Cruising for memories Micha Berman (Col '90) offers behind-the-scenes look at life at sea
By Melanie Mayhew
After running hairy-chest contests and bingo games for almost a year, Micha Berman was ready to disembark.
He left the watery wonderland behind and began his next great adventure.
More than a decade later, Berman’s memories of living and working on a cruise ship resonate in his recently released memoir, Permanent Passenger: My Life on a Cruise Ship.
The 1990 University of Virginia alumnus reflects on his experience as an assistant cruise director on Carnival Cruise Lines’ M.S. Ecstasy, a position he secured after an exhaustive search for a cruise ship job.
Several months before graduating in 1992 from George Washington University with a master’s of political science, Berman locked himself in his room to try to determine what he wanted to do with his life.
"After two weeks of isolation, it turned out I wanted to be Julie McCoy on ‘The Love Boat,’" Berman says.
He sent more than 2,000 letters to U.Va. and GWU alumni seeking a connection to the cruise line industry. Eventually, he received several job offers and accepted one as an assistant cruise director with Carnival Cruise Lines.
"When I got the call, I realized I had no idea of what I was getting into," Berman says. "In the end, it was a dream job."
As the "the man on the mic," he oversaw activities on the boat and directed passengers to shore sightseeing. Berman also served as a kind of resident assistant to the ship’s entertainers.
Berman speaks fondly of his cruise ship memories—exploring beach destinations, sipping drinks on the beach, working with an international, talented crew—and his personal voyage.
"I really kind of grew up on the ship," he says. "It was a journey for me to find out about myself."
The year-long stint on the cruise ship was just one stop on his journey. He left for New York City after homesickness—for things like "real" food, going to a movie and reading an American newspaper—took a toll.
In the Big Apple, he attended acting school, studied the art of voiceover, traveled and in 1996 earned a master’s in social work from New York University. Berman also taught a class at NYU on how to get a job on a cruise ship.
He offers a few tips for potential cruise-ship passengers. Research cruises on a Web site such as cruisecritic.com and determine which cruise aligns with your interest, he says. Look closely at each ship’s destinations and size, as some ships can host almost 3,000 people, he added. He also reminds travelers to wash their hands frequently to avoid diseases spread easily in the crowded ships, be aware of the possibility of having motion sickness for portions of the trips and be vigilant about safety, as many passengers assume they are immune to crime.
Always an adventurer, Berman, who grew up in Baltimore, is planning to swim with great white sharks off the coast of San Francisco. In the meantime, he keeps busy with his 5- and 2-year-old sons and wife in San Anselmo, Calif., where he works as a social worker and as a radio and TV voiceover artist.
For more information on Berman’s adventures and memoir, visit www.permanentpassenger.com.
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