I first came to Alaska in 1995 for a summer vacation with my brother Charlie. My first couple of years in Alaska I was an independent gold miner with a serious case of gold fever.  I never seemed to strike it rich and I was hurting for cash. My brother Charlie had been hired as a catering server at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge and suggested that it might be time for me to get a real job that paid. So I cut my dread locks off and went to the job interview which back then was “when can you start”. The first day on the job was a 21^st birthday party and the guests grabbed the servers and made them dance a couple of songs. I really enjoyed throwing parties for a living and it also gave me extra time to work on my Michael Jackson dance moves. I knew early on that Princess was the company I wanted to work for. Customer service is their number one priority and making people happy makes me happy. In my second month on the job I met the woman that would become my wife (Princess truly is the love boat!) We have had many exciting events here at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge, hundreds of weddings, thousands of business meeting, scores of proms , and even a World Clown Convention. Over the years my job has changed from throwing the parties to booking and supervising the events. I don’t have as much dance floor time, but still make sure the staff can do “Thriller” in a moments notice.

Beautiful Ketchikan (Bob Hirschfeld)

My trek to Ketchikan, Alaska was an unusual one.  I’m from New Jersey and I was employed as an Account Executive for a finance company in midtown Manhattan.  I had been in this position for almost a year, after originally being trained as a credit analyst and commercial lender in the banking industry.  It was in February of that year that I realized this particular job was not turning out to be what I had hoped, and the three hour daily commute was beginning to wear on me.  I decided it was time to move on from this job and began to circulate my resume to obtain a New Jersey based banking position.

The only snag in this plan was I had just gone on a cruise with my best friend Nancy, who had been working as a Driver/Guide in Ketchikan for the past three years.  Nancy and my other good friend Jill told story after story of the people they met while guiding tours and of the fun side trips they took when they had time off.  Additionally, they had just come back from a month long cruise to Australia!  Needless to say, I became enamored with their lifestyle of working all summer in Alaska, and then traveling to exotic places in the off season!

After a few days of thinking it over I applied online for a Driver/Guide position in Ketchikan.  Originally, my thinking was my stay in Ketchikan would be an extended “vacation” from my professional life back East.  I even went as far as to let some of my banking colleagues know that I would be back in roughly six months and in the job market then.   Little did I know then, how wrong I was!

I found Ketchikan to be nothing short of incredible when I first arrived.  I can remember crossing the Tongass Narrows on the airport ferry taking in the mountain vistas on a clear sunny day in April.  Only two weeks prior my view at work had been midtown Manhattan!  What a change!

My first year as a Driver/Guide was nothing short of awesome!  It was different adventures everyday with the people I met on the tours that I took out to Saxman Native Village or Totem Bight State Park.  I met people from all over the world and had the satisfaction of knowing I had made a positive impact on their vacations.  When September came, I did not want the season to end as my time in Ketchikan had become one of the most rewarding jobs I had ever had.

However, now that the season had ended, it was time to take a cruise!  For the first time I didn’t have to hear about my friends’ experiences abroad…I was able to join them!  The winter of 2005 I embarked on the Regal Princess for a 39 day cruise from Florida through the Caribbean all the way around South America, culminating with 8 days cruising through Antarctica!  I had been to places in the world most people only read about in books!   It was a great experience to share with my friends!

The following year I returned to Ketchikan and that season was extra special for me as I met my boyfriend Greg at work (he’s one of our mechanics) and I received the honor of being named Employee of the Month in September!  I have found my time here to be a new challenge everyday as well as a lifetime of memories.

A pleasant summer day in the town of Skagway.

After a 15 year career at sea with Princess Cruises as Cruise Director it was time for a new adventure!  We had cruised Alaska for many years but we had never been able to enjoy the inland portion of the Yukon and Alaska.  This was going to be the summer where we changed all of that.  My wife and I had visited over 130 countries between us and we decided to pack up the truck and the dog  (Barkley) for a great road trip north.  We had a great 6 day drive from Hamilton, Ontario to Whitehorse with many new experiences.  Our trip began at the end of April and it was a great time of the year to travel, we had the highway to ourselves and at times we didn’t see another vehicle for an hour.   The wildlife we saw was incredible, not only in the north but our trip across the States as well.  We traveled through 8 States, 2 Provinces and 1 territory (not to mention 2 countries !!) We saw, Antelope, Pheasants, Wild Donkeys, Coyotes, Fox, Bison, Bear, Moose, Deer, Caribou, Elk, Mountain Goats, Stone Sheep as well as other little critters and we hadn’t even reached our destination.

