CRUIZIN’ FOR A LIVING
DIARY OF A CRUISE SHIP SPA THERAPIST
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY
MB STEYN
Mini Book 2
A QUICK MINI GUIDE TO WORKING AND LIVING ON A LUXURY CRUISE SHIP.
Book 2 of 5
Copyright
Copyright 21 December 2011 by Marie-Berdine Steyn. This edition was prepared by MB Steyn for Smashwords.
CRUIZIN’ FOR A LIVING (SERIES NAME)
DIARY OF A CRUISE SHIP SPA THERAPIST - MINI BOOK TWO (BOOK NAME)
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY (SUBTITLE)
AUTHOR: MB STEYN
PUBLISHER: MBS SELF-PUBLISHING.
All rights reserved under International and South African Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of MBS Publishing or MB Steyn (Author).
MBS and MB Steyn are the logo and trademarks of The MBS Initaitive.
ALSO AVAILABLE SOON:
MINI BOOK 3 - available 20/12/2011
(13) THE JOB+Retail
(10) THE GUESTS
(11) CO-WORKERS
(12) THE BOSS
MINI BOOK 4 - available 20/01/2012
(15) SHIP NIGHT-LIFE
(14) SHIP DAY-LIFE
(15) THIS IS life
MINI BOOK 5 - available 20/02/2012
(16) END OF CONTRACT
(17) A ONCE IN A LIFETIME JOURNEY
(18) REFERENCES
(19) SOME HELPFUL HINTS
(20) Cruise ship COMPANIES
*CONTACT INFORMATION
*EXAMPLE-CV&COVER LETTTER
*OTHER
MY FIRST TIME IN THE US. THE GOOD, THE FUNNY, THE SO-NOT-FUNNY MOMENTS:
The port where you first arrive to to sign-onto your ship, will differ from person to person. But you’ll remember this port for the rest of your life.
In my situation I have never heard of the port I was supposed to go too, to meet my ship. So I did not know what to expect. I only knew it was in the United States, and that it would be the first time for me to ever set foot onto US soil. I was pretty excited to see this world-famous country.
I was to board my Cruise Ship the Sunday on Valentines Day, 14 February 2010, so I arrived very late that Saturday 13 February at around 7pm in the US in the winter months. All did not go as planned as my name was not on the list at Border Control at the airport and I had to stay behind, security calling the company I worked for. This was not a bad experience though as the security officers were very friendly and professional the whole time. I actually admired the beautiful way they handled me. After some waiting I was cleared.
Then I found my way towards an exit to try to get to my hotel. I thought the hotel would be close to the airport, but found out that it was not and that I had to take a taxi or shuttle. I had zero money left and no US currency on my person. I luckily had my credit Card, but the US ATM’s rejected the card. And so I was stuck at the airport for nearly an hour or more, walking up and down with my heavy luggage without wheels, because I could not afford a luggage trolley. :-) Later I went to the Information Desk at the Airport, but there was no employees, so I waited around until someone finally appeared. I explained my situation to the lady, and she said there were phones somewhere at the airport and a telephone directory of hotel numbers which can be phoned for free. I did that, went to the phone booth, but my hotel was not listed.
I was by then very tired and stressed and felt a lot of pity for myself. After some thought I went to a different ATM and was able to withdraw about $40 after a lot of effort. I then called my hotel and they said the shuttle would be there in a couple of minutes. And best of all - it was free. I was very grateful.
Arriving at the hotel I stressed again as I still had to pay for my stay at the hotel which was $97 (without tax), which had to be paid by my credit card. I prayed it to work, and luckily it did.
I was very relieved to finally be able to relax in the comfort of my hotel room and took a long, long bath. After that I took one look at the Electrical plugs in the hotel room and realized my South African hairdryer will be of no use and I had to get my hair done for Sunday. It was my first day after all. So after asking the Hotel Receptionist about a Mall or where I could buy hair appliances like a straightener at that time of the night, she said the Mall’s are actually very close by. I could even walk there. I was very grateful and set out of the hotel by foot to go to this Mall which was very close, I just needed to go left once I left the hotel and keep on walking straight.... left......
Mmmm, I realized the faultiness in these directions the moment I exited the hotel. Turning left I had to go over a very tall fence, across a yard, past a place that looked more like an Adult Pub....
Instead I went straight ahead to a side-walk and then turned left, walking all the way left....
