Feding on board

Well! This is a very important subject, once that the work on board is very heavy and you must to be well fed to handle it. The thing is, inside a ship, healthy food is something hard to have access. There are 40 different nationalities on board and to please all of them is impossible, so if they please a bigger number of people as possible, it's better. The higher number of crew members are Filipinos and Indians, so the food that pleases the taste of them is more frequent. Is very common to see cattle entrails on the menu and lots of rice!

If you hear the jargon "Como arroz!", don't be surprised, this is a large appreciated

delicacy in the ships.

Fruits and salads are always in the end, who arrives before eats it, or the wise you have to make do with what you have. Who works in the restaurant got the mafia, even those it is forbidden to eat passengers food, there is no cameras to spy you, so you can grab some fruits and balance your diet. Some waiters eat after the service, while they are cleaning their station.

Staff members have better food, but they've discount at their salary for it.

Other thing that interferes in the food is the working schedule. Because it always changes, so you don't have a straight routine and it's very common to start the morning shift without eating and be for hours with the empty stomach. But if you think that it will make you loose weight, you are wrong. When you stay for hours without eat, your body will be in enormous stress, asking for food, so when you finally eat, your body absolve all the nutritious and keeps some for the next time that your body will be for a long time without food. That reserve is in shape of fatness. So, you will get fat and still your body will be weak.

Concluding, be aware to it. Use the mafia to take care of you health!!!

Family visitors on board

Family on board

A nice thing when you are in Brazil is to have your family on board. They can come on board the ship, while it is at the port, they can walk around the ship, and they can eat at the buffet without expend any money for this. And when you are in your break, you can go with them and show the ship and eat in the buffet with them. This is very easy, you just have

to fill up a form, that the crew office lives close to the door, over a box written "visitors", so you put the name, age, ID number and birthday date, you can bring until five people on board and you put this form inside the visitors box, three days before the port were you family will be in the ship. The security will take the forms, show to the staff captain, he will sign it giving the permission and them, the name of all the visitors will be in a list, which the federal police will have a copy, so, your family will show some ID with a picture, the security will hold it during the whole time your visitor is inside the ship and when him/her lives the ship, the security will deliver

the ID back. You can invite family, friends, whoever... They can use the pool, eat at the buffet, as they were passengers, they just can't buy anything because in the ship they don't accept money, but if you want to offer some drinks to them, you gonna have to buy it with your crew card.

Now, if you are a very friendly person and now people from every department on the ship, you use you mafia to get some free drinks, gifts and also special treatment to your visitors. When the ship is not moving, like in port, all the stores inside the ship closes, they only work at sea, so your visitors don't have access to buy in the duty free, so if you want to buy something to them, you'll have to buy it before. The crew members has 20 % off discount buying things in the ship. Drinks only have discount at the crew bar, in the regular bars the crew member have no discount.

The crew members are also allowed to buy cruises for their family and friends. They only pay 20% of the whole price of a regular cruise, so it is very cheap, any crew can afford it.

Friendship on bord

On board there are hundreds of crew members. It's wearied to be very close to someone that you hardly know, but believe me. On board, even if you don't know the name of some

one, is very common share the same plate to everybody. Everybody is family on board. But don't get it in the wrong way. People cares more about you, when you have something to offer, after that, you're just one more, so be careful and don't trust people so deeply, because you can hurt yourself.

Also if you want to date someone. Don't create a whole history about some one that maybe is only with you for the

same reason that you are with them, company, or even sex.

All this is allowed, by be careful, he/she can hurt your feelings.

Be polite to all, smile, help them, coz' the same way they need you, you will need them anytime. Be a political person, talk to everybody, the guy that cleans the bathroom and t

he captain, the dishwashers and the officers, the guys from laundry and the high position, you never know what could happen to your or when you may need somebody.

On board you can never be jealous, never be possessive, just enjoy it as long as you can.

Of course is possible to find some truly friends, somebody that you will love for the rest of your life, and also the love can become a matrimony, who knows?

Brazilian Ports

Diversities

During the Brazilian season, We visit some ports in beautiful cities. It's amazing to see from the see, so many different places from the same country. This way is easy to know how Brazil is rich in culture and diversities.

