April 20th
Southampton
Still here, with still little sign of returning home soon. Today started with breakfast, followed by a walk to the mall where we wasted some time walking around clothing stores looking at everything we can’t buy due to weight restrictions on our baggage. So after we were amply depressed, we went to our usual café to get online. I discovered two things this afternoon online: First was that a train pass to London costs way more than I’d expected, about 60 pounds, or $100 for a roundtrip pass. This will probably kill all hopes of going to London. And second, I found out that one of my friends from an older ship, Igor (who I called James because I thought he looked like James Bond), was stuck in Gatwick, an airport south of London. He can get a train pass to get to Southampton for just 10 pounds, so hopefully I can hang out with him one of these days.
We returned to the hotel for lunch, which the company is now providing for us, so that’s nice. And lunch was followed by the highlight of my day, some good old-fashioned busking.
For those of you not familiar with the term, busking, in my case, is playing my sax somewhere in the city. I decided to try it out in a park near the hotel that
And that’s where my post stopped when I picked it up again in May 19th. So I guess I’m a month late in finishing this up, but I’m going to do my best.
The busking went fine and it was an interesting experience. Oddly enough, the majority of people who gave me money looked like they had the least to give, and the business people in suits and ties never stopped once. I played for about 90 minutes or so that afternoon, and then again on the next day, to make about 30 pounds, or around $50. Not bad for being able to stand out in a park on a nice sunny day and practice.
Both evenings consisted of dinner at the hotel and internet late at night after that at some pub, the only place we knew of that had internet and was open till midnight. So the days weren’t too eventful, slightly dull with a bit of sax mixed in, but we did have gorgeous days to walk around, so that was great!
I think one of those nights had a jam session going on in town. It was held at a bar and ran like the usual jams I go to in the states. I grabbed my sax to go play, and after all the egomaniacal guitarists got done trying to impress everyone, someone who cared about music finally invited me up where the sax became an instant hit. One guy brought a keyboard, dressed like a hippy on LSD, and had me play with him on some strange almost funky grooves. He was a nice guy despite the description, and gave me one of his pins after we were done, which reads “Cosmic Troubadour” and has a rainbow on it. Strange night.
The 22nd consisted of John and I going to London (Thanks John for buying that train ticket for me!), where we basically walked around a lot. We saw the important sites while making our way through the city and then back again to our train station. The highlight, however, was finding a great saxophone store, where we were able to just play great, new horns. The guy who was helping us gave me a reed to use, a $600 mouthpiece to play, and their most expensive horns. It was a super nice place and a really fun way to spend part of our day. I ended up buying a t-shirt and book just to show my appreciation.
We thought about hitting a jazz club, but it’d mean that we’d miss dinner at the hotel and have to spend tons more money in London, so we made our way back to the train and returned to Southampton in good time.
The next day was our flight home, a Friday, which we didn’t get the details for till Wednesday. So 5 days later John and I were both on our planes back to Chicago, where he then continued to St Louis. And there ends another ship adventure, one with a strange volcanic twist on the end. As always, thanks for reading the blog, and sorry for any delay that caused concern for me being still stranded in England! Take care, Cheers, and till we meet again!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
I did make it home
Just in case anyone is still wondering, I did in fact make it home, I just haven't finished posting those blogs I've written.
Anyway, my current project is starting to teach music lessons online live, using webcams and lots of cool software. I'm posting a link to my site here because I think it helps my rankings on Google. Check it out if you get a chance!
http://www.playwhatyouwant.com
Thanks!
Anyway, my current project is starting to teach music lessons online live, using webcams and lots of cool software. I'm posting a link to my site here because I think it helps my rankings on Google. Check it out if you get a chance!
http://www.playwhatyouwant.com
Thanks!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Southampton
April 19th
Southampton
Today was my first full day sitting in England with nothing to do, so John and I have been trying to think of how to pass our days. The morning was started by going into the city for internet access, followed by a quick lunch bought from a grocery store. We had found a jazz saxophone concert listing in a brochure that was scheduled to take place at the University of Southampton, which after being told it was about 2 miles away, we decided to walk there. We set out around noon and after a lot of wandering around the campus, we arrived at the concert hall at 1:00, just in time for the start.
It was a free concert that the university was putting on, but it was supposed to feature an American saxophonist, someone who’s in the opposite problem of mine: he couldn’t fly to England. Instead, we listened to the saxophone professor do the concert instead, which was still very good. That lasted about an hour, after which we decided to wander through the music school. This culminated in us wandering into a saxophone class with the same rhythm section that we’d just seen at the concert, and we sat in on the lesson, listening to the students go up one at a time to play with the guest artists. We were thus able to kill another 90 minutes of our day, and followed by the walk back to the hotel, it was now almost time for dinner. Dinner was followed by going to a pub that we knew had free internet, and being the only place open at night and the best time to get in contact with the states, we stayed there till about 11:00 before making our way back to the hotel.
And with that, we’ve successfully killed our first day here. Tomorrow is going to be a little harder, and we’re debating a trip to London, but we’ll see where the day takes us. Thanks for reading and I hope to be able to stop writing this blog soon!!!!! Seeya!
Southampton
Today was my first full day sitting in England with nothing to do, so John and I have been trying to think of how to pass our days. The morning was started by going into the city for internet access, followed by a quick lunch bought from a grocery store. We had found a jazz saxophone concert listing in a brochure that was scheduled to take place at the University of Southampton, which after being told it was about 2 miles away, we decided to walk there. We set out around noon and after a lot of wandering around the campus, we arrived at the concert hall at 1:00, just in time for the start.
It was a free concert that the university was putting on, but it was supposed to feature an American saxophonist, someone who’s in the opposite problem of mine: he couldn’t fly to England. Instead, we listened to the saxophone professor do the concert instead, which was still very good. That lasted about an hour, after which we decided to wander through the music school. This culminated in us wandering into a saxophone class with the same rhythm section that we’d just seen at the concert, and we sat in on the lesson, listening to the students go up one at a time to play with the guest artists. We were thus able to kill another 90 minutes of our day, and followed by the walk back to the hotel, it was now almost time for dinner. Dinner was followed by going to a pub that we knew had free internet, and being the only place open at night and the best time to get in contact with the states, we stayed there till about 11:00 before making our way back to the hotel.
And with that, we’ve successfully killed our first day here. Tomorrow is going to be a little harder, and we’re debating a trip to London, but we’ll see where the day takes us. Thanks for reading and I hope to be able to stop writing this blog soon!!!!! Seeya!
Southampton
April 18th
Southampton
I woke up this morning, finished getting my stuff sorted and began the check out process. The first flaw of what I’m expecting to be many, was the mixed messages I was getting about how I’m going to my hotel. I was supposed to get my stuff off the ship by 10, but I couldn’t check into the hotel till 2. I was supposed to provide my own transportation to the hotel, but John (the other sax player who’s in the exact same situation as me) had a taxi arranged for him by the company. Everything was confused and changing every time I asked someone, so I got off the ship with all my stuff at 10 hoping for the best, and got it. I was planning on just taking the shuttle into the city and walking the rest of the way, but I ran into one of my friends who was rejoining the ship, and he had his car with him because he lived in the area, so he drove me to my hotel, nice!
At the hotel, they couldn’t find my reservation, problem two. He found John’s, but I didn’t have a reservation to check in for that day. After 10 minutes we figured out why…I had a reservation for checking in yesterday (while I was sailing out of France). Luckily though, this mistake was in my favor, so I could move all my stuff into my room right then, grab my continental breakfast, and then walk back to the city at my leisure. And the reservation was for two days, so I knew I was covered for tonight. So I returned to the city, found my band, hung out at a café, and then returned to the ship with John on the shuttle to get one last free lunch and grab his bags for his taxi ride to the hotel.
I decided not to hop in the taxi with him and the other 2 guys that he was sharing with, so I went back to the city on the shuttle and walked to the hotel where I waited for John to get settled in before we started trying to figure out what we were going to do during our extended stay on Southampton.
I started out with a trip to a café to make some phone calls and take care of online stuff, hung out till they kicked me out 15 minutes after closing time, and returned to my room to take an amazing bath! Having my own hotel room has some killer advantages over the cabins I’ve been in for the past 2 months. This was followed by dinner with John, and then we headed into the city to find Neil, the drummer in our band, who had also signed off the ship that day to take care of some family things back at home.
Neil was at a different hotel, so we walked in that direction, and in the tradition of any good band member, we knew the best place to find him was at the closest bar to the hotel. Bingo! We sat down for a drink, some last goodbyes, and then he headed to bed so that he could catch an early train.
