career: a shorex career - a visual review 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Visual review of a seaborne career 1999 -
2006
1
From 1999 to 2006 I worked in
onboard American cruise ships
Initially with Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) for 1½ years, then with Holland America Line (HAL) for the remainder. Not many people know what it entails to work in Shore Excursions (or ‘Shorex’ for short) on cruise ships, so this presentation is meant to not just recount the salient facts of my Shorex career, but also to pro-vide a glimpse into the challenging world of cruise ship employment and the skills you take away from it.
Intro
Content
The Job ................................................................................ 3The Teams .......................................................................... 12The Ships ............................................................................ 14The Itineraries ................................................................... 17The Guests ......................................................................... 21The Results ......................................................................... 23So much for the facts ..................................................... 32Few jobs require ...............................................................
35In closing ............................................................................ 45Appendixes ........................................................................ 49
Presentation
2
MS Westerdam Shorex Team, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas,September 2005
The Job
For (almost) every port of call the cruise ships offer a range of Shore Excursions ashore, that guests can purchase (pre-cruise or onboard). Depending on itinerary, Shorex can be one of the biggest onboard revenue generators.The Shorex department is the coordinating hub of this program, providing an onboard point of sales and tour information, coordi-nating operations with agents ashore, handling the logistics of tour dispatch and more...
I was in charge of the onboard
for the ship’s guests in port
4
The Job
The Shore Excursion department is a relati-vely autonomous unit, operating under the authority of the Hotel Manager and the overall direction of the corporate shore excursion department in the head office.
The department consists of a manager and (itinerary dependent) up to 5 assistants and one Port Lecturer, all holding officers rank. The department is one of the few onboard guest service providers that have as much (if not more) communication and interaction with shoreside partners as they do with fellow departments onboard.
HOTEL DEPARTMENT
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
DECK DEPARTMENT
MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
Chief enginee
rChief officer
Chief doctor
Hotel director
Shore excursion
sF & BCruise
staff
Shorex mgr
CAPTAIN
House-keeping
tour agents
destinations
guests
staffcorporate office
essentially a guest
for adventures & activities ashore
5
The Job
Sightseeing tours by bus / on footConventional guided tours by bus or on foot, half-day and full-day formats
Passive adventure toursTours by special vehicles: Boat tours, jeep safaris, flightseeing by plane, helicopter or hot air balloon, tours by bike, Segway, etc.
Active adventure toursTours with physical activity: Horseback rides, diving & snorkeling, watersports tours, etc.
Specialty tours Special interest / occasion tours: Cooking classes, cultural events, workshops etc.
Overland tours Group tours to far-flung inland attractions involving elaborate travel arrangements and hotel overnights away from ship, e.g. 3-day Machu Picchu out of Lima, Peru.
Private tours Tours by private cars / vans w. personal gui-des and customized individual itineraries
Transfers & Shuttle servicesStraight shot transfers to popular destina-tions | Transfer to airport / hotel for debark guests | Shuttle service port to city (when required)
I managed a wide variety of
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The Shorex department has a counter on-board, where staff handle guests’ tour bookings and related queries during de-signated office hours. Itinerary dependent, this POS can generate anywhere between 40 – 70% of total sales. The remainder of sales come from pre-cruise online bookings, which the Shorex department downloads, updates, prints, organizes and distributes onboard. The Shorex manager is responsible for mana-ging these sales channels optimally.
The Job
I was in charge of
and the management of pre-bookings
7
The Job
Available onboard marketing channels :
• The live Shorex talk (taped & broadcast
on a designated TV channel)• The onboard booking form in print• Pre-show trailers in the movie
theater• Plasma screens throughout the ship• Shore Excursion Kiosk terminals• Flyers and brochures distributed to
cabins• Cross-promotions with other
departments
and I directed the onboard
to increase tour sales
8
For every port visited I coordinated the ship’s excursion sales, dispatch logistics and special arrangements with one or more local tour operators.
The extent of coordination required in each port would vary – from simply pro-viding running updates on participation counts, to relatively elaborate prepara-tions, like flight- or hotel manifests for overland tours, special visa requirements, private arrangements etc.
