Working on Cruise Ships

Communicating the smart way:

1. Activate roaming on the phone sim card you’re using home

Before leaving home, don’t forget to activate the roaming service. It is very important since some of your friends or family will call you or text you and you need to know. You can use the number to text back.

2. As soon as possible go out in each port and find a local internet café

Every port has so called “calling centers” where you can use internet to check your emails and write back to your friends. As soon as possible, once onboard, go and find them, you will pay less that you pay onboard.

3. Buy a local phone sim card

Check out the itinerary of your ship and buy a local prepaid sim card. For example, if you’re in Europe and have 3 Italian ports, buy an Italian sim card, if you’re in USA and going to Puerto Rico and any other USA territory, buy and American sim card. You can call at cheaper rates from the sim card directly or using a calling card.

4. Buy calling cards from a calling center

You can find them in every port in calling centers or at the news stands. They have really cheap rates and you can talk to your family for over an hour for 5-10 dollars. Ask the seller which one is good for your country.

5. Send postcards

This is a great way to send souvenir postcards and keep in touch with your friends. Everybody loves to receive post cards, it shows you care since you took the time to buy one, write on it and send it. You can send mail from any calling center in the world or just go to the local post.

6. In some ports you can get free WiFi

This only happened in Europe so far. There were a few ports such as Livorno where you could bring your laptop outside the deck and connect at no charge. Don’t know why or how it was possible, but it was. Sometimes, in some bars or near a calling center, you can connect wireless as well. Usually, I bring my PSP (portable play station) with me and if I sit in some bar/park etc, I try to connect. Sometimes it works, so try it.

7. Get the ships phone number (the unofficial one)

Each ship has a phone number your family can use to call you directly to your cabin. The official one is very expensive, but there’s another one you can use and it’s got affordable rates. Usually, you can find the official one in the crew office. Talk to the other crewmembers, ask around and eventually you’ll find it out.

8. Bring your family and friends onboard to cruise with you

This is another way to keep in touch with them and if you can not go to them, then bring them to you. As an employee you have discounts when you bring your family or friends onboard. My company charges us only $45 per day per person so it’s very convenient to have them there with you for a week or two. Once onboard check with the crew office, they will let you know how long in advance you need to fill in the form and how long you have to work with the company before you can do it.

Avoid to:

1. use the ship’s calling cards

They are very expensive. With 20 dollars you get only 20-25 minutes while with a calling card outside, for that money you can talk for hours. Unless you need to contact your family urgently, I recommend you not to try it.

2. use the ship’s internet café

Try and use the ship’s internet as little as possible and only when you really need to contact your family. Otherwise, wait until the ship is the port and go to a internet café.

3. call from your home sim card

Usually, roaming service costs a fortune so you should use it only to text your friends and family. Call from a calling cards or from the local prepaid sim card.

Labels: ship life

You got the job and you think this is it, huh? Well, think twice because it’s just starting. I’ve got a big question for you: “How do you fit your life in 2 pieces of luggage?”. Yes, your life, because 6 to 10 months you’ll be living on the ship and only 6 to 9 weeks you’ll be home. It’s not an easy task, but it can be done and I am here to help you out.

The secret is to pack only the necessary things and the rest you’ll find it on the ship or in the places you’re going to. So here is the list of things you need and whether to bring them from home or not.

1. Clothes – Bring only the necessary because, if you’re a girl, for sure you’re going to shop a little bit and when you’re going back home you won’t have enough room in your luggage for all of it, and trust me, you won’t have time to wear all of them anyway since you’ll be working at least 10 hours a day. Caribbean islands and USA are cheap when it comes to clothes, buy all your brand clothes from there because Europe is much more expensive. Also, when you choose your clothes, don’t think of the time of year, think where you’re going to be at that time ( even though is December, what’s the point of buying/bringing warm clothes if you’re going to be somewhere in the Caribbean?). One more thing should be mentioned here and that is that you should bring one or two formal dresses for the parties (Christmas, Easter etc.) and shoes to match. Royal Caribbean Cruiseline’s policy on shoes is pretty strict, meaning that no open toe or heel shoes are allowed onboard unless you’re on your way out of the ship, so remind yourself about that if you got a job with them.

