Have you ever wondered what it is like to work in one of the biggest cruise ships in the world? Well let me tell you a story... of a girl who dreamt of traveling the world and got the biggest gift of her life when she got her dream job in a cruise ship traveling to Europe and the United States... That girl was me.
Well it all started with hard work, sprinkled with a bit of luck here and there... I am a Bachelors degree holder in Business Management who had a life-long dream of having her own restaurant. This is the reason why after graduation I continued to study and practice culinary arts. After graduating with honors in one of the culinary schools here in Manila, I got lucky enough to be accepted for a whole year of culinary apprenticeship in a 5-star, 5-diamond hotel nestled amidst the Colorado Rockies. Coming back to the Philippines, working in a cruise ship seemed like the next step to go and so I decided to apply.
I will no longer bother you with the how's and when's of my application. Let's just start after I got accepted after one long examination, two interviews, practical trainings on Basic Safety/Survival Crafts/ Rescue Boats, processing of certain documents and certifications etcetera etcera... It took me more than 3 months just to do all of these and then finally get my travel documents going to my very first port of destination- Turkey. There, I will be joining my first ship.
Believe me, traveling by myself is not very easy due to the fact that I am nervous and excited at the same time. Excited because I have a job and that I will be able to travel as a plus. Nervous because I do not know what to expect... After spending the night in a hotel in Kusadasi, all expense-paid care of the cruise company, I then joined the ship together with a fellow Filipino and some Indonesians.
I was toured around the ship, my emergency station, my cabin and all the essential places; got introduced to supervisors and co-workers, and finally fitted for my uniform which I will be using later that same day. I was very grateful because the executive chef and my supervisors are very nice to me. They are open to any questions I might have- which I definitely have a lot of!
That time, I always get confused as to where is the forward part of the ship (fore), the backward part of the ship (aft), the left (port side) or the right (starboard side). I feel like I am always disoriented because the doors, the cabins, the walls- they all look industrial and the same to me.. my cabin is one of the easiest things to distinguish because it is beneath the big smiley-face painted on the wall! and even with that, I still get lost! yeah, you can call me stupid but it's true!
My first assignment was in the buffet line, refilling and garnishing food items. Then I got switched to making pancakes, looking after the burger line and/or the pasta line. Then after a month, they offered me to work in a specialty restaurant making appetizers. I really love my work, believe me, I do- but the only problem with me is that I get very tired.. and after working more than 10 hours a day 7 days a week- I am burned out. I was just very thankful that I had a supportive boss and co-workers who look after me.
The ship has a lot options if you want to relax after work- you can either go to the crew bar to have some drinks, dance and party, or go to the internet cafe, play ping pong or billiards, play video games or eat somewhere in the ship. But for a homebody like me, I am comfortable just going back to my cabin, curling up in bed while reading a novel and eating some chips or a piece of chocolate. Yes! that's what I usually do after work during my whole 8 months and 2 weeks on board the ship. Only exception is during the holidays where I feel like celebrating Christmas and New Year outside my cabin, and several times during dry dock when I have plenty of time to kill.
Speaking of dry dock.. I am lucky to have experienced it because it comes only once every 5 years they say... It is when the ship docks for a period of time (for us, 1 whole month) for construction, maintenance and repairs. In our case, for construction and redecorating of the whole ship. This was my favorite part because I got to go out more often than usual, eat on time, access free wi-fi anywhere, spend more time getting to know my co-workers after work. Will never forget the days where we catched crab, eat fresh seafood, listened and danced to nice music from the plaza, bar hopped and just enjoyed ourselves without all the pressure from work. But it's all just for 1 month. After that, we all had to do the same things again, back to the routine we've grown accustomed to.
Well, it's not that bad.. I get the chance to go outside different countries (with a limited time though). That is why I have to be able to prepare things in advance for me to be able to go outside stress-free. What's nice about this is that my workplace is in front of top-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sea. Everyday when I come to work, I get to see a different kind of view especially when we were in Europe. Everything is breath-taking and it seems so magical... I feel like I'm materializing on a different place each time. Believe me it's very nice! During sea days though... especially when we crossed from Europe to the United States, is a whole new story. If you're the type of person who gets seasick, you have to stock up on seasickness pills because by then you get the ride of your life! Inside the galley, the oil on deep fat fryers will slosh up and down, the box trolleys or anything with wheels will move back and forth, items will come falling down, everything has its risks and so the first priority as always is our safety.
Safety cannot be prejudiced on board a ship. They conduct emergency drills every week just to make sure that we know our emergency duties. Trainings are also a priority, so much so that you have the right to leave your work (with the knowledge of your supervisor) in order to attend one. Public health and sanitation standards are also very high to the point that they conduct weekly inspection of your area. These things, although very hard to maintain, is something I always take pride in- because by these I know that the company I'm working in has very high standards.
