Apr 22: Cruise Crews

You can experience something in Fort Lauderdale that you'll find hardly anywhere else in the world. It's not the kind of thing most tourists are likely to notice. But it's worth noticing. So let me give you the inside scoop about our cruise crews. On weekends, and some weekdays too, you only need to visit the area near Port Everglades. Go in the daytime, any hour from late morning to maybe mid-afternoon. You'll see a mini version of the United Nations walking around, usually younger, attractive folks for the most part. These are the people who work on the cruise ships that routinely dock in Fort Lauderdale. If you pay attention to the crew members' presence, you'll soon notice the extra vitality and enthusiasm they bring to our community.

These crew members work in the wide variety of jobs that keep today's massive cruise ships operating efficiently. They serve meals, stand behind shop counters and bars, clean cabins, fix engines and do pretty much everything else. They are pursers and entertainment directors, engineers and hotel managers.

And they are in Fort Lauderdale on a brief leave. Believe me, shore leaves are coveted by these crew members - and handed out selectively. On many ships, most crew members must stay aboard when in port. But the lucky few are allowed to go ashore and do whatever they want to do. So here's the deal: Just head to Fort Lauderdale's SE 17^th Street on some weekend. Sundays seem to be especially good for this. Maybe grab a coffee at the Starbucks there, sitting at an outside table to observe the comings and goings. Port Everglades is poised to become the largest cruise port on earth in the next couple years. We already have as many as nine ships in port at the same time. You'll see lots of eager youthful faces from countries all around the globe, from the Philippines and Thailand, from Great Britain and Germany, from Egypt and Israel. And dozens of other nations. They're often on their cellphones or computers, calling family members, surfing the Internet or catching up on email. And they're usually buying things like clothes and toiletries and favorite foods and anything else they've needed. I think it's fun to watch them making the most of their precious free time in South Florida. These folks work very, very hard all week long, far from friends and family. It can be a difficult, lonely existence. When crew members come to our town, they just want to find good bargains, have some fun and enjoy our sunshine for a while. The rest of us get to enjoy them while they're busy enjoying Fort Lauderdale - just before they hurry back to the demanding duties of life at sea.