Cruise Ship Luxuries

Cruise Ship Passenger Areas. Just some of the luxuries which passengers get to enjoy and relax in while on holiday or a cruise. Now wouldn't that be nice to experience one day. Well you can. There are some Cruise Ship companies which allow you to enjoy some of the same luxuries as the passengers. For example like using the passenger gyms, pools and Jacuzzis, attending shows and performances in the theatres, dining in the restaurants and buying from the on board shops, and some companies even encourage their crew and staff to join in on shore excursions and tours when the ship is in port. How awesome does that sound? How does a nice wine trail and tasting sound, or visit to the local art gallery or museum? Fancy a bus tour around a historical village? Or a trip with an explorer boat to go and swim with dolphins? These are just some of the joys of working at sea!

The Navigation bridge on a ship

This first photo is from the bridge wing of a Cruise ship looking aft towards the stern. You can get a good view of the side of the ship where the life boats are situated below the passenger balconies. Just about all cargo ships have open bridge wings where the Captain and Pilot will control the ship from outside the bridge. There are limited services on open bridge wings. Usually only controls for the bow thrusters, telegraph, helm and emergency stops. Whereas on enclosed bridge wings on all Cruise Ships and some Ferries the services which the Captain and Pilot have access to are far more than those on an open bridge wing ship. They have all the luxuries of CCTV Radar, ECDIS on conning display, Echo Sounder, Speed log, cameras, GPS, VHF radios and shelter from the weather. So you can see why most Captains like enclosed bridge wings. Me personally I prefer open bridge wings as you get a better feel for what the ship is doing when you can look over the side of the ship and feel the wind when making a decision in manoeuvring.


The second photo is a typical lay out of a navigation bridge on a ship. You see the central conning display which is situated in the middle of the bridge with a small wheel allowing the quartermaster to do hand steering. Yes most ships still do have chairs for the Captain and Officer of the Watch to sit in. Bridge areas on Cruise Ships and Ferries all have carpet on the floors whereas Cargo ships tend to just stick with lino floor covering. This is my favourite area on a ship. I spend half my day on the bridge of ship either on watch of doing admin for routine safety checks. Go AMOS!

MEDIVAC - Via Helicopter on the Australian Coast

MEDIVAC - A Medical Evacuation via Helicopter is the last resort for any medical case on board a ship. If the Doctors or Officers on board are not able to do any more for a patient then depending on where the ship is located a medical evacuation will be considered.I witnessed my first helicopter evacuation on board my last ship. I can see now why English is the required language for communication in emergencies. We had 7 different nationalities on the bridge during this scenario. Dutch, Polish, British, Latvia, English, Scottish and Pilipino.The overall outcome of the evacuation was a success and the paperwork afterwards only took 2 hours to complete. Thanks to the admin Officers on board - 3rd Officer.

10 Magical Wonders of the Sea

One of the 10 magical wonders seen on the ocean. It’s not every day you get to see the tale of a whale on more occasions than one.These are the 10 wonders of the sea as I see them from my journeys so far.
1- Sunrises and Sunsets seen on the horizon.
2- Sea Life and wild life. Whales, Dolphins, Seals, Birds and fish.
3- The sound of the sea against the hull of the ship, complete peacefulness and serenity.
4- International travel by sea and see the world while you work.
5- The Fresh air, ocean breeze and clear starry lit skies seen most on most nights.
6- Personal satisfaction from achieving set goals.
7- Strength, self-confidence, competence and perseverance gained from being on a ship.
8- Rough weather voyaging. Encountering near death experiences.
9- Experience different cultures from all around the world. Learn a number of languages.
10- The pay package you take home at the end of your contract is so worth it.These are only just some of the wonderful reasons to pursue a dream to live and work on the ocean.

Support Woman At Sea - Cause Campaign

I have started up a Cause Campaign on Facebook in the hope that more Women can be encouraged to pursue a Career at sea and stay strong in the midst of tough times. It’s a chance for woman to come together to encourage and show their support to other woman who are working in the Maritime industry. A chance to speak up about tough issues they have faced at sea and also sharing their exciting stories of experiences they have had at sea.The time has come for Woman to speak up. There are so many of us out there who have dreams to become Chief Officers and Captains of Cruise Ships, Product tankers and Bulk Cargo Ships. What is stopping us from stepping up and rising to the challenge? Male domination, gender discrimination, sexual harassment, male over-powering, insecurity? There are a number are factors that may be relevant, but in each case is different for every woman.I have started up a donation link on the site to raise money to sponsor a trainee to go on the Spirit of New Zealand. All donations go to the Woman for Woman International fund. When the goal amount of $1500.00 is reached, I personally will bring forth the $1500 for the young teenager to go on the Spirit of New Zealand. The Spirit of Adventure Trust will be contacted and a trainees name will be given to me who I will then pay for. This trainee will be mentioned on the website before they go on the ship and then they will write a small letter to us on completion of the voyage.I love my career and life at sea so much that I want others to experience the same passion which I have. I endeavour to spread the Word through the medium of the sea with other young woman out there. It is a fantastic career to start; you get to travel the world, see amazing places, work with a ship full of crew that becomes like family over time and have the responsibility of taking command of a bridge watch for two 4 hour shifts a day. The people you get to meet, places and sights you sea and the pay package at the end of your travels are only a few highlights of this chosen profession. So take that step and show your support to woman already at sea.

Milford Sounds Scenic Cruising

Milford Sounds Cruising on board the Volendam. Scenic Cruising through the beautiful hills and inlets of the South Island of New Zealand is defiantly a highlight on a South Pacific voyage on a Cruise Ship. The Milford Sounds area is much like the Marlborough and Queen Charlotte Sounds with fewer boats sailing and touring in the area. The wildlife is pretty much the same, with huge amounts of dolphins, birds and sea life. There are numerous amounts of waterfalls running down the hills and cliffs at the waters edge.Can you believe that we get paid to do this kind of stuff! Its amazing isn't it. Travelling around the beautiful New Zealand seeing wildlife, sea life and hills covered in native bush. I personally can’t dream of anything more spectacular that this!

Christmas 2008 - In New Zealand

Christmas 2008. For the last two years I have been at sea for Christmas and New Years. This year was different. I spent Christmas on land with my family. It was so nice to enjoy a day of celebration with my grandparents, sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles and parents. Although I left all my Christmas shopping till the last minute, last minute meaning Christmas Eve afternoon, there was no stress involved this year.New Years this year I will be doing the same as what I have done for the past two years. I will be on working on board the Aratere. My favourite ship as 3rd Officer. Maybe this year I won’t be the youngest crew member on board. Haha what am I kidding, of course I’m going to be the youngest again.
This photo is of me with my mum and two younger sisters. There is no seafaring history in my mums side of the family, the seafaring part of me comes from my dad and his father. My dad’s father did some service in the Navy when he left school and my dad works on the Spirit of New Zealand Sailing ship, volunteer coastguard skipper and loving taking our boat out fishing and tubing. You wouldn’t get my mum or sisters near the water even if you bribed them with chocolate. My dad on the other hand you would just have to mention the word sailing and he’s out already. I love my family to bits and was so very thankful that I was able to spend Christmas with them this year rather than in khakis on a ship working.