Hey sailors

For those of you reading who watch my YouTube channel, you will know that in December 2021 I completed my contract on virgin voyages Scarlet lady. I am expected to go back and complete another contract but due to the current circumstances we all find ourselves living in due to Covid, I am wondering whether that is the right decision.

My reasons for questioning returning to cruise ships are:

• For the first three months of the contract, I was not allowed to get off the ship due to Covid. One of the main reasons I started working on cruise ships was to see the world so not being able to get off the ship and see the places that the ship was visiting was really hard. 
• Having to wear masks everywhere except your cabin. Living at home you only have to wear masks when you are indoors however, on a cruise ship even when you are outdoors you must still wear face masks. This means that masks have to be worn up to 14 hours per day only to be taken off when eating meals and then when you finally return to your cabin in the evening after finishing work.
• Regular antigen testing. I understand that this is necessary to keep everyone on board safe however, being tested regularly at inconvenient times of the day started to take its toll by the end of my contract.
• No crew events. To avoid the spread of Covid crew events were extremely limited. One of my favourite things about working on cruise ships has always been the crew activities that are put on by the cruise line. This could be a party, a basketball competition, a casino night, a games night etc. Without these crew activities, along with not being able to get off the ship, it really did start to feel at times like we were just working and sleeping.
• In the mess which is the crew eating area on board any ship, plastic dividers had been placed on the table to separate people seated together. This was of course to stop particles travelling from person to person when meals are being consumed but it made it hard to have conversations with your colleagues while eating lunch and dinner. Conversations seem like a simple sacrifice but when you are living on a cruise ship, away from your family and friends back home it’s very important to create connections with people so that you don’t feel alone.

These are just a few things that affect crew when they are working onboard cruise ships. So for all of the wonderful times I had on my last contract, I also had to contend with all of the above restrictions.

On top of this, at the beginning of my contract, I had to do a 10-day quarantine in a passenger cabin. I was not allowed to leave the cabin for 10 days so my food and drink was brought to me three times per day. If you have seen my YouTube videos then you will know that I really did try to make the most of these 10 days and for the most part, I enjoyed it. But if any of you reading have had to do a quarantine period in one room in your house you will understand that it definitely comes with its ups and downs.

Now sure, because everyone who works on cruise ships will now be vaccinated, I most likely will not have to do the initial quarantine period if I go back however if I catch Covid at any point during my contract I will have to quarantine in the cabin and let me tell you, quarantining in a cabin is a lot different to quarantining in a house with multiple rooms.

All of these things are making me question whether I should return to cruise ships or wait a while until all of these Covid restrictions hopefully calm down. So, there is a lot to think about but also it’s stuff that I can’t control so I think I’ve just got to wait and see how things pan out and make a decision based on that.

I would really like to know your thoughts on what I’ve written and if you have any advice for my situation, please comment below. 

Thank you so much for reading, have a lovely day!