{"id":1747,"date":"2022-06-15T15:23:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T14:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/?p=1747"},"modified":"2024-09-03T21:23:30","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T20:23:30","slug":"pandemic-cruise-industry-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/pandemic-cruise-industry-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"How the pandemic affected cruise industry workers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<header class=\"entry-header bg-adp-tan block--article-header alignfull block--article-header\" >\n\n  \n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full entry--image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1155\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/49b9299d.jpeg\" alt=\"Image description: Five large cruise ships docked in a deep water port beside the blue expanse of the ocean and a port-side town. End of alt text.\" class=\"wp-image-1910\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/49b9299d.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/49b9299d-300x180.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/49b9299d-1024x616.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/49b9299d-768x462.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/49b9299d-1536x924.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@fx24?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fernando Jorge<\/a>\/<a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group entry--title-wrapper\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"entry--social-share\">\n  <ul>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/pandemic-cruise-industry-workers\/&#038;t=How the pandemic affected cruise industry workers\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/themes\/rethink-quarterly\/img\/facebook.svg\" alt=\"Facebook logo - click to share this article on Facebook\"><\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=How the pandemic affected cruise industry workers&#038;url=https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/pandemic-cruise-industry-workers\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/themes\/rethink-quarterly\/img\/twitter.svg\" alt=\"Twitter logo - click to share this article on Twitter\"><\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Frethinkq.adp.com%2Fpandemic-cruise-industry-workers%2F\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/themes\/rethink-quarterly\/img\/linkedin.svg\" alt=\"LinkedIn logo - click to share this article on Facebook\"><\/a><\/li>\n  <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n            <a class=\"entry--tag tag-style\" href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/time-for-universal-basic-income\/\">Features<\/a>\n\n        \n  <h1 class=\"entry-title\">How the pandemic affected cruise industry workers<\/h1>\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-summary-style\">After the pandemic put a near halt to all leisure travel, the global cruise industry \u2014 and the many Filipino workers who power it \u2014 are back at sea.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n  <div class=\"entry--meta content-width\">\n           <p class=\"authors\">By\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/author\/yashika-torib\/\">Yashika Torib<\/a>\n\n             \n         \n     <\/p>\n    \n  \n  <p>15 June 2022  <span class=\"desktop-only\">\u2014<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/issue-5-out-of-office\/\">Issue 5: Out of Office<\/a> \n  <\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\n<\/header><!-- .entry-header -->\n\t<div class=\"entry-content content-width\">\n\n\n\n<p>One March morning in 2020, a luxury cruise ship was sailing smoothly along the azure waters of southern Florida. The ship\u2019s close to 1,800 crew members were gearing up for another day of work. Some of the 3,000 passengers ambled about, ready to be fed, entertained and pampered. The sea sparkled as the giant island of steel cut through its glassy surface, making way for its next port of call.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>It\u2019s another great, sunny day<\/em>, Justin Alcantara, 26, thought.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alcantara was the ship\u2019s quartermaster, steering the ship and assisting navigators in the bridge. He looked far out to the horizon, ensuring their sea lane was clear.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was thinking also of his family back in the Philippines, daydreaming about where he would take them next for vacation, when his reveries were cut short by his officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are going home,\u201d the officer said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut, sir, we haven\u2019t finished our contract yet,\u201d Alcantara said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYes. They are repatriating us though,\u201d the officer responded. Alcantara felt like he had been doused with cold water. If he wasn\u2019t at sea, he wasn\u2019t earning for his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Soon, he was packing his things and flying back home to Manila. What greeted him on land was baffling \u2014 the streets were almost empty, authorities were in full personal protective equipment, movement was restricted, and the air was thick with fear. It was a complete contrast to the revelries of the cruise ship he had just disembarked from.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA pandemic broke out in the continents as we go on with our lives on the high seas,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt was devastating coming home to confusion, restrictions and uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alcantara, who is being identified by a pseudonym to protect his job, was among the 325,000 Filipinos whose jobs onboard cruise ships were sidelined by the Covid-19 pandemic. Though the seafarer was repatriated at the peak of the crisis, the International Maritime Organization estimated that 300,000 crew of various nationalities were trapped onboard past their contracts because of travel restrictions; more than 100,000 were working on cruise ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/anton-shuvalov-tOJDsuU9MlE-unsplash-1024x640.jpg\" alt=\"Image description: A uniformed seafarer at the controls of a ship, looking out the front windows. End of alt text.\" class=\"wp-image-1749\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/anton-shuvalov-tOJDsuU9MlE-unsplash-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/anton-shuvalov-tOJDsuU9MlE-unsplash-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/anton-shuvalov-tOJDsuU9MlE-unsplash-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/anton-shuvalov-tOJDsuU9MlE-unsplash-1536x960.