Interning on the Explorer

[WowItsMarissa]

I'm a high school student with a great project to do. Our task is to learn anything we want or intern with anyone we want and write a paper and do a presentation on it. Some people choose to go to China to learn how to cook Chinese food while some choose to study pyrotechnics or learn how to play the harp. But me, I want to intern with the Explorer's cruise director [Dave Chapman] and/or the activities manager [Phil Munro] to find out what goes on "behind the scenes" on a cruise ship since I've only seen a guest's point of view [8 times, to be exact]. I know the Explorer is a big ship and it isn't really the best place to put interns in but I can't imagine myself interning with anyone other than Dave since he was soooo nice to me when I cruised on the Explorer a few weeks ago. I was wondering, would Royal Caribbean let me do such a thing?

 

Thanks for any help :]

[Sugar*Magnolia]

http://www.thescholarship.com/

 

Great idea!!!! You need to be college age though!!

[WowItsMarissa]

http://www.thescholarship.com/

 

Great idea!!!! You need to be college age though!!

 

Oh, thank you!

But from reading the site, I believe that program isn't what I had in mind [and yeah, plus I'm only in high school]. All I really was planning to do is just follow the cruise director around, be on his staff, help out [whether it be teaching people how to line dance or selling bingo cards or even keeping track of points during the Love and Marriage gameshow!] and be able to write about my experience :]

[Sue L]

Oh, thank you!

But from reading the site, I believe that program isn't what I had in mind [and yeah, plus I'm only in high school]. All I really was planning to do is just follow the cruise director around, be on his staff, help out [whether it be teaching people how to line dance or selling bingo cards or even keeping track of points during the Love and Marriage gameshow!] and be able to write about my experience :]

 

 

I think you would have to contact RCCL corporate in Miami to find out if they have anything like what you are looking for. I suspect you might be too young for some of the programs they might have, most internships involve college students rather than hs. Good luck with finding something as it sounds really fun.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Oh, thank you!

But from reading the site, I believe that program isn't what I had in mind [and yeah, plus I'm only in high school]. All I really was planning to do is just follow the cruise director around, be on his staff, help out [whether it be teaching people how to line dance or selling bingo cards or even keeping track of points during the Love and Marriage gameshow!] and be able to write about my experience :]

I love the idea, I think it's awesome...being a parent I have one question, well more than one,lol.... the time off from school is excused- (documenting and writing about the cruise)?? Plus, who do you cruise with and who pays? I wouldnt allow my kids to go alone.

[Sue L]

I love the idea, I think it's awesome...being a parent I have one question, well more than one,lol.... the time off from school is excused- (documenting and writing about the cruise)?? Plus, who do you cruise with and who pays? I wouldnt allow my kids to go alone.

 

 

She wouldn't be allowed to go by herself she would need someone over 21 in the room

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Yup :)

 

((what are her school rules though? How do they allow the time etc?))

 

Marissa, I dont know what year you're in but maybe contemplate HTM as a major and field to go into.

Great field if you love travel and you can do a real internship!

[WowItsMarissa]

I love the idea, I think it's awesome...being a parent I have one question, well more than one,lol.... the time off from school is excused- (documenting and writing about the cruise)?? Plus, who do you cruise with and who pays? I wouldnt allow my kids to go alone.

 

I wouldn't exactly say that I would be "cruising". Like, I wouldn't be treated as a guest. What I want to be able to do is actually live a crew life, even if that means sleeping where the crew sleeps and eating at designated times. I would help out with what he has to do during the day, help out with events during the evening...the whole picture [i really want one of those "Save the waves" name badges the crew wears too! Heheh]. So I think I would be working more than vacationing because it's not like I'm booking a cruise and then stalking the cruise director.

 

As for who's going with me...I don't know. My family booked a Southern American cruise with Celebrity but I can't go with them since they booked it before I'm on winter break so instead of being lonely at home for two weeks, I would much rather intern on the Explorer.

[WowItsMarissa]

Yup :)

 

((what are her school rules though? How do they allow the time etc?))

 

Marissa, I dont know what year you're in but maybe contemplate HTM as a major and field to go into.

Great field if you love travel and you can do a real internship!

 

Well, over the course of my 4 years in high school, I'm supposed to do 2 project like this. There's one for seniors and one for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. The first project has to be completed by the end of junior year, but we don't get any time off for it...so basically, we have to use our own time i.e. winter break, spring break, summer. I'm only a freshman but I plan to do my internship pieces at a time...maybe 2 weeks here, three weeks there...you get the idea. Then when I become a senior, I get the whole month of May off of school to do the second project like this one.

 

Hope that makes sense :) I'm not very good at explaining things.

[WowItsMarissa]

I think you would have to contact RCCL corporate in Miami to find out if they have anything like what you are looking for. I suspect you might be too young for some of the programs they might have, most internships involve college students rather than hs. Good luck with finding something as it sounds really fun.

 

I tried calling the corporate headquarters several times but they keep redirecting me to customer service who, in turn, redirect me back. I'm pretty sure there aren't any programs that will suit what I'm planning to do...all I was hopeing for was the "OK" from some head hancho to be treated as a crew member...it's sort of like being employed except not being paid.

[WowItsMarissa]

She wouldn't be allowed to go by herself she would need someone over 21 in the room

 

Yeah, but I wasn't planning to purchase a guest room though. I was expecting/wanting to live with the rest of the crew. My family seems to trust Dave Chapman enough to let me intern with him without them around. I was on the Explorer just a few weeks ago, and at the dinner table, they still praise him and Phil Munro for being awesome.

[Sue L]

Yeah, but I wasn't planning to purchase a guest room though. I was expecting/wanting to live with the rest of the crew. My family seems to trust Dave Chapman enough to let me intern with him without them around. I was on the Explorer just a few weeks ago, and at the dinner table, they still praise him and Phil Munro for being awesome.

 

 

You are a freshmen in the 15 year old range? I am sorry but I highly doubt they will let you live with the crew and work with them. It is a great idea but you are too young. I suspect you would have to be at least 18 if not 21 in order to do something like this. You should have a Plan B for your internship. As a parent, even though I enjoyed someone as a CD I wouldn't trust him with my 15 year old daughter and as parents go I am pretty liberal.

[megr1125]

while it sounds like an interesting idea, i would think, especially with a minor, there would be too many security, safety, legal, immigration and other reasons why this wouldn't be permitted.....

 

i'm not even sure if the line would let you "shadow" a person for a day if you were on a ship but that might be an idea....

 

i would compose a very nice letter and send it rather than playing phone tag...if nothing else, they could tell you if such a program exists that you could plan for in the future....

 

in the meantime, why not see if you could intern in a local hotel? it is a great industry with lots of opportunities....and as for the future, once you get to college if that's what you plan to do, make sure to take a variety of classes outside your major..really helps.

 

btw i majored in politics..we were taught to think analytically and solve problems....(i planned on law school--that was before you were born!) anyway, even though i didn't go into that field and spent 20 years working in hotel management, retail management and consulting, i use what i learned in college every day!

 

good luck to you! hope you can work something out.

[WowItsMarissa]

You are a freshmen in the 15 year old range? I am sorry but I highly doubt they will let you live with the crew and work with them. It is a great idea but you are too young. I suspect you would have to be at least 18 if not 21 in order to do something like this. You should have a Plan B for your internship. As a parent, even though I enjoyed someone as a CD I wouldn't trust him with my 15 year old daughter and as parents go I am pretty liberal.

 

Aww, you really think so? :’(

Some friends of mine were able to travel across the Atlantic to some biology lab to intern there in England during their freshman year for this project by themselves, and some other students have done flight attending too...students at my school have been able to intern everywhere, despite many of them being under 18.

 

And as for Dave, it’s not like I would be sharing a room with him...now THAT would be creepy.