Salvador - Bahia

Between all the places that the ship goes, Salvador is one of the most expected city. I would never say that this is the most beautiful city in Brazil, 'coz I could be unfair to the others, but Salvador has something magic and it has so many colors and the weather is so nice, also people are very helpful and joyful.

The good thing in Salvador for the crew is that everything is very close to the port. Pelourinho is the biggest colonial architecture in latin America, and you can visit a very amazing place, where culture is very strong. Farol da Barra is another close place from the port, there is a good beach and is goog for memorable pictures of Salvador. There are Rio Vermelho, Pituba, Itapuã, Abaeté and if, you have extra time, you can go to Stella Maris, that is wonderful for surfing, but is a little far from the port, it's about 40 minuts by cab.

Copacabana - Rio de Janeiro

Well, Rio is internationaly known and some places there are tipical to visit. like Copacabana, Ipanema, Leblon, Corcovado and the suggar bread mountains, so having a fresh coconut water is the minimun thing that you can do there. If you don't have much time, but you need to buy something for your cabin, there is a street called Rio Branco, cross the Mauá square, is a commercial center in that avenue. There are pharmacies, lotteries, and many stores.

Búzios - Rio de Janeiro

Also in Rio de Janeiro, Búzios is a Paradise. During the day it has beautiful beaches and during the night, all the stores are still working and you can buy fantastic clothes for a very special price. The bars and the dancing clubs are espetacular, but there is a creperie where everything happens, there is the point of Buzios, that is Chez Michou, a french guy is the owner, him together with some guys prepers the creps and that is a particular guy that prepers it so fast that you can't follow it. They have a DJ, and when the creps are done, they

call your name at microphone. Yet, they have some original drinks which you will love.

Fortaleza - Ceará

Fortaleza has beautiful beaches, but you have to take a cab, Do not get out from the port by feet, it's a little dangerous. But it takes only five till ten minuts to arrive to the handicraft market, and the edge. The things in Fortaleza are not expensive, but at the beach you have to rent umbrella, beach chair and the cooler, this is not like in Salvador, that if you buy something in the beach hut, you don't need to pay just to sit in those chairs. The water is so clear, the sky is so blue, you have to go to Fortaleza at list once in a life time! The ship only passe by Maceió during the crossing.

Ilha Bela - São Paulo

Who could ever imagine that São paulo has a place so charming and nice as Ilha Be

la? This island lives up to name. The sky is very clean and the water is so clear. There are some nice small restaurants, Some bars close to the edge and there is a particular hostel where you can have lunch for a small price, to use the pool and if you have your lap top, you have free wi-fi access. At night is also good to go out from the ship, coz' the bars stay open for the passangers.

Ilhéus - Bahia

If you take a cab, you can go around the downtown, stop at the home madden chocolate store to buy some peculi

ar chocolate called "Gabriela" and "Nacib", that has male and female genital parts shape. You can stop by the handicraft for gifts and go to the millionary beach. But be smart, there are many street vendors offering too many things, you have to be patient with it. But the beer is not expensive and you can have a nice sunbathing.

Maceió - Alagoas

This is a very beautiful city. The edge is all flat, and the water is very clear. People there are very simple, but joyful. Only 5 minutes buy cab and you are at the edge. Nice ploace to have a good sunbathing and a cold beer.

The ship only passe by Maceió during the crossing.

Recife - Pernambuco

The Brazilian Venice, Recife is cutten by the Capibaribe river and you can go walking everywhere. The handicaft store is very close, cross the bridge and walk about 5 minutes to the left side. The ship only passes by Recife during the crossing.

See Brazil throught the coastline is an experience in a life time. worth living to see this!!

Brazilian Season

Is that what they like more... Beija flor visiting Costa Magica at the Roberto Carlos Cruise

Well,

After the crossing, I could see the difference between European and Brazilian public. It's way too different... GOD!!!

European are very polite, silence, they like to read, they hardly go to the pool, they consume lots of wine and different kinds of drinks, they play at the casino, they buy at the duty free and they go to the theater, they watch the music shows, they go to spa, gym, they do the hair and they are always circulating in the indoors areas, they also go outside to see the places the ship goes, they eat out and they buy gifts for their families, they also take pictures using the ship services. Brazilian people usually are always at the pool and the buffet, they don't like the formal services or to use the ship services, they go around the ship in first cruise day to take pictures, but after this they eat, eat, eat and when they are not in the pool, they are drinking beer, or dancing.