Now that was something else, in the process I walked past a couple of very strange looking places, then came to a lake and if I followed the receptionist advice to just keep walking left, I would have ended-up soaking wet and maybe drowning in the process. It was also a bit scary at times since some of the places had no streetlights and I since I don’t know the US well, I didn’t exactly know if it was save for a young woman to be walking in the middle of the night to hopefully find the mall....
Luckily after some time I found something that looked like a mall, except that it was a bit different looking than South African malls, and I wondered If the US ever invested in Road Signs which will make the ‘getting around’ a lot easier.
Luckily I found the entrance to the mall after some time, and tried to keep direction as well I could in order to get back to the hotel safely.
Shopping for the first time in a US mall was interesting, or should I say more Window Shopping. I couldn’t find any ‘plugs’ anywhere since the mall specialized more in designer shops and so forth. So I had to buy a straightener.
There-after it was finding the way back to the hotel at 12h30am in the morning..... luckily the road back ‘home’ was easier this time and at around 1h30am I was trying to close some eyes and relax.
CHAPTER 6
FIRST DAY
------------------------
When you get to your ship
When you get to your ship you’ll have to go to the Crew Entrance Way and not the Guest Entrance Way. Just ask around the port which way to go. I was very ignorant that first day and did not even know what a ship entrance-way looked like. Don’t worry too much though, most first contractors don’t.
Once you get to the Crew Entrance Way all new sign-on’s wont be allowed to board the ship before clearance. You’ll need your passport with Visa’s etc. Your Agency or Company will tell you this beforehand though. Also all luggage are placed on the luggage trolley as you cannot take your luggage by hand onto the ship. Only items like your laptop bag, handbag and your uniform.
All your documents are checked by the Border Control Security ladies and gents and after that you are clear to go to your ship. Usually Border Control is some feet away from the ships Crew Entrance, so just follow the other Crew and see what they do. Then you’ll be climbing onto your ship were you’ll first meet your new ship’s security team at work. Security on board are very strict. At the entrance-way will be security equipment, eye scanners and so forth and all crew have to swipe their ID Cards before they leave the ship and when they return to the ship. New sign-on’s don’t have this card, so just tell the security you’re a new sign-on and they’ll help you all the way. No need to worry. Every individual onboard is very professional and know what it’s like to be a new sign-on and first-contractor, they are usually more than happy to help you.
Next you’ll be taken to your MSA (the administration offices onboard), where you’ll be shown what to do next and fill out some forms, take a photo for your ships ID-Card and then be given your cabin key. Most times they also call your manager to come get you, this might not always happen though as your manager might still be asleep or working.
After this you are free to go to your cabin and/or look around. If your manager came to get you, he/she will show you around, take you to your cabin and show you your new work area. If she/he didn’t come to fetch you, don’t stress, you’ll be fine.
The whole inside of the ship will look very confusing to you on your first day, but you’ll find your way. The first thing I did was to find someone who could help me find my cabin since I had no idea how to locate it, especially since I had no clue what Starboard and Port-side meant. So luckily this someone also had no idea where my cabin was, but found some of my future colleagues to take me to my cabin. This was a relief.
Usually everyone tells you that you’ll be working on your first day onboard, which is very true. But don’t worry, most of the time you’ll be at your work station only observing and not actually performing any duties. (Mostly only first contractors)
You also have to attend ‘Ship’s Orientation Training’ at your CTC (Crew Training Centre) on your first day around 1pm or 2pm or so....
NEXT I’ll portray two scenario’s to you. One will be how a First day usually are, the second scenario was how my first day onboard was, which is the un-usual, and not the norm.....
I always had the ability to land in some drama and something unusual, no wonder my first day was no different.
What the first day is usually like:
*Your ship dock’s at 8am at Port. You are up early and at 7h45 am you arrive at port. Your ship is already there and unloading some guests.
**You know exactly where the Crew Entrance is...
***You go to the Crew Entrance Way, through Border Control and step for the first time onto your new Cruise ship.
****Your first stop is usually at the MSA (Admin office). You’ll meet a lot of other sign-on’s here and most of the time their faces will be the first you recognize among the crew onboard.
At the MSA you’ll receive your cabin key and they’ll call your Manager.
*****Your Manager usually shows you around - to your cabin, to the Staff Mess (The dining area for Staff) and then to your work area.
Some of the interesting things I have found is that somehow everything you see will look so much different to you in about a months time, and you can’t believe that you though the spa for example looked like that when you first saw it. On your first day it looks a lot different. Probably because we are a little over-whelmed and not used to the decorative ways of Cruise ships.