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/anton-shuvalov-tOJDsuU9MlE-unsplash.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@a8ka?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Anton Shuvalov<\/a>\/<a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Going home would have been a relief for them. But unemployment was also a disaster.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI chose a career at sea because it is more lucrative than many other land-based jobs back home. I need more than the average salary to support my family,\u201d Alcantara says.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A minimum-wage worker in the Manila area earns 13,962 Philippine pesos (PHP) per month, about $271, according to the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines. Alcantara earns PHP 61,548 to PHP 82,330 ($1,200 to $1,600) per month as a quartermaster.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was grateful to be repatriated safely back home by my company,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was unfortunate, however, that I had to fend for the next 14 months without work.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The cruise industry generated more than $150 billion in global economic activity and supported more than 1.1 million jobs in 2019, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/cruising.org\/en-gb\/news-and-research\/research\/2022\/january\/state-of-the-cruise-industry-outlook-2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cruise Lines International Association<\/a> (CLIA). After the suspension of cruise operations began in March 2020, those figures dropped by more than half. As the ship manning capital of the world, the Philippines were particularly hard hit.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The country has been the world\u2019s main supplier of seafarers since 1987, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. Filipino workers make up more than 25% of the 1.5 million mariners in the world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Filipinos also have strong family ties; many people stay in the same household even after marriage. The heads of the family, or breadwinners, work hard to ensure the welfare of their people. That work ethic combined with Filipinos\u2019 world-class skills and competence in seafaring have earned them the admiration of ship owners and managers.&nbsp;During the pandemic, the Philippines\u2019 Maritime Industry Authority <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seatrade-maritime.com\/ship-operations\/philippines-international-seafarer-deployment-plummets-54-2020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> that cruise ship employment saw a 64% decline from 206,195 in 2019 to 73,328 in 2020. That drop put the survival of tens of thousands of Filipino families at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The unsung heroes<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/jewell-lorelo.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"825\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/jewell-lorelo.jpg\" alt=\"Image description: A full-body portrait of Jewell Lorejo, uniformed all in orange, aboard a ship. End of alt text.\" class=\"wp-image-1824\" style=\"width:310px;height:413px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/jewell-lorelo.jpg 620w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/jewell-lorelo-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jewell Lorejo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">Many countries repatriated overseas workers as the pandemic grew in intensity, but for workers at sea, the process was more complicated. Filipino Jewell Lorejo, 26, was working as an ordinary seaman on a cruise ship in the Bahamas when the news broke that their vessel would be laid up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/quarantine\/cruise\/covid19-cruiseships.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">No Sail Order<\/a> on March 14, 2020, and CLIA members suspended their U.S. cruise ship operations for 30 days. And then the CDC renewed its order for another month, and another month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">The global cruise industry has about 50 players, including the big three: Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. For some smaller operations, including the cruise company Lorejo worked for, the pandemic pause was more than they could handle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur company went bankrupt due to the pandemic, and the ship I was working on was taken out of operations,&#8221; Lorejo says. &#8220;Unfortunately, I was not among the chosen who would be sent home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While most passengers were swiftly repatriated, cruise workers still aboard ships had to isolate themselves in their cabins. Hospitality staff, medical professionals and the crew responsible for the upkeep and navigation of the ship had to continue working, even if their contracts had already lapsed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The No Sail Order went on for the next five months. Many seafarers experienced stress and depression from the isolation. Bloomberg <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/features\/2020-cruise-ship-suicides\/?sref=lyn32E7B\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> at least a half dozen suicides by staff on cruise vessels during the pandemic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ship owners and operators scrambled to ensure that deployed seafarers could safely get home amid the ever-changing travel and quarantine restrictions worldwide.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was a completely different paradigm for the local manning agencies,\u201d says Miguel Rocha, chief executive officer of C.F. Sharp Crew Management. Manning or crewing agencies recruit people to work onboard for their ship-owner clients, ensuring that all certificates, documentation, medical and travel requirements are complete before deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were basically operating in an environment that has no prior infrastructure, protocol, or facilities,\u201d Rocha&nbsp;says. \u201cWe were bringing hundreds of thousands of seafarers home while the government was still in the process of figuring out how to handle the pandemic and where these repatriates would be housed.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>C.F. Sharp was among the first manning companies in the Philippines to take on the complex repatriation of its more than 11,000 cruise workers around the world, chartering 13 commercial flights over seven weeks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Miguel-Rocha.