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.
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Work. Show all posts
Sunday, February 15, 2009
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.
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.
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.
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.
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