February 12, 2011

That last was the last post of my Royal Caribbean Tour.  To view the entries, ignore the dates of the entries and go by the titles.  I enjoyed my time on the Oasis immensely, and hopefully will be going back when the schedule allows.  In the meantime, it is time to start moving forward.

September 9, 2011

Dear Reader,
I think I am going to adjust this blog to be a weekly entry. That way I can add things as the week goes by and post one update every week. By this point if you have followed me on my journey you have become used to the rhythm of life on the seas, so it is pointless to do a daily update, (besides being increasingly difficult with my schedule), and a weekly update allows me to create a flow and maybe even a story line. So, though this is Day 7 of Voyage 93, I am going to write this out for the week that has preceded.

Enjoy!

Michael


This week I re-read Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”. If you haven’t read it so far I highly recommend it. It is an amazing parable, and one that never ceases to hit home for me. We are all on a Journey in this life, and I believe we all have a purpose. Maybe not a “Grand Purpose” like being a statesman and leading a country, or being a multi-millionaire patron of the arts, but we all have an impact on our world and those around us. The Alchemist is a story about finding your Personal Treasure, whatever that treasure may be.

I have always liked stories of journeys. There is, of course, Homer’s “Odyssey”; one of the earliest and certainly most profound stories of a personal journey, but there have been many more over the centuries. In truth, I would say that all stories, films, tv shows, dramas, plays…anything that has been written or performed, is in fact the story of a personal journey. It doesn’t matter if the journey actually includes travel, it is a personal journey of growth. I suppose there are exceptions…especially in the film genre of horror, etc, where there is nothing but the excuse for bloodletting, but the stories that impact us the most heavily are always those that involve a journey of some sort. Joseph Campbell referred to this as “The Hero’s Journey”. We are all the heroes of our own story.
Being a Pisces, a water sign, I suppose it is no great surprise that my Personal Journey should involve travels on the water. Water is a symbol of the subconscious mind. It is also the strongest element. Water can bend, flow, take on any shape, overflow, erode mountains. Strong and flexible…good attributes to have while working on a ship.
Enough philosophy, on to the week….

We had several new events, as I believe I said earlier, this week…and I got to host them all. The first new event we added is called “Secret Supper”. I am not sure what the secret is, but the supper is a progressive bar crawl/dinner. It begins in the Champagne Bar on Deck 5, proceeds to the outdoor Trellis Bar in Central Park, then finishes in Vintages, the wine bar also in Central Park. We had 29 people signed up for this excursion and they pay $25 dollars. This fee includes free cocktails at all the bars, a tapas and wine dinner in Vintages, and entertainment provided by the Cruise Staff. In this case the Cruise Staff consisted of myself and Gyselle, a beautiful Brazilian woman.

We had no idea what to do, Mitch gave us a general guideline an hour or so before hand, and off we went. We decided to take some Trivia quizzes with us and some prizes to break the ice and entertain the guests. This worked well in the Champagne Bar. It got the different guests talking and laughing. We realized after that it would have been better to pick Trivia questions that contained the theme of wining and dining. It is a note for next week’s Secret Supper. Another mistake we realized is that everyone wanted to take the Rising Tide bar to Deck 8, Central Park, and we couldn’t because we were on conflicting time schedules. So we will have to adjust the timing of the event to enable us to take the RT.

Once we had spent 30 minutes in the Champagne Bar it was off to Deck 8 by elevator. We all met at the Trellis Bar, which is outdoor seating underneath…a trellis. Go figure. By this time the ice was thoroughly broken and we had fun with the guests answering questions about the ship in general and adding more Trivia questions and prizes. Our last stop was the elegant Vintages. Here they were treated to a dinner of tapas and we thanked them all for their time and wished them bon appetit. I had a question and answer with the guests, letting them know that this had been the first time we had done this event on the ship, and asking for their thoughts to create a unique experience. They were very appreciative and gave some good ideas which, like the Rising Tide and Trivia theme, we will incorporate into the next time we do the event.

The second new event is called “Family Quest”. It is loosely based on the adult themed “Quest” show which we roll out on the evening of Day 6. It is an audience participation game show where team captains are chosen to represent the various sections of guests seated in Studio B. As it is a midnight show, and the guests have been drinking, you can guess at the adult nature of the event. It is a Cruise Director hosted event, and the Studio is broken down into teams with numbers. The CD will ask for a certain something and the team captains have to run on down to him/her with the team number and what ever it is that has been asked for. By the end it becomes an event that might be seen on Duval Street on a late weekend night. That’s all I’m saying.

It had been decided that due to the adult nature of the show that it might be nice to have a G version of it that the whole family can participate in. Again, that is all I had to go on, so I built a show around that guideline. It was not promoted or published much, which was fine, and in the end only two families showed up. They were great sports, and after I explained what it was we were trying to achieve and that they were, in fact, guinea pigs for the concept, they all had fun. The games included things like “bring me your team number and a left shoelace”, or “bring me a team number and three tongues”. The families had a great time, and the kids really enjoyed competing with their Moms and Dads. Again, after the event I had a question and answer with the families so I could tailor a really nice event that we can pack. The one comment that was most important, and I agree, is that the event took place in the nightclub, Blaze, which would be dangerous for young kids if there had been more people. There are a lot of marble tables and the dance floor itself is surrounded by marble tables attached to the pillars. This is just asking for an excited child to run their head right into the corner. We are going to have to move the event to a different location.

Immediately after this event, I had yet ANOTHER new event called “Victims”. (We need to change the name). It is loosely based on Whose Line is it Anyway? Hosted by Drew Carey. It is an improv show where the audience chooses what the teams have to accomplish. The theme could be movies, with four choices of movies, and the audience picks which movie each team has to improve a scene from. Again, it got pretty adult in nature. The choices were made by pressing corresponding numbers on a key pad which was wirelessly connected to the main computer. The computer had a powerpoint program which has been adapted to create the show. The event went really well, and we had over 50 guests with keypads choosing the themes and awarding the points. There is some tweaking yet to be done, but it has the makings of a show that will be produced, most likely, in the Main Theatre, the Opal. It will probably end up being a Cruise Director hosted event as well.

I received many compliments on my hosting from guests and staff, which was appreciated.

Speaking of staff appreciation, last month I was nominated for Employee of the Month. I really didn’t think much of it at all, but apparently it really is a big thing. This morning I got a call from Mitch saying I needed to go the Comedy Live venue. When I got there all the senior officers and staff were there with a really nice buffet lunch and assorted crew. There was an awards ceremony for those crew members with various years of service, and the finale was the recognition of the Employee of the Month. Margaret, the HR Director, was the MC, and the Captain was there to co-host and shake hands with the winners. There were about 15 nominees, and as they say, even though I did not win it was an honor to be nominated. I suppose out of 2,100 crew members being 1 of 15 top performers in my first quarter as an employee is pretty spectacular. All the others had much more time in service and multiple cruises under their belts. We apparently also get a plaque for being nominated. The winner gets a thousand dollars in cash. I’ll have to try harder next time!

I was also surprised over the past week how many crew members congratulated me on the nomination. Apparently word of these nominations gets around, and it is something quite special. I just felt I was doing my job to the best standard I could achieve.

Of course, no week would be complete without the Oasis Superstar Karaoke Contest. Day 1 I hosted the evening karaoke, and assumed that no one would be there, or everyone would be too scared to perform. Boy, was I wrong. It was an amazing crowd, and there were many that I told to come to the contest. Well, they all showed up. There was a large contingent from Rainer Beach in Seattle, and they rocked the house. I honestly don’t think I could have a good contest with Black participation. There is something that they bring to the stage that just ignites an audience. I was speaking with Victor, a young black man in the cast of Hairspray who has volunteered as a judge for the past four contests, and he says it has to do with a Cultural confidence gained singing in church. I think he is right. I hate to say it, but Blacks possess a freedom of expression that Whites simply don’t. We are too tied by what others are thinking all the time. Blacks don’t care. Well, all three of the finalists were black, and Don, a veteran of Day 1, was simply brilliant. At one point he had half the room on stage with him singing and clapping and dancing along to his rendition of “Celebration”. It was one of the most exciting contests I have judged here, and people were still talking about it last night. I have seen several veterans of my Ministry of Music over the past several days, and all say they are coming back tonight for the final session, which I am hosting. It should be a great time once more. I will be sorry to see this lot go.

Video of Don and Jackie from the final night of the cruise is on the video tab.

Another guest I met, while on Rising Tide, is a wonderfully stereotypical New York woman, (from Brooklyn), who now lives in Florida. She hosts a monthly get-together for native born New Yorkers so that they don’t “forget how to talk”….actually, it came out “tawk”. She had not had a great experience on board, so I set out to find out why. Various reasons from her dining experience (she came with a group of 29), to not finding the staff friendly enough to say hello. Needless to say I overheard her name, and have gone out of my way, but not obviously so, to say hi to her every chance I had. I saw her yesterday at the Comedy doors and asked how the cruise was going. Apparently it had vastly improved.

A couple more things and then it is time to wrap this up so I can load it tonight.
There was an amusing incident at the Dreamworks parade this week. We have a new DW cast on board now, so things are bound to be a bit rocky. I arrived on Day 5 to get my costume and put it on and found that when I did my sleeves had somehow shrunk to end somewhere around the middle of my forearm. It was late, and places had already been called. Luckily, since I am Shrek’s Wrangler, Shrek was not there and I did not really have to attend…other than it is fun. Places had already been called, so I sent a message out to the Dance Captain, who was already on the Promenade getting the parade started, saying that I could not participate because there was an issue with my costume. She sent back a message saying that that was fine.

