It’s not a cloudless world for people going to work at sea. Ship life is definitely not as easy as it seems to be. I would like to talk about my experience as a woman after I signed a contract with a reputable British cruise line. I was employed as a “Demi Chef de Partie” in the pastry section, to be a part of the galley team. Until I came onboard a cruise ship, this world was totally unknown to me. Galley. As we call the kitchen in a ship.

A crew member from the cruise ship Norwegian Jade was medevacked on November 9, while the vessel was 22 nautical miles off the coast of Pylos, Greece. The Hellenic Coast Guard watchstanders at the port of Pyols received a request from the captain of the ship for emergency medical evacuation of a 31-year-old Indian crewmember. Watchstanders consulted the Coast Guard's Unified Coordination Center for Search and Rescue and deployed a rescue boat with medical personnel.

Due to the increased number of crew members who joined cruise lines with the intent of jumping ship and stay in the USA illegally, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) imposed new restrictions. The new temporary restrictions regarding shore leave in the ports in New York (Brooklyn and Manhattan) and New Jersey (Cape Liberty) states that only crew members with completed five contracts can go ashore. This is industry-wide and affects all cruise ships entering these ports.

After the transatlantic crossing from Kiel, Germany, following stops in Saint John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia the cruise ship MSC Meraviglia finally arrived in New York on 7th of October. The news was broadcasted by all mainstream media as the vessel become the largest ship with 4,488 guests to ever dock in New York. However, as we were informed by several crew members onboard, out of 1500 crew working on the ship only 38 employees were allowed to go ashore.

The US Coast Guard medically evacuated an ill man on Tuesday afternoon, October 8, from the cruise ship Norwegian Joy, which was sailing 33 miles off the coast of Coos Bay, Oregon. The 61-year-old Filipino man reportedly was suffering heart complications and needed urgent medical assistance.

Fraudulent websites have targeted crew members accounts claiming they are the financial company Brightwell. 

A crew member aboard the Norwegian Cruise ship, Norwegian Joy, has died on 9 July 2019. The 29-year-old crew member from Mauritius, Chandraprakash Beersee, passed away in his cabin on Norwegian Joy, while the vessel was sailing to Juneau, Alaska. According to reports, the cause of death was a heart attack while the crew member was sleeping. Chandraprakash was a talented pastry chef who has boarded the vessel three weeks before his death on 15 June 2019.

A crew member who wishes to remain anonymous contacted Crew Center stating that many crew on the cruise ship Norwegian Epic didn’t receive their packages ordered online. Apparently, the orders were placed four months ago and when the crew checked the online, tracking records stated that the packages have been delivered to the ship. However, they haven’t received the packages to this day, claims the crew member.

Frank Del Rio, chief executive of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, was inducted into the British Travel and Hospitality Hall of Fame. The ceremony hosted by Jacobs Media Group was held on April 29, at The Dorchester hotel in London where Frank Del Rio was recognized for his achievers in the travel and leisure sector, honoring his significant achievements.

A crew member wishing to remain anonymous has sent us a message claiming that many Indian employees working for Norwegian Cruise Line have been fired by the company. The crew was terminated from their working positions after they finished regular contracts and without any particular reason received a letter by NCL  thanking them for their services. The crew member has sent us a copy of the so-called “Thank You Letter” signed by the Fleet Talent Management, which says: