First Time Working on a Cruise Ship

I decided to write this entry about my first time because I am sure a lot of people can relate to my experience. For starters, I haven’t ridden a plane yet even via domestic so I am really excited. I only tried ridding a ferry and actually this was a test for me…I figured that if I don’t get sea sick, then I will survive. After I completed my Pre Departure Orientation Seminar, which is a must for all seafarers before they leave, I started packing my stuff. Of course I had to ask around what and what not to bring. An advise for first timers in general is not to bring too much stuff because by the time you come back, the stuff you will bring home will be doubled if not tripled thus you will have to pay excess baggage fee, thus weigh your baggage and just ask around from former seafarers the quantity of the allowed weight.

For a first timer like me during that time, the hardest part is when you bid farewell to your family. I would like to think that I am lucky because I am single, for I think it would have been difficult if I had my own. Although the contract would only be a year, the thought of not being able to see each other for that long is unimaginable. But for my case, deep inside I am excited for I wanted to know how it feels to be independent literally. So when I arrived at the international airport, I had to show all my documents ( make sure you bring all the things your agent told you to bring and present upon embarkation and in the immigration—it is adviseable that you have 3 copies each and put 1 set in a different envelope): passport, seaman’s book, ticket, guarantee letter and contract. I had to make sure that I had a little pocket money in dollars coz one will never know what can happen….O, well if the flight is 6am, one must be there 3am for the check in process is very tedious especially for international flights.

At that time my destination is San Diego California. While in the airport, if you finished fast with the immigration and inspection, then all you have to do is wait for the boarding time. You may take a nap, which is advisable for Philippines to the United States is about a 12 hour flight. Before lift off, the flight attendant will ask you to turn off cellular phones and all electronic devices for this might affect the computer of the plane. But once you have reached the right altitude, you can turn it back on except the phone. If you cannot sleep yet, there is usually an entertainment system infront of your seat and you can choose between watching a movie, listening to music or playing games. There will also be a time that breakfast, lunch and dinner would be served so do not despair, you paid for it anyway. If you really can’t sleep, sometimes alcoholic beverages are bottomless so have a couple of glasses but do not over indulge.

Okay, so to reach San Diego, I had to pass through Hongkong, Japan, Los Angeles, then San Diego. Unfortunately, you do not have time to check out the place coz you are in transit. There are some schedules which are very tight that you have to run to get to the next terminal or airline. The main challenge here is the immigration. So usually when you arrived in your point of embarkation there are two scenarios, you either arrive the day before or on the day itself. If you arrive the day before, lucky you…now you can check the place out. By the way, another thing you have to bring is a camera (self explanatory).

Okay, once inside the ship, you will be inspected after which you will be asked to declare the things you brought in the ship. Make sure you have a duplicate of this. Once this is done, you will report to the purser who will ask for your documents and give you a checklist of what to do. Usually, a supervisor from your department will assist and tour you around the ship to be familiar. In my case, it took me around three months literally to be familiar with the ship as well as the system in my department. You will then be escorted to your room where in you will share your room with 1 person or more. Usually, when you embark, you stay on the upper bunk and wait for the lower bunk to end his/her contract so you can step down.

Actually, this is one of the bigger challenges of your contract. You have to get along with your room mate for your whole contract if not, this will greatly affect your whole stay. I have been lucky that I got along pretty well with my room mate. He gave me some pointers and let me learn the ropes of the job.

These are the challenges that you have to meet in order for you to survive your contract:

• your room mate-----I was in luck since both of us didn’t have any vices and we clicked right away

• your co worker in the same department ---although we all talk the same language we come from different walks of life and upbringing….on the ship I learned 2 things…survival of the fittest…you worked there to earn money…and you have to watch your back all the time…you never know what may happen…you can enjoy but do not enjoy too much
  

• your co worker from a different nationality and department—unity in diversity..although we are different, we all are obliged to speak English yet sometimes cultures are pretty interesting….the trick here is like in my case you have to go with the flow for the first few months…know your way around….just do your job the way it should be done..but if you feel that you are being pushed around already….then you have to choose your battle…if you think that you are in the right side of things then go ahead…

