>>1168370Also, I should add, you will get a lot of experience onboard the ship in multiple places new mates don't have much chance to get better at. Since you have so many lifeboats, you are going to be very good at anything involving lifesaving equipment. And since you're docking/undocking every day, you will have several regular ships' voyages' worth of mooring experience in just one contract. If you weren't good at tying up before getting on the PoA, you will be after you get off. You also get a lot of experience with stability, funnily enough. On most ships, touching the heeling system as a 3M would be grounds for an instant warning, but on here the 3M is responsible for carrying out the C/M's ballast orders and for using the heeling system while the ship is underway to keep her level.
Another important detail I didn't fully grasp until I was onboard, the whole thing about being the bridge being the ship's brain is magnified. If there is any kind of emergency onboard, they call you first. You are responsible for dispatching whatever aid is needed for whatever incident that happens. It can get kind of hectic at times since you have so many passengers and crew. You get a call on the emergency line about once per day, if you're lucky. But you get all the benefits of being on a cruise ship while getting paid to be there, so it evens out out.
Another neat detail is that the bridge control station is more like an airplane's than a ship's. It's even literally called a cockpit. And yes, those are Recaro seats. When your C/M has pull with Corporate, he can get shit done.