Well, I decided that I should probably get back to blogging since it’s been 2 months since my last entry. I apologize for being so horrible about it. I’ve spoken to many of you via phone, email, or internet of some sort… but I really should have continued to blog in the process. So, hopefully this next month I’ll get back on my blogging game.
So… today we’re in Montevideo, Uruguay. It’s our last South American cruise as well as the last time we visit each of the ports that we’ve become so well acquainted. Today is my IPM (In-Port Manning) day, so I’m stuck onboard doing all of the activities and library duty for the day. It’s become great though because on our IPM days we’ve really begun to take the brunt of the work so that everyone else can get the majority of the day off and really maximize their time ashore. For instance, we were in Buenos Aires for 2 days (we overnighted there one night) and it was the very first time I’ve had an entire day off while on ships. It was the greatest feeling knowing that there wasn’t a certain time that I had to be back onboard to work. The only reason I had the day off was because the Party Planner was on IPM and said she would take my 3-hour library shift so I would have the whole day off. It’s been great with this team because we all get along and understand that we’re all here to travel and the more time we have ashore, the better the opportunities to really experience these countries. Soooo, we’ve all started taking shifts from one another to make everyone’s lives easier. It’s really great!
This cruise my great Aunt and Uncle are onboard for the 16-day cruise from Rio de Janeiro to Santiago, Chile. Danny and I have been spending a lot of time with them introducing them to all of the great people onboard and taking them to places in the ports that we’ve found to be the best representations of South American culture. In Buenos Aires the first night, we went to a tango show that was absolutely amazing. I have absolutely no idea how the people move their legs as quickly as they do without kicking one another… even Danny was impressed! The following day, we all went to the La Boca district of Buenos Aires. This district is full of colorful buildings, sidewalk restaurants with tango dancers right outside, and artisans with their work on tables surrounding the streets. We walked around for a bit then stopped at a restaurant with outdoor tables where we watched tango dancers performing on the outdoor small stage.
During my first contract, I bought shot glasses for myself and my sister at every port since we both collect shot glasses. During this contract, I decided to cut my losses with the shot glasses since many of them broke during their transport last time and I’ve ended up unintentionally collecting art from different ports. I’ve bought 2 small paintings and two small statues, as well as three really small framed photographs of tango dancers. I figure someday when I have my own place, it’ll be cool to use art as a way to reflect back on the adventures that I had at Sea.
Colleen comes onboard in Valparaiso for 22 days! I’m so excited!!! She’s actually going to be staying in my room and getting all of the same treatments as a crew member, only she doesn’t have to work. It should be a great time for her, and it’ll be amazing to show someone exactly what it’s like to work on a ship. I think it’ll give her a great opportunity to see why I’ve continued to do this job for longer than I originally intended, and why I may want to stick with it for a while longer. She’ll get to get off the ship in every port and really be able to see parts of the world that she has never been to, while seeing the behind-the-scenes world of cruise ships. Right now, Leen is in Nicaragua on a medical relief trip. She left on March 20th and will be flying from Nicaragua to Chile to meet up with the ship. She may just be all traveled out by the time she’s finished!
As for me, I’m still waiting to figure out what I’ll be doing after this contract. I have to wait and see if I get asked to come back for the Grand Voyage because as I’ve said many times, I would most like to come back to this ship because it has an amazing itinerary and Danny will already be here… and since I guess I like him a little bit, it would be nice to be on the same ship again.
In other news… only a month and 5 days til I’m home!!!! I think this time I’ll be home for at least 2 months, so I plan to make time for beach getaways, nascar races, and plenty of fun with friends and family! I would love to catch up with everyone because the biggest challenge in being away from home is realizing how much has changed since I’ve been gone. So, of course, I would absolutely LOVE to meet up with everyone to see how life has panned out in the past 5 months.
Alright, back to library duty… I love and miss you all lots and can’t wait to see you very soon!!!!
xoxo
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Holiday Seasons, etc.
Well, I’d like to begin by apologizing for being so horrible about blogging over the holidays. I hope you all had an amazing Holiday season and that 2009 has been successful thus far. For the past two weeks, it’s been hard to find time even to type out a little update. Soooo, here goes:
Christmas onboard was interesting at best. It was my first Christmas away from home and definitely made me realize that I never want to spend the holidays away from my family and friends ever again. Christmas has always been my absolute favorite time of the year and although we were in Antarctica for the 23rd, 24th, and 25th… it just didn’t feel like the Christmas spirit was in the air. The décor of the ship was appropriate with trees and lights, but working for 12 hours was hardly what I wanted to be doing.
Christmas Eve was a normal day at Sea… lots of work and socializing out on the outdoor decks when we weren’t working an actual shift. In Antarctica there are a lot of environmental rules and regulations to try to keep the area as pristine as possible. That being said, we couldn’t have any outdoor sporting events. I loved that aspect because we had very few events and the indoor ones that we did have were run by the DJ for the most part. Christmas Eve we had an International Choir performance at 11:15 pm. The performance included carols sung by the English-speaking choir, Indonesian choir, and Filipino choir. The passengers absolutely loved it! After we all got off of the stage, we went to the Pinnacle Grill (the fine-dining restaurant onboard) and had cookies and drinks with all of the staff members that participated in the choir. Midnight mass was held in the show lounge. I dragged Danny along for his first Catholic mass since he was about 12. I think this was the strangest part of my Christmas because our family traditions with mass were always different than most. We used to have a mass at my Grandma’s house and my Great Uncle John would always preside over the mass because he is a priest. So, being in a mass on Christmas that was not as personalized was a bit strange. I still liked the midnight mass though!
On Christmas Day (as I said before) I worked A LOT. I instantly decided that when you pick up a job at a movie theater or Chinese food restaurant, you know you’ll be working… but everyone else should have hours adjusted accordingly. Do people REALLY need to check books out on Christmas while in Antarctica? Probably not. It just was a bit frustrating because it was our Christmas too, not just a holiday for the passengers. But, we got through it. I did get to watch the Christmas Cabaret show that the cast choreographed and performed in the afternoon. It was cute… full of Christmas carols and fun dances. All of the staff members were invited to a nice dinner on the lido deck, where Danny and I both got surf and turf (filet mignon and lobster tail) and had a few glasses of wine. He even drank wine, so it must’ve been a special occasion! Then, it was back off to the library until closing.
New Year’s was fun, though it involved a whole lot of preparation! On the 30th, the whole entertainment team (including event staff, cruise director, event manager, about 5 musicians, and all 10 cast members) went into the show lounge at 11:30 pm and began blowing up TONS of balloons for the balloon drop that we would have the next night. We also hung silver and gold streamers on every single pole in the whole lounge. We put center pieces on all tables and hung balloon strings down the tall walls on the sides of the stage. There are railings that were pulled out and assembled on the front of the stage so that we could convert the stage into an additional dance floor (the center flooring is also a dance floor.) Needless to say, the hard work that night and the following day paid off because the lounge looked amazing! The pictures I have don’t even do it justice.
When we arrived in Rio de Janeiro, we had 2 overnights. This was the first time that I’ve been in one place for 3 days since I was home! On the first night, a bunch of us went out and were going to go to a club, but the cover charge was really expensive so we decided to go to this street that is lined with bars and restaurants and is apparently pretty safe in comparison to most places in Rio. The bars had ridiculous lines and it would’ve taken us all night to get in, so we decided to just walk up and down the street to get a feel for the city. It reminded me of a big festival because there were people everywhere at 2 am! There were carts everywhere on the street selling sodas, beer, and Smirnoff Ice. Apparently Brazil doesn’t have open container laws like we do in the US. Haha. We ended up stopping at a restaurant that was AMAZING! Danny and I split a dish that had a pizza-looking pan and the pan was filled with slices of filet mignon and topped with sautéed onions, melted cheese, and potato wedges. We obviously were not thinking about health, but it was soooooo good! After that, we took a cab back to the ship and our 4:30 am bedtime did not end up being very fun for me since I had to work disembarkation the following morning at 7 am.
Needless to say, I spent my time off the next day sleeping so I could catch up and get back on track. Now we’re on another cruise from Rio back around through Antarctica and ending in Valparaiso, Chile. This cruise we have quite a few VIPs onboard. The parents of the CEO of Holland America are sailing with us along with two other couples. Also, we’re doing a lot of preparation because one of the head honchos from Corporate is coming to sail with us during our next voyage. He often goes on ships for a week (or even a day) and goes through everything with a fine-tooth comb and critiques everything that is done onboard. We have to make sure everything is top-notch for the next cruise so he won’t tear us apart!
We’ve still had time to get off the ship and have fun. On Friday we were in Montevideo, Uruguay… I’m pretty sure it may be one of my favorite ports here. I got off the ship with the other event staff guy and his fiancé from the cast, the DJ, and Danny. We spent the afternoon walking around and taking fun pictures. Then, we went to a fun restaurant and ate lunch and drank some local beer. The beer comes in 1 liter bottles and is less than $3. On our way to the restaurant, we walked by some street vendors. I ended up buying a painting off of the street for $20. It’s a painting of the streets in Uruguay and was done by a local. It’s really pretty and the price was definitely right. Something tells me that I shouldn’t start my collection now when I’m going to have to get it all home somehow. Oh well, I’ll find a way.
Our new Event Manager (the cruise director I worked with on the Veendam) is officially into the swing of things. He was an Event Manager in the past, so now he’s just trying to readjust his mode. We’re trying to get ready for Antarctica again, as the weather is quickly getting colder. I’ll try to resize my pictures and put up some pictures of the penguins and whales that we saw over Christmas!
I miss you all so much and can’t wait to hear from you! I’ll definitely be better about blogging now that our busiest time has passed… Love you all!
Xoxoxo.
Christmas onboard was interesting at best. It was my first Christmas away from home and definitely made me realize that I never want to spend the holidays away from my family and friends ever again. Christmas has always been my absolute favorite time of the year and although we were in Antarctica for the 23rd, 24th, and 25th… it just didn’t feel like the Christmas spirit was in the air. The décor of the ship was appropriate with trees and lights, but working for 12 hours was hardly what I wanted to be doing.
Christmas Eve was a normal day at Sea… lots of work and socializing out on the outdoor decks when we weren’t working an actual shift. In Antarctica there are a lot of environmental rules and regulations to try to keep the area as pristine as possible. That being said, we couldn’t have any outdoor sporting events. I loved that aspect because we had very few events and the indoor ones that we did have were run by the DJ for the most part. Christmas Eve we had an International Choir performance at 11:15 pm. The performance included carols sung by the English-speaking choir, Indonesian choir, and Filipino choir. The passengers absolutely loved it! After we all got off of the stage, we went to the Pinnacle Grill (the fine-dining restaurant onboard) and had cookies and drinks with all of the staff members that participated in the choir. Midnight mass was held in the show lounge. I dragged Danny along for his first Catholic mass since he was about 12. I think this was the strangest part of my Christmas because our family traditions with mass were always different than most. We used to have a mass at my Grandma’s house and my Great Uncle John would always preside over the mass because he is a priest. So, being in a mass on Christmas that was not as personalized was a bit strange. I still liked the midnight mass though!
On Christmas Day (as I said before) I worked A LOT. I instantly decided that when you pick up a job at a movie theater or Chinese food restaurant, you know you’ll be working… but everyone else should have hours adjusted accordingly. Do people REALLY need to check books out on Christmas while in Antarctica? Probably not. It just was a bit frustrating because it was our Christmas too, not just a holiday for the passengers. But, we got through it. I did get to watch the Christmas Cabaret show that the cast choreographed and performed in the afternoon. It was cute… full of Christmas carols and fun dances. All of the staff members were invited to a nice dinner on the lido deck, where Danny and I both got surf and turf (filet mignon and lobster tail) and had a few glasses of wine. He even drank wine, so it must’ve been a special occasion! Then, it was back off to the library until closing.
New Year’s was fun, though it involved a whole lot of preparation! On the 30th, the whole entertainment team (including event staff, cruise director, event manager, about 5 musicians, and all 10 cast members) went into the show lounge at 11:30 pm and began blowing up TONS of balloons for the balloon drop that we would have the next night. We also hung silver and gold streamers on every single pole in the whole lounge. We put center pieces on all tables and hung balloon strings down the tall walls on the sides of the stage. There are railings that were pulled out and assembled on the front of the stage so that we could convert the stage into an additional dance floor (the center flooring is also a dance floor.) Needless to say, the hard work that night and the following day paid off because the lounge looked amazing! The pictures I have don’t even do it justice.
When we arrived in Rio de Janeiro, we had 2 overnights. This was the first time that I’ve been in one place for 3 days since I was home! On the first night, a bunch of us went out and were going to go to a club, but the cover charge was really expensive so we decided to go to this street that is lined with bars and restaurants and is apparently pretty safe in comparison to most places in Rio. The bars had ridiculous lines and it would’ve taken us all night to get in, so we decided to just walk up and down the street to get a feel for the city. It reminded me of a big festival because there were people everywhere at 2 am! There were carts everywhere on the street selling sodas, beer, and Smirnoff Ice. Apparently Brazil doesn’t have open container laws like we do in the US. Haha. We ended up stopping at a restaurant that was AMAZING! Danny and I split a dish that had a pizza-looking pan and the pan was filled with slices of filet mignon and topped with sautéed onions, melted cheese, and potato wedges. We obviously were not thinking about health, but it was soooooo good! After that, we took a cab back to the ship and our 4:30 am bedtime did not end up being very fun for me since I had to work disembarkation the following morning at 7 am.
Needless to say, I spent my time off the next day sleeping so I could catch up and get back on track. Now we’re on another cruise from Rio back around through Antarctica and ending in Valparaiso, Chile. This cruise we have quite a few VIPs onboard. The parents of the CEO of Holland America are sailing with us along with two other couples. Also, we’re doing a lot of preparation because one of the head honchos from Corporate is coming to sail with us during our next voyage. He often goes on ships for a week (or even a day) and goes through everything with a fine-tooth comb and critiques everything that is done onboard. We have to make sure everything is top-notch for the next cruise so he won’t tear us apart!
We’ve still had time to get off the ship and have fun. On Friday we were in Montevideo, Uruguay… I’m pretty sure it may be one of my favorite ports here. I got off the ship with the other event staff guy and his fiancé from the cast, the DJ, and Danny. We spent the afternoon walking around and taking fun pictures. Then, we went to a fun restaurant and ate lunch and drank some local beer. The beer comes in 1 liter bottles and is less than $3. On our way to the restaurant, we walked by some street vendors. I ended up buying a painting off of the street for $20. It’s a painting of the streets in Uruguay and was done by a local. It’s really pretty and the price was definitely right. Something tells me that I shouldn’t start my collection now when I’m going to have to get it all home somehow. Oh well, I’ll find a way.
Our new Event Manager (the cruise director I worked with on the Veendam) is officially into the swing of things. He was an Event Manager in the past, so now he’s just trying to readjust his mode. We’re trying to get ready for Antarctica again, as the weather is quickly getting colder. I’ll try to resize my pictures and put up some pictures of the penguins and whales that we saw over Christmas!
I miss you all so much and can’t wait to hear from you! I’ll definitely be better about blogging now that our busiest time has passed… Love you all!
Xoxoxo.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Getting closer to the South Pole!
12/19/08
Well we're officially back in cold weather, as we're getting closer to the Cape and Antarctica. Yesterday the weather was pretty unbearable, as it was extremely windy and the swells were starting to get bad. We had scenic cruising through the Darwin Channel yesterday, which is named after Charles Darwin (also famous for his theories on evolution.) Anyways, I haven't been outside to see the Darwin Channel or Amalia Glacier (where we are today) because I've been feeling really sick.
Yesterday, I worked for about 13 hours... and today I have a 16-hour day (working for 13.5 hours) soooo needless to say, I haven't had time to rest and sleep it off. I went to the infirmary this morning after library duty and they said I have a severe sinus infection and a hemmorhaging tonsil. This is apparently the second time I've had hemmorhaging problems in the same tonsil. I guess I'll need to go see an ENT doctor when I get home to solve the problem. I'm tempted to take a knife and cut them out myself at this point cause they're not worth the hassle! Needless to say, they put me on antibiotics and I have to check back in 5 days. I'm just hoping I feel better for all of the Christmas and New Year's activities cause being sick definitely puts a damper on the holiday spirit. I think I'm going to watch Polar Express tonight and drink hot chocolate... cause that's my only hope.
All of this work right around Christmas is making me extremely home sick... especially since today is Colleen's graduation day and I really wish I could be out in Colorado with my parents to see her walk across the stage. The last McArdle to graduate... and a semester early! She's amazing. I'm trying to get her to come onboard as a "friend onboard". Basically this means that she would be able to stay in my room and be treated as a crew member, only she wouldn't have to work. She'd only have to pay for transportation to the ship and can stay onboard for up to 30 days because I'm allowed to have a friend onboard for up to 30 days per calendar year. Leen would come onboard for my last cruise, so she'd fly in to Santiago, Chile and then go with us back over the equator, through the Mexican Riviera, and up the West Coast to Seattle.
12/20/08
Ok, it is Saturday and we're in Punta Arenas, Chile. It's our last Chilean port during this cruise. I opened the library this morning at 9 am and am here til 2. Then I don't have to work until 7:30, so I'll get some time to go ashore and do some fun stuff. I've been struggling to stay awake in the library this morning since port days tend to be fairly dead in here. So, I looked at a travel book on Chile and tried to come up with some ideas of stuff for Danny and I to do once I get off work. There are a few penguin colonies nearby, but I think I'll wait until the next time we're here (or even in the Falkland Islands) to get on a shore excursion through the ship. Our DJ and Party Planner are going on the shore excursion to see the penguins this afternoon, so I may have to get the scoop from them as to whether it's worth it.
I'm interested to see what the Falkland Islands are like... from what I've heard, it is very difficult to actually be able to stop. The port is so small that we have to tender in using our life boats, but the weather tends to be so rough that tendering is often a safety hazard. Many times they have to cancel the stop all together because they can't take the risk of having passengers injure themselves by trying to board a tender. I have IPM (In Port Manning) this voyage when we're in the Falklands, so we'll have to see how it goes. When we had our meeting at the end of the last cruise, our Event Manager told us about a time when he was on this ship and they had tendered into the port only to have the weather rapidly turn. They had to call the tenders back to the ship and passengers were stranded on land. The Falklands apparently don't have hotels around, so the passengers spent an overnight in people's homes, schools, and churches. Because of that instance, Holland America now sends one representative from the front office, one from entertainment (us), and one bridge officer ashore to stand on the pier incase a mass evacuation is necessary or to rapidly plan an overnight stay if ever necessary. So, we've been warned that we'll all have times when we'll have to do "Stanley Duty" in Stanley, Falkland Islands and stand in the cold and wind waiting around incase something happens. Our cruise director said that it is the perfect way to explain to others that our lives can be anything but luxurious, though most believe it is all glamourous.
In other news... Only 5 days til Christmas!!! We're having a Christmas wrapping party tonight with the Cruise Director, Event Manager, and youth staff to wrap the presents that Santa will give to the kids on Christmas Day. The cruise director and event manager get a couple bottles of wine and we just have beverages and wrap presents. I'm excited for that cause it should be a fun little team-building event.
Our Event Manager, Jon, leaves in Rio and I'm pretty bummed about that. He's really nice and always helps us out with everything. He's absolutely HILARIOUS too! He was actually supposed to have left on 12/15, but extended for a cruise. Now, my old Cruise Director from the Veendam will be the Event Manager here. His name is Chris and he's pretty cool. He used to always convince Danny to play video games with him for hours... so he keeps saying that he's gonna start taking all of Danny's time again once he gets here haha. He just recently had a baby (in August I think) and came back to the Veendam not long after. He wanted to be home for the holidays with his family, so he's going to be home for Christmas and come here a few days after New Year's. Good times.
