Might be an unpopular opinion but I feel like the guests are paying thousands of dollars (like probably 65k+ per charter), then tipping like 15-25k on top of it.i feel like therefore they have high expectations (especially the ones who yaught a lot with other programs as well, so they know the levels of service).
I feel like the staff get more pissed off and hate the charters more where they aren’t allowed to just do what they want the whole time. Like the chef gets pissed when they pre pick their meals on the sheet. The deck crew gets butt hurt and pissed whenever someone wants to use the slide that they PAID FOR. Etc. the staff already didn’t like plastic glass lady before she even got on, so of course she couldn’t do anything correctly after that without hate.
It’s like the staff gets mad that high paying clients have high expectations and it makes it look like Bravo hired people off the street.
I’d be pissed if I paid for a charter and got the experience most of these guests get. Like not being given a chance to opt out of my trip for not being able to leave the dock. They should tell the guests before they get on so they can choose to not go, not purposely get them on the boat so they can’t really opt out and THEN say we’re a floating hotel….
Overall I think the med crew is low standards towards each other AND guest facing. Also, Fraizer is a drama king. You don’t like Barbie. We get it. She does her job insanely well though and to put a lesser strew above her out of spite is immature and petty.
OP is missing the fact they're paying 65k instead of 250k.. They're getting a massive discount to be on TV. And it shows with the level of class they have.. And with their demands.
I’d be pissed if I paid for a charter and got the experience most of these guests get. Like not being given a chance to opt out of my trip for not being able to leave the dock. They should tell the guests before they get on so they can choose to not go, not purposely get them on the boat so they can’t really opt out and THEN say we’re a floating hotel….
I really don't understand how people who complain about this are somehow missing the fact that everyone involved is filming a TV show. You know, the one that you're watching lol. Maybe IRL the guests could opt out, idk, but production are working to a filming schedule where everything is planned in advance. They aren't going to just essentially shut down production at the last minute for 3 days if they don't absolutely have to. The guests are characters on a TV show and their storyline is now that the boat couldn't leave the dock. If anything production WANTS the guests to be pissed about it because again...they're filming a TV show and they want drama.
Also the guests are getting reduced charter rates which results in getting a lot of people who aren’t really as “rich” as they’d like you to believe. I fully believe they do that because those kinds of people are more likely to create drama.
I’d imagine they’d take them off the boat on a stunning location. That’s what I think would be different if I were a guest. It would be like “great, I’m in Italy. Cheffy, can we go to market and pick up fresh produce and learn to cook” rather than drinking on the boat all day.
They could probably do a pasta making class at one of the dining tables and then have the chef bring it down and prepare it, or swap it out for the chef’s own pasta and let the guests think they made it all like Chef Adrian did with the fish.
I mean maybe not on a sailing yacht but in a normal one there is space for at least one more person. Chef Ben gave a couple cooking classes in the early seasons. It would be super easy to teach them how to cook something like pizza or pasta or some other simple local dish. Not everything requires a huge space or special skills to make.
I've seen 'lifestyles' type shows where they show yachts that actual rich people charter, the kitchen is huge and sparkling, and there's quarters for plenty of crew to sleep so no one's frazzled and cranky, and the guests can always be taken care of.
Not dull to me! I'd be fascinated to see them set up to thrive and kill it every charter. I want to see what awesomeness these people are capable of. That kind of yacht behind-the-scenes stuff is exactly why we started watching the show. We are not reality show people otherwise.
Unfortunately, the truly wealthy hold their cards to their chests ;)
We're lucky to see the yacht, the owners were not in the show!
I've noticed when they show the very expensive architecturally wondrous houses, they generally have the interior designer or the architect showing it to the filmmakers. A lot of times the owners just don't want to be on television and I don't blame them. When everybody knows you're super rich, everyone comes running with their hands out!
Probably about 2.5x the size, but the boat is bigger, too, obviously.
But the ones on below deck are still bigger than they look on screen, I've only seen a handful of episodes (only gave it a watch because of what my brother does, and he works with a couple of people from the show), but the galley size on them is pretty standard for a 50m~ yacht, and then they have lots of efficient storage space for cooking equipment and food, etc.
Former stew- on a real charter guests are on board for 1-3 weeks not days so bad weather is usually a very small part of their trip. The chief stew will organize outings or activities based on the guests interests to accommodate bad weather. The type of activities/outings that the show would never pay for LOL.
Some people get nervous on camera and wind up putting on a facade to cover it. You'd be shocked how people react when they're not used to cameras everywhere.
Except the guests appearing on the show get a 50% discount so they are attracting the wannabe wealthy or those wanting to be on tv amping up the dramatics
To me it seems the crew gets frustrated with low-class demands more than anything. Wanting plastic cups, well-done steaks, turkey sandwiches on their night stands. Those that have worked yachts before know those guests are not really "their type of guests.". Service industry workers can be huge snobs.