Now there were two options for the costume issue. Either someone had my costume, or it had shrunk in the wash. I REALLY didn’t want option 2…that would mean that I was out of the parade for good and someone would end up getting in trouble because of the costume damage. I decided to head out to the parade and watch it, and see if there was anyone who was wearing my princely get-up.

Sure enough, about half way through the parade I see the wrangler for Puss in Boots come around the turn of the Promenade. She is a slight girl…and was wearing my costume which looked remarkably like a blue and yellow velour sack on her. Relieved at the answer to my question I laughingly waited for her to finish and come back to the staging area in the Opal Theatre Deck 5 box seats. When she did I asked if she felt the costume was a trifle large on her. Situation solved, I will be back parading next cruise!
Lastly, last night was Amy’s first Quest show as Cruise Director. Remember, she is taking over for Richard while he is away at a wedding. She did a fantastic job and I think that she hit it out of the park. Don of course was involved. Apparently he has been at EVERY event this week. I don’t think I have ever seen a guest as involved in their cruise. He has truly “Lived the Oasis” this week…which means he will have a LOT of great memories to take back home with him. I am certainly going to miss his energy among the guests…but that is the good thing about getting a new selection of 6,200-odd new best friends every week!

EVENING ENTRY

Tomorrow we lose three of our team members, Andrew, Bjorn and Susan. The whole team is basically breaking up. My first team. Within the next 4 weeks almost everyone rotates off and basically no one is coming back. It is very sad since I have become attached to all the team in my time here. It is an amazing group of people, and though I look forward to the future team, there will never be a first one again. I have been blessed to work with such a talented and generous group of people. I shall miss Bjorn, my Jamaican friend. He is almost like a brother to me in that we never have to wonder what the other person is thinking…our sense of humor is exactly the same. Of course, this means that we cannot play practical jokes on each other because we know exactly what the other person is doing at all times. He is a very humorous and generous man, and the Allure is lucky to be getting him when he signs on in a couple months.

Susan is another incredible person. Scottish, and though I tease her about her pronunciation of all numbers in the 30’s, (especially 33), I will miss her upbeat personality and sense of fun. She was a great bingo hostess, and she will be an awesome Activities Manager when she reports to her new ship, the Monarch of the Seas.

I wish all the team members bright futures and fair skies, and look forward to seeing them again at some point!

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!

I HAVE A SINGLE!!!  Moving day is tomorrow....across the hall to my own cabin...small...but MINE!

September 5, 2011

LABADEE, HAITI

Mitch has totally taken me under his wing. I am hosting the Beach Party, the Oasis Superstar, the new automated Trivia, a bar hop, and will be doing scheduling as well as other administrative tasks. I had a little chat with the Cruise Staffer who told Earlon not to show up to the karaoke Friday night. They said it was just a joke. I didn’t press it. They know I know the truth, and they are leaving Saturday. No one is terribly upset by the departure of said individual.

Yesterday was a very busy day, and with all the office work I had to do it went pretty much without a break. Today is much the same. We had a gentleman in from headquarters who instructed us today in the new trivia games. This is a powerpoint based game and is actually very flexible. Yes, another technology driven game, which does worry me a bit, but it is supposed to be very stable and it has already been tested on other ships in the fleet.

September 3, 2011

TURN AROUND DAY, FTL

Yesterday was incredibly busy, and today the same, but with the addition of finally seeing Ralph after two months. Yesterday first.

Final Karaoke was fun. The talent pool was not as strong as on other ships but once again many of my Superstar contestants showed up. I had a fly in the ointment though. One of the Cruise Staff is very unhappy, and is signing off this coming weekend. I wish this person the best, but I would be lying if I said I was unhappy to see them go. I have always spoken well of this person and been friendly, so I have no idea why they did what they did except as a malicious joke. This individual had karaoke the previous night, and had apparently gotten into an altercation with Earlon in front of guests. Never piss off your DJ. Anyway, this person told Earlon that he did not need to show up for Final Karaoke since they and I would be hosting a contest. When Earlon questioned this he was told it was all scheduled and not to worry about it. Of course I knew nothing about this. I show up to Final Karaoke, Earlon is not there, but I figure he is a bit late so I start getting things ready. When Earlon shows up he asks where the other Cruise Staffer was. I said I had no idea, that they weren’t scheduled to be here anyway. Earlon asked if there was a contest that evening. I was really confused now and said no, there wasn’t, it was just the normal karaoke session. He then proceeded to tell me how he had been told not to show up, but that he felt uncomfortable and thought he would double check. This is why I love Earlon. He is extremely professional. It’s why I trust him. We had a fun karaoke session anyway, and Nikita showed up. She wasn’t going to sing, but I’ve never taken “no” for an answer, so saw no reason to start doing so. She sang.

After Karaoke I went back to the cabin and started preparing for the next day and Ralph. It was about 3AM when I fell asleep, and my alarm was set for 6:45AM so I could get off ship as early as possible. 7:30 saw me on the gangway and off ship and at the taxi to take me to the hotel Ralph had arranged us to stay in. Ralph had come up the previous night, but he had not arrived until 3AM. With coffee in hand I went up to his room – (Editor’s note: The next few hours has been redacted from the account)

Getting back on the ship around 2:30PM it was straight back to work. Box office, Safety Drill, Oasis of Dreams doors and Karaoke. I was dragging by the time karaoke came around, and I will admit to thinking, “ugh, first night, no one will be there, it will suck”. It turned out to be one of the most amazing nights of karaoke I have ever seen. The energy was spectacular, the talent was amazing, and I can already tell that this week’s Oasis Superstar will be unbelievable. There is a large group of African Americans (yeah!), from SEATTLE, (Rainer Beach area for those of you knowledgeable about the Seattle geographical regions), and quite simply they made the show. Singing, dancing, singing duets in harmony….we had songs covering all the genres, and great voices singing them. Midnight came around all too early. I am glad to say that Key West Mike’s Church of Music is up and running again for another week! Praise!

September 1, 2011

SEADAY enroute to FTL

Well, got some interesting news yesterday. I went to the office to get some supplies for my Sudoku challenge and Mitch was there. We started talking and he gave me a great compliment telling me how Richard has his eye on me for promotion. Mitch asked what my goals were, and as I told Amy, I said I wanted the fast track. Mitch then told me that he was not going to make me Bingo Host, as he felt that it would adversely affect my goals. Since we are losing so many team members over the next few weeks and replacing them with others he has asked for a man named Andre to come over from Allure. Andre is the Bingo Host on Allure, which has the best Bingo record of the fleet. Mitch wants me to shadow him for a couple of months, but also wants me to firmly get everything under my belt. He feels that making me BH would make it impossible for me to get everything else. I can see that, and I would prefer to have someone here that can bring us back up to scratch in terms of our Bingo revenue. I would be lying though if I said that I was not disappointed in not getting the extra money. I really need it.

Mitch also told me that he wants me to take charge of the new automated Trivia games we are rolling out next week. This is fine with me, but again, I’m all about the money right now. And having a single room to myself. I went to Sabrina, our Cruise Program Administrator, and asked her to put me on the list for a single when Luis and Joyce leave. I need my own room. It is just not right to room with someone young enough to be your son. She agreed, so hopefully even though I will not be Bingo Host for a couple months I can still get a single.

Karaoke went really well, I am glad to say “as usual”. The quality of the singers was not all that great overall, but there was one amazing standout. I have been driving the Rising Tide a few days ago and a group of African Americans were there. We started talking Karaoke and the girls just started to a cappella sing some Gospel harmony. It was incredible and I made a point to make sure they showed up at the Contest. Well they all did, and wow, am I glad. One of the girls, Nikita, blew everyone away from the moment she opened her mouth. She was by far the loudest of the audience reactions. Her second song she didn’t know, so she made it up, playing with the lyrics and the harmonies and making it her own. It was flawless. Another load crowd reaction. Well, it was a foregone conclusion, but we went through the whole process. Sure enough, she won.

It has become something of a constant ‘riff’ of mine to call the contest my “Church of Music”, and introduce myself as the Reverend Key West Mike. By the time the show ends with my singing “Lead Me Not” I have them all shouting Halleluja’s and Amen’s, and calling each other Brother and Sister. It’s a lot of fun, but more so when I have a large contingent of African Americans to play off of. All the next day whenever I saw them around they would High-5 me and tell me that they were coming back to “church” on Friday when I host the Final Karaoke.

There is something about music. It is truly the Universal Language. I find it constantly amazing that people from all over the world all know the same songs, even if they are not native English speakers. You start playing the first few chords of “New York, New York”, and everyone knows it…I don’t care if you come from Belgium or Botswana. For a short while everyone is equal and everyone supports each other. The Ancient Greeks knew the power of music, and its ability to manipulate the emotions of the listeners. It’s a powerful magic, and I love being a part of bringing all these people together as one.
I have been assured that this event is mine, and that I will always host it, and I am glad. It is the one point of the week I look forward to most. I know that anyone of the Cruise Staff could host a karaoke contest, but I feel that my sessions offer something special, and something that the others would not be able to do in the same style. It becomes a show in itself, not just a contest, and everyone is involved…from the barstaff to the performers, to the audience themselves. It’s a complete rush for me and I would be devastated if I had to go a week without my fix.

