As part of their plan for early retirement, the Berrys sold their house 10 years prior to their target date and moved into a manufactured home, cutting their house payment by two-thirds. Two years before leaving their jobs, Vicki in research and development at the healthcare company and James in advertising sales for Gannett Publishing, they moved into their fifth-wheel.
A love for travel had first brought James and Vicki together. They bought a custom van, but when their babies came along, they upgraded to a camper on the back of a truck. Next, they graduated to a pull-type trailer. Once their sons were grown, they knew they wanted to live full-time on the road.
“Many friends and our family, especially my mother, thought we were crazy,” Vicki says. “However, she has visited us in every location where we’ve parked for a length of time, including Alaska.”
Since they retired early, Vicki at age 48, and James at age 55, they knew they would need to work at least part of each year. First, they worked as volunteer camp hosts at Eisenhower State Park, located on Lake Texoma north of Dallas, Texas.
At a job fair in Yuma, Arizona, James and Vicki were hired to work the 2004 season at Adventureland near Des Moines, Iowa. “ I had just broken my shoulder, so working at Soda and Sounds was a challenge,” she says, explaining the theme park’s eatery with a live show. “But it was a wonderful experience! James worked in the Guessing Weight and Age booth in the games area.”
Vicki relates that James is forever in a helping mode. “One stormy night at Adventureland in Iowa, a couple had just purchased a new rig and left out the awning,” she says. “At midnight, James saw them struggling to roll it in, both bleeding and distraught. I barely got a rain jacket over his shoulders before he was out the door to pull with all his might on that awning. His helpfulness carries over into maintaining our home on wheels—and in his sense of customer service in Workamping jobs.
“We really enjoyed our first Workamping experience at Adventureland and wanted to return the following year,” Vicki continues. “However, we met some friends at the theme park and followed them to Cooper Landing on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska.”
She goes on, “The Adventureland management wrote a terrific letter of sincere credit to James’ effort and personality. He had no problem getting a job with Princess Tours.”
For five years, the Berrys have worked at the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge, only two hours south of Anchorage and one hour north of Seward. James trained at Anchorage and obtained a commercial drivers license (CDL) to qualify for a shuttle driver. He also sells land tours for hiking, fishing, horseback riding, carriage rides, husky sledding dog shows, kayaking, rafting, and Kenai Fjords whale sighting/glacier watching tours. Then he transports guests from the Princess Resort to their launch spots and picks them up when their activity is complete. As he drives, he uses his winning personality to narrate, giving tidbits about history and scenery along the route. For one year, Vicki worked in housekeeping. However, the past four years, she volunteered for the museum in Cooper Landing and twice weekly led an exercise class called “Strong Woman” at the senior housing.
Being adventurers, James and Vicki chose to spend three winters in Alaska, moving into a cabin on the resort property. James’ only duty was reading the boiler on Saturdays and Sundays. However, he kept busy volunteering to drive the ambulance in Cooper Landing, and also driving senior citizens to shop for groceries and to medical appointments an hour away—two hours if snow fell.
He endeared himself to the older residents, eagerly listening to their stories of earlier days on the Alaskan frontier. In a mini-passenger bus, every Monday he drove the "Sexy Seniors Dump Cleaners" to various dump sites in three small communities on the Kenai Peninsula, Hope, Moose Pass, and Cooper Landing. These hardy seniors cleaned around the dumpsters and picked up any paper trash in the area.
"We always had lunch in Hope—or wherever we found the closest lunch spot for our hungry troop,” James says. “The trip is a total of about 120 miles and the seniors receive $1100 per month for the senior house in Cooper Landing.” The Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge overlooks the Kenai River, home to a legendary king salmon run.
The Kenai Peninsula is known among both Alaskans and visitors as a favorite playground, offering the best in hiking, kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, and fishing.
The 86-room Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge is centrally located on 46 acres in Cooper Landing, affording 1200 feet of riverfront property. During a May 15-September 15 season, approximately 100 employees work in jobs such as tour and front desk representatives, housekeeping, food and beverage, office administration, maintenance, and in the RV Park.
The Lodge offers dorm housing or RV sites to its employees. Upon successful completion of the terms of the employment agreement, an attractive discounted travel program may be available, including cruises with Princess. Land excursions like river rafting and horseback riding are available at a discounted price.
In their off-time, James fishes for those fighting salmon. He and Vicki hike with their dog, hunt for blueberries with a keen eye on any possible “Momma” moose, and eat succulent halibut at Louis’s in the city of Kenai.
“We see as much as possible of Alaska—and the long daylight—lasting past 11:30 p.m., helps,” James says. “Workamper News provides us with great information about adventures wherever we travel. Wilderness Lodge in Cooper Landing is an awesome work place. The management forms a great team and they want their employees to create the most wonderful memory possible while working for Princess Tours.
“The company has a tremendous return of workers each year,” he continues. “A large number of Workampers return for as many as five, six, or even ten years. That’s a lot of driving, mileage, and fuel just to work in this particular slice of America.”
ABOUT WORKING FOR PRINCESS ALASKA LODGES
Princess Tours, the land tour division of Princess Cruise Lines, can help Workampers spend a summer in Alaska. The company hires approximately 3,000 employees annually to fill a variety of positions in wilderness lodges, on the railroad, or in other transportation modes. Many of the company’s locations are remote and located many miles from the nearest urban town center.
To prepare for roles such as James Berry’s, Holland America-Princess helps new employees train to obtain their CDL Most training programs begin in February and conclude by the end of April. Training consists of 4 to 6 hours of individual training per week, in addition to classroom sessions on select Saturdays. Training programs are offered in various locations, such as Bellingham and Ellensburg, Washington, Provo, Utah, Phoenix, Arizona, and several Alaska cities. James took his training in Anchorage.
Most positions are uniformed. Employees may be required to provide portions of their uniform. Information will be provided prior to arrival at the job site. Additionally, all employees must maintain a neat and clean appearance and adhere to the grooming policy.
At the time an employee starts work, he or she must provide documentation of identity and eligibility to work in the United States or Canada.
As a benefit, Princess offers seasonal employees the opportunity to cruise to a variety of destinations under the Employee Space Available Program. Employees who have completed two consecutive seasonal contracts, working a minimum of 600 total hours, are eligible to travel at a reduced rate for an inside cabin on a space-available basis. With every consecutive season worked, employees gain a greater chance of being confirmed on a selected cruise. In some cases, family members of employees may be eligible for travel programs and discounts.
The Princess Cruises and Holland America prefer that Workampers apply on-line. Address is: www.alaskatourjobs.com.