A New Cast

On By D. EndoIn Ship Life, TerminologyLeave a comment

We got a new cast this past cruise. This means we went into cast install. This past cruise we had both the old cast who were here when I signed on in September as well as the new cast. The reason for this is that the new cast is not completely ready to shows when they arrive. While they have been given rehearsal time before they get to the ship, they need to adapt the shows to the space. Some shows take a morning to install such as the various dances in Centrum. The production shows tend to be the real problem. The old cast actually performed their last production show earlier on in the cruise. The new cast had their debut with the second production show at the end of the cruise. Everything went mostly smoothly with a few hiccups here and there, but it was a great opening for them. The only downside is that I was not allowed off the ship due to rehearsal. I actually lost track of the days because I couldn’t look forward to any of the ports. It wasn’t until we started our two day sail to Florida that I realized the cruise was almost over.

In the past, I’ve been fairly lucky when dealing with cast installs. I have heard stories of long hours and shows that should be farther along in the process. There was very little drama getting the first show up. They still have another production show to finish, but I don’t foresee them having too many problems. My first cast install was during a dry dock, so I wasn’t going anywhere anyway. For those that don’t know, dry dock is exactly how it sounds. The ship is lifted out of the water so repairs to things below where the water would be becomes possible. Things such as the propellers and stabilizers are good examples for that. It also helped us that there wasn’t very many elements that required all stage staff to attend every rehearsal. On the next ship, the only cast install was in Studio B which I had nothing to do with. I even left the ship with the cast so I really didn’t have to worry about install. Even this time, I keep hearing remarks from people who have seen many terrible install experiences that this install has been oddly easy. Perhaps one day, I’ll experience how bad an install can be, but this is not that day.

My Favorite Port

On By JoeyIn PortsLeave a comment

I can’t choose just one, so I’m going to go for my top three. Athens was a stunning port. Being able to see the acropolis was something I would love to see again. Russia was also a great port. There’s so much history and amazing architecture. Plus, there are some incredible fountains at Peterhof that are all powered by clever engineering and gravity. Coco Cay was also a great place to relax with incredible waterslides. And then there’s Hobart with the fun museum that had a dinosaur exhibit traveling through. Oh shoot, that’s more than three. Oh, and I can’t forget going to Rome when we docked in Civitavechia or Portland, Maine with the cryptozoology museum and the old ferry boat that got turned into a restaurant. And then there is Copenhagen with its amusement park. Oh, and the beautiful fjords of Norway. There’s just too many choices. Maybe I’ll have to get back to you on this one.

David has mentioned that he liked visiting Cuba. There are very few ports as unique as Havana. The city itself is a sort of time capsule from multiple periods. You walk out of a terminal originally built at the beginning of the 20th century to see there are colonial fortifications next to modern buildings with classic American muscle cars from the 1950’s driving in front of them. Best of all, when you walk out of the terminal, there isn’t anybody trying to sell you souvenirs right from the get go. You actually need to find one of the small markets in order to do that.

When the Madness Stops

On By D. EndoIn Ship LifeLeave a comment

So, the Christmas cruise was chaos with 500 kids onboard and a whole bunch of extra programing thrown in. New Years brought 200 kids and many late nights working on the shows. The next cruise should have been better, but not only did we not get the stage staff we had hoped for, the art auction house onboard took over all of the conference rooms and one of the lounges to sell art. That doesn’t sound so bad, but that also means anything that would have been there during the auction time such as bingo had to be moved. Also, the itinerary got switched around due to a tropical storm in the region. It got so bad we had to cancel one of our production shows until everything was safe. The computer system we use to run the shows also has been acting up and is not due to be replaced for at least a year.

When we have so many kids on the ship, our various programs for kids get swamped and those staff members can’t be used in other places. As a result, other people had to pick up the slack. This was the first time I have ever seen the rock wall implement the two climb limit. In order to keep things fair and give everyone a chance to climb, guests were told they could only go up twice before returning equipment and getting back in line if they wanted to go again. I was struggling to make sure all guests had their proper equipment. Fortunately, with the rule in place, I was able to keep up with demand somehow. The line was still long, though. On top of that, there was added programing for the cruise like meeting Santa and late night caroling. The New Years cruise was surprisingly normal minus the balloon drop at midnight and the high kid count. We don’t expect such high numbers again until April.

