To-Do list #27 - Work on a Cruise ship

When I was 19 I went on a cruise with my parents. We sailed with Carnival Cruise Lines around the Caribbean. I immediately became fascinated with the crew members, where they lived, what they did, who they were... I wanted so badly to have that experience of living and working on a cruise ship.
And so on tax day, 2006 I went to a job fair for Norwegian Cruise Line America. It was a disastrous day. I had been working on my taxes all day, completely stressed. When I finally made it to the fair (late!) I spilled my drink all over my shirt. Horrific. Well, I finally made it to the presentation, with my hair a mess, a wet shirt and a horrible mood. When I spoke to the recruiter and he offered a position of Stateroom Steward - I was thrilled. Okay, so Stateroom Steward means maid, right? But I mean come on, it's a maid in Hawaii! So after a full physical, drug test and a couple of months to prepare this drastic change, I made the first leg of my journey to Piney Point, MD. There I trained for 5 weeks (I will post about that experience a different day) On August 10, 2006 I flew to my new home in Hawaii, my new paradise. As if the land was not incredible enough, I was even more in love with my new home, the M/V Pride of America.
The ship was huge. I got lost many times. I had chin splints from walking forward to aft 20 times a day. I was exhausted from 10 hour days with no days off (literally). Embarkations, well, they speak for themselves. I was homesick, tired, in pain and perfectly happy. I loved every second. I fell in love with the ship the moment I stepped abourd and cried the day I walked off my ship for the last time. Yes, she was mine. I thought she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Don't get me wrong, she was an ugly ship. Her bow is to short and she is far too blocky. She has sunk once before (truly!) She was completely cut in half to add an addition. She dragged a buoy, chains and a 2 ton concrete block entangled in her rutter, hundrers of miles from Oahu to Maui. She is a perfect mess, and I think it's brilliant. I love her and my experience of working on a ship is exactly what I hoped it would be. and more.