From Cancun, Mexico |
It wasn't long before my 6 months was up and I bid a fond farewell to beautiful Cancun, Mexico and found myself back in Canada seeking out my next adventure. I use the word 'adventure' because I've yet to consider any travel-related job I've had, an actual job!
Seeing what's out there...
Following my Cancun experience, I dabbled a bit as a Reservation Supervisor here in Toronto which took me to places such as beautiful Hawaii, Costa Rica, Panama ... the list goes on.
I guess by now you're probably wondering, "If this is such a great industry to work in, why do you keep changing jobs?" Well, the Travel Industry is a funny place - you certainly don't move from one job to another because you're bored or don't like your job - you move on because it's such a vast and exciting industry with so much to offer that you find yourself hopping from position to the next to top the last job!
Which leads to one of the most exciting journeys in my life ...
A recruiter from Festival Cruise Lines came to Toronto to seek out talent to perform and entertain passengers onboard one of their many ships, so I said, "what the heck! let's give it a try" - and for the next year, I danced, sang and entertained passengers in world class theatres, fancy piano bars, and several funky lounges - all this while crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Italy, France, Spain, Portugal followed by a week transatlantic crossing to the Caribbean where we hung out for the winter and visited just about every island imaginable ...
Oh, and did I mention the 50+ nationalities of crew I worked with? What a wonderful treat! I wouldn't have traded this time or these memories in my life, for anything!
Marc meets a couple of Celebrities
The following year led me to yet another cruise contract - ask anyone who's ever worked onboard ship and they'll tell you it's a hard habit to kick! And once you've experienced the sweet life of living on these massive floating cities, you just can't go back to the hum drum of city life.
Celebrity Cruise Lines was my next stop where I worked as a Disc Jockey/Entertainer in a world class night club! I'd never see so many bells and whistles, multi-colored lights, smoke machines, and special effects ... they were everywhere you turned ... what a hoot! Working with Celebrity was also where I truly learned the valuable meaning of giving, and this is why (get out the tissue box!) :) ...
All throughout the year, the staff and myself put aside a few dollars here and there and come Christmas time we totaled a healthy $5,000 - Celebrity management matched our collection total turning that pot into $10,000.
We took the funds, marched into a local Wal-Mart, K-Mart and anywhere else we could think of and purchased tons of toys, baby supplies, children's shoes - together as a team, we chose the one of the most poverty-stricken islands in the Caribbean, called the local government (not even knowing if it had one!) and set up a time for all the children of the island to gather at a local church so we could hand out thousands of gifts so they, too, could feel the spirit of Christmas! I tell ya ... the experience changed my life and there isn't a dollar figure you could put on an experience like that.
It brought tears to our eyes, each and every one of us - even as I write this down today, my eyes water just thinking about it! :)
Fast forward to today
I'm back in Toronto and who knows how long I'll be doing what I'm doing right now, but one thing is for certain ... if you ask me again, "Marc, why do you do it? Why continue working in a such a ever-changing industry?" My answer hasn't changed, "It's the greatest industry in the world!"
Trust me, I'm living it!
Marc Yenson
"We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate.
The world is all gates, all opportunities."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson --
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