The passengers on this cruise are from a million different places and I feel like NO ONE speaks English. It is definitely frustrating trying to explain the internet packages available to someone who only speaks Russian, has a ship daily program that is translated into Russian for them, came with a Russian laptop (so the keyboard is completely different) and doesn't understand why I don't speak their language. It definitely tests patience! There is once person in particular that is really rude and asks questions about EVERYTHING that she does. It's always interesting to find your favorite and least favorite passengers. That is one of the most challenging parts of this job... sometimes there are people that you absolutely adore and it is sad to watch them go. And then there are the ones that you're not so sad about because they left much to be desired. There were quite a few lovely people last cruise... and there are already some people that I've met on this cruise that are really nice, including a bunch of people from Maryland.
Ok, random and abrupt ending, but I'm done in the library and off to go out in Punta Arenas! I'll write more later! xoxoxo.
Well we're officially back in cold weather, as we're getting closer to the Cape and Antarctica. Yesterday the weather was pretty unbearable, as it was extremely windy and the swells were starting to get bad. We had scenic cruising through the Darwin Channel yesterday, which is named after Charles Darwin (also famous for his theories on evolution.) Anyways, I haven't been outside to see the Darwin Channel or Amalia Glacier (where we are today) because I've been feeling really sick.
Yesterday, I worked for about 13 hours... and today I have a 16-hour day (working for 13.5 hours) soooo needless to say, I haven't had time to rest and sleep it off. I went to the infirmary this morning after library duty and they said I have a severe sinus infection and a hemmorhaging tonsil. This is apparently the second time I've had hemmorhaging problems in the same tonsil. I guess I'll need to go see an ENT doctor when I get home to solve the problem. I'm tempted to take a knife and cut them out myself at this point cause they're not worth the hassle! Needless to say, they put me on antibiotics and I have to check back in 5 days. I'm just hoping I feel better for all of the Christmas and New Year's activities cause being sick definitely puts a damper on the holiday spirit. I think I'm going to watch Polar Express tonight and drink hot chocolate... cause that's my only hope.
All of this work right around Christmas is making me extremely home sick... especially since today is Colleen's graduation day and I really wish I could be out in Colorado with my parents to see her walk across the stage. The last McArdle to graduate... and a semester early! She's amazing. I'm trying to get her to come onboard as a "friend onboard". Basically this means that she would be able to stay in my room and be treated as a crew member, only she wouldn't have to work. She'd only have to pay for transportation to the ship and can stay onboard for up to 30 days because I'm allowed to have a friend onboard for up to 30 days per calendar year. Leen would come onboard for my last cruise, so she'd fly in to Santiago, Chile and then go with us back over the equator, through the Mexican Riviera, and up the West Coast to Seattle.
12/20/08
Ok, it is Saturday and we're in Punta Arenas, Chile. It's our last Chilean port during this cruise. I opened the library this morning at 9 am and am here til 2. Then I don't have to work until 7:30, so I'll get some time to go ashore and do some fun stuff. I've been struggling to stay awake in the library this morning since port days tend to be fairly dead in here. So, I looked at a travel book on Chile and tried to come up with some ideas of stuff for Danny and I to do once I get off work. There are a few penguin colonies nearby, but I think I'll wait until the next time we're here (or even in the Falkland Islands) to get on a shore excursion through the ship. Our DJ and Party Planner are going on the shore excursion to see the penguins this afternoon, so I may have to get the scoop from them as to whether it's worth it.
I'm interested to see what the Falkland Islands are like... from what I've heard, it is very difficult to actually be able to stop. The port is so small that we have to tender in using our life boats, but the weather tends to be so rough that tendering is often a safety hazard. Many times they have to cancel the stop all together because they can't take the risk of having passengers injure themselves by trying to board a tender. I have IPM (In Port Manning) this voyage when we're in the Falklands, so we'll have to see how it goes. When we had our meeting at the end of the last cruise, our Event Manager told us about a time when he was on this ship and they had tendered into the port only to have the weather rapidly turn. They had to call the tenders back to the ship and passengers were stranded on land. The Falklands apparently don't have hotels around, so the passengers spent an overnight in people's homes, schools, and churches. Because of that instance, Holland America now sends one representative from the front office, one from entertainment (us), and one bridge officer ashore to stand on the pier incase a mass evacuation is necessary or to rapidly plan an overnight stay if ever necessary. So, we've been warned that we'll all have times when we'll have to do "Stanley Duty" in Stanley, Falkland Islands and stand in the cold and wind waiting around incase something happens. Our cruise director said that it is the perfect way to explain to others that our lives can be anything but luxurious, though most believe it is all glamourous.
In other news... Only 5 days til Christmas!!! We're having a Christmas wrapping party tonight with the Cruise Director, Event Manager, and youth staff to wrap the presents that Santa will give to the kids on Christmas Day. The cruise director and event manager get a couple bottles of wine and we just have beverages and wrap presents. I'm excited for that cause it should be a fun little team-building event.
Our Event Manager, Jon, leaves in Rio and I'm pretty bummed about that. He's really nice and always helps us out with everything. He's absolutely HILARIOUS too! He was actually supposed to have left on 12/15, but extended for a cruise. Now, my old Cruise Director from the Veendam will be the Event Manager here. His name is Chris and he's pretty cool. He used to always convince Danny to play video games with him for hours... so he keeps saying that he's gonna start taking all of Danny's time again once he gets here haha. He just recently had a baby (in August I think) and came back to the Veendam not long after. He wanted to be home for the holidays with his family, so he's going to be home for Christmas and come here a few days after New Year's. Good times.
The passengers on this cruise are from a million different places and I feel like NO ONE speaks English. It is definitely frustrating trying to explain the internet packages available to someone who only speaks Russian, has a ship daily program that is translated into Russian for them, came with a Russian laptop (so the keyboard is completely different) and doesn't understand why I don't speak their language. It definitely tests patience! There is once person in particular that is really rude and asks questions about EVERYTHING that she does. It's always interesting to find your favorite and least favorite passengers. That is one of the most challenging parts of this job... sometimes there are people that you absolutely adore and it is sad to watch them go. And then there are the ones that you're not so sad about because they left much to be desired. There were quite a few lovely people last cruise... and there are already some people that I've met on this cruise that are really nice, including a bunch of people from Maryland.
Ok, random and abrupt ending, but I'm done in the library and off to go out in Punta Arenas! I'll write more later! xoxoxo.
Monday, December 15, 2008
First Cruise Over!
12/15/08
So, today is our first turn around day! Our first 22-day cruise is over and we're on to our Antarctic Experience Holiday voyage! I'm beginning to get excited to spend the
Holidays at Sea, though I know I'll miss everything about Christmas at home.
