Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Yeah, so I was a little behind...
Ok, I'm almost all caught up with the posts, I have a few more to finish writing out and get up here before it's completely up to date, but unfortunately, the pics have still yet to go up. They'll be up, sometime, before I get home...I hope. But till then, enjoy the new posts, there is a lot of writing up there now, so it might take a little while to get through it. Thanks for reading and talk to you soon!
Ocho Rios
Nov 26th
Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Today was great! After a safety meeting early in the morning, Thad, Brandon, Gianni, and myself all left the ship to go to the beach for free diving. Brandon and I went to the dive shop earlier in the morning to borrow a face mask, snorkel and fins, to use when we got to the beach. After walking a ways along the coastline, we made it to this small beach that you could only get to by climbing through a gap in the fence, walking down a steep hill, and following a path through the foliage. But once you got there, it was just this small beach that no one really knew about, and considering it was just us four and the couple locals that had a shack there for selling drinks, it was the perfect Jamaican get away. The beach wasn’t the nicest or most beautiful I’ve ever been on, but it had a nice view, and directly to the left, was a fairly large waterfall formed by the Dunn’s river, and this was one of the places where the river emptied into the ocean. It wasn’t long though till we were in the water swimming, which was really warm. But it was interesting to observe the effects of the river on the ocean, because you’d be swimming along, and out of no where, you’d run into this small patch of really cold water from the river, and meanwhile, you wouldn’t be able to see under the water because the mixing of the salt and fresh water made everything extremely blurry, but that was all closer to land. We were aimed to go much further out, to where the reef dropped off and the depth suddenly went from 5 feet to 30-40 feet. It was there that we’d take a big breath, dive down and swim around, and them come back up for air. It wasn’t the nicest day as far as waves were concerned, and the chop made everything more difficult up on the surface. I didn’t see anything too amazing, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have a great time swimming and enjoying the environment. I saw a bunch of those black spiny sea urchins, a good number of small fish, and some great coral formations. It was just me and Thad for a while, until Brandon made his way out to where we were, at which point, I was about ready to go back in and take a break. So while Thad and Brandon continued, I swam back inland to a large tree that was just laying above the reef, somewhat wedged into place, where I then just sat for a while enjoying the scenery. Swimming back in was really difficult though, not to mention dangerous, The reef was only in about 3 feet of water, if even that, and with the waves, it make it extremely easy to get pushed into a rock and cut something. So swimming inland meant stay right at the surface, small kicks, and constant awareness of your surroundings so you didn’t catch a wave at the wrong time and find your chest all cut up from rubbing against a piece of coral. And because ot the fins and still moderate depth, it was impossible to walk on the reef without falling. I was lucky enough to escape with a slight scratch to my palm from an over ambitious free stroke, but nothing else. Both Thad and Brandon ended up with a few cuts on their legs that drew blood, which still seemed fairly fortunate to how bad we could have ended up had we not been pretty competent swimmers.
When we got back to the beach, we dried off quickly, removed our swim gear, and went to go play in the waterfall. We climbed up to the top of the thing, which was great, minus stepping on some of the most painful rocks ever. We took a lot of picture of the picturesque area and climbed back down, where Thad and I eventually found a small little cove behind the fall itself. It was really cool to be able to stand there on the other side of the fall watching all the water in front of you like something you’d see in the movies. After a few more pictures, we went back to the beach, all drank a red stripe (Jamaican beer), and eventually started to walk back to the ship. Gianni had left way earlier because he didn’t have the gear that we all had, so at that point it was just Thad, Brandon, and me. Thad broke off of the group to go back to the ship when we were outside the gate, where as Brandon and I continued on to find a place to eat. Thad told us of a fast food place called Juici Patty, which after a lot of looking, we stumbled across. Juici Patties are almost like some kind of Calzone, except the bread is fried and flakey, and my beef juici didn’t have anything inside the breading but a spiced ground beef. I liked it, and it was really cheep, and these are the types of places we like to find because it’s where all the locals go to eat.
We then made it back to the ship, where all we had to do that night was play a big band set. Tomorrow will be Grand Cayman, but unfortunately, we have a tech run to play right in the middle of our port time, meaning I don’t know how long I’ll be able to spend in the city, but we’ll see.
Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Today was great! After a safety meeting early in the morning, Thad, Brandon, Gianni, and myself all left the ship to go to the beach for free diving. Brandon and I went to the dive shop earlier in the morning to borrow a face mask, snorkel and fins, to use when we got to the beach. After walking a ways along the coastline, we made it to this small beach that you could only get to by climbing through a gap in the fence, walking down a steep hill, and following a path through the foliage. But once you got there, it was just this small beach that no one really knew about, and considering it was just us four and the couple locals that had a shack there for selling drinks, it was the perfect Jamaican get away. The beach wasn’t the nicest or most beautiful I’ve ever been on, but it had a nice view, and directly to the left, was a fairly large waterfall formed by the Dunn’s river, and this was one of the places where the river emptied into the ocean. It wasn’t long though till we were in the water swimming, which was really warm. But it was interesting to observe the effects of the river on the ocean, because you’d be swimming along, and out of no where, you’d run into this small patch of really cold water from the river, and meanwhile, you wouldn’t be able to see under the water because the mixing of the salt and fresh water made everything extremely blurry, but that was all closer to land. We were aimed to go much further out, to where the reef dropped off and the depth suddenly went from 5 feet to 30-40 feet. It was there that we’d take a big breath, dive down and swim around, and them come back up for air. It wasn’t the nicest day as far as waves were concerned, and the chop made everything more difficult up on the surface. I didn’t see anything too amazing, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have a great time swimming and enjoying the environment. I saw a bunch of those black spiny sea urchins, a good number of small fish, and some great coral formations. It was just me and Thad for a while, until Brandon made his way out to where we were, at which point, I was about ready to go back in and take a break. So while Thad and Brandon continued, I swam back inland to a large tree that was just laying above the reef, somewhat wedged into place, where I then just sat for a while enjoying the scenery. Swimming back in was really difficult though, not to mention dangerous, The reef was only in about 3 feet of water, if even that, and with the waves, it make it extremely easy to get pushed into a rock and cut something. So swimming inland meant stay right at the surface, small kicks, and constant awareness of your surroundings so you didn’t catch a wave at the wrong time and find your chest all cut up from rubbing against a piece of coral. And because ot the fins and still moderate depth, it was impossible to walk on the reef without falling. I was lucky enough to escape with a slight scratch to my palm from an over ambitious free stroke, but nothing else. Both Thad and Brandon ended up with a few cuts on their legs that drew blood, which still seemed fairly fortunate to how bad we could have ended up had we not been pretty competent swimmers.
When we got back to the beach, we dried off quickly, removed our swim gear, and went to go play in the waterfall. We climbed up to the top of the thing, which was great, minus stepping on some of the most painful rocks ever. We took a lot of picture of the picturesque area and climbed back down, where Thad and I eventually found a small little cove behind the fall itself. It was really cool to be able to stand there on the other side of the fall watching all the water in front of you like something you’d see in the movies. After a few more pictures, we went back to the beach, all drank a red stripe (Jamaican beer), and eventually started to walk back to the ship. Gianni had left way earlier because he didn’t have the gear that we all had, so at that point it was just Thad, Brandon, and me. Thad broke off of the group to go back to the ship when we were outside the gate, where as Brandon and I continued on to find a place to eat. Thad told us of a fast food place called Juici Patty, which after a lot of looking, we stumbled across. Juici Patties are almost like some kind of Calzone, except the bread is fried and flakey, and my beef juici didn’t have anything inside the breading but a spiced ground beef. I liked it, and it was really cheep, and these are the types of places we like to find because it’s where all the locals go to eat.
We then made it back to the ship, where all we had to do that night was play a big band set. Tomorrow will be Grand Cayman, but unfortunately, we have a tech run to play right in the middle of our port time, meaning I don’t know how long I’ll be able to spend in the city, but we’ll see.
Sea day/Lauderdale/Sea day
Nov 23rd-25th
Sea/Lauderdale/Sea
As usual, two sea days with not much to write about. Most of the 23rd was spent on All Access, as it was going to be the first time that the new cast performed it for an audience. The show went well, and we all hung out later and I got to meet most of the cast members. We had a jazz jam that night, and that was about it for me that day.
Lauderdale started off with a coast guard drill. This meant we had a usual boat drill, but the coast guard was there to make sure we did everything right, and in the case that they saw something they didn’t like, we’d have to do it all over again. Luckily, everything went quickly, I didn’t even really see any coast guard people, and the drill was over relatively soon (for a boat drill). Following that, I did get off the ship for the first time in the US, which was nice. But the place where we dock is a million miles away from anything worth going to. So after a got off and walked 40 minutes, I did eventually make it to a shopping area, where I picked up a couple things. I did, however, get a chance to talk to my family while I walked, which was nice. I eventually made it back to the ship and did the usual thing for when we get new passengers…boat drill, welcome aboard show, parade. And that was about it for the day.
Then came another sea day, and like last time we left Lauderdale, I did the discover shopping show in the morning for 3 hours. That evening we played Delisco’s show, a show we’d played a few days earlier. The music was all the same, and the Stevie Wonder Medley kept it fun, but he has a bad habit of going 15 minutes too long, which kind of sucks for us sitting up on stage. But that aside, there was pretty much the 25th. Tomorrow’s Jamaica though, and I have cool plans to go free diving with Thad at some cool beach! Seeya
Sea/Lauderdale/Sea
As usual, two sea days with not much to write about. Most of the 23rd was spent on All Access, as it was going to be the first time that the new cast performed it for an audience. The show went well, and we all hung out later and I got to meet most of the cast members. We had a jazz jam that night, and that was about it for me that day.
Lauderdale started off with a coast guard drill. This meant we had a usual boat drill, but the coast guard was there to make sure we did everything right, and in the case that they saw something they didn’t like, we’d have to do it all over again. Luckily, everything went quickly, I didn’t even really see any coast guard people, and the drill was over relatively soon (for a boat drill). Following that, I did get off the ship for the first time in the US, which was nice. But the place where we dock is a million miles away from anything worth going to. So after a got off and walked 40 minutes, I did eventually make it to a shopping area, where I picked up a couple things. I did, however, get a chance to talk to my family while I walked, which was nice. I eventually made it back to the ship and did the usual thing for when we get new passengers…boat drill, welcome aboard show, parade. And that was about it for the day.
Then came another sea day, and like last time we left Lauderdale, I did the discover shopping show in the morning for 3 hours. That evening we played Delisco’s show, a show we’d played a few days earlier. The music was all the same, and the Stevie Wonder Medley kept it fun, but he has a bad habit of going 15 minutes too long, which kind of sucks for us sitting up on stage. But that aside, there was pretty much the 25th. Tomorrow’s Jamaica though, and I have cool plans to go free diving with Thad at some cool beach! Seeya
Roatan
Nov 22nd
Roatan, Honduras
Yet another visit to a country I’ve never been to, but today unfortunately had a rub. Because of the new dance cast, the band was needed to perform tech runs, or practice shows where the dancers could go through the motions and the singers get used to singing with a live background. So after an early boat drill and a rehearsal directly after around 11:00 (which started 40 minutes or so late), we lost most of the day. I got off with Brandon as soon as possible and had about 90 minutes in port before the 2:15 crew return time. It was a really interesting place though, somewhere that you might see on a travel channel, think it looks really cool, but not really want to go there yourself. The city was really small and just built along the water front with one main road, the shops were all very small and dirty, the people all looked fairly impoverished, and it wasn’t as nice of an area as Cozumel, or even Belize. But, it was still really great just because of the authenticity of the city. It felt local and fairly undisturbed by the tourists, especially if you found the right places to look. The area was beautiful and the weather was really hot. We just walked down the main road aways, Brandon bought some sunscreen at a little shop, then we stopped for lunch. We went to some crummy looking local place and had some of the best fried chicken ever! It was so good, and both of us ate for a total of $8, less than that even. Following the lunch, we departed the also somewhat dirty establishment hoping we didn’t pick up tapeworms somehow, and started walking back. Brandon had paid with a $10, meaning he got some change back in the local currency, and seeing as we’re unfortunately not returning to that port, we needed to find a place for him to spend it. We ended up buying what turned out to be what Brandon knows as Leachy(sp) Nuts. I guess these things grow in the area, and in there shell, look like red gerbils with spiky hair. So it’s not the most inviting thing to eat, but you pull it out of its skin and it really has a great taste. He bought the bag and we walked back to the ship taking pictures and eating these weird things. After getting back, we had another tech run, followed by a rehearsal for the show that night. We then played two shows for this singer named Delisco, who I guess won some big reality TV talent contest. He had a great voice though, and we played some good tunes including a Stevie Wonder Medley. Long day when all was said and done, I never worked that long in one day on the ship, as far as actually being on stage playing is concerned.
