Guilty Pleasures -- Ship Life Edition

*February 2018*

Everyone has their guilty pleasures, but the guilty pleasures that come with living on a cruise ship for 7 months are sometimes so simple but make all the difference. This lifestyle is not real life and is completely different from living on land so sometimes all I desire is normalcy, and a sense of reality.

Believe it or not, the majority of my days in Cozumel, Mexico have been spent at Starbucks… not necessarily for the sweetened iced tea but more for the environment. It feels like I could be living a normal life at home, or in between classes or before work rather than another summer day in the Caribbean. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t take this lifestyle for granted but it’s not as exciting when you’re there all the time. Most people go there for the free Wifi but luckily I have phone service in Mexico so I technically can check social media, texts and make phone calls from anywhere in Cozumel but I still choose Starbucks. There’s something relaxing about sitting there too while all the guests are stressing over their busy day plans. So yes I would consider Starbucks in Cozumel one of my guilty pleasures.

Speaking of free Wifi, the ship is most definitely not as generous as Starbucks. I find myself buying multiple Wifi packages every week onboard and it does quickly add up. I’ve easily spent a whole 2 weeks paycheck worth of Wifi throughout this contract, but I think it’s been worth it. It’s another guilty pleasure of mine that has made all the difference. It’s nice because I can turn it on and off whenever I feel like it; when I want to be disconnected I can be and when I want to stay in touch I can. I never thought I would be able to talk to my family, boyfriend and friends as much as I do and I’ve been so grateful for that. I’ve also kept up on posting on social media throughout all of my experiences which I didn’t think I’d be able to do as often. After this contract, I can definitely admit that I took unlimited data for granted when I was on land.

Another expensive pleasure of mine onboard is taking advantage of our juice bar. I definitely don't get nearly the same amount of servings of fruit as I would get at home so I try to get smoothies a few times a week which has been a real privilege for me (even though it’s not free). They have all sorts of fresh fruit to choose from including mango, pineapple, berries, apple, oranges, avocado, banana, beets, as well as kale and spinach. Their smoothies are delicious and fills me right up— they will usually substitute as a meal for me which is convenient if I have a shorter break. They also serve freshly squeezed orange juice which is absolute heaven if you like fresh orange juice. The best part of the juice bar though is enjoying the view that comes with it. Somehow the juice bar ended up getting one of the best views on board. The windows stretch from the floor to the ceiling and across the whole side; there’s chairs and stools with little tables right in front of the windows and it’s just all ocean. Sitting there watching us glide along the ocean while drinking a fruit smoothie is where I find the most peace throughout each week onboard. It’s quite the guilty pleasure of mine and I have no problem with them taking all my money.

Napping. I nap all the time here. I’ve napped more here in these 7 months than I have in my whole life, honestly. In between shifts what do I do? 8/10 times I will choose to nap. It’s just the lifestyle here, with late night shifts and early mornings and a whole lot of exercise, it’s the only way I keep myself going. Especially on sea days when we work throughout the whole day with little breaks here and there it’s nearly impossible to stay awake while working off and on starting at 8am and ending at 11pm. Besides the fact that it is necessary, there’s something about putting on a Disney movie, curling up in my cozy cabin with my fuzzy blanket while the waves rock me to sleep that gives me the most pleasure. Although, I do feel guilty for spending so much time on my breaks asleep when there are so many amenities that I could be enjoying around the ship, but throughout these 7 months I’ve had plenty of time to explore and enjoy what the ship has to offer.

I am definitely looking forward to living life on land again where my guilty pleasures are a little less ordinary but you know what they say— you always want what you can’t have. That’s the best explanation I have regarding why I enjoy Starbucks, Wifi, fruit smoothies and napping so much, it’s because I crave the things that I used to have while living a normal life. I enjoy all of the above while still not taking this life for granted though because I’m positive that once I’m home I’ll be craving warm weather, beaches, adventure and ship life and will be over everything ordinary. That’s just life.

Rachel xx