I also found out that I will hosting the Surf’s Up party on the Boardwalk. This is an event that is a Beach Party style event and has been hosted by T.T. the entire time. As he is going in a couple weeks I will be taking that over as well. That’s two big events to host, as well as the Final Farewell on the Promenade. I’m pretty happy about all that.

August 30, 2011

ST THOMAS

Got off ship today. Walked from the port to the city of Charlotte Amalie. It took about 30 minutes. The weather was humid and sunny, and it was all the same plants that I am used to in Key West. Even down to the iguanas…they are everywhere. The area is surrounded in hills that descend nearly to the water. Lush vegetation is everywhere and I suppose it would be beautiful if it weren’t so dirty. All the buildings look like they need a good cleaning…inside and out.

I was proud of myself today though. I left ship by myself and decided to go exploring. I haven’t done that in a very long time. I went off on my own in Delos in 2007…and I think that that was the last time. THAT was an amazing experience. I have never been that interested in the Caribbean as a place to visit. I love living in Key West, but unless you have tons of money to splurge with and can afford an exquisite vacation on a private island or in an exclusive enclave, one Caribbean island is very like another. Different building styles reflecting the western countries that settled the individual islands, but the same feel to everything.

Once you get into C.A. the buildings are very old and reflect the Dutch influence, but every store, literally, is a jewelry store of some kind. I have never seen so many Diamonds International and Tanzanite and Little Switzerlands. I kept wondering how any of them make any money. Store after store of nothing but jewelry for the tourists. I tried to find a museum to wander through or something reflecting the culture of the area and came up with nothing. I kept reflecting on the difference between the Mediterranean towns we went to, when Ralph and I took the cruise on the Navigator, and the ports of call in the Caribbean. Even the smallest, oldest towns were still clean and reflected the culture of the area. Over all, I was disappointed in St Thomas, but glad to have walked off the ship on my own.

I seem to be making an impact on our guests already…I saw several in town that yelled out my name. I also had two mentions in the last week’s ratings and comments. One of them said that I should be a Cruise Director. Very flattering. One of the comments was from Margaret, whom I mentioned in one of the last entries. You figure that with 2,100 crew members the odds of being mentioned once, let alone twice, are pretty low, so I was doubly flattered.

Referring back to the past entry about goals; more and more I see myself as an impresario of some kind. It is obvious I am here on this ship for a reason, maybe that is where this is all headed.

August 29, 2011

SEADAY enroute to ST THOMAS

Payday. It has taken several months, but I finally have some money saved up that I can send home with Ralph when he comes to see me this weekend. At this rate it will take two more months or so to pay off all the bills. I know I shouldn’t complain since my bills in comparison to others are very small. I should be able to walk away from here with a couple grand in hand.

Last night I ended on the Rising Tide and was finished by 11PM. An early night. So, I went to On Air to see what the karaoke was looking like. I had debated whether or not to trade with Gyselle so I could host karaoke, but decided to just drop in and see how the singers were. Oh my. I’m glad I didn’t host it. It was an interesting group, to say the least. And the least said the better, in this case.

Yesterday we had the Win a Suite Bingo, which we had never offered before while I have been on ship. I talked it up on the Gangway as people were returning, and my efforts paid off. We had a very full session and I have a feeling it has generated a lot of interest in the game for this cruise. As a matter of fact the winner was a family that I had encouraged to come to Bingo while I was on the Gangway. They had walked by with expressions of great disinterest as I was doing my Bingo spiel, and I had work to do to get them interested enough to say they would show up. I had great pleasure, when they won the Suite in saying “See, I told you so!”

I went out on a limb. When I was laughing with them about their first reactions to my Bingo advertising the man said, “I had my doubts, you’re right. I mean, I figured it was a really ‘gay’ thing to do, playing Bingo.” I was somewhat taken aback at the use of gay as a negative adjective. “Well, now you see that all things ‘gay’ are not bad!” was all I said in return, and changed the topic.

Today is my friend Mary’s birthday. She was my last girlfriend and was a fellow Marine while I was based in Camp Pendleton. It is hard to believe that it was almost 20 years ago. What is also hard to believe is how little I feel I have accomplished in 20 years. I know there are people that would debate that with me, but I sometimes wonder what my life would have been had I gone officer out of college instead of enlisted. I really think that that was the turn in the path that dictated the careers I have had in the last two decades. Most people would be looking back on a career that resembled a ladder whose rungs lead in one direction. I have had a whole lot of step stools, a wide variety of them. I’m getting tired of changing ladders, but I just haven’t found the right one. I wonder if I will ever.

There has to be a purpose to it all…I just can’t figure it out. What happened? It’s been an interesting life, and I am starting to see that. I have been a Marine, a Trust Accountant, a Tech for a cutting edge Broadband telecommunications company, actor, singer, playwright, cabaret producer, website and graphic designer, Code Enforcement officer, Non-profit arts admin for everything from Seattle Opera to Council of the Arts, lived in many states of the U.S., and now am working on the largest cruise ship in the world as Cruise Director’s Staff. I have been highly paid and poorly paid, have been treated well and treated not so well, owned my own condo and sold it, been partnered with both women and men, and all the above have made me who I am. But who am I? I’m beginning to feel a bit tired of it all and would be happy to settle into one career.

My roommate, Hudson, the other day said something about how working Sports Staff is a natural career step for him. I envied him that he has known what he wanted to do and has been following a plan. It must be nice to be following a plan like that. Is it really that rare, or difficult to do? These past 20 years went by very quickly, and there is no reason to suspect that the next 20 will not do the same…Will I be 60 and still wandering around like this? It’s beginning to be a little frightening.

7:25 PM

Small hiccup….Susan just found out that they have NOT replaced her yet, so she is NOT going on Saturday as they told her two weeks ago. She is devastated. She has not been home in a year and now they have no return date for her, but they have the date she must report to her new ship as Activities Manager. This of course means that I have no date to take over as Bingo Host. That is all right for me…it provides two more weeks, at least, of training.

August 28, 2011

NASSAU, BAHAMAS

I can’t believe it’s been a week since I last have written anything. Like most calendar computations on this ship it seems both a very short time, and an eternity. Last week was very busy with the storm rerouting. We took our Western itinerary backwards, heading to Cozumel first, then Jamaica and Haiti. I have to say I enjoyed last week immensely in hindsight. This is probably due to having hosted three Karaoke sessions, including the contest. There were some lovely people. Margaret and Lana were two ladies I met on the Rising Tide. Margaret has a daughter who is a performer and lives out in Seattle. We had a lively discussion about theatre and the quality of various shows and performers. I encouraged them both to come to the Contest, and while Margaret at first looked skeptical about any karaoke I was pleased to see them in the crowd on the Night 4. After that I just kept seeing them everywhere.

I had the day off in Cozumel so I was able to hang out with the actors of Hairspray again. We ended up going to Margaritaville which sits right on the ocean. It has an enclosed area in the water that has huge blowup play areas, and it felt great just to lie out on the water in the sun. While we were having lunch there I was able to ask several of them if they would be judges again for the contest and they all said yes. So that made me happy. I always enjoy having them. Victor, one of the performers, also said that he would be willing to sing. I will have to get with him and find out what tracks he would like to sing to.

Back on the ship it was busy as I was learning the ropes for Bingo. Everyday we had it, and it was a miserable week. This crowd just did not want to play bingo. One of the sessions we actually had to cancel. Oasis has the distinction, dubious one, of having the worst revenue flow for bingo in the entire fleet. What is odd is our sister ship the Allure has the best. Same ship, same show, on opposite ends of the spectrum. We can’t quite figure it out. This is a major revenue stream for RCI, and as Cruise Staff it is our only commission based activity. If we are to make any extra money it has to be through this. We have a target set every week, and if we make target we get money. We weren’t even in the ballpark last week. As Bingo Host it will be my responsibility to see that we hit target. This is where the visibility of the position comes in. I can do any marketing and promotion that I want, and I have been thinking of various things I can do to help us out.
There is no reason why two sister ships should be so opposite in their events.

This was also Amy’s last week. She has a week vacation then she comes back as Cruise Director for two weeks to cover Richard, then she goes back on vacation. When Richard leaves in a month or so after that Mike is coming back as permanent Cruise Director.

While Amy is on vacation/CD, Mitch Merucci is our Activities Manager. He comes from the Allure, so this will be a great way to find out how their Bingo works and why ours is so different. There will also be a complete turn over for our team. Joyce, Luis, Bjorn, Andrew, Susan, TT and Priscilla are all leaving over the next six weeks. Out of those people only Joyce is coming back to the ship. Susan is being promoted to Activities Manager on the Monarch of the Seas, Andrew is going to Explorer, (where Richard is taking over as CD), Priscilla is moving to Germany with her husband, Bjorn is going to a different ship as is TT, (he’s happy; he will be based in Dubai). Basically within the first five months of my employment I will end up as a senior person on the Team. This of course means a WHOLE lot of learning about EVERYTHING before they all go. It is going to be a busy and stressful couple of months until the new team members get locked in. One good bit of news, Alison is coming back off vacation and will be returning here.
It’s kind of sad, but normal. You get a good team and they all go.

Back to Bingo…So, last week I learned how to operate the actual Bingo machine. This week I will be calling out the numbers for games 2 & 3 of each session. I have to admit, this makes me a bit nervous. There is so much paperwork involved, and due to our schedules I am not sure I have all the information I need. We have Bingo today and we actually have a new grand prize which we have, to my knowledge, never had before. Today’s grand prize is moving into the Crown Loft Suite. A $20k value! It is the premier suite on the ship and takes up two decks. Obviously this is to help create excitement and generate sales of cards. I was just on the Gangway and hawking the Bingo game today. There is a TON of interest so the theatre space should be packed.

