Cruise ship work has many beautiful moments like any other job on land. Depending on the job title and position, sometimes happiness comes more, sometimes less. Ultimately, happiness is our perception of reality, the way we see things around us. Even if we are in the most beautiful place in the world, we can still focus on the negative perception and the opposing perspective. The beauty that gives us happiness is, most of the time, in our own eyes, the way we see the world around us. Yet, some specific moments are a synonym for happiness when it comes to the work on the cruise ship. Here are some moments that make crew members happy on the cruise ship.

Your favorite meal in the crew mess

For some, this could sound ordinary, but if you ever work on a cruise ship, you know very well how much you appreciate your favorite cuisine on the cruise ship. It will probably not happen often, but during your contract at sea, you will come into the crew mess one day and see your favorite dish on the menu. For example, I love tiger prawns, and on the ship where I was working, they had it on the menu once a month. It made me soo happy when I came to have my lunch in the crew mess and I saw tiger prawns on the menu. I would instantly forget about the stress related to my work, colleagues, and my babalu manager. On that day, I would even be willing to risk and sneak the food into my cabin, even if it was strictly prohibited. After I finished my lunch, I would take the double cutlery napkin and place some tiger prawns in it, discreetly trying to sneak it into my cabin so that I could have some more of my favorite food after work. 

Receiving a message from your loved one

When you are for a long time at sea, away from your family and loved ones, receiving a new message is amazing. It makes us feel valued, not forgotten, as long as there are friends and family who will send us a message. When you are daily exposed to ridiculous stress levels, one message from your friends and family could make an all difference in this world. People who have worked on the cruise ship for some time already will understand the meaning of this. 

Getting help from your colleague

When you work on the ship, especially when you start your new job, it's easy to get overwhelmed with the task, complexity of your duties, and millions of information. Any help from your experienced senior colleagues will make such a huge relief. When I started working in the bar department, I remember there were thousands of drink recipes to learn and learn. It was a total disaster in the beginning. On my first shift as a bartender, they left me alone in one bar; my manager told me that I would be fine because that bar was not really busy, and I could handle customer orders one by one. But on that day, it happened that a group of 15 people walked in in the bar just when I took over the shift by myself. To make things worse, they all ordered complicated orders; I could not even understand what they were saying to me and how much more to make those cocktails. I took the first few orders and remember thinking," Boy, this will be tough. I don't even know how to make this cocktail! I did not have any idea what to do! Luckily, one of the senior bartenders, who was really lovely, was passing through that area on the way to his lunch break, and he saw me struggling. 

Without hesitating, he jumped into the bar, took all the orders from the guest, quickly made 15 different cocktails, and showed me how to do it. I felt so happy, relieved, and grateful for him that I will not forget that feeling for the rest of my life.

If you see someone who is new at the job, jump in and help your colleague. A small gesture like that will be greatly appreciated, and you will go in their lifetime memory as a great person. We are all new in the business at the beginning, and always remember how much it meant for you to get support from more experienced colleagues.

The Sign-off day

The sign-off day is something extraordinary in the career of any seaman. The sign-off date is something special when you work on the ship, regardless of the contract length. It's the reward for all your hard work, the amazing feeling of accomplishment, emotional achievement, and the moment when you realize you made it. We often feel proud of ourselves and look back at all challenges during the contract. When the sign-off date approaches, we feel that everything perfectly made sense, every single hard day at work, every hour of the sleepless night, every second of the hard work, and every drop of your sweat, everything makes perfect sense at the end. The sign-off date allows you to enjoy a fantastic moment of self-fulfillment and goal accomplishment. The fact that you are about to see your family in approximately 24 hours. And then, of course, you fulfilled financial goals, sacrificed a lot, and now feel happy and free. That moment when you step on the land after several months on board, you actually learn how to appreciate the small things. The airport restaurant has no drills, safety meetings, and no rush at I95. There is no more shoe box cabin where you feel claustrophobic for several months; there are no rude customers who will ruin your day. You are just sitting in the airport restaurant on the way home, waiting for the flight. You feel amazing self-accomplishment and goal fulfillment, you made it, and you are on your way home. Well done to all of your crew members; keep it up. Good work! Always remember, it's nice to feel important, but it's more important to be nice! Have a great contract, everyone!