It’s the little things that can make a big difference so, whilst shore leave isn’t currently possible, the Wellbeing team, with help from colleagues across Carnival UK, have been looking at ways we can Improve and support the wellbeing of our colleagues on board.
We caught up with Dan Yeates, Wellbeing Manager to find out more…
“Our colleagues told us that they’ve missed their quick trips to supermarkets and having easy access to a wide range of products at low prices. Products such as snacks and essential toiletries were high on their wish list, so we’ve brought the shop to them!
On Thursday 15 July we opened the doors to our crew pop up shop to colleagues from Britannia at Ocean Cruise Terminal and Ventura at Mayflower Cruise Terminal.
Lots of our colleagues took the opportunity to stock up, all whilst following social distancing protocols to protect everyone’s health and wellbeing. A special thanks goes out to all of the ships’ teams for managing the large flow of crew and making sure all colleagues followed guidelines whilst in the terminal and on the quayside.
For many of our colleagues, this was the first time they’d been ashore in a while and they commented on how it felt like a positive step toward returning to a sense of normality.”
Steven Strange, HR Manager on Ventura and Allison Downs, Learning and Development Officer on Britannia added:
“The crew were impressed with the choice and low prices, with many items costing less than they would in a supermarket. Thanks to all for organising this much needed shopping opportunity and investment in our crew wellbeing!”
“The crew shop in the terminal is an excellent asset. The choice of items and the prices are all very good and the staff are very helpful, even agreeing to try to source extra items requested by some of the crew.”
The crew shop then popped up for our Iona colleagues on Tuesday 20 July. Michelle Dickinson, HR Manager shared her experience:
“We had around 220 crew get off the ship to use the shop – they almost bought everything, but the staff went out to get more so there was plenty for all. The shop owner was very accommodating and the staff were great. All in all a very popular event. It’s been a long time coming but so appreciated by crew.”
The pop up shop will continue to run as often as possible during calls to Southampton, and we’ll work together with the ships to ensure it meets the needs of our colleagues. We’ll also be adding a pre-order facility soon, so even those with limited time can be part of it.
A big thank you to all of our colleagues across Carnival UK, both ship and shore, who have shared their expertise and helped make this possible.