So me and my luggage are all in Newark and checked-in to a hotel for the night before boarding tomorrow.  Apparently I’m supposed to be getting a roommate for the night but so far nobody has shown up.  Since the latest flight into Newark arrives around 11:15pm, I’ll assume that it’s unlikely anyone will show up after midnight.

Hopefully I’ll be well-rested tonight and all set for tomorrow… something tells me it’s going to be a long day… followed by a long 2 weeks. lol

The Adventure Begins

So here I am at Toronto Pearson International Airport. I came way earlier than necessary because I expected there was a high likelihood that I would be lead into some kind of back room and interrogated… but no. The US Customs/Immigration officer was unexpectedly personable, and after a couple minutes checking that everything was in order, he sent me on my way. Of course that was going to happen, because I made extra time available in case it did; that’s how life works.

Anyhow, I suppose it’s all for the best that things have gone smoothly so far… I hope that they continue to go that way. As long as my flight to Dulles doesn’t get delayed, I’ll be fine. If it is late… all hell might break loose. I have a 50 minute connection and two suitcases containing my entire life which might not make it to the second plane if this flight is late.

Other than that… not much else to report at this point. I’m glad to be finally on my way.

Update:

Here is a photo of my sister and I before I left for the airport:

Just a few days now

Only 3 more days until I join the ship, I can't wait. I REALLY need to get my packing done tomorrow; I don't think I'll be doing anything else but packing all day.

As much as I would love to update everyone as soon as I can about how things are going once I've started, please understand that any new crew member's first two weeks on board are usually taken up by intensive safety training (when not working their usual job, that is). As soon as I have a reasonable amount of free time, I will do my best to get the blog up-to-date on how things are going with my job, etc. In the meantime I will probably write posts on my laptop before bed or something and then post them in order when I have the opportunity to get myself to an internet connection.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to being able to actually get on with writing about my experiences on board Explorer of the Seas.


A side-note for Cruise Critic members:

I can tell by looking at my site statistics that approximately 90% or more of my blog traffic so far has come from Cruise Critic. Please be advised that for the duration of this contract, and any subsequent contracts with Royal Caribbean, I will abstain from posting on Cruise Critic and similar message boards as it is considered a conflict of interest. However, anything that I feel is appropriate to post about the Explorer of the Seas I will do my best to write about it here on my blog. Also, remember that anything I post here is to be considered unofficial.

Two Weeks!

Wow, and here I was thinking that these last few weeks were going to be the longest of my life. Time has actually been passing fairly quickly for me as my departure date approaches. For the past couple years I have been doing some freelance work, in order to earn an income while I was at college. Let me tell you, nothing brings in a flood of last-minute work like telling your clients you'll be out of the country for 6 months. So I've been plenty busy with that.

Last week I passed and submitted my medical exam, so there is no more paperwork left for me to submit at this point. All I have to worry about is how to get my entire life for the next six months, packed into two suitcases weighing less than 50lbs. each. Luckily I'm well-traveled and know how to pack, but it's still going to be tough. I've just learned that United Airlines has no weight limit on carry-on luggage, so I'm going to be packing my small carry-on suitcase denser than a lead brick in order to ease off the demands on the other two suitcases.

The excitement is building as September 30th draws nearer, only 15 more days!

It's Official

Today I received all my official paperwork that outlines my specific contract, the method for joining the ship, and what to bring. I didn't even know it was coming soon so it was a nice surprise. I looked through all the contents of the huge envelope and was left with every single one of my remaining questions answered. Despite being a somewhat complicated process, Royal Caribbean and my hiring agent have been very thorough in the information and paperwork provided so I should have no troubles when I head down to Newark on September 30.

There is a lot of paperwork involved in the hiring process. I must have mailed at least 3 envelopes containing multiple forms to the hiring agent since April. Luckily all that's left is to complete my medical exam, which should be ready to submit by this time next week.

My Letter of Employment states that my contract will last 6 months, 3 weeks. By my calculation that would have me disembarking the ship on April 15, 2010.

