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.

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.