Its no lie to say that we were all excited to sail back to Europe. Our ship would vary between the Caribbean, Europe and North America for its voyages and now coming to the end of March it was almost time to sail back to the homeland (for most of us). There was somthing nice about knowing we would be back in the most diverse continent on the planet. Our days off would now change from beach days to culture, food, history, language days and more. Europe had so much to offer and although it was so nice to have had relaxing beach days and hot weather, It was the perfect time to switch it up. We set ssail from San Juan to Madeira with around 8 sea days during the cruise. No doubt we were incredibly busy at the spa and incredibly stressed but the sialing was suprisingly smooth and th highlight was having a whole day off in Madeira as soon as we got to Europe. It was one of the best days ive of my whole contract including cable cars, giant 1M beers, local food and a ride on the famous street toboggan.

From Madeira we visited various places in Spain, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Germany and even enjoyed amazing overnights in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Warnemunde and not to mention a day trip to Paris (another amazing day off). From Western Europe we finally relocated to the Baltics, a place i was familiar with from my first contract on Silversea. We travelled weekly from either Stockholm or Bergen to Poland, Russia, Germany, Denmark and Finland.

After the Baltics we explored the Norweigean fjords another area I had travelled onboard Silversea although this would give me the opportunity to explore different ports. We sailed to many places from Bergen including Molde, Geiranger, Tromso, NordKapp, Eidfjord and Lofoten Islands. Some of the highlights were getting to go to the top of the world in NordKapp and hiking thre valleys and mountains of Lofoten islands (strangely similar to Ireland). The midnight sun was always a highlight because no matter what time of day it is almost always bright in Norway in the summer.

Coming to the end of my contract we set sail from Bergen to London and included more stops in the fjords and continuing to the Orkney islands, Edinburgh (where i got to reunite with my bestie) and finally London where we had the most beautiful sail in, along the Thames at night. Music was playing, Scottish gin was being drank and the lights of the city were being soaked up by everyone whether they had been there before or not. It was a magical way to end a contract. We had two overnights in London before I, and many other left and although it was bittersweet to leave the ship after such an adventure, despite the ups and downs, I was so looking forward to seeing my friend here in London and being a tourist here for the next few days. Vacation mode was defnitely on.

Back to sea, maybe more to come- watch this space!

Although I have been all over the world, I could never say I had been to the Caribbean and this was something I was excited for. Our itinerary over those few months would bring us from San Juan to places i had only dreamed off St Lucia, St Thomas, St Croix, Antigua, Barbados, Guadaloupe, St Martin as well as having a special cruise that included Columbia, Aruba, Curacao and Dominican Republic. I was so excited and so lucky to get this opportunity back at sea.

My arrival to the ship was not so smooth considering my flight was delayed to Miami and I missed my flight to San Juan to join the ship. I was stranded in Miami for 4 days with no luggage and then eventually had a flight to St Lucia to join my ship, with a new friend by my side. After a lot of stress I could finally enjoy getting into the swing of things and start work.

I worked as a Beauty Therapist/ Yoga Teacher with an ever changing spa team. There were ups and downs, good and bad experiences and days I just wanted to throw myself off the side of the ship, but inbetween this emotional rollercoaster, I got to form solid friendships, explore the islands, build my work experience and be greeted by serene blue seas every single day. Some of my highlights are visiting Rihannas childhood home in Barbados and spending days off at the vibrant Boatyard with friends, getting lost amongst the local markets in Castries, St Lucia and lazing on the most beautiful beaches in Antigua. There was lots more I wanted to do but not a lot of time to do it, so Im excited to hopefully have the opportunity to sail again there soon.

We had many a crew party on the open deck with the warm Caribbean air around us and even got to visit the place where the pina colada was invented in San Juan (Barrachina). The Caribbean islands were still recovering from the most recent natural disaster and this was apparent in many places especially St Martin and St Croix. Despite this, the hospitality and friendliness of the locals was so overwhelming that I was so happy to be there. The Caribbean was amazing for its laid back vibe, hospitable people, great food (roti in Antigua) and great cocktails (pina colada in San Juan) and pristine beaches however after a few months doing the same itinerary It was nice to move on back to Europe, but we were dreading the Atlantic crossing.

Making the decision to go back to sea was a hard one. I had bad experiences with my presvious company but did really miss ship life a lot. I had high hopes for my new company and they didnt disappoint. I would be working onboard Viking Sea which is a luxurious norweigean ship and I would be sailing around the Caribbean for the first half of my contract and then back to Europe and Scandinavia for the second half. I was so excited.

Working in Montenegro and watching the ships come in to dock as I taught my morning yoga class, made me eager to rejoin once again. I firstly had to do my Sea Survival STCW course to join the ship which i attained in Riga, Latvia and then I was all set to go. I would join in San Juan, Puerto Rico.