What is it like to live on a ship?

Seeing the ship rolling and pitching, spotting dolphins in the distance, wearing a boiler suit while working on the deck(or a 5 year old trying to chisel !)   and getting pampered by all the crew and chefs- these are some of the first things that come to my mind when I think about the first five years of my life, living on and off a ship. Now, I have never really shared snippets of my childhood on this blog, except a bit on my About page .But basically, my father sailed all around the world as his job for atleast 30 years and my parents decided to take me along right after I was born.So, I ended up living on a ship for about 5.5 years, spending 6-8 months at a stretch on the ship, visiting numerous places and then going to meet my grandparents/relatives for 3-4 months. So, why am I telling you this now? Well, I had been wanting to share some old pictures for long and talk about what I remember, but these memories were triggered recently  when Thomson Cruises contacted me regarding their offers and deals for Summer Cruises.I have never really been on a long cruise as an adult (lots of people go cruising by the way) , but I thought of sharing some of my memories with you. I also got on board a few people who have actually gone cruising for 1-2 weeks in the last two years, and they agreed to share some of their experiences and tips, so you could get a better idea of what ship life can be like. Perhaps, you would,at some point, consider taking a cruise or sailing for a longer term yourself 🙂

Living on a ship can be a beautiful experience. I wasn’t on one like in the picture above, though.

A lot of people ask me if we ever felt sea sick. But, I suppose that was never the case. Living on a ship, with a good community of people, was a lot of fun , albeit with a lot of anticipation. As we sailed for months, people were always curious about when we would reach the next port, for instance. I remember seeing my Dad working with maps and compasses, briefing the cadets about navigation and discussing routes. Not that I remember what they exactly discussed, but I do remember spending a lot of time on the deck, running around and playing with the other 2 kids whose parents often sailed with us, jogging with my Dad, looking out for dolphins and fish (I’m pretty sure I saw a shark once,right next to our ship!), practicing reading/writing (and studying ofcourse)  with my Mom, and being pampered (read:also fed) by all the crew members of the ship. Apparently, my parents started a tradition that before going to bed, we all would have our ‘reading time’. I doubt as to how much I would really read in that hour, but seeing both of them read novels and magazines, I would be inspired to pick up a story book and start reading too!

Staying on a ship for that long also meant celebrating festivals, birthdays and events with everyone else.Going through some pictures, I see that I was also a part of some sort of ship tradition at some point! While I do not exactly know what was going on, my Dad would later tell me how certain traditions are always observed on ships and that first timers are welcomed with special ceremonies. Talking of stories, there’s one memory strongly etched in my mind. When I was probably 4 or 5, I clearly remember sitting up on my bed in the middle of the night and (apparently) seeing a white cloaked figure enter our room through our porthole (window)! I was so very sure that the figure came and slid under our bed that I put up a brave face and attempted to look for it under my bed the next morning! How I wish I could console my 5 year old self and pacify her saying it was a dream. (Or was it? <grins>)

Some other memories include eagerly awaiting gifts from Santa every Christmas, and my parents would do a great job of telling me how they saw Santa and his reindeers flying with their carriage, before spotting his hand dropping my gift through a porthole. I also remember the strong stench that was present in the Pyramids. I remember asking my Mom why it was so awful inside and she told me stories of the Mummies that would be kept there earlier , besides telling me cool stuff about Pharaohs and papyrus. On coming out, I was laughing seeing my Dad wear a white keffiyeh (the Arab head gear) while standing next to a camel. I probably sat on the camel’s back after that and we had pictures taken. As all this took place over 20 years ago, we had no digital cameras; just the regular ones that would need to have pictures developed from the negatives. It’s a pity that many of these old albums are not in great conditions any more. I would really love to get them digitally restored and print new photo books.

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Even now, when I see many of our pictures from that period, I can’t help but notice how happy (and goofy) I was as a kid! In every other picture, you can spot me making silly poses and jumping around. I wish I could remember more of the stories that my parents tell me from when I was younger. Nevertheless, my Dad stopped sailing long-term a few years ago and we were actually glad to be living together through the year. However, at times, he did miss the sea..a lot. Perhaps, he would feel as though he was the master of the seas while he was in command, and getting back to city life must have been rather dull..or just different.  The best thing about travel though are the stories and experiences you accumulate, and till date, there has never been an instance when someone has mentioned a place and my Dad has had no stories to tell! Thanks to him, I have great memories of bed time stories about Komodo dragons , ferocious sharks and Baracudas in places far , far away.

