Through the Royal Caribbean UK Cadet Program, a scholarship for students pursuing maritime careers, recipients are awarded a fully sponsored three-year cadetship that prepares them to become bridge officers. Through this program, James built a strong foundation for what would soon become his career. The program provided hands-on training and company-specific knowledge. His unique story emphasizes the importance of perseverance and dedication, proving that dreams do come true. Read on to learn more about Star's Second Officer and how a childhood dream became a reality.  

I was 14 years old when I boarded Independence of the Seas as a guest with my family. It was the first of several cruise vacations we would go on to enjoy with Royal Caribbean, but I will always remember the moment I walked onto the Promenade, amazed that everything in front of me was on a ship! I was impressed by the size of the ship and blown away by the entertainment and activities we enjoyed onboard. I felt so at home there. I knew at that moment that I would want to work in an environment like this in the future. 

 

As a Second Officer, your primary duty is to act as an assistant to the watchkeeping officer on the bridge. This involves monitoring the navigational situation, as well as managing the ship’s stability, radio communications, and investigating any alarms received on the bridge from the safety systems around the ship.  

 

We have three Second Officers on all our ships. We each cover eight hours of bridge navigational watchkeeping per day (divided into two shifts), as well as various secondary duties related to maintaining safety equipment around the ship. After your bridge watch, you would commence your safety inspection rounds to ensure that all the firefighting and lifesaving equipment is in good working order. Some days, this might be followed by a weekly drill or other crew safety training activities.  

It is an honor to be given conning (or ‘driving’) responsibility of such a huge cruise ship. I’ve had several opportunities to take control of Wonder of the Seas to pick up the pilot prior to our arrival in port and undock. Receiving this trust from the captain is encouraging and extremely motivating as I look forward to further opportunities in my career. 

 

The cadet program with Royal Caribbean provides a perfect opportunity to create a solid foundation for a full career as a deck officer with the company. By the time you enter your final few months of your cadetship, you are equipped with all the knowledge and skills to step right into the next role (as a Second Officer). This apprenticeship style program has the added advantage of giving you company specific insights, meaning that you can appreciate the entire shipboard operation, both from the marine side, as well as the guest-facing hotel perspective. This is central to your role as a future leader, where inter-departmental cooperation and working towards a common shared goal are at the forefront. 

My career with the company after my cadetship is less traditional. Having graduated from maritime academy in the United Kingdom with my navigational watchkeeping officer’s license during the pandemic years, I had to look elsewhere for employment. After a few years working in various marine roles in the superyacht industry, I was missing the exciting environment we find on our ships at Royal Caribbean. As Royal Caribbean Group resumed operations, I was contacted and asked if I would be interested in returning as a Second Officer. I had previously worked on some of the other ships in our fleet, but having already become very familiar with the brand during my cadetship, I was given the opportunity to rejoin the company as a Second Officer on Wonder of the Seas. I had never been on a ship of this size before, but the challenges that came with this new experience had driven me to grow professionally and provided me with the mindset required for my most recent career opportunity as one of the startup officers working in the shipyard during the final construction phase of the fleet’s newest ship, Star of the Seas.  

 

Although the technical ability and theoretical knowledge are essential for you to safely carry out your duties, some of the most important qualities to have are the soft skills you develop over time. It’s important to be positive and optimistic. Onboard, you’ll work with a wide range of nationalities, cultures, ages, and experience levels. An ability to interact and communicate respectfully and appropriately with such a variety of people performing different roles onboard is the key for an effective outcome.  

 

Time management is a skill I developed during the cadet program. To be successful and grow professionally, it’s important to be able to identify your weaknesses. Developing action plans to tackle them, as well as seeing the advantages of alternative work strategies has played a part in making me the officer I am today. Now, I don’t just manage my own workload, but I have implemented plans on the ships I work on, which optimize the tasks shared by the whole team, ensuring we’re working in the most efficient and productive way. 

 

I try to approach every new ship with an open mind. My greatest delight with the team on Star of the Seashas been the shared mentality we have. Everyone is very open-minded and even the most senior leaders encourage the junior team members to speak up and contribute ideas inspired from their own unique experiences elsewhere. It’s this broadmindedness which allows us to create the best final product. We take the best elements from the variety of pre-existing procedures our diverse team is familiar with and combine these with innovative new practices which we create as a team. This makes me proud to be a part of Star of the Seas. 

For young professionals who already have an interest in a maritime career, I would recommend learning something about the other cultures and languages you’ll most likely encounter in a multinational environment like a cruise ship. I studied Spanish in high school and, although I’m not fluent, my ability to have a basic conversation with others in their native language has provided many surprising benefits, whether that be creating a friendly tone with our many Latin-American guests, or fostering new friendships with other crew members.  

 

At Royal Caribbean Group, vacation starts with us. How does your role help deliver the best vacations responsibly to all guests?  

Since my role is more behind the scenes, the guests will enjoy their time onboard from start to finish without noticing the work completed by my department. However, just as our incredible productions wouldn’t impress the audience without the technicians behind the scenes, and the meals served in our dining venues wouldn’t make it to the table without the chefs, there is a small team of professional mariners who keep the ship moving and heading in the right direction, day and night. As a bridge officer, I control the ship’s movement so that each voyage is completed safely, on time, and as comfortably as possible for our guests as they look forward to the adventure that awaits in each port. 

 

James’ story illustrates how dedication, training, and a passion for the sea can turn childhood dreams into reality. His progression from a cadet to a Second Officer demonstrates the opportunities available within Royal Caribbean Group. To learn more about careers within the Group, visit https://careers.royalcaribbeangroup.com/.