Bermudian Has The “Experience Of A Lifetime”

25-year-old Sherlrina Thomas is back from “the experience of a lifetime” and is now encouraging young Bermudians to consider a career at sea.

Ms Thomas spent almost eight months working as a Guest Services Officer aboard Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas cruise ship and says she actually extended her contract so that she could see more countries – primarily Australia, which was her “bucket list continent”.

During this time she visited 43 countries and areas including Canada, the United States, the Caribbean Islands, Hawaii, Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, Columbia, New Caledonia, Australia, Indonesia, French Polynesian Islands, and Singapore.

Ms Thomas said her favorite experience was visiting Bali.

“Words can’t express the feeling of seeing Bali and meeting her people, eating the food, walking the temples, enjoying the tranquil scenery and experiencing their diverse culture,” she recalls.

“Crossing the International Dateline was a very interesting experience too. It was like going back to the future when calling home as I had literally experienced that part of the day already and they now had to catch me up!”

Ms Thomas first heard about the opportunity to join Royal Caribbean in February 2014. She had just finished a one year contract with a local insurer and was itching to work abroad.

Thanks to the encouragement of two friends she decided to go along to the Royal Caribbean’s local recruitment drive to see what they had to offer. The recruitment drive was organized by the Department of Workforce Development.

“I was becoming bored and feeling isolated in my own country and had been praying for something more, and this seemed to be it,” she explained. “My nerves were all over the place on the day [of the recruitment drive] as I was the last person to be seen.

“The lady skimmed my resume and asked me about my career choice, my degree and my past work experience. She advised that there was a position of Group Coordinator that I would be perfect for. I was very thankful to my two friends for encouraging me to attend the information session, which turned into a job interview!”

The Department of Workforce Development handled the initial application process and assisted Ms Thomas with her first Skype interview to Royal Caribbean following the recruitment drive. The Department continued to check-in on her progress during her time onboard the ship.

As a Guest Services Officer, it was Ms Thomas’ job to greet the passengers and also to provide guest account services such as accepting cash payments, cashing personal or traveler’s checks or exchanging foreign currencies.

“My job was basically the equivalent to a Front Desk Agent in our hotels,” she explained. “One needs to be quick on their feet, very knowledgeable of all ship operations, be an excellent problem-solver no matter how complicated the situation may be, and always be ready to go the extra mile.

“At Guest Services, any and everything comes your way: happy guests, angry guests, guests needing to book excursions, questions on having a birthday cake at dinner, printing new keys, moving guests to new rooms, and the list goes on.

“Although some matters may not always be fixed at that moment, you have 24 hours to resolve it and ensure follow-up with the guest after one hour of them leaving that desk.”

Ms Thomas was also a Life Raft Commander and learned how to release a life raft from the ship, how to get into it from the ocean, and what to do in the event of there being no life raft present. She also learned the importance of being flexible when plans change,

“I remember I was all packed and ready to leave for the Grandeur of the Seas which departed Boston for the Caribbean,” she explained. “However, at 3am my cell phone rang and a woman from Royal Caribbean was on the other end to inform me that I was no longer going to the Caribbean; I was now going to Quebec City, Canada.

“My two large suitcases were already packed for my full Caribbean itinerary and now I was being told that I would need to dig out my winter coat and such to prepare for winter weather!”

And although there were no other Bermudians working onboard, she said she never felt alone,

“This experience gave me an opportunity to mingle with persons from other countries and make some lasting friendships,” she said. “My two closest friends hail from Guyana and Ecuador while others are from the United Kingdom, Romania, Portugal, Philippines, Ukraine, Malaysia, China, Columbia, Spain, and Tunisia.

“You’re never really alone. You can always make new friends wherever life takes you and we all eventually became ‘a Family at Sea’.”

Since returning home earlier this summer, Ms Thomas has been searching for positions on-island that “link customer service and event management”.

“I have interviewed with some great companies and look forward to beginning my career here at home,” she said. “Additionally, I have been researching Universities and their online MBA Programs, specifically with concentrations in either Hospitality or Project Management. I love working with people and creating resolutions out of obstacles and seeing them through to the end.”

The Minister of Home Affairs Michael Fahy said, “Ms Thomas is the perfect example of a young lady who has turned her dreams into reality by taking a chance on the unknown and seizing an opportunity.

“I would encourage those with similar aspirations to make a plan and put it into action, seek out opportunity; it doesn’t always come to you. If you need career advice, I would recommend you contact the Department of Workforce Development who can help you formulate a plan for career success.”

Ms Thomas said she would recommend the cruise ship experience to anyone considering a career off-island.

“I would advise anyone, not just young Bermudians, to take any opportunity presented to you,” she said. “Don’t listen to what everyone else has to say as not everyone thinks like you. Stop being scared. Be bold, and challenge yourself!

“There are a lot of people who have told me they want to have a similar experience as mine and then make excuses as to why they can’t and won’t do it. I met persons onboard that have young children at home, ill relatives, mortgages, and they still took the opportunity. Go for the experience, go learn something new and expand your mind.

“I’d like to thank the Department of Workforce Development for the opportunity to share my experience upon the Legend of the Seas, and look forward to meeting and hearing of more Bermudians taking on the opportunity as well.”

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