This is the latest installment of our bimonthly column Crews on Cruise, spotlighting the people who work behind the scenes of the world’s most memorable voyages—from bartenders and entertainers to ship captains and expedition leaders.
When Alivia Matcas left her hometown of Cahul, a small city in southern Moldova, for Portugal at age 12, it was the start of a much bigger journey. She moved in with an aunt, learned a language, and adapted to a new culture. By 22, she was working as a receptionist in a private clinic but craving both financial stability and the chance to see more of the world. That’s when a recruiter mentioned an option she’d never considered: a housekeeping role on a river cruise ship. “I didn’t even know this world existed,” she recalls. “But as soon as I understood it was river cruising—not ocean—and that I could go home every two months, it felt right.”
Matcas found her stride on Uniworld’s 110-passenger S.S. Victoria, where she became a guest favorite thanks to her meticulous approach and unfailingly warm presence. “I love cleaning,” she says. “It’s therapeutic. You have to really focus on the details, and that’s what the guests notice and appreciate. Folding their pajamas nicely or winding their computer cord—it’s an opportunity to show kindness through cleaning.”
Her discipline has also been deeply personal: the money she earned at Uniworld helped her build a house in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, where she now lives with her mother and 10-year-old brother. Uniworld is also where she fell in love with her partner Vladimir, a housekeeping manager from Serbia, nearly six and a half years ago.
Today, she’s a laundry attendant on Uniworld’s 148-passenger S.S. Beatrice, which sails the Rhine, Danube, and other main rivers. We caught up with Matcas when she was docked in Germany to talk about finding her voice on board, the brother she misses daily, and the tiny German towns that stole her heart.
What does a typical day on the job look like?
“In housekeeping we usually start at 8 o’clock in the morning. We clean the public areas, but we prioritize the staterooms because the guests are often on tour from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. If we finish a bit earlier, we go to the laundry to help our colleagues. Somewhere around 11 a.m. we have crew lunch, and our break is from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., which gives us time to rest, exercise, read, or go outside and explore—just like the guests.
At 5:30 p.m. we have crew dinner, and then our housekeeping manager gives us any letters, invitations, or pillow gifts we need to place in the rooms. As soon as dinner starts for the guests, we begin evening service. It’s lighter than the morning: we don’t dust or vacuum unless it’s really necessary, but the bathroom is cleaned, we do turndown, and we prepare the room for the night.
After that, two colleagues from our team help the restaurant by polishing the cutlery. In exchange, on embarkation and disembarkation days, the restaurant team helps us with the glasses and removing linen from the rooms. They vacuum and strip the beds so we can focus on cleaning and making everything perfect before new guests arrive.”
What is your favorite part about this job?
“I really enjoy the interaction with guests. Before I started working in hospitality, I was more introverted—always quiet but a good listener. I still love to listen, but working on board made me more of an extrovert. My family noticed that I talk more now, and that I’m more energetic.
Another thing I love is seeing new places. Thanks to this job, I’ve seen cities I would never have visited otherwise. Sometimes we return in different seasons—summer and then for the Christmas markets—and it feels like discovering a destination twice.”
What is the most challenging part about working at sea?
“One of the hardest situations is when guests get sick. It’s sad to see them confined to their room when they were planning for this experience for so long. Cleaning those rooms takes more time, too, because we follow special procedures.
Another challenge is when a colleague gets sick. On a ship we are like a puzzle—if one piece is missing, the whole picture is affected. It doesn’t matter if it’s housekeeping, restaurant, or front desk. Until someone new can join the ship, everyone has to adapt, and sometimes managers put on the uniform and help with the physical work as well.
Of course, the emotional part is also challenging. I am very close to my little brother. The day before I leave for a new contract is always the most difficult. At the same time, I see it as a lesson. Our generation grew up with the idea that everything comes fast and easy. I want him to understand that sometimes we need to sacrifice things, and that it takes time to achieve our dreams—like building my family a house.”
What is the coolest or weirdest thing about living on a ship?
“The coolest part is our little community life. We watch football games together in the crew dining room or lounge. We play Uno. Sometimes a colleague—a salsa and bachata teacher—gives us dance lessons, and our wellbeing coach gives three-minute chair massages and organizes hikes when we’re in port. We also have poker nights, movie nights, and karaoke nights organized by our hotel manager. I’m still too shy for karaoke, though.”
What is your favorite place you’ve traveled so far?
“Boppard, Germany. It’s a small town on the Rhine with a lot of nature around, and it feels very peaceful. When I imagine a place where I could retire, it looks a bit like Boppard.
I also love Koblenz. It has more movement—many shops and places to visit—but still has that river atmosphere. And Strasbourg, especially during the Christmas markets, is magical. The way they decorate the buildings, with polar bears and lights everywhere—is like a fairy tale.”
What is your favorite place to hang out on board the ship?
“I like the small crew area on the aft deck. It’s where the smokers go, but it’s also just a quiet outdoor space. When we’re sailing, it’s nice to feel the fresh air and look at the scenery.
I also like our crew dining room because it’s where we really connect. We celebrate birthdays there—moving the tables, organizing snacks and drinks, putting the music louder, and dancing. It’s small but it feels like a family living room.”
Tell us about a memorable guest interaction that sticks out to you.
“We had a group of Brazilian passengers in my first season, and because I speak Portuguese, I felt very connected to them. Their English wasn’t very strong, so every day when we received the daily program, I would explain in Portuguese what the plan was for the next day—what time the tour would start, when we would sail, things like that.
It was a small thing, but it made a big difference for them. And for me it was a reminder that speaking more than one language is a gift, especially on a ship where people come from all over the world.”
What’s your top tip for first-time cruisers?
“Treat this as a vacation, not a checklist. Choose the excursions that really speak to you, enjoy the moments on board, and don’t feel guilty if you skip something to take a nap or just watch the river from your balcony.
Sometimes I joke with guests that they might need another vacation after this vacation—but if they balance the tours with some rest, they go home happy instead of exhausted.”