I seem to be jumping around a lot here, that is the peril of having to update an entire week in one entry. I wanted to talk about the karaoke sessions last week.

So, the Contest. Once again I had not been present at any sessions prior to the Contest, so I had no idea what to expect in the way of singers. Three cast members of Hairspray showed up as Guest Judges and a lovely black girl from Seattle (!) named Janae was our fourth judge. The singers were all uniformly good, and we actually had to have FOUR finalists, not three. The crowd insisted. Charles, a tall black man with a voice of velvet had wowed everyone with his songs. Jo Ann, a black woman who reminded me of Aretha Franklin; John, another black man with a phenomenal range that was almost a countertenor, and Michael who was so engaging in his stage presence that it made up for any deficiency in his vocals. The crowds were enthusiastic for every one of them. John was on his honeymoon, and being the sap I am, I brought his wife up to him on stage when he was singing a love song that he was dedicating to her. The crowd loved it, and he ended up winning the contest. It was deserved. His voice was incredible, and his last song was a Stevie Wonder song that he knocked out of the park with his improv scat.

It was unusual, but I also ended up hosting karaoke the next night, which was also fun, but sort of a let down after the previous night’s excitement. I was also scheduled for the last night’s karaoke, and to my surprise word must have got round because all my karaoke stars from the contest showed up. It was like a party of friends, and I was so ‘in the mood’ that I changed around my normal sets and ended with the Standard “I’ll Be Seeing You”. People were actually crying by the end of the show because it was midnight and their cruise was over.

Altogether it was a great group of people, and a very successful cruise.
I was not able to get off the ship in Nassau today, but I was curious about any storm damage. Apparently there was quite a bit of damage in the market area. I chose to sleep in instead.

Mitch came on board yesterday, our new AM, and he seems a very capable guy. He trained Amy and was the AM for the Takeout Cruise in 2009. It will be good to see another AM and the way he handles things.

August 20, 2011

TURNAROUND DAY, FTL

Wow, early night…home by 10:30!  Seems unnatural somehow.  Also don’t have to be at work until 0945…I keep looking at the schedule to verify, but it is true.  

Well, as I wrote on Facebook last night, I just couldn’t wait to see the end of the last cruise.  That was just a hard week all around, and no amount of candy coating can make it otherwise.  It was all I could do to host the Final Farewell…I don’t think there has ever been a cruise week so fraught with technical difficulties.  All but 1 of the Hairsprays were cancelled because the sound system crashed, then, (in the same theatre, the Opal), the Kung Fu Panda 2 movie, which I adore, went to a blank screen at the peak moment of the climax, then there were the troubles with, (in the same theatre again), the show “Come Fly With Me”.  It seemed that just about everywhere you went there was something going wrong.  To cap it all off, the crowd at the Final Farewell was just not going to participate.  Oh, I got them to clap and make some noise, but it was like pulling teeth.  A last hour of Rising Tide, and I was done.  And jolly good riddance.

This morning woke up and had Box Office, (360), from 10AM to basically 7PM, with a break for the Safety Drill.  It went beautifully.  I found out that as Bingo Host I will also be Supervisor for 360, and this lets me off of any more Debarks.  I share this duty, and the long day, with the Theme Night Captain, Luis.  So every other week I will have off in Fort Lauderdale.  That is something to look forward to.  I am also going to be responsible for making the schedules for the team and making sure that everyone fills out their Voyage Reports.  This is a report we have to update daily that is a brief synopsis of our events we have hosted; the number of people attended, etc. 

There is a lot of computer work involved in Bingo Hosting, besides the paperwork, which I guess is why it is counted a supervisory position.  For some reason no one wants it…I am sure I will find out why, but it is a necessary position to have to be noticed and work my way up.  I am almost at the half way point, so if I can carry this off to the end of my contract it will be great.  It is also a very large commission every week, which will be VERY helpful.

Yesterday, during the All Access Tour, Margaret, the HR Officer, hosted the group through the Crew Areas.  While there she explained that it is the HR office that is responsible for ordering and stocking the Slop Chest, (the “grocery store”).  They used to have dried mango, which is a comfort food for me.  I asked why I hadn’t seen it lately and she said it should be there.  Well, during Box Office I received a call from Margaret, she asked where I was, and I told her.  She told me she would be done in a minute, she had something for me.

When she walked in I was with a guest and she waited while I finished with their questions.  Then, hands behind her back, she said, “If you can guess what I have in my hands, you can have it”.  Of course, in the middle of Box Office I couldn’t even begin to guess.

“Oh, come on!” She said.  “What did we talk about yesterday?”  

“I wish I could tell you Margaret, but I have pretty much erased the last cruise from my memory bank.”

She laughed, and held out a BAG OF DRIED MANGO!  Bless her heart, she had remembered, bought a bag, and brought it to me!  You can guess what I am chewing on right now as I write this….it is soul food…

I’ll have to go now.  The rest of the bag is calling….

August 18, 2011

SEADAY enroute to FTL

There is an interesting moment in a growth cycle where you now know the patterns and feel of a situation and therefore have time to actually think about actions and results. While not being a savant of ship life, I can now see into the corners and realize where expectations and fact do not necessarily meet up. For instance, you have a seven month contract, then you get 2-3 months off. Are you paid? How do you live for three months in the US on the amount you get paid? Truth is, you can’t. You are going to have to get a job…but what job is going to hire you for only three months? Not a job that is going to invest a lot of money in you, that is for sure. RCI pays about $100-200 a month as a vacation bonus, so after your seven months you conceivably would receive anywhere between $600-900 for your three months of vacation. That’s not going to go far. A lot of the other departments, such as food service, even the sports staff, get paid commissions and tips that add up to a lot of money. We don’t. It is not unheard of for a sports staff person teaching Flowrider lessons to stash away up to $6-7k on their contract. Cruise Staff, for some odd reason, is one of the lowest paid crew members. It seems odd since we are the ones who are doing all the work and interacting with the guests constantly as hosts or entertainers. Performers actually do very well. Had I auditioned I would be being paid anywhere to 2-3 times what I am making now. It’s unusual to see an actor/singer get paid more than someone else, but there you are. They also get rooms with portholes…the sheer luxury of that staggers me at this point. I would be happy with just having a single room…

So there is a very interesting question coming up to my half way point in my contract. Do I stay, or do I go? I don’t feel I can financially afford to stay as a Cruise Staffer. The hours worked for the money earned puts me somewhere under a fast food restaurant employee. I keep hearing that we have all these amenities we can use, but if you don’t have time to use them, what’s the point? I will be able to leave here, MAYBE, with 2k saved, plus the $700 will leave $2,700 for three months. I used to earn more than that in a month just a couple years ago.

The whole reason I embarked upon this Odyssey, for lack of a better word, was to find a job that would pay enough to save some and send money home to Ralph, to ease our financial situation. I knew that the pay would not be great to start, I just had no idea the number of hours that would be called upon to earn it. Am I having fun? Mostly, yes. But fun does not pay bills or provide a living. I have seen my income dwindle more and more over the years, when it should, by rights, be going the opposite direction. This has been a bitter pill to swallow, and I have agonized endless hours over why and how this has come about. I’m talented, intelligent with a WIDE range of experience in an even wider array of disciplines. I am organized, can communicate well, am efficient and able to work inside or outside of any box you put me in. I should be cruising along that this age, looking back on accomplishments and looking forward to something other than a bleak, empty financial future.

Then I realize…I have never had faith in myself. I have had dreams, and have even started on correct paths, but somewhere along the line something happens and I lose faith in my abilities. This has been a constant since I was in school. I could have gone officer with my college degree…instead I went enlisted. From that moment my life changed. If I had it all to do over again, I would actually change that moment. It would mean my whole would be different, but I am certain that it would have been more financially sound. I believed that small voice that said I was not worthy of anything better, and have kept believing it all these years.

It has been incredibly stressful these last few years wanting to do right by my family and myself, and earn the kind of money that would enable Ralph to not work so hard, or so much. To see his health and strength wasting away in frustration and hard work, after he has worked so hard for so many years, has been depressing and has hurt my self-esteem immensely. I have felt so much guilt over the fact that every idea I had, every move I made to bring money in, has failed. The business that I worked in immediately before I came to RCI was crushed me when they fired me. The night before Ralph and I had had a heated discussion about finances, and I told him to have faith that things would work out…and 12 hours later I come home to tell him I was fired. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do…just going home to face him.

My mantra has always been everything happens for a reason, and that may be true, but everything happens because of patterns as well. The pattern was set, and I had to leave in order to break the pattern…or so I thought.

I called Ralph again last night, and we revisited the same conversation. Once again, I find myself in a situation where, with the best of intent and with cautious expectations of being recognized for doing a job well, I am earning even less than before. I have said many times that this job is perfect for those in their 20’s who do not have bills, families, etc. I stand by that. But there is no way to support an American family on this pay. So, after going around with Ralph on the phone about one more job gone awry I was in a state of severe depression and started making lists of things I could do to make money. I am going to have to face it that after this contract, while on vacation I will have to get a job.

Last night I decided that if, by the end of this contract there is not something substantial, like an immediate promotion to Activities Manager, I just will not be able to afford to stay on another 7 month contract as Cruise Staff. I will just have to take what I have learned, and leverage what I can from the experiences I have had in the Cruise industry. I have seriously thought about auditioning, and several actors have encouraged me to do so. It is MUCH more money and it is something that I am good at and love. The being apart will not be nearly as bad after we have gone through this 7 month separation.