I guess I should mention that today is Thanksgiving. Unfortunately though, only the US celebrates it, meaning about 99% of the people who work on the ship couldn’t care less about the holiday. Thankfully, the mess is part of that 1% and I was able to have a nice dinner with the usual turkey, ham, potatoes, pumpkin products, and what ever else I’ve been accustomed to over the past 22 years with my family. But it seems like everyone had a good holiday back at home, so I’m glad for that, and all the emails that my family sent me. And of course, I’ve got to be thankful for the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving in a place like Roatan where I’m having a great time playing music and seeing the world, who could ask for anything more right now? And I’m certainly thankful for all my blog readers!
Tomorrow is a sea day as we make our way back to Florida, where we will make the change over and quickly head out on the next cruise. Thanks for reading and happy turkey day!
Roatan, Honduras
Yet another visit to a country I’ve never been to, but today unfortunately had a rub. Because of the new dance cast, the band was needed to perform tech runs, or practice shows where the dancers could go through the motions and the singers get used to singing with a live background. So after an early boat drill and a rehearsal directly after around 11:00 (which started 40 minutes or so late), we lost most of the day. I got off with Brandon as soon as possible and had about 90 minutes in port before the 2:15 crew return time. It was a really interesting place though, somewhere that you might see on a travel channel, think it looks really cool, but not really want to go there yourself. The city was really small and just built along the water front with one main road, the shops were all very small and dirty, the people all looked fairly impoverished, and it wasn’t as nice of an area as Cozumel, or even Belize. But, it was still really great just because of the authenticity of the city. It felt local and fairly undisturbed by the tourists, especially if you found the right places to look. The area was beautiful and the weather was really hot. We just walked down the main road aways, Brandon bought some sunscreen at a little shop, then we stopped for lunch. We went to some crummy looking local place and had some of the best fried chicken ever! It was so good, and both of us ate for a total of $8, less than that even. Following the lunch, we departed the also somewhat dirty establishment hoping we didn’t pick up tapeworms somehow, and started walking back. Brandon had paid with a $10, meaning he got some change back in the local currency, and seeing as we’re unfortunately not returning to that port, we needed to find a place for him to spend it. We ended up buying what turned out to be what Brandon knows as Leachy(sp) Nuts. I guess these things grow in the area, and in there shell, look like red gerbils with spiky hair. So it’s not the most inviting thing to eat, but you pull it out of its skin and it really has a great taste. He bought the bag and we walked back to the ship taking pictures and eating these weird things. After getting back, we had another tech run, followed by a rehearsal for the show that night. We then played two shows for this singer named Delisco, who I guess won some big reality TV talent contest. He had a great voice though, and we played some good tunes including a Stevie Wonder Medley. Long day when all was said and done, I never worked that long in one day on the ship, as far as actually being on stage playing is concerned.
I guess I should mention that today is Thanksgiving. Unfortunately though, only the US celebrates it, meaning about 99% of the people who work on the ship couldn’t care less about the holiday. Thankfully, the mess is part of that 1% and I was able to have a nice dinner with the usual turkey, ham, potatoes, pumpkin products, and what ever else I’ve been accustomed to over the past 22 years with my family. But it seems like everyone had a good holiday back at home, so I’m glad for that, and all the emails that my family sent me. And of course, I’ve got to be thankful for the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving in a place like Roatan where I’m having a great time playing music and seeing the world, who could ask for anything more right now? And I’m certainly thankful for all my blog readers!
Tomorrow is a sea day as we make our way back to Florida, where we will make the change over and quickly head out on the next cruise. Thanks for reading and happy turkey day!
Belize
Nov 21st
Belize city
After a fun day in Cozumel, I was really excited to get off the ship in Belize. I eventually made it off mid day with Brandon (tenor player) and we started our walk around the city. We’d both been warned by various people to be careful in town as Belize isn’t the safest place in the world, but I can’t say we really heeded that at all. After taking the tender into the port, we walked through the tourist area, which is this really small, separated from the city, mall like sort of area, selling jewelry and alcohol. But as soon as you get outside the gate that keeps the area separate, you walk into a completely different world. I wouldn’t call it scary quite yet, but it certainly wasn’t welcoming. So Brandon and I started to walk along the waterfront for a ways until the path ended and we were forced to turn more into the city. The waterfront walk was nice, and the temperature was really hot, and we hadn’t yet felt threatened, so we thought we were doing fairly well. Then we turned inland and started walking, hoping we could cross through the city to make it back to the water front on the other side. But that was when it got slightly more sketchy. We still felt fairly safe, but the area certainly wasn’t as nice as Cozumel. We were getting a few odd looks here and there, as I’m sure very few tourists venture as far out as we did, and then a strange thing happened as we were walking along side the road. We always tried to stay on busy roads, both for the fact of the safety of being in a more visible area and that they wouldn’t lead us into some really bad corner of town, but there was this strange bus that pulled up next to us as we were walking. It was like a usual tour bus, slightly run down, but it looked like it had people in it. So we’re just walking along side the street, and out of no where, the bus pulls up along side us and drives at our walking pace. It never stops, the door never opens, and we’re on a fairly busy road with nothing of any real interest around. After a minute or two, the bus finally speeds up and joins up with traffic again. We were kindof confused just because it had no real reason that we could see to slow down, never let anyone in or out, never tried to talk to us, and as randomly as it appeared, it eventually sped up and left us to continue walking down the street. So yeah, kind odd, but whatever, just another dumb story from a foreign country.
We eventually veered off the road in the direction of where we thought the port would be and slowly found our selves venturing into busier parts of the city, something we thought was a good sign, and it was. We stopped at one of the many tiny shacks along side the street to buy some water bottles, of which were $3 in Belize currency, or $1.50 US. Then we got to a river, which I figured would take us back to the dock where the tender left us, and fortunately, after journeying down a side street for a while, did return us to where I thought it would. We stopped in a music store along the way to check out some CDs they were selling. Funny enough, they had all the walls filled with illegal copies of music that they were selling. The CD cases were the cheap things you could buy at any office store, they had printed out paper inserts for the cover art and listing of tunes, and I’m sure all the music was just burnt on to blank disks. So there’s an example of something you’ll see in Belize that you won’t see anywhere else.
Right when we were really close to that main area where the tourist hang out, we ran across a stand selling coconuts, and a guy telling people (including myself) to “put the rum in the coconut and shake it all up”. So I figured, with the change I had left over from the water bottles, why not do the local thing of getting a coconut? There was a different guy there with some kind of machete (knife) cutting apart the coconuts in a way that there would be a small whole in the top for the straw/rum. So after buying two coconuts with my change from earlier, we first got the coconut and had to drink some of the water out of it before the rum could go in. The water, let me say, was really really good, and I was actually upset when he topped it off with rum as the only thing I could taste from there on out was the alcohol. It was still good though, and it was funny sitting on the curb with my coconut drinking out of it. They called the drink “rock the boat”, probably because they put so much rum in it that it’d make anything feel like it’s rocking.
Following that, we went back into the tourist area, looked around the shops, Brandon bought a shirt, and we eventually made it back aboard a tender and then the ship in time for a tech run of All Access, one of the two production shows we still play. But we had a great day, didn’t get killed, and I’m looking forward to going back soon to explore a couple different areas, and maybe get another coconut! Thanks for reading!
Belize city
After a fun day in Cozumel, I was really excited to get off the ship in Belize. I eventually made it off mid day with Brandon (tenor player) and we started our walk around the city. We’d both been warned by various people to be careful in town as Belize isn’t the safest place in the world, but I can’t say we really heeded that at all. After taking the tender into the port, we walked through the tourist area, which is this really small, separated from the city, mall like sort of area, selling jewelry and alcohol. But as soon as you get outside the gate that keeps the area separate, you walk into a completely different world. I wouldn’t call it scary quite yet, but it certainly wasn’t welcoming. So Brandon and I started to walk along the waterfront for a ways until the path ended and we were forced to turn more into the city. The waterfront walk was nice, and the temperature was really hot, and we hadn’t yet felt threatened, so we thought we were doing fairly well. Then we turned inland and started walking, hoping we could cross through the city to make it back to the water front on the other side. But that was when it got slightly more sketchy. We still felt fairly safe, but the area certainly wasn’t as nice as Cozumel. We were getting a few odd looks here and there, as I’m sure very few tourists venture as far out as we did, and then a strange thing happened as we were walking along side the road. We always tried to stay on busy roads, both for the fact of the safety of being in a more visible area and that they wouldn’t lead us into some really bad corner of town, but there was this strange bus that pulled up next to us as we were walking. It was like a usual tour bus, slightly run down, but it looked like it had people in it. So we’re just walking along side the street, and out of no where, the bus pulls up along side us and drives at our walking pace. It never stops, the door never opens, and we’re on a fairly busy road with nothing of any real interest around. After a minute or two, the bus finally speeds up and joins up with traffic again. We were kindof confused just because it had no real reason that we could see to slow down, never let anyone in or out, never tried to talk to us, and as randomly as it appeared, it eventually sped up and left us to continue walking down the street. So yeah, kind odd, but whatever, just another dumb story from a foreign country.
We eventually veered off the road in the direction of where we thought the port would be and slowly found our selves venturing into busier parts of the city, something we thought was a good sign, and it was. We stopped at one of the many tiny shacks along side the street to buy some water bottles, of which were $3 in Belize currency, or $1.50 US. Then we got to a river, which I figured would take us back to the dock where the tender left us, and fortunately, after journeying down a side street for a while, did return us to where I thought it would. We stopped in a music store along the way to check out some CDs they were selling. Funny enough, they had all the walls filled with illegal copies of music that they were selling. The CD cases were the cheap things you could buy at any office store, they had printed out paper inserts for the cover art and listing of tunes, and I’m sure all the music was just burnt on to blank disks. So there’s an example of something you’ll see in Belize that you won’t see anywhere else.
Right when we were really close to that main area where the tourist hang out, we ran across a stand selling coconuts, and a guy telling people (including myself) to “put the rum in the coconut and shake it all up”. So I figured, with the change I had left over from the water bottles, why not do the local thing of getting a coconut? There was a different guy there with some kind of machete (knife) cutting apart the coconuts in a way that there would be a small whole in the top for the straw/rum. So after buying two coconuts with my change from earlier, we first got the coconut and had to drink some of the water out of it before the rum could go in. The water, let me say, was really really good, and I was actually upset when he topped it off with rum as the only thing I could taste from there on out was the alcohol. It was still good though, and it was funny sitting on the curb with my coconut drinking out of it. They called the drink “rock the boat”, probably because they put so much rum in it that it’d make anything feel like it’s rocking.
Following that, we went back into the tourist area, looked around the shops, Brandon bought a shirt, and we eventually made it back aboard a tender and then the ship in time for a tech run of All Access, one of the two production shows we still play. But we had a great day, didn’t get killed, and I’m looking forward to going back soon to explore a couple different areas, and maybe get another coconut! Thanks for reading!
Cozumel
Nov 20th
Cozumel, Mexico
Cozumel was our first stop, and my first Caribbean port on the ship. I got off the ship with Pieter, Brandon, and Thad, and we walked from the dock to into the city. Unfortunately, the dock that our ship is given is about a 25 minute walk outside of the city area, but it was nice to get to walk along the water front. When we finally made it into the city, there was a parade going on, who knows what for. But that was really neat seeing this parade happen with all the locals walking in different groups, dressed up, and all the different themes. When we were just getting into the city, we ended up catching just the last part of the parade, but towards the back was a large group of people making huge human pyramids, like the kinds where you stand on each other’s shoulders. That was great to see and I got a picture of it. Then we walked through the main part of the city, or the touristy part that is along the water. It’s not till you go inland a couple blocks that the scenery completely changes. And that’s really all it takes, 1 or 2 blocks in and you feel like you’re in a completely different part of Mexico. We found a place for lunch and I had some of the best chips and salsa and guacamole that I’ve ever tasted. I had ordered chicken empanadas, I think, which were great. Following that, we all made our way back into the city and split up a bit to look for different things. Then we all met up at a place entitled “No Name Bar”, which was a really hip place for people from the ship. It has an outdoor bar with a big pool and small beach, and when we got there, half of the cruise staff division of the ship seemed to already have settled in. We hung out there for a bit, then left to go to a super market for various items, and eventually headed back to the ship. That night was a big band set, so fairly easy day for us. But all in all, we had a beautiful day, hot, and it was really great to get to see Mexico. I’m certainly looking forward to the next time we stop there.
Cozumel, Mexico
Cozumel was our first stop, and my first Caribbean port on the ship. I got off the ship with Pieter, Brandon, and Thad, and we walked from the dock to into the city. Unfortunately, the dock that our ship is given is about a 25 minute walk outside of the city area, but it was nice to get to walk along the water front. When we finally made it into the city, there was a parade going on, who knows what for. But that was really neat seeing this parade happen with all the locals walking in different groups, dressed up, and all the different themes. When we were just getting into the city, we ended up catching just the last part of the parade, but towards the back was a large group of people making huge human pyramids, like the kinds where you stand on each other’s shoulders. That was great to see and I got a picture of it. Then we walked through the main part of the city, or the touristy part that is along the water. It’s not till you go inland a couple blocks that the scenery completely changes. And that’s really all it takes, 1 or 2 blocks in and you feel like you’re in a completely different part of Mexico. We found a place for lunch and I had some of the best chips and salsa and guacamole that I’ve ever tasted. I had ordered chicken empanadas, I think, which were great. Following that, we all made our way back into the city and split up a bit to look for different things. Then we all met up at a place entitled “No Name Bar”, which was a really hip place for people from the ship. It has an outdoor bar with a big pool and small beach, and when we got there, half of the cruise staff division of the ship seemed to already have settled in. We hung out there for a bit, then left to go to a super market for various items, and eventually headed back to the ship. That night was a big band set, so fairly easy day for us. But all in all, we had a beautiful day, hot, and it was really great to get to see Mexico. I’m certainly looking forward to the next time we stop there.
Fort Lauderdale/Sea day
Nov 18th and 19th
Fort Lauderdale/Sea day
Home sweet home, after four months, I’m finally back in the U.S.A! But unfortunately, I spent the entire day on the ship. Due to it being our first day in the country, and considering that the ship has about 1200 people working on it not from the states, we needed to go through an entire crew immigration before being allowed off the ship. That took about half the day however, and then after making a few phone calls home, there wasn’t really anytime left to still get off the ship. So I just spent the rest of the day onboard, kind of anticlimactic after 6 sea days, but it was nice to at least sea Florida from the ship. The dancers and skaters all went home the 18th, which is sad. It’s hard to see them go, but they certainly deserve to return home.
We played a welcome aboard show that evening, or a watered down one because the new dancers weren’t yet ready to perform that show. Following that, we had our parade, something we’re going to have to get used to doing every 4 or 5 days…whoopee…
The 19th was a sea day spent traveling to Cozumel. Like most sea days, nothing super exciting that day. I did however have a side job to do in the morning. On the ship, there are a number of part time jobs that musicians and dancers often end up filling because of our relaxed schedule, and the jobs are so small that they don’t warrant bringing a new employee aboard. So that morning, I was working with the discover shopping people in the shopping show that they do n the first sea day of each cruise. The show simply presents where the best places to shop are and gives tips and finding what you might be looking for, along with giving away a bunch of free prizes throughout the show. So my job is to help make the show run smoothly by handing out maps and other materials that could be helpful in port, distributing coupon books to those who decide to by them, and just dealing with the guest as they come in and out of the presentation. It’s a three hour job, and at $10 per hour, is a nice way to just make some money on the side that I don’t have to feel so bad about blowing in the ports. That aside, the rest of the day wasn’t anything too spectacular, just the usual shows at night. But tomorrow will be Cozumel, and with that, my first time in Mexico!
Fort Lauderdale/Sea day
Home sweet home, after four months, I’m finally back in the U.S.A! But unfortunately, I spent the entire day on the ship. Due to it being our first day in the country, and considering that the ship has about 1200 people working on it not from the states, we needed to go through an entire crew immigration before being allowed off the ship. That took about half the day however, and then after making a few phone calls home, there wasn’t really anytime left to still get off the ship. So I just spent the rest of the day onboard, kind of anticlimactic after 6 sea days, but it was nice to at least sea Florida from the ship. The dancers and skaters all went home the 18th, which is sad. It’s hard to see them go, but they certainly deserve to return home.
We played a welcome aboard show that evening, or a watered down one because the new dancers weren’t yet ready to perform that show. Following that, we had our parade, something we’re going to have to get used to doing every 4 or 5 days…whoopee…
The 19th was a sea day spent traveling to Cozumel. Like most sea days, nothing super exciting that day. I did however have a side job to do in the morning. On the ship, there are a number of part time jobs that musicians and dancers often end up filling because of our relaxed schedule, and the jobs are so small that they don’t warrant bringing a new employee aboard. So that morning, I was working with the discover shopping people in the shopping show that they do n the first sea day of each cruise. The show simply presents where the best places to shop are and gives tips and finding what you might be looking for, along with giving away a bunch of free prizes throughout the show. So my job is to help make the show run smoothly by handing out maps and other materials that could be helpful in port, distributing coupon books to those who decide to by them, and just dealing with the guest as they come in and out of the presentation. It’s a three hour job, and at $10 per hour, is a nice way to just make some money on the side that I don’t have to feel so bad about blowing in the ports. That aside, the rest of the day wasn’t anything too spectacular, just the usual shows at night. But tomorrow will be Cozumel, and with that, my first time in Mexico!
Last Sea Day
Nov 17th
At sea
Today was our last of 6 sea days crossing the Atlantic, and was about as eventful as all the others. We had a farewell show to play that night, just like any other cruise we do, and the instead of the jazz set with the singers as we usually do, we did a big band jazz set with a improv emphasis. Following that, most of the band made it upstairs to the SOB to wish the singers and dancers farewell. I said a few goodbyes, and then went out on the bow to reflect a bit before actually getting to America. And following that long reflection, decided to come back to the room and write out my post right now. So, to reflect…
I’ve been on the ship 4 months now, pretty much to the day. Tomorrow is technically the 4 month anniversary, but I first arrived in Barcelona on the 17th of July. It’s unbelievable when I think back to the four months I just spent traveling Europe. In a mere 4 months, I’ve probably been to more countries than virtually everyone I know at home. And the best part is that I’ve been getting paid to do it, and paid to play music a couple hours a night. It seems too good to be true, but it is true and you’ve seen some of the pictures to prove it. It was strange being able to look out over the bow and see lights from what must be Florida, it gives a really interesting “going home” feeling. Being American and returning to America is a position I’ve never been in before, and returning by boat that just sailed across the Atlantic only emphasizes this feeling. It’s a strange culmination, a closing of a chapter under a star filled sky, watching as the city lights grow in intensity. I’ve concluded 4 months of being on the other side of the world, and it’s as if I’m about to embark on a completely different journey, which in many ways, I am.
The dancers and skaters are all signing off tomorrow, which is going to be hard for many of us the next few days. I think it’ll be especially hard for me because they’ve been my first ship family. For 4 months, I’ve lived with them and worked with them, and so many of them are now great friends that I hate to see go. I now have friends in Finland, Australia, Italy, England, Argentina, and so many other places that I can’t get in my car and drive to. It makes for a real strange goodbye too, cause unlike graduation, you know everyone will most likely stay close, or it’ll be relatively easy to get in touch, especially in the following days. With these friends, they all fly out to all over the world, and I can’t believe that this group will ever be together again in such away that we just were. Tomorrow I’ll be letting go of a lot of friends who have meant a lot to me in these first 4 months of ship life, and I have no doubt that it’ll be odd next week getting to know a new cast, but I guess that’s the life I signed up for. But hey, I’m a better person for knowing these people, even if it was for a short while, and I’ve been able to experience people in a way Chicago just can’t offer. It’s like, I know a lot of people at home who are Italian, but having Italian friends on the ship like Sonia and Gianni, is a completely different experience, and I couldn’t be more grateful for these relationships.
It’s sad to know everyone is leaving for other things, but also invigorating because it reminds me of all the other things still in front of me. Between the next two months in the Caribbean, time at home to catch up, and two months in Hong Kong, I know my journey is just beginning. I can only hope that my path continues to remind me of the friends I’ve made along the way. Also, I hope to never lose sight of this great chance to see the world, and that this has been made a reality through something I love, music. Like I said, tomorrow isn’t going to be easy, but it’s the first of many departures that will separate me from some of the best friends someone could ask for. But I’m better for knowing them than if I stayed in Chicago, and thanks to the magic of facebook (an online social community), I can keep in contact with everyone with just a few simple clicks. So I guess it’s by no means over if I don’t want it to be, but that doesn’t make it any easier knowing that they all will be flying to everywhere in the world but Chicago.
But I’m here on a beautiful ship in a beautiful part of the world I’ve yet to experience, I’ve still got good friends around and a great new opportunity to make some more, and 2 months to keep living a lifestyle that I don’t believe can be beat. Onward to the next chapter of my cruise experience, sure to be filled with more great stories and journeys, along with extraordinary people.
At sea
Today was our last of 6 sea days crossing the Atlantic, and was about as eventful as all the others. We had a farewell show to play that night, just like any other cruise we do, and the instead of the jazz set with the singers as we usually do, we did a big band jazz set with a improv emphasis. Following that, most of the band made it upstairs to the SOB to wish the singers and dancers farewell. I said a few goodbyes, and then went out on the bow to reflect a bit before actually getting to America. And following that long reflection, decided to come back to the room and write out my post right now. So, to reflect…
I’ve been on the ship 4 months now, pretty much to the day. Tomorrow is technically the 4 month anniversary, but I first arrived in Barcelona on the 17th of July. It’s unbelievable when I think back to the four months I just spent traveling Europe. In a mere 4 months, I’ve probably been to more countries than virtually everyone I know at home. And the best part is that I’ve been getting paid to do it, and paid to play music a couple hours a night. It seems too good to be true, but it is true and you’ve seen some of the pictures to prove it. It was strange being able to look out over the bow and see lights from what must be Florida, it gives a really interesting “going home” feeling. Being American and returning to America is a position I’ve never been in before, and returning by boat that just sailed across the Atlantic only emphasizes this feeling. It’s a strange culmination, a closing of a chapter under a star filled sky, watching as the city lights grow in intensity. I’ve concluded 4 months of being on the other side of the world, and it’s as if I’m about to embark on a completely different journey, which in many ways, I am.
The dancers and skaters are all signing off tomorrow, which is going to be hard for many of us the next few days. I think it’ll be especially hard for me because they’ve been my first ship family. For 4 months, I’ve lived with them and worked with them, and so many of them are now great friends that I hate to see go. I now have friends in Finland, Australia, Italy, England, Argentina, and so many other places that I can’t get in my car and drive to. It makes for a real strange goodbye too, cause unlike graduation, you know everyone will most likely stay close, or it’ll be relatively easy to get in touch, especially in the following days. With these friends, they all fly out to all over the world, and I can’t believe that this group will ever be together again in such away that we just were. Tomorrow I’ll be letting go of a lot of friends who have meant a lot to me in these first 4 months of ship life, and I have no doubt that it’ll be odd next week getting to know a new cast, but I guess that’s the life I signed up for. But hey, I’m a better person for knowing these people, even if it was for a short while, and I’ve been able to experience people in a way Chicago just can’t offer. It’s like, I know a lot of people at home who are Italian, but having Italian friends on the ship like Sonia and Gianni, is a completely different experience, and I couldn’t be more grateful for these relationships.