By the time John and I had left the bar, we noticed a huge line of college kids outside of a night club, something that was too out of character for this city at night to not check out for ourselves. There were literally hundreds of college kids lined up to get into this place, and apparently they’d all just returned from vacation and were about to start a new semester at school. We eventually started talking to one of the bouncers at the door and asked about the club. It was an “American sports bar” aimed at college kids, though I’ve never heard a sports bar blasting dance music in the states quite like that. We told the guy our story, that we were stuck in the city, and I jokingly asked if we could get in free since we’re Americans. And amazingly enough, he was going to let us walk right in, in front of the hundreds of people, so that we could have a beer and check it out. The best part though was the condition that John needed to “lose” his bright yellow, “authentic island wear” baseball cap. Apparently he just wasn’t cool enough for the bar with it on. We thanked the guy for the offer, but not wanted to blow out our eardrums, we made our way back to the hotel joking about how many ways John’s yellow hat was the antithesis of cool.
Anyway, that’s day one of who knows how many. We are set up in the hotel for as long as needed, but I’m hoping this ash cloud problem gets sorted out quickly enough that I can make it home this week. Till then, I’m stuck in a city that I’ve never been in for more than a few hours, living in a hotel, provided with 2 meals a day. But hey, I’ll just try to use this time to relax, cool down after the ship, and get excited about seeing people back at home. And at least I’m not stuck in some third world country, or somewhere that doesn’t speak English, so the situation could definitely be worse. I’ll make the most of it while I await word from P&O for a plane ticket home. So till then, fingers crossed that this ash cloud dissipates quickly and that I’m back in my own country. Thanks!
Southampton
I woke up this morning, finished getting my stuff sorted and began the check out process. The first flaw of what I’m expecting to be many, was the mixed messages I was getting about how I’m going to my hotel. I was supposed to get my stuff off the ship by 10, but I couldn’t check into the hotel till 2. I was supposed to provide my own transportation to the hotel, but John (the other sax player who’s in the exact same situation as me) had a taxi arranged for him by the company. Everything was confused and changing every time I asked someone, so I got off the ship with all my stuff at 10 hoping for the best, and got it. I was planning on just taking the shuttle into the city and walking the rest of the way, but I ran into one of my friends who was rejoining the ship, and he had his car with him because he lived in the area, so he drove me to my hotel, nice!
At the hotel, they couldn’t find my reservation, problem two. He found John’s, but I didn’t have a reservation to check in for that day. After 10 minutes we figured out why…I had a reservation for checking in yesterday (while I was sailing out of France). Luckily though, this mistake was in my favor, so I could move all my stuff into my room right then, grab my continental breakfast, and then walk back to the city at my leisure. And the reservation was for two days, so I knew I was covered for tonight. So I returned to the city, found my band, hung out at a café, and then returned to the ship with John on the shuttle to get one last free lunch and grab his bags for his taxi ride to the hotel.
I decided not to hop in the taxi with him and the other 2 guys that he was sharing with, so I went back to the city on the shuttle and walked to the hotel where I waited for John to get settled in before we started trying to figure out what we were going to do during our extended stay on Southampton.
I started out with a trip to a café to make some phone calls and take care of online stuff, hung out till they kicked me out 15 minutes after closing time, and returned to my room to take an amazing bath! Having my own hotel room has some killer advantages over the cabins I’ve been in for the past 2 months. This was followed by dinner with John, and then we headed into the city to find Neil, the drummer in our band, who had also signed off the ship that day to take care of some family things back at home.
Neil was at a different hotel, so we walked in that direction, and in the tradition of any good band member, we knew the best place to find him was at the closest bar to the hotel. Bingo! We sat down for a drink, some last goodbyes, and then he headed to bed so that he could catch an early train.
By the time John and I had left the bar, we noticed a huge line of college kids outside of a night club, something that was too out of character for this city at night to not check out for ourselves. There were literally hundreds of college kids lined up to get into this place, and apparently they’d all just returned from vacation and were about to start a new semester at school. We eventually started talking to one of the bouncers at the door and asked about the club. It was an “American sports bar” aimed at college kids, though I’ve never heard a sports bar blasting dance music in the states quite like that. We told the guy our story, that we were stuck in the city, and I jokingly asked if we could get in free since we’re Americans. And amazingly enough, he was going to let us walk right in, in front of the hundreds of people, so that we could have a beer and check it out. The best part though was the condition that John needed to “lose” his bright yellow, “authentic island wear” baseball cap. Apparently he just wasn’t cool enough for the bar with it on. We thanked the guy for the offer, but not wanted to blow out our eardrums, we made our way back to the hotel joking about how many ways John’s yellow hat was the antithesis of cool.
Anyway, that’s day one of who knows how many. We are set up in the hotel for as long as needed, but I’m hoping this ash cloud problem gets sorted out quickly enough that I can make it home this week. Till then, I’m stuck in a city that I’ve never been in for more than a few hours, living in a hotel, provided with 2 meals a day. But hey, I’ll just try to use this time to relax, cool down after the ship, and get excited about seeing people back at home. And at least I’m not stuck in some third world country, or somewhere that doesn’t speak English, so the situation could definitely be worse. I’ll make the most of it while I await word from P&O for a plane ticket home. So till then, fingers crossed that this ash cloud dissipates quickly and that I’m back in my own country. Thanks!
Brest
April 17th
Brest, France
Today is the beginning of what I’m sure is going to be an interesting end to my contract. I’m scheduled to return home tomorrow, but thanks to a certain volcano that doesn’t want to stop erupting in my general direction, it doesn’t look like I’m going to fly home any time soon. That in mind, and me not knowing what the ship was going to do about it, I decided to skip my tour that day and go into the city of Brest and find an internet connection to ascertain what my next few days would consist of. I was afraid the ship was going to drive me to the airport and say good luck…the airport every news channel says to stay away from because everything’s cancelled. And when the people on the ship gave me no assurance of being looked after once I signed off, I didn’t have a choice but to find out my options.
So I took my shuttle into the city and walked along the main street till I got to the first café with wireless. One problem though, I don’t speak French to ask about the wireless, ask if it’s free, or what stipulations there are. Actually, I can’t even pronounce the word right: I walked up to the lady behind the counter to ask about Wi-Fi. So, I said Wi-Fi in a question tone. She looked confused. I said it again, same response. I pointed at the sticker on the door and again said Wi-Fi, blank stare. I then went to the window and tapped on the sticker. Well, it’s not pronounced Wi-Fi in France, it somehow became “wee-fee”. Now that she understood what I wanted, she went off in French about it, meaning it was my turn to return those same blank stares. Usually, if I’m trying to talk to someone who doesn’t speak English, I use single words and a lot of hand gestures…she tried to handle my French deficiencies by speaking in really long sentences really quickly. I ended up with a little brochure about how to sign on, which I didn’t need, all I wanted to know was whether it was free. Well, it was, so I sat down, ordered the most amazing croissant and most expensive fruit smoothie ever, and proceeded to figure out my future. I figured a good step one would be to call the emergency travel number the ship gave me, so I did, and found out that they were planning on putting me in a hotel till I could leave. Mission accomplished! Why the ship didn’t know this is beyond me, but I spent a little more time online before packing up and returning to the ship with the confidence that I wouldn’t be thrown off the ship the following day with a cancelled plane ticket and a “good luck”.
I walked back to the shuttle drop off, passing some music stores that I briefly visited, again with my French being the downfall in my plan. And before getting on my shuttle, I came across what seemed to be some sort of fair for kids, but a super active fair. One in which kids were learning how to ride unicycles, fencing, row machines, balance on yoga balls, play basketball, jump on trampolines, and more. It was amazing to see so many people out being that active, and just creepy to see 10 kids trying to ride unicycles. I don’t know if the French culture just trains everyone to be in the circus just for the fun of it or if I just stumbled on a collection of kids who’ve all inspired a strange affinity in their community for trampoline back flips, but regardless, it was neat to see.
And that’s it, I played my final two shows the night, packed my stuff up, and I was done with my contract. Now I get to sit back and see how long I end up being stranded in England, woohoo! Seeya
Brest, France
Today is the beginning of what I’m sure is going to be an interesting end to my contract. I’m scheduled to return home tomorrow, but thanks to a certain volcano that doesn’t want to stop erupting in my general direction, it doesn’t look like I’m going to fly home any time soon. That in mind, and me not knowing what the ship was going to do about it, I decided to skip my tour that day and go into the city of Brest and find an internet connection to ascertain what my next few days would consist of. I was afraid the ship was going to drive me to the airport and say good luck…the airport every news channel says to stay away from because everything’s cancelled. And when the people on the ship gave me no assurance of being looked after once I signed off, I didn’t have a choice but to find out my options.