[GMoney]

I seem to remember a boy around your age with similar posts awhile back - maybe a year or so - but it's all fuzzy. I think he was looking to intern on land. You might search the boards for related posts.

[Sue L]

Aww, you really think so? :’(

Some friends of mine were able to travel across the Atlantic to some biology lab to intern there in England during their freshman year for this project by themselves, and some other students have done flight attending too...students at my school have been able to intern everywhere, despite many of them being under 18.

 

And as for Dave, it’s not like I would be sharing a room with him...now THAT would be creepy.

 

 

 

The biology lab sounds like the Eden Project in Cornwall, though I could be wrong. But in any case they are set up as an educational facility with teachers, chaperons, etc, which is a big difference from a cruise ship. Also flying on a plane does not require staying somewhere. Most likely they flew from point A to point B and back again the same day. Even though you wouldn't be sharing a room you would be in the crew quarters with ADULTS and it would be for a decent chunk of time again not a good situation. Have you talked about this with your parents? I suspect they would agree with my assessment.

[WowItsMarissa]

while it sounds like an interesting idea, i would think, especially with a minor, there would be too many security, safety, legal, immigration and other reasons why this wouldn't be permitted.....

 

i'm not even sure if the line would let you "shadow" a person for a day if you were on a ship but that might be an idea....

 

i would compose a very nice letter and send it rather than playing phone tag...if nothing else, they could tell you if such a program exists that you could plan for in the future....

 

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I actually will write a nice letter to RCCL and if they don’t let me intern...maybe I could possibly go on a cruise [ugh...I’ll have to take this up with my mom...maybe in exchange for all my birthday presents and christmas presents for the next 2 years, she’ll pay the cruise price] and “shadow” every day, since that’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to achieving this.

 

And hotels simply couldn't compare...cruise ships are my home away from home and ever since my first cruise, I've wanted to be a cruise director :p

[WowItsMarissa]

The biology lab sounds like the Eden Project in Cornwall, though I could be wrong. But in any case they are set up as an educational facility with teachers, chaperons, etc, which is a big difference from a cruise ship. Also flying on a plane does not require staying somewhere. Most likely they flew from point A to point B and back again the same day. Even though you wouldn't be sharing a room you would be in the crew quarters with ADULTS and it would be for a decent chunk of time again not a good situation. Have you talked about this with your parents? I suspect they would agree with my assessment.

 

Ah, yes...I do see your point. But I will keep trying to see if any internship onboard is possible. I'm not giving up just yet, but I'll think of a back-up plan.

 

And yeah, I've talked this over with my family. They're okay with this whole situation as long as I'm in places with lots of people. I've had the whole "Don't go somewhere without more than 7 people present" talk. As an only child with no father present, I've been able to be pretty independent yet safe on my own and I believe I make good decisions when it comes to my safety. I also have been taught to be responsible and I always keep track of my ID, passport, and other documents and actually, I always fill out forms for my family on cruises. I don't know, it's just the way I grew up, and I think my family believes I can handle an internship.

 

And by the way, I really do appreciate your opinions on this :) It's always good to have feedback on ideas.

[Langley Cruisers]

...if they don’t let me intern...maybe I could possibly go on a cruise... and “shadow” every day, since that’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to achieving this.

 

Hi Marissa,

 

I appreciate your drive and conviction in wanting to do this. However, logistically, I don't think you could "shadow" the Cruise Director. There are just too many variables, as already mentioned (like safety, insurance, possibility of accidents, etc. etc.). Besides, the CD and his staff are being paid to do their jobs and they would have to be able to do so with free reign and as they always do. You couldn't shadow the CD and his staff because they aren't always in the public areas. They might ask you politely to stop following them around - honestly, I wouldn't want someone following me around my job. It just wouldn't work.

 

Write the letter to RCI and see what doors open from that. Perhaps you could talk with your travel agent, also - s/he might have some ideas for you.

 

God bless.

