Don’t let them in don’t let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal don’t feel, don’t let them know..
Should any of you ever choose to go on a cruise, whatever the line, whatever the destination, we pray that you remember something.
Remember that your crew members, from the Master of the Vessel to the bottom of the engine room, to the people you never see who toil every day to make the ship run smoothly –are people. We are not perfect. We have hearts, we have feelings, and we can be wounded. While yelling at us may make you feel better, it will not ultimately solve the problem, nor will it increase our ability to do so.
Trust that we are already working to our utmost to resolve whatever issue may have been presented to us; trust that there are a dozen people behind us working even harder to come up with a resolution that will be suitable to your needs.
We wear a bullet proof vest over our emotions, we do not let them show, but that doesn’t mean that they are not there.
Please, have patience; with us and with yourselves. Understand that some of us are on the 8th hour of a ten or twelve (or in some cases like housekeeping or bartending, 14) hour day. That our eyes ache and our backs are sore, that the smile is starting to feel false and that we are starting to fray around the edges though we aren’t allowed to show it or say it. That we are tired wired and sometimes wound too tight.
Understand that while we will do our utmost and go out of our way to make you feel at home and catered to there is only so much we can do. We cannot make the ship go smoother or faster, we cannot control the weather, we cannot produce more newsletters out of thin air when we run out, we cannot schedule events to fit your dining schedule. We cannot make the computers faster or the air conditioner colder with the snap of a finger.
Please understand that just because we sit behind a desk and wear a name tag does not mean we have the ability to solve all your problems or malcontentments with the way the ship is being run, much as we might like to.
Understand that some of us are tied by rules that we can’t explain because they are either too complicated or policy prevents us discussing them. Understand that while we may know a great many things, we do not all know the specifics of how the bridge is run, nor do we know the name of every single landmass that we happen to pass, or the genus of every bird that flies overhead. We cannot call up the captain for every question you may ask us. We do not have all the answers at our fingertips.
Respect that our personal lives, our hearts, our minds, our loves; are our own and that we are not always ready to be an open book to your curiosity. Understand that we need just as much respect and consideration as anyone else you would meet. Ask yourself if the question you want to ask us is one that you would wish asked of yourself, and proceed accordingly.
Understand that we are people, not clockwork.
Thank you, bless you and Amen.