******At an organized time on your first day, you and all the new sign-on’s will have to go to the Crew Training Centre (CTC) where you’ll have your first orientation training. AT this orientation you’ll learn about the cruise ship company you work for and what their image and standards are and what will be required of you as a crewmember, and so forth. You’ll also be told when your next training session will be, which is mostly throughout the whole week.
******* At a Certain time it will be boat drill (This is where all guest are shown where there muster station is)
MY first day - the not so usual experience
*Your ship dock’s at 8am at Port. You are also up early and at 7h45am you arrive at port. There is only one problem though, you see no ship in dock at your terminal. You check your itinerary letter again to make sure you’re at the right terminal. Sure, there it is, you are correct. So what the heck is going on?
After some crazy walking around a Police officer looks at you very suspiciously and ask you what you are hanging around for.... You explain you’re a new employee and looking for your ship... Then Luckily for you another kind gentleman informs you that you’re ship has mechanical problems and will only be in port at 3pm. Hopefully......
‘What?’ You think to yourself. What will you be doing with yourself till then? You cannot go back to the hotel, you already checked out, and you have no money for a taxi left to take you there anyway, especially because the shuttle driver who was supposed to drop you of at the terminal for free, insisted you owe him a $30 tip. In a country you do not know, and with a threatingly looking guy, you give him your last $20 bill with the excuse of having no more money. Which is also the truth. The only Cash left on you is a couple of quarters. Which you don’t know what it’s worth, because you don’t quite understand US currency. You have never even heard of a quarter till the day you first set foot in the US, which was yesterday.....
(Ok, but don’t lose hope right now. When this happened to me, a very kind Gentleman from the Cruise line Companies Reception Desk at the terminal said he’ll stow away my luggage so that I could go and buy some coffee and sit at the coffee shop at the Aquarium just across, or I could wait for a while at his desk. I was very thankful and sat there for awhile. Later a lady came in and we had a lovely chat, apparently she was looking for a cruise that week but none was available. I realized she was very lonely so I enjoyed chatting with her and told her she should visit the spa in the future when she can get a cruise on the Legend (my Cruise ship) as I’ll be working on the cruise ship till November. She agreed and I could see appreciated having someone to talk to that day. I think her name was Susan.
Anyways, after she left, sitting around till three got to boring so I started browsing through some brochures of the city and got one with a map indicating a place which was of some historical value. It got my attention right away, and since I’m adventurous by nature and love history I set out to this place (Wild Boar or something) instead of the coffee shop some feet away.
What was the fun in a coffee shop anyway, I’m a ‘tourist’ for the day in a new City and a new Country. Might as well make use of it. On the map the place looked to be right around the corner, but about 2km into my walk I realized I was getting myself into something again. The area around me was typically downtown and I didn’t feel to welcome with all the stares I got walking past small houses of clearly not to wealthy people. In the US it might not be a security problem, but in SA it is a know fact that a girl don’t wander around such areas by herself. I tried not to worry to much about it, and eventually I got to the place on the map. It was very interesting and I enjoyed getting my mind off the ship and everything.
The place looked a lot like 18th Century New York and at one of the restaurants there I went to eat some lunch. I had to budget very carefully and hoped my Credit Card would go through, especially with the $5 tip I left the waitress for a $3.95 Bill. “Jip” I had no Idea what the tipping standard in the US is, so I just went for $5. Luckily the Card didn’t disappoint me. It was then around 12h30pm, but since the ship would only be in at 3pm, I figured, I could go for a movie. That was the first movie I ever watched in a US cinema and also the last, since I never had the chance to do it again. Off all the movies that day though I chose ‘The Book Of Eli.” Now that was not to bright, and the popcorn and Smarties in my stomach did their part to remind me of that. Yes, I actually stretched my credit card budget a little further and bought those too. More for the nerves than of hunger.
The movie lasted a little longer than I thought it would, and I exited the cinema at 2h45pm. By then I was pretty stressed that I won’t make it to the ship in time walking the +5km and that my ship would leave without me. Luckily I made it in time.)
**I had no idea what the friendly guy meant to ‘go to the crew entrance’ when I fetched my bags, so I tried going through a couple of doors, only making a fool of myself. Later I found the entrance though. Having a silent laugh at myself....
***You go to the Crew Entrance Way, wait for another hour in the warm sun. You feel a bit like a fool because most of the new sign-on’s are wearing casual jeans and t-shirts while your prancing around in your formal black suit and shirt, because your employment company told you to go for the Business Look.