So I took my shuttle into the city and walked along the main street till I got to the first café with wireless. One problem though, I don’t speak French to ask about the wireless, ask if it’s free, or what stipulations there are. Actually, I can’t even pronounce the word right: I walked up to the lady behind the counter to ask about Wi-Fi. So, I said Wi-Fi in a question tone. She looked confused. I said it again, same response. I pointed at the sticker on the door and again said Wi-Fi, blank stare. I then went to the window and tapped on the sticker. Well, it’s not pronounced Wi-Fi in France, it somehow became “wee-fee”. Now that she understood what I wanted, she went off in French about it, meaning it was my turn to return those same blank stares. Usually, if I’m trying to talk to someone who doesn’t speak English, I use single words and a lot of hand gestures…she tried to handle my French deficiencies by speaking in really long sentences really quickly. I ended up with a little brochure about how to sign on, which I didn’t need, all I wanted to know was whether it was free. Well, it was, so I sat down, ordered the most amazing croissant and most expensive fruit smoothie ever, and proceeded to figure out my future. I figured a good step one would be to call the emergency travel number the ship gave me, so I did, and found out that they were planning on putting me in a hotel till I could leave. Mission accomplished! Why the ship didn’t know this is beyond me, but I spent a little more time online before packing up and returning to the ship with the confidence that I wouldn’t be thrown off the ship the following day with a cancelled plane ticket and a “good luck”.
I walked back to the shuttle drop off, passing some music stores that I briefly visited, again with my French being the downfall in my plan. And before getting on my shuttle, I came across what seemed to be some sort of fair for kids, but a super active fair. One in which kids were learning how to ride unicycles, fencing, row machines, balance on yoga balls, play basketball, jump on trampolines, and more. It was amazing to see so many people out being that active, and just creepy to see 10 kids trying to ride unicycles. I don’t know if the French culture just trains everyone to be in the circus just for the fun of it or if I just stumbled on a collection of kids who’ve all inspired a strange affinity in their community for trampoline back flips, but regardless, it was neat to see.
And that’s it, I played my final two shows the night, packed my stuff up, and I was done with my contract. Now I get to sit back and see how long I end up being stranded in England, woohoo! Seeya
At Sea, Bilbao
April 15th-16th
At Sea/Bilbao, Spain
I have nothing special to report for the sea day.
The 16th was my first trip to Bilbao, something I was excited for seeing as I’ve never been to the port before. The plan for the day was to escort a tour that took my into the historic district of the main city, and then brought my group to a town on the coast, a one time fishing village, now overrun with vacation houses.
The actual city of Bilbao was surprisingly nice. Apparently, it used to be an extremely industrial city, a place no one was interested in visiting, but it’s transformed into a gorgeous city, with lovely parks, sculptures, bridges, and museums. It’s most famous for the Guggenheim Museum, the tour I really wanted to get on, but was for what ever reason unable to. But for a city that most people are completely unfamiliar with, it blew me away with how nice everything was. The tour simply walked through the older district so that we could see the architecture and have a couple different historical sights explained to us. It was nice, nothing too exciting, but the city was so pleasant that it made for a great walking tour.
For whatever reason, people who can’t walk always like to sign up for walking tours. I don’t know what the issue is, whether they’re in denial of their condition, think they’ll like the challenge, or if they’re just simply illiterate and can’t read the warnings in the brochure, but there are always one or two people that really put a burden on the tour by shuffling through the streets with their canes. Please, if you ever go on a tour and think you may have mobility difficulties, please fully consider what you’re getting yourself into. Not only will you terribly annoy the entire group, but you’ll hate the tour because you can’t keep up. And, most importantly, you’ll annoy me, the tour escort, who spends the tour running back and forth between the main group and you stragglers who can’t keep up, just so that you’ll know the group turned left 3 blocks ahead. I’d love to just stay with the main group while you’re slowly consumed by the winding roads we walk through, but I’m afraid that I’d never escort again if I left you in Spain. And not that anyone will probably read my rant and take head, but if it can save one tour escort from an old lady with a cane who just signed up to walk 2 ½ hours, I’ll be happy.
Anyway, the next stop was in a city called Castro…something. We saw a really old church that dated back to 1280, and some other old things…yeah, there’s not really much to describe. The city did have some unbelievably nice cafes, all of which I couldn’t stop in due to time restraints.
The tour was OK, I got to see what I wanted to see, it was just that nothing was really exciting. We then returned to the ship and I didn’t have enough time to get back to the city to see the museum, so I just hung out on the ship and waited to play my show for the night. Thanks for reading!
At Sea/Bilbao, Spain
I have nothing special to report for the sea day.
The 16th was my first trip to Bilbao, something I was excited for seeing as I’ve never been to the port before. The plan for the day was to escort a tour that took my into the historic district of the main city, and then brought my group to a town on the coast, a one time fishing village, now overrun with vacation houses.
The actual city of Bilbao was surprisingly nice. Apparently, it used to be an extremely industrial city, a place no one was interested in visiting, but it’s transformed into a gorgeous city, with lovely parks, sculptures, bridges, and museums. It’s most famous for the Guggenheim Museum, the tour I really wanted to get on, but was for what ever reason unable to. But for a city that most people are completely unfamiliar with, it blew me away with how nice everything was. The tour simply walked through the older district so that we could see the architecture and have a couple different historical sights explained to us. It was nice, nothing too exciting, but the city was so pleasant that it made for a great walking tour.
For whatever reason, people who can’t walk always like to sign up for walking tours. I don’t know what the issue is, whether they’re in denial of their condition, think they’ll like the challenge, or if they’re just simply illiterate and can’t read the warnings in the brochure, but there are always one or two people that really put a burden on the tour by shuffling through the streets with their canes. Please, if you ever go on a tour and think you may have mobility difficulties, please fully consider what you’re getting yourself into. Not only will you terribly annoy the entire group, but you’ll hate the tour because you can’t keep up. And, most importantly, you’ll annoy me, the tour escort, who spends the tour running back and forth between the main group and you stragglers who can’t keep up, just so that you’ll know the group turned left 3 blocks ahead. I’d love to just stay with the main group while you’re slowly consumed by the winding roads we walk through, but I’m afraid that I’d never escort again if I left you in Spain. And not that anyone will probably read my rant and take head, but if it can save one tour escort from an old lady with a cane who just signed up to walk 2 ½ hours, I’ll be happy.
Anyway, the next stop was in a city called Castro…something. We saw a really old church that dated back to 1280, and some other old things…yeah, there’s not really much to describe. The city did have some unbelievably nice cafes, all of which I couldn’t stop in due to time restraints.
The tour was OK, I got to see what I wanted to see, it was just that nothing was really exciting. We then returned to the ship and I didn’t have enough time to get back to the city to see the museum, so I just hung out on the ship and waited to play my show for the night. Thanks for reading!
Cobh
April 14th
Cobh
Another Irish port today, the same one I’d visited a few years ago to visit Blarney Castle. I couldn’t get on the tour I wanted, so after sleeping in a bit in the morning, I got off the ship just to have a walk around the sea side village on my own. It was cold today, which wasn’t all that bad after you got used to it. And there’s something really charming about these Irish towns that you don’t get other places, so I walked as far as I felt I needed and returned 2 hours later to run into some friends on the street.
There’s nothing much to do in the small town of Cobh, so we ducked into a local pub and passed the rest of the day there. We had a night off tonight, so no one was too worried about having an extra pint of whichever Irish Stout we were drinking (I had Beamish). My only complaint about the city was that I couldn’t buy anything! There were literally no stores, pubs, cafes, or anything that would take my visa, apparently because of the processing costs. I wanted lunch, and after people had been buying me some drinks, I couldn’t let them buy my lunch too, but I ran into the same problem. My friends hung out at the bar while I roamed the streets trying to find someone who would accept my credit card, which ended up being a grocery store where I was able to buy some Chicken cutlets and a bag of chips (called Hunky Dorys). But even there I ran into a problem as they didn’t want to run any cards for less than 10 euro…my bill was 4. I explained my situation, that I had no euro, and the cashier made an exception and I was finally allowed to eat.
But that aside, it was a nice day where I was just able to relax on my walk and then hang out with my friends at a small, quiet pub in town. I guess that was really what the Irish experience should have been, hanging out at a pub and getting food from a “chippy”, as my Irish friend called the fast food place he ordered from. So nothing too exciting, but a nice day to kind of relax before the whole stress of packing up to go home hits. Thanks for reading!
Cobh
Another Irish port today, the same one I’d visited a few years ago to visit Blarney Castle. I couldn’t get on the tour I wanted, so after sleeping in a bit in the morning, I got off the ship just to have a walk around the sea side village on my own. It was cold today, which wasn’t all that bad after you got used to it. And there’s something really charming about these Irish towns that you don’t get other places, so I walked as far as I felt I needed and returned 2 hours later to run into some friends on the street.
There’s nothing much to do in the small town of Cobh, so we ducked into a local pub and passed the rest of the day there. We had a night off tonight, so no one was too worried about having an extra pint of whichever Irish Stout we were drinking (I had Beamish). My only complaint about the city was that I couldn’t buy anything! There were literally no stores, pubs, cafes, or anything that would take my visa, apparently because of the processing costs. I wanted lunch, and after people had been buying me some drinks, I couldn’t let them buy my lunch too, but I ran into the same problem. My friends hung out at the bar while I roamed the streets trying to find someone who would accept my credit card, which ended up being a grocery store where I was able to buy some Chicken cutlets and a bag of chips (called Hunky Dorys). But even there I ran into a problem as they didn’t want to run any cards for less than 10 euro…my bill was 4. I explained my situation, that I had no euro, and the cashier made an exception and I was finally allowed to eat.
