Micha Berman's Backstory

When I stepped off Carnival Cruise Line’s M.S. Ecstasy after serving as Assistant Cruise Director for a year, I had no idea what awaited me on land. I feared, as many former crewmembers do that I would not be able to adjust to the everyday responsibilities of land life and soon find myself back on the ships. God forbid I would have to cook my own meal, pay rent, or even do my own laundry.

I had experienced a world few would ever see and my months of hard work networking with college alumni, chasing cruise line executives into bathrooms, sending thousands of letters, and reading every cruise magazine published had paid off as I landed my dream job hosting fun activities such as beer drinking competitions and hairy chest contests aboard one of the largest cruise ships in the world.

As I went about my daily life interviewing for jobs, attending family functions, shopping in the local grocery story, going to the doctor, I often found myself answering the same question over and over – “What is it like to work on a cruise ship?”  Everybody I met was fascinated, and couldn’t stop themselves from delving into my experience, probing me with interviews. “Where did you eat?” “Did you have relationships with passengers?” “How do you get a job on a cruise ship?” was the most popular question and when I stared deeply into the questioner’s eyes I saw their forbidden dream of leaving on a jet plane and heading to the world of fantasy and fun aboard the Love Boat.

I began browsing bookstores looking for stories from people who lived on cruise ships. After all there must be stories, memoirs, best sellers chronicling the life of thousands of people around the world who spend years and sometimes even a lifetime at sea serving the millions each year that take cruises. What I found instead was lifeless informational books on how to cruise – you know the typical “Everything you need to bring on a cruise ship” type book next to books recommending sunscreen, seasick prevention patches, and disposable cameras.  Or I found typical travel books on Caribbean Cruises with maps and itineraries for different cruise lines.  If I looked hard enough, I found an occasional “How to Get a Job on a Cruise Ship,” type book. 

This didn’t surprise me. Before I began my cruise job search I had no luck finding any decent books telling me what to do and who to contact. It was the Wild West. This has changed today with websites devoted to helping potential crewmembers and even chat forums where you can talk to actual crewmembers sailing around the world. After leaving Carnival Cruise Lines I could not find any memoirs or detailed accounts of life behind the scenes on a cruise ship. The curious and amused looks of friends and family set off a light bulb in my head, why not write that book. So began my journey to chronicle not only my crazy job search but a book that would take readers behind the scenes on a cruise ship and honestly portray the world most people only know through the television series – the Love Boat.

It didn’t take long to write the story. My mind was popping from all the different crazy moments I experienced on the ship.  I often hear comments about how so many people thought about writing this kind of book but never did.  As I contemplate my cruise memoir I understand that I have married many of my passions through this work: love of travel, crazy fun, women, and the search for something meaningful in this strange box we call life.
 

Find out more about the author here.