So, if the company wants to have the Brazilian public, they have to full the beer deposit, to have at list two DJ's and put all the pools working well, besides the food services, that must to work all day long!!!

Increnable, they never stop eating!!!

Brazilian is noisy, happy, lazy, and very annoying, they never read the Today, and so they always ask about everything. It mean lot work to do!

But you think it is bad to work with Brazilian? No way! This is so funny, they are always so worried about us, and they ask so many stupid questions, that is no way to be borried working for them. By the way, I am one of them, and I know I am not so different from them. When I travel as a passanger, probably I'll behave just like this.

First impressions

Fears and doubts discoveries

I arrived in Savona at november 16 2008 for the crossing to Brazil. It was an 18 days cruise, full of europeans. My work in the buffet was very calm, but still too many things to do. In the ship, they have a journal they call "Today", with informations about all the events and time for the meals and all the services on board, this way, the passangers don't need to keep asking all the time, averything to the employees.

A cruise have the days we go to a port and the navegation days. Some times, it takes more them one day to arrive from a port to another, so that's why we have the naegation day. When is port day, it's ok, because all the passangers goes out to visit the place and for the tours, some times they eat out side and spend a lot of time doing it. For the people who works in the ship this is very nice, thay don't have to many things to do, but in the navegation day, all the passangers are inside the ship and they eat all they long. It means more work to do. The animation and recreation knows exactly what I'm talking about. But the record is in the restaurants, specially in the buffet.

Of corse that the ship has many places to go. Cassino, theater, pools, gym, beauty saloom, spa, bars, shopping stores, and many activities the recreation prepares for the passangers, but everything happens in the buffet.

Depending on the area in the ship you work, you have more or less time to go out, but you never have one whole day off. You have break times. But even this way, is possible to go out. Some times, with two hours break you can do so many things that you would never imagine. You learn how to manage your time better.

My first time out of the ship, was theree or four days after I embarked, I was so confused because all the problems I had, that I didn't do my crew pass, witch is the employee ID on board, it is a magnetic card with all the crew informations.

Only after a few days on board, some one informed me that I had to have this card to go out and come back to the ship. I got out in Tenerife, but I didn't go to the city center, I was so afraid and insecure and I had nobady to go with me, that I just steped out and came back inside.

After this, I stared to go out in everyport, even if I had nobody to make company.

Medical off

Tight shoes and twisted foot

What they say about the shoes are all true. We really have to use it at list two numbers bigger them our feet. That working shoes are really unconfortable. I asked for a shoe that was one number bigger them my feet, and I really suffered a very big pain in my feet and toes. The first week is the worse af all, coz' is the adaptation time for the life on board. For me it was even worse, once that I didn't get rest after the trip.

That shoes were really hurting me and I couldn't handle that any more, I had to change that as fast as I could, but the problem is that we only can change the shoes after 3 months on board, or the wise, we should buy the new pair of shoes. I didn't want to pay a dime for this so I starried to think some way to change it without paying for it. My first two weeks, I didn't walked, I schlepped. The pay was so big that I cryed many times, when it was very strong and couldn't stand it, I went to the doctor. I was crying and the dostor saw me there sitting in the hospital waitting room. He asked me what was happenning and I shoulded him my ankles and feet, he gave me some medicin and sand me to my cabin. It was my firs medical off. I asked the doctor to give me a prescription that sad to the inventory officer that I had to have a new pair of shoes, because that one that I was wearing was giving me health trouble. They changed my shoes. This time, just to ensure I asked for a shoe 3 numbers bigger them my foot.

My medical off had only a half day of duration. In the other day, with the new shoes, I went back to work normally.

one week more and I twisted my right foot. It was injury. I were going up stairs holding a tray full of silvers and I steped wrongly in the ladder. It was painfull but I didn't go to the doctor right away, coz' I just had one medical of and I was ashamed to go again, but I didn't have other way out, the pain was too strong after a week with the swollen ankle. They gave me a shot and put bandages in my foot and I worked back in the other day. Other half day of medical off. After this I had no health problems until the end of my contract.