But that aside, it was a nice day where I was just able to relax on my walk and then hang out with my friends at a small, quiet pub in town. I guess that was really what the Irish experience should have been, hanging out at a pub and getting food from a “chippy”, as my Irish friend called the fast food place he ordered from. So nothing too exciting, but a nice day to kind of relax before the whole stress of packing up to go home hits. Thanks for reading!
Dublin
April 13th
Dublin
I was scheduled for a tour today, but after finding out that we had a late sail from Dublin, my rehearsal got moved to the morning so that I couldn’t go on my tour to the Guinness Factory, something I was really looking forward to. So the day started with a morning rehearsal, and after a light lunch, I got off the ship with John to go look around Dublin.
After catching our shuttle into town, there was a certain area of town that John wanted to check out because of a Handel Celebration that was going on. Apparantly, we happened to show up on the 278th anniversary of Handel’s Messiah, which was first performed in Dublin on April 13th. It was kind of a strange coincidence, and honestly, a strange holiday to celebrate, but they had music in the streets in certain areas of town with some events being free. So our first stop was at an outdoor concert, which we stayed for 10 minutes before deciding to move on.
The next stop was the one place I actually wanted to see, the Guinness Factory! We walked across the city to get there, I bought a student ticket with my old college ID, and we entered an unbelievable museum dedicated to Guinness Beer. And it really was a well put together museum, spread over 7 floors, including everything from the production to the advertisement of the product, and a pint of “the black stuff” at the end.
I learned three things today. First, I had no idea Guinness Beer and the Guinness Book of Records were one in the same, the latter being started by the former sparked on by a conversation about the fasted game bird. Second, I wanted to figure out why all the old Guinness ads use a toucan, which seems like a strange spokesperson for beer. Guinness had a saying, “Guinness is good for you”, so if one pint is good, imagine what “two-can” do! And third, I learned how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness out of a tap, and was given a certificate to prove it. There is a technique to it, and after learning it, I feel I’m well on my way to becoming a bar tender…or not.
John and I hung out there for a while just taking our time, which in the end would have been a lot better than going on a tour, where I would have been rushed through the place and wouldn’t have enjoyed it nearly as much. So after ample time spent, we left to make our way back towards the main street of the city that we’d missed earlier in the day, planning on stopping at the first bar we found that started with an “O”. We grabbed a Cornish pastry on the way, which was quite good, and just kind of walked through the city. The main street was nothing but shopping, so that didn’t interest us too much. We eventually ended up at a shopping mall where John could by an infant sized shirt for his granddaughter, and where I used my phone to get online. For whatever reason, this shopping center had signs everywhere advertising its free WiFi, yet they made you pay to use their bathrooms…I guess that’s just Ireland for you.
We eventually started running out of time, and after somehow avoiding every bar that started with an “O”, we returned to the shuttle without ever stopping for another drink. But after the amount of walking we did and our upcoming show that night, we didn’t mind, happily returned to the ship with a good feeling for the city, and finished out the night as usual. It was a nice day and nice to be back in Ireland after about 3 years elsewhere in the world. Thanks for reading, your next pint of Guinness is on me!
Dublin
I was scheduled for a tour today, but after finding out that we had a late sail from Dublin, my rehearsal got moved to the morning so that I couldn’t go on my tour to the Guinness Factory, something I was really looking forward to. So the day started with a morning rehearsal, and after a light lunch, I got off the ship with John to go look around Dublin.
After catching our shuttle into town, there was a certain area of town that John wanted to check out because of a Handel Celebration that was going on. Apparantly, we happened to show up on the 278th anniversary of Handel’s Messiah, which was first performed in Dublin on April 13th. It was kind of a strange coincidence, and honestly, a strange holiday to celebrate, but they had music in the streets in certain areas of town with some events being free. So our first stop was at an outdoor concert, which we stayed for 10 minutes before deciding to move on.
The next stop was the one place I actually wanted to see, the Guinness Factory! We walked across the city to get there, I bought a student ticket with my old college ID, and we entered an unbelievable museum dedicated to Guinness Beer. And it really was a well put together museum, spread over 7 floors, including everything from the production to the advertisement of the product, and a pint of “the black stuff” at the end.
I learned three things today. First, I had no idea Guinness Beer and the Guinness Book of Records were one in the same, the latter being started by the former sparked on by a conversation about the fasted game bird. Second, I wanted to figure out why all the old Guinness ads use a toucan, which seems like a strange spokesperson for beer. Guinness had a saying, “Guinness is good for you”, so if one pint is good, imagine what “two-can” do! And third, I learned how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness out of a tap, and was given a certificate to prove it. There is a technique to it, and after learning it, I feel I’m well on my way to becoming a bar tender…or not.
John and I hung out there for a while just taking our time, which in the end would have been a lot better than going on a tour, where I would have been rushed through the place and wouldn’t have enjoyed it nearly as much. So after ample time spent, we left to make our way back towards the main street of the city that we’d missed earlier in the day, planning on stopping at the first bar we found that started with an “O”. We grabbed a Cornish pastry on the way, which was quite good, and just kind of walked through the city. The main street was nothing but shopping, so that didn’t interest us too much. We eventually ended up at a shopping mall where John could by an infant sized shirt for his granddaughter, and where I used my phone to get online. For whatever reason, this shopping center had signs everywhere advertising its free WiFi, yet they made you pay to use their bathrooms…I guess that’s just Ireland for you.
We eventually started running out of time, and after somehow avoiding every bar that started with an “O”, we returned to the shuttle without ever stopping for another drink. But after the amount of walking we did and our upcoming show that night, we didn’t mind, happily returned to the ship with a good feeling for the city, and finished out the night as usual. It was a nice day and nice to be back in Ireland after about 3 years elsewhere in the world. Thanks for reading, your next pint of Guinness is on me!
At Sea
April 12th
At Sea
Just a sea day on our way to Dublin. In regards to the singer situation, the guy who had to leave due to the death in his family was in fact fired, which is too bad because the entire cast supported his decision and he did his best to handle everything responsibly, the ship simply said no. And then by leaving in spite of the decision made by the company, they just wouldn’t stand for it. It’s ridiculous though that these things can’t be avoided, which would take little more than some paperwork from the company. Instead, they now have more paperwork, have to find a replacement, have to train the replacement, and have to inconvenience the entire cast on the ship for their last couple months aboard. The other singer who was late to the ship has not been fired, so she’ll be meeting up with us in Dublin.
At Sea
Just a sea day on our way to Dublin. In regards to the singer situation, the guy who had to leave due to the death in his family was in fact fired, which is too bad because the entire cast supported his decision and he did his best to handle everything responsibly, the ship simply said no. And then by leaving in spite of the decision made by the company, they just wouldn’t stand for it. It’s ridiculous though that these things can’t be avoided, which would take little more than some paperwork from the company. Instead, they now have more paperwork, have to find a replacement, have to train the replacement, and have to inconvenience the entire cast on the ship for their last couple months aboard. The other singer who was late to the ship has not been fired, so she’ll be meeting up with us in Dublin.
Southampton
April 11th
Southampton
Turn around day today, which only means one thing to me…internet! I had a late breakfast on the ship, got off around noon, and made my way into the city to a café, ordered my cappuccino, and sat down till it was time to catch the last shuttle to the ship at 3:00. Yet as I sit here writing this blog the evening of the 11th, I’m realizing that I neither posted any of my past blogs today nor checked half the things I meant to check online. It’s amazing how you forget about everything you’ve planned to do after you’ve sifted through 10 days worth of garbage emails that serve no purpose.
Interestingly enough, two things happened today that don’t usually happen. First, one of the singers had a death in the family (a grandfather), and even though the ship wouldn’t let him off to go to the funeral, he decided to just jump ship anyway with the intention of rejoining in Cobh Ireland, 3 days later. And on top of that, another singer just happened to miss the ship entirely. Apparently she was on the pier just as the ship started moving away and the captain didn’t want to extend the gangways for her. I have no idea when she gets back on, though there are roomers that she was taken out to the ship in a pilot boat this evening, though I have no idea if that’s true or not. But what this means is that our cast, who have to constantly reschedule shows when someone’s throat hurts, is now missing 2 of the 5 singers that lead the shows, something I’ve never seen happen. And probably what will be the most interesting thing is what the punishment will be. Had this been me, I would probably be fired and sent home as soon as I was able to rejoin the ship, but since these are singers who have been taught the shows by the company and are mini-stars on the ship, they’ll probably both get away with it. Anyway, it’ll be something interesting to watch for in the next couple days.