One of the girls that is here was also on the Veendam when I was there. I had told her that I really wanted to try to find a small Christmas tree for in my room. The other
day, she saw one in the crew area that was going to be thrown out because one of the base legs was broken. Needless to say, I went and took it so now I have my
Christmas tree! A passenger that left today gave me some garland that she had so I could put it around the tree... Danny and I went into town in Valparaiso, Chile today.
We went to a mall (the first one we've seen in quite some time!) and got ornaments for our tree and a star for on top! We also found some Chritmas lights (rainbow icicles)
that have a European plug. It actually ends up working better with that type of plug cause we have European outlets in our rooms that we never use. Needless to say, I'm
in a great mood because I'm getting ready for the holidays!
We had a meeting last night to celebrate getting through out first long cruise as a team. We also went over all of the different things that will be happening for the
holidays. Basically, tonight we began the celebrations with a tree lighting ceremony. We sang Christmas carols and lit all of the trees on the ship at the same time. The
beverage department went around giving out wine and cookies. Pretty nice. On Christmas Eve we have a Christmas show where there are 3 choirs. The Filipino Choir,
Indonesian Choir, and English-speaking Choir. We all have to be in the choir... obviously they haven't heard me sing... eeeeek! Midnight mass will be in the big show
lounge, so I'll be going to that. Christmas Day we'll be in Antarctica, so we won't have any outdoor sporting events because of the environmental laws. They're really
strict and include no paper napkins on outside decks, no smoking, and no sports equipment. We will still have events like a Christmas sing-a-long, pictures with Santa,
and Elf Bingo. I'm pretty excited to dress up like an elf for bingo haha. Thennnnn, New Year's Eve will be fun. We have parties in the show lounge, night club, and ocean
bar. The broadcast department is going to sync all of the channels so that when they do the countdown in the show lounge, we can have it on the big screens in the
nightclub and ocean bar. That way everyone will be counting down at the same time. In the show lounge, they do a big balloon drop... and at midnight, the ships
whistles will sound. I'm pretty excited for all of that...
Anyways, I'll try to keep posting stuff every few days as the holiday nears. I love you all and hope you all are having fun preparing for Christmas and the holidays!
Below is a link to the pictures from King Neptune's Ceremony. I was the last to go, so they dumped EVERYTHING they hadn't used on myself and the other event staff guy. It was definitely memorable... hahaha.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2347920&id=5700561&saved#/album.php?aid=2347920&id=5700561
So, today is our first turn around day! Our first 22-day cruise is over and we're on to our Antarctic Experience Holiday voyage! I'm beginning to get excited to spend the
Holidays at Sea, though I know I'll miss everything about Christmas at home.
One of the girls that is here was also on the Veendam when I was there. I had told her that I really wanted to try to find a small Christmas tree for in my room. The other
day, she saw one in the crew area that was going to be thrown out because one of the base legs was broken. Needless to say, I went and took it so now I have my
Christmas tree! A passenger that left today gave me some garland that she had so I could put it around the tree... Danny and I went into town in Valparaiso, Chile today.
We went to a mall (the first one we've seen in quite some time!) and got ornaments for our tree and a star for on top! We also found some Chritmas lights (rainbow icicles)
that have a European plug. It actually ends up working better with that type of plug cause we have European outlets in our rooms that we never use. Needless to say, I'm
in a great mood because I'm getting ready for the holidays!
We had a meeting last night to celebrate getting through out first long cruise as a team. We also went over all of the different things that will be happening for the
holidays. Basically, tonight we began the celebrations with a tree lighting ceremony. We sang Christmas carols and lit all of the trees on the ship at the same time. The
beverage department went around giving out wine and cookies. Pretty nice. On Christmas Eve we have a Christmas show where there are 3 choirs. The Filipino Choir,
Indonesian Choir, and English-speaking Choir. We all have to be in the choir... obviously they haven't heard me sing... eeeeek! Midnight mass will be in the big show
lounge, so I'll be going to that. Christmas Day we'll be in Antarctica, so we won't have any outdoor sporting events because of the environmental laws. They're really
strict and include no paper napkins on outside decks, no smoking, and no sports equipment. We will still have events like a Christmas sing-a-long, pictures with Santa,
and Elf Bingo. I'm pretty excited to dress up like an elf for bingo haha. Thennnnn, New Year's Eve will be fun. We have parties in the show lounge, night club, and ocean
bar. The broadcast department is going to sync all of the channels so that when they do the countdown in the show lounge, we can have it on the big screens in the
nightclub and ocean bar. That way everyone will be counting down at the same time. In the show lounge, they do a big balloon drop... and at midnight, the ships
whistles will sound. I'm pretty excited for all of that...
Anyways, I'll try to keep posting stuff every few days as the holiday nears. I love you all and hope you all are having fun preparing for Christmas and the holidays!
Below is a link to the pictures from King Neptune's Ceremony. I was the last to go, so they dumped EVERYTHING they hadn't used on myself and the other event staff guy. It was definitely memorable... hahaha.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2347920&id=5700561&saved#/album.php?aid=2347920&id=5700561
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Equador!
12/6/08
Hey everyone... just wanted to write another little message to everyone while I have some down time. Today we're in Manta, Equador. It is a small town with a strong economy that thrives on tourism, tuna fishing, and chemical products including everything from cleaning supplies to oil and margarine. The town is pretty small. We got here early this morning and docked right in an industrial port... right next to a submarine. When you looked out the window, you could watch a bunch of guys offloading one missile and putting two more onto the submarine. Pretty crazy considering you'd NEVER see that done in the US... there would be security everywhere. Anyways, I had to work for a few hours in the library this morning and then I got to get off the ship.
It was a 15 minute shuttle rides to the shops, but Danny could only be off the ship for an hour cause he had rehearsal, so we couldn't do that. In retrospect, I kinda wish I had stayed off the ship and gone over to the shops cause some of the passengers said it was really nice. There is a small town nearby that makes the authentic panama hats, so apparently they're sold all over here. Anyways, we ended up just walking to a nearby beach and walking along the beach. The water was really nice, but I unfortunately didn't have my swim suit on or else I wouldn't have been able to resist jumping in. The waves looked great... a little rough because it was so windy, but nothing that I couldn't handle. It would've been a great day to go body surfing.
We just crossed the equator last night between 2 and 3 am... well, this morning I guess. Normally, ships do the King Neptune's Ceremony that I told you about as they cross the equator, but since we did it in the middle of the night we're going to have the ceremony tomorrow morning since its a sea day. Which brings me to my next point... tomorrow I'll be one of the polliwogs. Haha it's gonna be hilarious. I'll be sure to take pictures. I was told today that the slime that they're going to throw on us will be a mixture of sour milk (they put it out today and have intentions of putting it out in the sun at 8 am tomorrow,) flour, and maple syrup. It's going to be absolutely disgusting. I just talked to my boss a little bit ago to make sure that I'll have ample time to take a 45 minute shower to fully cleanse myself from all the disgusting smells that will probably be on my body. I'm nervous that I'm going to throw up after they put all that stuff on me. Normally, they use mirangue and speghetti, but I guess they're going all out this time. Siiiiick! I'll let you all know how it goes.
