Day 51: Meet Martin

Martin is a single man, from China, this is his third Viking contract. In an earlier life he graduated with a degree in CNC Numeric Control. For fun he enjoys badminton & hiking.

How many of us have degrees in a certain field and our careers have taken us on a different path? Martin is a clearly a people person. The idea of working in a factory for him just didn’t seem to fit. His never ending smile and wanting to make others smile as well is the direction which led him to Viking.

One of the threads throughout our meeting the various crew members has been their ability to “SWE” - Smile without Ending! How do they do it? Are there classes they have to complete?

What is the final exam like? The exam is to keep smiling for 8 hours straight while people ask them for another napkin, another drink, or tell them the room is too cold or too hot. I would fail that exam. By the way to pass this final exam you have to carry, without dropping, 43 pounds of dirty dishes, or 20 glasses of champagne while the ship simulator is rocking and rolling - weaving their way through the “Waitstaff Ballet” walking through the World Cafe or The Restaurant.

Kudos, to Martin, Jeric, Karmila, Shai & Gede, Lisa, Nick, Casper, Igor #1, Igor 2, Ledi Gaga, Beka & John, Amiee, Guest Services, Wait Staff, The Blue Man Group, The White Suits, the Entertainers, the list goes on, and on, and on. They all have clearly passed their final exam.

There are about 1,500 people on the Neptune - many of us about ⅓ of us have already fulfilled our career paths and now living our retirement dreams. While a group of the next generation is looking towards their future hopes and aspirations. Families at home.

I know I still view this cruise through a “first-timers” lens. I met one gentleman in the hallway a couple of days ago; this is cruise number 39 for him. Wow No matter the number of cruises we have been on, all of us (passengers & crew) come to this cruise with unique backstories and dreams for the future. Whatever our story, we are all very fortunate to have this experience on the Neptune.

“As iron sharpens iron, so to a person another.”Read more