Reality of working on a cruise ship

It isn’t always sunshine and cocktails aboard cruise ships, as experienced medical staff will know.

An Australian nurse who worked and lived full-time on cruise ships as part of on-board medical teams has lifted the lid on the rewarding nature of her work and the positively crazy things she witnessed on the high seas.

Dawn Howfield spent 36 years as a nurse, including six months working for Carnival Cruise Line in US waters.

The WA resident has left her cruising days behind but uses Facebook to regale her friends and family with stories of her time living aboard a ship in 2003.

Ms Howfield said nursing aboard cruise ships was a tough gig because it meant six-month stints at a time which included being on call 24 hours a day – even when it was meant to be your day off.

“As a nurse, we entered the maritime command as an officer which gave us certain rights, including eating with the captain at his table when it wasn’t a formal dining night,” Ms Howfield said.

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Dawn Howfield spent six months working as nurse aboard a cruise ship.

“We had to know all aspects of the ship so we knew where to attend an emergency call at all times. This included the engine rooms, the crew and office quarters, the ‘rope’ rooms (those ropes for tying off the ship at port are huge and release at a very high speed), the kitchens, dining rooms, the social areas of the ship and so much more.

“We were available for crew members as a G- type service, preventative health, and managing any chronic or acute illness/injury.

“We were also an emergency service 24/7 for all crew and passengers which could total up to 5000 people.”

Ms Howe said she worked on two ships during her tenure with Carnival and the medical team usually included two or three nurses and just one doctor which meant nurses needed to be highly skilled and able to work under pressure without a doctor present.

Despite her relatively short tenure, Ms Howfield says she had seen it all – including heart attacks, strokes, injuries from accidents and fighting, drug overdoses, alcohol poisoning, mental health issues and even a murder which resulted in the alleged killer being held in the brig until the ship was able to reach the next port.

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Crowds, sun and alcohol can make things very interesting… especially in the infirmary.

Ms Howfield said her favourite story from her time with Carnival was a woman who gave birth without even realising she was pregnant.

“A lady who came in to the infirmary stating she had a ‘belly ache’ and the pains were getting closer together now,” Ms Howfield said.

“I took one look at her and said to my colleague ‘I bet she’s pregnant’. Yep, sure enough she was in labour and had no idea.

“Her and her husband were in so much shock (and) their 11-year-old son was completely dumbfounded, bless him.

“Imagine going on a three-day cruise and returning with a new born baby.”

Despite finding moments to laugh at sea, Ms Howfield said nursing aboard a cruise ship could also be pure chaos.

Nurses are notified of emergency situations on cruise ships by codes which trigger a relay of communications to other staff for assistance that ended with meeting the doctor in the infirmary.

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Cruise staff need to be prepared for all situations. Picture: Carnival

“The housekeeping staff would allocate six guys to come with a scoop stretcher and help us to transfer the patient to the infirmary (and) they would also clear the aft deck if we needed a helicopter transfer,” Ms Howfield said.

“The chief purser for the day would come and assist with phone calls and were also responsible for ensuring the person’s luggage was packed (and) they would also assist with organising any family or friends that also wanted to go off ship with them if we were in a port.

“If we were at sea the patients were taken off the ship by boat or helicopter – this depended on the patients condition and our proximity to land.”

Ms Howfield said helicopter transfers could be terrifying because they always required a nurse to accompany the patient and the helicopter never actually landed on the ship, which made boarding extremely challenging.

“The helicopter transfer was very scary at first but gave an amazing adrenaline rush too,” she said.

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Working on a cruise ship opens up parts of the world you’d never experience otherwise. Picture: Rohan Kelly

“The helicopter would send down a medic first and then ‘hook’ you up to a steel cable. You then hung on for dear life while the cable was pulled up into the helicopter that was hovering many metres above the aft of the ship.

“You just spin around in the down draught from the helicopter. I was so sure I was going to die the first time I had to do this.”

Ms Howfield said helicopter trips to shore were an insanely unique experience that could mean days locked in a hotel room before being able to get back to the cruise ship.

Nurse visas are only valid for the work they do aboard the ships so once the patient was safely transferred to land Ms Howfield would be under the jurisdiction of customs and immigration officials at whatever country she had landed in until transport back to the ship by road, air or water had been organised.

“This could be a few days sometimes and I was under 24-hour surveillance and not allowed out of my room,” she said.

“I had to order room service and entertain myself. Thankfully everything was paid for by my employers.”

Dawn says there was time to relax despite the hectic work schedule.

While the hours and the days were hard work, Ms Howfield said there were times to relax and enjoy some of the amazing destinations to which her cruise ship sailed.

“When we were docked at Catalina Island – one of my favourite places – I would organise a barbecue for crew that would like to attend,” she said.

“In Mexico ports a few friends and I would go to a bar and have tacos literally cooked at the bar! They were so delicious.

“My favourite day off the ship though was going to a Mexican orphanage with other crew members and spending the day helping out and having fun with the children.

“We built a school for them and then started on other buildings for them – the ship provided the materials, a truck to take us all there and would even supply a delicious lunch for everyone.

“We always left time for a few games of soccer with the children before we had to head back to the ship. The smiles on these kids faces just meant so much to me.”

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