I was hired for the position of Operations Manager, I knew all about managing and dealing with people of different ages, backgrounds and personalities but the job itself was quite new to me, I was up for the challenge.   My responsibilities were quite broad and I thoroughly enjoyed learning all about the different vehicles and regulations in our division as well as the ones that passed through.  It wasn’t all work, work , work though as we had many opportunities to explore the area around Whitehorse and beyond.  Sure it helps if you have your own vehicle but there are plenty of people around looking to take a day trip here and there that you can always hook up with.  We got to visit other divisions as well such as Skagway and Dawson City so we could meet some of the folks we would be dealing with and enjoy some fun and games with them as well.   The other cool thing about working up here is the nice mild summer weather and the amazing amount of daylight that allows you to enjoy the great outdoors till the wee hours of the morning in the broad daylight !!

After working at sea and having a job that doesn’t require you to sit at a desk for your entire shift I was looking for a non-traditional job still that would allow me to get outside and interact with people away from the office.  If you are looking for a great opportunity to meet some new people from all over the world and experience the great wildlife and history of the Yukon and Alaska then look through the job openings and apply.  Even for somebody like me who has traveled all over the world and seen many things that other people only dream about, this was the opportunity of a lifetime and I will always remember the awesome time I had with my family in Whitehorse, not to mention the great people I got to meet and work with.

The Exit Glacier is an Alaskan natural landmark

I grew up in Alaska, having moved here at age five.  My dad was a pilot for a small air-taxi service out in bush Alaska, and he flew everything from mail, groceries, and dog-teams  to med-evac flights up and down the villages in the Yukon-Kuskoquim River Delta.  The most well-known of these villages is Bethel.   We spent a few years in the bush (Hooper Bay, Mountain Village, St Marys) before moving to Anchorage, the “big-city”.   During my childhood up here, I also lived in Kodiak and Fairbanks.  We left the state in ’89.  Fast forward eight years:  I’m living in Bend, Oregon, just about done with college and can’t wait to get back up to Alaska.  My best friend happened to be a driver-guide and she encouraged me to apply for the rail services division.  I do, and wonder of wonders, I score an interview!  Even better – I get hired.  My first summer, I was a host guide(aka rail guide).  I loved it.  The hours were long, but after the first few runs, I really didn’t notice.  The first season flew by, and I stayed the winter in Anchorage, working at the hospital, playing with the Anchorage Symphony and telling everyone about what a great time I had on the train.  The next summer I was an onboard bartender, and the summer after that, an Onboard Manager.  Shortly after my summer as an Onboard Manager, I had the opportunity to work full time for the company, taking a position that put me in Fairbanks in the summer, Anchorage in the winter.  In the meantime, I met and married my husband (also a rail employee), who also went on to work full-time in Fairbanks for the Transportation Division.  With both of us in Fairbanks, we opted to move there full time and skip the back and forth and having two households.  We stayed in Fairbanks for over five years, when the opportunity for promotion came along again, and I was able to move back to Anchorage in my new role as Administrative Manager for the Rail Office.  It hasn’t been all about work though!  We’ve had the chance to cruise five times (five times more than I would if I hadn’t worked here!) and bring our families with us to enjoy the experience.  We’ve been to Europe, the Caribbean, Tahiti, the Panama Canal, Hawaii, and are looking forward to our next adventure this spring.   In the ten years I’ve been full-time with the company, my co-workers have become friends and family – we’ve celebrated marriages, births and deaths, new starts and major changes.  I feel extremely grateful for the opportunities I’ve found here- a company that not only promotes from within but then continues working with their employees to grow their full potential and offer more chances to advance is a rare one!