[WowItsMarissa]

Hi Marissa,

 

I appreciate your drive and conviction in wanting to do this. However, logistically, I don't think you could "shadow" the Cruise Director. There are just too many variables, as already mentioned (like safety, insurance, possibility of accidents, etc. etc.). Besides, the CD and his staff are being paid to do their jobs and they would have to be able to do so with free reign and as they always do. You couldn't shadow the CD and his staff because they aren't always in the public areas. They might ask you politely to stop following them around - honestly, I wouldn't want someone following me around my job. It just wouldn't work.

 

Write the letter to RCI and see what doors open from that. Perhaps you could talk with your travel agent, also - s/he might have some ideas for you.

 

God bless.

 

I've run this idea with a photographer who works on the Explorer. He's become friends with my family and he's helping me out as best as he can. He's actually going to ask Dave Chapman about my internship the next time he sees him on the ship. I honestly wish I had thought of this when I actually cruised on the Explorer a few weeks ago, because I talked to the cruise director quite a bit, and I could have asked. Dave Chapman was a very nice person and even came up to me several times to talk to me, after the day I introduced myself [and was his salsa dancing partner...hahah] He was very easy-going and I honestly think he wouldn't mind me shadowing him, as long as I didn't pester him or get in his way. All I would be doing is helping out when possible and taking notes on what he does daily.

 

Thanks you for your help :)

[Merion_Mom]

Marissa, I can give you information about one thing you mentioned.

 

There is an absolute prohibition on any passenger going into the crew cabins or on the crew halls. I cannot imagine RCCL violating this cardinal rule for a 15 year old. :eek: PARTICULARLY for a 15 year old!

[Sugar*Magnolia]

I've run this idea with a photographer who works on the Explorer. He's become friends with my family and he's helping me out as best as he can. He's actually going to ask Dave Chapman about my internship the next time he sees him on the ship. I honestly wish I had thought of this when I actually cruised on the Explorer a few weeks ago, because I talked to the cruise director quite a bit, and I could have asked. Dave Chapman was a very nice person and even came up to me several times to talk to me, after the day I introduced myself [and was his salsa dancing partner...hahah] He was very easy-going and I honestly think he wouldn't mind me shadowing him, as long as I didn't pester him or get in his way. All I would be doing is helping out when possible and taking notes on what he does daily.

 

Thanks you for your help :)

 

Marissaa...My 15yo dreams about the same scenario (not to mention my 19yo is at University studying HTM)- but there are laws against these sort of things you want to do! (as others have said) Any responsible adult will advise you the same. Entertaining and attention grabbing thread though!! Kudos....

 

Plus Dave's job would be a lot different if he had to have someone shadow him.

[WowItsMarissa]

Marissa, I can give you information about one thing you mentioned.

 

There is an absolute prohibition on any passenger going into the crew cabins or on the crew halls. I cannot imagine RCCL violating this cardinal rule for a 15 year old. :eek: PARTICULARLY for a 15 year old!

 

Hmm...so there's no way I can possibly get special permission to be allowed? Even if I have a purpose with my project? :confused:

[Sue L]

Hmm...so there's no way I can possibly get special permission to be allowed? Even if I have a purpose with my project? :confused:

 

 

They are never going to rescind a hard and fast rule for a 15 year old intern. It was a nice idea, but as I said before time to start looking for a "Plan B"

 

 

As much as this is you dream internship it is not feasible.

[WowItsMarissa]

They are never going to rescind a hard and fast rule for a 15 year old intern. It was a nice idea, but as I said before time to start looking for a "Plan B"

 

As much as this is you dream internship it is not feasible.

 

All my ideas are being crushed :(

So I guess my last resort is to go on the Explorer and just spend as much time possible with Dave Chapman and/or Phil Munro and ask questions...that is, if they have time. I've had very nice conversations with Dave in the past and I think I've made myself noticable to him enough that he would remember me this winter. Plus, the photographer I have connections with is helping me communicate with Dave by being my messenger. I should have gotten Dave or Phil's contact info to begin with though...silly me.

 

*sigh*

 

Oh well...I'm still writing my letter to RCCL.