‘My first job at sea was in 1998 as a cabin stewardess. It was a step down from my previous job, but I couldn’t resist the idea of working on a ship. I was living in my home town of Copenhagen at the time. I’d studied to become a secretary after leaving school and gone straight into a secretarial job. I enjoyed it, but jumped at the opportunity to work in the check-in department at the airport when a job came up. I seemed to be drawn to the travel industry even then.
‘Five years later, when I was 28, I spotted a newspaper ad for a job on a cruise ship. Everyone starts at the bottom, doing bar work or waitressing, or something like I did. I loved it.
The money was good and because there’s a great camaraderie among the crew, I made friends easily and still have those friends now. It wasn’t just fun being on board but going ashore too, having an afternoon on, say, a beach in Barbados.
‘After a couple of years, the ship needed a secretary to the chief engineer. I applied and stayed in that role until the ship was sold in 2004. Next, I was offered my current job on the Queen Mary 2, which takes 2,500 passengers. Wherever the ship goes, I go too. From November to January, it’s the Caribbean season; then from January to April, we do a round the world cruise. In the summer time, we sail round places like the Mediterranean and Norwegian fjords and in the autumn we do crossings from Southampton to New York.
‘When I’m at sea, I work solidly – seven days a week – without a break. If that’s for three or four months at a time, I do feel tired towards the end. But then I get two months’ leave, which is a lovely long break. By the time that draws to an end, I tend to get itchy feet again, so it’s a cycle that suits me.
‘I start at 8am, when I meet with the captain to run through his day – whether he has any meetings, and what special duties he has on that day. Meetings are about anything from safety to management, and I’ll take minutes in those meetings. As for special duties, he hosts a table three nights a week for passengers and I join him for most of those. Then there are the cocktail parties we have to attend.
‘I’m in charge of something called “operational orders” too, which involves compiling a daily diary for all 1,300 staff about what’s going on from sunset to sunrise. For example, all staff need to know whether we’ll be in port that day and some information about that port, whether there are meetings on sea days, and whether the dress code of certain events is formal or not.
‘There’s a tradition on this ship of the captain coming to the church service every Sunday and it’s my role to organise that – choosing the hymns and readings. Then there are the PRs, journalists and film teams who travel with us – I look after them and organise interviews with the captain if they need them.
‘If I don’t have any duties in the evening, I finish by 6 or 7pm, but if there’s a dinner, party or other function it tends to be 11pm or midnight. I don’t mind – I like talking to the passengers and it’s great seeing the ones who come back again and again.
‘There are two captains and when one goes home, the other comes on board. That works well because after a few months with one, it’s nice to have the other back. With each, I often have to arrange personal things – writing their letters, organising flowers and wine and birthday cards.
‘I love the range of places the ship sails to – from the stunning Norwegian fjords to the excitement of Australia. But I think my best moment ever was sailing into New York for the first time. I still find that really exciting, especially knowing I can have some lunch and do some shopping in Manhattan. I don’t go ashore in every port, though.
‘Other great moments for me are when I have my parents and other family on board. In fact, another big part of my job is family travel administration. The captain has to approve all requests and when we make it happen, it’s wonderful. If you think about the people working on board from the Philippines, for instance, they can be away from home for nine or 10 months, so if they have family join them, it’s fantastic.
‘Time zones can be difficult. If we’re doing three or four crossings in a row to New York, for instance, it can be tiring. Relationships are probably the hardest thing, though. It’s not always easy to keep one going because of the amount I travel. I miss family and friends too, but then again your friends on board become your second family. You go ashore together and have parties. They’re not just colleagues but good friends, and there have been times I’ve dated people on board.
‘I share a cabin with the chief engineer’s secretary. In the old days, all the officers had their own cabin, but now there’s more space for passengers, so a lot of us have to share. I don’t mind – it’s easily big enough for two and normally in my free time I’m going for a drink, watching a movie, or going to the gym. All I really do in my cabin is sleep.
‘I always wear a uniform and I like not having to worry about what I’m going to wear in the morning. I have one for social functions too – an informal and formal one.
‘Once, in 2003, I left this life and ended up as a shop manager, but I missed it so much I came back. I must admit I never thought I’d still be doing it at 40, but here I am and, for the time being, I have no intention of stopping.’