I’m now one week from home, setting off on my last cruise on this ship, and excited to be nearing the end of the contract! Thanks for reading!
Southampton
Turn around day today, which only means one thing to me…internet! I had a late breakfast on the ship, got off around noon, and made my way into the city to a café, ordered my cappuccino, and sat down till it was time to catch the last shuttle to the ship at 3:00. Yet as I sit here writing this blog the evening of the 11th, I’m realizing that I neither posted any of my past blogs today nor checked half the things I meant to check online. It’s amazing how you forget about everything you’ve planned to do after you’ve sifted through 10 days worth of garbage emails that serve no purpose.
Interestingly enough, two things happened today that don’t usually happen. First, one of the singers had a death in the family (a grandfather), and even though the ship wouldn’t let him off to go to the funeral, he decided to just jump ship anyway with the intention of rejoining in Cobh Ireland, 3 days later. And on top of that, another singer just happened to miss the ship entirely. Apparently she was on the pier just as the ship started moving away and the captain didn’t want to extend the gangways for her. I have no idea when she gets back on, though there are roomers that she was taken out to the ship in a pilot boat this evening, though I have no idea if that’s true or not. But what this means is that our cast, who have to constantly reschedule shows when someone’s throat hurts, is now missing 2 of the 5 singers that lead the shows, something I’ve never seen happen. And probably what will be the most interesting thing is what the punishment will be. Had this been me, I would probably be fired and sent home as soon as I was able to rejoin the ship, but since these are singers who have been taught the shows by the company and are mini-stars on the ship, they’ll probably both get away with it. Anyway, it’ll be something interesting to watch for in the next couple days.
I’m now one week from home, setting off on my last cruise on this ship, and excited to be nearing the end of the contract! Thanks for reading!
Sea Days
April 8th-10th
At Sea
About the same as the previous five sea days, nothing really to report. We have been lucky with days off though, which is really nice. We’ve had 3 days off, 1 every other day, during the last week, which is surprising when on the first 35 day cruise we didn’t have 3 days off the entire cruise. John and I threw the party for the tour ladies, which was a simple wine and cheese night in a cabin, and there’s really not too much more.
There has been one other development, something that has resulted in me taking up a position again the company in order to stand for a principle. I don’t want to say much more than that simply because at this point nothing’s been resolved and I don’t want to tell this story in pieces, but trust me, by the time it’s done, it’ll be an interesting one to read. I guess you’ll just have to keep checking back! Bye!
At Sea
About the same as the previous five sea days, nothing really to report. We have been lucky with days off though, which is really nice. We’ve had 3 days off, 1 every other day, during the last week, which is surprising when on the first 35 day cruise we didn’t have 3 days off the entire cruise. John and I threw the party for the tour ladies, which was a simple wine and cheese night in a cabin, and there’s really not too much more.
There has been one other development, something that has resulted in me taking up a position again the company in order to stand for a principle. I don’t want to say much more than that simply because at this point nothing’s been resolved and I don’t want to tell this story in pieces, but trust me, by the time it’s done, it’ll be an interesting one to read. I guess you’ll just have to keep checking back! Bye!
Madeira
April 7th
Madeira
Well, today didn’t go quite as planned. We ended up getting into the port an hour later than scheduled do to some mix up with the port authorities, meaning early morning tours like the one I was on get rescheduled on the fly. Seeing as I’d woken up really early for the tour, only to find we weren’t actually in port yet, I ate a quick breakfast only to return to my room and lay back down while I waited for my tour. I waited a half hour till 9:00am, and we hadn’t yet docked, so I went back to the room. I waited another half hour and went up again, however we still weren’t being allowed off the ship. I went back down stairs for what was another 20 minutes, returned to find the gangway open, and went outside to find my tour bus. The first thing I like to do is check in with the tour ladies, make sure everything is OK, especially on a confusing day like this. So I tried to do so, and the one I tried to talk to was running around like mad, with good reason, and while I stood their waiting for her to free up for a moment, my bus had decided to leave. It was literally driving away next to me when she came back to ask what I wanted and it was too late to stop them. So unfortunately, no tour for today. And what’s even worse is that this was the tobogganing tour where you descend the mountain by being slid down the roads on a wicker bench on wood skis. It’s unique to the island, I’ve tried to get on the tour ever since my first visit there a couple years ago, and it looks as if I’ll have to wait another indefinite amount of time to take go on the tour that just hasn’t been meant to be.
So I returned to the ship and took part in the training session I wasn’t supposed to be missing. That was followed by some practicing as I waited for one of my friend to come back from tour, when I figured we’d get off the ship again.
A few hours later and I was off the ship with John and Jukka (the bassist) getting lunch at some restaurant along side the marina, the Portuguese specialty, pizza. Then we made our way into the city to find the flower and fruit market, something that I vividly remember from past visits to the city, and a place that I really wanted to revisit. The end result was me buying a few bottles of wine from a specialty shop in the market, two bottles of cheap stuff for a wine and cheese party John and I were going to throw for the tour ladies (as a sort of bribe to get better tours), and then one more expensive bottle for me to do who knows what with at a later date. Wine in hand, we all made our way back through the city looking to a shopping center for some food, stopped for a quick coffee, and then went back to the ship for dinner.
I was excited for tonight though because not only did I have the night off, but we had a late sail from Madeira, meaning we didn’t have to be back on the ship till 11:30! So after dinner, my trio got off the ship again in search for a decent bar to hang out at and in search of the band. We had an idea where the band would be eating, so we walked in that direction, only to serendipitously wander by the restaurant where they were at where they were just paying for the bill, perfect. We let them finish up, and after discussing that there didn’t appear to be much open on the walk over, we decided to go to the tiny bar next to the restaurant where they had the football (soccer in the states) game playing. It was apparently a big match going on for the champions cup, which is huge in Europe, unheard of in the US. And that was it, we stayed at this tiny bar the entire time, six of us in total, and there was barely enough room for any one else. But it was the perfect place to hang, no one was really there, it was local and intimate, and a round of drinks cost 6 euro…or about 8 dollars. That’s for 6 people! So apparently, all the drinks were a euro, including my house wine, which you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere in the states for about a dollar (yeah mom, I’m sure you’re jealous).
We left when it was getting close to our departure time and caught the shuttle back to the ship, and that was about it for the night. It was a nice night in the city, nothing to exciting or wild, maybe not entirely what I had in mind, but we happened to find a decent place and stick with it, something that experience has shown me doesn’t always happen. So all in all, a nice day despite the confusion at the start. Now it’s three sea days to England and the beginning of my final cruise, thanks!
Madeira
Well, today didn’t go quite as planned. We ended up getting into the port an hour later than scheduled do to some mix up with the port authorities, meaning early morning tours like the one I was on get rescheduled on the fly. Seeing as I’d woken up really early for the tour, only to find we weren’t actually in port yet, I ate a quick breakfast only to return to my room and lay back down while I waited for my tour. I waited a half hour till 9:00am, and we hadn’t yet docked, so I went back to the room. I waited another half hour and went up again, however we still weren’t being allowed off the ship. I went back down stairs for what was another 20 minutes, returned to find the gangway open, and went outside to find my tour bus. The first thing I like to do is check in with the tour ladies, make sure everything is OK, especially on a confusing day like this. So I tried to do so, and the one I tried to talk to was running around like mad, with good reason, and while I stood their waiting for her to free up for a moment, my bus had decided to leave. It was literally driving away next to me when she came back to ask what I wanted and it was too late to stop them. So unfortunately, no tour for today. And what’s even worse is that this was the tobogganing tour where you descend the mountain by being slid down the roads on a wicker bench on wood skis. It’s unique to the island, I’ve tried to get on the tour ever since my first visit there a couple years ago, and it looks as if I’ll have to wait another indefinite amount of time to take go on the tour that just hasn’t been meant to be.
So I returned to the ship and took part in the training session I wasn’t supposed to be missing. That was followed by some practicing as I waited for one of my friend to come back from tour, when I figured we’d get off the ship again.
A few hours later and I was off the ship with John and Jukka (the bassist) getting lunch at some restaurant along side the marina, the Portuguese specialty, pizza. Then we made our way into the city to find the flower and fruit market, something that I vividly remember from past visits to the city, and a place that I really wanted to revisit. The end result was me buying a few bottles of wine from a specialty shop in the market, two bottles of cheap stuff for a wine and cheese party John and I were going to throw for the tour ladies (as a sort of bribe to get better tours), and then one more expensive bottle for me to do who knows what with at a later date. Wine in hand, we all made our way back through the city looking to a shopping center for some food, stopped for a quick coffee, and then went back to the ship for dinner.
