The Office of Travel and Tourism Industries has posted following statistics regarding travel in 2000: 26,853,000 Americans traveled to foreign destinations, while a record 50.9 million international travelers visited United States, which means lots of international air travel. Add to that domestic air travel and you can see that there are a lot of jobs out there. Post September 11, 2001 figures have not yet been released, but we hear news of financial troubles with airlines on a daily basis. So, are flight attendants' jobs secure? I've had a look around to try and get a feel for industry as it stands today, and though there have been some layoffs among smaller airlines, particularly charter companies, many companies are also hiring. In U.S. Southwest Airlines and Continental both appear to be weathering storm well.

Glamorous as it sounds, working for airlines is not all sweetness and light. The constant threat of lay-offs notwithstanding, it can be as repetitive as any other job in a service industry, with long hours and downright abusive passengers to look after. The plus side is that you get paid to travel. I was nosy and read some online discussions between flight attendants (www.flightattendants.org), and discovered that difficulties aside, these people really LOVE what they do.

Here are some of reasons why:

With practice and seniority, flight attendants are often able to group their flights together is such a way that they have 1 - 2 weeks off every month.

There is a lot more variety than in a "normal" 9 - 5 job. You get to fly to different cities, work with different crews, and move your schedule around so you never have to get bored.

Airline employees usually get 2 paid weeks off after 1st year with a maximum of 5 weeks per year after 20 years of service. They fly for nearly free and get discounts on hotel accommodations and car rentals. Close relatives are entitled to super cheap passes as well. The only stipulation is that people traveling on "buddy passes" must fly standby. So if flight fills up with regular passengers, everyone with buddy passes will get bumped and have to wait for next flight, (not a good way to travel with children!)

Plus most airlines also make interline agreements with other carriers so that employees can fly free or nearly free to just about any place that has an airport. If you visit flightattendants.org/interline.htm you will find a long list of interline companies which offer package holidays, tours, and cruises exclusively to airline employees and their accompanying family members and traveling companions.

Though majority of them are women, job is now open to men and women between ages of 18 and 60. Most airlines set height requirements for flight attendants between 5' and 6' since taller people have trouble moving around cabin of aircraft, and shorter ones have trouble reaching overhead lockers. Being in good physical condition is important, since job demands it, but old weight restrictions have relaxed. Today airlines say "weight must be in proportion to height". And thankfully, a court ruling in 1990 banned smoking on all domestic flights, thus eliminating second-hand smoke inhalation as an occupational hazard for flight attendants.

We sailed on a 2 day special Inaugural cruise. Navigator will alternate between 7 day Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises. Our observations are limited to time we spent onboard.

If you have sailed on Voyager of Seas you will notice that steel oval framings of balconies are gone, replaced with full-length glass and teak railings.

As big as it is, Navigator never felt over crowded and we were able to experience a variety of activities without long lines one would of expected for a cruise ship that houses 3800 + guests.

Three main dining rooms, Swan Lake, Coppelia and The Nutcracker, which are actually all part of one three-story venue offer traditional assigned seating dining. For breakfast and lunch, it's open seating. Windjammer and Jade offer a sumptuous buffet, with Jade featured some very innovative Asian/ Fusion cuisine that would delight anyone's palate with subtle flavors of Orient. At dinner time, Windjammer and Jade are a casual alternative to dining room. We thought wait staff service was good and food was well prepared, presentation consistent and choices plentiful. All consistent with what you find at a fine-dining establishment back home. If you visit Royal Promenade, you will find pastries in morning, sandwiches, pizza and deserts at night as well as Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Berringer Wines. At Johnny Rockets, 50's themed diner style restaurant features red naugahyde booths, Formica counters, a jukebox, signature burgers, hot dogs, chili, french fries and onion rings. The food here is included. All you pay for are Cokes, and ice cream shakes.

For an upcharge of $20.00 per person you can dine at either Portofino, an Italian specialty restaurant or choose Chops Grille, A New York style restaurant featuring a high quality steakhouse menu. Make your reservations as soon as you get onboard cruise or you may never get opportunity to enjoy it. If you get a sweet-tooth or hunger pains ( How could you? ) at 2:00AM, no problem. Navigator offers a limited room service menu available round-the-clock.

Visit Connoisseur's Club where you can enjoy aperitifs and fine cigars or stop by Champagne Bar, An elegant but cozy atmosphere to share a glass of wine or champagne. As wine lover's we enjoyed Vintages, first totally dedicated wine bar afloat. Here you can savor wines from world's finest wine producing regions featuring Robert Mondavi and Beringer, with wine appreciation programs. The staff is well versed in history and education of wines. Wine tasting can highlighted essences of wine and staff helped pick right kind of wine for us. On Royal Promenade you'll find Two Poet's British style pub and Cafe' Promenade that features Seattle's Best Coffee. Then there is Schooner Piano Bar, and Bolero's an upscale 'Latin Lounge" featuring composers of Bolero's and other popular rhythms of 50's and 60's. Plus there are a number of Bars scattered throughout ship.

The Navigator of Seas' Library has one of largest collection of books I have ever seen on a cruise ship. We were able to surf net and check our e-mail at Royal Caribbean Online. ( 20 work stations available at an extra charge )