On the CC boards, there are posts stating that the relationships between RSSC and the current owners of the PG are significantly different that the historical relationships with former owners.

For example, it is stated that long-time Capt. Broussard (sp?) is being let go as of sometime this spring, and is being replaced with a new Captain who is an employee not of RSCC, but of the new owners. It is also stated that the maintanence crew are now employees of the new owners, and have had their pay severely cut.

It is further stated that the new owners have significant control over the cruise/hotel operation, to the extent that they vetoed RSSC's request (?) to have a crew recon visit to the Cook Islands before the PG's first ever sailing there this September.

My question here is whether there is any truth to any of this. Does anybody know?

Thanks,
Richard

Because I see this thread quoted on other threads on this board, I hasten to point out that all this is RUMOR, which I hope will be shown to be seesntially false.

But there is now an additional RUMOR from CC that GCT has put up a "travel desk" on the PG to sell GCT tours which have nothing to do with Radisson.

If these RUMORS are essentially true, the problem is not in the details, but in the concept that Radisson would appear to be relinquishing control of the operation of this ship and cruise. After all, when we book a Radisson cruise, we want a Radisson cruise.

Thanks,
Richard

Richard, the travel desk is a fact (a GCT/Vantage
deluxe agent) helps the 60-100 GCT pax go on tours, runs cocktail parties, runs debarkation, etc., my impression which I shared with the Hotel Director on the PG, was the GCT desk looked like
a 7-11 in the Nordstrom/Neiman Marcus parking lot..and gave one the impression that the RSSC staff could not handle (know it is far from the truth) the GCT/Vantage deluxe traveler wishes..

that said, as I said earlier, the PG experience
for us (in March) was the best cruise (Service,
Cruise, Destination, Food) except ship (we prefer the Navigator) experience we have had...r/wes

Thanks, Wes:

Now, who knows about the rest of the "rumors?"

Thanks,
Richard

I wrote this report after our 02/15/05 Diamond cruise, but will comment again.
We had dinner with Captain Neil Bromfield (think that's right), and he was explaining the changes on the Diamond but commented about other ships.
Almost ALL cruise ship as well as commercial companies have contracts with the "V" Corporation to furnish the Captains, Staff Captains, and anyone else involved with the actual opereration of the ship. he said it is somewhere around 90% of ships out there currently under sail. The hotel,food, entertainment, gift shop, photo, are all seperate and contracted out. You normally have 5 to 6 different companies working together so the passengers don't know the difference.
I assume the PG Captain and all other personal would fall under this guide line.

Remember you never touch your glasses together during a toast aboard a ship. You just slightly tip it towards each other.
Almost all ships are insured through Lloyds of London and if a ship is lost at sea they ring a bell. The clanking of a glass is bad or negative superstition.

Thanks, Jim:

No single rumor I mentioned above really concerned me, in and of itself. It is the combination of them all that worries me. Actually, replacement of the Captain was the matter that worried me the least. I spent too many years in the "corporate world" to be unaware that personnel decisions usually involve facts that are not made known to fellow employees, let alone the general public.

Now that the questions as to the Captain's status and the GCT desk have been addressed, does anybody know anything about the two remaining matters -- which concerned me most. These are the matter of the pay cut for maintanence staff and GCT using "veto" power over RSSC's historical procedure of doing "recon" on new posrt.

Thanks,
Richard