We want to devote a blog post to the crew of the MV Explorer, the hardest working crew on the seven seas. First of all, let us clarify–we Bloomquai are not on the ship’s crew. We are staff, so we do not wear uniforms, but we do still answer to Captain Roman–ultimately everyone on board does! The crew stay on the ship for contracted amounts of time, usually several months, with some breaks for home visits in between. On most ships, they have told us that the crew changes regularly. Not so on the Explorer, a smaller and specialized academic vessel where there are many opportunities for advancement. Faculty, staff, and passengers who have been voyaging with SAS for years greet many crewmembers like old friends–because they are.
Crew have their own quarters, cafeteria, and entertainment areas on the ship separate from those of the passengers and staff. We do not have access to those areas. Crew members rarely leave the ship, and they deserve to have a place to go to truly be “off duty” when their daily shifts end. They hail from all over the world–the U.S., the Phillippines, Australia, Greece, Croatia, Great Britain, and the list goes on. Typically around 21 different countries are represented at any one time. Many talents are also represented on the crew, and they perform during the shipwide talent show along with students and faculty/staff. Some have the voice of an opera singer, others more of a Sinatra-esque croon. Some juggle glass bottles, others dance better than any contestant on a primetime television talent show, and there is even a performance artist in the mix.
Allan’s Bottle Juggling from Sam and Shannon Bloomquist on Vimeo.
Why are they so great? There are many examples. Every morning, Sam and I wake up early and are out of our cabin working or having breakfast by about 7:00 am. If we come back to our cabin at 7:15 am, Phillip (during past voyages it was Jess), our awesome cabin steward, has already made the bed, given us new towels, cleaned our bathroom until its spic and span, emptied our trash, and vacuumed our floor. Both Jess and Phillip have always been thorough and efficient, but not only that, they greet us with huge smiles and a cheerful hello every time we see them.
At every port, an observer will find a number of crew members busy scrubbing and touching up the paint on the ship. These guys and gals are hard-working and talented, and they keep the Explorer looking fantastic. We have never seen her without a perfect paint job, from the deep blue bottom and bright white top of the hull’s outer plating, to the straight orange stripe that separates the two.
Over 200 crew members staff our ship, which can carry somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 non-crew passengers. A ratio of one crew member for every four passengers begs the question: who needs Allstate? We’re already in good hands.
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