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.

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.

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.

How To Find The Right Cruise

As more and more vacationers are choosing a cruise for their next holiday, the market has become larger and larger. The Caribbean is flooded with ships, and in places like Cozumel Mexico there are days when more than 8 or 9 ships are in port. Also in recent years cruise companies have really made an effort to bring their guests anywhere in the world they want to go, and cater to their every need while on the way there.

Two of the most important factors when choosing a vacation are where you should go, and how long you should go for. There is a cruise to fit your schedule, no matter if you have five or six hours, or a whole month to play with. There are gambling cruises that leave from places like Miami that last about six hours, often referred to as "the dailys" that can be great for an afternoon or evening getaway, or if that's a little to short, three and four day cruises are great. With proper planning you may not even have to take a day off work. From there you can go anywhere up to fifteen or thirty days. For a good rule of thumb, "the longer the cruise, the older crowd".

Where you decide to cruise can be a very tough choice, as there are a million amazing destinations to choose from. Bermuda has some of the most beautiful beaches, while in Mexico you can find a party 24/7 at places like Carlos and Charlies. For shopping, the Caribbean is unbeatable, especially if you are looking for diamonds or electronics. Quite often diamonds and jewelry are sold at a fraction of the price they would be at your local retailer. Just be sure to declare what you bring into the country when you go through customs.

Pricing can be one of the determining factors for many of us when choosing a cruise, but luckily there are deals to be found. If you live in a port city like L.A. or Miami, last minute deals are unbeatable. Companies will reduce prices to less than $20 a day in order to fill their ship last minute and when you add in the benefit of free meals, a cruise is could be your cheapest vacation choice. Otherwise the best bet is to check with your local travel agent, and do some research online.

Keep these factors in mind when shopping for your next cruise and you should have a vacation that will provide memories that will stay with you for a lifetime.