I work on a cruise ship as a lecturer - AMA!

[cruiseshiplecturer]

Just that, if you've ever been on a cruise I'm one of the people who does your enrichment lectures/talks. Happy to answert any questions I can.

Yes the craft people have to provide lists of what they are bringing on board, especially if it's sharp stuff and scissors. On my last cruise the craft lady was still arguing on day 3 with security about pinking shears.

Best cruise line - depends what you want. They all cater for different markets.

I think her name was Linda Sage!

I’m not so keen on the ones who aren’t actual experts in their field. We had a retired airline captain who lectured about Concorde but hadn’t actually flown on one let alone piloted one, and there were obviously members of the audience, DH included, who knew more than what he had gleaned from research.

I've heard of a few awkward incidents along those lines.

Sometimes there are genuine SMEs in audiences on cruises, so the old stale male/female, that sidles up to a lecturer post the event might really have something to offer and might just be worth listening to....

I've had a few like that. I try not to directly contradict them but sometimes people have something interesting to add. I was talking once about folk myths of a particular area and a guest came up to say he was from a country next door and they had similar beliefs. Which is great.

Not so much the Americans who want to tell you that they are a direct descendant of William the Conqueror, Anne Boleyn, Robert the Bruce...

I envy you! I did this once for Noble Caledonia (Venice to Istanbul) and adored it, but my real job got in the way. Hopefully when I retire I can do a bit more. I ended up lecturing on Athenian imperialism to a bunch of former members of George W. Bush's cabinet, so even ancient topics can have a potentially awkward political dimension!

I wonder if finance topics would interest people? I an talk about pensions and IHT all day 😂

Ooh I've not heard of this.
If they changed it so you did get paid but had to work longer hours would you still do it?

It certainly sounds better than the deal I had while travelling that involved sleeping for free in a mouldy basement in exchange for working 10 hours a day 3 days a week in a sweaty dank laundry! Obviously that didn't last long.

What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever seen anyone do/say? Has anyone ever been kicked off the ship? And why?

Thank you!

It wasn't that I worked longer hours - it was that I had been supposed to speak on a Sunday and be in port on a Monday, but they had to switch that round.

Most stupid thing - I did hear a very loud man confidently mansplaining to his wife that a seal and a dolphin were the same thing.

Which agencies are you with?

Haha to the seal and dolphin thing! 😁