Whether they work on ship or shore, whether they work in a kitchen, an engine room or an office, we rely on brilliant people to create unforgettable holiday happiness for our Guests, and unforgettable careers for our people.
From saving lives, to acts of safety and delivering exceptional service, our award-winning colleagues for March have all gone above and beyond while at work.
Queen Elizabeth – Roger Pacabis, 1st Plumber
Nominated by Ronel Sivas, Customer Services Manager “Recently when I had a soggy carpet in my office the source of the water needed to be investigated and Roger attended with the utmost professionalism, friendliness and going to all lengths to find the problem. This was not the first time I’ve had dealings with Roger and every time I do, I feel that I have to commend his eagerness to help at any time with a friendly smile and a joke.
Keep up the good work Roger, he is well worth this nomination”.
Queen Mary 2 – Deekshya Aley, Events Manager
Deekshya is the true meaning of going “Above and Beyond”. always exceeding expectations and demands of her everyday duties as well as any additional tasks thrown at her. Her never say “NO” attitude often gets her into a pool of work, but her very willing behaviour is a true explanation of White Star Service, nothing is too much or too big, she’s the one to get it done. Deekshya was faced with a very challenging crossing not only focusing on her duties, but also running around after Movie Stars, Films Directors and Producers and not to forget ,her Uncle David Shepherd. Working day and night ensuring that all involved delivered the Oscar winning performance that we all expect from Cunard. Queen Mary 2 will be the White Star of the movie, but we all know the true White Star behind the scenes was Deekshya.
Deekshya went above and beyond her duties when the film crew came on making sure all was running smoothly and corresponding with all the departments. Making sure all were ready and prepared for their scenes. She did this seamlessly as well as her normal duties.
Queen Victoria – Elberto Manalese, Carpenter
The Technical team would like to nominate Carpenter Elberto Manalese for this month’s White Star award. He has brought a great deal of expertise, skill and professionalism to our depleted Carpenters team since he joined several months ago. His skill, knowledge and expertise as well as his excellent attention to detail are first class and much needed on Queen Victoria to maintain the very high standards we require.
After a recent family tragedy we feel Elberto has tried his level best to overcome and deal with this by devoting his efforts and time to his work. This is commendable and deserves mention.
He certainly deserves a great deal of recognition for his continued efforts and we are very proud of him. Well done and thank you.
Arcadia – Marie Fletcher, Musician
Marie was a tour escort when a guest was taken ill. Marie saved the guest from great personal embarrassment by acting quickly and liaising with the guide to organise transport back to the ship. The guest was very grateful and Marie had acted beyond her normal escort duties, without any hesitation and fuss.
Aurora –Jessica Tangso, Hotel Assistant
Jessica is not medically trained, but she is part of the medical response team; Recently we have had numerous extremely serious Medical Response Calls to deal with and she attended all of them, where she assisted in close proximity to the doctors & nurses (eg. squeezing bags of fluids, carrying and passing heavy equipment). Apart from the intense emotional strain she experienced with each case, the work itself is also extremely hard and stressful; Jessica has performed brilliantly under these challenging circumstances.
Azura – Ehtesham Samani, Hotel Assistant
A Guest had collapsed in the men’s toilet, Ehtesham found the gentleman, called 999 and waited with the guest till medical team arrived, this later resulted in medical debark in Vigo. As per the medical team Ehtesham’s swift action helped save the guests life.
Britannia– Marvin Mendoza, Electro Technician
Marvin received the nomination from a Guest “My Husbands electric wheelchair was broken, and Marvin spent a lot of time (I think his own) in mending it. Without it my husband cannot move as he cannot walk”.
Oceana – Julius Mercado, Onboard IT Technician
Julius was nominated because of two exceptional achievements, both critical to ship’s operation. On the first occasion he repaired a workstation for our ship’s navigation system on the bridge and on the second occasion he managed to fix the interface for the door lock programming hardware. Both devices had been classified as ‘beyond repair’, but Julius managed to fix them sacrificing his resting time and willing to help others.
Ventura – Larson Thekkekkara – Receptionist
Late in the evening this crew member was approached by a female guest, who started to announce loudly that she was going to go end her life and jump off the ship. The guest was very challenging, verbally abusive and swearing. She then started to run towards the Promenade Deck. This Crew Member immediately left his duties, grabbing a radio as he went after her. As he followed her she continued to tell other guests her intentions. Just as she reached the open deck, he managed to catch up with her. The guest was abusive and all the time threatening to jump off the ship. Despite this he managed to update Security Officer on the radio of his location, calling for assistance. He remained calm, talking to the guest and all the time keeping himself between the guest and the railings. Eventually he managed to get her to sit down and relax just as Security Officer arrived on scene. The guest was then taken to the Medical centre for help. From viewing the CCTV and speaking with the guest involved it is clear that his quick actions and calming manner, likely prevented her from going through with her actions.