INSIDE INTERVIEW:
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Above: Captain Harstrom joking with passengers at the crew farewell at the end of a cruise.
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Coaching the team.
There is more to being a cruise ship captain than just driving the ship. The captain is the CEO of a multi-faceted enterprise. Reporting directly to him are not only the staff captain but the hotel director, the chief engineer and the ship's human resource director. “In a way, you could see yourself as a coach, a team leader - - that is the most important part of being a captain [aside from the responsibility for the safety and security of the ship and her passengers]. ” “My personal mission on the ship is to [create] a good atmosphere which is reflected to the passengers. A happy crew, a happy ship, a happy passenger. The style and the attitude come from the top. You need to spread the nice atmosphere, the family atmosphere, around the ship. I like to create a good atmosphere for those who are working. It is important.” “I have my meetings [with the crew] every month in the Stardust Theater. I have little shows and tell them what is happening. I am very much involved in all kinds of service awards. We have a special lunch, where you can sit down maybe 50 people and they can tell me what is on their minds. If there is anything, I always encourage them to come up to the staff captain or me to sit down and talk. They can come directly to me to talk about it because they know [there will be] some result. We solve it in some way.” In addition, Norwegian invests in its crew members by giving them extensive training. “The total amount of lectures onboard is maybe 6,000 hours during one month. We have lectures and classes going on the whole day, seven days a week. All the time, there is some scheduled education for crew members. They learn a lot.” Such training, combined with good living quarters and pay that is often much better than anything available at home, creates loyalty. “Some of the crew members are getting 40 times more [than they could get at home]. They come home like a millionaire from the ship, starting up a small business after 10 years. It changes the whole life for their families and their future. They can afford to have their children in private schools and promote everyone in the family. There are a lot of people who have been [with Norwegian] for 20 years, even 30.” |
Why Choose Norwegian Star?
When asked why people should choose Norwegian Star for their vacations, Captain Harstrom began with her itinerary because, as he noted, many people make their vacation decision based upon destination. Captain Harstrom has sailed to many ports and for him, Bermuda “is the most beautiful island.” Norwegian Star, of course, is not the only ship that sails to Bermuda but “I should choose it definitely because of the concept of Freestyle Cruising.” Freestyle gives guests options with which they can tailor their vacation to meet their tastes. The Star has “14 restaurants. You have food choice with the churascaria, you have the Asian food, French, steakhouse etc. Also you have very high standards in the main restaurants.” “But we also have quite an advantage when it comes to entertainment. For instance, the Elements show is two classes better than any show that I have seen at sea.” “There is a show, a dinner, a menu for everyone when you come onboard a ship like this.” |
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Cruise ship interview - - Norwegian Star - -Norwegian Cruise Line - Captain Kenneth Harstrom - page two