It’s sad to know everyone is leaving for other things, but also invigorating because it reminds me of all the other things still in front of me. Between the next two months in the Caribbean, time at home to catch up, and two months in Hong Kong, I know my journey is just beginning. I can only hope that my path continues to remind me of the friends I’ve made along the way. Also, I hope to never lose sight of this great chance to see the world, and that this has been made a reality through something I love, music. Like I said, tomorrow isn’t going to be easy, but it’s the first of many departures that will separate me from some of the best friends someone could ask for. But I’m better for knowing them than if I stayed in Chicago, and thanks to the magic of facebook (an online social community), I can keep in contact with everyone with just a few simple clicks. So I guess it’s by no means over if I don’t want it to be, but that doesn’t make it any easier knowing that they all will be flying to everywhere in the world but Chicago.
But I’m here on a beautiful ship in a beautiful part of the world I’ve yet to experience, I’ve still got good friends around and a great new opportunity to make some more, and 2 months to keep living a lifestyle that I don’t believe can be beat. Onward to the next chapter of my cruise experience, sure to be filled with more great stories and journeys, along with extraordinary people.
Sea days
Nov 13th - 16th
Sea days
As we continue our way across the atlantic, there’s not really all that much to write about as there’s only a limited number of things to do. The 13th we had the All Access production show to play, a show we haven’t played in at least a month. The 14th was the return of Antonio Salci, a Yanni like pianist. The rehearsal for that show always sucks, but the show itself isn’t too bad to play because he features the horn section. I had a number of sax and flute solos, including a few on Amazing Grace where I had to go to the front of the stage and play blues licks. People seemed to really enjoy my playing and a lot of people from the crew approached me the following day to let me know. And supposedly, Antonio talked to Ron (drummer) about getting his and my contact info for doing a tour sometime, which would be really cool. Now, as any musician finds out, people come up to you all the time saying all sorts of things about possible gigs and playing opportunities, but coming from this guy who said he’s only ever approached 8 musicians on ships about something like this, I can still take it as a compliment, right? Then that night we had a crew party on the back deck, which I stopped at for a minute and soon left because they didn’t have any food.
The 15th was our last time playing “Once upon a Time”. The show is leaving the ship and won’t be played ever again onboard the Navigator. So it was an emotional show for most of the cast who is getting off the ship in a couple days, and it’s kind of strange for the band as well seeing as we’ve been playing it for months. Following the shows, we had a jazz set to play, and then went to the Dancer/Skater party.
And the 16th was a day off. Nothing at all to report back home about. Tomorrow will be our last sea day, and then I’ll finally be able to set foot on land once again, or at least sea land again. The sea days have been fine though, just boring. The weather has been great with calm seas, so as far as crossings go, I’m sure everyone is pleased. But that’s all for now, thanks for reading!
Sea days
As we continue our way across the atlantic, there’s not really all that much to write about as there’s only a limited number of things to do. The 13th we had the All Access production show to play, a show we haven’t played in at least a month. The 14th was the return of Antonio Salci, a Yanni like pianist. The rehearsal for that show always sucks, but the show itself isn’t too bad to play because he features the horn section. I had a number of sax and flute solos, including a few on Amazing Grace where I had to go to the front of the stage and play blues licks. People seemed to really enjoy my playing and a lot of people from the crew approached me the following day to let me know. And supposedly, Antonio talked to Ron (drummer) about getting his and my contact info for doing a tour sometime, which would be really cool. Now, as any musician finds out, people come up to you all the time saying all sorts of things about possible gigs and playing opportunities, but coming from this guy who said he’s only ever approached 8 musicians on ships about something like this, I can still take it as a compliment, right? Then that night we had a crew party on the back deck, which I stopped at for a minute and soon left because they didn’t have any food.
The 15th was our last time playing “Once upon a Time”. The show is leaving the ship and won’t be played ever again onboard the Navigator. So it was an emotional show for most of the cast who is getting off the ship in a couple days, and it’s kind of strange for the band as well seeing as we’ve been playing it for months. Following the shows, we had a jazz set to play, and then went to the Dancer/Skater party.
And the 16th was a day off. Nothing at all to report back home about. Tomorrow will be our last sea day, and then I’ll finally be able to set foot on land once again, or at least sea land again. The sea days have been fine though, just boring. The weather has been great with calm seas, so as far as crossings go, I’m sure everyone is pleased. But that’s all for now, thanks for reading!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Note on recent posts
Hey Everyone!
As you can see, I updated the posts for the first time in about a week, so now you have some new stories to read. I've been lazy with the pictures unfortunately, but I will try to get caught up with all of that. All the pictures are here on my computer, I just haven't gone through the selection process and uploading process yet because it's a pain and I've been busy with some other projects, but they'll get up while I'm sailing across the Atlantic.
Note on recent news about doing another ship. I said in the last southampton post that I'll be going on the Splendour, but that is no longer the case. It's been really weird trying to get this worked out with the office, but I think we've finally worked out a plan. My original request was to get on the Rhapsody, and the office did let me know there was an opening on the rhap and splen, both of which were for less than 2 months. The rhap then had complications with the dates, leaving the splen, and after accepting I wrote the post. Things have changed though, the Rhap is back open and I decided to switch back to accepting that contract. This means, as of now, I'll be signing on the the Rhap on March 17th for 7 weeks or so, and I'll be cruising out of Hong Kong, going to Japan, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, and everywhere in that area. I was hoping to stay on till the end of may where I'd be able to ride back with the ship across the Pacific, through Alaska, into Seattle, but that isn't currently within the contract length. But that's the official news as of now for what's next. I'm really excited about the Itinerary, kind of bummed that I'm not going to brazil anymore, but I'd rather get on the only RCCL asian ship while I have he chance.
When I get the photos up, they'll all be in folders based on location, just as they've always been, so it shouldn't be hard for you to get caught up with all the pics.
That aside, I'll be in Florida on the 18th, I believe, and will start doing the Caribbean cruises that day. I hope all is well at home or wherever you are as you read this, and have a great one!
Mike
As you can see, I updated the posts for the first time in about a week, so now you have some new stories to read. I've been lazy with the pictures unfortunately, but I will try to get caught up with all of that. All the pictures are here on my computer, I just haven't gone through the selection process and uploading process yet because it's a pain and I've been busy with some other projects, but they'll get up while I'm sailing across the Atlantic.
Note on recent news about doing another ship. I said in the last southampton post that I'll be going on the Splendour, but that is no longer the case. It's been really weird trying to get this worked out with the office, but I think we've finally worked out a plan. My original request was to get on the Rhapsody, and the office did let me know there was an opening on the rhap and splen, both of which were for less than 2 months. The rhap then had complications with the dates, leaving the splen, and after accepting I wrote the post. Things have changed though, the Rhap is back open and I decided to switch back to accepting that contract. This means, as of now, I'll be signing on the the Rhap on March 17th for 7 weeks or so, and I'll be cruising out of Hong Kong, going to Japan, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, and everywhere in that area. I was hoping to stay on till the end of may where I'd be able to ride back with the ship across the Pacific, through Alaska, into Seattle, but that isn't currently within the contract length. But that's the official news as of now for what's next. I'm really excited about the Itinerary, kind of bummed that I'm not going to brazil anymore, but I'd rather get on the only RCCL asian ship while I have he chance.
When I get the photos up, they'll all be in folders based on location, just as they've always been, so it shouldn't be hard for you to get caught up with all the pics.
That aside, I'll be in Florida on the 18th, I believe, and will start doing the Caribbean cruises that day. I hope all is well at home or wherever you are as you read this, and have a great one!
Mike
Sea Day/Birthday
Nov 12th
Sea day/Birthday
After waking up late this morning and grabbing some food, I checked my computer and had to go upstairs for a rehearsal for a new show, Chris Riggins. He was a pop-opera singer who took slightly more operatic music and moved it more towards a popular style, or had arrangements of musical theater tunes or something more popular and gave it an operatic flare. He had a nice show, but the music wasn’t exactly the most fun to play, and there were some all around bad charts thrown into the show. The rehearsal went about 90 minutes, and for music that you don’t really like to play, a long rehearsal is a great way to put a negative spin on the day. So following the rehearsal I wasn’t in the best of moods. It’s weird being on a ship for a birthday simply because I can’t really see the people I’d like to see, and considering not everyone knew about it, it made what should be a great day feel very mediocre. I called home following the rehearsal, and in my bad mood, but it’s nice to get to talk to my parents, even if it’s just 15 minutes.
Following that, I just hung around, did my usual thing, grabbed dinner, got a few birthday wishes here and there from people who had checked there facebook that day. I had another crown and anchor big band set to play, which went better that the first, but still hasn’t high on my list of things I’d like to do on my birthday. It really wasn’t till the second show that night till everyone started to pick up that it was my birthday. That made the second show a little better though, everyone’s mood started to lighten, and I started to have a better time. We hung out that night up in the SOB (staff and officer’s bar), and had a good time. I’ve never spent a birthday at a bar, but then again, I’ve never had a birthday in the middle of the Atlantic on a cruise ship either. But it was a nice night, everyone was having a good time, and it reminded me that I do have some good friends here on the ship that want me to have a good time. But all in all, it was maybe not the most exciting Birthday ever, we weren’t in any cool ports, didn’t have any big party, but it wasn’t the worst (that’s a nice thought, right?). And now, my birthday gets stretched out as everyone who didn’t hear about it last night slowly finds out and start being really nice because the missed the actual day, ha. Anyways, I’m behind on getting these posts online and I’m guessing people might be checking these next couple days. Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes, I’ll try to get back to you all really soon. And if you missed it, no problem, still say hi sometime as I’d love to hear from you. Have a great one!
Sea day/Birthday
After waking up late this morning and grabbing some food, I checked my computer and had to go upstairs for a rehearsal for a new show, Chris Riggins. He was a pop-opera singer who took slightly more operatic music and moved it more towards a popular style, or had arrangements of musical theater tunes or something more popular and gave it an operatic flare. He had a nice show, but the music wasn’t exactly the most fun to play, and there were some all around bad charts thrown into the show. The rehearsal went about 90 minutes, and for music that you don’t really like to play, a long rehearsal is a great way to put a negative spin on the day. So following the rehearsal I wasn’t in the best of moods. It’s weird being on a ship for a birthday simply because I can’t really see the people I’d like to see, and considering not everyone knew about it, it made what should be a great day feel very mediocre. I called home following the rehearsal, and in my bad mood, but it’s nice to get to talk to my parents, even if it’s just 15 minutes.
Following that, I just hung around, did my usual thing, grabbed dinner, got a few birthday wishes here and there from people who had checked there facebook that day. I had another crown and anchor big band set to play, which went better that the first, but still hasn’t high on my list of things I’d like to do on my birthday. It really wasn’t till the second show that night till everyone started to pick up that it was my birthday. That made the second show a little better though, everyone’s mood started to lighten, and I started to have a better time. We hung out that night up in the SOB (staff and officer’s bar), and had a good time. I’ve never spent a birthday at a bar, but then again, I’ve never had a birthday in the middle of the Atlantic on a cruise ship either. But it was a nice night, everyone was having a good time, and it reminded me that I do have some good friends here on the ship that want me to have a good time. But all in all, it was maybe not the most exciting Birthday ever, we weren’t in any cool ports, didn’t have any big party, but it wasn’t the worst (that’s a nice thought, right?). And now, my birthday gets stretched out as everyone who didn’t hear about it last night slowly finds out and start being really nice because the missed the actual day, ha. Anyways, I’m behind on getting these posts online and I’m guessing people might be checking these next couple days. Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes, I’ll try to get back to you all really soon. And if you missed it, no problem, still say hi sometime as I’d love to hear from you. Have a great one!