The Job
guests
shorexmgr
local tour agent
staff
onbo
ard
tour preparations
I managed the
with local tour operators in every port
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Sending guests on tour is not just a matter of opening the door and saying ‘Go!’
Shorex is responsible for the smooth and orderly dispatch of up to 1500 guests in the span of just an hour or two. This involves meeting guests onboard, dividing them into groups with a sticker system, briefing them on directions and proce-dures and dispatching them at the mana-ger’s discretion. This sounds simple but anyone who has dealt with large crowds of people in holi-day-mode will know that it is a challenge.
The Job
and planned and directed the
in every port of call
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The Job
Supervision, scheduling and training of up to 5 Assistant Managers and a Port LecturerMonitoring customer service, operational standards and new revenue opportunitiesCoordination and cooperation with other onboard service departmentsOngoing financial and operational repor-ting to onboard/shore side managementImplementation of Marine Hotel policies and procedures within Shorex Department
Finally, I handled the daily
of onboard Shorex operations
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The Teams
* Not what you think! In this context it means ‘Spouse On Board’
From small teams of 2 on the smaller ships and all the way up to 4 assistants, 1 part-time SOB* and a Port Lecturer on the larger ships on tour-
intensive continental itineraries.
All with wildly different backgrounds, skills, experience and nationalities
I managed a number of different
in the course of my career
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The Ships
From the new & big; the (then) brand-new MS Norwegian Sky from 1999 (2000 pax, 800 crew)
To the old & small; the ‘old’ MS Noordam from 1983 (1254 pax, 520 crew)
I worked a number of different
in my career at sea
15
For a comprehensive overview of all the ships
I have worked on, see Appendix A
The Ships
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The Itineraries
Always eager to discover new destinations, I frequently requested new itinerary
assignments and eventually got to do most of the popular cruising destinations.
7-day Glacier Discovery 2003
10-day Roman Empire 2006
30-day South Pacific 2005
I did mostly 7 – 14 day cruises but also got to do a number of longer repositioning cruises and grand voyages of up to 30 day duration.
I worked a number of different
around four continents
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Hawaii & South Pacific
South America
Pacific Central America
Alaska
Caribbean
Transatlantic /US East Coast
Canada /New England
Mediterranean /North Africa
Baltic & Norway
Western Europe
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Pacific North
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The Itineraries
All in all, I worked in more than
in more than 35 countries
19
For a comprehensive list of all the ports I have visited in a Shore Excursion capacity, see Appendix B
The Itineraries
20
The Guests
Primarily North American guests. A fair share of other nationalities. A fairly young demographic: many singles and families with kids
Primarily North American guests. Some other nationalities, itinerary dependent. An elderly demographic: many couples and retirees
22
MS Oosterdam Shorex wins trophy axe for bestseasonal sales on Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show, Ketchikan, Alaska - August 2004
CRUISE TARGETCRUISE ACTUAL
10/W 11/E 12/W 13/E 14/W 15/E 16/W 17/E 18/W 19/E 20/W 21/E 22/W
$500,000
$550,000
$450,000
$400,000
$350,000
VOYAGE$300,000
REVENUE
MS Noordam | Summer 2006Eastern / Western Mediterranean
The Results
I frequently reached my targets for
and went beyond
24
The Results
MS Noordam, Med Summer Season 2006‘Needless to say that Jacob far exceeds the targets for this season and has set the bar extremely high for the next season… (He) has achieved the (passenger quality standards and ratings) on a season average, a task not easily done on these European sailings with such high numbers of shorex participating guests.
Jacob is clearly in charge of his department in every sense of the way. He is a strong and dedicated leader, who gets the job done at higher than anticipated results. It is obvious that Jacob has a higher mission in his life on board to just perform his job. He really ought to be in our corporate office as he brings a refreshing set of values and thoughts to work that both are apparent in his results as well as make his department and our ships operations successful.’