Having made that decision, I went to bed. This morning I woke up, went to the office and saw Amy. I asked her, still dwelling on my thoughts of the previous evening, what she thought my chances of moving up were. She told me to stand by, that Susan was coming in the office and she wanted to share something with the two of us. Susan came in, and was told that she was being promoted to Activities Manager in two weeks, and would be leaving to work on another ship. I forget which one. Amy then turned to me and said that she was promoting me to Bingo Host, which is the first step to Activities Manager, and she wanted me to train with Susan on the computer and business aspects of this position. Well, this is big. It is also a step in the right direction.

After we had congratulated a VERY happy Susan, she left and Amy and I continued to talk. She told me that Richard and she talk about me frequently, and with other people as well. Richard has already told people he wants to “Fast Track” me, and wants me to be with him on my next contract as AM on the Explorer. Amy said no, she didn’t want to lose me yet, especially since she is going to be Cruise Director, and I have a feeling she might want me as HER Activities Manager. However it pans out, this seems to be a very promising line of possibility. I have learned to be cautious and not expect too much, but I think optimism is possible here.

Feeling very happy about this I went through the day. Amy saw me later on in the halls and she said to look in my mail box in the office. When I finally had a chance to do so she was sitting there at her desk. I looked in the box and pulled out an envelope. It turns out I have been recommended for Employee of the Month! 2,100 crew members, and I have been nominated in my first two months. It is just a nomination, but the right up was excellent and I was very moved.

Later this evening there was a situation I was involved in. I was working doors for the Comedy Club, which is very stressful as there are always more people who want in than can actually get in, and there is always someone who arrives after the doors are closed. Once that happens you cannot enter from the outside, though you can leave the club. Four people had had reservations, and were very upset that they could no longer get in. I had to calmly explain to them the 10 minute policy, and I was able to talk them down and recommend another show they could attend. They actually left smiling. I turned around and Amy was there. Apparently she had been watching. I understand people’s frustration, and I like to alleviate it anytime that I am able. I am a believer in the words of my Grandmother, “treat everyone as you would wish to be treated”, and that works every time. It is moments like that that underline for me the fact that working with people is my forte, and I have a gift there. Apparently people here think I have the gift as well. I am learning to have faith in myself, which is perhaps the lesson that is meant to be learned here on this ship. I know I am good, but knowing is different than believing…that is a lesson I am learning every day…

By the way….Bingo Host comes with the privilege of a single room!!!! Woohoo!!
Time for bed, and an early start with an All Access Tour…

August 17, 2011

ST MAARTEN

 

Yesterday was St Thomas, but I didn’t get off the ship, though I had plenty of time.  The reason is I truly believe I was cursed.  Yes, cursed.  This whole cruise has been a long nightmare, and until last night’s karaoke contest I would have been hard pressed to find something positive to say about either the crew, or the guests.

I don’t know if it is the full moon, or what…

On the 15^th at lunch time I had a run in with my food allergies.  I am fatally allergic to peanuts and, depending on how much I ingest, pretty darn allergic to their cousin soy beans.  I generally can stay clear of both by avoiding any food where I cannot read the list of ingredients, and of course all Asian foods.  In the mess hall, since I got there late due to my Dreamworks Family photo call, I had very little to choose from.  Basically Caribbean Rice and some Indian style Beef Stew.

I’m not sure if I have mentioned it before, but on this ship RCI has an agreement with Dreamworks, and we host several members of the Shrek and Madagascar family.  Everyday there is a photo opportunity for the guests with one group or the other.  We, as Cruise Staff, host this for the photographers.  Basically there is a queue we set up and monitor.  That day was Shrek, so we had Puss in Boots, Shrek and Fiona.  The one thing that sticks in my mind from that session was this poor girl who was severely handicapped.  To the point of being practically a vegetable.  It was heart rending to watch her parents lovingly wipe the drool that constantly formed at the corner of her mouth.  There is a lot of karma being worked out there.  She is unable to talk, feed herself, and is confined to a wheelchair.  I am not sure what her disease is, but I asked the father how old she was, and she is 18.  They had brought her, and due to her disability and her wheelchair I suggested they just stay to the side after their photographs to minimize the traveling they had to do with the wheelchair.  All the family members of Shrek were amazing, but I can only imagine what they were saying to themselves inside their costumes.  It brought tears to more eyes than mine, I know.  That is love.

After that it was chow time, and off to the Mess Hall I went.  I remember looking down at the brown rice of the Caribbean Rice thinking, “I wonder if it is really brown rice, or if it is soaked in soy sauce.”  I think it must have been soaked in soy.  Not 15 minutes after eating it I felt that funny tickle in the back of my throat that is the beginning of my allergic reactions.  Going back to my room I figured I would take a benadryl and ride it out.  Nope.  I just kept getting worse.  I debated with myself for a while, then decided that it would be better, since I was not sure I would not throw up and therefore did not want to man my next duty in public, if I went to Medical.  15 minutes after that I was hooked up to an IV being loaded with more benadryl, steroids and what not.  Well, it seemed to me the cure was worse than the symptoms, because I was absolutely looped.  No more work for me that day.  I was sent back to my room.

Some people like this…I don’t.  I can’t think of anything more boring than to be stuck in a small space with no windows.  So to keep myself from going crazy, and since I was feeling somewhat better, I reformatted all the various Trivia games we host on the ship.  The folders we have been using to store the question sheets are in terrible shape, as are the question sheets themselves.  It’s been bothering me for some time, to tell you the truth.  There are a ton of misspellings, grammatical mistakes, and even incorrect answers.  So, since I had nothing better to do, and Amy gave me the go ahead to charge it as work hours…I worked from my bed.  Between 7PM on Aug 15 and 7PM August 16, I recreated 36 Trivia games; taking out duplicate questions, correcting grammar and spelling, creating a format that looks professional and uniform.  I finished them yesterday and printed them on hard stock paper.  On Saturday when we are in port I will get some laminating sheets from Office Depot, laminate them and they should be ready to go.

I also rebuilt 6 folders of karaoke music that had fallen apart.  There are a lot of little things that have fallen through the cracks.  It’s like being home in Key West…if you ignore the little things growing so rapidly in the yard you will end up with a jungle.  Apparently Ralph has been having a time doing that.  From the sound of it the yard is amazing now…wish I were there to see it.  For the first time in 8 years we, according to Ralph, have fully green and grown lawns.  I’ve never seen that at our house.  One of them is always in a state of decay it seems.

Back to the ship…

Thinking that the curse had to be lifted now that I had spent a day in bed, my first event was Lead on the Doors for the Headliner show.  Lead means I have control of the computer and the guest lines, and supervise the Youth and Sports Staff that are manning the doors and scanning the guests’ cards.

Nope, the curse was still active.  It was a total cluster of chaos.  No matter how many times I told people that if they did not have reservations they needed to be in the queue to the left, they wouldn’t listen.  Card after card showed red/no ticket.  They were getting frustrated, I was getting frustrated.  Finally, it was the 10 minutes point where I let in the Standby Line.  I told the Youth Staffer to let them in, meaning scan the cards and admit them.  I turned around to answer a question from a guest and 15 seconds later turned around to find that some 90 guests had seemingly evaporated.  There was no one.  I went to the Youth Staffer and asked where they all had gone, ignoring the sinking feeling in my stomach.  “I let them in, like you said.”  Yup, some 90 guests had just walked in.  Calmly I reiterated the process for the new guy. 

After this I had an hour to get ready for the Karaoke Contest.  Feeling rather sick to my stomach at the thought of the night to come…if the past four days have been any indication.  I went to the office and saw Amy.  She said that she would stop by at the beginning around 10:30PM. 

“Ummm, 10:30, did you say?”

“Yes.” She replied.

“We start at 10PM…you’ll be popping around half way through.”  She looked at me for a moment with an ‘oops’ expression on her face. 

“It’s listed in the Compass as 10:30PM!”

“Amy, we’ve always started at 10.”

Yup…the curse.  That’s all right, I thought to myself.  Just roll with it. 

I gathered the prizes together, took them back to my room…walked up to the Helipad Bar and asked the bartender for a double Johnny Walker Red….took it back to my room and began to warm up for the show.  I was hoping that my voice had come back.  Between the coughing, which is much better now, and the swollen throat from the allergy attack, I had no idea what would happen.

SUCCESS!!!!  The whole evening was incredible!  The singers were amazing, the audience was vocal and engaged…it was just perfect…Thank God.  Another Black woman, named Lilly, was the winner, but honestly it could have been any of the three finalists. 

It really was an incredible night, and was a complete turn around for my luck this week.  All singers were above average, and the final six were great.  It was so hard to know who to root for.  The final three were a South African gentleman named Clarence, a 16 year old Colombian named Sebastian, and Lilly, our African American.  Sebastian is a young Ricky Martin and the girls were screaming for him like it was a rock concert.  I have never heard such screams….for all the singers actually, but for these three it was something special.  They were all very good sports and all had a great time giving the gift of music.  Lilly had something special though.

At the start of the Contest I sang Cabaret.  I sing it now always in memory of Mary Jo, who typifies for me the Elsie in the song.  Half way through Earlon got distracted and ejected my disk.  I just kept going a cappella.  The crowd loved it and gave me rhythm by clapping it out for me.  In the last round Lilly did something similar.  She was riffing on a song and the song ended…but she didn’t…she kept going for about 6 more measures bringing her song to a very stylish and jazzy end.  The crowd went insane.