• the work itself---I observed how they work, then I try to ask questions if I am in doubt. After which I execute…When I was on board I had to adjust to the following: the lay out of the workstation, my station, the micros, the products we serve, the promos and the work schedule, I was lucky that I didn’t have any problem when it comes to cocktails and some of the liquors we carried but I had to adjust with the standard of how they are made as well as what garnish and which glass to put it in

• your trainings ---whether it be safety training or other trainings, one should not take this for granted…you should check the schedule of drills so you wouldn’t miss it…people can be sent home because of missing trainings. Your solas training would come in handy so treat it seriously

• yourself---you have to ask yourself why you worked in the first place and let that serve as your motivation…learn in all aspects, challenge yourself to be better everyday…and learn to save money….do not get too excited buying stuff that you do not need and do not do vices….a lot of seafarers end up with nothing when going home because of unimportant spendings.

If you conquer all these challenges then you are good to go for your next contract. I know I had … can you?

My Boracay Experience

I never really planned to go there for this summer season for the primary reason of it being too expensive. Not until I read an ad of Zest Air (formerly Air Philippines) in the newspaper and to my surprise, a one way ticket would only cost me P1700 from Manila to Caticlan. I just wanted to try a one way ticket and try to go on ro-ro (roll in-roll out) on my way back just for the adventure. I didn’t book right away coz I wanted to invite a friend of mine so that I wouldn’t be alone in my trip. I was able to have him confirm in joining me after 7 hours. By the time I got back on line…whoa!!! There’s no more available flight for that price!!! The cheapest rate I could find was P2,600 but this time with Cebu Pacific because prices would be as high as P4,000 since it’s the start of the peak season.I went to the new terminal 3 of NAIA which is just 30-45 minutes away from where I stay. I was asked my confirmation ticket which I printed online and a valid Identification Card. After the entrance I had to go through a scanning machine so I had to take off stuff in my pocket as well as my belt and put it in a basket which will go through the scanner. Afterwhich, I went to this other line where in my ticket was processed and since I only had a hand carry, I was weighed together with it. I was surprised because this was the first time I stepped on a weighing scale in an airport. I found out that this was to make sure that the left and right side of the plane would be balanced in terms of weight. Wow!!! Then I proceeded to another terminal and paid a terminal fee of P200. Manila to Caticlan is just almost an hour flight.

Caticlan

Before we went to main boracay…we had to take a ferry boat from Caticlan…I was surprised that we had to pay an environmental fee, a tricycle ride and a ferry ride all for P150. But for the tricycle ride if I may suggest.. you can just walk from the airport to the ferry station.It will only take you 5 minutes!!!But when you reach the terminal you still have to pay a P50 terminal fee.

The ferry ride is just 5-10 minutes. From the dock, we had to take a tricycle again for a 5-10 minute ride for P25 per person. The first fun part of our Boracay experience was that we didn’t have any place to stay. We wanted to just shop around and find the best deal…and lucky for us, while we were in the ferry we met this lady who is a “commissioner” and she recommended a place to stay for only P1000 that me and my friend can split. So we checked out the place…Once we were there, we weren’t really satisfied so we decided to look around…we bumped into another local who led us into this place called Sheena’s which is located in station 2 by the beach front…We checked out the place and we decided this is the place to stay having a better location and our room has a veranda to boot. The price was only P1700. But another interesting part of the trip is we bumped into another person who was alone and looked safe enough and wanted to share the room with us which means we divided the P1700 into 3!!!

We started our adventure on a Thursday…

Food

We were so hungry from the trip that we decided to have a pizza in the old reliable Shakey’s.

I ordered a beer for P45, a pitcher of Iced tea at P160 for my 2 friends and a combo pizza for P660 plus service charge and government taxes for everybody. Well it wasn’t really the best deal in town but we just had to eat. Boracay island is divided into 3 sections called Station 1-2-3. But more or less the prices of food or meals would range from P60-P180 and above…There are also buffets from P250 and above. Here in Bora there are a variety of restaurants: German, Italian, Mediterranean, Filipino, Japanese, etc. For the whole trip we ate in Real Maris which is a resort Hotel in Station 1,another old reliable Andok’s, had pizza at Aria which is beside Hey Jude, which is one of the hang out place for night owls, we had buffet in a restaurant by the beachfront which I forgot, breakfast at Paradiso grill, O, and if you are on a tight budget, I was surprised to see a budget mart and a bakeshop just by the main road by the end of “d’mall” as well as some carinderia that have decent food as well.