On the bright side, we should be getting our fourth stage staff today and our team will be complete. Just in time too, as we are getting ready for a new cast of singers and dancers soon.

Where to Travel

On By D. EndoIn Comparing, Cultural, Ports, Ship LifeLeave a comment

When I was helping with a tour once, I heard a father lecture his kids about how lucky they were to be in the midst of so much culture and they should appreciate it. It was clear that this was not their idea of a vacation. Being surrounded by history simply did not interest them in the way it interested their father. As a result, the kids seemed bored and had started to mess around. Now I’m not saying that learning about a different culture is boring and it’s better to go somewhere else, but if you get to choose where you go for vacation, I’m finding it best if you understand yourself.

When choosing a vacation, ask yourself what you want to get out of it. If you’re choosing for a group, will everyone also find something they enjoy? Cruising to an island beach is a great choice for a vacation if you’re into that. Keep in mind, there may be nothing to do on the beach except lie in the sun or swim. The Caribbean and the South Pacific is perfect for this kind of get away. Maybe you want you want to immerse yourself in a foreign culture or use learning history as your way of escaping. Europe and Asia hold some incredible ports. Perhaps you want to see the majesty of nature. Alaska, Norway, and New Zealand have some spectacular views even if they are seasonal and a little cold.

Do your research. How long do you want to spend at sea? How long can you stand with your group? I personally dislike the 14 day cruises. It’s not like I don’t have fun, but it’s just such a long time to be out. It might be better to stick to a weekend cruise and see how you like them. How much do you want to pay? Some things get included in the price while others will cost you a pretty penny extra to add to your enjoyment. How big should the ship be and, by extension, the crowds? Big ships also mean more people flooding off when you get to a port. For some places, that doesn’t matter, but other times, this may ruin a vacation.

These are just some of the things that go through my mind when someone asks about cruising for the first time.

Oh, and the ship might move. Some people are under the impression that with these modern cruise ships are so big, you won’t even know the ship is at sea. This is a friendly reminder that you will be in the middle of a large body of water and attached to nothing. River cruises might get away with no rocking, but all bets are off for seas and oceans.

¿Dònde Està la Biblioteca?

On By D. EndoIn Cultural, PortsLeave a comment

As I walked around Lìmon this cruise, I ran into a problem. Back in high school, I took two years of Spanish. I did fine in the classes, but I never learned it well enough to have a full conversation. Now I kind of regret not trying harder or studying more. I’m used to being able to go into a restaurant near the port and having someone speak at least enough English so I could order what I want. That was not the case in Costa Rica. The food served in the restaurant I had entered was cafeteria style, which seemed to be a popular choice for restaurants there. Nothing was labeled or priced like most of the places I’ve been. I was fortunate enough to have a dock worker who seemed to be fluent enough in English to order for me. I ended up with some fried fish, beans, rice, and fried plantains. When I got to my drink order, it took me a little bit of time to decide between a local drink and something I’m used to. I ended up ordering some root beer as I thought that would be a safe choice for both me and the cashier who did not speak any English. The bottle even said root beer on the side, but it still took a while to communicate what I wanted. The flavors were alright, but now I’m curious about some of the street food stalls they had. I might have gone to them, but I had no small bills and Costa Rica does not have a currency system that matches with the US dollar like the Bahamas or Panama.

I probably don’t need to tell you just how useful it is to learn a foreign language if you want to work on an international cruise ship. I’m still surprised how many of our adult guests do not speak English at all, even though we are an American company. I’ve had to rely on Google Translate a few times now to communicate with guests. And then I’ve had the crew members from the Philipines start talking to me in Filipino which I have absolutely no experience in.

If anyone was wondering, the only thing that has really stuck with me from Spanish classes is the joke of how to ask where the library is. I don’t think I’ve ever had to use that question at any time.