An ice rink is probably the last thing most people would expect to find aboard a Caribbean cruise ship – but for one professional figure skater, it’s become her everyday reality.
Less than a decade ago, Alexandra was performing flips, spirals and axels in front of stony-faced judges at competitions in Switzerland.
Today, she performs those same routines to charting hits in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, entertaining packed audiences aboard some of the world’s biggest cruise ships.
And, unlike the nerve-wracking silence of competitive skating, cruise crowds are loud, energetic and eager to join in.
Alexandra, 33, from the Czech Republic, has been skating since she was around five years old, and has now spent almost five years performing across Royal Caribbean’s fleet.
On the ice, on the water: Ex pro figure skater Alexandra and her husband now carve a living from entertaining cruise passengers on board Royal Caribbean liners
While many might see figure skating on a cruise ship as an unusual career path, Alexandra says the idea first came to her when she was around 15 years old.
Her coach at the time had previously performed on cruise ships and became the perfect person to learn from.
She said: ‘In his spare time, he would teach me a few tricks, talk to me about show. And I just came back home from the practice to my parents.
I said, “Listen, I want to go on a cruise ship. I want to go on a cruise ship one day.” That’s how that started.’
After competing professionally in Switzerland, Alexandra’s skating career stalled when the COVID-19 pandemic brought competitions to a halt for more than a year.
At the time, she and her now-husband – also a professional figure skater – were considering stepping away from the sport entirely when an opportunity to join Royal Caribbean came up.
Following several rounds of auditions, including online demonstrations, interviews and submitting old skating footage, the pair eventually secured their first contracts.
Now, Alexandra sails across the Caribbean and beyond aboard huge ships like Star of the Seas, where she performs up to seven shows per sailing in sparkling cowgirl costumes.
But perhaps the most remarkable part of Alexandra’s job is that she gets to perform alongside her Swiss-born husband – whom she met 14 years ago at a skating training camp.
The ice dancers manage to perform complicated routines despite the confines of the liner environment
She said: ‘Me and my husband, we actually started dating prior to our skating career together. We met at this training camp, where we were both with our respective partners, and we started dating.
‘All of us were from different countries – I was representing the Czech Republic at the time and my husband is from Switzerland. A year later, both of our partners had quit, so we decided to give it a shot together in skating.’
So what does a typical day look like for a figure skater working aboard a cruise ship?
‘Structured’, Alexandra says, ‘It always varies depending if we have a show, or what duties are planned for that day.’
‘If we’re in port, usually the first part of the day is quite free for us. So I get to wake up early, grab a coffee, enjoy a little reading… And then we head out in the port.
‘We can enjoy some downtime on the beach, relax, have a little swim. And then I would typically grab lunch outside as well before heading back on the ship.’
However, show days are far busier. She continued: ‘If we have shows that day, we continue with rehearsals, warm-ups, and preparation for the show – this includes costume presets, makeup, getting everything ready and making sure everything is perfectly set for the event ahead.’
Away from performing, Alexandra is sometimes assigned additional duties, including safety drills or hosting open ice-skating sessions for guests onboard.
But with as many as seven performances per sailing, much of her time is dedicated to delivering polished routines – come rain or shine.
When she’s not skating in large ensemble performances with up to 16 skaters, Alexandra performs pairs routines with her husband, featuring complex tricks that include twist and throw jumps, and overhead rotating lifts.
The skater during her professional career, and right, as a young skater in her native Czechia
These special moves require precision and balance – something that becomes increasingly difficult when rough seas cause the ship to move.
Alexandra said: ‘We try to get used to it as much as we can. When we came on our first contract, it was a surprise that the ship moves a lot.
‘But with the position of the ice skating ring on the ship, we do not get as much impact as you might feel in the higher floors. So we’re quite lucky with that.
‘We keep practicing in order to get used to it. For example, if we’re in a lift traveling across the ice and all of a sudden we go uphill, we have to stop – we have to push more.’
If conditions become too rough, the pair have backup plans built into their routines.
‘If it becomes too much, then we always have kind of a plan B in our routine that we’re allowed to use – we modify the tricks that we are doing so that we can still offer a great performance to the audience.
‘We always try to find a version of tricks that we are able to do while the ship is rocking a lot so that we can stay safe but still offer a nice level of performance.’
According to the skater, nothing compares to the atmosphere onboard – not even the medals and trophies she collected during competitions.
She explained: ‘I would say the biggest difference is that for the people that are coming to watch the show, it might be the first time watching figure skating in their lives and they don’t know really what to expect.
‘We are there not to show a perfect performance in terms of points or in terms of technical difficulties, we are there to entertain, to make sure everybody’s having a great time and the audience is also responding in that way.
‘For me, personally, it is way more entertaining performing for 1000 people in the audience than absolute zero as you feel the connection.
‘We are very close to the audience as opposed to the competition where, you know, everybody’s sitting in the stands. It’s quite far. This feels way more personal and there is this connection with the audience that I really enjoy.’
Skating onboard has also allowed Alexandra to visit countless bucket-list destinations throughout the Caribbean – though one destination stands out above the rest.
‘I have to say my favorite port is St. Martin. The island is just so beautiful. It has stunning beaches, little shops, cafes, restaurants,’ the skater said.
The rink is positioned on the lower decks, because it’s the most stable part of the ship
‘I really love French cuisine, so that’s also something I really enjoy while we’re there. Also, for me as a crew member, one of the big pluses in this sport is that everything is very close to the ship. I can enjoy, relax and get the most of my time in port.’
One of the biggest challenges to cruise life, Alexandra admits, is being away from home for long periods of time, with contracts typically spanning six to nine months.
Even so, she says the opportunity to travel the world, experience different cultures and meet new people far outweighs the downsides.
Creative: The former professional figure skater says she loves the new career her skills have given her
And for Alexandra, there are no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
While many competitive skaters tend to retire in their mid-20s, performing at sea has allowed her to continue skating professionally while gaining new experiences around the world.
She has also noticed increased interest in figure skating roles aboard cruise ships – something she hopes to encourage later down the line through coaching.
Alexandra said: ‘I’m not sure whether it’s because I’m now in this environment of the cruise ship, so I see it a little bit more than before, but I really hope that people will become aware of [figure skating at sea] a little bit more.’
‘One day, I hope to return back to coaching as well. And I will make sure that I spread the word around with my athletes. I think it’s a great experience everyone should try.’
For now, though, Alexandra is happy continuing her life at sea.
She noted: ‘I feel incredibly lucky that Royal Caribbean has offered me this opportunity of doing what I love for a living.
‘I never imagined that I can actually skate and build a career out of it in this show world. It’s unique job that I get to share also with my teammates, with my husband…
‘I get to inspire other people, especially young kids in the audience that come to watch me skate. That’s something I truly value.’