I figured I should make my address available for any family/friends that might want it. I know that nobody sends anything by snail-mail these days, but just in case my mailing address on the ship will be:

REDACTED
I guess that's all for now. I look forward to starting work on the ship and being able to post lots of information on ship life, the ports of call, and anything else that happens to me along the way.

Third time's the charm?

While I was working today, I got another phone call... my ship assignment has been changed. After first being given an assignment, then the date changing, and now the ship AND date changing, I certainly hope everything is sorted out.

I will now be working on Explorer of the Seas, sailing out of Cape Liberty in New Jersey. My contract will start on October 1st (so I'm back to the original date). Explorer of the Seas sails several different itineraries. I'll be starting in Canada/New England and Bermuda, and then as the weather gets cooler the ship will move to Eastern Caribbean routes. Explorer of the seas is part of the slightly smaller (compared to Liberty) Voyager class of ships.

Unfortunately, my mom and my sister had booked a cruise on Liberty of the seas for Christmas week so that they could be with me for the holidays, and then they were going to spend a week in Aruba which had already been planned. Now the cruise has had to be canceled. There is no cruise on the Explorer that they would be able to visit me on because the cruises are mostly 10-14 days in length as opposed to a week. It was extremely lucky that it happened today though as today was the last day my mom could get the deposit back on that cruise. The flight on the other hand is costing a lot more money now that they are back to flying straight to Aruba instead of spending a week in Miami first. I guess we've learned our lesson now not to book any cruises to visit me until I'm actually ON the ship.

Although I will miss seeing them for a week, I am very happy with the new routes I'll be sailing as there is a lot more variety. Also, the cruises are longer so I can only hope that means a greater variety of on-board shows and guest entertainers.

I have spoken to the cruise hiring agent and they have informed me that Royal Caribbean is going to be paying for my new air ticket to New Jersey (since I had a non-refundable ticket to Miami). So that's great news.

More details

Alright so there was a minor screw up with my start date. The day I got my ship assignment, I headed to the Royal Caribbean website to see what itineraries it sails. It struck me as odd that the ship was not in Miami on October 1st at all, which left me wondering how in the heck I was supposed to be joining that date. I sent an e-mail back to the hiring partner to find out what that was about. Turns out that I'm actually supposed to be boarding on the 3rd of October... good thing I checked before booking a flight that would have been 2 days too early. Goes to show that if something doesn't look right, don't be afraid to speak up about it!

I'll be flying down on October 2nd and they will pay for my overnight stay at a hotel. I even have my flight booked already.


Here are some details about the ship I will be working on, Liberty of the Seas.


Gross Tonnage: 160,000
Maiden Voyage: May 19, 2007
Passenger Capacity: 3,634 double occupancy (approx. 4,300 fully-loaded, plus 1,300 crew)
Godmother: Donnalea Madeley
Length: 1,112'
Max Beam: 184' (width)
Draft: 28' (height of the portion of the ship which is below sea level)
Cruising Speed: 21.6 knots




Liberty of the Seas is a Freedom-class ship, which is currently the largest size of cruise ship in the world. This will change about a month after I board when the latest largest ship in the world, Oasis of the Seas, is scheduled to go into service.

Ship Highlights

FlowRider® H2O Zone Cantilevered whirlpools Rock-climbing wall Ice-skating rink Royal Promenade Extensive WiFi capabilities and connectivity for cell phones Full-size, flat-screen TVs in every stateroom Themed bars and lounges Adventure Ocean® youth facilities Fitness Center and Day Spa Full-size Everlast boxing ring

Casino RoyaleSM Presidential Family Suite Sports Pool Full-size sports court 9-hole miniature golf course Johnny Rockets® '50s-style restaurant Portofino Italian Restaurant Chops Grille Ben & Jerry's® ice cream Vintages wine bar Boleros Latin-themed lounge Sorrento's pizza Vitality Wellness Program

Contrary to my initial posting, LOS sails both Eastern and Western itineraries, and even those change up a bit themselves... so I shouldn't be getting bored of the ports too quickly.

My contract will last at least 6 months (6 is the minimum for my position), however I have not been informed of my exact date of departure from the ship at this point.


That's all for now. I'll post any new information when I receive it. Until then, it's time to get my life in order before I leave :).