Life on a Cruise Ship
By Nancy Zink
@ramapo17 (30441)
Melbourne, Florida
October 19, 2015 10:48pm CST
When I was 19 years old, (seems like yesterday), I fell into a job as a hairdresser on cruise ships. I happened to go out for the day with a co-worker as we had the same days off, so we went to New York City. She heard about a man that was from Copenhagen and was in charge of hiring hairdressers for cruise ships. She wanted the job and I went along for the ride.
To make a long story short, I sailed in 4 days and she sailed the next week. We were not on the same ships and had no clue of what to expect. Luckily my trip was only 2 weeks long where hers was 34 days. The worst part of leaving home was all the shots we had to get as we were going into so many different countries. I was sore for days.
At that time of my life I had never been on a cruise ship and I never expected to be sick for over 3 days. That was before the ships were equipped with the stabilizers that they have now. I made it to Caracas, Venezuela. I couldn't wait to get off the ship and get on land but when we got off, there were soldiers with guns facing us. That was when things were rough down there.
After that the trip was great and I made new friends and saw some countries I never heard of but I was glad to get home and see friends and families.
I plan on writing about some of the other countries I have been to but I can't fit it into one post. Just a look ahead, I went to South America, Scandinavia, Europe, Africa, Iceland, many of the Greek Islands and a lot of the Caribbean Islands.
13 people like this
11 responses
@suziecat7 (3350)
• Asheville, North Carolina
20 Oct 15
How very exciting - you've seen and experienced a lot.
4 people like this
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
24 Oct 15
Yes I did and it seems like just yesterday @suaiecat7.
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
22 Oct 15
I was on an educational cruise in 1977 - loved it - a lot less exciting than your voyages though
3 people like this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
24 Oct 15
@ramapo17 sounds like a vacation worth looking forward to
2 people like this
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
22 Oct 15
My husband and I are going on a cruise for this Christmas as we cannot get up to the northeast. Last year for the holidays we planned on having our kids and grandchildren down here and then they were hit with storm after storm so they never made it here. We will be going up there for the Easter holiday instead.
1 person likes this
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
25 Oct 15
@arthurchappell every cruise is worth looking into. I think my husband spends as much time on the Norwegian Cruise Line site as I do on here. We usually go on Norwegian as the more you go on one line, the more perks you get
1 person likes this
@slund2041 (3314)
• United States
25 Oct 15
You have been to a lot of places. I cannot wait to read your post about your travels. I started cruising in 2009, and love it. My husband and I usually go on two a year, but have not got to go this fall. I love to cruise.
2 people like this
@slund2041 (3314)
• United States
4 Nov 15
@ramapo17 I met one lady on a cruise once that hated it, and could not wait for it to dock. she said she would never go on another cruise. I have to say I hope she never goes on one that I am on. She got drunk and was obnoxious.
1 person likes this
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
4 Nov 15
@slund2041 I think once you go on the first cruise a person either gets hooked or hates it but I don't see many that hate it.
1 person likes this
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
6 Mar 16
@slund2041 That's funny. There are a lot of older ladies that sail as they get older after their spouse's die. They do drink a lot but have a lot of fun.
1 person likes this
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
4 Nov 15
@jaboUK I went to Russia on my 3rd trip after I got the job. That cruise started in the USA, went to Iceland, then to the north cape and down the Fjords, went to Norway, Denmark, Finland, England, Russia and I forget the rest of the countries. It was about 40 days long. Then back to the USA.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23404)
• United Kingdom
25 Oct 15
How exciting for you although some people are so rude to the crew who work like trogens. I will enjoy reading your adventures.
3 people like this
@petertheo (148)
• South Africa
25 Oct 15
My wife and I love cruising when we can afford it! Working on a cruise ship is different though - as a passenger it's fun but as crew it must be frustrating!
3 people like this
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
26 Oct 15
@petertheo It wasn't as frustrating to me as being a hairdresser we were not regular crew members. We were an independent, concession person. We never went to the crews quarters and we ate in the main dining room and had the same meals that passengers did. The entertainers were like us to as well as the gift shop people.
We were not allowed to mingle with the passengers when not on duty but we did use the gym and went to the shows. We had our own deck space for sun bathing.
1 person likes this
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
27 Oct 15
@petertheo It was and sometimes I am amazed that I did it and have seen so much that I could never in a lifetime afford. I was lucky. 
@petertheo (148)
• South Africa
27 Oct 15
@ramapo17 Ah! That sounds like the best of both worlds then!
1 person likes this
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
6 Mar 16
I worked on the ships for a year and a half as a hairdresser and then went back to shore work.
@allknowing (136541)
• India
25 Oct 15
I had to pay through my nose for that cruise I took and here you got paid (lol)
2 people like this
@allknowing (136541)
• India
4 Nov 15
@ramapo17 May be you can take your husband along while at work. I got to do that when I had to organise a conference for the office in Nepal - years ago.
1 person likes this
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
5 Nov 15
@allknowing I don't work on the ships any longer, that was in my younger days but the memories are still alive inside my head.
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
4 Nov 15
I know and every time my husband and I go on another cruise, I get sick when I think of the money we are spending.
@cahaya1983 (11116)
• Malaysia
24 Oct 15
Sounds like a great experience! I never knew about the stabilizers installed in today's cruise ships. That's pretty interesting. Looking forward to read more about your travels!
2 people like this
@ramapo17 (30441)
• Melbourne, Florida
24 Oct 15
Thanks @dianadee . At least I got over on the first trip I made. It was a few days though and by the time I got home on land, I lost money and couldn't pay my car payment. My dad ended up buying the car from me and 2 years later I bought it back.
I wouldn't have changed that experience for anything.
2 people like this