I worked at the Front Desk of the hotel and made friends from all over the world.  I gained valuable experience and training for my resume.  Every day off I was in the Park, hiking & exploring and finding my own adventures.  It was truly an amazing experience.  At the end of the summer, some of these new friends and I took advantage of the discounted cruise program available to seasonal employees, and did 3 cruises!  The first cruise was to Bermuda for 7 days and then the next 2 were back-to-back cruises from Ft. Lauderdale to Valparaiso, Chile.  After traveling through Peru and hiking at Macchu Picchu, I called home to get monetary assistance for a plane ticket back home (aka, I called the Bank of Mom) to make it just in time for Christmas. 

The next spring, after volunteering for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and working at a local ski resort, my mom prodded me that it was time to get a “real” job.  But I wasn’t ready to be working 40 hours a week in a cubicle for some job that didn’t excite me or offer interesting opportunities to see the world!  So I decided to go back to Alaska and work for a company that offers a great working environment, training and travel opportunities.  This is now my 10^th summer in Alaska and with Princess.  Never did I imagine that my fun summer job would turn into my “real” job—I guess you never know what’s going to happen when you spend a summer in Alaska working for Princess!

I love my job! I was born and raised in Fairbanks Alaska and love showing my home to visitors. Our passengers are always happy and fun to talk to. My fellow employees, whether Driver/Guides, outfitters or supervisors, are very professional and always willing to help. I try to give my guests the Alaskan Experience I would like to receive. The company has great training and are great people to work with.

Driver/Guide – summer job

High School teacher – winter job

Wade – Driver Guide – Fairbanks, Alaska

My first year, I will always remember how I hated salmon before moving to AK. The Alaska Salmon Bake venue gave us a free comp ticket to try their food so we could give our guests the suggestion to dine there while in town. I was impressed they actually got me to try salmon and surprisingly I loved it, because of their brown sugar based secret sauce. Well, I got so excited about the food, I did tell the guests about it and sold a bunch of dinner vouchers, as well as tickets to see the Palace Saloon show (since I’m the theatre buff). To my surprise, at the end of the season, Alaskan Experience (who owns the Salmon Bake and Palace show, as well as another dinner and show venue in Ester that I sold) awarded me with 2 round trip Alaska Airlines tickets for being the top seller in Fairbanks! Wow! What great perks at this job! The connections with our vendors are awesome! A few years later, I also worked for Alaskan Experience partially because of that connection!

After working a few seasons, I finally took advantage of the space available cruise program for employees. It was unbelievably inexpensive and my first request was confirmed a month in advance to be on the brand new Island Princess’ 3rd voyage through the Inside Passage in August 2003. I worked right up until I started to see guests arrive in Fairbanks who would be on the very cruise I was going on! I ended up finally doing the exact tour that I had been a part of on the other side. Now I could truly put myself in the guest’s shoes! I took the train to Denali and McKinley, stayed a few nights, and did a bunch of comp tours. The cruise itself was an amazing experience and even living in Alaska, I had never been to all the little southeast towns. Snorkeling in Ketchikan, Hiking in Juneau, and catching a Salmon bare handed out of a stream running with tons of them in Skagway were among the highlights of my ports of call! The ship was beautiful, the food was superb, the staff was friendly and knowledgeable, and the theatre shows were so vibrant and intriguing!

When I got back from my trip, I felt even more prepared to answer the guests’ questions since I had actually been through the whole tour myself. I loved telling people about other things to look forward to at our other lodges, on the ship itself, and neat things to look out for on their ports of call. I had a wonderful sense of my job being a breeze, with each day being another shared experience between the guests and I. Although there are days where you juggle lots of issues at once, I always found it to be a fun challenge, and being busy makes the day go by quickly. I even took on a position one summer of being a Luggage Liaison between the company and the Airlines. I helped track down any delayed luggage and worked any issues guests had with their luggage. I know it may not sound like fun, but working with a good crew out at the airport made it easier! I also implemented an organized system with detailed notes and a log book that is still being used today. I think it wasn’t always that scary when I had to tell a guest their bag didn’t make it on this flight, because my confidence and knowledge of the system left them feeling like they were in capable hands and they would soon receive their bag in their room.

