J.D Mo'orea interview with Amazon Author Central
Q: What made you want to write a book about cruise ship life?
J.D: From the moment I set foot on a ship, I was blown away by how different the lifestyle was. In a short time, you begin referring to what day it is by what port you’re in, EG: “Bora Bora day” etc, instead of the actual day of the week. What’s even more bizarre, is when you start referring to the days based on the menu rotation; EG: “Roast Beef day”, or “Lobster day.”
Q: What makes ship life so different from land life?
J.D: Measuring time on a ship is like measuring dog years. In dog years, 1 human year equals 7 dog years, but on ships, it is 1=3. Time seems to move three times faster. Every emotion is magnified by three. If you’re in love, it is three times more intense, and likewise, if you’re annoyed at something, it feels three times worse.
Q: What is the craziest thing you’ve seen on a cruise ship?
J.D: (Laughing) How much time do you have? There are so many but there are a few that stand out. One, I honestly can’t mention here as it’s too rude, (but it is included in the book) that involved lots of chocolate and women exposing themselves. Another, was when I was Cruise Director and convinced the Hotel Director to let me hold a wet-t-shirt competition with passengers; which had never been done before on a cruise ship. Probably the most incredible though, was when we made a baby-grand piano disappear overboard in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Q: What is the best thing about living on a cruise ship?
J.D: Besides the free travel, food, accommodation, and tax-free wages, the best thing would be the absolute freedom that cruising provides. Like Johnny Depp said in Pirates of the Caribbean, “A ship is more than just sails and a mast, etc. That is what a ship needs, but what a ship is, is complete freedom.”
Q: What is your favourite ship?
J.D: It would have to be Oasis of the Seas. The ship is the most incredible ship I have seen. It defies logic how Royal Caribbean came up with that concept. It changed the landscape forever, so far as what is possible on ships. Seven days is not enough to experience everything she has to offer passengers.
Q: Do you miss ship life?
J.D: Absolutely! I miss entertaining, being on the ocean, working less than 1 hour a day, and the awesome people I met. Now that I am settled on land though, it makes me really appreciate cruising when I do go out to sea now; which is at least once a year.
Q: What cruises have you got planned next?
JD: My next cruise is on Ovation of the seas. Then Alaska and a World Cruise sector on the Queen Mary within a few years.