I was excited for tonight though because not only did I have the night off, but we had a late sail from Madeira, meaning we didn’t have to be back on the ship till 11:30! So after dinner, my trio got off the ship again in search for a decent bar to hang out at and in search of the band. We had an idea where the band would be eating, so we walked in that direction, only to serendipitously wander by the restaurant where they were at where they were just paying for the bill, perfect. We let them finish up, and after discussing that there didn’t appear to be much open on the walk over, we decided to go to the tiny bar next to the restaurant where they had the football (soccer in the states) game playing. It was apparently a big match going on for the champions cup, which is huge in Europe, unheard of in the US. And that was it, we stayed at this tiny bar the entire time, six of us in total, and there was barely enough room for any one else. But it was the perfect place to hang, no one was really there, it was local and intimate, and a round of drinks cost 6 euro…or about 8 dollars. That’s for 6 people! So apparently, all the drinks were a euro, including my house wine, which you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere in the states for about a dollar (yeah mom, I’m sure you’re jealous).
We left when it was getting close to our departure time and caught the shuttle back to the ship, and that was about it for the night. It was a nice night in the city, nothing to exciting or wild, maybe not entirely what I had in mind, but we happened to find a decent place and stick with it, something that experience has shown me doesn’t always happen. So all in all, a nice day despite the confusion at the start. Now it’s three sea days to England and the beginning of my final cruise, thanks!
Sea Days
April 2nd-6th
Sea Days
Five straight sea days stood between Barbados and our next port of Madeira. Here’s what I did every day:
9:30 – Wake up, shower, breakfast
12:00 – Practice till Lunch
4:00 – Lunch
5:00 – Rehearsal
6:30 – Gym (every other day)
8:00 – Dinner
8:30/10:30 – Shows
11:30 – Go online, and then back to the room for the rest of the night
The schedule didn’t really change, nothing really exciting happened, and I don’t have anything else to tell you about these 5 days. It’ll be nice to be on land tomorrow, I’m scheduled for the one tour I never had the opportunity to do on my other visits, so I’m hoping to have more to tell you than an hour by hour schedule of my day – thanks!
Sea Days
Five straight sea days stood between Barbados and our next port of Madeira. Here’s what I did every day:
9:30 – Wake up, shower, breakfast
12:00 – Practice till Lunch
4:00 – Lunch
5:00 – Rehearsal
6:30 – Gym (every other day)
8:00 – Dinner
8:30/10:30 – Shows
11:30 – Go online, and then back to the room for the rest of the night
The schedule didn’t really change, nothing really exciting happened, and I don’t have anything else to tell you about these 5 days. It’ll be nice to be on land tomorrow, I’m scheduled for the one tour I never had the opportunity to do on my other visits, so I’m hoping to have more to tell you than an hour by hour schedule of my day – thanks!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Late in posting
Hey Everyone
I've been a little lazy in getting these online, so I'll just update till April. My last post was April 19th, so this gives you about 2 weeks to catch up with, and I'll post the other ones in a few days while I'm stuck in england waiting for a volcano to shut it's pie hole. Seeya!!
I've been a little lazy in getting these online, so I'll just update till April. My last post was April 19th, so this gives you about 2 weeks to catch up with, and I'll post the other ones in a few days while I'm stuck in england waiting for a volcano to shut it's pie hole. Seeya!!
Barbados
April 1st
Barbados
Much better day today! I started out the morning with a quick walk into town and back, nothing really bit a time waster. I was able to stop by a fish market where the local fisherman and merchants were selling/cleaning their catch, which was pretty cool to see in the setting it was in. There was just so much fish everywhere, it’s amazing that there’s such a demand for it. But after 90 minutes or so, I was back at the ship getting ready for my tour where I was scheduled to swim with the turtles!
The tour left around 1, where myself and about 40-50 others were driven to a large catamaran sailboat. We left the pier and made our way along the shore to our first stop, about 100 yards off the coast, where the crew started throwing pieces of fish into the water to bring out the turtles. After a quick explanation of how the snorkel gear worked and how to get on and off the ship, I was in the water pretending I was in Finding Nemo!
There were maybe 3 or 4 turtles swimming around that the crew were able to lure over with their bate. They were all unbelievable to see swimming in their natural environment. And the best part of it all was that no one in my group was actually a strong swimmer, so while they all floated at the top with their required inflatable life jackets, I squeezed all the air out of mine and was able to dive down and actually swim along side the turtles, grab the shell, and not have to wait for them to come to me. My only concern was to make sure that when I needed to go up for air, that I didn’t find myself surfacing directly under one of the many over-inflated fleshy balloons that were splashing around on the surface. We weren’t in the water too long, maybe 20 minutes, before we had to get back on the boat and sail to the next point, but I wished I could have stayed all day.
The next stop just had a lot of fish, a wrecked barge, and a small reef to look at. Again, people managed to just swim along the surface, while I was the only one able to free dive down the 15-20 feet to actually check out what they had brought us to see. And despite there being no turtles here, it was still a nice stop that I can’t imagine any passenger could be upset about.
Then it was back to the ship to sail back to the port, at which time the rum was opened and I had one too many rum punches (making a whopping total of 2 rum punches). It was a gorgeous sail back, the sun was out the entire time and it was a perfect temperature, exactly what you’d hope the Caribbean would be.
Back at the ship I went to rehearsal a little happier than usual, and then played the usual two shows that night.
All in all, one of my favorite days ever in the Caribbean, a great tour, and it made the entire 5 days worth it, even if I wasn’t able to take advantage of every island. And I managed to not get sun burnt too badly, it wasn’t until later that night that I noticed the clearly defined red patches on my back that were just barely out of reach when I was putting on sun block…where’s Mom when you really need her? Now it’s 5 days to Madeira, which I’m sure are going to be little more than a lot of water and a lot of practicing. As always, thanks for reading, and I’m looking forward to being home in just over 2 weeks!
Barbados
Much better day today! I started out the morning with a quick walk into town and back, nothing really bit a time waster. I was able to stop by a fish market where the local fisherman and merchants were selling/cleaning their catch, which was pretty cool to see in the setting it was in. There was just so much fish everywhere, it’s amazing that there’s such a demand for it. But after 90 minutes or so, I was back at the ship getting ready for my tour where I was scheduled to swim with the turtles!
The tour left around 1, where myself and about 40-50 others were driven to a large catamaran sailboat. We left the pier and made our way along the shore to our first stop, about 100 yards off the coast, where the crew started throwing pieces of fish into the water to bring out the turtles. After a quick explanation of how the snorkel gear worked and how to get on and off the ship, I was in the water pretending I was in Finding Nemo!
There were maybe 3 or 4 turtles swimming around that the crew were able to lure over with their bate. They were all unbelievable to see swimming in their natural environment. And the best part of it all was that no one in my group was actually a strong swimmer, so while they all floated at the top with their required inflatable life jackets, I squeezed all the air out of mine and was able to dive down and actually swim along side the turtles, grab the shell, and not have to wait for them to come to me. My only concern was to make sure that when I needed to go up for air, that I didn’t find myself surfacing directly under one of the many over-inflated fleshy balloons that were splashing around on the surface. We weren’t in the water too long, maybe 20 minutes, before we had to get back on the boat and sail to the next point, but I wished I could have stayed all day.
The next stop just had a lot of fish, a wrecked barge, and a small reef to look at. Again, people managed to just swim along the surface, while I was the only one able to free dive down the 15-20 feet to actually check out what they had brought us to see. And despite there being no turtles here, it was still a nice stop that I can’t imagine any passenger could be upset about.
Then it was back to the ship to sail back to the port, at which time the rum was opened and I had one too many rum punches (making a whopping total of 2 rum punches). It was a gorgeous sail back, the sun was out the entire time and it was a perfect temperature, exactly what you’d hope the Caribbean would be.
Back at the ship I went to rehearsal a little happier than usual, and then played the usual two shows that night.
All in all, one of my favorite days ever in the Caribbean, a great tour, and it made the entire 5 days worth it, even if I wasn’t able to take advantage of every island. And I managed to not get sun burnt too badly, it wasn’t until later that night that I noticed the clearly defined red patches on my back that were just barely out of reach when I was putting on sun block…where’s Mom when you really need her? Now it’s 5 days to Madeira, which I’m sure are going to be little more than a lot of water and a lot of practicing. As always, thanks for reading, and I’m looking forward to being home in just over 2 weeks!
St Vincent
March 31st
St. Vincent
Unfortunately, I don’t have all that much to write about today. I was signed up for a nature hike tour, but failed to get excused from the boat drill that was scheduled for today, meaning I couldn’t go on the tour because I was preoccupied standing outside an elevator with a life jacket on. Honestly, I have no one to blame but myself for not trying to get excused earlier, but missing something that seemed really fun for something that is the opposite of fun and exciting has it’s way of bringing the entire day down.
When I was able, I got off the ship for a quick walk around the town, looking at some of the street markets where everyone seemed to be selling the exact same collection of produce. It was just another Caribbean city though, dirty, nothing really to do, and always making you feel just a little more on-guard than usual. There’s really nothing to do in most of the cities unless you go on a tour or go exploring with friends, and with me being in a bad mood from the morning, after 90 minutes of walking I was back on the ship with no further desire to see the city.