Getting off work (as much as I like being there) and doing things around Fairbanks is a nice change of pace. Go canoeing on the Chena River, have a BBQ with friends at Pioneer Park (or Alaskaland as it will always be remembered by the locals!), catch a summer movie, go for a hike, relax at Chena Hotsprings, go on a 4-wheeling adventure, horseback riding, ride a bike, try rock wall climbing, go out dancing with friends, a baseball game, the Solstice celebration, Golden Days festivities, go to the Fair in August, etc…play in the midnight sun! At the end of your work day or work week, you should definitely take the time to put aside a little of your hard earned cash and enjoy yourself. There’s so much to do outdoors and the friends you make here, how could you not enjoy the summer!

I continued to work almost every summer since I first began, but being out of state for most of college, I skipped a summer or two. One of the summers I skipped was to actually take another space available cruise with my mom in Europe. (She worked as a driver guide one summer and loved it!) My mom is from Denmark, so going round trip Copenhagen for a 10 day cruise through the Baltic was awesome! Again the cruise ship never ceases to amaze me with gorgeous accommodations, awesome staff, delectable food, and great entertainment! The ports of call included Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Estonia, and Russia. There are too many fabulous experiences to reflect on, but I love telling friends and family all about these foreign countries and our adventures there! We also stayed in Denmark for a full month visiting family I hadn’t seen since I was a young girl. I was so grateful that my job with Princess had led to me seeing parts of the world I may not have experienced and family I may never have met had I not taken advantage of the perks; memories I will cherish for a lifetime!
After graduating with my BA in Theatre Performance and Youth Drama from Central Washington University, I worked for a bit there in Ellensburg before hearing my Fairbanks summer calling to me! I decided I would move back and have my summer job back. I drove the AlCan (Alaska-Canadian Highway) and survived with a small chip in my windshield. It was fun driving up with a girlfriend of mine and seeing part of the trip I took back in ’99 to move with my family from Tampa, FL to North Pole, AK. It took 3 days from Seattle to get to Prince Rupert, we took the ferry for 2 days to Haines, and then made the last overnight right outside the border with only a handful of hours to drive the next day. It was the first week of March and there in the sky, the beautiful Northern Lights were dancing, as if to welcome us back to the great north, the last frontier! After dealing with a flat tire, we rolled into town and I was so excited. There’s that strange feeling that nothing really changed, the people with their small town friendliness and the Alaskan wilderness backdrop, and yet at the same time so much has changed with so much build up in the town as little as Fairbanks grows by leaps and bounds!

I went in for my interview with a manager, who offered me my seasonal position with no reservations, but mentioned that I might check out a position that was open for year-round full time and fully benefitted. I figured why not give it a shot since I enjoyed working seasonally, a full time position could be full of rewarding experiences! Having been around for many years, my knowledge of our operations and my eagerness to dive into a new position apparently rubbed off on my current bosses. I am now the Administrative Assistant for Interior Operations. I help manage our fleet for Alaska and cater to a senior level of executives. I work in Fairbanks year round and I really enjoy the position so far. The office staff and their constant buzz during the busy season around the office, makes for a great work environment. There also seem to be as many perks as the seasonal jobs and more! I’m guessing that the next chapter in this story of mine will be a fun, challenging and a great life experience just as the past years have been! So come join us for a great seasonal job, you never know where it might lead you!

Christina – Administrative Assistant – Fairbanks, Alaska

But after four years of driving the same 35 miles of road on the island, I was ready to see more of Alaska. I chose to apply to Fairbanks because of its location. I was not disappointed. Because I had been a driving instructor in Ketchikan, I was asked if I wanted to come up in February and train drivers in Fairbanks. I thought moving to Fairbanks in February sounded like a great adventure, so I did. I was a driver-guide and a trainer in Fairbanks for two years, before I accepted my current position as the Training, Safety and Transportation Supervisor.
Working for Princess and Holland America has been an amazing experience for me. I have gotten a chance see so much of Alaska as I drove my coach down several different highways. I’ve met some amazing people, both co-workers and guests, and have formed lifelong friendships with many of them. I’ve also gotten to take 14 cruises with Princess. I’ve actually been to every continent with Princess (including Antarctica – twice!!) and have gotten to see so much of the world, from walking with penguins, snorkeling in Bora Bora and the Great Barrier Reef, catacombs in Italy, safaris in South Africa, riding a camel at the Pyramids of Giza, going to a Chilean rodeo, getting lost at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, just to name a few. I’ve really enjoyed working for Princess and Holland America, whether it’s been showing guests around this great state, helping new drivers learn to drive a motor coach, or working on helping things run smoothly in the office, I can’t think of a better way to have spent the last 7 summers of my life.