Santa Cruz
Nov 11th
Santa Cruz
I yet again attempted to do another tour, and yet again didn’t get it to work out. This time, there just wasn’t enough space to send an escort, which happens, but I’d have really liked to see more of the island during the 10 hours we spent in port. Instead, I got off the ship in the afternoon and walked around the city trying to spend the rest of my euros. I walked along the waterfront for a ways till I got past all the busy shops and touristy areas until I came to a restaurant. I decided to get a sandwich, an exciting ham and cheese sandwich (which was good), and just hang out for a while. After spending some money there (I’m pretty sure he charged me too much, but whatever, I need to get rid of the currency), I continued walking, taking pictures, and finding snacks to buy. I bought this great pretzel at one café, and got some shoe polish at a grocery store (a necessary buy). I started to walk up the hill to explore more of the city in the extra hour or so I had left, and bean talking with an older local man who came up to me and asked me something in Spanish. After explaining I didn’t speak much of his language, he picked up on the fact that I at least know a little, at which point he became determined to have a conversation with me. So between my broken Spanish and his broken English, we talked for 15 minutes or so about the ship, the area, where I was from, and everything else I could remember a Spanish word for. It was funny though, and I thought it was a nice experience to conclude the European part of my trip with. I eventually made it back to the ship after running into a few band friends on the island, and then played a usual big band dance set that night.
After the set though, as soon as the clock struck 12, it became Nov 12th, and therefore my Birthday. So I caught up with Pieter and Brandon and we went to the crew talent show, something musicians were not allowed to participate in. The show was actually fun to watch, especially some of the performers. Imagine a guy from the Philippines doing an Elvis impression. So we watched the show, had some wine in celebration of my BDay, and I eventually made it to bed later that night. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and my first day at 22!
Santa Cruz
I yet again attempted to do another tour, and yet again didn’t get it to work out. This time, there just wasn’t enough space to send an escort, which happens, but I’d have really liked to see more of the island during the 10 hours we spent in port. Instead, I got off the ship in the afternoon and walked around the city trying to spend the rest of my euros. I walked along the waterfront for a ways till I got past all the busy shops and touristy areas until I came to a restaurant. I decided to get a sandwich, an exciting ham and cheese sandwich (which was good), and just hang out for a while. After spending some money there (I’m pretty sure he charged me too much, but whatever, I need to get rid of the currency), I continued walking, taking pictures, and finding snacks to buy. I bought this great pretzel at one café, and got some shoe polish at a grocery store (a necessary buy). I started to walk up the hill to explore more of the city in the extra hour or so I had left, and bean talking with an older local man who came up to me and asked me something in Spanish. After explaining I didn’t speak much of his language, he picked up on the fact that I at least know a little, at which point he became determined to have a conversation with me. So between my broken Spanish and his broken English, we talked for 15 minutes or so about the ship, the area, where I was from, and everything else I could remember a Spanish word for. It was funny though, and I thought it was a nice experience to conclude the European part of my trip with. I eventually made it back to the ship after running into a few band friends on the island, and then played a usual big band dance set that night.
After the set though, as soon as the clock struck 12, it became Nov 12th, and therefore my Birthday. So I caught up with Pieter and Brandon and we went to the crew talent show, something musicians were not allowed to participate in. The show was actually fun to watch, especially some of the performers. Imagine a guy from the Philippines doing an Elvis impression. So we watched the show, had some wine in celebration of my BDay, and I eventually made it to bed later that night. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and my first day at 22!
Funchal
Nov 10th
Funchal
Today was our last stop on the lovely island of Madeira. Again I’d signed up for a tour, and again, something got in the way. I was lucky enough to get on the Toboggan tour, in which you take a cable car up the mountain, and then as a part of the local history, ride down on a wooden toboggan. The toboggan is pretty much just a wooden/wicker looking crate with wooden rails, and after a few passengers get in it, the locals push you down the road, running along side this wood box, making sure you don’t crash into anything. They can control the speed of the thing to as fast or slow as you feel comfortable. And literally, it’s just a group of people sitting in a box letting gravity overcome the friction on the wood against the pavement. People who have done it on past tours all seemed to like it, so I was excited to get to go on this local “thrill ride”, but we had Boat drill that morning. Usually I can get out of the drill without any problems, but today they were doing something extra on the starboard side, my side, that resulted in the entire side being required to be there no matter what. And the dumbest thing is that nothing extra happened to my station, which is always the case because we’re at a different section of the ship, not directly near the life rafts. Maybe this could be a bad thing in case of a real emergency, but it means we never really do anything for the boat drills. So anyways, I missed my departure time and couldn’t go on the tour. I ended up staying aboard till the afternoon, when I eventually got off the ship to walk around the city for a few hours. I had a nice walk and got a few more pictures of the area, spent some of my remaining euros, and even did some shopping at a grocery store – I was out of tooth paste. And oddly enough, the store only really sold Colgate and a few other off brands, which didn’t make me happy because I’ve always been a Crest guy, but whatever. I came back to the ship for a 4:00 rehearsal with Jacqui Scott, a show we’ve all played before, played the gig that night and that was about it for Funchal. Tomorrow is Santa Cruz, La Palma, a new island we haven’t yet visited. Seeya!
Funchal
Today was our last stop on the lovely island of Madeira. Again I’d signed up for a tour, and again, something got in the way. I was lucky enough to get on the Toboggan tour, in which you take a cable car up the mountain, and then as a part of the local history, ride down on a wooden toboggan. The toboggan is pretty much just a wooden/wicker looking crate with wooden rails, and after a few passengers get in it, the locals push you down the road, running along side this wood box, making sure you don’t crash into anything. They can control the speed of the thing to as fast or slow as you feel comfortable. And literally, it’s just a group of people sitting in a box letting gravity overcome the friction on the wood against the pavement. People who have done it on past tours all seemed to like it, so I was excited to get to go on this local “thrill ride”, but we had Boat drill that morning. Usually I can get out of the drill without any problems, but today they were doing something extra on the starboard side, my side, that resulted in the entire side being required to be there no matter what. And the dumbest thing is that nothing extra happened to my station, which is always the case because we’re at a different section of the ship, not directly near the life rafts. Maybe this could be a bad thing in case of a real emergency, but it means we never really do anything for the boat drills. So anyways, I missed my departure time and couldn’t go on the tour. I ended up staying aboard till the afternoon, when I eventually got off the ship to walk around the city for a few hours. I had a nice walk and got a few more pictures of the area, spent some of my remaining euros, and even did some shopping at a grocery store – I was out of tooth paste. And oddly enough, the store only really sold Colgate and a few other off brands, which didn’t make me happy because I’ve always been a Crest guy, but whatever. I came back to the ship for a 4:00 rehearsal with Jacqui Scott, a show we’ve all played before, played the gig that night and that was about it for Funchal. Tomorrow is Santa Cruz, La Palma, a new island we haven’t yet visited. Seeya!
Lisbon/Sea Day
Nov 8th and 9th
Lisbon/Sea day
The 8th was my final visit to Lisbon, and unfortunately didn’t work out exactly as planned. First of all, I’d signed up for a walking tour through the city, which I was excited for, but I didn’t get the phone message the previous day I was looking for. Pieter let me know mid day that he was meeting up with a local friend who was taking him out for a tour of the area by car and invited me to come, so I quickly got my things together to meet Pieter outside. Well, somehow we managed to never find each other outside the terminal, and after 20 minutes of looking, we both gave up. However, that meant he left for a cool tour while I walked back onto the ship. We can’t figure out exactly what happened, and I know he waited because I have a phone call on my machine from him, just somehow we managed to screw up this simple task. So I went back to the ship and didn’t get off till later in the day, when I went for a walk with Brandon (new tenor player). We just walked into the city, eventually stopped at some place to get a sandwich, and headed back to the ship. I wanted to stop for food and found this local hole in the wall place that seemed to be where a lot of locals hung out, most around my age. So I went to the counter to order a sandwich, to which the Portuguese kind of looked at me in the confusion that comes from speaking a different language. He did figure out what it was that I wanted and made a gesture towards this block of meat he had on display under the counter. After seeing his double thumbs up stamp of approval on the mystery meat, Brandon and I both got the sandwich and something to drink. So we go back to eat it, this thickly sliced piece of something or other served on a roll of some sort, without a condiment to be seen. Oddly enough, the sandwich has absolutely no taste. I don’t have a clue what that meat was that we were eating, but it somehow had absolutely no flavor. And I mean none, nothing good or bad about it, it’s quite miraculous really that such a meat exists and is sold to people, but we were both completely boggled by this thing we were eating. I think we decided it must be someone’s dog, obviously a joke, but there were no visual clues either to aid the meat identity mystery. And even more odd is the fact that the jolly guy behind the counter thought it was great. I was glad to have experienced it, I guess, but I’m now sure that my palate is slightly above the tasteless drywall sandwich I had that day.
That evening we were supposed to play Pete Mathew’s show for the last time, but due to an emergency at home, Pete was unable to make it in. Considering Pete is the one entertainer that the entire band enjoys and likes to hang with, everyone was quite disappointed. But instead, we got the night off while the comedian got moved up to fill the space. And I guess that’s about it for my farewell to Lisbon.
Oh…..I did go up to the top deck to see the ship sail under the bridge that leaves the city, I forget the name of it, but it’s a beautiful structure. And watching the ship just barely squeeze under it was an amazing feat in itself.
The next day I figured out that the voicemail indicator light on my room phone doesn’t flash, meaning that when I checked the phone for messages, I found 7 unheard messages left over the past few days. One of which could have gotten me on a tour in Lisbon, which I now feel bad about flat out missing. So I put a call into the service department to get it fixed, but I’m sure it’s going to end up taking longer than expected.
Nothing real important happened on the sea day, at least not that I remember. We had a new entertainer to play for, Jon Courtney, who played piano, sang, and made some jokes. He did a good job and the show was nice enough to play, I never mind getting new music to read.
We did have a Crown and Anchor event to play though, something that doesn’t usually happen. C&A is for return guests, and this cruise just so happens to have 1700 returning passengers, about 10 times more people than usual. Because of this large number, a couple events were planned in the theater where the band had to play an hour-long big band set. The set that day didn’t go so well for a number of reasons, most of which I’ll blame on the brass section. But it was a busy day between a rehearsal for a new show, the two shows that night, and an extra big band set in a format know one was used to. But it’s a sea day, can’t hurt to be busy, sort of.
Lisbon/Sea day
The 8th was my final visit to Lisbon, and unfortunately didn’t work out exactly as planned. First of all, I’d signed up for a walking tour through the city, which I was excited for, but I didn’t get the phone message the previous day I was looking for. Pieter let me know mid day that he was meeting up with a local friend who was taking him out for a tour of the area by car and invited me to come, so I quickly got my things together to meet Pieter outside. Well, somehow we managed to never find each other outside the terminal, and after 20 minutes of looking, we both gave up. However, that meant he left for a cool tour while I walked back onto the ship. We can’t figure out exactly what happened, and I know he waited because I have a phone call on my machine from him, just somehow we managed to screw up this simple task. So I went back to the ship and didn’t get off till later in the day, when I went for a walk with Brandon (new tenor player). We just walked into the city, eventually stopped at some place to get a sandwich, and headed back to the ship. I wanted to stop for food and found this local hole in the wall place that seemed to be where a lot of locals hung out, most around my age. So I went to the counter to order a sandwich, to which the Portuguese kind of looked at me in the confusion that comes from speaking a different language. He did figure out what it was that I wanted and made a gesture towards this block of meat he had on display under the counter. After seeing his double thumbs up stamp of approval on the mystery meat, Brandon and I both got the sandwich and something to drink. So we go back to eat it, this thickly sliced piece of something or other served on a roll of some sort, without a condiment to be seen. Oddly enough, the sandwich has absolutely no taste. I don’t have a clue what that meat was that we were eating, but it somehow had absolutely no flavor. And I mean none, nothing good or bad about it, it’s quite miraculous really that such a meat exists and is sold to people, but we were both completely boggled by this thing we were eating. I think we decided it must be someone’s dog, obviously a joke, but there were no visual clues either to aid the meat identity mystery. And even more odd is the fact that the jolly guy behind the counter thought it was great. I was glad to have experienced it, I guess, but I’m now sure that my palate is slightly above the tasteless drywall sandwich I had that day.
That evening we were supposed to play Pete Mathew’s show for the last time, but due to an emergency at home, Pete was unable to make it in. Considering Pete is the one entertainer that the entire band enjoys and likes to hang with, everyone was quite disappointed. But instead, we got the night off while the comedian got moved up to fill the space. And I guess that’s about it for my farewell to Lisbon.