2. Shoes – All the above applies to shoes as well. Bring a pair of snickers, a pair of formal shoes, a pair of flip flops and a pair of casual shoes and that’s enough. You don’t need work shoes since the company policy requires you to use their own shoes.

3. Cosmetics and make-up – It all depends on where you’re going. If it’s Europe, you better bring most of it from your home because there it can be pretty expensive. If your ship does the Caribbean then bring only the necessary things and buy the rest from there as everything is cheap. And by everything I mean really everything: from cotton pads and tampons to shampoos, shower gels and any type of make up. You can find pretty good deals for brand cosmetics in the USA and Mexico.

4. Medication – You don’t really need to bring anything with you because you’ll find everything that you need in the medical office free of charge.

5. Electronics – Both 110 and 220 voltage outlets are available in your room so you can bring any piece of electronic you want. What I found very useful to have with you is: laptop, mobile phone, ipod or any other MP3 player, hair dryer, photo camera and speakers. Anything else is just optional and if you ask me and if you don’t have enough space in your luggage don’t bring it. If you don’t have it, you can always wait until you get in the USA and buy it from there since is so much cheaper.

6. Books, music, and movies – Each ship has a library for its crew so no need to bring books or magazines with you unless it’s something you really want to read. Bring music and movies from home, it’s a great way to socialize and make new friends by sharing it.

7. Towels, linen – This is nothing you should be worrying about since they are provided by the company. Bring just one big towel for when you’re going to the beach, but you can also take the company towels as well if you don’t have your own. Some bring their own blankets and pillows too just to feel more at home, but you don’t really need it and they take up a lot of space. If you really want one of your own, buy one in one of the ports your ship is sailing from. Did I stress enough that USA is cheaper than Europe? It is when it comes to this as well.

8. Accessories – They make or break the outfit. In my opinion, you better bring more accessories and less clothes because, even though you’re wearing the same clothes, the entire outfit looks totally different depending on what accessories you’re wearing. Same like everything else, if you are in Europe, bring most of them from home, if you’re in the Caribbean islands, you can find better and cheaper there.

9. Personal stuff – Bring your teddy bear or your mini fountain garden with you, or anything that reminds you of home. It’ll make you feel less lonely onboard. Bring a few photographs of your family or boyfriend/girlfriend, it’ll help you stay on course and remind you you’re there to make some money so you can provide for them.

So this is it, time to pack your bags now. Just remember 2 things:

1. don’t pack your bags full since you need some space for presents when you’re coming back

2. check the airline company weight limit ( as a seaman, you are entitle to bring more luggage than the usual airline costumer – call and ask)

Labels: ship life

So you have this friend who works on a cruise ship and you’ve notice his improved life style. All of the sudden he can afford to buy brand clothes, go to the expensive bars and restaurants, go on vacation in all those exotic places you only dream of and you start feeling a little jealous of him/her. You want those things too, but you have no idea where to start from.

Here’s the first thing you should do. Go to a recruitment agency and talk to one of the people there. Is what I did long time a go. I went there and asked them how I can get a job on one of the cruise ships. They told me the options, I chose and several months later I embarked a small ship called Norwegian Dream.

It is very important to choose a well known, reliable agency in your country and when you get there asked them for their portfolio. Also, ask them about the commissions they’re taking and any other payments you have to make until you get the job. A solid, trustworthy company won’t ask for their commissions until you get your contract.

Some cruise lines employ directly themselves, others require you to apply through a local agency. For ships that cruise out of the UK, you will need to be at least 19, and for international ships, at least 21 years of age, hold a valid passport and not have a criminal record. Once employed, the company will make all the necessary travel arrangements, to and from ship, and any Visas that you may need. To work on a ship sailing out of the United States, you will need a C1/D Visa.