After such an incredible night I just did NOT feel like going back to my cabin.  The Indians were celebrating India Independence Day and were hosting a party for the crew in Studio B.  They had that place decorated like you would not believe!  Women were wearing saris, men wearing traditional clothing, Indian music was being played by a DJ, and there was free beer and wine for the crew.  Easily a third of the crew was there, packed.  Here’s a few pictures of the night, and some video.

After a bit of that, and seeing that it was 3AM already, I went home to sleep and get ready for my gangway duty this morning.  I am tired today, but MUCH happier with everything.  I am beginning to wonder though if I really want to continue on past this contract.  I am almost at the halfway point.  I am tired, and this is a WHOLE lot of work.  I enjoy it, but this might be a job for a younger person.  It is so hard being away from those you love, and being out of contact.  It is lonely, and face it, that pay is not great.  We will see how the next few weeks go.  Amy is leaving next week for a week, then comes back for two weeks as Cruise Director, then she is gone again for a month of vacation.  It will be interesting to see how my 90-Day Review goes…which she will be doing as Cruise Director, oddly enough.  I am trying to keep my spirits up, but rooming with a 24 year old, as nice as he is, is a drawback.  Rooming with anyone at 44 is difficult.

August 14, 2011

NASSAU, BAHAMAS

This cruise is going to be one of “Those” cruises. I am feeling much better since I got on the antibiotics, the cough has gone pretty much away, but I have lost my voice. I still feel tired, and there looks to be no end in sight for that. As for the last few days, they are pretty blurry. The SeaDay back to FTL was very busy, the most memorable thing is the Final Farewell Party on the Promenade which I hosted again. It felt really good this time, and I am getting lots of positive feedback. Speaking of positive feedback, during the All Access Tours when the guests reach the Crew Areas Margaret, the HR Director, takes over and hosts. She always hands out ‘Smile Cards” to the guests saying that they are to hand them to a crew member who has, in their opinion, gone above and beyond in their efforts. The crew member who receives this takes it to HR and turns it in and various good things happen. Well, I got one Friday from a guest! That was really nice…I just have to find the time to go to HR and turn it in…it is now Sunday…still haven’t had time.
The FFM, (Final Farewell Moment), as I said, went really well. I had the whole crowd screaming and dancing, doing the wave, and at the end got them to chant Richard’s name.

It got so loud, especially with me saying that he would not come out unless he heard them, that he DID hear and came out a bit early. I am slowly finding things that I can make “mine”, little jokes, ways of doing things, etc. The only bad thing was that by the end of the FFM I had no voice left, and I am still suffering from that. It could be a combination of lack of sleep, vocal stress, and the coughing, but my voice is Barry White deep right now. Sexy, but not good for singing.

Finally ended the night around 11PM, then had to try to sleep because I had Debark at 0500. Managed to grab two hours sleep, even with the melatonin pills I took.

Debark is kind of fun, it is just so damn early! I was posted in the Dining Room, Deck 5, which was nice because I got to use the microphone and choose when to speak, versus having to guide people on the Promenade and say the same things, while projecting, over and over. That would have strained my voice past the breaking point I think. Basically, in the Dining Room I am the guide and host and notify people when their luggage tag numbers are called for them to disembark.

Many of you have taken cruises and know the routine, for those that have not, here is the explanation. You are given luggage tags with numbers when you arrive. You put these on your bags and set them outside the night before you leave. There they “magically” disappear, thanks to our Housekeeping Staff, are taken down to Deck 2 and placed on trolleys which are then lined up the length of I95. As soon as we dock these people start to unload the luggage. This is a time consuming process, and as the luggage areas finish with the placement of the luggage in the appropriately numbered areas, those numbers are called and the people are asked to disembark. Earlier flights, etc, are given lower numbers to allow them to leave first.

In theory this provides a smooth transition off ship. Theory does not take into account Customs Agents, who can shutdown a gangway on their whim, Express Exit people, (who keep their bags and take them off themselves, and can therefore leave at any time), and any number of other factors. One of the most frustrating of these factors are the people who decide they want to sleep later and leave at their own leisure. If the gangways get too crowded with people Customs will shut down until the line thins. You may also find that while calling tag numbers up to 34 that all of a sudden a horde of Expressers shows up and backs the lines up.

So, I am on the mic, no sleep, punchy, but I have two cups of coffee in me at this point. There is no knowing what is going to come out of my mouth. All I know is that the sooner the guests disembark, the sooner I can go to my cabin and try to sleep. This must have shown through. Well calling out thusly: “Ladies and Gentleman, thank you for waiting, we are now up to number 34. All numbers, 1 thru 34, may leave”, etc…, somehow this became: “Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for waiting, we are now up to number “X”...We hope you enjoyed your vacation…Go home!” Everyone laughed, which was good, so it became four hours of stand up comedy to keep myself and the guests amused…and the crew in the Dining Room trying to make ready for the next lot of guests arriving as soon as these lot disembarked.

We got done around 10AM, so I ran to get a quick bite to eat, then and hours rest. At 11AM I was up and lined up to go off ship to run errands. By 1PM I was back on ship, working on office things such as karaoke certificates, etc, 4PM time for Safety Drill, 5PM Box Office for two hours, and on into the night…exhausted, but still having to smile and be helpful.

The last I looked at the schedules I had drill in the morning, but nothing else. “Great,” I thought, “I can manage that and then go back to bed and try to catch up on sleep.” Nothing doing. In the morning before drill I picked up my schedule and it looked like a Jackson Pollock painting. It was solid events and activities. I was more than a little miffed. I had had no breakfast, again, not even a cup of coffee and my day was going to be a long one. It is now 5:30 PM and I am having my first break since I started. I lie, I had one break earlier for lunch, which I bolted down, then grabbed a quick half hour nap…that was around 1PM. I am booked until midnight tonight. I have no idea what tomorrow’s schedule will be, but as it is a SeaDay I have no great hopes.

As to why it will be one of “Those” cruises? Well, Hairspray was cancelled last night due to tech difficulties, (the sounds system crashed), so we rescheduled it for this afternoon, bumping Kung Fu Panda 2….This rescheduled Hairspray was cancelled due to the same tech issues, which leaves a large question mark for whether or not this evening’s performance will run. Apparently the gangway coming on the ship from Nassau today had tech issues as well, so at one point there were a whole lot of very hot and sweaty guests trying to get on the ship and lines backing up. I have a feeling our ratings for this cruise are going to take a beating.

I had a flashback to my Marine days today as well. I was on gangway duty, right after drill, guiding people to their elevators back to their rooms. Some guest had left a bowl of fruit on the floor by the elevator trash can. This is something that Facilities picks up. An officer with several stripes walks past looks at the bowl and tells me in a very rude, authoritative voice “Hey, you, take deal with this.”

Shocked, I stood there a second and said, “And what would you like me to do with it, Sir”?

“Take it to the Galley. Now.” The galley was on the opposite end of the ship, there were guests around, and I was certainly not going to cause a scene in front of them, so I just picked it up, continued guiding people, with a bowl of fruit in my hand, and when he was gone set it down in the opposite elevator bank. I was on duty, and there was no way I was going to have the time to leave my post, run to the other end of the ship to put away some dirty dishes, and run back to my post. Nor is it my job. I am all for helping out whenever and wherever I can, but had anyone come by and I had not been at my duty post there would have been more issues. The thing was I flashed back to rude officers in my days in the Corps. I forgot that I count as an officer on this ship too…I have two stripes. I told Amy about it, and she was very angry. She asked his name. I, frankly, was so shocked that I hadn’t even looked at his name tag.

Later, after I had cooled down and thought it through, realized that he had probably just come from the other gangway that had the tech issues and had been bombarded with negative thoughts and actions, and was just broadcasting them back out. Tired and sick I had responded angrily too, which would have just fed the whole process. This is going to be a cruise where we all have to think before we speak and speak with understanding. It’s going to be stressful. However, it was tempting to channel Mary Jo and tell him to "kiss my ass".....

At least the day is half done.

August 11, 2011

COZUMEL

Quiet day. I slept most of it away. I was able to tell Amy that though the doctor had put me on antibiotics that he had acquiesced to my wishes and NOT marked me as Unfit for Duty. She was relieved.

We had a new team member board today, bringing our team back up to fully staffed numbers. Here name is Miriam and she is Mexican. She comes to us from the Independence of the Seas…the ship that runs one of the Mediterranean routes. It will be nice to be fully staffed again…maybe we will get more down time so I can finally kick this cough. I just want to be fully healthy again. I have GOT to find time to get to the gym…

As far as staffing, we will lose 5 of our 10 within the next six weeks as they rotate off on vacations. I doubt that Andrew is coming back…he might not come back to RCI at all, and Bjorn won’t come back to Oasis. We also lose Luis, TT and Amy, though Amy will be back. It is going to be interesting to see how a completely new team develops. Alison will be back in October, but she is the only one coming back that I know. Basically, within 2 months I will be the senior Cruise Staff member on board…at least senior in terms of being on this ship. This also means that supervisory positions will be opening up, which I like to think I will be in the running for…a position like that also means…A SINGLE ROOM! I can’t wait. That will be worth it right there. The singles go to Bingo Hosts, and 360-Supervisors. 360 is what we call the box office on Turnaround Day. It starts at 11AM and runs all day. Either of those would be great.

So by October there should be some good news.

