This is the most recent installment of our bimonthly column Crews on Cruise, spotlighting the individuals who work behind the scenes of the world’s most memorable voyages—from bartenders and entertainers to ship captains and expedition leaders.
When Nadia Durigon was little, she’d stroll previous a journey company in her hometown close to Venice and level excitedly on the ferry pictured within the window. When academics would ask her to write faculty essays detailing the place she noticed herself sooner or later, her reply was all the time the identical: “on a cruise ship.”
After finding out international languages and tourism in highschool, Durigon went straight into the business and shortly discovered her area of interest in youth programming. (She was 19 years previous on the time, so organizing group actions for teenagers typically felt like hanging out with associates.)
Now 37, Durigon has spent practically twenty years working at sea and presently serves because the Traveling Fleet Supervisor for Family Entertainment at MSC Cruises. Her job blends youth programming, development forecasting, exercise growth, workers coaching, and ship launches—basically serving to form the onboard expertise for households throughout the MSC fleet.
She’s helped roll out every thing from mascot parades to laser-gaming experiences aboard ships like World America, MSC’s sprawling new flagship designed with households squarely in thoughts. The 22-deck mega ship packs in a single of the most important children golf equipment at sea, plus bumper vehicles, curler skating, waterslides, a ropes course, and the Cliffhanger—the cruise business’s first overwater swing experience. There are quiz exhibits and dance events, teen-only gaming areas, Guinness World Records competitions, and sufficient stimulation to make some children overlook their mother and father exist for days at a time.
“It’s the best job in the world,” says Durigon. “I’m not a routine kind of person, and this allows me to meet new people every day and travel around the world while doing it.”
We caught up with Durigon at MSC’s headquarters in Geneva earlier this 12 months to discuss launching new ships, designing actions that attraction to a number of generations, and the artwork of decoding Gen Alpha web slang.
What does a typical day on the job appear to be?
“Because I only get to stay on board for one or max two cruises each time, I try to squeeze everything in. My afternoons and evenings are packed. I love joining the youth staff team so I can see the guest feedback firsthand. Our new LEGO family game show worked really well on World America; it’s always full of adults who want to play. Sometimes we have grandparents doing activities with little kids, so we have to find a way to get them involved in the games as well. Then afterward, I’ll give [the crew] my own feedback about what we can improve or change.
Launching a ship is craziness because everything is new, but it’s also very, very fun. The LEGO parade was one example. We had a choreographer come onboard and teach us dances in the mascot costumes. The team thought it would be impossible, but they were amazing.”
What is your favourite half about this job?
“I would be lying if I didn’t say traveling, even after so many years. But I think it’s also not having one day that is exactly the same as another. I love spending time with the kids and their families. I don’t know if you’ve heard of this ‘67’ trend, but it took me three days to understand what was going on. [Laughs] This job keeps me young.”
What is probably the most difficult half about working at sea?