Henk J. Mensink, Hotel Manager, MS Noordam, June 18 2006Overall rating: exceeds expectations
For more evaluation statements from my Shorex career, see Appendix C
I consistently received excellent
from department heads
25
The Results
It was not unusual to be assigned assist-ants who had no previous Shorex or desti-nation experience, which was a big handi-cap.I always wanted my teams to be confident, empowered and well-informed so to that effect I devised lesson plans, introduced team briefings and rotating duty rosters, wrote manuals and cheat sheets, and took as many staff as possible out on fam trips.Many of the assistants I trained went on to become successful managers and I hear some of my training material is still in use.
I pioneered a lot of
previously not prioritized
26
The Results
This was the Noordam 2006 team – my best team ever.
Their hard work set new revenue records for Mediterranean itineraries, consistently exceeding revenue targets by an average of 20% for a full season
Three of them went on to become success-ful managers in their own right
One went on to become my wife
That’s how good the teamwork was!
with continuously
to show for it
27
The Results
New team schedules with improved task delegation, IPM (In Port Manning) duties and rotating days off to increase efficiency, lift team spirit and prevent ‘contract burn-out’
A Mail-Merge procedure to print guests’ names and cabin numbers on the prepaid ticket envelopes, rather than handwrite hundreds of envelopes.
The use of Powerpoint slides during tour dispatch in the Main Lounge to communi-cate important tour information to guests.
Other Shore Excursion
I pioneered onboard
28
When Shore Excursion self-service kiosks were installed on the Zuiderdam in 2004, they went largely unnoticed by guests. It was not hard to see why – the terminals were discreetely embedded in the walls in high-traffic areas and carried no signage, save for a tiny notice on an otherwise blank terminal screen. Working with the IT officer I came up with a way to install eye-catching PowerPoint slideshows on the dormant screens to attract guest attention. This innovation re-sulted in an immediate quadrupling of kiosk bookings and became standard fleet-wide practice.
The Results
Before
After
Plus I was responsible for the
29
The Results
Basic Safety Training in compliance
with STCW-95, regulation VI/1 § 2: Personal Survival Techniquesas set out in table A-V1/1-1 Fire Prevention & Fire Fighting as set out in table A-V1/1-2 Practical training at Houston Fire Dept. & Houston Community College Systems Elementary First Aid as set out in table A-V1/1-3 Personal Safety & Social Responsibili-ties as set out in table A-V1/1-4Norwegian Sea, 14.01.00 | 12.09.00 (Document # IH091200-01)
ISO14001 Environmental Compliance
Tier 1 – ISO14001 Familiarization Training
Tier 2 – Basic ISO 14001 TrainingZuiderdam 13.03.04 | Westerdam, 12.05.05 | Ryndam, 19.02.06 | Noordam, 30.04.06
Security Training Level 2Oosterdam, 30.07.04
Crowd Management in accordance with STCW Regulation V/3-1Norwegian Sea, 24.07.00
Marlin’s English Language Proficiency
Zuiderdam, 08.09.03 (Test score 91)
I obtained a number of
required for shipboard duty
30
The Results
and finally, I made an unforgettable
on the Statendam in 2004
31
Those familiar with the industry and the realities of a shipboard career will already know all they need to know about me at this point.For those that are not, please continue with the next section to learn more about what it takes to work on a cruise ship…
32
Sometimes when I tell people how I used to work on cruise ships in faraway destina-tions they respond with a knowing grin and an ironic ‘Yeah, working hard, I bet...’
The implication being that life and work on a cruise ship could not possibly be hard or unenjoyable, but rather an endless succes-sion of Fun in the Sun, parties and carefree living in the lap of luxury.
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... there was a lot of that!
34
But it’s also the hardest, the most challenging, the most engrossing job I have ever worked and here’s why...
... there was a lot of that!
34
Work hours
On a cruise ship, you finish work
when you are finished working!
This is no 9 to 5 job – you work until you are finished with everything that needs to be done that day and that can easily mean 10-12 hour working days with minimal breaks.
And you do that seven days a week for up to six months at a time...
...while always smiling and being courteous.
Just saying.... It’s not for everyone.
Only 5 months to go Few jobs require longer
35
On a cruise ship, time is very finite!
Barring mechanical, medical or nautical emergencies, the ship’s itinerary is set in sto-ne and your Shore Excursion deadlines are as solid and immovable as the shoreline you are approaching. There are very few tasks you can conveniently postpone – you are either ready for it or you are ‘ed.