August 10, 2011

SEADAY enroute to COZUMEL

Back to Medical….My cough has just not gone away, and it is going down to my chest again. Not to mention thoroughly thrashing my throat and vocal chords. I looked in the mirror today and do not like what I see. I have lost so much weight my clothes are hanging on me. This is not good. Medical confirmed I still have bronchitis, so back on the antibiotics. I told him to make it strong enough this time to wipe everything out. He has me on a double dosage. I don’t feel sick…but I sure don’t feel well.

Had a very nice compliment the other day, people continue to talk about me in a great way. What is nice is that I have passed the 60-Day mark, which I had not been able to do at my last job. Which, as always, shall remain nameless because I genuinely like the establishment and its owner. This job, as tough as it is, has been a tonic to compensate and heal that debacle.

Continuing the balance of good and bad….I heard that my friend Mary Jo passed away from cancer this week. Another friend, Mark Watson, wrote a beautiful obituary that was printed in the Key West Citizen, and I definitely feel he knew her much better than I did, but she had a large impact on me during my years in Key West, and so I thought I would write about her.

Mary Jo was an original. They often say “God broke the mold when he made so-and-so”, but in her case he literally did. I remember the first time I saw her. I was in the By George Bar at LaTeDa, on the upper end of Duval. Many of you know it. It’s a beautiful little bar that hosts, or did at that time, many of the locals who want a more refined atmosphere than, say, the Schooner Wharf. It is a cabaret, of sorts, and the two most well known performers there are the incredible duo, a husband and wife team, Pat and Deb. Deb is a stunning black woman with a voice like velvet and Mary Jo was a great fan of theirs. It was my first time in the bar, and I was new to Key West and a little unsure of what all was going on.

I’m standing in the corner, as is my wont to do when in a bar I don’t know, enjoying the music, and the set ends. I clap with everyone else and see this short woman with her dark hair cut short and the most astonishingly red lipstick. I mean RED, like I always imagine the women from the Fifties wore, who when they smoked left this bright red ring around the filter. Which she did.

This woman takes up the glass vase on a stool next to the piano and starts to walk around the room telling people to pony up some cash. She comes up to me. “Who the hell are you?” she asked in a very brassy tone. She made me think of a female Colonel.

“Um, I’m Mike” I said.

“Do you like the music?”

“Yeah, it’s great.”

“Glad you think so. Then put some money in the Goddamned jar.”

Obviously the only option was to do what she required me to do. Bemused, I did so with as much speed as I could muster.

Later on that evening I found out the woman’s name was Mary Jo. As the years went by I was never invited to her house, indeed, I never saw her outside of public areas. But every single performance in town, every charity event and fundraiser, every piano bar and cabaret…she was there. And not there in a quiet way, slipping in…no. You always knew when Mary Jo entered a room. It was usually preceded by a loud “Everybody can kiss my ass”. I had never heard it used affectionately before.

When I began to sing at the Key Piano Bar, she was there. We always had her Bailey’s ready for her. Mark Watson and I used to laugh at a story about her. When accused by someone of being drunk she indignantly replied. “I am NOT drunk. I don’t drink.” When the glass of Baileys was pointed out to her she replied. “There is no alcohol in Bailey’s, and I’m not drunk…I’m just tired!” To which Mark quipped, “I went out last night and was EXHAUSTED by the time I got home. I was so tired I can’t remember a thing!” Mary Jo looked him in the eyes and said, “Kiss my ass, Mark!”

When life treated her bad, she kept flipping it off. I saw her fight and battle cancer, coming to Tea Dance hours after finishing a Chemo treatment…dancing away. She refused to give in. I know that she is in Heaven, because the Devil wouldn’t have her…she would have taken his job.

I just can’t think of Key West without that titanic woman. In a city full of characters she stood out on her own. She was the most loyal of friends and advocates, and the fiercest of critics when it came to ‘bullshit’. Years ago, again in the By George Bar, and probably with Pat and Deb playing and singing, she and I had a conversation about her past. It was the only time that she opened up to me in that way. I found out that she had tried to the “done” thing, and had married a military officer. I was correct in my first impression of her having a military side. She spent years trying to play the dutiful military wife, but in the end her own character was too strong to fit into that stereotype. I can only imagine what the other officer’s wives thought about her and her drive for truthfulness in the face of mediocrity and tradition.

Mary Jo, wherever you are, I wish I had known you better, but I am so grateful for the knowledge of you that I have.

R.I.P Mary Jo….

August 9, 2011

FALMOUTH, JAMAICA

The past few days have been VERY busy. We are being inspected on the ship. I am not sure what the acronym stands for, but the DNV (?), is on board this week and checking everything for safety, quality control, etc. Apparently this is huge. They look in storage lockers, everywhere. Well, the Cruise Staff has stuff stored everywhere, and a lot of it, since we give out so many prizes, etc. Our lockers all had to be cleaned out. Some of them had to be emptied, which means the stuff had to go somewhere. It was a general Spring Cleaning. The same went for the office. There is not a whole lot of spare space on this ship, so it is with some thinking that we have to organize everything again…while maintaining our duties as well.

I have not had very much sleep lately, and my cough is getting worse. It is a dry, unproductive cough but I am worried about the effect on my throat. I went to the doctor yesterday and he seems to think that I may have acid reflux. He gave me some medicines and I will check back with him in a week. My cough has eased today, but that could be just the codeine in the cough syrup he gave me. I am also a bit concerned since tonight is the Karaoke Contest and I have to sing the opening and closing numbers. I am not sure if Tara, et al, are going to be there tonight, but I hope so. I will have to contact them and see.

I have most of today off, so it is time for laundry and I also helped Amy move some stuff around the office. Susan is now in charge of schedules and Bingo. The Bingo host is a supervisor position. Someday I hope to have that. It is a nice way to get noticed for promotion. Susan is excellent at it. There is a lot of paperwork and office work involved. All financial records of sales have to be audited and sent to the Main Office in FTL, so everything has to balance perfectly.

Yesterday I had to host a jewelry making workshop. Beading. I had never done this before and was a bit concerned about my ability to host it. The workshop/Craft room is up on Deck 14 Forward. It is a large room with cabinets all around is serves as the workshop for the Scrapbooking and Jewelry Making Classes. I spoke with Joyce, who is the maven for the workshop and got the basics of what I needed to do as far as selling the kits, etc. Going up early I nosed through all the cupboards and cabinets to see what all was there, never having been in the room before. Basically there are seven kits guests can purchase, everyone a different set of necklace, earrings and bracelet. I found one I wanted to make, and as I finished setting up two ladies walked in. I sold them each a kit and we sat down and began beading.

I had seen my mother’s beading work before, so I knew the basics. As we chatted I worked away, and I have to say it was very nice. I enjoyed it. I am not going to say who the necklace is for, but I hope the person enjoys it as their Christmas Gift. It’s going to take that long to make as well….by the end of the hour the ladies were done with the necklaces they were making…and I had made the superb progress of 16 beads on a string…244 more to go…Obviously I am going to have to host this several more times in order to finish by the holidays.

August 6, 2011

TURNAROUND FTL

Well, I have a roommate. I didn’t bother going to bed last night. By the time I finished updating this blog and posting it, it was already 3:30 and I had Immigration at 0600, that I was supposed to be at by 0550. Immigration they check every person on the ship, crew-wise that is. It is a large cattle-call that takes place in Studio B. The line stretched back and around like a Disneyland ride line. You finally get to your seat, then they call you row by row. You head down to the Customs Officials and they take a look at your passport, if you are American, or passport and I95 if you are foreign…which they stamp. Then a long line out. I got back to the room around 0630, which is not bad time if you consider they are taking through over 2,000 people. I passed out for a bit, planning to wake around 11AM so I could get off ship and do some essentials shopping. When I woke, dressed and was walking out the door, there was a knock and the door opened.

Hudson is a 24 year old Brit. He is Sports Staff and comes from a contract on the Allure, our sister-ship. Dark hair, about 5’6 and with the coloring that makes me think of Cornwall…the Celtish side. We shook hands then off I went, returning in about an hour and a half so I would have time for a nap before starting work. Hudson and I chatted a bit, and I am relieved that he seems a very responsible type of chap and we share the same sense of humor. I was worried that I would have a Haitian or something. I am not in the least bit racist, but after 8 years of conquering, in a sense, the cultural divide between Cuban/Key West and Yankee Northerner, I am not up to bridging another cultural divide in my off time. So if I have to have a roommate he seems like a good one to have…even if he is young enough to be my son.

It is now time for the Passenger Safety Drill, (PAX Drill), then off to Box Office for several hours and on to karaoke tonight.

Side note: we lost two of the cast of Hairspray today. They were with us at the Park Royal and were made to take a breathalyzer test when they got back…they failed.
Karaoke was a blast tonight, I have great hopes for the show on Day 4. I don’t know why people say that the first night is boring and hard…I packed the room. Standing Room Only, and the singers were great! There was one that stood out for me…he’s 15 years old with the most amazing voice. Apparently he is already cutting a cd. I’m not sure if he is represented or if the cd is his own making…but he could very well be the next Justin Bieber.