Nancy – Training and Transportation Supervisor – Fairbanks, Alaska

I became involved in the cruise industry specifically as a driver-guide during the summer of 2008. Several couples and individuals who have worked for the company for many years as Outfitters/Passenger Service Representatives, had been encouraging me to give it a try. Some had been trying for two or three years. They have all enjoyed their time with Princess and Holland America and continue to return year after year. They had been telling me about the great people they work with and telling me about the discounted cruises they have taken or are planning on taking as one of the benefits of the job.

My wife, Diana, and I have taken cruises on Princess and Carnival Cruise Lines in the past. We were impressed by the quality of the service, the beauty and condition of the ships, the employees we meet, the food and the overall great experience of our cruises on Princess. Diana and I first came to Alaska in 1966. I was a dentist with the US Public Health Service. We were assigned to the small village of Tanana on the Yukon River. We were stationed out of state for several years and moved back to Anchorage, Alaska in 1976. When I retired after forty-one years as a Pediatric Dentist with the US Public Health Service, I decided that working for Princess and Holland America might be a fun way to share the state I enjoy with visitors and a great way to earn some cruises for myself and my wife while doing it.

I called the company office in Anchorage and requested an application. My first contact with a Manager was during my initial phone interview with Crystal Smith. I also spoke with Nicole Gauthier during the follow-up interview. Following that interview, I was told that I was hired and that I would need to attend company sponsored training so that I could obtain my Commercial Drivers’ License.

My spring schedule was a bit complicated. I was exposed to my first experience with the flexibility of the Management and Supervisory staff when they were very willing to work with me and my schedule so that I could get my training when I was able to do it.
I cannot say enough about the quality of the classroom and driving training along with the trainers whom I became acquainted with during the training period. I have been very impressed with the professionalism of the management staff at the Anchorage office. I have always felt that if something were worth doing, it was worth doing right (and doing it right the first time). I was very pleased to see that the Managers also share this view.

My first driving assignment was what is called a PM Rail trip. The entire group, who I picked up as the evening train arrived, was stone deaf. They had two sign language interpreters with them which helped tremendously. To say the least, it was an interesting introduction to being a Driver-Guide.

I have enjoyed the driving, meeting a great group of co-workers, the supervisors, the managers and have enjoyed meeting and talking with visitors to Alaska from all over the world.

I have had the opportunity to meet and work with people from many backgrounds and who hold other jobs during the off-season throughout my employment this past summer. They each have different personalities and backgrounds. Getting to know them and to learn about their life experiences has been a very rewarding part of my summer job experience. I have made many true friends and look forward to seeing many of them who will return next summer.

I truly enjoy Alaska and never tire of sharing this great state and our experiences we’ve had here with the visitors. I am glad that I listened to the coaxing of our friends and gave this job a try. It has been a wonderful experience and I plan on re-applying as a driver-guide again for the next summer season. It has been a fantastic group to work with and for!
Ron – Driver Guide – Anchorage, Alaska

One of my last few days teaching at school in 1998; I went to my mailbox to get my mail and found a beautiful post card with a very large cruise ship on the front of it. I flipped it over with a message congratulating me on my retirement and would I consider joining the Princess team. Having already taken our Princess cruise several years prior I never forgot what a wonderful time we had. After reading my post card I was reminded again how organized Princess was and thought how wonderful it would be to work for them and share my excitement about Alaska with new visitors.

Here I am eleven seasons later still enjoying my time with this company. I am a summer outfitter (passenger service representative) working at one of our local hotels. I have an opportunity to continue the top notch customer service I received by meeting and greeting our guests arriving on motor coaches from one of our cruises or arriving from the airport. I have lots of fun with the team that I work with as well as assisting our guests with ideas of what to do for fun in Anchorage and helping them book one of the wonderful tours we offer. Now I get to hear from our guests on a regular basis how friendly the people are and how wonderful Princess is in being so organized helping them every step of the way. Linda- Loyal Outfitter – Anchorage, Alaska