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I do not know if I’ll ever get such an opportunity again. But, I was curious to see how cruises feel like and am glad that Laura and Gabriela shared some of their experiences below. Since cruises are just a week or two long, there are certainly differences in the lifestyle.But, they could still be a great way to experience the oceans. This reminds me of an article though that I read a few days ago about a 86 year old woman who sold her house and has been living on a cruise ship for a decade.

“The night I had the most fun was when I went to an adult scavenger hunt.” – Gabriela from Exploring Gabriella
I went on a cruise around the Caribbean for 6 nights last summer. I was really apprehensive about going on a cruise, but my dad really wanted to and said he would pay for my entire trip – how could you say no to that?! I think that I was most concerned that the cruise would be full of weird old people who have never travelled before, and that I wouldn’t like the ‘all-inclusive’ vibe of living on a ship. I was really wrong on both accounts. A lot of the people on the ship were my age or just a bit older and really cool. I also actually ended up falling in love with the great customer service, 24-hour soft serve ice cream, and delicious meals.

While I would have enjoyed spending more time in the various countries around the Caribbean instead of just a few hours in each place, I told myself that I’ll have to make an opportunity to go back and explore each one. This trip was just to relax, enjoy yourself, and experience some of the most beautiful places in the world.

Would I go on a cruise again? Probably, but maybe somewhere else. The great thing about cruises is that you can completely make them whatever you want them to be. If you feel like partying every night and laying on beaches all day, you can do that. If you want to go kayaking and ziplining and scuba diving on the islands and then go to bed early, you can do that too. I was really happy with my vacation since I was able to make it my own.

Tips for first timers:

• Bring anything you think you’ll need because prices are about 7x higher on the boat or in the ports (sunblock, etc)

• Look up excursion options ahead of time and try to decide with your party so that you’re not arguing over whether you’re on this beach or that beach the next morning

• Bring outfits for any occasion – casual, beach, fancy, party, etc.

• Go to the events offered on the ship. The night I had the most fun was when I went to an adult scavenger hunt, we were put into random groups, and we drank and laughed all night long.

water in caribbean is very buoyant fyi

A post shared by gabs (@sadtourist) on Jul 23, 2015 at 9:00am PDT

 

“The best part of the cruise for me was spending quality time aboard with our travel companions, who were friends we rarely see.”     Laura from Savored Journeys

In 2015, I decided to try out a cruise for the first time, wondering how different it could be from my typical type of travel. I signed up for a 12-day cruise aboard Celebrity’s enormous Silhouette ship, which carries almost 3000 passengers. The itinerary had us stopping at seven different ports in seven countries in Scandinavia and Russia. As soon as we got onto the ship, we knew we were in for a unique experience. The ship was enormous and had everything we needed for luxury and comfort – several specialty dining restaurants, a coffee shop, casino, shopping arcade, library, wine bar, etc.

Most of our time was spent on the ship, much to my dismay. On a typical day, we had both breakfast and dinner on the ship, with about 8 hours in between to disembark at our port and see the city we were currently docked in. In terms of really seeing and being immersed in the destination, it wasn’t ideal and I wouldn’t recommend it for more than a sampling of where to return to later.

Since we spent so much time on the ship, the best part of the cruise for me was spending quality time aboard with our travel companions, who were friends we rarely see. We built lasting memories together on the ship, while grilling our own steaks at the specialty restaurant, doing blind wine tasting at the wine bar and watching the sunset as we sailed. So my recommendation would be to go with friends or family you wouldn’t mind being shut up on a ship with for 12 days!

I would love to dine with such a view! Would you? Image:savouredjourneys.com

Volunteering while cruising  – Inma from A World To Travel

Sunsets with such a background are nothing short of awesome. #traveldeep *Amber Cove, Maimón, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.

A post shared by A World to Travel (@aworldtotravel) on May 12, 2016 at 6:57pm PDT

Some other posts I found about cruising:

Most romantic things to do on a cruise – Eat Sleep Cruise

Yachting experience in the Mediterranean – The World Pursuit

Sailing in Greece  Jetsettera

Alaska cruise experience – Wandering Wagars

How to drink for free on a cruise – The Endless Adventure

I hope you enjoyed this post. Do comment below and let me know if you have ever sailed or if you’d like to do so! And I’d be glad if you shared it with your friends and family 🙂 Happy travels!

All opinions are my own. Please do not use any personal images from this post.

Living the ship life – Pin me!

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