Pan de Sal Cruise

At 24 knots, the 91,000-ton Celebrity Constellation, with 2,400 plus passengers and 941 crew members on board, cruised the Baltic Sea towards St. Petersburg. Thanks to Flor Rodriguez and her staff at Travel Best in National City, who so ably organized the 14-day Scandinavian trip, forty-seven Filipino-Americans from San Diego went the way of 11th century seafaring Vikings.



In two weeks, these lucky San Diegans traveled 3,294 nautical miles, docking at historic ports for a day or two. They visited Oslo, Copenhagen, Warnemunde, Tallin, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm, while succumbing to the allure of a wide open sea.



It was a memorable trip for various reasons, one of which was sitting down for dinner each evening at the elegant San Marco restaurant on Deck 4 to select from a first rate menu. The unique culinary experience was particularly special because of the basket of hot pan de sal which the Filipino kitchen crew baked daily for its beloved Filipino patrons.



Pan de sal was served at specific tables occupied by Filipino guests. Soon, other passengers learned of the distinctive bread. Crew members of other nationalities -- from Bulgaria, Honduras, Jamaica,etc. --- also acquired a taste of the mildly sweet Filipino bread.



The generous kitchen crew made homemade pan de sal which was tastier than commercially baked bread, if a bit sweeter. Appreciative of the special treat, we requested a copy of the "secret" pan de sal recipe and the hospitable crew obliged.



The Celebrity Constellation's (exclusive) delicious pan de sal was made out of:



10 lbs flour

16 oz sugar

3 oz salt

3 lbs butter

5 lbs bread crumbs

5 lbs milk

5 lbs eggs

15 oz yeast



Filipinos, undoubtedly, are making their significant contribution to the rapidly rising industry of cruise vacations (in the last decade, cruise lines have doubled their fleets and the business is expected to triple by 2009). Of the 900 plus crew members, 300 or a third, were Filipinos. Our kababayans ran the kitchen (the chief pastry chef was Filipino); they attended to diners as waiters and maitre' d; they populated the guest relations counter, patiently taking care of complaints and dutifully exchanging foreign currency; they assisted at the gangway, assisting passengers on and off the ship; they maintained the engine room and handled the ventilation system, plumbing, desalinization, etc. -- they were literally everywhere, from bow to stern, on all eleven decks.



For a company that is headquartered in Miami and employing an international crew recruited from 60 countries worldwide ((the master captain was Greek), the extent of Filipino involvement is phenomenal. One obvious reason is that Filipinos, in addition to fluency in English, provide friendly customer service. They work hard, are uncomplaining, and resilient. Recruitment agencies in the Philippines facilitate the steady supply of Filipino workers for cruise line companies.



Life at sea, despite free board and lodging and other perks, can be difficult, particularly with regards to strained family relationships. Contracts vary from 3-9 months. Filipinos usually sign up for 6-month contracts.



Base pay is a lowly $50/month for the average stateroom steward, cabin attendant or housekeeper. They rely on gratuities from passengers but are guaranteed $900/month, particularly during dry dock days when the ship is empty.



Still, it is job that entails sacrifice. Cruises go back to back so the crew hardly enjoys days or holidays off. However, the stewards admit that work on a cruise ship is preferable to scrounging for irregular jobs back home in the Philippines. Furthermore, they consider their working conditions to be better than those of overseas workers in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East.



I wish the 14-day cruise could have been extended. It was a wonderful vacation and an eye-opening experience for both Filipino passengers and their kababayan crew members.