Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Hiring Process

I started working in casino's in 1999, in Edmonton, Alberta. I worked at the Palace Casino, in the West Edmonton Mall. I was wandering around the mall one day and saw the casino. It was time for a new line of work and I have always enjoyed playing cards, so I thought why not give dealing a try. After my initial interview I was told that I had been selected to attend blackjack training. The training classes were usually lasted 4 hours. We trained for 2 weeks, 5 days a week. 40 hours. At the end of the training we had to do whats called a "table test". For this test you usually have 2 or 3 supervisors from that casino come and play at your table for about a 10 minutes.

I passed my test. I still had some practise to do, but, I would be fine to work on the gaming tables. Over the next few months I worked dealing dealing blackjack only. After I was confident in my ability, it was time to learn Caribbean Stud, Let it Ride and Baccarat. These games are very easy to deal, with little training needed. Soon after I learned to deal Poker and then Roulette.

In 2002 I applied to work on cruise ships for the first time. I wanted to work with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, mostly because I had a lot of friends from the casino who had gone that way before me. The requirements were that you dealt Blackjack, Caribbean Stud and Roulette, with a minimum of 2 years experience on Roulette. I applied via email. I was 6 months short on the Roulette experience but I had also started my Craps training, and hoped that would help me out. The response I got was to reapply in 6 months. That's what I did.

When I tried the second time, the response I got was much better. The hiring partner that I applied to was coming to my city to conduct interviews and table tests. I was give a date and time to show up, and given a list of documents that I would need. My interview would be in about 3 weeks. I spent this time anxiously waiting, and collecting my paperwork. I was showed up early for my interview. I also had a friend with me who was interviewing as well. We were both dressed in suits, and I think looked pretty good. There was a group of about 20 people interviewing at the same time. We all sat in a conference room for a meet and greet, and to watch a short video about cruise employment. After that each person went to a small room to have and interview, then to another room for a short table test. After that it was back to the conference room to fill out paperwork.

I passed my interview. I was blown away. I got an email about a week later saying that I had been accepted, The email also contained a list of about 5 ships that I could choose from for my first contract, and another list of documents that I would need to bring with me. I decided To pick the GTS Summit out of the list. I called the hiring partner, and she gave me a date to be in Florida to join the ship. I would have to get a medical, and pay for my airfare. It was winter in Edmonton, and very cold. I was leaving Canada for the first time and I would not be home for 6 months. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Six Months Of Travel

When I joined my first cruise ship, I had no idea exactly where I would be going for the next 6 months. It would prove to be a long ride. I started out my contract on Celebrity Cruise Lines GTS Summit, in February of 2003 in Fort Lauderdale Florida. I quickly found out that for the first 8 or 9 weeks we would be sailing the Caribbean. My ship was doing 10 and 11 day runs. One run went to St. Thomas, St. Martin, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Aruba and Barbados. On the other run we went to places like Crand Caymen, Jamica, Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica.

Once my ship had finished up the winter season in the Caribbean, we would be heading through the Panama Canal. This was a two week cruise, with many sea days. We started out going to Mexico, then to Aruba and then to Colon, Panama. Going through the Panama Canal was mostly very boring. Heading through the canal is a long ordeal. It took the Summit all day to get through. There was not really much to see, and it was very hot and humid outside. I remember taking the lens cap off my camera for a couple of shots and my lens had fogged up.

Once through the canal, we stopped for another day in Panama. By then winter was almost gone and it was time to head north. We made lots of stops in some great places in Mexico like Acapulco, Ixtapa, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. After that we headed up the coast of the U.S. stopping in San Diego, San Fran, L.A., Catalina Island, Seattle. We had one day in Victoria Canada, and finished that leg of our journey in Vancouver.

The whole trip from Florida to Vancouver had taken about 4 weeks. At this point I had 3 months left on my contract, and I would be spending them in Alaska. I had a great time on my first trip to Alaska. There is a lot to do if you like the outdoors. In Alaska that season I traveled to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Valdez and Seward.

I Finished my first contract after 6 long months, and many ports. It is sometimes hard to remember now the places and the times of that contract, but the experience somehow stays with me.

