It Never Ceases To Amaze Me.....

The most amazing feat that never ceases to amaze me is turnaround day. By this I mean the day the cruise ends for some but is an exciting and joyful beginning for a whole new group of passengers. At about 8:00 AM the ship arrives in the port. As the passengers arriving home at the end of their cruise leave the ship with their new memories the crews are hard at work to get the ship ready to go out again. The work begins many hours before the ship arrives in the port. The crew comes in the night to take luggage to be unloaded in the morning at arrival in port. While the passengers are enjoying the last breakfast and cup of coffee the crew is hard at work to make the next cruise happen on time. They are unloading luggage and trash. Stewards are getting the cabins ready for arriving passengers. Supplies are being loaded for the next cruise. Luggage for the arriving passengers is being loaded and distributed to passenger cabins. Food is being prepped for the arrival of the new passengers that will be boarding soon. The ship is being fueled for another long journey to take the newest passengers on their long awaited vacations. I just listed the basics. I am sure there is much much more going on behind the scenes too. It is nearly time to leave and the passengers are completing the required muster drill. At the end of the drill the ships horns announce the impending departure. Passengers are taking their spaces at the rails and on balconies to wave goodbye as they sail past those left behind. It is a joyful new beginning. The bands are playing and the atmosphere is a happy one The doors are closed and the walkways are pulled back from the ship. The ropes holding the ship in place are released and the ship is free. She slides away from the pier and heads out to sea. All of this work goes on on turnaround day. The amazing thing for me is that all of this is done in the space of about 8 hours. Not just once but over and over again every week in all of the cruise ports. An amazing amount of work done in a short time. Kudos to the cruise lines for this accomplishment.