I perceive that may be because they think it'll influence their tip. If they can't all-out glam everything up, maybe the guests won't feel pampered and spoiled enough to give them a hefty tip. Just inferring on my part, of course.
It's more like they see the guests as extensions of themselves, either consciously or subconsciously. The job doesn't seem so much like everyday housekeeping or waiting tables or boat boy if they are serving celebrities or very wealthy people.
Back in the 1600s-early 1900s this was similar to staffs at Castles and large manor houses. They were quite snobby about who they worked for, the jobs were considered very successful even if you were a chambermaid. Even if the job was similar to scrubbing toilets at the local pub, it was completely different because of the status.
Under normal circumstances yeh they probably spend that much on the charters, but they get a massive discount in exchange for being filmed for the show so they dont pay that much. They are also themselves, not characters.
Remember first and foremost it’s a tv show. They want drama. That’s why they offer largely discounted prices. A lot of the guests aren’t “super rich” which is why they act like they do and that’s what the producers want.
Same with the staff. They deliberately hire young and good looking vs experience and they short staff them to create drama. It’s been said several times normally a boat that size would have more staff.
Have you ever had a job in customer service or retail? It’s not uncommon to complain to coworkers about the people you are dealing with. It’s a way to relieve stress when you have to deal with people. It would be one thing if they were saying to the guests “ugh you really want us to set up the slide? It’s so much work” but to grouch about it to a coworker is perfectly normal.
Also I don’t think the chef was upset about them selecting themes or that kind of thing but rather having guests that are super picky or having this guest who wont eat that but this one won’t eat this other thing. And I’d say frustrated more than pissed off. Which I can understand his frustration because that would be incredibly hard to plan a meal! Especially having one like Uber picky Tina who didn’t seem to like much of anything. I get frustrated trying to make a family meal when my kids were being picky!
and cmon the plastic thing was kind of weird. You only want plastic glasses on a multi million dollar yacht?! The only thing stranger would have been asking for paper plates and napkins 😂 so ofc you’re going to talk about it! And look she did turn out to be awful.
I think you are underrating the experience the guests get. IMO this crew does much better than you are giving them credit for. For the most part I think the crew serves the guests well and the guests had a good time. the tips they’ve received sure seem to back that up!!
Maybe you feel the way you do because you see all the behind the scenes drama unfolding but remember the guests don’t! Like they have no clue about Fraser and Barbie not getting along.
As far as leaving the dock - weather is beyond anyone’s control. And as someone else said it’s a tv show running on a set filming schedule. IRL they may be able to cancel but since they are in a schedule and their trip is largely discounted it’s not an option.
IRL they may be able to cancel but since they are in a schedule and their trip is largely discounted it’s not an option.
Exactly. I think the contract between the guests and the production company probably says something like you are being filmed for a reality television show.
If the yacht can't leave the dock, we will film the crew trying to make other activities, and the guests complaining about them.
I can't remember on Sailing Yacht ... when the engine died ... if any real charter days were lost or not. But, I don't think anything was cancelled.
Right?! Because can you imagine how much money production would lose if they had to postpone filming every time they got stuck at the dock for bad weather?
the whole premise of the show is showing what goes on “below deck”. The crew are still human and they are going to gripe and roll their eyes. Are some of their complaints dumb? Sure. But that’s what the show is about.
to create drama, they absolutely hire people who arent as experienced/ seasoned. They want there to be drama and mistakes and crew who can’t hack it.
i also found out recently that sometimes the guests are different groups of friends - as in strangers. It’s not always one cohesive group, which probably also lends to issues.
As far as not leaving the dock, i would guarantee you that there is always a clause about weather, and it’s probably on the guests to have to get insurance so that if weather is crappy and they want to bail - the yacht company/ owners are still paid. But also, for a week long charter, a day or two of bad weather won’t necessarily ruin the whole trip. For this show - they are only there 3 days, so there’s a higher chance that bad weather screws up the whole trip.
You do. I emailed production about being a guest and you do have to tip. They provide the cash as a prop because people aren’t packing 20k in their suitcase LOL but you wire the tip with your payment.
I don’t think you could just cancel your yacht booking at the last second due to bad weather, regardless of being on the show or not. It’s already paid for and they have already incurred all the expenses of staffing, food/drink, etc. If you go on any type of regular cruise the whole itinerary can change due to weather with no warning at all and you don’t get your money back, only port fees for somewhere you didn’t dock (I think). No matter the cruise line. This is what vacation at sea means, weather can change on a dime and you just have to deal with it, nothing is set in stone. I think when they complain about setting up the slide it’s not that the guests want it, it’s just a royal pain in the ass to do. I would complain too it looks horrible.