You can virtually apply for any position you want to as long as you have the back-up documentation showing you have related work experience in that field, but from my experience, if you’re not from USA, UK or any of the first world countries, you can only apply for entry level jobs such as waiter, assistant waiter, cook, front desk personnel, inventory store keeper, bar server or bartender, cruise staff, youth staff etc.

Don’t aim for managerial jobs, you’ll get disappointed. Most of the cruise lines prefer to promote from within for 2 big reasons:

1. they know and trust the person since that person are already working with the company for some time

2. they maintain the crew morale who sees that hard work is rewarded

Here you can find a list of cruise ship job employment agencies and here is the best agency in Romania, Job Selection.

Labels: ship life

There are things that you can or can not do when you find yourself traveling alone in a foreign country like Thailand. Some are related to their culture, some to your own personal safety and some to money. So here are 10 things you shouldn’t do when you travel alone in Thailand:

1. Wear shorts or tops when visiting temples – You need have respect for their tradition and religion. Although Buddhist religion is a very tolerant one, when visiting their temples you need to have your legs covered as well as the shoulders, otherwise they won’t allow you inside. So, whenever you’re going to visit a temple, make sure you’re wearing long pants or skirt and a t-shirt or a shirt. And if you want to visit the Tiger Temple near Bangkok, wear neutral colors so you won’t make the tigers too nervous.

2. Buy food out off the streets – Trying the local food is a must when you visit Thailand, but don’t buy it off the streets, otherwise you risk spending the rest of your vacation in bed with food poisoning and I am sure you don’t want that.

3. Walk alone at night – Needless to say that walking all alone on the streets at night is not safe, no matter which country you’re visiting. Just don’t do it. Use taxis instead, they are cheap and you can find them anywhere in Bangkok. Don’t forget to ask the taxi driver to start the meter otherwise they will charge you double.

4. Shop in the big malls for souvenirs – Might seem convenient to have everything in one place, but shopping in the malls is a big mistake. You can find the same things on the street markets or shops and it’ll cost you a lot cheaper. Besides, you can’t bargain in the malls and that’s the whole fun of shopping in Bangkok.

5. Go in bars or clubs at night – If you really want to have a drink late at night you better use the hotel’s facilities. Going by yourself in a bar or club at late hours isn’t safe and you better leave it for when you’re with friends.

6. Drink – And by that I mean having one too many. Besides the heat that will make you feel really sick, drinking too much might make you a pray for thieves. Just like going out in clubs, leave it for when you’re with friends.

7. Visit places outside Bangkok without a tour guide – Getting lost in the city is ok since you can take a taxi anytime and go back to your hotel, but getting lost outside the city is not advisable because taxis are hard to find and few local people know English. Remember, there are no directions in English anywhere in Bangkok or around it, so if you want to go and visit places outside the city, you better go with a group and tour guide.

8. Use tuk-tuks – if you need transportation in Bangkok, use taxis instead of tuk-tuks. Tuk-tuk drivers have an understanding with the shop owners and instead of bringing you to your destination, they will try and get you to a particular shop and make you buy things that you don’t really want to buy. Besides, they are much more expensive than the taxis and they have no air con and believe me, being stuck in traffic in a tuk-tuk with no ventilation or protection from the pollution and sun is not something you want to experience. In my opinion, tuk-tuks are good only for short distances, but make sure to bargain before going into one and tell the drivers you don’t want any other stops but where you want to go.

9. Trust people too much – Making friends is great, but you need to be cautious about it. Not all of them have good intentions, some will try to get you into their hotel rooms, some will try to get you drunk, and some will try to rob you. That doesn’t mean you have to be scared of anybody who says hi to you, just use your common sense and be careful.

10. Go outside without putting sunscreen lotion – Thailand is a really hot country and you can get sun burned in a matter of hours if you don’t use sun protection lotion. Even if you go outside for a short while, use it otherwise you’ll end up looking like a lobster.

