When Frank Juliussen first joined Norwegian Cruise Line, he was the first officer on a ship called the Southward and his captain was a fellow countryman from Norway, Trygve Vorren. A few years later, they were together again on the Norwegian Sun and in 2011, they were to be co-captains of the Norwegian Epic, flagship of the fleet.
And then Captain Vorren died.
"Suddenly, Trygve was sick and I had to come here a little bit early," says Captain Juliussen. "He was in the hospital when I came to fill in for him."
Like everyone else, cruise ship captains have to deal with life's sad times, as do the passengers who meet them. Trygve Vorren's passing made us sad, too, because on our first Epic cruise we'd been lucky enough to spend some time with him. Frank Juliussen was his replacement on the Epic…and on our second Epic cruise, in conversation with us.
We had been looking forward to meeting him, and he more than lived up to our expectations. He was passionate. He was interesting. He was generous with his time. And he was funny.
Before he worked on cruise ships, Captain Juliussen worked on cargo ships and here's how he explains the change:
"This is the difference between regular cargo ships to cruise ships." he says. "On cargo ships you have optimum freedom. You are a sailor. You only have colleagues around you. On cruise ships, the cargo is people, and you need to talk to the cargo. Yeah, you were talking to the cargo on cargo ships, too, but it didn't argue back so you could be your own person."
His transition was in two stages, starting with a Norwegian ship called the Southward.
"I was so annoyed about the cruise industry that I simply said this is not for me, so I left. The reason I left was I was not allowed to have a bad day. You had to go around and be happy and smile, and coming from a cargo ship that was a big change.
He worked on ships owned by Exxon, before the Exxon Valdez environmental disaster in Alaska prompted the oil company to sell its fleet. When Juliussen returned, it was to the Southward for a second contract.
"It was only a contract for four months so I thought: 'I can do this,'" he says. "But after that I stayed. I learned to smile. I don't have bad days and I have learned to enjoy this. You meet a lot of nice people. The world is full of nice people. What you learn is the same thing as what you learn on shore — there is a few people who disturb the ways for so many."
On the way to the Epic, he served his captain's apprenticeship on the Dreamward, the Windward, the Leeward, the Seaward and the Westward — all Norwegian ships.
"We took away the 'ward,'" he says, noting that many of them became, as an example, the Norwegian Dream.
Along the way, he twice worked on the Norway, but that's another story that will be told here on another day, because as ships go this one was unique and special…and it deserves special treatment.
In more than two decades of being a captain, Juliussen has introduced new Norwegian ships like the Sun and the Gem and — like most cruise captains — he spends eight months a year living out of his ship's quarters. Back home in Orendahl, Norway ("It's close to nothing") are his wife and two daughters, who arrived just before he signed on with Norwegian and who are now both in university. One is studying to be a marine biologist; the other is studying psychology.
"I think she wanted to be a psychologist to try to understand me, and I told her she can just give up, because it won't work!" he chuckles.
Juliussen's philosophy about being a captain may not be unique but it is crystal clear:
"I have worked from the bottom. I have started from the lowest where you can start. So when I walk my rounds here, I walk with the pot washers, the garbage people, the meat processors…they are the ones doing what other people call the dirty work. For sure, you should give them a tap on the shoulder because the people behind the scenes, the ones you never see, are working their butts off. The least we can do is show them some appreciation for what they do to make us shine. They are the ones who make us shine."
Captains from Norway do, too. Like Trygve Vorren and Frank Juliussen.
Carnival Dream
7 nights
September 28, 2013
Fort Lauderdale (return): Cozumel, Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya
Inside: $409
Cost per day: $58
www.carnival.com