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Ship Life

Why are crew drills important? A true story about a man overboard situation

Submitted by kgnadmin on

I remember one funny story when I was working on a cruise ship sailing out from Galveston, Texas. It was 2 am, and there was some emergency signal on the ship. Just because there is an emergency does not mean it involves you as a crew. One lady, a crew member, was running with her carry-on baggage at the muster station. Other crew members and officers were looking at her in disbelief; she thought the ship was sinking, packed her luggage, and kept running to her Muster Station.

What has the cruise industry done about mental health on board the ships?

Submitted by kgnadmin on

In response to growing concerns about mental health on cruise ships, there have been several recent additions to the small body of research on seafarers' mental well-being, which has sought to examine the prevalence of mental health issues among seafarers, review the support that exists and offer recommendations on how to protect the mental health of seafarers.

Joining a Cruise Ship for the First Time: Essential Tips for New Crew Members

Submitted by kgnadmin on

When you are at home before your first cruise ship assignment, you don't know how many different things are going to happen when you board the ship. Everything you probably heard from those employment agencies back home is only the good side of the story. When you pack your luggage and finally set to join the cruise ship for the first time, just take a deep breath; in the end, everything will be ok. Be brave and prepare yourself for a unique, beautiful, challenging journey.

Comparing Work: Cruise Ships vs. Land-based Jobs

Submitted by kgnadmin on

Working on a cruise ship has many visible advantages and disadvantages compared to working on land. As they always say, the grass looks greener in the neighbor's lot. I have spent nearly ten years working on a cruise ship, and I always tried to focus on the positive aspects. One of the main differences between working on the cruise ship and working on the land is that you don't need to commute to work. That is a huge advantage; you don't have to spend 1 hour traveling to get to work.

How did the cruise industry survived the most difficult times?

Submitted by kgnadmin on

When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, which resulted in the confinement of a large part of the world’s population, a string of consequences not seen since the Second World War shook the social and economic structures of most, if not all, countries, prolonged confinements, limited mobility, and border closures affected all economic sectors to varying extents, however, hospitality and tourism were possibly the hardest hit of all despite their years of steady growth.

Deciding Between River Ships and Ocean Liners: Which Provides the Optimal Work Environment?

Submitted by kgnadmin on

Work on a cruise ship is hard to generalize by someone's subjective experience. Someone back home might ask you- how is it to work on the cruise ship? Some friends may need advice on which cruise line is the best to apply for. Is it better to work on ocean cruise ships or river ship?

The true story about my good friend Alan, the Galley Steward

Submitted by kgnadmin on

There was a time when I was a crew bartender on a cruise ship sailing out from Florida. It's nice to be a crew bartender, most bartenders would disagree with that, but I really enjoyed it. It was hard because I had no one else to help me set up or close the bar; I was opening and closing it and serving the crew members. Some bartenders did not like to work there because they wanted to go to the crew bar to drink when they were off duty.