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Meet the captain of Freedom of the Seas

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On the penultimate day of our Mediterranean cruise, we met the captain of the Freedom of the Seas: Espen Been from Oslo, Norway. Among other things, he tells us about everyday life on board, about the happiest guests, about safety and takes the opportunity to advise us on countries we should visit.

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Norwegian captain - who speaks Spanish

The captain of the Freedom of the SeasEspen Been is from Oslo, Norway, and when we meet we can speak Scandinavian to each other. But Espen not only speaks Norwegian and English, he is also fluent in Spanish. He has lived for many years in Chile, although he has now moved back to Oslo.

Espen benefits greatly from speaking Spanish on board the ship. Many of the guests on this Mediterranean cruise come from Spain, and when the ship cruises in the Caribbean there are many Latin Americans on board. According to Espen, the Latin Americans are the happiest guests!

Kapten Espen Been
Captain Espen Been on the bridge of the Freedom of the Seas.

Long experience

Originally, Espen wanted to be a pilot, but various circumstances led him to become the captain of one of Royal Caribbean's largest ships. Today, he has extensive experience. He started his career with Petro Trans Skaugen, a company that transported oil from the Gulf of Mexico, and in 1996 he started working for Royal Caribbean.

Espen has worked on several different ships, and was also part of the team that spent several years building the Voyager of the Seas in Finland. Today, he is the captain of the huge ship Freedom of the Seas, which operates in the Mediterranean in the summer and the Caribbean in the winter. Together with the ship's HR department, he is responsible for over 1400 employees!

Freedom of the Seas kapten
Captain Espen Been, in port in La Spezia, Italy

What is the captain's life on board?

We ask about life on board and learn that the captain sleeps at night, even if the ship is running. However, he is always in charge and is woken up if necessary. Normally, he gets up at five o'clock in the morning, when they start with a briefing on the night's operations.

The captain always works ten weeks in a row, and is then home in Oslo for ten weeks in a row. Isn't it difficult to be away from any family for so long? Captain Espen brings his partner on board, and if you have children, you can bring them too.

Kaptenen på Freedom of the Seas berättar om livet ombord
Captain of the Freedom of the Seas talks about life on board

How is safety on board?

We also take the opportunity to ask about safety on board. Although this type of ship feels safe, we remember the nasty accident involving the Costa Concordia off Italy a few years ago. But Espen says there is absolutely no need to worry.

All the major cruise lines work with quality assurance systems today and there are regular drills for both passengers and staff. During our days on board alone, there were actually two such exercises - one for everyone and one for staff only.

På kommandobryggan på Freedom of the Seas
On the bridge of the Freedom of the Seas

Captain's favourites

Last but not least, we wonder about the captain's favourites. He says Europe is beautiful and has great harbours. But there's no mistaking his love for Latin America either. When we say we haven't been there, he speaks highly of countries like Panama and Colombia. "You have to go there!" he says.

Kapten Freedom of the Seas
It feels a bit different looking out from the bridge! Photo: Rosita Lincoln

Part of this trip is a press trip, in cooperation with Royal Caribbean. Top photo: Helena, Captain Espen Been and Peter, photo: Rosita Lincoln

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