Behind the Scenes on a Cruise Ship

*I received complimentary All Access Tours for the two of us from Royal Caribbean International.

On our Baltic Cruise we had the opportunity to take a behind the scenes look at life aboard a cruise ship.

One of our favorite things about cruising is the staff that take such great care of us on board.

They are from all over the world and we have so much fun chatting with them.

It was fascinating to get a quick glimpse of their life working on a cruise ship.

We joined a small group of ten cruisers and spent two hours exploring

beyond the Crew Only signs.  

 Today I'm going to take you along on a photo tour of our All Access Tour aboard the Vision of the Seas.

 We visited the living areas, laundry, kitchens, incinerator and recycling areas, 

engineering, theater, crew dining and finally the bridge.  I hope you enjoy following along.

 

They really are International Ambassadors and come from all over the world.

Having been to so many places, Matthew just loves asking the crew members where they're from and talking with them.  It all just feeds his wanderlust.

My understanding (Belinda, please correct me if I'm wrong) is that the crew are hired on for a specific job for a contracted period of time.  They spend months and even years aboard the ship.

I'm sure that living in such close quarters and working very long hours is a challenge.

But, if I was single and in my twenties again I would jump at the chance.

It must be a great way to see the world and meet some great people.

Living in a house now with no dryer (ugh), I almost wept when I saw the laundry facilities.

The machine above completely dries and then folds sheets in a few seconds.

And the contraption below blows steam throughout the shirt and removes wrinkles instantly.

Not, to mention the rows and rows of industrial sized dryers.  It was lovely.

(Don't even get me started on life without a dryer.)

The kitchens were massive and full of people working hard to prepare our meals.

It must go on around the clock to feed thousands of hungry holiday makers three square meals a day, not to mention all of the in between and after hours munching that goes on.

The fresh baked breads and desserts are definitely a highlight of any cruise. 

After a security screening with a wand, we were even allowed into the engineering room

with strict instructions not to touch ANY of the buttons!

The crew areas are on the lower decks of the ship.  There are classrooms for training, dining rooms, laundry rooms.  They also have a computer room, game room and other areas for socializing.  They even had a private outdoor space to get some fresh air.

You can imagine the amount of waste produced on a cruise ship.

They have a very advanced program for recycling and disposal with the least impact to the environment.

The shows on board can be a little hit and miss, but we always love to go and join in the fun.

Some of the productions can get pretty elaborate.  I always pictured a big backstage crew helping out.  But we talked to several of the dancers and singers and it's amazing what they are able to do without a huge crew and little space back there.

This is Danny, one of the Assistant Cruise Directors, modeling a headpiece from one of the shows.

He was our guide for the All Access Tour and did a great job.  And our last stop was the bridge.

Everything is automated these days but they still track everything the old fashioned way on paper just as a back up.  We were also lucky enough to meet the Captain of the ship.

Lis Lauritzen is of Japanese and Danish descent and is one of just a handful of female captains aboard cruise ships.  (We also had a female captain on our cruise out of Puerto Rico.)  She was incredibly open and friendly.  Matthew had a great chat with her.  It was a pleasure to talk to her about her incredible job.

I hope you enjoyed our quick little tour.  We certainly enjoyed it.

What about you?  Could you ever picture a life upon the sea?

And a quick update on life around here...

The job interview went well and now I'm just waiting by the phone to hear one way or the other.
I'm still feeling under the weather, but determined to keep moving.

I've really been loving all of your comments lately.  They've been keeping my spirits up.

I know I don't say it enough, but thank you for reading and commenting even on the days when I'm not at 100%. 
It means the world to me. 

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*We received complimentary tours from Royal Caribbean International for the purposes of review.
All photos, writing and opinions are 100% my own.  
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

I Spy Friday featuring Amsterdam

Okay, so this is my last Amsterdam post.  Promise.  Well, until our next visit.  

Talk about a great place to people watch!  

There were street performers everywhere.  

There are bicycles everywhere!

It was funny to see people riding around holding umbrellas. 

 You have to be really careful.  

You're more likely to get run over by a bike than a car.  

 We saw both dogs and children as passengers.  

There was one lady who was managing to balance three little ones on her bike.  

There were so many families with children around.  

 This little guy was excited to try out this police motorcycle. 

And here's a future blogger.  Adorable.

But, be careful with the little ones in Amsterdam.  

You never know what you might see. 

My first clue that we weren't in Kansas anymore were the public urinals out in the middle of the square.

They were used and used often, even in broad daylight.  

The design does lend itself to modesty.  But it was a little shocking to see them. 

And this was in a very open and popular area right across from some cafes.

 I suppose when you bring together large groups of young men and lots of beer, they are a necessity.   

These guys were pedaling this contraption down the street with a keg on the back.

Notice the guy in the puppy costume.  

There were many stag parties strolling the streets.  The groom is typically in some ridiculous costume.  

We saw one poor guy that was so drunk he was being carried from bar to bar.  

Or, he was high on something.  

Cannabis (marijuana) use is tolerated in the Netherlands.

You can visit any one of the many Coffee Shops to catch a buzz.  

It does seem to be highly regulated, but I'm not sure the legalities of it. 

There are also a large a number of Head Shops where you can purchase pipes and such.

We even found this Head Shop tucked in behind a local church.  

These pipes were on display at a regular little souvenir shop.  

And then there is the Red Light District.

Prostitution is also legal and highly regulated.  

There are Sex Shops up and down the streets with everything you can imagine and more on display. 

There are also ladies of all shapes and sizes standing in the windows enticing visitors in for awhile.  
Some of the windows have curtains drawn indicating they were successful. 

I'm not easily shocked but I really didn't know what to think.  
It's all very disturbing, titillating and bizarre.

One of the ladies hit her alarm for some reason and 
people came running from everywhere to assist her.

We strolled through after dinner one night and the most shocking thing was the number of children walking through the area with their parents.

I think some might stumble upon the district without realizing it.  

So, if you are exploring with the kids make sure you know where the district is
and be careful which windows you peak through. 

See!  I told you that Amsterdam is a city that will both shock and awe!

I hope you've enjoyed the Amsterdam recaps.  It was a stellar weekend.

I still have the pictures from our afternoon in Brussels that I will share next week.  

For now, I'll leave you with some pictures from the Flower Market.  
Another area of Amsterdam not to miss!!

xoxo

Selena