Uncompromising Service Aboard The Newest Celebrity Cruise Ship

The service aboard Celebrity’s newest ship the Silhouette was so exceptional that we decided to do a little research into the reason. We started our inquiry with an interview with an important ship’s officer. 

Sue Richardson – Hotel Director of the Silhouette  

On Celebrity cruise ships, the Hotel Director is the ranking officer directly responsible for passenger comfort and satisfaction. On our Silhouette journey, the job was well fitted to Sue Richardson a veteran of 23-years of remarkable service to very discriminating guests. 

During her career, Sue has been responsible for managing hotels, the hospitality function of several ships, and even a private island in the Bahamas.  

Onboard the Silhouette, Sue has ten department heads reporting to her. Her departments make up the majority of the crew and all the folks responsible for making your sea voyage a vacation to remember.  

Among her duties, Sue is responsible for the food, beverage, dining, entertainment, and cabin services – need we say more? 

Cruise crew contracts 

It is never obvious to passengers, but all members of a cruise ship’s company work under a time-definite contract of employment. For example, restaurant servers or room stewards might contract to work for six or eight months at sea with two months off. 

Due to the nature of these maritime contracts, ship employees are coming and going all the time. We asked Sue how it was possible to keep the high team spirit that was so evident aboard the Silhouette.

She explained, “We start with an initial core of highly motivated people on every new ship. Our global recruiters are charged with finding individuals who understand and appreciate what excellent service is all about – and are eager to provide it. We then train them in the Celebrity culture.” 

She went on, “We select people from forty different countries (always being careful to keep a balance on each ship), and we hand pick individuals who have a positive work attitude.”