Under those circumstances, you quickly learn to manage your time, streamline your proce-dures and delegate your tasks effectively and (hopefully) still have some free time left.
Time management
Few jobs require more
36
Flexibility
On a cruise ship, anything can
(and frequently does) happen!
Phone call from the Hotel Manager at 10:00 pm on the first night of the cruise:
‘Yeah, sorry for that late notice but the Captain has decided to switch itineraries because of hurricane Irene. You have until 9am tomorrow morning to produce a new tour program for 4 different ports.’
And that’s all there is to it! Take a deep breath, count to ten, and go back to work.
Few jobs require more
37
On a cruise ship, you rarely work alone!
With only a handful of staff looking after the tour arrangements for hundreds of guests in each port, solid and effective teamwork is es-sential to get things done on time. Everyone pitches in with whatever tasks are still out-standing and no one leaves the office until everyone is finished.
You work, live and socialize with the same people every day for up to 6 months at a time, so everyone makes the extra effort to cooperate professionally and get along.
Teamwork
Few jobs require more
38
On a cruise ship, you’re only ever a wrong turn away from
trouble!
Shore Excursion staff regularly meet and dis-patch large tour crowds from inside the ship, swiftly dispatching hundreds of guests through narrow corridoors and stairwells, that were never designed for this kind of intense traffic.
Unless you have a finely tuned instinct for how best to do that, you get congestion, chaos, delays and complaints.
Crowd management
Few jobs require better
39
On a cruise ship, the Devil is in the details!
When planning the Shore Excursion program for an upcoming cruise, you may be dealing with as many as 10-15 ports, each with an average of 5-10 different tour options. That quickly adds up to a myriad of tour details that you had better get right in your set-up and your sales material.
Any mistakes or typos in planning or adver-tising can come back to bite you hard, cau-sing you loss of revenue and guest com-plaints.
Attention to detail
Few jobs require more
40
On a cruise ship, customer service is a way of life!
As part of the hotel staff you are expected and encouraged to smile, greet, chat with guests as well as answer any and all questions as best you can – wherever and whenever you are, on duty or off duty.
Not just at your work station, but when moving about the ship, when trying to get a quick meal in on the Lido Deck and even walking around ashore. Customer service quickly becomes second nature.
Customer service
Few jobs require more dedicated
41
On a cruise ship, you are selling dreams!
In Shore Excursions you are not selling a product per se, but an experience and if you want guests to come back for more it had better be as good as (or better) than they imagined it would be. That means taking your time to talk to guests and find out what they like, what they expect and what they can do in order to guide them to the most suitable and enjoyable option.
Sales skills
SHORE EXCURSIONS
Few jobs require more finely honed
42
On a cruise ship, diplomacy is a survival skill!
Ever heard of ‘Cruise Rage’? No? Well, let me assure you, it exists! When balls are dropped or expectations not met on someone’s dream vacation, the fallout can be disproportionally strong and highly vocal. And you had better know how to deal with that.
And let’s not even get into what kind of conflicts you can have within your own team when one dislikes another or any of them step out of line.
Conflict resolution
Few jobs require more
43
On a cruise ship, you work with up to 40 other
nationalities every day!
And you interact on a daily basis with guests from all around the world.
And as a Shore Excursions manager you ad-ditionally work with local agents and staff in several hundred destinations worldwide and get to experience their cultures first-hand.
Respect and tolerance for all races, creeds, and customs is a must. As a cruise ship em-ployee you are a citizen of the world.
Cultural sensitivity
Few jobs require more
44
Outro
I hope you found this (relatively) brief review of my Shore Excursion career infor-mative and should you have in questions about this part of my working experience, I will gladly elaborate further.
I have previously given seminars and courses on the cruise tourism industry, local cruise handling and more for stu-dents of tourism and for guides, and I re-main available for such engagements in the future.
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Other presentations
A visual review of my DMC Key Account
Manager career 2007 - 2012
7 pioneering achieve-ments from my career with DMC 2007 - 2015
10 clues to me – a personal presentation
on my LinkedIn page
Resume of a Great Dane – my master visual resume
47
A The Ships .....................................................................