Labels: travel

There is such thing as safe traveling and when you are in a foreign country you know nothing about there are things you can do and others it’s better not to do. So here are 10 things you can do when traveling on your own in Thailand.

1. Site-seeing – The first thing you should do is to get to know the area around your hotel. See if there’s an internet café close by, if there’s a 7 eleven around (there are everywhere here in Bangkok) or any other shop when you can buy things you need such as water, what markets are near you, temples etc. It is pretty safe as long as you do it during the day.

2. Shopping – Oh yeah! Either is it in a store or on one of the street markets in Bangkok, shopping is something you can do alone. You can even shop at night, they have this great night markets and it’s safe as long as you take a taxi from and back to the hotel. In Thailand you need to bargain otherwise you get to pay twice the price the item is worth.

3. Visit places– book an excursion at the travel counter in your hotel if you plan to go outside Bangkok. It’s safer and you get to know others like you. If the place is in the city, you may choose to go by yourself, but it isn’t as much fun as going with a group and you won’t get to know the history of that place since there’s no tour guide to tell you about it.

4. Sunbath topless in your hotel balcony- HA! I bet you didn’t think about this one! Well, the truth is nobody likes sun marks and since you have no idea about the culture, don’t take any chances and do it in the privacy of your hotel room. Might be allowed in Romania and it’s becoming a normal thing to do at the beach, but here you never know.

5. See shows – Thailand is well known for its Lady Boy Cabarets and that’s one thing you don’t want to miss when here. You can either book throughout the travel counter and they will provide you with transportation from and back to your hotel, or you might go on your own, but either way, don’t miss that, you’ll be sorry

6. Try out the local food – Don’t go safe on this one! Don’t order burgers and fries while here, try their local food, it’s delicious and very healthy. If you don’t like spicy food, let the waiter know, they will cook it mild for you. Might seem scary having lunch or dinner by yourself in a restaurant, but it’s a great way to relax and observe the people on the street. Can be fun at times. If you really, really don’t feel comfortable doing that, just bring with you a book, a magazine, your laptop, it’ll give you something to do until the food is ready. Remember, hiding because you’re alone is not going to do you any good and for sure won’t do anything good to your self esteem. And, at the end, nobody really cares you’re sitting all alone at the table anyway.

7. Check your emails – Most of the hotels here have internet access for its guests in the lobby, both wireless and their own PCs. Usually, it is more expensive at the hotel than it is at a local internet café. There are many places with internet connection in Bangkok and I am sure you can find one near your hotel. So, unless it’s late at night, I advice you to go and use one of those places.

8. Have yourself made a nice dress/suit at a local tailor – Thailand tailors are very good, not to say cheap, and very fast. You can choose your favorite designs from any catalog and have it made in 2 days for less than $100. What more can you want? As usually, don’t forget to bargain for a lower price. I got my self a nice kimono made out of real silk.

9. Use the hotel’s facilities – Go to the pool, use the sauna or any other facility they have at the hotel. You paid for it anyway, so enjoy it.

10. Have a massage – Another thing Thailand is well known for is the thay massage. They are great way to relax after a long day of shopping and, just like everything else here, it’s cheap. For about 10-15 dollars you can have an hour of pleasure. Go for it!

Labels: travel

Nobody wants to be alone. That’s a universal truth that applies to all of us no matter which country you come from, what age or sex you have or what job you do. You might think you want to be alone when you get fed up with your friends or girlfriend/boyfriend, but that’s only temporary and you find yourself alone in an empty room wishing somebody will be there to talk to you.

So why in the world I chose to go alone in this trip to Thailand, you may ask. Oh well, I didn’t choose to go by myself; it’s the circumstances that brought me here alone. It’s always been a dream of mine to visit Asia and since my friends were either working, not interested in traveling or didn’t have enough money for this trip, I decided to go as a solo traveler.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I am kind of proud of myself for following my dream and not let my fear of being alone get in the way of it. Because, let me tell you, worse that being alone is postponing your dreams because of this fear.

