So, I decided I would write a recap over my Cruise West experience onboard the Yorktown Clipper. What should I say about my Cruise West experience? For starters, the Yorktown Clipper can hold up to 138 guests with approximately 36 all American staff. It is 257 feet in length and has a cruising speed of 10 knots. A typical cruise ship has a cruising speed of 28 knots. It will soon be named the Spirit of Yorktown and is Cruise West's newest overnight vessel, with a year-round cruising schedule that takes her as far north as Alaska and south, through the Panama Canal to the Caribbean. Unfortunately our boat didn't make it that far due to a collision with one of the San Juan Islands (I'll save that story for another day).
I arrived in Juneau, Alaska on September 9th, 2006 around 3:30 and immediately began working. The HM quickly showed me all the decks of the boat and had me change into a uniform and greet passengers as they embarked the vessel. It seems just like yesterday. I remember throwing my stuff in my room and putting on a big smile. I was asleep by 12 and back upstairs again the next morning by 5:00 to set up a breakfast buffet and then leave for a housekeeper meeting. The first two weeks were exhausting and seemed like one big blur. My hands and feet were so sore. Yes, I thought about escaping. What had I gotten myself into? During this time I would think about the fact that Russia was only 50 miles away. The glaciers in Alaska were amazing and the passage ways through the inlets were breathtakingly beautiful. I will definitely plan on going back to accompany them again some day.
One of my favorite days was in Victoria, Canada. It is a really interesting and exciting town with lots to see and good places to eat. Victoria is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island and is a beautiful city full of gardens. The itineraries that I worked included Alaska's Inside Passage, Pacific Northwest Coastal Escape, and Exploring the California Wine Country. These trips ranged in length from 12 day, 7 day, to 4-5 day cruises. Countless turnaround days later the day finally came to secure the boat to dry dock and for the crew to leave for different parts of the states.
This job was one interesting ride and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I learned how to survive a 4 day crossing, chase down cabs in San Francisco, to cherish 15 minute naps, how to make towel animals and not to take Starbucks for granted. I made peace with the world on the deck at night while the vessel was at sea. It was so quiet all I could hear was the boat pushing its way through the water. I miss the drowning noises of the engine room while I sleep. It is remarkable how you can become so accustomed to a routine over such a short period of time and feel like everything else but the boat was a lifetime ago. A girl on the boat once told me time spent living and working on a boat was comparable to dog years. I definitely agreed. The people I met during this small journey have touched my life forever and I am thankful for each and every one of them.
Now I live in a house with guy friends where I usually find our kitchen empty and bone dry! It is quite an adjustment to not be able to go upstairs for free food and the well stocked galley of the Yorktown Clipper.
I arrived in Juneau, Alaska on September 9th, 2006 around 3:30 and immediately began working. The HM quickly showed me all the decks of the boat and had me change into a uniform and greet passengers as they embarked the vessel. It seems just like yesterday. I remember throwing my stuff in my room and putting on a big smile. I was asleep by 12 and back upstairs again the next morning by 5:00 to set up a breakfast buffet and then leave for a housekeeper meeting. The first two weeks were exhausting and seemed like one big blur. My hands and feet were so sore. Yes, I thought about escaping. What had I gotten myself into? During this time I would think about the fact that Russia was only 50 miles away. The glaciers in Alaska were amazing and the passage ways through the inlets were breathtakingly beautiful. I will definitely plan on going back to accompany them again some day.
One of my favorite days was in Victoria, Canada. It is a really interesting and exciting town with lots to see and good places to eat. Victoria is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island and is a beautiful city full of gardens. The itineraries that I worked included Alaska's Inside Passage, Pacific Northwest Coastal Escape, and Exploring the California Wine Country. These trips ranged in length from 12 day, 7 day, to 4-5 day cruises. Countless turnaround days later the day finally came to secure the boat to dry dock and for the crew to leave for different parts of the states.
This job was one interesting ride and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I learned how to survive a 4 day crossing, chase down cabs in San Francisco, to cherish 15 minute naps, how to make towel animals and not to take Starbucks for granted. I made peace with the world on the deck at night while the vessel was at sea. It was so quiet all I could hear was the boat pushing its way through the water. I miss the drowning noises of the engine room while I sleep. It is remarkable how you can become so accustomed to a routine over such a short period of time and feel like everything else but the boat was a lifetime ago. A girl on the boat once told me time spent living and working on a boat was comparable to dog years. I definitely agreed. The people I met during this small journey have touched my life forever and I am thankful for each and every one of them.
Now I live in a house with guy friends where I usually find our kitchen empty and bone dry! It is quite an adjustment to not be able to go upstairs for free food and the well stocked galley of the Yorktown Clipper.
