like that. It is really extraordinary. These are pros that work with the pros
that you watch on television. When you have that kind of access, there is nothing
better if you are a golf enthusiast. It is just an opportunity to glean some information
from somebody is rubbing elbows with the greatest in the world.”
Crystal has also received praise for the computer classes that form part of its
enrichment program. “[It] is a huge asset for us because people want to stay in
contact with the world and because particularly for our older guests, it is not what
they were brought up with. They like to be brought into this world of computers.
For some of them, it is the first chance they have gotten to send e-mail or to surf the
net. We have got some really top notch instructors and we recognize that it is a
really important piece of the puzzle.”
“We have five production shows, which in an 11-day cruise, is a lot. [In
SYMPHONY’s] Galaxy Lounge you are right on top of the performers. So, you
can’t cheat on the costumes, for example. You have got to make sure that it is top,
top quality costuming because otherwise the guests will see [the flaws]. They are
really quite elaborate, spectacular shows.”
“We get name guest entertainers but we also get people who are well thought
of in their field who maybe are not well known. It is not like you see them on TV
all the time. But we will get Broadway performers, we will get Vegas performers,
you’ll get the Neil Sedakas and people like that occasionally but our main focus is
not so much having a name out here but on having a good performer and giving the
people a good performance.”
While Crystal’s cruises are highly-rated, the line recognizes it cannot sit on its
laurels. “The premium market [cruise lines have] become much stronger. They had
to raise their level of product and they did. You can get a nice cruise with a good
level of quality in the four star range. [That places pressure on Crystal to improve]
because you pay quite a bit more on Crystal than in the premium market. We want
our guests to feel that it was worth spending a few extra dollars. I think there is
pressure but being Crystal Cruises, we have implemented numerous new things and
we are constantly adding to the amenities, we are constantly updating them and we
are constantly finding new products. We only buy top quality, top premium, top
labels for people to buy or for whatever we offer on the ship, high quality, which is
important to justify that difference in price. I think Crystal is very good at that. We
operate at the highest level.”
However, change has to be carefully managed. Crystal has one of the highest
percentages of repeat passengers in the cruise industry. “They are a loyal group
and we have managed to satisfy them over the years. That is why they keep
coming back. We want to do that in the years to come as well - - they are very
important to us. We are and always will maintain some of our successful traditional
features that we have in our product. However, at the same time, in order to
attract new clientele and maybe even a little younger group, you have to upgrade
your product and when I say that I mean software and hardware and offers and
that is what we have done. We really want both.”
even newer ships, but I think Crystal is very fortunate in the people that we have
and we have focused on that. It is really the software. We are better than most of
our competitors when it comes to friendliness of service. When we ask our guests
what they like the most about Crystal, they always say: ‘We like your staff.’ I do
think food and entertainment we are a niche above the industry too. But you can
only achieve that if you have the right people working for you.”
Where does Crystal find the right people? “We have a recruiting office in
Oslo, Norway and they do the hiring of all our European staff. We work closely
with our owners in NYK and they have a training center in Manila in the Philippines
where our Asian crew comes from. We have worked with our recruiting agencies
since ‘Day One’ when Crystal was founded. So, they know what we want and we
know how to deal with them. These days, the key element is that you have to
operate globally. There aren’t enough people out there that you can restrict
yourself to two or three countries. We really had to open it up to a wide range of
countries and that is what we do.”
According to Cruise Director Scott Peterson: “They created a culture right
from the beginning at Crystal which recognizes that every single person that works
onboard is a valuable asset. So, they really put a huge emphasis on looking after
the crew and making sure that their comfort levels are taken care of, which then
puts them in the frame of mind where they would just give exceptional service to the
guests.”
“There is so much more training done than ever before for people before they
even get on the ship to make sure that they understand what the expectations are.
There is continuous training that takes place out here now and it is not just your
safety training it is how you can look after the guests better. And as we say here,
you are either someone who serves a guest or someone who serves someone who
serves a guest.”
“You can only re-create [shipboard conditions] so much in any so-called
school environment. A lot of times it is trial by fire. When you have that hands-on
[experience] in the actual area that you are going to be working in and you
understand the limitations maybe of your little section, I think you are going to grasp
it a lot faster. When they see people model those basics and lead them, that is why
it really pays off in the end.”
“We have a tremendous amount of people come on in a position. They get to know
the Crystal way, they get to know the Crystal ship and we always try to hire from
within. Any kind of job always gets posted on the ship so that people already
assimilated into the Crystal culture [can] move up into another position that they are
interested in.”
Once the right people have been found and trained, they still will not perform
in a luxury style without the right management style. “I think it is very much
teamwork. We sit down and discuss things about how to make things better,”
Captain Orland explained.
