Ship Life Truths: The Message That Changed Everything

Let’s discuss the time I was preparing for vacation in 2023 while working on a particular ship. I was in the process of handing over my duties before signing off. As I was completing my notes and getting everything ready for my replacement, I checked the shared Activities Manager's computer.

There, I discovered a text message that stopped me in my tracks. It read:

"You and [Name of Cruise Director] is way more firepower than that ship has had in a very long time... pew pew pew."

At this point in my ship career, I was already feeling ready to leave—or at least, the idea of leaving the industry was on my mind. I felt something had changed in me. I was saving money and had an agreement with my partner about when we were finally going to move on.

But reading that message left me deeply disappointed in the person who wrote it.

I had worked with this person before. In fact, they had even given me their "blessing" with shoreside management when I was covering as Cruise Director. They knew I was on that ship. And let’s not forget—I hadn't worked with this person in about six or seven years.

Sometimes, as I have mentioned before, life sends you signals of when to leave. Other times, it shows you who is against you and who is with you. Don't get me wrong—everyone is entitled to their opinion. If that person felt that way, good for them. But what brought me down was that this wasn't sent on a personal app like WhatsApp or Messenger; the message was sent via workplace chats while I was still onboard.

It felt unprofessional and distasteful.

My advice is this:

It is okay to have opinions, but be mindful of who will be reading them—especially if you are someone with influence in the company or over people.

Remember that everything, including evaluations, are personal opinions. Yes, most of the time they are based on performance or "facts," but they are still from a specific point of view. It always depends on who is evaluating you. While there are standards, some people stick to them, while others depend entirely on how they look at things.

Do not base your self-worth on a negative performance evaluation. Focus on the good.

This was very difficult for me to learn because sometimes, even though you give your absolute best, there are people—guests, managers, colleagues—who just won't see it. Sometimes people are influenced by the comments of others, and that affects how they see you. I know some of my staff were told things about me without even knowing me, and they formed the wrong ideas. Luckily, once they got to know me, they changed their minds.

A job is not who you are!

Yes, you can give your best and love your job, but that is not what makes you YOU. Never forget that, because life has a way of reminding you that there is more to it than just your work.

Have any of you had an experience like that? Send me a message—maybe you can vent with me! To all my cruise ship friends: I miss you all, and I hope you are enjoying the seven seas!