I - IIIB The Destinations .......................................................
IV – VIC The Evaluations .........................................................
VII – XD The Credits .................................................................
XI
The Appendixes
49
Appendix A: The Ships 1999-2001
NORWEGIAN SKY NORWEGIAN WIND
NORWEGIAN SEA NORWEGIAN DREAM
MS
MS
MS MS
Assistant Manager 1999-2000• East/West Carib from Miami
Assistant Manager 2000• West Carib from Miami• Repo Miami - Vancouver (via
PanCanal)
Assistant Manager / Manager 2000-2001• West Carib from Houston
Assistant Manager/ Manager 2001• South America, Buenos Aires –
Valparaiso• Repo Valpariso - Miami (via PanCanal)
- Rome (Civitavecchia) - Dover• Baltic Capitals from Dover I
RYNDAM
VOLENDAM NOORDAM
ZUIDERDAM
MS
MS
MS
MS
Appendix A: The Ships 2001-2004
Assistant Manager 2000 + 2001-2002• Southern Carib from Ft. Lauderdale• PanCanal Repo Los Angeles – Ft.
Lauderdale
Assistant Manager 2000• WestMed from Rome / Barcelona• Repo Rome – Copenhagen V/V• Baltic Gems from Copenhagen
Assistant Manager / Manager 2003 + 2006• Alaska from Seward / Vancouver• Southern Caribbean from Tampa
Manager 2003-2004• East/West Carib from Ft. Lauderdale
II
OOSTERDAM STATENDAM
WESTERDAM NOORDAM
MS
MS
MS
MS
Appendix A: The Ships 2004-2006
Manager 2004• Pacific Mexico from San Diego• Alaska from Seattle
Manager 2004-2005• Pacific Central America & PanCanal• Circle Hawaii from San Diego• South Pacific Explorer from San Diego
Assistant Manager / Manager 2005• WestMed from Rome / Barcelona• Repo Rome – Copenhagen V/V• Baltic Gems from Copenhagen• Transatlantic repo Rome – Ft.
Lauderdale
Manager 2006• Transatlantic repo New York – Rome
V/V• East / West Med from Rome
III
Appendix B: The Destinations
Alaska• Seward, Alaska• Haines, Alaska• Sitka, Alaska• Juneau, Alaska• Ketchikan, Alaska• Victoria, British
Columbia
Baltic / Norway • Copenhagen, Denmark• Aarhus, Denmark• Warnemünde, Germany• Tallinn, Estonia• St. Petersburg, Russia• Helsinki, Finland• Mariehamn, Finland• Stockholm, Sweden• Visby, Sweden• Kalmar, Sweden
• Ystad, Sweden• Oslo, Norway• Flåm, Norway• Bergen, Norway• Stavanger, Norway
Canada / New England• Montreal, Québec• Québec, Québec• Saguenay, Québec• Baie-Comeau, Québec• Gaspé, Québec• Charlottetown, P.E.I.• Sydney, Nova Scotia• Halifax, Nova Scotia• St. John, New Brunswick• Bar Harbor, Maine
Caribbean• Nassau, Bahamas• Freeport, Bahamas• Great Stirrup Cay (NCL)• Half Moon Cay (HAL)• San Juan, Puerto Rico• St. Thomas, USVI• St. John, USVI• Tortola, BVI• Philipsburg, St. Maarten• Basseterre, St. Kitts• Roseau, Dominica• Fort-de-France,
Martinique• Castries, St. Lucia• Bridgetown, Barbados• St. Georges, Grenada• Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
For the sake of entirety, here is a comprehensive list of all the ports
I have visited in a Shore Excursion capacity, listed by region:
IV
• Palma de Mallorca, Spain
• Mahón, Spain• Barcelona, Spain• Séte, France• Marseille, France• Saint Tropez, France• Cannes, France• Ajaccio, Corsica• Cagliari, Sardegna• Monaco/Monte Carlo• Genoa, Italy• Livorno, Italy• Civitavecchia, Italy• Napoli, Italy• Venice, Italy• Messina, Sicily• Catania, Sicily• Palermo, Sicily• Valetta, Malta• Mgarr, Gozo• Dubrovnik, Croatia• Korcula, Croatia
Appendix B: The Destinations