I had to cut the Karaoke exactly on time because Amy was having a staff party. Actually it was more of a test. Right before the Quest Gameshow begins she has an intro where she does Minute Games. Challenges that take place in 60 seconds. She had a list of games she wanted to try with us to get our comments and see if they were fun/challenging enough to make them worthwhile to add. Of course there was alcohol involved. So down to the Deck 1 Training Room I ran after changing out of my Karaoke hosting clothes. A cooler of beer, a couple bottles of wine, and Priscilla, Joyce, Susan, TT and me were there with Amy. Amy had prizes for each of the games, we had music to create a mood, and off we went. The best game of all, in my opinion, was the pantyhose and baseball game. We lined up 6 bottles of water in a line, put the baseballs in each of the pantyhose feet, place the pantyhose on our heads, (did I mention there was alcohol involved??), and with our hands behind our backs attempted to knock over the bottles of water by swinging the baseballs in the pantyhose. It is much harder than it sounds. Physics is involved. Jerk your head too much and the baseballs go swinging in great arcs…and totally avoid the bottles.

We decided that this game should involved two people at the same time, and a line of at least 8 bottles.

Another game was done with a bowl of Vaseline, and empty bowl, and a pile of cotton balls. Placing your hands behind your back you dip your nose in the Vaseline, touch a cotton ball with your nose, pick it up, place it in the empty bowl. Again…harder than it sounds. You get too much Vaseline on your nose and the cotton ball won’t come off. After I trounced everyone with this we, (I took a small amount of Vaseline and did not dip each time, making it easier to drop the balls into the empty bowl), we decided that the rule should include HAVING to dip your nose each time.

There was also a game with a Ped-o-meter. You know the little device that counts each step you make when running? Well, it was attached to a headband and you have to rock your head as fast as you can and garner the most “steps”. This is sure to be a favorite as it not only looks incredibly stupid, but will make the person dizzy as well. Joyce, a Filipina who always reminds of Bloody Mary in South Pacific looked a bit like a Sumo wrestler as she was doing it. She won, beating me handily.

It was a fun night, and we all enjoyed ourselves. But it did make for a very long day.

August 5, 2011

SEADAY enroute to FTL

Today was a hell of a day. All 11 hours of it. Woke up at 8:30 AM so I could get breakfast. If you go any later than 9AM they have cleaned it all out except for a very small insubstantial bar on the side in preparation for lunch. Lunch, by the way, is cleared away by 2PM, and then nothing until dinner from 6-7:30. Of course for our schedules THIS DOES NOT WORK! Little grumpy about this….I am tired of the same old food, leftover, overheated, dry, that is all the choice I have by the time I get to the mess hall. Any wonder that I have lost weight? Sometimes the only reason I go eat is because I know that if I don’t I won’t be able to work. Yes…for days on end eating is actually a chore. Plentiful, but boring. Lots of gravies, mashed potatoes and other starches and carbs. Lots of minute steaks and hamburgers. Today we DID have a Greek salad that was good.

Anyway, the day started with breakfast, and I bought myself a latte at the Java Shop. Three sips then off to Towel Folding Class with the Housekeeping Staff. This was the first time I had hosted the event. It was up in Dazzles, the two story lounge overlooking the Boardwalk and the Aqua Theatre. Looking Aft, I should say. Beautiful lounge.

Anyway, the Housekeeping Staff have an event where they display their towel folding skills for guests. If you have taken an RC cruise you know the elephants and monkeys an turtles, etc that you find on your bed when you get to your cabin? Well, now I know how to do that. We had about 30 people there, and I was on mic. I couldn’t help but see myself as a Regis type character…

(Peering over the shoulder of the Staff member as he rolls the towel) “Oh, so you are rolling the towel now? Everyone see this? That’s right, just roll the towel half way up the length. So you’re from Haiti? Oh, look, everyone! Now he’s folding the head. Isn’t that amazing! How about a round of applause!”

All I needed was a camera crew.

That was from 0945-1030. Then came the Ship Scavenger Hunt from 1030-1115. We meet in the On Air Bar daily and I supply them with the question sheets. Each day has an area of the ship as its theme. Today’s was the Entertainment Place neighborhood. You get the teams together, give them a time to be back, say “On your mark, get set, GO!” And then you have 20 minutes to sit and sip your coffee in the bar while they scurry around the ship finding the answers. They rush back, you give them the answers, score them, and award prizes to the team with the most correct answers.

1115-Noon – Trivia Games in the Schooner Bar. Bag in hand with question sheets, answer sheets, pencils and prizes, it’s off to the piano bar and one of my favorite activities… Trivia. This was a General Knowledge Trivia of 20 questions. I’ve got my coffee and am raring to go now. I love this event because it reminds me of being a child and sitting in my grandparents living room, spread out on the carpet, watching Jeopardy with them. My grandmother always said she had an amazing amount of useless knowledge in her head, and I think I take after her. 20 minutes of questions, side stories and jokes, then 10 minutes for answers, more jokes and side stories, then off to the Card Room and Library on Decks 14 and 11 from Noon to 1230.

The Library always has to be maintained and cleaned and the inbox empties of returned books…and all the books put back into place and arranged neatly. Cardroom has to have the games checked and cleaned up.

Lunch time finally. A few minutes to gorge my food down and then off to my cabin for a brief nap.

1345-1445: Flip Camera Scavenger Hunt in the On Air Bar– We supply the cameras, divide the people into teams (we had five teams of anywhere from 6-10 people). We give them scenes to shoot and award points for most scenes out of 30 shot. These can be anything from singing YMCA on the Promenade to spelling out words with their bodies, or proposing marriage to a stranger. Points awarded as well to most creative efforts. They record the videos on their cameras, rush back, and we play them on the big screen for everyone to see. Lots of fun and laughter.

1445-1530: General Knowledge Trivia again, back to the Schooner Bar for more Trivia. Read above.

1530-1645: To the Opal Theatre for selling Bingo cards for the Final Jackpot Bingo game. The Jackpot was over $5,000, so you can imagine the number of people. It was crazy. And no matter how clearly I spell out the ease of the handheld Bingo games, they STILL say it sounds too complicated. Constant source of amusement for me.

1645-1730: Music Trivia – Classic TV Theme songs. Back to the Schooner Bar for another Trivia game..this time with a CD of song selections, clips from famous TV shows ranging from I Dream of Jeannie and Love Boat to Hill Street Blues and Cheers. Always fun. More jokes and laughter and side stories. By this time I have a full house for the game as the previous game players have returned to my shows.

1730-1800 – Back to the Cardroom and Library for cleanup, then…

1800-1815 – Chapel to clear away the setting for the AA meetings that we host.
It was time for a break, and a nap, and dinner…not necessarily in that order. It was also time to start worrying about my first hosting of the Final Farewell.

1900-2030: Pacing begins at 1900 waiting for the techs to arrive, and watching the people begin to congregate on the Promenade in anticipation of the Final Farewell Party. I want to make this good as this will be the first time Richard really sees me work. Of course I am nervous as well as I don’t really know what I am doing as far as what songs mean what entrances and exits for the various sections. We have the Penguins from Madagascar for 20 minutes dancing on the Promenade with the children, then they leave and I introduce the entertainment staff of Cruise Staff, Youth Staff and Sports Staff. More dancing. Getting the people to clap in time, leading them in the Wave and yelling. More dancing. Shrek comes out. Introductions, more dancing, more Waves and screaming. Sweat soaked by now.

(By the way, a Side Story: 70s night was several nights ago, and there I was, sweat soaked and dancing in my blue-green, glittered and spangled polyester pirate shirt with Elton John glasses and blond Pippin Afro. Towards the end, the Cruise Staff, and some of the Youth Staff, are up on the stage above the Promenade. Richard rips my wig off my head and sends it sailing into the audience. Now for any of you reading that remember my Pippin in Key West, or ANY stage production I have been in, you know how much I sweat. Not drips. Not rivulets. Not a dainty glow. No. Torrents. Cascades. Inundations. And that is just standing. In Pippin I had a wig that I wore from the start of the show to the end, then in the very last minutes it would be ripped off my head and rainbows of sweat would arc across the stage. I always felt sorry for the poor sod who had to touch it, and sorrier when I would have to put it back on, chilled by this time, before Curtain Call. Well, Pippin was reborn. As Richard sends my wig flying into the audience a Tropical Storm of sweat descended upon the upturned faces…which quickly tried to cover their faces. Not easy to do in a packed arena. The light caught each drop of sweat sending a rainbow over the Promenade. What is most surprising is people actually caught it…handed it to each other..and sent it back to stage. Personally, I would have let it fall to the ground and called Facilities for a Toxic Waste cleanup on the Promenade.)

Finally, Richard comes out on the Bridge, screams of adulation, more dancing and we make our exit having said good bye to the guests.

2030-2115: Staff Meeting…this time in Johnny Rockets. Amy bought us dinner for our meeting. We had a great time laughing, and I enjoyed a root beer float. Damn, it tasted good! Johnny Rockets, as most of you know, is a 50s themed diner. A float just sounded the right thing to do.

Back to my cabin for a brief nap, then 2315 to the Rising Tide for the last couple hours of the day, making my way back to the cabin at 0120 in the morning.

That was my day. An average sea day. Tomorrow we are no longer delayed getting into port, and honestly, if there are any waves out there I am not feeling them right now at all. I would get to sleep in, but we have a full immigration check at 0600. This is done every 3 months, and no one can leave the ship until we have all been checked and processed. I called Ralph the other day…maybe it was today, can’t remember…and we agreed that even though I had the day off, and the storm was not due to arrive, that we would wait until September for our meeting. If he doesn’t show up I know immigration will be done by 8AM. If he showed up I know that we would not be done until 11AM. It’s just Murphy’s Law.

I get to sleep after that tomorrow though. I don’t have anything until 1530.