The Librarian's Cabin

(Excerpts from the Ship's Librarian)
My cabin is on the Cabin deck, the second highest deck up right below the Bridge Deck where the ship’s controls are. Back in the day when the Empire State VI was a merchant cargo vessel run by the defunct Moore-McCormick lines this deck was for passengers the ship routinely carried along with cargo. That was a common practice then allowing for more economical travel than on a liner. It also allowed people to travel to spots not serviced by liner traffic. Air travel and efficiency of cargo carrying with container ships has pretty much killed this kind of service. As such, the cabins on my deck are more luxurious than the officer’s cabins on the rest of the ship with wooden bunks and dressers.

There are 2 bunks in my cabin that I am sharing it with Tim K. a rep of NOAA (National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Agency). Tim has a dual faceted job on board; he teaches weather at sea and also takes readings that he relays back to NOAA. Tim will only be on for ¾ of the cruise, leaving me to a private room if no one else joins the cruise on its last legs.

I have a large window with a beautiful view of the sea from one angle. Unfortunately, a big orange lifeboat obscures views from the other angles. That’s OK because I’m not in the cabin much spending most of my time 7 decks below in the Library. When I’m not at work, there is a beautiful Officers Lounge right outside my cabin as well as multiple outside decks to relax on and take in the fantastic, infinite ocean views and a night sky filled with more stars than you thought possible. A ladder (stairway) near my room takes me directly to the Officer’s Mess, convenient for mealtime or the snacks available there 24/7. Not luxury, but not bad either