Phew, another whirlwind cruise of crazy
shennaningas, hard work and fun! Time is flying here- im halfway through this
contract already.. and though the pace is fast, and I can officially survive on
only a few hours sleep when required to ensure work/life balance!! Not sure if
that’s a good thing or bad thing but I am doing everything I can… and having a
blast between the serious nature of our work.
Another Ketchikan and visit to the Arctic
Bar and Burger Queen delivery. Now I know I will talk about food and drinking a
lot BUT all our ship food, though it passes for food. Its not fresh….its
frozen, powdered and other unknown preservation methods!! So fresh food is a
novelty and appreciated when we are on
land. Though I know this is first world in comparison to all those ppl in the
world who have barely enough to eat. We are the lucky ones. The Arctic Bar is
very Alaskan and its emblem is bears “doing it like they do on the discovery channel”!
The Barmaid is a rough diamond…though is heavy handed on the pouring..not
complaining when grey goose costs $5.00! She is rough n tumble with a harsh
accent and great to chat to. She knows us well and its great to drop in to a
place where there is someone familiar. There are so many strangers here… so
familiarity is sometimes comforting.
Burger Queen is no franchise- its more a shack with a grill, but STILL
hands down the BEST burgers I’ve ever eaten!! So we do burger runs…we order for
our medical team mates who are on duty and run back deliver it and then run
back to the bar…yes…I said run!! But it helps with morale and hungry tummies!!
And it does help when there is an onshore ambulance on the pier picking someone
up…because security see im medical…assume in there to help….let me queue jump
and head to medical centre, they are under control. So I drop the burgers and
leave back to the bar via a different
gangway!! He he!
So I also have a secondary duty now.
Officers Wardroom (bar) Secretary. My role is to do admin, posters, thank-yous,
event organization and I am BRILLIANT at delegation!! I must say my
organizational skills, networking and poster making skills are developing FAST!
So its our job to organize the schedule for every crusie what events will run,
who will run them and the the logistical stuff too! So our first cruise with
the new team and the feedback is we ROCK! It is easier when the president is an
Aussie, vice pres is south African and me…so we know parties! Our first
successful event was a martini and margarita night. We had two free drinks per
paying member and it was busy and a hit. Seeing all the officers\staff out
socializing, networking and relaxing was a hit. Although, there was one thing
that had me in stitches of laughter because it was such a ridiculous sight. So some
of our officers are mature aged…it was odd seeing them with martinis and pina
coladas! But funnier was the Italian officer contingent had gathered around one
table and I look over and instead of the usual beer/wine/liquor they drink, its
set with their martinis and pina coladas!!
The highlight of this cruise for me was our
day out in Victoria Canada- we had a
long day there and kindly the senior nurse allowed me extra time off so I could
stay off the ship all day. We all share extra time off the ship so we stay sane
and it’s a team effort and shared equally which is really nice. So we got off
the ship and with one of the cruise staff who knew a great local tapas bar
headed there. Again OMG fresh amazing food. Live music and a glass of local
wine. Then we knew in advance there was an international Jazz festival so took
ourselves to the park. It was a balmy 25 degrees, and there was a nice green
lawn inviting us to lay down, relax and enjoy the tunes. It was brilliant. The
thing about these things is that it makes you again feel grounded and normal/human
for the day and helps you recharge. Being on a ship is unique and working
everyday can be taxing. But if you make the most of every moment you can to
relax, see the world and do things you enjoy it makes it all worth it, and I’m
so lucky I can do this! We stayed at the jazz festival for 5 hours, headed to a
doughnut shop for “TEAM DONUTS” to take back to the ship, and then had dinner
at an irish pub! I even drank an amazing cider called Sommersby….hope I can
source that when I get home- pls keep an eye out for when I come home.
Onboard we medics also carry pagers all
times, everywhere and if it goes off we answer and if called to work, we
attend. Being always on call is tough to get used to for some. But we cannot
let that stop us from going to events and doing social things- we just have to
appreciate it can be interrupted and that’s how it is, we are here to work first.
To put it in perspective in May there was only 1 day I worked less than 8
hours. Yes the whole of may! That’s how busy we can be. But we still find time
to enjoy the glaciers, scenery and cruise life. Sometimes all it takes to
remind you how amazing this job is seeing native wildlife, a glacier calve, a
beautiful sunset over snow capped mountains or learning about other peoples
culture, history and stories, what a job!
One of the best things about this job
still, is the people you meet and help along the way- its more rewarding
here…seven people in the team manage all the crew and passengers, that’s around
3000 ppl a cruise. Granted we don’t see them all but there aint no ratios
here!! People who get sick on a ship have a lot to worry about, especially if
we disembark them to a land hospital. Imagine you are cruising Alaska break a
leg for example and are sent ashore, to be admitted to a local hospital. There
is a lot to do- pack, accommodation, insurance issues, costs, getting home and
more. I would say if you travel without travel insurance ANYWHERE you need a
reality check! We have a well oiled team on shore who help with all those
issues and support the patient and their family but it is daunting being sent
off a ship and wondering how on earth you might get home or how much it costs!
But as a team we assist and support these travellers and ensuring that these
stressors are managed so the person can recover is a great feeling. As is
getting someone sick safely to shore for hospital treatment and care.
I will very shortly blog cruise four as we
are finishing that tomorrow the 6th july!
