By: Talin Orfali Ghazarian
Since 1999, it was my very first time I went on a cruise. The thought of it really excite me. I remember going to a travel agent and looking through brochures of cruise ships and I automatically fell in love with them. I began to go through books to research on them. The first ever cruise ship I ever sailed on was the Sundream of Sun Cruises and immediately the following year in 2000/2001 her sister ship Sunbird. then in 2002, Costa Atlantica.
Then in the recent years I went on the MSC Seaside, Norwegian Joy and a few others. I keep hearing about christening, naming ceremonies, dry dock celebrations. I have seen videos on YouTube on cruise ship inaugural ceremonies and that really made me become interested in wanting to one day be part of that to experience and witness it in person. Travel and cruises have been a passion of mine most of my life. I feel like I was born to travel and cruise. It is such an amazing feeling.
Now, you maybe wondering why cruise ships get christened before they sail out to sea with passengers and crew? Well, it is to bless the cruise ship and all who sail her. They tie a bottle of champagne and it must hit and break the bottle on the bow of the cruise ship with a press of a button. When it hits the side of the bow and breaks, it means its good luck. Then followed by a fireworks ceremony and a great party afterwards.
Christening a cruise ship is a very important part of its journey. That maiden voyage and first time when passengers who book their inaugural cruise vacation, they must feel so awesome to be able to be on the ship and be the first to sleep in those cabins, tasting the food, and enjoying the ships ammenities. It must be an exciting feeling.
In my lifetime, I hope to be part of that someday. It will mean a lot to me if I can experience that. I am very passionate about cruises and cruising. The specifications, the parts of a cruise ship and all the awesome lingo and terminology is what I absolutely love and I love talking the cruise ship language. It is my absolute favorite. A lot of people tend to ask me what cruises are, and what to do. It makes me feel so good. I love to help people with cruise ship questions from what to do before booking and what to pack and what advice they need when they sail
I always love to meet the cruise captain and the officers. I just love their uniforms, the hats, and the way they operate a cruise ship. Even the crew. Thank you all so much for working so hard. It is not easy running a giant cruise ship, it is not easy being away from family and friends for so many months, but to make a living and to provide for themselves and their families. I appreciate you all.
There are those passengers that are so disrespectful, show unkindness, are rude, and are very demanding. Don’t be rude. Be kind and respectful. They are working and trying extra hard of their abilities to make sure you have what you need. Ask kindly and in a respective manner. If you show good manners and are nice to them, they will appreciate it more than you know and they will look after you a lot better.
Just because you spend a lot of money on cruises, it doesn’t give you the entitlement to be rude and nasty to people who are trying their best to serve you. Be kind.
Anyway, that part was off topic, but I just thought I would put that in here, because people just need to hear it.
I hope that my dreams come true. It would mean the world to me. Cruise ships and cruising are in my blood.
I just love it. You can say I am obsessed š
Talin Orfali Ghazarian 