Tonight is Country Line Dance Night, my favorite. It was always fun on the Veendam, so we'll see how it is here. I'm starting to just get really burned out and can't wait til this little boy gets off the ship so I'll get more time off. It's insane how one person can change the dynamic of how we're all working. I told the Cruise Director and Event Manager last night that I'm starting to feel like I'm at my breaking point cause before today, I had yet to really get off the ship. They promised it'd get better... since this cruise is almost over. The same little boy will be here until January 3rd, but there will be 42 more kids onboard next week, so his parents understand he won't get to be up in the kid's club all day every single day. They also are sending another Youth Staff to help us out... maybe even 2 more. I'm praying that helps.
I walked into the front office today and there are Christmas decorations everywhere. I decided thats my new happy place, so I told all of the people there that they'd be seeing a lot more of me so I can get into the holiday spirit. I'm going to miss being at home on Christmas so much! The decorations just aren't the same when you don't get the whole family, cold weather, and all that good stuff. I've decided that I'm never going to be away from home on Christmas again. Tonight I'm going to watch Elf to brighten up my spirits... that movie always makes me smile. Alright, its off to dinner then library, Name that Tune, and Country Line Dance night.
Miss you all like crazy! Xoxoxoxox.
Oh and ps- I'll make sure to wear my Skins jersey for the upcoming game against the Ravens... GO SKINS!!!
Hey everyone... just wanted to write another little message to everyone while I have some down time. Today we're in Manta, Equador. It is a small town with a strong economy that thrives on tourism, tuna fishing, and chemical products including everything from cleaning supplies to oil and margarine. The town is pretty small. We got here early this morning and docked right in an industrial port... right next to a submarine. When you looked out the window, you could watch a bunch of guys offloading one missile and putting two more onto the submarine. Pretty crazy considering you'd NEVER see that done in the US... there would be security everywhere. Anyways, I had to work for a few hours in the library this morning and then I got to get off the ship.
It was a 15 minute shuttle rides to the shops, but Danny could only be off the ship for an hour cause he had rehearsal, so we couldn't do that. In retrospect, I kinda wish I had stayed off the ship and gone over to the shops cause some of the passengers said it was really nice. There is a small town nearby that makes the authentic panama hats, so apparently they're sold all over here. Anyways, we ended up just walking to a nearby beach and walking along the beach. The water was really nice, but I unfortunately didn't have my swim suit on or else I wouldn't have been able to resist jumping in. The waves looked great... a little rough because it was so windy, but nothing that I couldn't handle. It would've been a great day to go body surfing.
We just crossed the equator last night between 2 and 3 am... well, this morning I guess. Normally, ships do the King Neptune's Ceremony that I told you about as they cross the equator, but since we did it in the middle of the night we're going to have the ceremony tomorrow morning since its a sea day. Which brings me to my next point... tomorrow I'll be one of the polliwogs. Haha it's gonna be hilarious. I'll be sure to take pictures. I was told today that the slime that they're going to throw on us will be a mixture of sour milk (they put it out today and have intentions of putting it out in the sun at 8 am tomorrow,) flour, and maple syrup. It's going to be absolutely disgusting. I just talked to my boss a little bit ago to make sure that I'll have ample time to take a 45 minute shower to fully cleanse myself from all the disgusting smells that will probably be on my body. I'm nervous that I'm going to throw up after they put all that stuff on me. Normally, they use mirangue and speghetti, but I guess they're going all out this time. Siiiiick! I'll let you all know how it goes.
Tonight is Country Line Dance Night, my favorite. It was always fun on the Veendam, so we'll see how it is here. I'm starting to just get really burned out and can't wait til this little boy gets off the ship so I'll get more time off. It's insane how one person can change the dynamic of how we're all working. I told the Cruise Director and Event Manager last night that I'm starting to feel like I'm at my breaking point cause before today, I had yet to really get off the ship. They promised it'd get better... since this cruise is almost over. The same little boy will be here until January 3rd, but there will be 42 more kids onboard next week, so his parents understand he won't get to be up in the kid's club all day every single day. They also are sending another Youth Staff to help us out... maybe even 2 more. I'm praying that helps.
I walked into the front office today and there are Christmas decorations everywhere. I decided thats my new happy place, so I told all of the people there that they'd be seeing a lot more of me so I can get into the holiday spirit. I'm going to miss being at home on Christmas so much! The decorations just aren't the same when you don't get the whole family, cold weather, and all that good stuff. I've decided that I'm never going to be away from home on Christmas again. Tonight I'm going to watch Elf to brighten up my spirits... that movie always makes me smile. Alright, its off to dinner then library, Name that Tune, and Country Line Dance night.
Miss you all like crazy! Xoxoxoxox.
Oh and ps- I'll make sure to wear my Skins jersey for the upcoming game against the Ravens... GO SKINS!!!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Another Sea Day
12/3/08
So, I'm posting two entries in the same day since the internet here wasn't letting me post my entry from a couple days ago. It's another Sea Day, so by nature we're running around like chickens with our heads cut off. I was almost excited yesterday when I saw my schedule for today and I didn't have an event until 9:30... I've opened the library at 8 am for 6 of the past 9 days. Needless to say, sleep has been hard to come by recently. Today was almost a bit of a break except that last night the ship's clocks went forward an hour (for the third time since I've been here,) so we lost an hour of sleep. I'm hoping tonight is the night to catch up!
Right now we're scenic cruising in Costa Rica... we'll be in Panama tomorrow from 8 am- 10:30 pm. It's a tendering port, which means that there is not a dock big enough for the ship, so we anchor and use the life boats to tender everyone ashore. I'm hoping I get to get off the ship, maybe in the evening so Danny and I can attempt to go out to dinner or something fun. The Youth Program Coordinator has had her hands full having to stay onboard during most ports to take care of a little boy who will be here for 4 more weeks! It really is horrible for her cause she never gets to get off the ship. I haven't gotten off the ship really yet (except for an hour in Guatemala) but hopefully that'll change soon. Anyways, the Youth Program Coordinator has to get off the ship in Panama tomorrow to go to a doctor, soooo that means I'll probably have to work for a bit in the morning with the kids. Good times, good times. As long as I get to get off the ship for a while in the afternoon or evening, I'll be a happy camper. Sometimes its nice to just step off the ship and feel like you're not working. When we're onboard, we're pretty much "working" anytime we're in passenger areas.
