There are about 450 crew members providing service to the 875 passengers on our inaugural world cruise. The crew come from all over the world, but probably more from the Philippines than any other country. From the room stewards to the galley staff to the carpentry guys, the service has been superior! The crew goes out of their way to make sure our cruise experience is positive and enjoyable. We are really pampered.
The captain is Atle Knutsen, from Bergen, Norway. He calls himself our "designated driver." He and his bridge staff have kept us on time with a minimum of rocking and rolling on the Pacific ocean. The captain's wife, Lara Knutsen, is serving as an ambassador or hostess. She greets us around the ship with a warm smile and encouraging comments. The captain and his wife met on another cruise ship and have been married for 14 years, having homes in San Diego and Norway.
The cruise director is Heather Clancy. She has a witty, outgoing personality and has made the cruise so much fun with all the activities that are scheduled each day. Heather gives port talks and introduces the nightly entertainment along with daily communication. Heather is a trained opera singer and has entertained us with her vocal talents. Heather is assisted by Elmer, who is from the Philippines and used to sing on Disney cruise ships.
Lishen Louw, the excursion manager, has been outstanding at arranging interesting places to visit in our ports of call. She is witty, kind, patient and very knowledgeable about traveling. I believe she has visited 140 countries. Lishen was kind enough to meet with Rick and me privately to provide suggestions of places to visit in London when we spend an extra 2 days at the end of the cruise. She gave us practical and helpful guidance.
Gary Jerry is part of the entertainment staff. He is from England and has performed in west end theatres in London. Gary is a fantastic piano player and has a nice tenor voice. Gary organized the world cruise choir, which I have joined, and prepared us to perform a medley of South Pacific songs recently. The choir plans to perform several more short concerts in the atrium of the ship as the cruise progresses.
The restaurant wait staff, bartenders, pool assistants, cabin stewards and all the other crew members all work so hard to provide the passengers with a memorable experience. Many of them work 10 hours/day, 7 days a week, in their positions. A big THANK YOU to all the crew for providing such good service and a wonderful world cruise!
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