I walked out of Bangkok International Airport thinking “Oh my God, I am all alone here!!” and now, after more than a week, I feel like I can go anywhere, do anything I set my mind to. It feels great when you achieve things you thought you couldn’t do. But that’s the thing, you might think you can or can not do something, but unless you try it, you have no way of knowing it for sure. You can do anything you want to as long as you follow 3 little guidelines:

1. it makes you happy

2. it doesn’t hurt the ones around you

3. you have a good plan for it

If you follow these guidelines you set yourself for success in anything you do. Take a moment, close your eyes and think. Is it what you really want? If yes, take another moment and think if anyone will get hurt because of your actions. No? Then go ahead and start planning. Think of any possibility and create a plan for it. Sounds like it’s a lot of work, but really it isn’t, and after a while, it’ll become an habit.

Doing things by yourself gives you confidence and it has a snowball effect. Meaning, you do more things by yourself, you get more confidence to do more things, things you might have thought you could never do and that increases your self esteem even more. The first step is the hardest, and then it gets easier and easier.

And you know what? You get to meet a lot of people along the way. I did and that’s why I am not sorry at all I took up on this adventure on my own. I am actually considering doing this again, and this time I’ll go alone, not because I have to, but because I want to. And anyway, you are alone, but not really… there’s always someone there who will talk to you if you give them the chance.

Labels: friends, travel

They say that all the money in the world won’t make you happy. Well, I’m afraid is true. What I discovered, the hard way I might say, is that only good friends who are always there for you can do that. What’s the point of having loads of money if you have no one to spend it with?

I find myself in this huge airport in Istambul, in my way to my dream vacation in Thailand wishing I had a friend to talk to and have the coffee I am drinking right now with him (most of my friends are men by the way). Instead, I am all alone writing this, not because I have to, but because I don’t want to seat at this small table doing nothing; it’s boring…

So, I am asking you: Are you sure you what this job? Are you sure you want to live out of a suitcase traveling between the ship and home over and over? Yes, you can earn good money, but by the time you reach home after 6 months, most of your friends are too busy with their lives, have not enough money to keep up with you or, worse, not there at all for you because they made other friends who are there for them and you’re nothing but an acquaintance to them right now.

In Romania, after a certain age, if you don’t have a boyfriend there’s no way you can hang out with your old friends. Most of them have boyfriends or girlfriends and they all go everywhere in pairs making you feel the fifth wheel, out of place. Nobody calls you unless there’s a party and they need single girls/boys for their single friends. Of course, there’s always the good friend from childhood, but they are so rare.

I am fortunate in a way because I still have my old friends calling me but this takes time and work from my part. How? Simple. Calling them, emailing them regularly, keeping them in mind when I go shopping for gifts and dedicating time to each of them when I am home even though I am busy with my own stuff. And I’m always happy when I get the same in return and never get upset when they tell me they have other things to do. It’s a give and receive situation, but with the lifestyle I have it’s a bit harder that it is to a person who works and lives in the same place.

So, again I am asking you: Are you really sure you want this kind of life? If yes, be prepare to lose some friends and do an extra effort keeping the ones you have left. Be prepared to be alone a lot of your time and do the things you want to and dreamed of alone sometimes. One thing I can tell you…don’t wait for anybody to do the things you always wanted to do. If you want to visit a place and your friends can’t, just go alone. You’ll make new friends along the way. If you want to do something, anything, and you’re friends can’t go along with you, just do it, you’ll feel sorry if you choose not to do it. Trust me.

The good side of all this is that you’ll make other good friends, worldwide, that will make up for the lost ones. Maybe better ones…

Labels: friends, travel

It’s easy to travel for a Romanian now that Romania is part of EU. But what if you’re going somewhere else than Europe, like I am? What if you’re going to Thailand? Things change a little.

The most important thing is the visa. We used to be able to buy it in the airport when you arrive in Thailand. Not anymore though. Don’t ask me why…I wouldn’t be surprised if our reputation as a nation preceded us all the way to Asia and that made them strengthen the rules. What’s sure is that you need to go to the Thay embassy and apply for a tourist visa one week before leaving. Yes, it takes, according to them, one week.