The rest of the day should be kinda fun... I have to do pool games in a little less than 2 hours, then golf chipping at the pool right after that. Those are always fun cause you get to watch all the little old ladies swimming their hearts out across the pool just to earn some dam dollars. For those of you who don't know, dam dollars are our onboard "currency." They're given as prizes for any of our sports activities. At the end of the cruise, passengers use the dollars to buy prizes like luggage tags, keychains, t-shirts, sweatshirts, water bottles, etc. The people on this cruise are particularly active, so we've had tons of people showing up for our sports... and not enough people at bingo to actually hold the bingo session. It's really absurd. Normally, people get really intense about bingo, but this cruise we've had less than 10 people showing up. We have to have at least 25 to run it because otherwise the payouts are not enough to make it worth anyone's time. No one wants to pay $20 for a card and only win $25. We've tried to have bingo about 12 times so far and have only been able to hold 2 sessions. It's insane.
Tonight is 50's night, so I found a poodle skirt in one of the equipment closets and I'm going to wear it with a cardigan tonight while I'm working... and obviously I'll have my hair in a pony tail with ribbons, but that's no big surprise. One thing I really do like about this contract is that I don't have to socialize in the night club every night. When I'm finished with the library or night activity, I'm finished for the night. Tonight, I have to be in a game show that will take place between show times in the main lounge. It's called "Celebrity Heads" and is just where there is a panel of 3 people and we all sit down and there is a stand behind us. On the stand, there are sheets of paper that show who we're supposed to be. For instance, if the category is "Music icons," I may be Britney Spears or Michael Jackson. We have to ask the audience yes or no questions in order to figure out who we are supposed to be. It's pretty funny sometimes. After that, I have to close the library then play crew bingo. They have pretty sweet prizes if you win... like a laptop, play station 3, or ipods. I have pretty bad luck, so we'll see. Alright, it's off to pool games! Talk to you all later!
So, I'm posting two entries in the same day since the internet here wasn't letting me post my entry from a couple days ago. It's another Sea Day, so by nature we're running around like chickens with our heads cut off. I was almost excited yesterday when I saw my schedule for today and I didn't have an event until 9:30... I've opened the library at 8 am for 6 of the past 9 days. Needless to say, sleep has been hard to come by recently. Today was almost a bit of a break except that last night the ship's clocks went forward an hour (for the third time since I've been here,) so we lost an hour of sleep. I'm hoping tonight is the night to catch up!
Right now we're scenic cruising in Costa Rica... we'll be in Panama tomorrow from 8 am- 10:30 pm. It's a tendering port, which means that there is not a dock big enough for the ship, so we anchor and use the life boats to tender everyone ashore. I'm hoping I get to get off the ship, maybe in the evening so Danny and I can attempt to go out to dinner or something fun. The Youth Program Coordinator has had her hands full having to stay onboard during most ports to take care of a little boy who will be here for 4 more weeks! It really is horrible for her cause she never gets to get off the ship. I haven't gotten off the ship really yet (except for an hour in Guatemala) but hopefully that'll change soon. Anyways, the Youth Program Coordinator has to get off the ship in Panama tomorrow to go to a doctor, soooo that means I'll probably have to work for a bit in the morning with the kids. Good times, good times. As long as I get to get off the ship for a while in the afternoon or evening, I'll be a happy camper. Sometimes its nice to just step off the ship and feel like you're not working. When we're onboard, we're pretty much "working" anytime we're in passenger areas.
The rest of the day should be kinda fun... I have to do pool games in a little less than 2 hours, then golf chipping at the pool right after that. Those are always fun cause you get to watch all the little old ladies swimming their hearts out across the pool just to earn some dam dollars. For those of you who don't know, dam dollars are our onboard "currency." They're given as prizes for any of our sports activities. At the end of the cruise, passengers use the dollars to buy prizes like luggage tags, keychains, t-shirts, sweatshirts, water bottles, etc. The people on this cruise are particularly active, so we've had tons of people showing up for our sports... and not enough people at bingo to actually hold the bingo session. It's really absurd. Normally, people get really intense about bingo, but this cruise we've had less than 10 people showing up. We have to have at least 25 to run it because otherwise the payouts are not enough to make it worth anyone's time. No one wants to pay $20 for a card and only win $25. We've tried to have bingo about 12 times so far and have only been able to hold 2 sessions. It's insane.
Tonight is 50's night, so I found a poodle skirt in one of the equipment closets and I'm going to wear it with a cardigan tonight while I'm working... and obviously I'll have my hair in a pony tail with ribbons, but that's no big surprise. One thing I really do like about this contract is that I don't have to socialize in the night club every night. When I'm finished with the library or night activity, I'm finished for the night. Tonight, I have to be in a game show that will take place between show times in the main lounge. It's called "Celebrity Heads" and is just where there is a panel of 3 people and we all sit down and there is a stand behind us. On the stand, there are sheets of paper that show who we're supposed to be. For instance, if the category is "Music icons," I may be Britney Spears or Michael Jackson. We have to ask the audience yes or no questions in order to figure out who we are supposed to be. It's pretty funny sometimes. After that, I have to close the library then play crew bingo. They have pretty sweet prizes if you win... like a laptop, play station 3, or ipods. I have pretty bad luck, so we'll see. Alright, it's off to pool games! Talk to you all later!
First week over!
12/1/08
Well, it's officially December... and the hottest day since I've been here! We're getting closer to the equator, so it only makes sense. Today it's pretty unbearable outside. It's a Sea Day, so everyone is stuck on the ship looking for stuff to do. I was in the library from 8am-11:30am, then Volleyball (Crew vs. Guests) at 12. Now I'm in the library again 2-4:30, annnnd will end the day by watching Danny's show at 7, and closing the library from 8:30-10. Fun fun. Sea Days are always our longest days. Today I'll only be working around 8 hours, which is unheard of on a Sea Day! Pretty exciting.
Tomorrow we'll be in Costa Rica, but I unfortunately can't get off the ship. I'm on IPM (In Port Manning.) This basically just means that I'm the designated person on our team that will be staying on the ship for safety reasons incase something were to happen (i.e. firedrill, man overboard, etc.) This is a requirement so that we have enough people onboard from every safety function. I'm "passenger notification" so in cases of fires, I have to go to the front office and figure out what is going on and communicate to passengers. We're on this function since many passengers are used to seeing us and are comfortable with asking us questions. Anyways, tomorrow I'll be the one doing all of the activities and working in the library since I'm stuck onboard anyway. It's nice that we do this so that everyone else has the chance to go ashore. Going ashore in places like these makes this job so worth it. You can have a really long and stressful day, but once you get a day to enjoy the sun it makes it all worth it!
