MIAMI -- If you turned on your TV last month and saw Carnival
president Bob Dickinson rushing about in a Carnival-pink
bar-waiter's uniform, you probably did a double take.
But there he was, carrying drinks to fussy passengers aboard the
Imagination. He also could be seen folding linen below decks,
showing diners to their tables and tidying up cabins.
Dickinson, it turns out, is one of several head honchos who
spent a week working with rank-and-file employees for the PBS
series "Back to the Floor."
The show's premise: The boss sheds his tailored suit for a
uniform and, in Dickinson's case, spends five days working on a
cruise ship while cameras record the experience.
The half-hour show is a hit in the U.K., where it's been airing
on the BBC for four years, but Dickinson was the first U.S.
executive featured.
He said he jumped at the chance. Aside from the publicity, the
Carnival chief said it was a way to get a fresh look at the
business.
"I frequently hear my job described as a conductor," he said.
"What this job allowed me to do is to go back and play
instruments."
Among the instruments played: purser's assistant, bar waiter,
room steward, dining steward and social host.
The guest interaction was fun, Dickinson said, but some jobs
were tough, such as taking a drink order and then locating the
guest 15 minutes later.
"Out in the sun one hairy guy is the same as another," he said.
"That was a challenge."
Despite Dickinson's willingness to enter the trenches, the
producers highlighted the differences between him and his
employees, opening the show with Dickinson in his mansion and
closing with a cabin steward named Elena, who showed Dickinson the
ropes.
According to the show, Elena makes $45 a month. Dickinson
pointed out she also made $4,000 one month in tips.
"So, yes, it's a seven-day-a-week job, but ... for someone in
the U.S. to make [the equivalent of] $4,000, they'd have to make
over $100,000 per year," he said.
Several crew issues uncovered by Dickinson -- such as
uncomfortable waiters' uniforms and unmanageable crew hours -- were
addressed at the end of the cruise, when Carnival's Quality Control
Committee held an onboard meeting.
Dickinson said he and his executive staff are on the ships
constantly, visiting the crew and taking comments -- "we're very
hands-on" -- so there's no need for him or his staff to repeat the
"Back to the Floor" experience.
"Almost all our senior people came up through the ships," he
said. "So they've lived this, not just for a day or a week, but for
years."
Want to see all this for yourself? Check your local TV
listings.