Ship Life Print Shop Shinanigans

It's quite rare to hear that a person works on a cruise ship. As a crew member you will get quite different reactions. Some people really hate cruise ships, while others are quite fascinated by the idea. It will really depend on what ship you are working on. Currently I am working on Cunard's biggest Ocean Liner, Queen Mary 2 (ooops too bad I don't have Cundardia...ahhh print shop jokes). Queen Mary 2 has 1,240 crew serving a maximum of 3,056 guests. We're not the biggest ship roaming the ocean, but trust me. This ship is big enough for the transatlantic season.

I've been working on the QM2 since November 2012. (Don't worry I've had a vacation.) Many may think that we don't really work on cruise ships, but this ship will make you work. When you have digital printers printing for more than 1000 guests and all the departments onboard, you will definitely be constantly working. There are a bunch of RICO printers onboard, but who would print 1000+ pages on a RICO when you can get it cheaper from the Print Shop.
What is quite nice about working in the print shop is the fact we can make our own schedule. You will definitely get those occasional days where you are non-stop busy. Phones are ringing. Printers are continuously printing. Emails are constantly coming in with orders. Besides those days, life is great. We get to travel the world on this beautiful ship and fill in the gaps as we please.
What I have found difficult is finding ways to de-stress. When I was on land, I would go out to a cafe and listen to music, go online or read a book. On a ship, depending on the stress, I would blow bubbles, sit in my room alone watching TV, go to Deck 13, listen to music while working or just close the doors of the print shop. You're never really alone on a ship. You see the same people every day, so finding that feeling that you're alone can be quite rare.
Down time is quite a new thing to get used to as well. Sometimes you need to pick up new hobbies or find new things you could enjoy doing. Other wise you may just be stuck doing nothing, eating and drinking. The occasional party and drinking can be fun. Other than that, do as you will. I'm starting to pick up darts. I don't see very many people play darts in the US, but on a ship it is quite popular. I am not very good, but it is a fun game when you're enjoying it among friends. I've been reading more than I usually do, and I got some knitting things to do some knitting. It's always fun to get projects from departments. Sometimes people need a poster done or maybe a calendar made. I wouldn't dare pass up a project as it gives me something new to do. Plus it puts my creative mind to work.
Ship life is a fast pace environment. Everything is constantly moving and you will definitely learn a lot in such a short period of time. There is no time to dwell on mistakes, and there is no time to point fingers. (However pointing fingers will always happen in any work place.) I feel like if everyone just owns up to what they did things would not get so complicated. I've been definitely learning to own up to my mistakes, make sure to find out what should be done for next time, apologize where needed and move on from the whole situation. No need to dwell on things too long. That's when things get messy and grudges are formed.

Below are a few pictures of some places I have visited.

The Falls in Quebec, Canada with my friend Juane

Milford Sound

Sydney, Australia

Another port. Another day. Another blog.