July 1, 2011

SEA DAY en route to FTL

Sick in bed…yes, that is right…sick…damn. Been coughing and sour throat the last couple days, and today woke up with what I call that “bronchitis” taste in the back of my throat. High-tailed it to Medical….got my z-pack..and was declared ‘Unfit for Duty”…but thankfully not confined to quarters, which would have impacted my roommate as well.

Medical was very efficient. Though it looks much like Truman Medical, which is not a compliment, its services are much better…and of course, free. If there is any cure for malingerers it is being in a 6’x12’ cabin with no windows all day. Slept. Did my laundry. Read “Son of a Witch” by Gregory Maguire. I mean, I read it all from start to finish…aaaannnnd that was about it for the day. I am not a good patient.

Called my parents and talked to Mom briefly. Ralph had taken Paddington, our Scotty, to the vet to have a cyst removed that has been bothering him for years. Mom and Dad covered the cost. THANK YOU!!!. Apparently, since I have left his ears have stood up…FINALLY! Scotties don’t have their ears docked to stand up, they are supposed to on their own….he’s a late bloomer…he’s almost 8. Figures he would wait until I was gone to do that. I am awaiting pictures from Ralph for proof.

As to the ship, you should see the efficiency that they muster for disembarking thousands of pieces of luggage. All of I95 is filled with rack upon wheeled rack of luggage, all numbered and placed just so. This process starts in the late afternoon, and goes all night. Hundreds of state room attendants take care of this process, and in recognition of the late work hours the mess hall keeps the pizza and carbs flowing until late in the night. The process then repeats itself tomorrow morning…in reverse…as all the new guests’ luggage is brought on and taken to the individual staterooms. In a 24 hour period they must move over 24,000 pieces of luggage. I am figuring here 2 pieces of luggage per person on a vessel that carries over 6,200 guests. That’s a lot of black forward arrowsuitcases, with very few mistakes in delivery. As Yoda would say “most impressive is this”.

I saw Barbara’s family yesterday at the doors for the Come Fly With Me show. They thanked me profusely for a great evening. One thing I forgot to mention about last night. When I was running the Comedy Show doors, which is a tight operation with only 120 seats, I smelled vomit. This was not unexpected to me since we had been rocking quite a bit since leaving Cozumel. I think it is a mixture of the current as the waters of the Gulf meet the Caribbean, and the after-effect of Tropical Storm Arlene which chopped up the waves. At any rate, some child in the Frozen in Time Ice Show sicked up against the wall in the hall. Within minutes Facilities was there in full HazMat gear cleaning and sanitizing the area. I thought this was excessive until I remembered that the greatest fear this ship has is GI (Gastro-Intestinal Illness), which anyone else would call Dysentery. Had it in the Yucatan when I was a child…not fun. That can spread like wildfire through a ship, so any vomit is taken very seriously. I am sure it was a child with too many sweets though that was unused to the rocking of the vessel.

Third voyage complete, on to the Eastern Caribbean. I suppose that if I am to get sick, it is best to do with the Western run when we have less sea days. I say this because sea days are more active for the Cruise Staff, and I hate having someone else carry my load. Oh well, I will be better tomorrow. I nipped it in the bud with antibiotics.