Hi Everyone,
My name is Alyn Baker and I am the Food & Beverage Director on board Pacific Dawn. I’m pleased to have been given the opportunity to join the team down under, and have the chance to visit some of Australia’s land marks. Sure enough, the Opera House is on my list.
This is not the first time I’ve been to Australia. I’ve visited it on my travels many moons ago when I was doing the world cruise on board the SS Canberra, the P&O Cruises ship that became famous for being transformed into a troop carrier for the Falklands war. Due to the age of the ship and new ships arriving, the Canberra was taken out of service a few years later.
Memories that stick in my mind on my visits to Sydney were the tour to Katoomba Zoo Park and actually holding a koala bear. As we traveled to the Zoo, we passed the 3 Sisters which were awesome. The ship used to dock at Cirular Quay facing the Opera House to the right and to the left was a short sprint to the Orient Hotel, which was a lovely small bar with “Do it your self BBQ concept” where you choose and pay for the meat then cook it yourself. I was in the Galley at the time working as a junior chef, and the Galley boys used to run across to the Orient between sittings at dinner whilst keeping an ear open for the ships horn as that was a sign that the ship was about to leave. So we would sprint back to avoid being in trouble. Another area we checked out was Kings Cross at night, but that’s another story.
I have 33 years experience in the hospitality trade, which is strange because I’m only 35 years old. Who am I kidding?
I have 12 years experience at sea operating on the 5 ships listed - Canberra, the original Sea Princess, Ocean Village, Ocean Village Two and of course, the Pacific Dawn. One of my most exciting challenges was to take Ocean Village Two out of her refit and on her maiden voyage as Hotel Manager.
I have children at home in the UK, a girl of 23 who is training to be an English teacher and a boy of 17 who is at college doing further studies. I doubt that they will follow my footsteps in the travel industry as they don’t have the ambitions to travel.
When I’m on vacation I like to spend the time with my Children, family and friends back home in the UK.
I look forward to meeting you on board.
Regards
Alyn