Monday, February 16, 2009

My First Day In Mexico

I started my first contract working for Celebrity Cruises, in February of 2003. I joined the Summit, in Fort Lauderdale Florida, and for my first 2 months we would be sailing the Caribbean. During my first couple of weeks I had gone through lots of training (mostly ship stuff), met many new people, and did a lot of drinking.

One day that I will never forget, came after just 2 days on board. We left Florida, and the next day was at sea. Our first port of the cruise was Cozumel, Mexico. I was a little hung over when I woke at 9 in the morning. A couple of hours of training, and I was free for the day. I happened to get lucky, in that, my place in the schedule game me a day from the casino 2 days into my contract. I would have time to finish unpacking, get my room organized and do more looking around the ship.

I finished my training around 11:30am. This is around the time that casino people start to wake up, after a night of dealing cards and drinking after that. When I got to my hallway, my friend Jason had his door jammed open. I stopped to chat for a minute. He said that there was a bunch of people from the casino going to the beach, and for beers at Carlos n' Charlies after that, and pretty much begged me to come along. I was finished my training for the day and was off from the casino, so why not.

After a few hours at the beach I was getting a sunburn. Time to go to the bar. If you have never been to Carlos n' Charlies, in Cozumel Mexico. You have to go. It was like a night club, at 3 in the afternoon. Loud music, tall frozen drinks and girls pouring sangria down your throat. I got smashed. We all had a great time, but I think I had overdone it. The sunburn, the heat and the drinks had taken their toll.

Looking back now I am amazed that I made it back onto the ship without getting breath tested for alcohol. While on the ship you are never supposed to have more than .08% and I was well over that. I stumbled past the guards on the gangway, and bounced off the walls all the way to my cabin. Jason stayed with me to make sure I made it to my cabin. When I got there I fell into my bed and passed out. Late that night I woke up, and around 11:30 pm I went to the crew bar. I was still too messed up to drink much more so I only had a few beers and went to bed.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

About Cruise Ship Casinos

I had worked in a land based casino for about 3 years before deciding to leave home and work on a cruise ship. At the time, I considered myself a pretty good dealer. I dealt all the normal casino games like Blackjack, Roulette, Poker and Caribbean Stud. I had also gone through about 100 hours of Craps training (all on my own time), but I was still having trouble with the game. Experienced dealers say Craps just comes to you one day and all of a sudden you understand. Now I understand.

Working in a land based casino is a pretty easy job. Generally you have a 7 or 8 hour shift. During that shift, you will work for about 40-45 minutes at a gaming table, then take a 15-20 minute break. Usually most casinos keep their dealers on a 1 hour schedule, So if you worked for 40min you get a 20min break. You break is at the same time every hour. Pretty peachy.

Working on a cruise ship is a different story. The length of your shift really depends on where the ship is for the day. If your in port, the casino opens about 30min after sailing, and stays open until 2 or 3am. If you are at sea for the day, your shift will be a long one, and sometimes the breaks don't come around so fast. On board, the casino has a break list, and is run much more like a real business. Tables are opened and closed on based on how full the casino is. If the place is quite you may get a break every 30min, and during peak times I have stayed at a table for more than 2 hours.

My first few weeks on the ship I felt like a total rookie. Some of the equipment was a little different, and I felt a little out of place. I could feel my supervisor looking over my shoulder a little more than I was used to, and the late night parties, and early morning training was getting to be a little bit too much. Lucky for me, I adapted to the changes (even if it took a little longer than it should have) and after my couple of months I had worked out all the kinks.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Beginning My First Contract

I had survived my flight and layover in Florida. I had made it to the ship and started work. I did not know how I was going to make it through the day. My first night on the Summit had been a big one. We drank a few beers during our shift, and quite a few more after work. Now it was 9 in the morning and I had training.

My roommate was sleeping (as always), so I got ready for my day as best I could in total darkness. Trying to find my way around the small room, I think I stubbed my toe 3 times. Had a quick shower, got dressed, and left for my meeting. I'm sure I was still a little drunk.

