Irini Tsakalou – Crew Purser

The working atmosphere on board is quite amazing, actually, it’s very exciting. The reason behind this is that we are all away from home, we are all here for the same purpose, we are working hard, we kind of have to support each other, we need to be a team, so we become like a little family.

My name is Irini, I am from Sweden and I am the Crew Purser on board and I have been working here for 2 years. What attracted me was the combination of travelling and building up my CV because it’s a very good working experience. Now of course I have really got stuck into the company as I really enjoy working here. I had no experience of cruise job before so there is quite a lot that I didn’t know, it was like you walk in on aboard and you are really scared and you don’t know where to go, all these new people and new impressions but they all opened up their arms to me and said welcome.

I believe there are plenty of opportunities to develop in the company and grow, especially now with the Odyssey coming out, our new ship, there are possible openings all the time. The departments are getting larger; they need more crew, so there are more steps, more opportunities to get promoted.

You can work with quests that you remember from your first day on board and you see them every contract that you are on board, you see them a couple of times, so you get to know them. We greet them by their first name - that is what we are known for. It makes it very friendly and welcoming. It’s a happy family. You can work at sea for a long time but at some point you start thinking about going back ashore.

We all know each other, so everybody that’s in the head office knows the crew on board by first name, so that gives you the opportunity and the chance to make a career within the company, not only on board but ashore as well. So it’s developing, it’s growing, it’s getting huge.