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.

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 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...

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.

Cruise Ship Employee Shares Tips To Make Your Vacation A Success

Cruise ship travel can be one on the most rewarding experiences of your life. I have worked onboard these luxury liners for about 5 years now, and if you love travel, a ship could be the best choice you ever make.



We all know that vacations are not cheap, especially when you are travelling around the world, but more bang for your buck is a great advantage of a cruise vacation as usually most if not all of your meals are included, and quite often the same tours that are offered onboard for hundreds of dollars can be found on the docks of most ports cheaper than back on the ship, making every day an adventure with little investment.



Here are a few things to consider when shopping for a cruise vacation:

1. Make sure to choose a cruise that goes to places you are interested in. Some of the most interesting times are had wandering the streets of foreign cities and meeting the local people.
2. The time of year can greatly effect prices and availability. If you want to go to Alaska or Hawaii September is a great time of year.
3. Choose a cruise company that caters to your age or interest group. Younger people who want to party for the weekend, will have better luck on Carnival, but for middle aged to older people I would recommend Royal Caribbean, or maybe Celebrity Cruises.
4. On a Royal Caribbean Cruise if you book your tours through the ship you are guaranteed that the ship will not leave port without you. This is the main reason for inflated tour prices. But many tours can be purchased cheaper when bought off the dock. I went to Sting Ray City in Grand Caymen for $5, possibly the best fiver I ever spent.
5. You can often get great deals on jewelry and electronics in the Caribbean. If you want to shop for these make sure you get a cruise that goes to St.Marteen or St.Thomas. Alaska is a great place to shop for diamonds, especially the last few cruises of the season as many shop owners reduce prices before the off season.
   

Once you are onboard, here are some things to keep in mind:

1. The guest relations or hotel desk is where you make most of your arrangements, from room upgrades or changes, to shore excursions. Any questions you have once onboard can be answered here 24/7, and is usually located in the very center of the ship.
2. The Cruise Director is your best friend. This is the person who knows the best places to go for anything your heart desires, and is considered the activities manager onboard. If you want to know where the best party is, ask the cruise director.
3. One of the best experiences onboard can be found in the dining room. Generally in the dining rooms smaller groups of people are put together to fill larger tables, and the people who meet here quite often become friends for the duration of the cruise or even longer.
4. The social areas of the ship like the casino and the bars are the best place to meet people from different places, even without spending any money. The most common question asked onboad a ship is "Where are you from?".
5. Most cruise lines have whats called a "guest vacation policy". This is a set of guidelines for everyone onboard, guests and staff alike, that helps to ensure that everyone has a good time. Things like bad language are frowned on.

If you keep these things in mind, a cruise vacation will provide memories and relationships that you will carry with you through the rest of your life.

Time Of Your Life

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live and work on a cruise ship? Where would you travel to? What kind of job would you have? And most importantly, who would you meet along the way? One of the most common questions cruise ship employees are asked is "Whats it like to live on one of these things?" Imagine it, traveling to exotic places, meeting strange and interesting people in a foreign land.

For about the last 5 years I have been working onboard cruise ships in the casino industry, and I'm here to tell you working on a cruise ship is all of those things and more! A new port every day, a new party every night. If you enjoy the reality show enviroment, this is the place for you. Singers and dancers, musicians, guest entertainers, all mixed in with vacationers young and old, and of cource summer sun and fun year round.

At this point you may be asking "There must be a downside?" and there are. Depending on your position you may have to pay for your own flights, work extremely long hours, live in tiny box, and the food for the staff is not the same as the food for the guests. But I'm not here to tell you about why you shoud stay at home for the rest of your life. I want to share with you my experiences and stories of who I think are some of the most amazing people in the world.

To anyone out there thinking "This could be the job for me." In two short words "Do it.". You never know, you may have the time of your life.