My training was long and boring. When you go to work on a cruise ship, generally your first 2 weeks are filled with training classes. You will take classes on everything that you would expect from any large company, like sexual harassment, substance abuse, safety and CPR. These training classes drag on and on, and take precedence over going to work. Luckily we were at sea anyway so there wasn't much to miss. One guy fell asleep during class. He got yelled at by the Greek Safety Officer, and probably got in trouble with his manager. Somehow I managed to avoid being noticed.

Class Finished at around noon, so it was time to go for lunch. Not much really worth talking about. Salad, rice and some cold pasta. There were other choices, but they were not appealing, especially given my physical state. After that, it was strait to my cabin for 2 hours sleep. I had to work in the casino from 4 to 7pm. When I got to work no one seemed to bothered about my staying up drinking until 6 in the morning. They even had a laugh about it!

I finished the first part of my shift at 7, and had to be back at work for 9:40pm. I went strait to my cabin for more sleep. I could have gone to eat, but decided against it. I felt I needed sleep more. When I got back to work I found out that there was a place on deck 11, where I could get pizza. Just what the doctor ordered. I ate a lot of pizza for 6 months. I think it's probably what kept me going on my first contract.

Somehow my new friend Jason talked me into going for a beer at 1am. I still hadn't finished work, but there were other people from the casino there and I wanted to be social so I went. Needless to say we stayed up very late again that night. In the morning I had more training and another sea day. It was going to be a long 6 months.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Going To Work On A Cruise Ship Part 2

So I had been in Florida for all of about 12 hours before it was time for me to go and join the ship. I got to the pier at around 9:30am but didn't board the ship until around 11:30. It was winter when I left Canada, and here it was hot and humid. I was not prepared for the heat. Anyway walking onto the ship for the first time I made a huge sigh of relief as the air con hit me. Someone was there from the human resources department to meet us when we got onto the ship, and they brought up into the cafeteria where we had some orientation, and before long someone from each department came to pick up their new staff.

When the supervisor from the casino showed up (he seemed very busy), he gave me an envelope with a welcome letter from the casino manager. The letter also contained details on my cabin, my work schedule, and a safety card. My new supervisor showed me to my cabin, where we dropped off my bags, then gave me a quick tour of the ship. I had a safety meeting at 2pm and at 3:30 my supervisor would be back so I could go and get uniforms.

I'll never forget my first cabin mate. He was a Filipino guy, who had worked on the ships for a long time. He was very quite, and slept a lot. He finished his contract 2 months later, and I never saw or heard from him again.

My first shift started at 6:30. The suit had come back and I had gotten my uniform, but my new waistcoat was missing a button. I had my door propped open, and heard music coming from next door, so i went to investigate. I didn't have to go far because next door was 5 feet away. When I looked inside, I saw these two guys, getting ready for work, so I asked them for a hand. One guy was English and the other was from New Zealand. They helped me out, and I really hit it off with the English guy. It was his first contract too and he had been on board for about 3 weeks. His name was Jason and we quickly became best friends.

When I got to work I had a quick 30min training on some rules that may have been different from home, then it was strait to work. Being a casino dealer is a real easy job. You typically work for about 45min to 1 hour, the take a 20min break. My first break, the boss saw that Jason and I got along so he sent us on break together. we went to the bar and had a smoke, talked about travelling. At around 9pm the bar opens and people from other departments, who have already finished work, start coming to the bar. We would take all our breaks in the bar, and by 10 or 11 we were drinking on break. Everyone seemed to do it. Sometimes I would come into the bar at 10 O'clock, and there would be 4 or 5 people from the casino having a beer or drink while on break. It got pretty crazy.

By 2am the casino was shutting down, and so was I. Jet lagged, working in a new environment, meeting so many new people, the slow rocking of the ship, I was wiped. Somehow I let Jason talk me into going back to the bar after work. About 10 people from the casino stayed there drinking until about 6 in the morning, myself included. Tomorrow was a sea day. I had training in the afternoon, and a long shift to follow. Man was I going to be hungover...

