Shervano Johnson, 25, centre, a resident of Pinewood in the heart of Nassau, gets words of encouragement from Royal Caribbean International President & CEO Michael Bayley, right, as the young man who began washing cars to earn money at age 13 prepares to ship out for a job aboard one of Royal Caribbean’s 26 innovative ships.

Pinewood MP Reuben Rahming arranged the introduction to Johnson while Bayley was in The Bahamas recently. Bayley told Johnson 38 years ago he started out as an assistant purser onboard a ship and today he heads the company that has been voted Best Cruise Line Overall for 15 consecutive years by readers of Travel Weekly. “You can do it, too,” Bayley told Johnson.

Rahming reinforced the positive send-off. 

“Your personality is awesome. Your character is awesome. You have all it takes so go for it,” the MP told Johnson who said he saw the ad for one of the several job fairs Royal Caribbean has hosted in The Bahamas since December, researched the cruise line online and “saw all the places they travel and I told myself maybe I should step up, maybe I should take a chance.”

He did and he won the job.

On March 18, Johnson boarded the Navigator of the Seas at the Port of Miami, heading out to sea and to a new career. He is one of some 200 Bahamians hired by Royal Caribbean International in recent months for onboard positions and on the cruise line’s private island destination, Perfect Day at Coco Cay, in the Berry Islands in The Bahamas. Perfect Day Coco Cay Coco Cay is slated to re-open in May following a $250 million investment that is transforming the island into an unmatched “thrill and chill Perfect Day” experience for cruise guests. (Photo by Cay Focus Photography for DP&A).