“Everything is put into making a better, greater guest experience,” adds
Peterson. “In the old days a lot of times you couldn’t get the captain, the chief
engineer, the hotel director and the cruise director and everybody together to pull
on the same rope - - they all had different agenda. [At Crystal,] everybody pulls
on the same rope.”
Having a motivated, friendly staff and good facilities by themselves are not
enough to make a cruise a luxury experience. As Mr. Doppler noted earlier, there
must also be onboard offerings that are a cut above the norm. “We deal with a
very well-educated kind of clientele with a certain level of income. When we talk
about the entertainment, we don’t only talk about shows. A very big focus is also
our enrichment program. We bring out some high caliber lecturers. The
educational part, the learning is a big part in our product as well. If you would
compare it with the premium market cruise, it might not be so important there. The
majority of the clientele is there to have fun. They like to have fun here as well but
at the same time, they sort of like to take something with them. So, we do focus on
that as well,” Mr. Doppler said.
“In general, [guests] do not want to be lectured to like they were in a school
hall or a university but they do want to be stimulated,” continues Peterson. “They
love the world affairs, and they love if we are traveling a region, they love the
history of the region so it puts things in perspective. So, that is the beauty of what
we are able to offer.”
“Recently, we had Mary Maitlin and James Carvel on. A lot of people might
think James Carvel might not match our audience because perhaps our audience is
a little more conservative but he fits in so well because he is so accessible. And then
Mary sort of plays off of him and so the guests get both sides of the coin and get a
chance to see the people that they see on TV. They get the chance to have dinner
with them or have lunch with them or just see them walking around. I think that is a
real thrill for our guests that our enrichment personnel, our entertainers, everybody
is so accessible.”
“The golf, again, that fits right into our demographics. The guests, a lot of
them belong to top country clubs or love to play golf. We bring some of the top
PGA pros in the nation on the ship. I had one this summer who, a few years ago,
was named as one of the top 100 pros in the nation. You give people access to
people like that. It is really extraordinary. These are pros that work with the pros
that you watch on television. When you have that kind of access, there is nothing
better if you are a golf enthusiast. It is just an opportunity to glean some information
from somebody is rubbing elbows with the greatest in the world.”
Crystal has also received praise for the computer classes that form part of its
enrichment program. “[It] is a huge asset for us because people want to stay in
contact with the world and because particularly for our older guests, it is not what
they were brought up with. They like to be brought into this world of computers.
For some of them, it is the first chance they have gotten to send e-mail or to surf the
net. We have got some really top notch instructors and we recognize that it is a
really important piece of the puzzle.”
“We have five production shows, which in an 11-day cruise, is a lot. [In
SYMPHONY’s] Galaxy Lounge you are right on top of the performers. So, you
can’t cheat on the costumes, for example. You have got to make sure that it is top,
top quality costuming because otherwise the guests will see [the flaws]. They are
really quite elaborate, spectacular shows.”
“We get name guest entertainers but we also get people who are well thought
of in their field who maybe are not well known. It is not like you see them on TV
all the time. But we will get Broadway performers, we will get Vegas performers,
you’ll get the Neil Sedakas and people like that occasionally but our main focus is
not so much having a name out here but on having a good performer and giving the
people a good performance.”
While Crystal’s cruises are highly-rated, the line recognizes it cannot sit on its
laurels. “The premium market [cruise lines have] become much stronger. They had
to raise their level of product and they did. You can get a nice cruise with a good
level of quality in the four star range. [That places pressure on Crystal to improve]
because you pay quite a bit more on Crystal than in the premium market. We want
our guests to feel that it was worth spending a few extra dollars. I think there is
pressure but being Crystal Cruises, we have implemented numerous new things and
we are constantly adding to the amenities, we are constantly updating them and we
are constantly finding new products. We only buy top quality, top premium, top
labels for people to buy or for whatever we offer on the ship, high quality, which is
important to justify that difference in price. I think Crystal is very good at that. We
operate at the highest level.”
However, change has to be carefully managed. Crystal has one of the highest
percentages of repeat passengers in the cruise industry. “They are a loyal group
and we have managed to satisfy them over the years. That is why they keep
coming back. We want to do that in the years to come as well - - they are very
important to us. We are and always will maintain some of our successful traditional
features that we have in our product. However, at the same time, in order to
attract new clientele and maybe even a little younger group, you have to upgrade
your product and when I say that I mean software and hardware and offers and
that is what we have done. We really want both.”
There are photos of CRYSTAL
SYMPHONY on the CRYSTAL
SYMPHONY Photo Tour
CLICK HERE TO BEGIN THE TOUR
SYMPHONY on the CRYSTAL
SYMPHONY Photo Tour
CLICK HERE TO BEGIN THE TOUR
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Cruise Director Scott Peterson
The Galaxy Lounge