There is this one resto called Smoke which serves the best deal in bulalo at P185.

Beverages

Now this aspect of the trip is very interesting. For local beers, starting price would be P45, other would price it at P66 and above. There is this one bar though called “hobbit house” which amazed me coz it offers a lot of international beers that I know since I have an exposure for international brands working on a ship. Brands like Murphy’s, Dos xx, Kilkenny’s, etc… I recommend this for other nationalities who would miss there own beer brands while in bora…although it doesn’t come as cheap…it is priced the same as in other countries if you would convert it…so it’s still a decent deal. Here’s a catch…some bars would offer a happy hour from 4pm – 9pm. This can either be a buy one take one, a beer by the bucket or a 30% off on cocktails!!! So you better check your watch.

Bars

What is the best bar to go to in Bora? I cannot really single out one since people hop from one bar to the other.

Well I may not yet be the authority but this is as far as I have seen during my stay…

If you just want a bar to chill and meet people, here are some suggested bars to check out :Hey Jude is one the first bars to check out since it is situated right in the heart of the Bora strip. Then there’s Juice bar, a corner bar with a nice R&B and house selection, then’ there’s Summer place in between station 2 and 3 and Cocomangas in station 1…both these bars are places that is mostly flocked by foreigners…I wonder why….Then if you want to let loose and party you can go to station 1 and check out Guilly’s and Club Paraw. Another bar in station 1 that you can check out is Fridays’ (not related to the international brand), which is an institution in bora.If you want to listen to solo singers and jam as well, you may try Hobbit house, Charles’ bar, and Paradiso grill.

There are still a lot of bars in bora..these are just some that made a difference in my stay.

Party in Bora starts from 5pm to 5am..but then again… who knows???

Accommodation

Okay, I almost forgot to include this but in this aspect of the trip you can book early online or do as we did and shop around. Prices may range from P500 to P5,000 per day. Some resort hotels that you can check are: Real Maris, Boracay Regency, Boracay Peninsula, Discovery, Mandarin, Patio Pacific, Red Coconut, etc, etc.

Just ask the services they offer.

Activities

Well aside from eating, drinking, and partying, one can still have options in bora. In the day you can go diving, banana, boating, jet skiing, riding the ATV island hopping, skim boarding, hiking, snorkeling, swimming, sun bathing, having a henna tattoo, or simply just lay on the sand with a beer in hand while staring at that beautiful sunset.

Shopping

I had to include this topic although I myself didn’t do any shopping myself for there might be interested people about this topic. There would be 4 places to shop for souvenirs, clothes, hats, trinkets, and other stuff that you might fancy: along the beach front, d’mall, talipapa and by the town area. Bargaining is a gift so test it in bora. Almost everything is here including load for you prepaid sim and internet café in case you need to check your mail so do not worry about it. There are also airline offices here so if in case you plan to rebook never fear….

This is one that made my boracay experience all the more interesting. Once you are in bora, you would feel a mix that you are in the Philippines but you are not…do you get my drift?? Different nationalities flock bora and some have stayed and lived there. Boracaynon is what you would call a native or a local that was born there but other migrants have stayed and worked there as well. Regardless of which …people are friendly and down to earth. Some are hustlers, but that’s part of the business although they are tamer than those I have encountered in some Caribbean countries.

And once you made friends in your first trip, you would still keep in touch with them until your next trip, and so on and so on.

Conclusion

Actually, I forgot to tell that we started our trip on Thursday morning and planned to go back Sunday. But instead of taking the ro-ro we ended up taking the plane again going back to Manila but not until Tuesday for the price of P3,900++!!!

If you wish to go to Bora for this long have a budget of around P15000 and maybe a credit card or atm in your wallet and you will be fine. It’s really worth the trip and it’s very addictive that you just want to keep coming back.