We've been a bit pressed for help recently because the Youth Program Coordinator has been working with kids alllll day every day! There are only 4 kids onboard (2 of them are children of an Officer and are mostly watched by their Mom.) For some reason, one other kid spends all of his time in the kid's program. I'll never understand why people take their children on family vacations just to pawn them off on the babysitter. But moving right along... We've pretty much had to have 2 people onboard in ports because someone has had to stay with the little boy all day, and another person has been running the library and doing events. Once this cruise is over, it should get better. There will be over 40 kids onboard for the 15-day holiday cruise, so we're all crossing our fingers that head office sends 1 or 2 more staff to help with the kids.
Our Cruise Director will be here until January and is absolutely awesome. She's really positive and is all about team-building. We work a lot, but she makes it so we want to help. We've already had 2 team meetings since our entire team just got onboard and we're making many changes. Whenever we have a team meeting, she buys a round of drinks first so we can have a toast. It makes us feel like she's appreciative of our hard work. She's also asked everyone to stop by and chat with her about our hopes for the future, or even on this contract. She just wants to help us to get where we'd like and help us express our interests.
The Event Manager is awesome too. He's only here for another few weeks, then a different one comes. He says the other guy is one of his good friends and works in a similar manner, so that's good. He'll do anything to make our job a bit easier, whether it be helping in the library so we can run to have lunch or making copies of the daily quiz for the library so we won't have to run to do it.
I already have my favorite Filipino bar staff guy. His name is Leland and he's absolutely adorable. He's working at the coffee bar this cruise and he always brings lattes over to me whenever I'm working at the library. I'm being spoiled... it's gonna be bad on the next cruise when he's not there and my caffeine addiction is still kicking! Haha.
I'm getting right back into the swing of things, even though this is a whole different ship and crew. Many things are very similar to my last ship in terms of the layout. It didn't take long at all to learn my way around. They've put Christmas trees out around the ship, including one in the library right across from the desk! It's really exciting cause besides writing the date and seeing the trees, it doesn't seem much like Christmas. It's really strange to spend the holiday season in warm weather.Thank goodness for the Christmas cookies Mom sent with me so I'll have a little taste of home during the holidays. I've already told Danny that we'll be watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music beginning soon... I know what you're thinking... if I were at home I would have already started listening to Christmas music, which is completely true! I guess I'm a bit behind. The other guy that is on the Event Staff said he brought his external hard drive with 30 Christmas movies (including "A Christmas Story,") so I fully intend to borrow them from him!
Alright, time to head out and start closing up the library. I've been writing this during downtime all day, so its about time to head downstairs and wind down. I miss you guys lots! Don't forget to leave comments or email me to let me know how life is. I know it sounds silly, but I really do love to be kept up-to-date with things back home!
xoxoxoxox.
Well, it's officially December... and the hottest day since I've been here! We're getting closer to the equator, so it only makes sense. Today it's pretty unbearable outside. It's a Sea Day, so everyone is stuck on the ship looking for stuff to do. I was in the library from 8am-11:30am, then Volleyball (Crew vs. Guests) at 12. Now I'm in the library again 2-4:30, annnnd will end the day by watching Danny's show at 7, and closing the library from 8:30-10. Fun fun. Sea Days are always our longest days. Today I'll only be working around 8 hours, which is unheard of on a Sea Day! Pretty exciting.
Tomorrow we'll be in Costa Rica, but I unfortunately can't get off the ship. I'm on IPM (In Port Manning.) This basically just means that I'm the designated person on our team that will be staying on the ship for safety reasons incase something were to happen (i.e. firedrill, man overboard, etc.) This is a requirement so that we have enough people onboard from every safety function. I'm "passenger notification" so in cases of fires, I have to go to the front office and figure out what is going on and communicate to passengers. We're on this function since many passengers are used to seeing us and are comfortable with asking us questions. Anyways, tomorrow I'll be the one doing all of the activities and working in the library since I'm stuck onboard anyway. It's nice that we do this so that everyone else has the chance to go ashore. Going ashore in places like these makes this job so worth it. You can have a really long and stressful day, but once you get a day to enjoy the sun it makes it all worth it!
We've been a bit pressed for help recently because the Youth Program Coordinator has been working with kids alllll day every day! There are only 4 kids onboard (2 of them are children of an Officer and are mostly watched by their Mom.) For some reason, one other kid spends all of his time in the kid's program. I'll never understand why people take their children on family vacations just to pawn them off on the babysitter. But moving right along... We've pretty much had to have 2 people onboard in ports because someone has had to stay with the little boy all day, and another person has been running the library and doing events. Once this cruise is over, it should get better. There will be over 40 kids onboard for the 15-day holiday cruise, so we're all crossing our fingers that head office sends 1 or 2 more staff to help with the kids.
Our Cruise Director will be here until January and is absolutely awesome. She's really positive and is all about team-building. We work a lot, but she makes it so we want to help. We've already had 2 team meetings since our entire team just got onboard and we're making many changes. Whenever we have a team meeting, she buys a round of drinks first so we can have a toast. It makes us feel like she's appreciative of our hard work. She's also asked everyone to stop by and chat with her about our hopes for the future, or even on this contract. She just wants to help us to get where we'd like and help us express our interests.
The Event Manager is awesome too. He's only here for another few weeks, then a different one comes. He says the other guy is one of his good friends and works in a similar manner, so that's good. He'll do anything to make our job a bit easier, whether it be helping in the library so we can run to have lunch or making copies of the daily quiz for the library so we won't have to run to do it.
I already have my favorite Filipino bar staff guy. His name is Leland and he's absolutely adorable. He's working at the coffee bar this cruise and he always brings lattes over to me whenever I'm working at the library. I'm being spoiled... it's gonna be bad on the next cruise when he's not there and my caffeine addiction is still kicking! Haha.
I'm getting right back into the swing of things, even though this is a whole different ship and crew. Many things are very similar to my last ship in terms of the layout. It didn't take long at all to learn my way around. They've put Christmas trees out around the ship, including one in the library right across from the desk! It's really exciting cause besides writing the date and seeing the trees, it doesn't seem much like Christmas. It's really strange to spend the holiday season in warm weather.Thank goodness for the Christmas cookies Mom sent with me so I'll have a little taste of home during the holidays. I've already told Danny that we'll be watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music beginning soon... I know what you're thinking... if I were at home I would have already started listening to Christmas music, which is completely true! I guess I'm a bit behind. The other guy that is on the Event Staff said he brought his external hard drive with 30 Christmas movies (including "A Christmas Story,") so I fully intend to borrow them from him!
Alright, time to head out and start closing up the library. I've been writing this during downtime all day, so its about time to head downstairs and wind down. I miss you guys lots! Don't forget to leave comments or email me to let me know how life is. I know it sounds silly, but I really do love to be kept up-to-date with things back home!
xoxoxoxox.
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