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.

Vodka Tasting in St. Petersburg, Russia

We started our day in Russia watching the sun rise over the water.

It seemed appropriate that we also end our day on the water while watching the sun set.

Our day tour ended at 6pm when Irina dropped us off back at the ship with a warm hug.  We still had 4 hours before we set sail.  There was no way we were going to waste it aboard the ship, so after a quick hour to freshen up, we headed back out through passport control.  This time we were met by Inna from TJ Travel (Sergei was our driver for both tours)  for an evening tour including a vodka tasting and river cruise.

We boarded a little boat thinking that we would be joining other tourists, but it ended up just being me, Matthew and Inna.  She provided us with some wonderful zakuski's (snacks) and a small bottle of vodka.  After teaching us how to drink the vodka the Russian way (deep breath, drink it down in one shot and take a bite of a snack) we relaxed into an amazing boat tour of the city. 

Matt collects bank notes and was thrilled to point out that the view we were passing was the same one on the notes in his pocket.

I still can not get over our day in St. Petersburg.  It was fascinating and inspiring.  I will never forget sitting at the back of that boat with Matthew, looking out over this amazing city and thinking "I'm in Russia.  How did I ever get here?" and then "How will I get back?"

(A special thank you to Tatyana, Irina, Sergei, Inna and Olga with TJ Travel for coordinating our day in this amazing city and getting us safely back to the ship in plenty of time for sail away.)

Have you been to Russia?  What was your experience?

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   *Our day excursions with TJ Travel were complimentary for the purposes of review.  We were so happy with their service that we booked our evening tour with them at the standard rate. 
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.

Peterhof - the Capital of Fountains

 This week I'm featuring *photo essays from our day in St. Petersburg with TJ Travel.
 
During the afternoon, we took a hydrofoil boat to the Peterhof Palace, the imperial palace and park designed by Peter the Great at the beginning of the 18th Century.  We didn't actually go into the Grand Palace but did tour the smaller Monplaisir Palace, a small summer palace. 

When you arrive by boat the first site that greats you is the Grand Cascade that runs from the water's edge all the way to the entrance of the Palace.  There are 64 fountains and over 200 statues covered in gold leaf. 

The gardens are full of unique fountains and water features.  The entire system is gravity-fed. 

Apparently, Peter the Great was a big joker and enjoyed getting his noble guests wet. Like this little pathway.  Several times a day, the guy in the green overalls turns the crank and the street is drenched with streams of water.  There are trees that spray water and fountains that squirt you if you are unlucky enough to step on a certain brick.  And watch where you sit, the guy hidden behind the tree in a green box just might turn on the tap.

 

You can see why it is often called "The Russian Versaille" or "The Capital of Fountains."

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*I hope you don't consider my "photo essays" as a cover for lazy blogging.  We saw so much during those 15 hours in St. Petersburg and I really want to share it with you.