Meet these formidable female sailors from Royal Caribbean

Miss Nicoleta Pascal's parents wanted her to be a doctor, but the strong-minded independent woman had other ideas.

She followed her maritime dreams and joined the Mircea cel Batrân Naval Academy in her native Romania.

Miss Pascal, 30, has been working for Royal Caribbean Cruises since 2011 as a chief officer deck on board the Celebrity Millennium. She is in charge of making sure that the ship navigates safely. Her job involves watchkeeping - keeping a close eye on traffic and weather.

Another crew member on board the Celebrity Millennium is Miss Doverlee Lopez, 41, who has worked as an information technology manager at Royal Caribbean Cruises since 2009.

The Filipina is in charge of maintaining the ship's computer systems.She was the only woman in her team when she first started as an onboard online technician but soon rose up the ranks to be a manager. - ETHAN LEUNG