| There are many ways of getting on a cruise ship! | | | | Where in the World? |
| If you thought you would always have to go to a | | | | Cruise ships travel to destinations, ports in various |
| travel agent and pay crazy prices for a luxury cruise, | | | | parts of the world where it is financially viable! If the |
| then you are mistaken. There are many ways to get | | | | port charges are high, they will go elsewhere or ferry |
| on that ship! | | | | you in by tender (cruise companies make a lot of |
| My name is Tim Riley, I have been at sea since the | | | | their profits through the tour companies!). As cruise |
| age of 18 and have sailed as a captain on some of | | | | ships get larger, they will be able to go only to the |
| the largest Luxury Cruise liners in the world. I have | | | | larger, more commercial ports and not to the smaller, |
| worked for Holland America line, now part of Carnival | | | | quaint little tourist traps of old. Ports see this as a |
| corporation and also prior to that worked for P&O | | | | loss and are rapidly trying to respond to the demand |
| cruises as a First Officer. | | | | for larger berths, the Caribbean being a prime |
| I have cruised to almost every one of the favourite | | | | example, where piers are extended regularly to |
| cruise destinations chosen by the travellers of the | | | | accommodate longer and bigger vessels. The larger |
| world and I have seen some pretty awesome sights | | | | ships bring more passengers, more passengers bring |
| too whilst accompanying them there. | | | | bigger problems for the ports and less intimacy for |
| My wife and children have regularly accompanied me | | | | the passengers. With some of these ships bigger |
| to some fantastic destinations like Alaska, Northern | | | | than my home town and carrying in excess of 5,000 |
| Europe, the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Africa, South | | | | people onboard, why would you want to take a |
| America, South Pacific, Australia and most of the far | | | | vacation on a luxury cruise with 5,000 people? It |
| East. I have completed world cruises and returned a | | | | can't possibly be luxury, you certainly won't get |
| wiser Man! | | | | personal service, apart from your cabin steward and |
| What's in it for You? | | | | it is very likely that you will be in queues for hours |
| Cruise ships are places for people to lay back and | | | | every day, getting into dinner, onto buses, onto |
| relax and let someone else do the driving, to visit | | | | tenders, into the shop ashore and in fact almost |
| multiple destinations in a short period of time and | | | | everywhere you go. |
| take in a snapshot of a culture or city. You don't | | | | Take Skagway in Alaska, a little town of some 800 |
| spend enough time there to find out the really nice | | | | people living there during the winter, whose |
| places the locals go to relax, or the ghettos that are | | | | population swells to around 2,000 in the summer for |
| carefully driven round so You the cruise visitor | | | | the cruise ship season, and then the cruise lines |
| doesn't see them. | | | | DUMP around 12,000 passengers plus around another |
| When you sail as 'crew' you can get the opportunity | | | | 3,000 crew a day into a village some 1000 yds long |
| to see more of these ports and see them regularly | | | | and 700 yds wide. |
| too. If you fancy signing on as crew and being paid a | | | | I have never counted the number of horses in the |
| reasonable wage for long hours and a Lot of fun, | | | | town, but if I were to guess, it is probably the |
| then sign up now, there are many lines to choose | | | | closest thing to a one horse town most people that |
| from, but I'm sure there are many amongst you who | | | | have visited will ever see. (I still love the place |
| are a little past the waiting on table team and would | | | | though, even if it is being ruined!) The mountains and |
| prefer to part of the 'being waited on' team! | | | | scenery behind are a dream come true for hill |
| The Lowdown on Cruise Ship Vacations | | | | walkers and adventurists, take a hike! |
| Cruise ship vacations generally cost the shipping | | | | My Advice to You |
| company around $100 per head for a week to keep | | | | Take a cruise, Yes, I did say take a cruise, If you like |
| you on board, their victualling rate is around $7 per | | | | the sun, go for it, head to the sun; If you like Ice |
| person per day!! That includes the all day buffet, | | | | and Snow, go to Alaska, Norway or even further up |
| breakfast from 0600 to 1130, long lunches in the | | | | to Greenland, it's more spectacular. |
| sunshine and a great sit down meal in the evening, | | | | Here's the BUT..... find the smallest cruise ship you can. |
| followed by the late night buffet and/or the | | | | Find one that doesn't go to all the same places as |
| chocolate extravaganza! (all for $7 a head) It's | | | | the big cruise lines. If you have teenage kids, and |
| amazing what bulk buying does to the price of food. | | | | aren't too bothered about keeping them on a leash, |
| Wages are pretty low, the average cruise ship | | | | then Carnival is fine. Something more sedate, with |
| Captain earns somewhere around $130k a year plus | | | | some great fun opportunities, Royal Caribbean or |
| around 10-20% bonus if his vessel is successful | | | | P&O, need to sleep a bit more? Then Holland |
| through the year. The guys and gals down on the | | | | America Line will suit. Celebrity and Norwegian Cruise |
| lower decks don't fair so well and only the top 5 | | | | lines fit in the middle as well, so there is choice and |
| staff onboard get bonuses. The lower wages can be | | | | Cunard is in the middle to top end as well. |
| as low as $500/m! | | | | But be warned, if you want something special, go |
| Many of the crew have their wages boosted by tips, | | | | smaller rather than large. Find a ship under 2,000 |
| especially on American managed cruise lines. It has | | | | passengers and that's a start. Less than a thousand |
| now become even worse for the crew as the tips | | | | and you're doing great. 500 - 600 and you're onto the |
| are now pooled! So, the crew working in areas away | | | | cruise of a lifetime. Smaller still and try out the really |
| from the passengers, galley staff, laundry etc. now | | | | beautiful ships in the south pacific, medi and caribbean |
| get tips, but the people you see face to face, wine | | | | under the windstar banner. They even have sails and |
| waiters, bus boys, cabin stewards/stewardesses all | | | | if the wind is right, you can have that moonlit walk |
| take a hit on their tips, which they are working for. | | | | on the teak decks under the stars without 2,000 |
| The company also takes some of these tips and | | | | other passenger pushing and shoving to get the |
| places it into various schemes for the crew fund, | | | | same view and NO Engine or soot to spoil the |
| instead of giving it all to the crew. This acts like a | | | | tranquility. (Dolphins and whales love swimming with |
| kind of 'smoothing' in the accounts, so when the | | | | sailboats! and don't get hurt by propellers!) |
| company is not making so much, sailing part full, the | | | | Smaller ships cause less local damage, visit smaller, |
| pay and tips are boosted from previous tips! Not | | | | more private, more intimate ports in more remote |
| really fair! as the personnel that were onboard when | | | | spots from the main civilisation centers. Less bus time |
| the money was given, have left and gone on leave! | | | | and more You time. |
| There were some legal arguments made against | | | | Travel the world and see it for yourself. It is still a |
| these tactics and I am not at this time sure how | | | | beautiful place, you just need to find your place in it. |
| they were resolved! | | | | |