Mirela Varga Cruise Manager
What inspired you to explore this career path?
It was by pure coincidence that I discovered river cruising. I didn’t know anything about it 23 years ago, I only remember staring at the few ships sailing up and down the Danube, passing by my little hometown in Romania and how I was wondering what life would be onboard such floating luxury hotels. But they all seemed so far to reach, so I could only dream. And then, much later, there was a little ad in a newspaper, they were looking for people speaking all these languages that I knew, and it turned out that my dream could come true after all.
Tell us about your journey with Uniworld. What do you love most about your job?
Uniworld is not only a boutique river cruise company, Uniworld is a philosophy, a family where I feel appreciated, encouraged and rewarded for my work and passion. I resonate with the values and mission of passionately delivering unique and luxurious river cruises to inspiring destinations, while respecting the communities where we live and travel.
And the most wonderful thing is how we welcome and treat every single guest as a valued member of our family; onboard our ships, our guests feel home away from home and know that they are well looked after, as we live by the credo that there is no detail too small and no request too large.
What does being a Cruise Manager with Uniworld mean to you?
It’s such a dynamic and amazing job! Every single minute is different; every single day is different and fantastic. I love to get our guests excited about our next port of call, to share with them during our daily talks before dinner, the little secrets of the next port, things they should not miss, or off-the-beaten-path hidden places waiting to be discovered.
We offer an impressive choice of exclusive activities for our guests, as we care about all tastes and paces and interests, and here I come in as well, to help them choose the right activities in every port.
I just love being around our guests, chatting with them, getting to know them, learning their stories, and feeling this familial ambience. Not to mention spending time with our fabulous and fun crew, who I’ve known for so long and I just can’t wait to see again!
What advice would you give to other women who are pursuing careers in travel?
I would like to encourage every woman that would like to pursue a career in travel to just go for it! You will love it and get addicted to it. I take my kids on as many trips and itineraries as possible and they’ve already developed a greater appreciation and respect for the world we live in.