Many of my friends and family ask me about how crew onboard handle holidays. Most of us are away from parents, spouses, kids and good friends. All but a few first time crew members are prone to being homesick, missing the normal holiday routine. Thanksgiving with family, shopping on Black Friday then getting the home decorated with the preparations ending with the tree up, decorated plus mom starting up the baked goodness, cookies, fruitcake, cheesecake (yes cheesecake) and other hometime holiday necessities. When I was younger I could not eat my mom's fruitcake, not sure why so I was happy to give them to the other family members' as gifts. They like them I guess. Over the years as I grew older (as well as my cousins), the family Christmas Party lost its luster...we didnt get any gifts and just sat around and talked about college, then jobs and eventually now being married with or without kids. However, my father throughout the years never lost that luster. Every Christmas Eve he read to all the kids, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" with the same passion when my sister and I were that age. As goofy as he sounds when he reads it, it still warms my heart every year I think about it. When he reads, ..."with a twinkle in his eye and nose like cherry", my father still as that twinkle. Maybe it was the Christmas lights reflecting off from his glasses...who knows. I have been working at sea for nearly 8 years. I have made it to my parents annual Holiday Hoedown only twice in those 8 years. Once, after my first contract, then about 2 years ago as the schedule for vacation matched the holidays. My mother had to have minor surgery, so it was up to me to prepare and cook the Christmas Eve spread. The family comes far and wide to hunker down on this holiday home goodness. Every year we think we make enough and every year we run out of food. Nowadays, we had to plan back up appetizers and courses to forever feed the fam. I guess only once a year, right? I loved it. So I digress...holiday at sea for me sometimes just go like the days. One day you step on the ship and the next Christmas Day just ended. Whoosh...but I will tell you onboard the crew activities and shipboard management do their best to help everyone from over 50 different countries, religions and cultures celebrate the holidays. Crew members away from home still are able to celebrate the holidays just as anyone else (minus the family and friends at home). But onboard the ship, we are family. We celebrate the holidays together as a family.
So with this I will tell you...if you cruise during the holidays and many of you will, then give the crew a bit of a break. We will give 110% each and every cruise holiday or not. We all know you spend your hard earned money to cruise on your holiday and you want it to be perfect. It may not be but I am damn sure that crew onboard will NOT go out of their way to ruin it, as much as you hear in some of the not-so-positive reviews and blogs about cruises. Although it is summer in the Caribbean, doesn't mean Mother Nature can refrain from throwing tropical storms and such at the islands. For guests in the northern climates, enjoy the fact you don't have to shovel snow. For those who don't worry about snow, enjoy the fact you don't have to pick up after your family at the annual holiday get together. God forbid you end up in a port and the sun doesnt shine (though its still 80 plus degrees). Whether guests and crew members, we are all humans and we all inhabit the same earth, the crew may be from a different country or even religion than you but they know what the holiday means to you. And believe me, we want you to have the holiday experience of a lifetime at sea.