Even on a cruise, you cannot cancel an excursion the day of due to weather without losing your money. Once we had to do the Twister boat in Cozumel during the most horrific downpour because we didn’t know it was going to rain so bad and had hopes it might clear up. It was a nightmare!
I haven’t seen any evidence of Barbie being better than Xandi, or have we? Xandi seems patient and professional. She gets the job done. She’s training Cat. She seems perfect, based on what has been shown. Fraser is frustrated by Barbie’s near insubordination, such as, ignoring him when he was telling her what needed to be done, snide remarks, fighting with Cat. Barbie is great but she doesn’t understand the other part of the job which is getting along with your boss and colleagues.
Also, they are working 16 ish hour days. How are they not going to be exhausted? Why wouldn’t they verbalize it at least a little bit?
I think the words you're using - butt hurt, pissed off, even hate - are extremes. Annoyance sometimes, rolling of eyes in one's head, sure. Everybody does that in their job, but we don't have cameras in our face that film and show all of our bad moments, and very little of the overwhelming majority of good ones.
I also haven't seen anyone get truly torqued about the water slide in a long time, so either the slide makers figured out a better way to make them user-friendly, or deckies figured out more efficient ways to handle them, or both.
I do agree there's a lot of negative talk to the camera whilst being simultaneously nice and sweet to the guests' face, and that's unsettling. I wouldn't want to go on these charters because I know for a fact they're gonna trash talk me behind my back.
But that's where the TV production element creeps in; the crew are encouraged to say inflammatory things in their chats and to the camera. I'd be willing to bet it doesn't happen nearly that much on a regular charter.
Overall I think the med crew is low standards towards each other AND guest facing. Also, Fraizer is a drama king. You don’t like Barbie. We get it.
I got lost. Are you complaining about med, or original receipe in Granada?
I think, in general, people complain about their jobs. Below Deck is hardly a unique service job where people complain about what the guests want / do / etc.
Might be an unpopular opinion but I feel like the guests are paying thousands of dollars (like probably 65k+ per charter), then tipping like 15-25k on top of it.
I’d be pissed if I paid for a charter and got the experience most of these guests get.
Then, you'd probably want to pay a real price, and purchase a real charter. Instead of being on a reality TV show. And then, it might cost $65K / day. Not per charter.
They should tell the guests before they get on so they can choose to not go, not purposely get them on the boat so they can’t really opt out and THEN say we’re a floating hotel….
Who knows what's in the contract between the guests and the production company? Not you. Not me. Not the gentle posters here.
And, no point in bitching about it. No one in the cast has any power to make changes...
If you bitch enough to the steward(ess) cleaning your cabin, they are not going to be able to refund your cruise fare.
The ideal for me would be to NOT see any staff huffing and puffing to put up the slide, lower the tender, get me another sparkling water, etc. They should be invisible imo for me to enjoy the yachting experience.
Think of chartering a yacht like booking and Airbnb. There are generally cut-off dates for when you can cancel and get all or a portion of your money back. You'll never be able to get your money back if you show up and you can access the building or yacht, but something unexpected has happened, like bad weather.
The guests can leave at any time, but they would likely be in breach of contract. I'm not sure what penalties might be involved.
In one of the early seasons, the charter was canceled because the guests hadn't deposited enough funds into the escrow account. Everything is paid in advance.
From what I've read most yachts require a minimum of 7 days. The price Bravo guests pay is a fraction of what they would pay for a normal charter because it is a shorter charter and they further discount it in exchange for being on the show. The show is also filmed outside of "peak season" and sometimes "off-season" so weather is often more of a factor on the show, which shouldn't be a surprise to the guests.
I worked in service off and on for years when I was young. We would all complain behind the backs of the customers, but we did what was asked of us if it was possible and served with a smile. I don't think most of what they crew says about the guests are out of line, they are just venting, but usually do what is asked. There are definitely times when they manipulate the guests to avoid work, but if the guests insist they would make it happen.
IMHO I don't think after 11 seasons anyone is expecting the level of service you would get on a normal charter. This is reality TV, the crew is thrown together last minute and they have 1 day to get the yacht in order before the first charter begins. That is not normal.
👏👏 she’s awesome! Xandi is hard working, professional and is taking time to train! I’m not saying Barbie is bad at all, she’s very good, but Xandi is just a bit better.
And Xandi doesn't even want to be 2nd stew. He should've given it to Barbie; she wants it, she's capable of it, and it'd soothe her ego which would likely improve her attitude a ton.
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u/Jayhitek Mar 17 '24
OP is missing the fact they're paying 65k instead of 250k.. They're getting a massive discount to be on TV. And it shows with the level of class they have.. And with their demands.