Oh…..I did go up to the top deck to see the ship sail under the bridge that leaves the city, I forget the name of it, but it’s a beautiful structure. And watching the ship just barely squeeze under it was an amazing feat in itself.
The next day I figured out that the voicemail indicator light on my room phone doesn’t flash, meaning that when I checked the phone for messages, I found 7 unheard messages left over the past few days. One of which could have gotten me on a tour in Lisbon, which I now feel bad about flat out missing. So I put a call into the service department to get it fixed, but I’m sure it’s going to end up taking longer than expected.
Nothing real important happened on the sea day, at least not that I remember. We had a new entertainer to play for, Jon Courtney, who played piano, sang, and made some jokes. He did a good job and the show was nice enough to play, I never mind getting new music to read.
We did have a Crown and Anchor event to play though, something that doesn’t usually happen. C&A is for return guests, and this cruise just so happens to have 1700 returning passengers, about 10 times more people than usual. Because of this large number, a couple events were planned in the theater where the band had to play an hour-long big band set. The set that day didn’t go so well for a number of reasons, most of which I’ll blame on the brass section. But it was a busy day between a rehearsal for a new show, the two shows that night, and an extra big band set in a format know one was used to. But it’s a sea day, can’t hurt to be busy, sort of.
La Coruna
Nov 7th
La Coruna
Today was my first visit to La Coruna, a port in northern Spain. After a rehearsal in the morning for the new tenor player, I eventually made it off the ship to explore the city. I spent a few hours walking around the waterfront of the peninsula the ship was docked at. The city was beautiful, and I had a great walk around the area going through the harbors, by a great light house, to a beach, and then through the city to return back to the ship. That night we played a production show, and I guess that was about it for the day. Check the pictures when I get them online, thanks!
La Coruna
Today was my first visit to La Coruna, a port in northern Spain. After a rehearsal in the morning for the new tenor player, I eventually made it off the ship to explore the city. I spent a few hours walking around the waterfront of the peninsula the ship was docked at. The city was beautiful, and I had a great walk around the area going through the harbors, by a great light house, to a beach, and then through the city to return back to the ship. That night we played a production show, and I guess that was about it for the day. Check the pictures when I get them online, thanks!
Southampton/Sea day
Nov 5th/6th
Southampton/Sea day
The 5th was our final stop in Southampton before making our crossing, so I had to say my goodbyes to England for the time being. I started out the day by sleeping in, eventually woke up for lunch and got off the ship to walk around the mall. I kind of wanted to buy something, but then at the same time, I have a real hard time paying for something in pounds, making everything about twice what it should be. So after walking around there for a while and a phone call back home, I eventually left to get back to the ship for the passenger drill. I then had a rehearsal for the welcome aboard show because of the new tenor player coming on, and also we got our old sound guy back in the theater. So the new tenor player’s name is Brandon, he’s 44 if I recall correctly, and it’s his first ship. He’s a real nice guy, and not a bad player. He’s not as great as Shawn, but he’ll do fine here. And, he seems to have a good personality and is excited to be here, so it should work out great. We played the show, and then I found out the dancers and skaters were having a party. Someone had a cool idea of turning different people’s rooms into different themed bars. So one room was a gay bar, one was a Saloon, and other rooms had some theme or certain drink that was their responsibility. But, put it all together, and it makes for a fun time “bar hopping” between rooms. And all before our parade, which turned out to be the most fun parade ever… But all the dancers and skaters are signing of the ship after the crossing, so this was the first of many parties I’m sure they’ll be having. And I think that was it for the 5th. For those of you who are familiar with “V for Vendetta” – Remember, Remember, the 5th of November… (and I was in England on the fifth, I’d have never guessed that a year ago).
Also, I changed cabins on the 5th. I took Shawn’s old room, who was roommates with my friend Pieter. Pieter stays with his girlfriend onboard the ship in a different room, meaning I get the room to myself, which is nice. He’s rarely here, I get the bottom bunk, and don’t have to worry about having to deal with someone else’s lifestyle…at least till his GF gets off the ship in 6 weeks. Hopefully this setup will work out fine and I’ll get a nice chunk of time to myself.
Then the 6th was a sea day as we headed towards La Coruna. This was nice day for the band because we only had our captain’s cocktail big band set to play, so it’ll be one of our few light nights this cruise. The set went well, Brandon played alright, and that was most of what happened that day. I spent a lot of time during the day on my computer, and then showed Brandon around for a bit at night, but nothing too exciting. But, I received a call that evening that I’d be signing off January 14th, five days sooner than originally planned. I guess that’s fine, I don’t really care either way. I guess I would have liked to spend an extra 5 days not in Chicago weather, but what cha gonna do.
Also, I just found out a few days ago that I’ll be going on another ship early April for 8 weeks. It’s the Splendour of the Seas, and I’ll be starting in Brazil!! From Brazil, we’ll go up the coast stopping at a number of different ports along the way, and then make a crossing to Morocco and Portugal. Then, after shipping out of Lisbon, we’ll change our home port to Venice! From there, I’ll spend the remaining weeks going to Croatia, Greece, and Turkey. So it’s going to be a really great itinerary, and a short contract! Also, I’m booked to be playing tenor on the gig instead of alto, so that’ll be slightly different. But anyways, that’s the news!
Southampton/Sea day
The 5th was our final stop in Southampton before making our crossing, so I had to say my goodbyes to England for the time being. I started out the day by sleeping in, eventually woke up for lunch and got off the ship to walk around the mall. I kind of wanted to buy something, but then at the same time, I have a real hard time paying for something in pounds, making everything about twice what it should be. So after walking around there for a while and a phone call back home, I eventually left to get back to the ship for the passenger drill. I then had a rehearsal for the welcome aboard show because of the new tenor player coming on, and also we got our old sound guy back in the theater. So the new tenor player’s name is Brandon, he’s 44 if I recall correctly, and it’s his first ship. He’s a real nice guy, and not a bad player. He’s not as great as Shawn, but he’ll do fine here. And, he seems to have a good personality and is excited to be here, so it should work out great. We played the show, and then I found out the dancers and skaters were having a party. Someone had a cool idea of turning different people’s rooms into different themed bars. So one room was a gay bar, one was a Saloon, and other rooms had some theme or certain drink that was their responsibility. But, put it all together, and it makes for a fun time “bar hopping” between rooms. And all before our parade, which turned out to be the most fun parade ever… But all the dancers and skaters are signing of the ship after the crossing, so this was the first of many parties I’m sure they’ll be having. And I think that was it for the 5th. For those of you who are familiar with “V for Vendetta” – Remember, Remember, the 5th of November… (and I was in England on the fifth, I’d have never guessed that a year ago).
Also, I changed cabins on the 5th. I took Shawn’s old room, who was roommates with my friend Pieter. Pieter stays with his girlfriend onboard the ship in a different room, meaning I get the room to myself, which is nice. He’s rarely here, I get the bottom bunk, and don’t have to worry about having to deal with someone else’s lifestyle…at least till his GF gets off the ship in 6 weeks. Hopefully this setup will work out fine and I’ll get a nice chunk of time to myself.
Then the 6th was a sea day as we headed towards La Coruna. This was nice day for the band because we only had our captain’s cocktail big band set to play, so it’ll be one of our few light nights this cruise. The set went well, Brandon played alright, and that was most of what happened that day. I spent a lot of time during the day on my computer, and then showed Brandon around for a bit at night, but nothing too exciting. But, I received a call that evening that I’d be signing off January 14th, five days sooner than originally planned. I guess that’s fine, I don’t really care either way. I guess I would have liked to spend an extra 5 days not in Chicago weather, but what cha gonna do.
Also, I just found out a few days ago that I’ll be going on another ship early April for 8 weeks. It’s the Splendour of the Seas, and I’ll be starting in Brazil!! From Brazil, we’ll go up the coast stopping at a number of different ports along the way, and then make a crossing to Morocco and Portugal. Then, after shipping out of Lisbon, we’ll change our home port to Venice! From there, I’ll spend the remaining weeks going to Croatia, Greece, and Turkey. So it’s going to be a really great itinerary, and a short contract! Also, I’m booked to be playing tenor on the gig instead of alto, so that’ll be slightly different. But anyways, that’s the news!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Sea/Vigo/Sea
Nov 2nd-4th
Sea/Vigo/Sea
The 2nd was our sea day spent leaving the Canaries. We played our “Once upon a time” production show, and that was probably about it for the day. I got in trouble again for being too supportive of my fellow cast members, so for now on I’m saying absolutely nothing and being completely silent till they feel bad about telling me to stop having a good time…it’ll happen, just you watch.
The 3rd, our last stop in Vigo, I spent on the ship with my Vigo friend. She’d never been on a ship, so I filled out the paper work, signed her on for a few hours, gave her the full tour and grabbed lunch. It was funny seeing her reaction to some of the things that I’ve been taking for granted the past few months, like the fact that there are elevators on a ship. It was a nice time, she had fun, but it’ll probably be the last time I see her for a long time, if not forever. We had the night off that day as well, so another nice and easy day (not)working on the ship.
And the 4th was our farewell show day. Shawn leaves tomorrow though, the tenor player. It’s too bad because he’s a great sax player and I really liked playing with him. I don’t know who this new guy is coming aboard tomorrow, no one seems to have any idea. Hopefully that’ll all work out fine and he can fill the shoes that Shawn’s leaving. But all that aside, nothing too special these last 3 days, and tomorrow, we leave England for the last time while I’ll be on the ship. Crazy!
Sea/Vigo/Sea
The 2nd was our sea day spent leaving the Canaries. We played our “Once upon a time” production show, and that was probably about it for the day. I got in trouble again for being too supportive of my fellow cast members, so for now on I’m saying absolutely nothing and being completely silent till they feel bad about telling me to stop having a good time…it’ll happen, just you watch.
The 3rd, our last stop in Vigo, I spent on the ship with my Vigo friend. She’d never been on a ship, so I filled out the paper work, signed her on for a few hours, gave her the full tour and grabbed lunch. It was funny seeing her reaction to some of the things that I’ve been taking for granted the past few months, like the fact that there are elevators on a ship. It was a nice time, she had fun, but it’ll probably be the last time I see her for a long time, if not forever. We had the night off that day as well, so another nice and easy day (not)working on the ship.
And the 4th was our farewell show day. Shawn leaves tomorrow though, the tenor player. It’s too bad because he’s a great sax player and I really liked playing with him. I don’t know who this new guy is coming aboard tomorrow, no one seems to have any idea. Hopefully that’ll all work out fine and he can fill the shoes that Shawn’s leaving. But all that aside, nothing too special these last 3 days, and tomorrow, we leave England for the last time while I’ll be on the ship. Crazy!
Lanzarote - Scuba!!
Nov 1st
Lanzarote
Scuba Diving Today!!! After picking up my gear from the dive shop on the ship the previous day (free because we’re all friends here on the ship), I met the group out on the peer around 8:50 AM. The diving company eventually picked us up and drove us to the shop, and later to the dive site. At the shop we filled out the necessary forms to give them an idea of experience, picked up our weights and tanks, had some tea, and then got in the van to go to the site. They had this awesome dog at the shop though, Thad said it was a Rhodisian Ridge Back. I’m sure I’m spelling that wrong, but the dog had this Ridge of hair on his back that grew in the opposite direction, making a very distinctive line, almost like a racing stripe. Thad said his brother has one, and that the dogs are highly aggressive and were traditionally used to hunt lions…this one was a nice dog though. So we left the shop, and instead of hopping on a boat like I’m used to, we were driven to a beach where we suited up and walked into the water. It made things really easy, and the dive site was still really cool. I learned to dive 5 years ago in the keys, and haven’t dove for at least 2 years. But it was nice going with a few people from the band, two of which have higher certification levels, and then the dive instructor onboard was there as well, so I knew I had people around to help should I have questions. Everything seemed to come back though, I felt really comfortable in the water, and had a nice dive. I didn’t see anything too exotic, partially because it wasn’t the correct season for it, but did get really close to this huge grouper that is known to live in that area, and then a cuddle fish as well. I dove down as far as 105 feet, mostly because I didn’t think I was as deep as I really was and saw a starfish below me and wanted to get closer. At that point, the instructor from the ship, Martin, chased after me, checked my gauge, and told me to start going back up. I didn’t know I was at 105 feet till that point, oops. But…I felt totally comfortable there, so no big deal. The bottom was sandy with large volcanic rocks spread around where things would grow on. There were some really nice schools of fish that wouldn’t move till you literally swam through them, and then the usual collection of sea life around the rocks. Not as exciting as I hoped the Canaries would have been, but still a great chance to get back in the water. We probably spent 45 minutes in the water before getting out and making our way back to the van. The water was about 70 degrees, and I had a shorty wet suit (one that doesn’t cover most of your arms or legs, so I was ready to get out by that time. It got a little cold towards the end of the dive, but I was really glad I went. We eventually made our way back to the shop, rinsed everything off, and packed up to go back to the ship. The whole thing ended up costing 20 euro, or $30. Originally, I was told a single dive was 27 euro, but because of the group, he gave us a discount. We had our ride back to the ship at that point, and I took a shower and fell asleep. I woke up later to return the gear, and then just kind of chilled in my room the rest of the night because we had the day off…nice! Sea day tomorrow as we sail out of the Canaries toward Vigo.