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"982\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Miguel-Rocha-1024x982.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1752\" style=\"width:389px;height:373px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Miguel-Rocha-1024x982.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Miguel-Rocha-300x288.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Miguel-Rocha-768x736.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Miguel-Rocha-1536x1473.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Miguel-Rocha.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Miguel Rocha<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cUnder normal circumstances, a manning agency is no longer responsible for the crew\u2019s arrival in their home country when they are no longer under contract,\u201d Rocha says. But in the pandemic, they had to arrange quarantine facilities, Covid-19 testing and other documentation requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAll this groundwork implemented by the local government agencies were initiated by manning agencies in cooperation with ship owners,\u201d he says. \u201cThese ship owners took it upon themselves to shoulder the cost of repatriation and quarantine. It was already beyond their responsibility but in the name of humanitarian efforts, they simply said, \u2018We just need to get them home.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The repatriation and quarantine costs were later assumed by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, but for the first six months of the mass repatriation effort, the costs fell on the ship owners.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edgar Ala II, deputy general manager of North Sea Marine Services Corp., also found the situation challenging.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe best thing we could do was join the other manning agencies that are spearheading repatriation protocols for Filipino seafarers. These we all did virtually since no one was allowed then to work in person,\u201d Ala says. \u201cWe managed crew changes onboard ships that, despite being on temporary stop-operations, still needed several seafarers to ensure the ship was still in good running condition.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rocha concurred with the difficulty in crew changes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDeploying a crew to a moving target in another country was especially difficult during the beginning of the pandemic,\u201d he says. \u201cThe ever-changing conditions were a crisis on its own. Replacing a crew onboard was nearly impossible as many ended up getting stranded at sea \u2014 another set of humanitarian issues for the maritime industry.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">Lorejo was among the fortunate cruise workers who felt taken care of, continuing to be paid past the end of their contract. It&#8217;s still uncertain when or if the ship will be bought by another operator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">\u201cEven though our company has already filed for bankruptcy, we still receive our salaries. The pay is sometimes delayed, but I am glad it still comes in,\u201d Lorejo says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-default\">Today, more than two years later, Lorejo and his crew mates are still aboard the cruise ship, ensuring its seaworthiness until they can return home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Silver linings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For a time, Alcantara was just another number in the unemployment statistics of the maritime industry. He opted to swim against the tide and made the most of the situation when he returned to the Ilocos Norte region of the Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"767\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/brandon-nelson-L4v4T5aDtnE-unsplash-767x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Image description: An aerial view of two large cruise ships docked side by side; both decks have pools, sun loungers and sports facilities. End of alt text.\" class=\"wp-image-1755\" style=\"width:384px;height:512px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/brandon-nelson-L4v4T5aDtnE-unsplash-767x1024.jpg 767w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/brandon-nelson-L4v4T5aDtnE-unsplash-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/brandon-nelson-L4v4T5aDtnE-unsplash-768x1025.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/brandon-nelson-L4v4T5aDtnE-unsplash-1151x1536.jpg 1151w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/brandon-nelson-L4v4T5aDtnE-unsplash.jpg 1439w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@noodlenelson?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brandon Nelson<\/a> \/  <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt had its advantages. The best one is being able to spend longer time with my family \u2014 two years straight,\u201d he says. \u201cThe longest time I\u2019ve spent with them was whenever I am given a three months\u2019 vacation. Another upside was that I\u2019ve learned to build and run my own business, supplying motorcycle gears. That has been our saving grace the entire time I was unemployed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, as cruise ships are returning to the seas, Rocha observed that hiring experienced hospitality workers has become a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSo many hotels and restaurants shut down for the past two years of the pandemic,\u201d Rocha says. \u201cNewly graduated hospitality professionals have nowhere to train and gain experience from. There is an increased demand now for cruise ship workers, but our local infrastructure could not produce the people that are demanded by the world.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>C.F. Sharp is seeing a significant increase in the demand for Filipino cruise workers from ship owners and cruise operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOther countries like India and Indonesia, who were traditionally sending hospitality crew on cruise liners, are now having their own pandemic-related challenges. Hence, the ship owners are now making deliberate efforts to hire additional Filipinos,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rocha adds that even with the extra expenses incurred by ship owners for the quarantine and repatriation of crew during the pandemic, wages were stable when ships started operating again in the third quarter of 2021.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alcantara was among those who went back to sea as soon as he could.