According to an article published in Forbes, welcome to “The Heart of Travel“—an inviting interview series that peeks behind the scenes of the hospitality, entertainment, and culinary worlds to shine a spotlight on accomplished travel industry pros.
State-of-the-art Viking Cruises
After all, it is the people you meet on your journeys who truly make destinations come alive. Showcased here is Heather Clancy, a cruise director at award-winning, state-of-the-art Viking Cruises, a company founded by Norwegian visionary Torstein Hagen, who first launched innovative Viking River Cruises in 1997 and then grew the game-changing Viking Ocean Cruises in 2015.
Together, they steer a fleet of more than 70 river and ocean ships. I recently caught up with always-on-the-go Clancy aboard the 930-passenger Viking Jupiter ship during its 15-day Viking Homelands itinerary, highlighting ports of call in Stockholm (Sweden), Helsinki (Finland), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Tallinn (Estonia), Gdańsk (Poland), Berlin (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Bergen (Norway).
Question and answer session with Clancy
Polished, graceful, funny, savvy and wondrously talented, Clancy clearly owns her sea-faring role. Warm-up reading this cool, exclusive Q&A.
Beautiful Baltic Sea: Viking Jupiter docked in Tallinn, Estonia.
You were raised in Mississippi. Now you have been around the world. What is your mojo that made it happen?
“When I was 17 years old, people in my life discovered that I had a singing voice. I was offered a full scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi. At 19 years old, I started working professionally, performing classics at opera houses and symphony orchestra concerts. Fast forward: An opportunity came up for a classical singer on a cruise ship. I was offered a contract for a job that I never anticipated, never pursued. It unexpectedly came my way. Then I absolutely fell in love with cruising! Aboard a ship, your audience is not faceless or nameless. They become people you get to know during the cruise. I continued to work as a guest entertainer on different ships, learning about different cruise lines. Knowing what goes on behind the scenes really appealed to me. I moved into a cruise director role at a top company, where I helped plan world cruise itineraries. When the opportunity arose to create something completely new for the Viking Ocean ships, I was eager and ready.”
How is this job different from any other?
“As a cruise director, I am the face of the company. At the end of the day, I represent the brand. It is a 24-hours-per-day, seven-days-per-week job—with no days off for the length of your contract, which can last four to six months. You’ve got to commit to that job dedication. It is demanding.”
You also live with the people with whom you work.
“I came to shipboard life by accident. I stayed because I found a family at sea. It may sound contrived, but we are a family. We spend birthdays and holidays together. We have ups and downs. We handle crises together. We meet, fall in love, date. Some of us get married while aboard, some divorce. And on very special occasions we add members to our Viking family when married crew members have babies.”
What might surprise most passengers about your job?
“A cruise director’s job is a lot more than entertainment, shore excursions, cocktails, and high heels. It is not a nine-to-five job. It is all-encompassing. We are planning months ahead. When a passenger has a medical emergency, we are there, holding the hand of the spouse and hoping to provide comfort. Weather issues that cause a ship to miss a port of call? We not only help come up with an alternative idea for guests, but we also stand next to the ship’s captain, helping to break the news in the best possible way for our guests. There is a curveball in almost every day and there is always a Plan B and C and, well, there are 23 more letters in the alphabet! We are on top of issues that passengers are not even aware of and we find smooth solutions. In case of an emergency, we are on the bridge dealing with the crowd and crisis management. Our most important job happens behind the scenes—coordinating everyone aboard.”
Looking back, what career advice do you wish you could have heard as an 18-year-old?
“Don’t waste time. Always be creating. Always be learning. As Torstein Hagen, chairman of Viking has said: Time is the most precious commodity we have. Always be doing, researching, experiencing, reaching, growing. Be present, be engaged, be inspired. Don’t waste the one commodity you can never get back.”
What have been your most important career lessons?
“First: You will never make everyone absolutely happy. The only thing you can do is the best you can do. Every day, bring your game. Second: Learn how to respond, not to react.”
Which six words best describe you?
“Determined, passionate (about cruising and music), hard-working, a problem solver, an opera singer and overly caffeinated!”
What is your happiest experience aboard a Viking ship?
“During the farewell event of every cruise, crew stand on the Star Theater’s stage. They get a standing ovation from the passengers. They are so deserving—the army of housekeepers, chefs, waiters, bartenders, technicians, engineers, carpenters, plumbers and many more. When planning this event, I always make sure that the laundry team takes the place front and center. They are the ones who deserve the final bow.”
The Star Theater aboard Viking Ocean Cruises
How is this job more than a job?
“A chef I worked with once said: ‘We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.’ I like that. There is an immense amount of dignity in that understanding. Some of us are called to serve. I am proud to represent this product. It is more than just a job. It has shaped me into who I am. It has given me a place in the world.”
What are your welcome job perks?
“Someone grocery shops, cooks, cleans and launders for me. That is very appealing.”
An especially important perk?
“Viking has done something that to my knowledge no other company has done: free WiFi for the entire cruise—for passengers and crew. In addition to doing away with the expense of WiFi (which on some cruise lines is astronomical!), it keeps us connected with home. We can be there for the good times and the bad through FaceTime. We talk to our families and loved ones every night. We can reach out and text just to say: ‘I’m thinking of you and I love you.’ That makes being away from home a little easier. We aren’t cut off. We’re just in another room.”
Where do you vacation?
“You will generally find me at my little house in the woods of Mississippi, curled up with a good book or cooking in the kitchen.”
Best place you’ve traveled while working for Viking?
“Bali. There is something incredibly special about the Balinese, their culture and food, as well as the landscape. It is unlike anywhere else in the world.”
What gives you the most pleasure working for Viking?
“The passengers. I love our specific clientele because they are people who have earned their own money and are often spending it on themselves for the first time. They have raised and taken care of their kids. They are no longer saving it for someday. Today is their someday.”
If you could have anyone aboard a Viking Ocean ship, who would you choose? This is a fantasy question. If you’d like, you can pick a celebrity, head of state, notable musician, acclaimed businessperson. Let your imagination soar.
“My mom. She suffers from terrible seasickness! She needs to see land! She has been on only one cruise when I was still singing in a production cast but has never seen me in the role of a cruise director. She was a single mother to three very head-strong daughters—although that is her fault because she woke us up every morning to the tune of I Am Woman (Hear Me Roar). I think we can all agree she overdid it with me!”
Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!
Source: Forbes