But wait, in order to get the visa you have to have a round trip flight ticket. That’s easy, you go online, find a travel site, book the flight and pay for it either cash at the agency, money transfer or by credit card. Easy, takes one to two days to get it.

Not over yet though. They also ask you to provide a hotel or any other place where you’ll be staying. That’s easy too, but harder than getting a flight ticket. You need to find a reliable website/company to book your hotel. For my trip to Thailand I used 2 sites which friends who used it before recommended them to me: http://www.agoda.com/ and http://www.sawadee.com/. I had a bit of a hustle to get the international credit card from my bank, but after a week of waiting, I finally got it and used it to book my hotels. Had no problem with the booking so far, they’ve sent me the receipts and the hotel vouchers and everything seems to be ok.

So I get to the Thay embassy, fill out the form, listen silently to the moaning of the lady there about me being late applying for it and the next day got my visa. Hooray!

Don’t forget one thing: make sure you’re getting travel insurance from any insurance company. Even though you might feel you don’t need it, you never know and besides, it’s really cheap comparing to the costs you might encounter if God forbids anything happens to you while traveling.
This being said, I wish you safe flight where ever you’re going and if you want my advice, when ever you have the chance, just go. Go see what’s out there, the world doesn’t end where the borders of your country ends. There’s so much to see that a life time isn’t enough to do it.

Labels: home, travel

So you get onboard after months of waiting, you get used to the work, you even make some friends along the way. Someone who is sharing the same points of view like you, someone who likes the same type of fun and with whom you go out every time you have a few hours to spare. Everything is so wonderful and you find yourself thinking “Hmm, this isn’t as bad as I thought it would be… I am happy!”.

But one day, while having your regular drink in the crew bar with your friend, he or she gives you the news: “You know what? I had enough of this! I decided I am going to quit!”. What can you say to this? I’m sorry?? Sorry for who? You or your friend? In one split of a second you see all your plans of going out, of visiting places, of having fun going to the toilet and you finally realize this is not a stable work environment as you thought it is.

On ships, people come and go, sometimes without you noticing it. One day you might go to work and realize that the person you worked with for the past weeks isn’t there anymore and someone else took his or her place. Later on in the day, after asking around, you find out that your old co-worker resigned, or even worse, got fired.

It’s very fortunate when your friend tells you he or she is going to resign. At least you have the time to say good bye, exchange email addresses and hug your friend. It could be worse, you can find out he or she got fired and usually happens after the person is gone. Or, if you work like me in the office, you will find out a week ahead, but there’s nothing you can do and you can not say anything about it because you might get fired too.

During my almost 2 years with Royal Caribbean I saw many of my friends getting fired for different reasons, or resigning. I can almost tell everytime who’s going to stick around and who’s not, I can see who’s made for this life and who needs freedom, who’s happy and who isn’t.

My friend, Jessica, was clearly unhappy, she wanted a totally different job that she had and I tried, I really tried to make her see the good parts of working onboard the ship. We spent a lot of time together, going out, going to shows, hanging out in the crew bar. She was my first good female friend onboard. But it’s all over now… A while ago I received an email from her telling me she resigned and she will be going home in April. It really hurts, especially because I am in vacation and I can not say good bye to her properly. Also, bothers me that I have to start all over again and make a new friend. Friends are not so easy to make, as you probably know, especially on a cruise ship where everybody is busy with their own stuff.

So what’s to learn out of this? Hmm, nothing really, just be aware that life onboard a cruise ship is an unstable one, that people come and go and you might find yourself changing friends as often as you change your socks…sort of say… But now and then, you can make a very good friend that you’ll keep in touch with long after he or she left the ship. Is what I hope Jessica will do and definitely I’ll keep in touch with her, who knows, maybe we’ll be seeing each other really soon.

Jessica, if you read this, I want you to know I will miss you and you’re always welcome to cruise on Voyager and I hope you will.

Labels: friends