Crystal Cruises, from application to joining date

Hello everybody,
I am reading everything about work on the ship, here at this forum, from September.
Forum has helped me a lot, all your threads and posts, so I thought I should “briefly” introduce my preparations for departure, hoping that my experience would be helpful to someone.

In August I sent a cover letter to a local recruiting agency in Croatia, I immediately got a response and a call to a meeting, which was held for seven days with a group of us in Sarajevo.
I went over there, completed Marlins test, passed everything. Everybody at that interview were for Carnival (among them my friend who went off a couple of days ago to join Carnival).
I was the only one for Crystal Cruises (because my friend works on Crystal Symphony).
Guided by my friend’s experience that got joining letter within 17 days from the interview, I immediately announced quitting a job, in order to prepare for the ship, get ready to part with family, boyfriend and friends and colleagues.

But my final interview was completely delayed, I just had a conversation in Zagreb on 1 October.
The interview lasted 10 minutes for all, but I stayed a little longer, some 20+ min and I was told immediately that I passed and I was going to Serenity.
I was disappointed that I wouldn’t be with a friend, but here at the forum I ran into Angie, with whom I played as a child, and she was on that ship, so after 10 years back we got in touch.
She gave me the answer to all the information that I was interested in and we agreed that I would be careful on board.

My big mistake was that I quit before I got the exact date of joining the ship, I even checked out of an apartment, so now I’m homeless, freezing.
Therefore, I recommend to everyone not to rush, because really, sometime you wait 10 days and sometimes months.
There are other girls in Sarajevo that went afterwards for Crystal interview, and they are now once again looking for work because they resigned their previous jobs, and will not embark until next year.

I’ve returned for medical certificate three times, because every time Dr. Odobašić managed to screw something up, so take a good look at your medical wherever you are doing it, there is always a chance of skipping something or doing it wrong way.

The agency made me a little annoyed about the required documents because they would tell me I need one, and I would travel the administratively unregulated Bosnia, finishing documents, wasting money, and at the end, that document wouldn’t be the one, so again the same process of walking-chasing etc.
I shed some tear because of those documents, whether they would be available on time, cause I was born in the Republic of Srpska, Doboj, had to go notary, write power of attorney to godmother in Doboj so she could finish some documents for me and so on.

I also had to rewrite a couple of times various documents that I received from the agency and shipping company. Every day something got me annoyed.
But don’t get me wrong, I am really pleased with the agency and their approach towards me.

Since all of this went on for far too long, I was very bored, but still got the word that I’d be on the ship for the New Year.
I already booked ticket for 18. December, I’ll go to the Symphony after all, so I am lucky that I will still be with a close friend, who had already gone to her third contract.

The day before yesterday I went to an interview for a seaman’s visa, waited two and a half hours, got killed by the air-conditioning in the waiting room, have a headache for two days straight.

All of this cost me about €1.020.
That includes a lots of hygiene items that I’m taking with me (it is known that women need a lot). My suitcase had been packed a month and a half ago, I packed mostly hygiene items, plenty of underwear and a million of socks, and very few clothing.
Now I’m still waiting 18. December and then getting out of here!

Author: Crystal Cruise Jobs