In this post, you will learn a little bit about Maggi Acosta. Maggi was born and raised in Colombia and she had the opportunity to work on cruise ships as Photographer, working a total of three years for Norwegian Cruise Line. Maggi worked onboard Norwegian Spirit, Getaway, Jade and Sky.
Since working on ships, Maggi has visited over 30 countries. I had the pleasure of working alongside Maggi during my time on Norwegian Spirit as Shore Excursion staff, cruising the Mediterranean on 12-day cruises out of Barcelona and Venice, visiting Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Italy, Spain, and France. Maggi always had a great personality and was friendly to everyone she meets.
Find out more what Maggi below and her experience working onboard cruise ships as a photographer.
Table of Contents
Tell us Briefly who You are, Where You are From and How Many Countries You Have Visited.
I’m Maria Margarita Acosta, I’m from Colombia and I’ve been to 31 countries and around 160 cities.
When and Why you Decided to Work on a Cruise Ship?
I started in 2015, I wanted to travel while I was working on my career and my passion: Photography.
What information did you Know About Working on a Cruise Ship?
Before my first contract: nothing. Only that it was going to be hard, but I didn’t know how much harder it is.
Where did you Apply and How Long did the Cruise Ship Hiring Process Take?
I applied online through an agency and it took about 7 months to finally get an interview and about one month to get onboard.
How Much Did You Have to Spend Before Joining a Cruise Ship?
Around US$300 for the agency and the medicals.
First Impressions on Your First Contract?
Way harder than I thought. Living conditions were so bad compared to what I was used to, the change was brutal! I had to relearn how to live. Life at sea it’s nothing like life on land.
What’s your Favorite and Least Favorite Things About Working on a Cruise Ship?
Least: The food and the resentment of crew members towards others that have better opportunities.
My favorite is to be able to travel the world, to learn from different cultures and to make friends for life.
Favorite and Least Favorite Ports of Call
Favorites: Norway and Iceland.
Least: Bahamas
What do you usually do on your Vacation from the Ship?
Recover all the sleep that I didn’t have while onboard, spend quality time with my family and catch up with my friends.
What Could Make Ship Life Better?
Better food, more variety to choose from and less judging from crew members.
Any Fun Stories?
As a photographer, we have to dress up in different costumes for gangways photos. One time I was wearing a dolphin costume but because I’m short, I looked like a baby dolphin. One passenger was so happy and so excited that, without my knowledge, he picked me up and put me on his shoulders, he didn’t know that the head it’s not attached, so the head fell off me. He was so shocked, he put me down and I had to (try to) run in my headless dolphin costume through the whole gangway by myself because my coworkers were dying laughing at the whole situation, I was the rookie so that didn’t help LOL.
What Tips and Advice do You Have for New Crew Members?
It’s going to be harder than you expect but if you build good relationships they’ll be your support. Never forget to always be careful and don’t be too trusting of people, there’s a lot of crew members that’ll make your life impossible but if you stay strong, life on board could be the best experience of your life.
Final Words
Thank you Maggi, for sharing some information about working on cruise ships and your experience as a cruise ship photographer.
You can follow Maggi on her Instagram at @maggi_acostaphotography/
Maggi also has a nice online portfolio you can visit here.
Do You Wanna be the Next Featured Crew Member?
Eric Rocio
If you work or have worked on a cruise ship before and would like to share your story with us, let us know. Fill out the form below and let us know the following:
- Please provide the following:
- Your name
- If you are currently working on a cruise ship or have worked on one
- Your current/past Cruise Ship Position
- A good contact information
Once we have this information, I’ll be in touch and you could be the next featured crew member!
[wpforms id="2020" title="false" description="false"]A smooth sea never made a skillfull sailor.
Anonymous