Down the Memory Line….. Entering Halong Bay in Northen Vietnam back in the mid 90s. Sunrise as we sail in to the bay. Quite a spectacular sight. An amazing sight is opening up in front of us as we sail further in, to anchor off the town of Hon Gai, for an overnight stay. At anchor for the night, with Hon Gai town in … Continue reading Entering Halong Bay, Vietnam.
Remember when we sailed up this river, using 3-4 hours. Starting around 5 AM. All the twist and turns as the river snakes and bends? Then it turns out it is still another hour before we are there. Again, because of the river is not straight up and down.😁 rgds Sailor Kai Ståle Ødegård Continue reading Up Saigon river….
Today’s picture is just a bragging picture. It always looks so glamorous to work on a cruise ship and walk around in the fancy uniform when one is a Senior Officer on a cruise ship. The fact is, the fun working on the cruise industry disappeared a long time ago. Sure it is still interesting and one can see the world if working on the … Continue reading At work on a Cruise ship.
This picture is, as most will recognize, taken from the Bridge over the Corinth Canal, in Greece. This transit was always a spectacular happening, for Passengers and crew alike. The picture was taken by our ship’s photographer. But I had the opportunity to be with him that time, which was the only time I was allowed to do that. The “towing lines” you see on … Continue reading Corinth Canal.
Working on a cruise ship, is more than just pretty uniforms with a lot of gold stripes on your shoulders. The days can be very busy with a lot of stuff happening. And contrary to what urban myths tell you, Cruise ship offices need to take part in dozens of various job activities, which is not always that fancy. The pictures in this little blog … Continue reading A regular day on a cruise ship.
Relax, it was just a drill. The weekly drill all ships in the world must conduct, according to international maritime law. And the kind of drill should be fairly easy to guess. Yep, it was a Biohazard drill (or chemicals). It goes back to early 2000s when this was a real deal around the globe. Especially the scare and fear for these kinds of attacks. … Continue reading When the alarm bells are sounding.
I have over the years been asked many times about how it is to work on a cruise ship when bad weather sets in. Well, as I always would reply, it kind of depends of the ship’s size and how bad the weather is. But regardless of this we will notice the weather one way or another. It might only be some slight rolling (side … Continue reading When bad weather sets in.
The date is 19th of October, 1995 As I walked up the gangway on M/V Seabourn Pride, in Piraeus, I was greeted by the Second Officer whom I was supposed to replace (relieve) as he was soon going on vacation. But first we needed an overlap, or a “handover period” in order for me to understand what my new job on this particular type of … Continue reading The journey begins.
In March 2020, the cruise industry shut down. There are no qualifiers to that sentence– it’s not that certain ships from certain companies in certain countries shut down, it’s that every ship from every company in every country stopped accepting passengers in March 2020. That’s unprecedented! Never before, in modern times, has there been such a complete, global shut down of an industry of this size. … Continue reading The Insane Logistics of Shutting Down the Cruise Industry.
Todays picture is called “Ship Handling”. A former Captain of mine and myself thought we should have some fun, and we made two pictures, and called them “Ship Handling training”. And he sent the pictures to the Main Office, where most people thought it was funny, except one person. His immediate superior shoreside. I guess, we cant make everyone laughing. Here is the other. Surely, … Continue reading Today’s picture.
We see it in movies and tv-series. Many people still think that the ship’s Captains can marry people. This is not really true anymore. It was possible in the past, depending upon what company and the flag the ship was flying (the flag state). But these days, I have not heard about anyone giving this “power” to a ship’s captain. I guess the Legal stuff … Continue reading Blessing on the Bridge.
Today’s picture reminds me of a simpler time. A simpler time for us who work in the Cruise Industry. The picture here is in the end of the so called Good old days, where customer satisfaction was the highest priority, before it slowly started to change. These days, the most important is to prevent lawsuits and other issues which might be of negative impact. Report … Continue reading Today’s picture.
Today’s picture reminds me of a simpler time. Yes there were such things as simpler times folks. 🙂 I think the picture is taken on one of the many islands in Indonesia, and it might be around 1997. I notice that my “sports” uniform is not exactly according to the Company dress code. Working in the Cruise Industry those days, were less stressful than it … Continue reading Today’s picture.
To spend Christmas and New year onboard a ship as a crew member, is a very special time. This is something which only must be experienced to fully understand, because it is really something different. I will try to explain this feeling many crew members have during the holidays onboard, and post some pics from the years I spent onboard, far away from the family … Continue reading When the ship’s crew celebrate Christmas onboard.
Today’s picture is of myself and one of the ship’s deck hands, Mr. Ramon Cabugon. Ramon (from the Philippines) later on became the ship’s Bosun (Boatswain). The reason why I always remember this picture, is because it is one of the first ones after I went over to a new type of work (from the Navy to Cruise industry), where I seriously can say I … Continue reading Today’s picture.
The picture I want to show today, without to much explanation, is one of my absolute favorites. The picture was taken when we were in Alaska with my job, a cruise ship. This is what one call a perfect shot. Look at that color on the ice which was floating in the bay, in front of the glacier. Ice blue! Pictures like this, always remind … Continue reading Today’s picture.
I have been several times to Alaska with my job onboard cruise vessels. And one thing is for sure, when you look at the mega ships in the fjords and bays, you get a feeling you really are part of mass tourism. You observe the small towns from the deck and it is like a moving blanket over the town, which actually are 1000s of … Continue reading Alaska, worth visiting with smaller vessels.
Today’s picture is to illustrate that when you are an Officer on a cruise ship, you have a lot of roles to fill. Doesnt matter if you are educated and employed as one of the Navigators, you need to do other parts as well. I was part of one of the ship’s Fireteams for a few years as well. The picture of myself with this … Continue reading Today’s picture.
So when we say the word cruise ships or luxury yachts, what color will it be in your imagination? Probably white, right? It is so because we’re used to seeing big white cruise ships. Now the question is whether white color is necessary, fancy or just a tradition? Different people comes out with different reasons, but are all of them true? Let’s have a look … Continue reading Why Cruise Ships And Yachts Are Mostly Painted White.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Marella Dream is being retired by Marella Cruises and now faces an unknown future. The 54,760-ton vessel launched in 1986 under he Home Lines banner and also spent time in the Holland America Line and Costa Cruises fleets before sailing for Thomson Cruises in 2010. Early 1980s: Home Lines orders a new ship at Meyer Werft . Named the … Continue reading A Cruise Ship History: Marella Dream.
The Traveller 