But at least I had a fun show that night with a few good jazz sax solos to play. The singer, however, had been given the wrong name and continued to introduce me not as Mike Potts, but as Mike Cotton, which all things considered, is a pretty good jazz saxophonist name. So if anything, I at least picked up a new stage name today! And that’s about it, thanks!
St. Vincent
Unfortunately, I don’t have all that much to write about today. I was signed up for a nature hike tour, but failed to get excused from the boat drill that was scheduled for today, meaning I couldn’t go on the tour because I was preoccupied standing outside an elevator with a life jacket on. Honestly, I have no one to blame but myself for not trying to get excused earlier, but missing something that seemed really fun for something that is the opposite of fun and exciting has it’s way of bringing the entire day down.
When I was able, I got off the ship for a quick walk around the town, looking at some of the street markets where everyone seemed to be selling the exact same collection of produce. It was just another Caribbean city though, dirty, nothing really to do, and always making you feel just a little more on-guard than usual. There’s really nothing to do in most of the cities unless you go on a tour or go exploring with friends, and with me being in a bad mood from the morning, after 90 minutes of walking I was back on the ship with no further desire to see the city.
But at least I had a fun show that night with a few good jazz sax solos to play. The singer, however, had been given the wrong name and continued to introduce me not as Mike Potts, but as Mike Cotton, which all things considered, is a pretty good jazz saxophonist name. So if anything, I at least picked up a new stage name today! And that’s about it, thanks!
Grenada
March 30th
Grenada
We were actually scheduled to be in Grenada for the 31st, but due to a double booking for the pier, we switched this stop with St Vincent, where we’ll be tomorrow. The original plan for Grenada was to go SCUBA diving, but our organizer had some emergency come up and our trip didn’t happen, which was a drag, and seeing as I didn’t sign up for a tour because of the planned dive, I was out of luck for the day. So instead, I just got off the ship and walked around the city, half heartedly looking for internet.
At one point, I was approached by a local who was curious as to where I was walking, mentioned a fort, and then suddenly became my tour guide as he walked me towards a fort. I knew from the beginning it was his way of trying to get a tip, and he was actually doing a decent job of pointing out historical markers, so I just went along with it for a while. But he took me into the fort, showed me the tunnels (which was slightly risky…me and some local alone in a dark tunnel…yeah, great idea), and he explained the history. As we went on I did decide that I’d give him some money, something I usually don’t do for these people who force tours upon you, but after finding two 20’s and a single in my wallet, I gave him a buck, apologized for not having smaller bills, and took a different route back into the city so that I wouldn’t run into him again and have him ask me to break my larger bills.
I went back to the terminal, went online for the next couple hours, and then returned to the ship. The show that night was for Jan Lesley, a jazz/big band type singer who has a nice show for the band to play. The charts are fun, a lot of features, and lucky for me, a couple sax solos! The highlight of the show though, was that the name she had for me was wrong, so instead of being Mike Potts playing the sax solos, I was suddenly Mike Cotton on Tenor Sax, which all things considered, is a pretty good jazz sax stage name. No one knows where Cotton came from, but I now have a legitimate stage name. But the shows went well, Jan bought the band drinks afterwards, and we had a good laugh over my new surname. And that’s all, thanks for reading!
Grenada
We were actually scheduled to be in Grenada for the 31st, but due to a double booking for the pier, we switched this stop with St Vincent, where we’ll be tomorrow. The original plan for Grenada was to go SCUBA diving, but our organizer had some emergency come up and our trip didn’t happen, which was a drag, and seeing as I didn’t sign up for a tour because of the planned dive, I was out of luck for the day. So instead, I just got off the ship and walked around the city, half heartedly looking for internet.
At one point, I was approached by a local who was curious as to where I was walking, mentioned a fort, and then suddenly became my tour guide as he walked me towards a fort. I knew from the beginning it was his way of trying to get a tip, and he was actually doing a decent job of pointing out historical markers, so I just went along with it for a while. But he took me into the fort, showed me the tunnels (which was slightly risky…me and some local alone in a dark tunnel…yeah, great idea), and he explained the history. As we went on I did decide that I’d give him some money, something I usually don’t do for these people who force tours upon you, but after finding two 20’s and a single in my wallet, I gave him a buck, apologized for not having smaller bills, and took a different route back into the city so that I wouldn’t run into him again and have him ask me to break my larger bills.
I went back to the terminal, went online for the next couple hours, and then returned to the ship. The show that night was for Jan Lesley, a jazz/big band type singer who has a nice show for the band to play. The charts are fun, a lot of features, and lucky for me, a couple sax solos! The highlight of the show though, was that the name she had for me was wrong, so instead of being Mike Potts playing the sax solos, I was suddenly Mike Cotton on Tenor Sax, which all things considered, is a pretty good jazz sax stage name. No one knows where Cotton came from, but I now have a legitimate stage name. But the shows went well, Jan bought the band drinks afterwards, and we had a good laugh over my new surname. And that’s all, thanks for reading!
St Lucia
March 29th
St. Lucia
Another tour today, however it was not one that I had originally requested. I like to go for the fun active ones, like bike riding, but supposedly those had all been filled and I was left with a run tasting tour…whatever – I’ll take it!
I left the ship early that morning and we made our way to a distillery where we were shown where and how the island makes their world famous rum. I didn’t really get a lot out of the how’s of the process, but I did try to take advantage of the sampling after the presentation, where they had 20 different types of rum products for us to try. I had their usual rum, along with a great peanut flavored rum, and a 160 proof rum! And in case you were unaware, 160 proof is equal to 80% alcohol…which trust me, is hard to swallow. So I “cultured” myself there for a while before returning to the bus to go to all our other destinations, which paled in comparison. There were some lookouts and art studios we went to, but I don’t think half the passengers could be bothered with it after the rum stop. It really wasn’t a strong tour, and the island doesn’t have a ton to offer, but I did get to try something new today. And just for the record, I did not get drunk…though I did need to lay down for a minute as soon as I got back to the ship…oops. And the show that night went fine, despite some of the passengers concerns for my playing as we left the distillery.
And that’s it for the day, 2 islands down, 3 to go, thanks!
St. Lucia
Another tour today, however it was not one that I had originally requested. I like to go for the fun active ones, like bike riding, but supposedly those had all been filled and I was left with a run tasting tour…whatever – I’ll take it!
I left the ship early that morning and we made our way to a distillery where we were shown where and how the island makes their world famous rum. I didn’t really get a lot out of the how’s of the process, but I did try to take advantage of the sampling after the presentation, where they had 20 different types of rum products for us to try. I had their usual rum, along with a great peanut flavored rum, and a 160 proof rum! And in case you were unaware, 160 proof is equal to 80% alcohol…which trust me, is hard to swallow. So I “cultured” myself there for a while before returning to the bus to go to all our other destinations, which paled in comparison. There were some lookouts and art studios we went to, but I don’t think half the passengers could be bothered with it after the rum stop. It really wasn’t a strong tour, and the island doesn’t have a ton to offer, but I did get to try something new today. And just for the record, I did not get drunk…though I did need to lay down for a minute as soon as I got back to the ship…oops. And the show that night went fine, despite some of the passengers concerns for my playing as we left the distillery.
And that’s it for the day, 2 islands down, 3 to go, thanks!
St. Kitts
March 28th
St. Kitts
I was excited for today, not only because it was our first Caribbean port after a lot of sea days, but because I was signed up for a tour. I’d gotten on good terms with the tour people and was on the escorting list, and had been set up with a bike tour of the island today, which went really well!
The tour escorting works the same as all the other ships, I simply hang out with the tour and make sure nothing bad happens, and in return get to do expensive tours totally free. This was a mountain biking tour that covered about 12 miles over the course of 3-4 hours, which considering the age group of the passengers on the ship, I was curious to see who actually was brave enough to sign up, of which there were six, five of which were in good condition for a bike tour. I can’t say the same about the 60 year old obese man that tried to keep up.
The bikes we were given were proper mountain bikes, the nicest I’ve ever seen on this type of tour, which was a nice surprise. We rode around the island with a guide on a bike and a chase truck incase anything happened and to help control traffic at intersections. The highlights of the tour for me were probably the old sugar factories we saw and riding through the sugar cane fields. The guide was great at explaining the history of the island and how sugar cane was key in that role, and being able to bike from place to place was great (for the majority of us). The bigger gentleman was able to keep up, but at the slow pace we were going, it’d be hard not to. I was slightly worried about whether or not he’d actually be able to complete the tour, but the guide really didn’t take us up any terrible hills, except one...