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThankfully, I was redeployed on a cruise ship last August. The ships do not allow full passenger capacity yet; we are only 60% occupied,\u201d he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alcantara observed that cruise passengers found the journey a respite from the harsh realities of the pandemic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSome of them still talk about what happened to them during the pandemic, but many are already trying to forget,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is better, though, as compared to being unemployed on shore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With fewer guests onboard, Alcantara notes that those working in hospitality are reporting fewer bonuses and tips from the passengers. And some crew members are taking extra jobs in the hospitality department to earn a little more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the International Labor Organization\u2019s Maritime Labor Convention, normal working hours onboard a ship should be eight per day, with one day for rest. The frugal Alcantara opts to stay aboard the ship during his rest hours rather than go ashore with his crew friends for shopping and sightseeing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI am just in my cabin during my resting hours and days off. I simply believe that we are here onboard to earn, not to spend. The only rest and recreation I allow myself is the vacation I have with my family,\u201d Alcantara says. \u201cThat\u2019s how we are; we keep on grinding for as long as we can handle the job. We are doing this for our family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cruise Lines International Association predicts that passenger volumes will return to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, and cruise workers like Alcantara are ready to welcome them.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"block--author\">      <div class=\"block-author__inner\">\n        <div class=\"author--image\">\n                      <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/author\/yashika-torib\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Yashika-Torib-298x305.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n                  <\/div>\n        <div class=\"author--info\">\n                      <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/author\/yashika-torib\/\" class=\"author--name\">Yashika Torib<\/a>\n\n          \n          <p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yashika Torib is a maritime journalist, marine environment volunteer, public speaker, educator, author, and traveler. Her exposure with the Philippine maritime industry spans 15 years of writing and reporting for several print and broadcast maritime media, covering issues about crewing, maritime education and training, domestic and international shipping, maritime security, marine environmental protection, and interests of the seafaring families. She hails from a family of seafarers and has extended her passion for the sea by volunteering with the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) since 2011. <\/span><\/p>\n          <div class=\"block--author-social\"><ul class=\"author--socials\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/yashikatorib\/\" title=\"LinkedIn\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n       <\/div>\n\n<div class=\"block--recommended-content alignwide is-style-bg-adp-tan\"><div class=\"block-recommended-content__inner\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read more<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"block--article-pushpoint pushpoint__small\">      <div class=\"block-article-pushpoint__inner\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/remittances-from-hong-kong-to-the-philippines\/\">\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--image\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/manson-yim-Pol02tswjms-unsplash-1-1084x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--info\">\n                    <span class=\"pushpoint--title\">The \u2018modern-day heroes\u2019 funding Filipino families<\/span>\n          <p>More than 120,000 Filipinos work in Hong Kong, primarily as household help. The money they earn abroad is essential for their families\u2019 futures. Their biggest investment? Education.<\/p>        <\/div>\n      <\/a><\/div> <\/div>\n\n<div class=\"block--article-pushpoint pushpoint__small\">      <div class=\"block-article-pushpoint__inner\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/money-matters-iceland\/\">\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--image\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/einar-h-reynis-oLZzZhjMIBw-unsplash-1084x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--info\">\n                    <span class=\"pushpoint--title\">Iceland, from boom to bust to tourist hotspot<\/span>\n          <p>Iceland reinvented itself as a major travel destination after the 2008 financial crisis. Will it experience a similar post-pandemic boom?<\/p>        <\/div>\n      <\/a><\/div> <\/div>\n\n<div class=\"block--article-pushpoint pushpoint__small\">      <div class=\"block-article-pushpoint__inner\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/zero-gravity-chaperone-unique-job\/\">\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--image\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/KSC-05pd2480_large-1084x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--info\">\n                    <span class=\"pushpoint--title\">The zero-gravity chaperone<\/span>\n          <p>Michelle Peters has completed over 5,000 parabolas on more than 200 flights as an educator with a commercial space company. <\/p>        <\/div>\n      <\/a><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-group alignfull section--sign-up has-background\" style=\"background-color:#7967ae\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-default has-white-color has-text-color has-large-font-size\"><a href=\"\/sign-up\/\">Sign up<\/a> to keep up to date with ReThink Q.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After the pandemic nearly halted leisure travel, the global cruise industry \u2014 and the many Filipino workers who power it \u2014 are back at sea.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1910,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[206,207,107,212,205],"coauthors":[201],"class_list":["post-1747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-cruise-industry","tag-overseas-workers","tag-philippines","tag-tourism","tag-travel","issue-issue-5-out-of-office"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - 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