• Corfu, Greece• Katakolon, Greece• Santorini, Greece• Mykonos, Greece• Pireas, Greece (Athens)• Heraklion, Crete• Kusadasi, Turkey• Istanbul, Turkey• Casablanca, Morocco• La Goulette, Tunisia
Pacific Area• Kona, Hawaii• Lahaina, Maui• Honolulu, Oahu• Kauai, Nawiliwili• Uturoa, Raiatea• Vaitape, Bora Bora• Opunohu Bay, Moorea• Papeete, Tahiti• Taiohae, Nuku Hiva
Caribbean• Isla de Margarita,
Venezuela• Kralendijk, Bonaire• Willemstad, Curacao• Oranjestad, Aruba• San Blas Isl., Panama• Puerto Limón, Costa
Rica• Roatan, Honduras• Puerto Barrios,
Guatemala• Belize City, Belize• Costa Maya, Mexico• Cozumel, Mexico• Cancun, Mexico• Georgetown, Grand
Cayman• Ocho Rios, Jamaica• Houston, Texas• Tampa, Florida• Key West, Florida
Mediterranean / N. Africa• Gibraltar, Great Britain• Ceuta, Spain• Valencia, Spain
V
Appendix B: The Destinations
Transatlantic / US East Coast• Las Palmas, Gran Canaria• Ponta Delgada, Azores• Horta, Azores• Funchal, Madeira• Hamilton, Bermuda• Norfolk, Virginia (drydock)• New York, New York• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida• Miami, Florida
Western Europe• Dover, England• Harwich, England• Amsterdam, Holland• Rotterdam, Holland• Antwerp, Holland• Le Havre, France• Vigo, Spain• Cádiz, Spain• Lisboa, Portugal
South America• Montevideo, Uruguay• Buenos Aires, Argentina• Puerto Madryn, Argentina• Ushuaia, Argentina• Port Stanley, Falkland Isl.• Punta Arenas, Chile• Puerto Chacabuco, Chile• Puerto Mont, Chile• Castro, Chiloe Isl., Chile• Talcahuano, Chile• Valparaiso, Chile• Coquimbo, Chile• Iquique, Chile• Arica, Chile• Lima, Peru• Manta, Equador• Cartagena, Columbia• La Guaira (Caracas),
Venezuela• Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela
(Orinoco River)
Pacific Central America• Ensenada, Mexico• Cabo San Lucas, Mexico• Puerto Vallarta, Mexico• Mazatlan, Mexico• Manzanillo, Mexico• Zihuatenejo, Mexico• Acapulco, Mexico• Santa Cruz Huatulco,
Mexico• Puerto Quetzal,
Guatemala• San Juan del Sur,
Nicaragua• Puntarenas, Costa Rica• Amador, Panama• Gatun Lake, Panama
Pacific North America• San Diego, California• Los Angeles, California• San Francisco, California• Astoria, Oregon• Gray’s Harbor,
Washington• Seattle, Washington
VI
Appendix C: The Evaluations
MS Oosterdam, Alaska Summer Season 2004
‘Jacob is keen on recognizing (revenue) oppor-tunities and making them happen… Targets were met during the last several cruises during Jacob’s tenure and because of his persistence in setting up the parameters to do so, the 2005 season should start off at a higher level than 2004.
Jacob communicates well with tour operators and the corporate office, discussing in his weekly reports ways to improve and critical points to be considered. Good analytical skills and logistic knowledge. Excellent (communication skills), clear and concise with a friendly demeanor.
Here are some select quotes from contracts evaluations I have received
over the years, both from Holland America and from Norwegian:Jacob’s calm and professional demeanor is reflected on his staff and projected to our guests, giving them a sense of comfort knowing that they are being professionally and efficiently dealt with. Jacob developed a new assistant as well as kept his current staff at a nice level of production, developing a good overall team.
Jacob is an integral part of the team when it comes to devising solutions or overcoming problems and can be relied upon to handle such events receiving positive results.’
