Portraits At Sea

Cruise lines.  One of the hardest hit sections of the tourist industry. One very close to my heart.

I spent fourteen years of my life working full-time with Princess Cruises and P&O Australia.  Like most people that have worked for a mega cruise corporation, I have mixed feelings about the experience.  For me it offered a chance to move up within a large corporation, a great income allowing me to purchase a home back on land, and the opportunity to travel the world “careering with my camera”, as my poet of a dad put it.  The mega cruise corporations have their fare share of issues— which is why I eventually left.  The isolation from loved ones on land, the pay disparity depending on your country of origin, the huge environmental impact. 

I have to be honest, despite all the things that are wrong with the industry— I wouldn’t change my fourteen years aboard.  Seeing all of my former shipmates begin to go back to the seas on LinkedIn and Instagram has me reminiscing.  Other than the travel, what I miss most is the incredible people I met over the course of my Odyssey.  Like Dino, or as most people on board know him Captain Sagani. One of the best captains in Princess Cruise Line’s fleet, he is a fourth generation Captain, and has served 26 years (making my 14 look small) on several different ships within the Princess Fleet.  I took these pictures of Dino for a Travel Weekly Profile on him in 2019.  

There are many days I sip my coffee in my Toronto condo and miss being at sea.  Just taking a two hour ferry ride to a local island with my girlfriend, I excitedly started to explain to her what the boat was doing before I even realized it. I have even considered working with a smaller boutique line, more focused on sustainability, with shorter contracts allowing their crew to maintain lives on land. The sea has been a huge part of my life, and I am thrilled my cruise family are getting back to the oceans once more.