Monday, February 2, 2009

Going To Work On A Cruise Ship Part 1

I had been working as a casino dealer for about 3 years when I decided that I needed more. The job itself was good, the money was a little lacking, and the social life had gone kinda cold. Then I met this Welsh guy who, had worked on cruise ships for a few years and he said I'd have a great time if I would try it out. So I said why not. He gave me the address of the person I needed to contact and told me that they come to town every 6 months or so. After a little research I realized that the company I wanted to work for was RCCL. When it comes to living and working standards the others just didn't seem to compare.

A few weeks after I applied I got an e-mail. I was so excited! The mail was from the hiring partner (the person who scouts for the cruise ships) and they said I got the job! They would contact me in a few weeks with a placement. In the mean time, I had a list of things to do. I was a good thing too, because I was so anxious to travel. I had to get my passport, a shipboard medical, and numerous other smaller things wrapped up, after all I was leaving home to go work on a cruise ship for 6 months.

The days before I left home were the most nervous of my entire life so far. I had gotten a placement on Celebrity Cruise Lines ship called the Summit. I knew nothing about this ship other that it sailed out of Fort Lauderdale. The morning I left home I woke up spent some time with my family, ensured all my papers were in order, and went of to the airport. I had traveled many times inside Canada, but this was my first time leaving the country.

I got very lucky on my flight to Florida. I started chatting with the woman next to me, and she was going to work on a ship too. I was so relived to have someone next to me who knew where to go. After the flight we shared a cab to the hotel area, and went our separate ways. I was exhausted anyway so I fell asleep.

The next morning I got up, had a shower, and went off to join the ship. When I checked into the hotel the night before the woman at the desk said that there was a shuttle to pick up crew members, and it showed up on time. An hour later we pulled up to the pier, and I was amazed at the size of the ship. It was huge! Anyway The ushered us on board and into the cafeteria.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Cruise Ship Casinos

Life is a gamble. But for some of us, the ordinary risks we face each day don’t offer enough excitement, so we choose to spend some time and probably some of our hard earned money in gambling. Buying a weekly lottery ticket is enough satisfy some, but millions of gamblers prefer neon and noise with their gaming. For them, there are casinos.

While Las Vegas and Atlantic City are the two places best known for their casinos, casinos have begun to crop up all over the United States. Even so, the cost of travel, paying for lodging and meals during your stay, may be more than you’re willing to pay. But what if you could have a casino vacation which included the cost of your transportation, your lodgings, and your meals–and by meals, we mean five-star cuisine served at any time of the day or night?

If that sounds like just the ticket, you should book your next vacation on a cruise ship. While most people don’t take cruises solely for the opportunity to gamble, those who do love thee cruise ship casinos. Delightfully laid-back compared to their noisy, crowded Las Vegas counterparts, their more relaxed atmosphere is due in large part to the well-trained and friendly dealers who are more than willing to educate passengers on the nuances of table games.

In land based casino's there seems to be a real lack of caring from the dealers. Why I'm not sure. It may be poor pay, or the same faces for years on end. This is not the case on a cruise. You will find staff from fifty plus countries, all trained to make your gaming experience fun. Not that you will not have fun in Vegas, but the atmosphere is much lighter.

One thing you won’t get in a cruise ship casino, however, is free alcohol. The casino on your ship doesn’t need to entice you to play with drinks, because it’s the only casino in town. So while you’re certainly welcome to imbibe as you play, whatever you drink will be charged to your room.

Your cruise ship will post the hours when the casino is open, and it won’t be open when you’re in port. Cruise ship casinos can operate only in international waters, but during your at sea days, you’ll probably be able to gamble between 11:00 AM and 2:00 or 3:00 AM.

Most cruise ships have gaming lessons for new players. The casino staff will teach you some professional gaming tips before you actually try your luck at the tables. You’ll be able to play all the classic table games like Blackjack, Craps Roulette and Poker. Your cruise ship casino will have sot machines in abundance, video poker.

One more aspect of cruise gambling is that many ports-of-call for popular cruise lines offer onshore gambling in some of the world’s most breathtaking locales. Some of my favorite places where you can find onshore casinos are Aruba and St. Marteen.