Mark Pells, Hotel Manager, ms Oosterdam August 12, 2004
Overall rating; exceeds expectationsVII
Appendix C: The Evaluations
MS Zuiderdam, Caribbean Winter Season 2003-2004
Jacob is a committed and knowledgeable manager who ensures he and his staff do the best possible. (He) handles the vagaries of the Shorex operation in a confident and professional manner. Solid performer with a calm communi-cation style that is a useful asset in his position. He leads his teams effectively and has had no personnel problems. He has demonstrated good abilities to cope with the inevitable pressure and emergency situations that come with the position. Jacob interacts well with both guests and co-workers and is a respected member of the departmental team.
P. Fealy, Hotel Manager, MS Zuiderdam, January 7, 2004
Overall rating; achieves expectations
MS Ryndam, Alaska Summer Season 2003
Jacob is a thorough worker and sees a job through from start to finish to make sure each task is done correctly and on time… (his) calm and clear approach is something that is a big strength in a situation that can most of the time be quite hectic. Jacob’s first language is Danish although with no accent, you would not believe it, He is fluent in German as well as English. He communicates well with all in a friendly positive manner. Jacob is a popular team member. His approach is positive and this does rub off to create a great working relationship
Victoria Swift, Shore Excursion Manager, MS Ryndam, August 28 2003
Overall rating; exceeds expectations VIII
MS Volendam, Caribbean Spring Season 2003
Jacob is pleasant with the guests, yet maintains his authority as/when it is required in terms of guests’ queries. Wonderful to work alongside and always positive and supportive of the manager’s decision, as well as providing valu-able input himself. Jacob has the ability to step up to a manager’s position whenever. He has an excellent working knowledge of the entire department.
Kassie Peters Walker, Shore Excursion Manager, MS Volendam, April 16, 2003
Overall rating; achieves & exceeds expectations
Appendix C: The Evaluations
MS Volendam, Caribbean Winter Season, 2001 – 2002
Jacob is very positive and represented the department in a professional manner. (Jacob operated) with extreme dedication; on many occasions completing projects before they were due to be completed. Jacob is extremely depen-dable and adapts well to changing priorities, schedules etc. as required. He is a strong team player and assists in any shorex duties as required.
Kevin Farwell, Shore Excursion Manager, MS Volendam, February 2, 2002
Overall rating; achieves & exceeds expectations
IX
Appendix C: The Evaluations
MS Norwegian Dream, South America to Europe Spring season 2001
Jacob has done an excellent job as Shore Excursion Manager on a ship where it is an extremely difficult and time consuming job. He always conducts himself in a very professional manner, is extremely conscientious and his shorex presentations are always very polished and on the ball from the point of view of information. Shores revenue has been extremely high under his management. We would love to have him back.
Brian Walters, Hotel Manager, MS Norwegian Dream July 30, 2001
Overall rating; excellent (5 out of 5)
MS Norwegian Sea, Carib beanWinter Season 2000 – 2001
…l have found (Jacob) to be extremely capable in this position. His desire to give high quality service to guests and his intentions on a weekly basis for increased revenue make him an integral part of the Cruise Staff and Shore Excursion Team. Thank you for a job well done.
Lawrence Lee, Hotel Manager, MS Norwegian Sea, January 7, 2001
Overall rating; excellent/very good
X
Appendix D: The Credits
Front slide / VEDM in PanCanal - halcruises.comPage 4 / Shorex brochures – hollandamerica.comPage 14 / NADM at sea - nieuw-amsterdam.blogspot.comPage 15 / Norwegian Sky – dunenovels.comPage 15 / Noordam - www.panoramio.comPage 16 / Norwegian Sky png - Cruise-ships.comPage 17 / Cruising through Venice – www.seabreezes.co.imPage 18 / Itinerary maps – hollandamerica.comPage 19 / World map png – airdot.netPage 21 / ZUDM verandas - flickr.comPage 22 / Guests NCL - blog.icruise.comPage 22 / Guests HAL – wetu.comPage 48 / Cruise ship sunset - whotalking.comAppendix B / Ship PNG’s – Cruise-ships.com
All other images used taken or owned by creator.
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2015