Well, I guess that sums up my life on board the ship... Don't forget the fact that on this same place, I fell in love. Who would have known? ;)
Well it all started with hard work, sprinkled with a bit of luck here and there... I am a Bachelors degree holder in Business Management who had a life-long dream of having her own restaurant. This is the reason why after graduation I continued to study and practice culinary arts. After graduating with honors in one of the culinary schools here in Manila, I got lucky enough to be accepted for a whole year of culinary apprenticeship in a 5-star, 5-diamond hotel nestled amidst the Colorado Rockies. Coming back to the Philippines, working in a cruise ship seemed like the next step to go and so I decided to apply.
I will no longer bother you with the how's and when's of my application. Let's just start after I got accepted after one long examination, two interviews, practical trainings on Basic Safety/Survival Crafts/ Rescue Boats, processing of certain documents and certifications etcetera etcera... It took me more than 3 months just to do all of these and then finally get my travel documents going to my very first port of destination- Turkey. There, I will be joining my first ship.
Believe me, traveling by myself is not very easy due to the fact that I am nervous and excited at the same time. Excited because I have a job and that I will be able to travel as a plus. Nervous because I do not know what to expect... After spending the night in a hotel in Kusadasi, all expense-paid care of the cruise company, I then joined the ship together with a fellow Filipino and some Indonesians.
I was toured around the ship, my emergency station, my cabin and all the essential places; got introduced to supervisors and co-workers, and finally fitted for my uniform which I will be using later that same day. I was very grateful because the executive chef and my supervisors are very nice to me. They are open to any questions I might have- which I definitely have a lot of!
That time, I always get confused as to where is the forward part of the ship (fore), the backward part of the ship (aft), the left (port side) or the right (starboard side). I feel like I am always disoriented because the doors, the cabins, the walls- they all look industrial and the same to me.. my cabin is one of the easiest things to distinguish because it is beneath the big smiley-face painted on the wall! and even with that, I still get lost! yeah, you can call me stupid but it's true!
My first assignment was in the buffet line, refilling and garnishing food items. Then I got switched to making pancakes, looking after the burger line and/or the pasta line. Then after a month, they offered me to work in a specialty restaurant making appetizers. I really love my work, believe me, I do- but the only problem with me is that I get very tired.. and after working more than 10 hours a day 7 days a week- I am burned out. I was just very thankful that I had a supportive boss and co-workers who look after me.
The ship has a lot options if you want to relax after work- you can either go to the crew bar to have some drinks, dance and party, or go to the internet cafe, play ping pong or billiards, play video games or eat somewhere in the ship. But for a homebody like me, I am comfortable just going back to my cabin, curling up in bed while reading a novel and eating some chips or a piece of chocolate. Yes! that's what I usually do after work during my whole 8 months and 2 weeks on board the ship. Only exception is during the holidays where I feel like celebrating Christmas and New Year outside my cabin, and several times during dry dock when I have plenty of time to kill.
Speaking of dry dock.. I am lucky to have experienced it because it comes only once every 5 years they say... It is when the ship docks for a period of time (for us, 1 whole month) for construction, maintenance and repairs. In our case, for construction and redecorating of the whole ship. This was my favorite part because I got to go out more often than usual, eat on time, access free wi-fi anywhere, spend more time getting to know my co-workers after work. Will never forget the days where we catched crab, eat fresh seafood, listened and danced to nice music from the plaza, bar hopped and just enjoyed ourselves without all the pressure from work. But it's all just for 1 month. After that, we all had to do the same things again, back to the routine we've grown accustomed to.
Well, it's not that bad.. I get the chance to go outside different countries (with a limited time though). That is why I have to be able to prepare things in advance for me to be able to go outside stress-free. What's nice about this is that my workplace is in front of top-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sea. Everyday when I come to work, I get to see a different kind of view especially when we were in Europe. Everything is breath-taking and it seems so magical... I feel like I'm materializing on a different place each time. Believe me it's very nice! During sea days though... especially when we crossed from Europe to the United States, is a whole new story. If you're the type of person who gets seasick, you have to stock up on seasickness pills because by then you get the ride of your life! Inside the galley, the oil on deep fat fryers will slosh up and down, the box trolleys or anything with wheels will move back and forth, items will come falling down, everything has its risks and so the first priority as always is our safety.
Safety cannot be prejudiced on board a ship. They conduct emergency drills every week just to make sure that we know our emergency duties. Trainings are also a priority, so much so that you have the right to leave your work (with the knowledge of your supervisor) in order to attend one. Public health and sanitation standards are also very high to the point that they conduct weekly inspection of your area. These things, although very hard to maintain, is something I always take pride in- because by these I know that the company I'm working in has very high standards.
Well, I guess that sums up my life on board the ship... Don't forget the fact that on this same place, I fell in love. Who would have known? ;)
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