About Me
Hi, I’m Ali from Sarajevo, Bosnia. Born and raised in this vibrant, mountainous city, I’ve always been drawn to technology and programming. As a young student, I enrolled in the Natural Sciences college in the Math Section, dreaming of a career as a software engineer. Life, however, had other plans—needing a job, I left my studies unfinished and began working. Dissatisfied with the opportunities and salaries in Bosnia, I set my sights abroad, which unexpectedly led me to an adventurous career on cruise ships.
My Cruise Ship Journey
In 2017, a friend introduced me to cruise ship jobs through an employment agency. Without a clear idea of what I’d be doing, I attended an interview, eager to travel and explore. I landed my first role as a lifeguard on the Carnival Pride, embarking on a 9-month contract sailing from Baltimore to the Bahamas—Nassau, Freeport, and Half Moon Cay. Though the itinerary grew repetitive, special cruises to Bermuda and St. Thomas sparked my love for exploration.While onboard, I connected with crew from various departments and discovered the casino—a job offering better free time and pay. With no prior gambling experience, I invested my lifeguard earnings into casino school in Lithuania, mastering Blackjack and Roulette. Transitioning to a dealer wasn’t easy; onboard, I tackled additional games like Three Card Poker, Heads Up Poker, High Card Flush, and the notoriously tricky Craps, with its complex bets and calculations. Embracing the challenge, I learned a new profession while sailing the world.
Ports and Adventures
Since 2017, cruise ships have taken me to breathtaking places across the globe:- Asia (Sapphire Princess from Singapore): Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Korea—my first taste of Asian culture.
- Europe (Emerald Princess, Sun Princess): Malta, Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Madeira, England, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Montenegro, and Southampton.
- South Pacific (Emerald Princess): Hawaii, Bora Bora, French Polynesia.
- Australia (Coral Princess from Brisbane): Cairns, Port Douglas, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and a month-long cruise around the continent, filled with wildlife like free-flying parrots.
- Caribbean (Enchanted Princess from Fort Lauderdale): Aruba, Barbados, Curacao, St. Thomas, Grand Turk, and more.
- Alaska (Discovery Princess from Seattle, Royal Princess from Vancouver): Skagway (where I hiked Dewey Lake), Juneau, Ketchikan, plus Victoria (Canada) and U.S. ports like LA, San Francisco, San Diego, and Cabo (Mexico).
- New Zealand & Japan (Royal Princess from Sydney): Wellington, Tauranga, Christchurch, Auckland, Newcastle, and Japan—where I fell in love with the culture’s respect for people and nature.
Life and Love at Sea
In 2019, the cruise life gave me more than adventures—it introduced me to my wife from the Philippines. We’ve since welcomed a beautiful two-month-old baby, marking a new chapter in our journey together.Programming: A Lifelong Passion
Despite my detour into cruise ships, programming remains my core passion. In high school, I learned Turbo Pascal, later diving into web development with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I’ve explored frameworks like Angular, React, React Native, and NextJS—this website, built with NextJS, is a product of that journey. I’ve also created practical tools for casino dealers: Flash Card Calculator: A web and Android app to speed up roulette calculations. Horn Bet Calculator: A guide for mastering complex dice bets.