Princess Cruises Junior Waiter, 1st contract finished!

Author:
Miss_Glamorazzi
Registered
Online
Country: Serbia
Company: Princess
Hire Agency: Safe cruise
Occupation: junior waiter
Ship: Caribbean Princess
Posts: 10

I’m baaack … And so I’m back from the first contract onboard a cruise ship. It was wonderful and I can not wait to get back, but let’s start from the beginning …

Shortly after my first post on this forum, I got Letter Of Employment, and joining date … I ran around Belgrade in a hurry to get a visa, medical, vaccine … But that’s another, not as beautiful story. I officially sailed a month after the job interview.

It is very strange to remember those days from a distance. I laugh at myself for being so lost my first days onboard. It took me a week to remember where my room was, my roommate was a disaster, and I was being looked at with an envy, because of two words that were written on my name tag – junior waiter. On the first contract no less! And I fought it with a smile. I’d be lying if I said it was easy, that there was no stress, no tears … but, it’s like that anywhere you go. Little by little, I started to find my way around the ship, meet nice people, and in fact, I started to get the job, understand what it takes to do it. At the end of my contract I felt at home. So, my dear, I can freely say that now on vacation i feel home sick.

Two or three things I would like to single out … I’m a very positive person and I think that’s very important. But everyone gets “yellow minutes”. Mine happened on Christmas Eve. Someone made me mad, and then somebody else, you miss family, friends and … you break. So I cried for the whole Christmas Eve, somewhere between the Bahamas and Mexico, phone connections were broken, I couldn’t call anybody … Horror. It was the worst day for all six months. But with my friends onboard, or better said “friends for a time”, it is possible to overcome everything.

You don’t have friends on a cruise ship. Remember that. It is very rare for someone to have friends and for that friendship to last. You will get to know wonderful people, you will remain in touch with them, maybe you will find yourself back on a same boat with him, but that’s it. And there’s nothing wrong with it. One reason is because you are not yourself on board. It is simply irresistible that in this new, unfamiliar environment you do not present yourself in a completely different way. Another reason is that the ship is a jungle. Everyone is fighting for himself, for his promotion and a lot of people ready to do everything to reach their goals. Plus, you can forget that your life onboard is only yours. On the boat, everything about you is known, and circles among everybody else. It’s entertainment during the long sea days.

Shit rolls down the hill. You are only a tiny part of the company. You are disposable, at the bottom of the food chain. So, you’ll need to listen and repeat “Yes, sir,” to your waiter, your supervisor, your head waiter, your maitre d’hotel, maestro, etc etc … Big ego is not allowed.

Smile, smile and just smile … no English necessary … You can be a professor, but if you’re not smiling and if you’re not friendly, you’ll not gonna make it.
There are some things that first came to my mind. Basically, nothing can prepare you for a ship’s life. You must pass that first shock, that baptism by fire alone.

Here I’m resting at my house and I can not wait to start another contract. For now, I am planned to join the Regal Princess but since I sent an email request to join earlier, God knows where I’ll end up. And it is, in fact, what I like, adventure, speed of life, destinations … The world is your oyster … And if you do not like “oysters”, then google another job, because you will not handle this one …