Side note: I’ve been thinking about doing another ship and emailed the office the other day to check openings and let them know what I was looking for. My top ship that I want to do is the Rhapsody, which is smaller than what I’m on right now, but is going to be in China, Japan, and other areas of Asia around the time I’m looking for. Well, I got an email today saying a spot opened up for 2 months, a vacation break I’m sure, so I sent the email back to get on it and should hopefully be booked for it by this point if all goes to plan. Look it up online though, it’s a really amazing itinerary. And then, towards the end of the 2 months, we cross the northern pacific, go through Alaska, and then make a home port in Seattle. At that point, I do one Alaskan cruise and would be flown home May 30th. This would mean I would get to check both Asia and Alaska off my list within a single 2 month period. So I’m going to keep hoping that this lines up as I’ve planned it, and with any luck, I’ll have another ship to play after a couple months at home, and a ship in a totally different area!
By the way, is it really already November? Jeeze, time really goes fast. I’m so glad I’ve been keeping up with these posts and keeping my now 5550 pictures organized. I hope everyone’s great at home, miss ya!
Lanzarote
Scuba Diving Today!!! After picking up my gear from the dive shop on the ship the previous day (free because we’re all friends here on the ship), I met the group out on the peer around 8:50 AM. The diving company eventually picked us up and drove us to the shop, and later to the dive site. At the shop we filled out the necessary forms to give them an idea of experience, picked up our weights and tanks, had some tea, and then got in the van to go to the site. They had this awesome dog at the shop though, Thad said it was a Rhodisian Ridge Back. I’m sure I’m spelling that wrong, but the dog had this Ridge of hair on his back that grew in the opposite direction, making a very distinctive line, almost like a racing stripe. Thad said his brother has one, and that the dogs are highly aggressive and were traditionally used to hunt lions…this one was a nice dog though. So we left the shop, and instead of hopping on a boat like I’m used to, we were driven to a beach where we suited up and walked into the water. It made things really easy, and the dive site was still really cool. I learned to dive 5 years ago in the keys, and haven’t dove for at least 2 years. But it was nice going with a few people from the band, two of which have higher certification levels, and then the dive instructor onboard was there as well, so I knew I had people around to help should I have questions. Everything seemed to come back though, I felt really comfortable in the water, and had a nice dive. I didn’t see anything too exotic, partially because it wasn’t the correct season for it, but did get really close to this huge grouper that is known to live in that area, and then a cuddle fish as well. I dove down as far as 105 feet, mostly because I didn’t think I was as deep as I really was and saw a starfish below me and wanted to get closer. At that point, the instructor from the ship, Martin, chased after me, checked my gauge, and told me to start going back up. I didn’t know I was at 105 feet till that point, oops. But…I felt totally comfortable there, so no big deal. The bottom was sandy with large volcanic rocks spread around where things would grow on. There were some really nice schools of fish that wouldn’t move till you literally swam through them, and then the usual collection of sea life around the rocks. Not as exciting as I hoped the Canaries would have been, but still a great chance to get back in the water. We probably spent 45 minutes in the water before getting out and making our way back to the van. The water was about 70 degrees, and I had a shorty wet suit (one that doesn’t cover most of your arms or legs, so I was ready to get out by that time. It got a little cold towards the end of the dive, but I was really glad I went. We eventually made our way back to the shop, rinsed everything off, and packed up to go back to the ship. The whole thing ended up costing 20 euro, or $30. Originally, I was told a single dive was 27 euro, but because of the group, he gave us a discount. We had our ride back to the ship at that point, and I took a shower and fell asleep. I woke up later to return the gear, and then just kind of chilled in my room the rest of the night because we had the day off…nice! Sea day tomorrow as we sail out of the Canaries toward Vigo.
Side note: I’ve been thinking about doing another ship and emailed the office the other day to check openings and let them know what I was looking for. My top ship that I want to do is the Rhapsody, which is smaller than what I’m on right now, but is going to be in China, Japan, and other areas of Asia around the time I’m looking for. Well, I got an email today saying a spot opened up for 2 months, a vacation break I’m sure, so I sent the email back to get on it and should hopefully be booked for it by this point if all goes to plan. Look it up online though, it’s a really amazing itinerary. And then, towards the end of the 2 months, we cross the northern pacific, go through Alaska, and then make a home port in Seattle. At that point, I do one Alaskan cruise and would be flown home May 30th. This would mean I would get to check both Asia and Alaska off my list within a single 2 month period. So I’m going to keep hoping that this lines up as I’ve planned it, and with any luck, I’ll have another ship to play after a couple months at home, and a ship in a totally different area!
By the way, is it really already November? Jeeze, time really goes fast. I’m so glad I’ve been keeping up with these posts and keeping my now 5550 pictures organized. I hope everyone’s great at home, miss ya!
Las Palmas
Oct 31st
Las Palmas
Today I didn’t do a tour for the simple fact that I’ve done one every other time I’d been to the island. So instead, me and Thad grabbed the body boards again and walked to the beach. He’d been there last time and said the waves were pretty good, so I was excited that I was going to get another great body boarding day like the second time in Tenerife. So we walked to the beach with some other friends from the ship, set up our spot, and I jumped in the water. It was a nice day to begin with, but unfortunately, the clouds decided to ruin that for us. The temperature severely dropped as this massive cloud blocked out the sun, and though it didn’t rain, it kind of made the beach much less attractive. That aside, the waves weren’t exactly as nice as I’d hoped. Some were certainly decent size, but they were more choppy than last time, and it made it so that it was rare to get a really nice long wave to ride. Also, the shape and form of these waves just weren’t right, so that meant all this great energy coming in was being dispersed back into the water because the sea floor didn’t have the right shape, and it was low tide. So, I had like one good run, but otherwise sat out on my board waiting for waves that never really came. Last time Thad was there, he brought a surf board he found on the ship to a shop in order to get some money for it. Supposedly, the guy couldn’t even give it away, it was just that old and crappy. So Thad picked it up and came back to the beach, at which point I thought I’d try to use this crummy board on less than perfect waves with a cold shadow that we just couldn’t get out of. This choice yielded exactly what you might expect, utter humiliation as I managed to throw the board everywhere but under my feet. I’m pretty sure that under the right conditions and with a longer board I’d have less of a problem because I do all the water sports like skiing and wake boarding, but surfing just wasn’t in the cards for me at that time. Thad and I then walked to a Chinese buffet (the rest of the group had already left in hopes of finding better weather), grabbed lunch, and walked back to the ship. It was my first time walking through the city though, and the place is really a great area. I wish I had another chance to go back and just explore the city, but I had a good last visit regardless. That night we had a big band set and then a Halloween party. Unfortunately, I skipped the Halloween party due to an earl morning the next day to go Scuba Diving, so no exciting story there, sorry. But as I just said, Scuba diving tomorrow in Lanzarote, sweet!
Las Palmas
Today I didn’t do a tour for the simple fact that I’ve done one every other time I’d been to the island. So instead, me and Thad grabbed the body boards again and walked to the beach. He’d been there last time and said the waves were pretty good, so I was excited that I was going to get another great body boarding day like the second time in Tenerife. So we walked to the beach with some other friends from the ship, set up our spot, and I jumped in the water. It was a nice day to begin with, but unfortunately, the clouds decided to ruin that for us. The temperature severely dropped as this massive cloud blocked out the sun, and though it didn’t rain, it kind of made the beach much less attractive. That aside, the waves weren’t exactly as nice as I’d hoped. Some were certainly decent size, but they were more choppy than last time, and it made it so that it was rare to get a really nice long wave to ride. Also, the shape and form of these waves just weren’t right, so that meant all this great energy coming in was being dispersed back into the water because the sea floor didn’t have the right shape, and it was low tide. So, I had like one good run, but otherwise sat out on my board waiting for waves that never really came. Last time Thad was there, he brought a surf board he found on the ship to a shop in order to get some money for it. Supposedly, the guy couldn’t even give it away, it was just that old and crappy. So Thad picked it up and came back to the beach, at which point I thought I’d try to use this crummy board on less than perfect waves with a cold shadow that we just couldn’t get out of. This choice yielded exactly what you might expect, utter humiliation as I managed to throw the board everywhere but under my feet. I’m pretty sure that under the right conditions and with a longer board I’d have less of a problem because I do all the water sports like skiing and wake boarding, but surfing just wasn’t in the cards for me at that time. Thad and I then walked to a Chinese buffet (the rest of the group had already left in hopes of finding better weather), grabbed lunch, and walked back to the ship. It was my first time walking through the city though, and the place is really a great area. I wish I had another chance to go back and just explore the city, but I had a good last visit regardless. That night we had a big band set and then a Halloween party. Unfortunately, I skipped the Halloween party due to an earl morning the next day to go Scuba Diving, so no exciting story there, sorry. But as I just said, Scuba diving tomorrow in Lanzarote, sweet!
Tenerife
Oct 30th
Tenerife
The island of Tenerife is pretty much one gigantic volcano, and the tour I went on today took me to the top of this giant volcano. The mountain is 12,000 feet high, we made it up to about 10,000, the extra 2000 was only accessible by cable car. It was a really awesome drive up to the top though. The first half was through this really dense pine forest, from which 30,000 tons of pine needles are collected every year by the locals to make compost. Then, after driving trough the cloud layer that indicates where the trade winds bring moisture to the island, we got to the top half which was pretty much baron. There were just small bushes, and all this really amazing geology from the volcanic activity. Also, it was great watching the clouds climb up the mountain face, and some of them were just speeding through the forests. We’d be driving, go from clear to foggy, and then back to clear in a matter of minutes, where the fog was thick enough that the driver needed his wipers on. We had made 2 photo stops up the mountain, and then a third at the top at these volcanic “chimneys”, as they were called, a site we could explore to a certain extent. Nothing was active at the time, but the volcano erupts every 30-40 years, and is well overdue for another eruption. Then, we made it back down the volcano, I met up with Peter who was on the other bus, and we got dropped off in the city. We ran into Gianni, the guitarist, and walked around with him for a few hours, stopped at a place for espressos, and eventually made it back to the ship. That night we played Pete Matthew’s show, the juggler, and I went to bed. It was great day though, and the city was really nice to walk through. Unfortunately, it was our last time there, so I’m glad I went out on a good day!
Tenerife
The island of Tenerife is pretty much one gigantic volcano, and the tour I went on today took me to the top of this giant volcano. The mountain is 12,000 feet high, we made it up to about 10,000, the extra 2000 was only accessible by cable car. It was a really awesome drive up to the top though. The first half was through this really dense pine forest, from which 30,000 tons of pine needles are collected every year by the locals to make compost. Then, after driving trough the cloud layer that indicates where the trade winds bring moisture to the island, we got to the top half which was pretty much baron. There were just small bushes, and all this really amazing geology from the volcanic activity. Also, it was great watching the clouds climb up the mountain face, and some of them were just speeding through the forests. We’d be driving, go from clear to foggy, and then back to clear in a matter of minutes, where the fog was thick enough that the driver needed his wipers on. We had made 2 photo stops up the mountain, and then a third at the top at these volcanic “chimneys”, as they were called, a site we could explore to a certain extent. Nothing was active at the time, but the volcano erupts every 30-40 years, and is well overdue for another eruption. Then, we made it back down the volcano, I met up with Peter who was on the other bus, and we got dropped off in the city. We ran into Gianni, the guitarist, and walked around with him for a few hours, stopped at a place for espressos, and eventually made it back to the ship. That night we played Pete Matthew’s show, the juggler, and I went to bed. It was great day though, and the city was really nice to walk through. Unfortunately, it was our last time there, so I’m glad I went out on a good day!
