Have you ever wondered what it takes to make a guest happy? The key is to understand the needs of others and always take pride in your job on a cruise ship. Indeed, we live in a society where time is money. Most people work around the clock to ensure their family needs are met. Sometimes, a lucky percentage of people can go on a cruise, capture unforgettable memories with their friends and family, and create a lifetime experience. As crew members, we see the guest having fun while cruising, but that is only the visible part of the iceberg. Most people are working hard to put some money on the side and save for a long time to go on a cruise. During my challenging contracts, I wanted to remind myself that those people saved their money for months, maybe even years, just to come for a short holiday with their family and friends.

Find the reason to smile despite everything

On the other side of the coin, the crew members are exposed daily to some horrific challenges at sea, and most of the time, we are lonely, overused, tired, and sometimes it is hard to smile and be polite. It's a natural reaction of our body; we can't be robots and smile 24 hours per day, 6-10 months. As a former crew member, I have a lot of empathy and compassion toward the crew members. 

On the other side, the respectful guest who are coming to enjoy their holiday, it's not their fault because I am working my 14 hours shift or if my manager is constantly harassing me every day. 

Be engaging and approachable toward the guests

When we think about how hard it is for people to save their hard-earned money to come on the cruise ship, it brings a different service perspective. Personally, that always triggered the alarm button in my brain as a reminder to be kind to the guest consistently, regardless of how I felt at the specific moment of my contract on board. 

The best part about it? 

Well, that approach to the guest has a tremendous reward. Regardless of the background of the guests, every single guest will react positively to our kindness, generous smile, and a few simple but nice words. 

Sometimes it's hard; I do understand that. There are days when crew members are not feeling well; it's hard to make ourselves presentable, engaging, kind, and spontaneous with the guests. 

Providing only the minimum required service to avoid complaints from the guest is like having a Ferarri but only driving it 30 miles per hour and never exploring the car's potential. Some days are hard, away from our families and loved ones. But then, we can shake off that feeling and become the best version of ourselves while making our contract. It's what is truly unique about the domino effect that will be created in that case. Firstly, the gratitude from our lovely guests will be enormous. Second, even if the guest is not wealthy, I can guarantee they will take the last cent from their valet to show you an appreciation for your hard work. And that domino effect goes further. Your status in your respected department will also change positively due to your workplace recognition. The ability to make a difference for the guest on board the cruise ship and influence their overall cruising experience is such a huge responsibility.

Little gesture of kindness never goes unnoticed

Let's pause and think about it for a second. Somebody saves money for a family cruise for two years. As a crew member, am I entitled not to be at my best when I encounter these people? Absolutely not. In my long career on the cruise ship, there were many days when I did not feel like acting. On those days, I did the opposite; I acted myself into feeling. Sometimes my cheeks were painful from smiling too much, even when I did not feel like smiling. But that is our ultimate privilege, and as a crew member, you should take pride in that aspect. 

Everywhere you go, take your smile with you

How powerful is our ability to create some fabulous memories for our guests? It comes down to little details, saying hello, and being kind regardless of circumstances. If we want, we can always find the way, but if we don't, we can always find an excuse. Ultimately, it is our decision and responsibility to always put a smile on our faces. Psychologically, even if we do not feel like smiling and forcing a smile on our face, an instant positive influence will be created on our feelings. Science has proven that valuable statement. With that positive mindset, we are automatically creating win-win outcomes, win for us and win for the guests. Naturally, excellent tips will follow as a secondary benefit of our decision to be kind towards the guests at all times.

Moreover, with that kind of service excellence, the results are perfect; guests are blown away by our high standard of service, the amount of tips we can make is simply unimaginable, and most importantly, as crew members, we are becoming proud of our legacy. At a certain point, as a crew members, we realize that being a positive difference makes for the customer experience has an impactful, long-lasting effect.

It is not what we say; it's more about how we say it

As crew members, we should pay attention to details to make a guest happy. In the service industry, it's not about what we say to our guests but how we say it; our body language, tone of voice, posture, and hand gesture. When we engage with the guest personally, they feel looked after, respected, and important. Indeed that is the crucial reason all our guests keep coming to the cruise.

Why does a specific guest decide to come back to cruise or not? It mainly depends on us. Why do people travel only with a particular company or specific ships? Most of the time, according to research, It's not because of the lack of luxury, food options, or drinks selection. That is not the instrumental point in the guest decision-making; it is our fellow employees' human aspect and soft skills. 

If you can make someone experience a sense of belonging to a particular ship, those guests will do anything in their power to return to the cruise ship as soon as possible. It comes down to consistency, simply giving every guest a friendly, engaging smile.

Kindness will always win

I have witnessed thousands of situations on the ship where the nervous, rude, obnoxious guest entirely change their attitude by the end of their cruising journey. As crew members, we never gave them a reason to complain anymore. Instead, we smiled back and let the water flow. By the end of the cruise, millions of times, the passengers would even come to apologize to my fellow colleagues. 

Only some guests are going to be kind and friendly. Still, when we decide not to change our behavior based on the wind blowing, we are making a fundamental system of hospitality service excellence that will surely never go unnoticed. Kindes always traveling very far. 

Our greatest professional input is when the passengers feel validated for their recognized guest status.

Our ability to perform excellent service daily, despite pressure, requires a lot of courage considering ship life circumstances. In particular, American guests are the best guests in the world. As a crew member, you can easily create small conversations with them, and you will become proud to be able to create some unforgettable guest memories from the cruise ship. That attitude of ours goes further than just the job description. It's our moral duty to seek the best ways to discover our guest's needs. That will be rewarded significantly by our guests in many different ways. 

It's nice to feel important while working on the cruise ship, but it's even more important to be nice!