You see everyone putting their luggage on a ‘trolley thing,’ but you have no idea if you should do the same. Especially since your Spa Company told you you’ll need a uniform for your first day and that you should therefore keep a uniform with you at all times. After some thoughts about the matter, you settle for putting all your luggage on the trolley, at least that way your manager won’t be able to put you to work on your first day.....;-)
Finally you get through border control and get onto the ship. You feel a bit a fool, because the lady doing your eye scan and whatever they do is a bit careless and seems like she have been to long at her work. You also notice the looks everyone give you once they hear you are a first-contracted, and you wonder about that for a while, but luckily two or more of the guys start chatting to you, and you realize that they also are first-contractors.
****Your first stop is usually at the MSA (Admin office). You’ll meet a lot of other sign-on’s here and most of the time their faces will be the first you recognize among the crew onboard.
At the MSA you’ll receive your cabin key and they’ll call your Manager. On my first day though my manager couldn’t come to fetch me because the whole ship schedule was upside-down from the mechanical difficulties. She had thus to be at the Spa and Spa Tours was already underway.
Luckily I found some Spa Girls along the way, one which was also my Cabin Mate - Stacey (Spain). The first time I saw her the one thing that stood out to me was the red hair, piled on top of her head looking like a bird’s nest. I struggled not to stare. She showed me to my (our) cabin and said they were going for a 15 minutes dinner break and would come fetch me in 15 min. I didn’t have a uniform so she borrowed me one. (there goes my plan of no work on first day). I took a two minute shower, put on fresh make-up and the uniform and was ready when she knocked on the door.
*****In my case the manager didn’t come to pick me up and show me around. After I got dressed I walked with Stacey through the I95 (The long walkway on Deck A where all the crew walk and all the ‘ship crew activities are done - You’ll most of the time find on this Deck: The Crew Bar, The Crew-, Staff- and Officer Mess, The MSA, The Staff Internet Lab, the Crew Gym, the Marshalling Area, the CTC and so forth.)
Along the I95 we bumped into my new Manager - *Tammy (Ireland). The spa was on the 9th Deck which is also called Lido Deck. (This I realized after some time, which can also be a bit confusing at times to learn all the deck names. I really don’t know why they don’t stick to Deck A, 1, 5, 9 or whatever). Anyways, my manager showed me around the spa for about 10 minutes and then left me with the other girls in the front of the spa who was busy with Spa Tours (taking guests around the spa and introducing them to treatments, spa facilities and so on). This was the most overwhelming part about the whole day, since there I was standing, my first day onboard without any knowledge about the ship itself I was on, and guests coming to me with questions like:
*”What deck is this?” At this my eye’s would grow as big as plates and because you are not allowed to tell any guest “Fuck knows sir, this is my first day you know....” I settled for “Well sir, lets see!” and then I pointed to the ship map (you’ll find one on every deck throughout the ship) “This will be deck... eh... Lido.. sir!”
****** I had no training or orientation in my first week or first three weeks to speak of. All because of a schedule being upside-down. But this is vary rare. In my case I found this very unsettling, especially since I did not understand any ship terminology or what my manager where speaking about most of the time in an Irish accent which I nearly did not grasp at all.....
Heheheh, that was very funny times. But I’m not going to bore you with anymore of these.
******* My first boat drill I had no idea what the heck was happening or what to do and nobody else seemed to know what I had to do either since I was not yet assigned any position. So I stayed in the spa gim.
To help you a bit, the next section I’ll go over some ship terminology with you......
CRUISE SHIP TERMS AND THEIR MEANINGS:
For a useful site on Ship terms and vocabulary, visit: http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/cruiseterms.html
STARBOARD
When you face the front of the ship, Starboard is on the right side of the ship.
Starboard side cabin numbers are un-equal numbers. For example if your cabin number is 407, You’ll look at the last number (7) and then you’ll know your cabin is on the left side of the ship.
PORT
When you face to the front of the ship Port side is the left side of the ship.
Port side cabin numbers are equal numbers. For example if your cabin number is: 406, You’ll look at the last number (in this case 6) and then you’ll know your cabin is on the left side of the ship.
Every Deck has a name. Deck A is just that though; Deck A. Deck A, B and C are mostly only Crew areas and no guests are allowed on these decks. If a guest are thus suspiciously looming around these decks you are obliged to report him/her.
DECKS
Deck 1 is usually where the guest cabins start, and is guests only areas, except for those staff/crew who work in those areas. Mostly stewards/stewardesses.