Elise & Tim Behind The Scenes At Sea (Part 5)

Ever wonder what it would be like to work on cruise ships? Small cruise ships?

Elise & Tim Lentz have worked on ships big and small as cruise directors, shore excursion managers, tour directors and event managers for over 15 years. The married globetrotters are based in Florida when they’re not aboard ships, mostly small ones these days, running the small ship division for a US-based tour operator and now for their own new company Global Tour Management. Depending on specific assignment(s), they may be on the high seas for a few weeks to a month or more at a time. Their life has been anything but boring and each day offers a new adventure.

Welcome to the fifth in a series of monthly installments from Elise, sharing their story.

PART 5: So Where Are All Your Photos?

By Elise Lentz.

In my previous post #4, I mentioned I would share more stories of other people I have met during my travels. I will save “Part Duex of interesting passenger stories” for a later installation. Since many of us in North America have just celebrated Mother’s Day, I thought it appropriate to dedicate this article to my mom.

How many times in your life have you not followed your mother’s advice? Or worse yet — you just flat out ignored it? As each new birthday passes me by, I wish I heeded more of my mother’s advice. I’m not talking about the “cardinal rule”…. to make sure you have on a clean pair of underwear before you leave the house. That one I still follow. What I’m really talking about here is taking the time to document and share photos of my travels.

Elise & TIm Behind the Scenes at Sea (Part 5)

Elise eating ice cream on her “vacation!” Lol

My mom and I have a running joke we share. Every time before I leave on an assignment, she tells me “Enjoy your vacation.” At first, I would get so frustrated with her for assuming that just because I was on a cruise ship meant that I was on a floating holiday. How dare she equate my long working hours, with a constant smile frozen on my face for days/weeks and months on end, as some sort of working vacation? But with age comes wisdom and I finally wised up.

Those closest to me know that I am a very driven individual. I can get so focused on what I am doing that I often lose sight of other things happening around me. This “trait” (or some may call it a fault) is what makes me, me. I remember before I graduated college, my goal was to have a job lined up, ready to start, before I donned the cap and gown. Sacrifice of personal time (a.k.a. fun) was all just part of the process.

This personal “drive to succeed” carried over to my life onboard the cruise ship. The focus was to deliver the best experience for the passengers. But in order to do that — to my level of standards — required me to focus 100% on the passengers and their expectations. So, one day, when an innocent crewmember approached me asking when I was going to run the crew BINGO night, I almost lost it. Are you kidding me? I just cashed in a great paying corporate job, a nice house, three cars and said goodbye to friends and family. I came onboard, starting a brand new career in a field that I knew nothing about. BINGO! How dare they assume I was here to have fun? This is when I should have heeded my mom’s advice, but like any good daughter — once again, I ignored her words of wisdom….

Keeping in mind, Tim and I first started on the cruise ships in 2003. This was light-years before the advancement of the technology we have today. I remember the first time the ship docked in Oslo, Norway. As soon as the authorities cleared the vessel, Tim put on his sneakers and ran the town to find where the ATMs, Tourist Office, local attractions, etc. were located. Why? Passengers getting off the ship for the day would want to know this information and we needed to be ready. How times have changed. Today, you pull up an APP on your smartphone and everything is available at your fingertips.

During that time, any photos and videos we did take, of the locations we visited, became our “APP.” However, the photos we have are not of Elise eating an ice cream on the beach. (Well, there is one ice cream shot.) These pictures were used to help us remember logistical details for each location. Some of our itineraries may visit a particular port only once per year. So these photos were not for display in a picture frame. They were to help us explain to passengers what type of terrain will they be walking on, are there steps with a hand railing, how many stalls are there in the ladies restroom, etc….

Collage: Tim Lentz

So when my mom would say to me, “make sure you take pictures,” once again, I would scoff and roll my eyeballs. Yes, mom, I take photos, but not ones you want to see. My mindset during that time was not forward thinking. I didn’t imagine that someday I would share my story and that people would actually want to see some photos of what my life was like on the cruise ship. Spoiler alert…. If you are excited to see photos accompany all of my stories — don’t get too excited. Do I regret not following my mom’s advice? You bet I do.

On our first ship, the hotel director once said to Tim and me, “Your biggest fault is you care too much.” While I know he meant that as a compliment, he also meant that as constructive criticism to help us avoid burnout. Did we heed that advice? No way… If I didn’t listen to my mom, why would I listen to him?

Our first contract was a seven-month assignment on the Windstar Cruises ship, MSY Wind Surf — 308 passengers. For months, the itineraries were varied, rarely repeating ports of calls. Never having a day off, we were running on adrenaline to keep us going. I’ll never forget the last day of our contract. Our flight back to the USA was not until early the next morning, so we went to a hotel for the night. As soon as we arrived – the adrenaline stopped flowing. Our bodies knew we were no longer in the “spotlight” and everything shut down. Last thing I remember is running to the bathroom and hugging the toilet as Tim climbed over top of me to reach the sink. We got violently ill….. I guess that is what happens when “you care too much.” And “No” — I don’t have a picture of that.

So now when my mom says, “enjoy your vacation,” I realize it is a gentle reminder to step back and appreciate what is around you. Sort of like, “take your time to stop and smell the roses.” Being older and wiser, I have finally begun to follow my mom’s advice. Today I will stop and smell the roses and I’ll take a picture of that rose. And just for the record, I do all of this in a clean pair of underwear.

Click here to read Elise & Tim Behind the Scenes at Sea (Part 1)
Click here to read Elise & Tim Behind the Scenes at Sea (Part 2)
Click here to read Elise & Tim Behind the Scenes at Sea (Part 3)
Click here to read Elise & Tim Behind the Scenes at Sea (Part 4)