Funchal
Oct 29th
Funchal
Third visit to Funchal, this time without doing a tour. Before I get to the actual day description, today and tomorrow are practice code red health situation scenarios. This means, that everything is to be kept extremely clean so that no germs are spread (ships have lost weeks to such problems). So this means that the musicians and a good chunk of the entertainment division have to clean the theater…4 times today. So we go over all the arm rests and touch points in the theater with a rag and some kind of cleaning solution. We have enough people that it only takes about 10 minutes, but it’s still really dumb. So after doing that in the morning for the first time, I got off the ship with Peter, his GF Caro (the international ambassador on the ship – meaning she speaks 7 lanuages), and Steve from RCTV. Madeira, being known for it’s wine, has a bunch of wine tasting area’s around the city, so we hit a lot of those and sampled 3, 5, 10, 15, and even a 24 year old wine, all free. Madeira has 4 classifications of their wines, dry, medium dry, medium sweet, and sweet. The sweets are a little too strong for me and most people I know, so we all tried a varied collection of drys. And Caro, being able to speak Portuguese, made it so that we were treated better than the usual tourist. One of the stops we made, they served us cookies and this local dark cake thing, all for free. Following that and our wandering through the city, we made our way to the market, which was great. They sold unbelievable flowers there, native to the area I assume, but plants that I’ve never seen before and that were absolutely magnificent. Also, they had the local fruits there, which were out of this world. We were able to try passion fruits, and I don’t even know what, but every thing that entered my mouth was unbelievable, and a taste that I’d definitely never encountered before. The passion fruits were like some sort of jelly inside this ugly skin, but they served it to us with sugar and it was probably the best thing I’ve ever eaten that’s come off a plant. I ended up buying a Pineapple banana, or so we’ve been calling it. It’s the green banana shape, but it looks like it has armor on it. And then, when it opens up, you pick the fruit out from inside, and it tastes almost like pineapple. I’m taking pictures of it to post. But supposedly, it slowly peels itself, and as it loses more and more of it’s armor, you slowly eat the underlying fruit. Caro snuck it on to the ship in her bag, along with some other fruits she had bought. She purchased a mango, which unfortunately I missed out on tasting, but was told it was also great. My banana thingy should be half opened tomorrow, and then fully opened the next day, so I’ll eat it as it allows me to. The stupid thing cost over 5 euros though, so about $8, which is really pricey for a piece of fruit, but I figure after all the free wine and other samples, I can drop 5 Euro somewhere to do my small bit in supporting the economy. We eventually made our way back to the ship though, had a payday today, cleaned the theater again at 5, and got ready for Brenda Cochrine’s show, or I think that’s her last name. We played the first show, cleaned again between shows, and then played the second. I had a really nice alto feature in one of them where I get to blow blues licks under her singing. Well, those of you who have seen my bands at some time or another, you’ll know that’s something I do quite a bit of and maybe am somewhat decent at. Well, she loved it, and was really great to me after the show because she was so pleased with the band and my playing. It’s probably the most appreciative anyone’s been since I’ve been on the ship, at least as far as the guest artists go. So she bought everyone drinks after the show and talked to me forever, always returning back to how I played “my tits off” as she’d asked me to – she’s Scottish. Really nice lady though, and as we all (half the band, her, and a couple other random people) hung out in the Staff and officers bar (SOB), it was a really fun time talking with her and playing music from the computer in the room, where everyone has uploaded thousands of tunes onto. But it was a really fun day with a good show at night and a great hang afterwards. Not to mention, someone really enjoyed my playing and was nice enough make sure I knew and understood that, and coming from a guest artist who’s done her show a million times before with different sax players, maybe I should feel good about that. I’m just lucky it was a bluesy number that I could fake my way through well enough. But anyways, good day, tour tomorrow, and I’m going to bed right now at 4 AM (I really wanted to write stuff down while it’s still somewhat fresh). Thanks and have a great one!
Funchal
Third visit to Funchal, this time without doing a tour. Before I get to the actual day description, today and tomorrow are practice code red health situation scenarios. This means, that everything is to be kept extremely clean so that no germs are spread (ships have lost weeks to such problems). So this means that the musicians and a good chunk of the entertainment division have to clean the theater…4 times today. So we go over all the arm rests and touch points in the theater with a rag and some kind of cleaning solution. We have enough people that it only takes about 10 minutes, but it’s still really dumb. So after doing that in the morning for the first time, I got off the ship with Peter, his GF Caro (the international ambassador on the ship – meaning she speaks 7 lanuages), and Steve from RCTV. Madeira, being known for it’s wine, has a bunch of wine tasting area’s around the city, so we hit a lot of those and sampled 3, 5, 10, 15, and even a 24 year old wine, all free. Madeira has 4 classifications of their wines, dry, medium dry, medium sweet, and sweet. The sweets are a little too strong for me and most people I know, so we all tried a varied collection of drys. And Caro, being able to speak Portuguese, made it so that we were treated better than the usual tourist. One of the stops we made, they served us cookies and this local dark cake thing, all for free. Following that and our wandering through the city, we made our way to the market, which was great. They sold unbelievable flowers there, native to the area I assume, but plants that I’ve never seen before and that were absolutely magnificent. Also, they had the local fruits there, which were out of this world. We were able to try passion fruits, and I don’t even know what, but every thing that entered my mouth was unbelievable, and a taste that I’d definitely never encountered before. The passion fruits were like some sort of jelly inside this ugly skin, but they served it to us with sugar and it was probably the best thing I’ve ever eaten that’s come off a plant. I ended up buying a Pineapple banana, or so we’ve been calling it. It’s the green banana shape, but it looks like it has armor on it. And then, when it opens up, you pick the fruit out from inside, and it tastes almost like pineapple. I’m taking pictures of it to post. But supposedly, it slowly peels itself, and as it loses more and more of it’s armor, you slowly eat the underlying fruit. Caro snuck it on to the ship in her bag, along with some other fruits she had bought. She purchased a mango, which unfortunately I missed out on tasting, but was told it was also great. My banana thingy should be half opened tomorrow, and then fully opened the next day, so I’ll eat it as it allows me to. The stupid thing cost over 5 euros though, so about $8, which is really pricey for a piece of fruit, but I figure after all the free wine and other samples, I can drop 5 Euro somewhere to do my small bit in supporting the economy. We eventually made our way back to the ship though, had a payday today, cleaned the theater again at 5, and got ready for Brenda Cochrine’s show, or I think that’s her last name. We played the first show, cleaned again between shows, and then played the second. I had a really nice alto feature in one of them where I get to blow blues licks under her singing. Well, those of you who have seen my bands at some time or another, you’ll know that’s something I do quite a bit of and maybe am somewhat decent at. Well, she loved it, and was really great to me after the show because she was so pleased with the band and my playing. It’s probably the most appreciative anyone’s been since I’ve been on the ship, at least as far as the guest artists go. So she bought everyone drinks after the show and talked to me forever, always returning back to how I played “my tits off” as she’d asked me to – she’s Scottish. Really nice lady though, and as we all (half the band, her, and a couple other random people) hung out in the Staff and officers bar (SOB), it was a really fun time talking with her and playing music from the computer in the room, where everyone has uploaded thousands of tunes onto. But it was a really fun day with a good show at night and a great hang afterwards. Not to mention, someone really enjoyed my playing and was nice enough make sure I knew and understood that, and coming from a guest artist who’s done her show a million times before with different sax players, maybe I should feel good about that. I’m just lucky it was a bluesy number that I could fake my way through well enough. But anyways, good day, tour tomorrow, and I’m going to bed right now at 4 AM (I really wanted to write stuff down while it’s still somewhat fresh). Thanks and have a great one!
Sea Days
Oct 27th and 28th
I didn't even write an entry for these two days, and it's a week later, so I'm going to go with the usual "nothing important happened" post. The only eventful thing I remember from those two sea days is that I spent a good majority of the 28th doing pretty much all my laundry, so it was a good day. That aside, these are two days that can be lost to history in true sea day fashion.
I didn't even write an entry for these two days, and it's a week later, so I'm going to go with the usual "nothing important happened" post. The only eventful thing I remember from those two sea days is that I spent a good majority of the 28th doing pretty much all my laundry, so it was a good day. That aside, these are two days that can be lost to history in true sea day fashion.
Southampton
Oct 26th
Southampton
I actually did something today in port!! There was an option available to go on a crew tour to Stonehenge, that old circle of big rocks standing on end, so I paid the $30 and went on it. We left around 9 AM, and after about an hour’s drive from Southampton, through Salisbury, we made it to the ancient site. Oddly enough, the entrance fee wasn’t included in the tour cost, something that I’m going to try to get reimbursed for because it’s ridiculous that this wasn’t mentioned before hand, so that ended up being about $10 with my student ID card. So our group of 31 people went in, picked up our “audio wands” so we could have a verbal tour to go along with what we were looking at, and spent a couple hours in the area. It was kind of a neat thing to do, but something you really only need to do once, cause as you can imagine, it’s just a bunch of rocks. Sure it’s cool because it’s thousands of years old and still mysterious, but it’s a bunch of rocks. So I took a million pictures of the same thing, slowly made my walk around the perimeter of the stones (they don’t let you actually go inside the circle), and eventually walked back to the bus. Something weird about the site is that they have these mystical “blue stones”, of which are supposed to be warm to the touch at all times. They did have a blue stone at the entrance for us to see if it was true, and a regular big rock like those on the site for the sake of comparison. And believe it or not, the blue stone was slightly warmer. Now, it was like 40 or 50 degrees, and they were both cold, but the blue stone felt less cold. The other stone felt damp though, probably intensifying the cold sensation, but hey, I’ll believe in mystical stones for the sake of my $30. Then we made our way back to the ship, had a passenger boat drill, played a welcome aboard show, parade, and that’s about it. Justin, the musical director, is back this cruise after being on leave for a death in the family, so its nice to see him again after 2 weeks of being down a trumpet. Two sea days ahead, then Funchal. Thanks for reading!
Southampton
I actually did something today in port!! There was an option available to go on a crew tour to Stonehenge, that old circle of big rocks standing on end, so I paid the $30 and went on it. We left around 9 AM, and after about an hour’s drive from Southampton, through Salisbury, we made it to the ancient site. Oddly enough, the entrance fee wasn’t included in the tour cost, something that I’m going to try to get reimbursed for because it’s ridiculous that this wasn’t mentioned before hand, so that ended up being about $10 with my student ID card. So our group of 31 people went in, picked up our “audio wands” so we could have a verbal tour to go along with what we were looking at, and spent a couple hours in the area. It was kind of a neat thing to do, but something you really only need to do once, cause as you can imagine, it’s just a bunch of rocks. Sure it’s cool because it’s thousands of years old and still mysterious, but it’s a bunch of rocks. So I took a million pictures of the same thing, slowly made my walk around the perimeter of the stones (they don’t let you actually go inside the circle), and eventually walked back to the bus. Something weird about the site is that they have these mystical “blue stones”, of which are supposed to be warm to the touch at all times. They did have a blue stone at the entrance for us to see if it was true, and a regular big rock like those on the site for the sake of comparison. And believe it or not, the blue stone was slightly warmer. Now, it was like 40 or 50 degrees, and they were both cold, but the blue stone felt less cold. The other stone felt damp though, probably intensifying the cold sensation, but hey, I’ll believe in mystical stones for the sake of my $30. Then we made our way back to the ship, had a passenger boat drill, played a welcome aboard show, parade, and that’s about it. Justin, the musical director, is back this cruise after being on leave for a death in the family, so its nice to see him again after 2 weeks of being down a trumpet. Two sea days ahead, then Funchal. Thanks for reading!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)