We were given an option half way through the tour of either climbing a really steep, long hill on our bikes, or getting a ride in the truck to the top to see the lookout planned on the itinerary. 5 of the 6 people thought they could take on the hill despite the warnings from our guide. Maybe one of the 5 made it half way, and even myself, who’s been on an exercise routine this contract, failed to reach the top without getting off the bike (however, I did get within 50 yards, then my legs failed and I basically fell of the bike). But after a couple hours of excruciatingly slow bike riding, it was nice to get a challenge thrown at me, despite the hit to my pride at not making it all the way without dismounting once. The lookout was nice, and after a brief recovery period, the group rode back down the hill, which put into perspective what we’d just tried to accomplish, and we made our way to a beach where we were given local fruits, a guava drink, real sugar cane, and time to go swimming. The sugar cane was great, and being a cane, you simply crush the cane between your teeth and drink the juices without actually eating the cane. It was one of those local cultural things I really like about getting on a good tour. We hung out there for a while before riding back to the ship, where we were each given a beer by the tour guide, which was really nice after a hot day on the bikes.
All in all, it was a great tour, the overweight man somehow managed to not die and ruin my day as tour escort, and we all had a great time. I finished up the day in port by walking through the city and trying to find some internet, where I did manage to get a weak signal and attempt a skype call back into the states. Then it was back to the ship for the usual couple shows that night.
But it’s great to be back on land doing tours! I’m hoping for a few more great ones this cruise! Thanks for reading!
St. Kitts
I was excited for today, not only because it was our first Caribbean port after a lot of sea days, but because I was signed up for a tour. I’d gotten on good terms with the tour people and was on the escorting list, and had been set up with a bike tour of the island today, which went really well!
The tour escorting works the same as all the other ships, I simply hang out with the tour and make sure nothing bad happens, and in return get to do expensive tours totally free. This was a mountain biking tour that covered about 12 miles over the course of 3-4 hours, which considering the age group of the passengers on the ship, I was curious to see who actually was brave enough to sign up, of which there were six, five of which were in good condition for a bike tour. I can’t say the same about the 60 year old obese man that tried to keep up.
The bikes we were given were proper mountain bikes, the nicest I’ve ever seen on this type of tour, which was a nice surprise. We rode around the island with a guide on a bike and a chase truck incase anything happened and to help control traffic at intersections. The highlights of the tour for me were probably the old sugar factories we saw and riding through the sugar cane fields. The guide was great at explaining the history of the island and how sugar cane was key in that role, and being able to bike from place to place was great (for the majority of us). The bigger gentleman was able to keep up, but at the slow pace we were going, it’d be hard not to. I was slightly worried about whether or not he’d actually be able to complete the tour, but the guide really didn’t take us up any terrible hills, except one...
We were given an option half way through the tour of either climbing a really steep, long hill on our bikes, or getting a ride in the truck to the top to see the lookout planned on the itinerary. 5 of the 6 people thought they could take on the hill despite the warnings from our guide. Maybe one of the 5 made it half way, and even myself, who’s been on an exercise routine this contract, failed to reach the top without getting off the bike (however, I did get within 50 yards, then my legs failed and I basically fell of the bike). But after a couple hours of excruciatingly slow bike riding, it was nice to get a challenge thrown at me, despite the hit to my pride at not making it all the way without dismounting once. The lookout was nice, and after a brief recovery period, the group rode back down the hill, which put into perspective what we’d just tried to accomplish, and we made our way to a beach where we were given local fruits, a guava drink, real sugar cane, and time to go swimming. The sugar cane was great, and being a cane, you simply crush the cane between your teeth and drink the juices without actually eating the cane. It was one of those local cultural things I really like about getting on a good tour. We hung out there for a while before riding back to the ship, where we were each given a beer by the tour guide, which was really nice after a hot day on the bikes.
All in all, it was a great tour, the overweight man somehow managed to not die and ruin my day as tour escort, and we all had a great time. I finished up the day in port by walking through the city and trying to find some internet, where I did manage to get a weak signal and attempt a skype call back into the states. Then it was back to the ship for the usual couple shows that night.
But it’s great to be back on land doing tours! I’m hoping for a few more great ones this cruise! Thanks for reading!
At Sea
March 24th-27th
At Sea
Nothing to write home about, just four sea days where I spent the majority of my time practicing. The crossing couldn’t have been nicer, the ocean was as close to flat as anyone could expect for four consecutive days. Otherwise, I really don’t have anything else to write about, thanks!
At Sea
Nothing to write home about, just four sea days where I spent the majority of my time practicing. The crossing couldn’t have been nicer, the ocean was as close to flat as anyone could expect for four consecutive days. Otherwise, I really don’t have anything else to write about, thanks!
Ponta Delgada
March 23rd
Ponta Delgada
Don’t worry, I didn’t go swimming today. Instead, I got off the ship with the same group of photographers in the hopes of getting a cab to the top of a mountain, but we had a late arrival with a regular departure time, meaning I had 3 hours in port, not enough time to get where I wanted. Instead, I grabbed a quick lunch in town and then headed out with my group to a military fort that had a decent museum set up, granted all the displays were written in Portuguese, but it’s always cool to look at big guns and cannonballs, right? So I wandered around the museum for a while, making sure not to get myself in too much trouble because it was still an active base with military personnel doing whatever the Portuguese Military does.
That was followed by a trip to the supermarket where I bought some wine, some cheese I know nothing about, a strange circular hard bread thing, and two beautiful boxes of Oreos. I don’t even really eat Oreos, but it just seemed too good to pass up at the time.
I then came back to the ship to restock my refrigerator, rehearsal, gym, and shows. Now it’s 4 days to the sunny Caribbean – thanks for reading!
Ponta Delgada
Don’t worry, I didn’t go swimming today. Instead, I got off the ship with the same group of photographers in the hopes of getting a cab to the top of a mountain, but we had a late arrival with a regular departure time, meaning I had 3 hours in port, not enough time to get where I wanted. Instead, I grabbed a quick lunch in town and then headed out with my group to a military fort that had a decent museum set up, granted all the displays were written in Portuguese, but it’s always cool to look at big guns and cannonballs, right? So I wandered around the museum for a while, making sure not to get myself in too much trouble because it was still an active base with military personnel doing whatever the Portuguese Military does.
That was followed by a trip to the supermarket where I bought some wine, some cheese I know nothing about, a strange circular hard bread thing, and two beautiful boxes of Oreos. I don’t even really eat Oreos, but it just seemed too good to pass up at the time.
I then came back to the ship to restock my refrigerator, rehearsal, gym, and shows. Now it’s 4 days to the sunny Caribbean – thanks for reading!
At Sea
March 21st-22nd
At Sea
Nothing special for these couple days. New cruise, and this one has more kids than the last one, of which 0 isn’t hard to beat. But it’s a slightly younger cruise, still a high concentration of walkers and wheelchairs, but at least 50% of this cruise is comprised of people who can still walk. But that aside, it was just the usual sea days with a lot of practicing and reading. Seeya!
At Sea
Nothing special for these couple days. New cruise, and this one has more kids than the last one, of which 0 isn’t hard to beat. But it’s a slightly younger cruise, still a high concentration of walkers and wheelchairs, but at least 50% of this cruise is comprised of people who can still walk. But that aside, it was just the usual sea days with a lot of practicing and reading. Seeya!
Southampton
March 20th
Southampton
Today was my usual internet day in England. I got off the ship around noon, took a shuttle into the city, made a stop at the Apple Store, and then went to a café for my internet connection. A few hours later I had just about everything taken care of for another crossing of the Atlantic. I did, however, not clearly understand the shuttle bus directions correctly and missed the final shuttle, meaning I had to split a cab with some Indian guys from the ship who also didn’t know the shuttles stopped as soon as they did. Not exactly the best scenario in the world, missing your shuttle, but the port is small enough that a cab isn’t a huge problem. Regardless, I got back on the ship with just enough time to get set up for the welcome aboard drill.
And that’s about it for the day, aside from the usual welcome aboard show. We did get a new Cruise Director though, who seems nice, so we’ll see how that changes the entertainment. Now it’s two days to Ponta Delgada, and then another 4 to the Caribbean. Thanks!
Southampton
Today was my usual internet day in England. I got off the ship around noon, took a shuttle into the city, made a stop at the Apple Store, and then went to a café for my internet connection. A few hours later I had just about everything taken care of for another crossing of the Atlantic. I did, however, not clearly understand the shuttle bus directions correctly and missed the final shuttle, meaning I had to split a cab with some Indian guys from the ship who also didn’t know the shuttles stopped as soon as they did. Not exactly the best scenario in the world, missing your shuttle, but the port is small enough that a cab isn’t a huge problem. Regardless, I got back on the ship with just enough time to get set up for the welcome aboard drill.
And that’s about it for the day, aside from the usual welcome aboard show. We did get a new Cruise Director though, who seems nice, so we’ll see how that changes the entertainment. Now it’s two days to Ponta Delgada, and then another 4 to the Caribbean. Thanks!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Sea Days
March 17th-19th
At Sea
As usual, not much to report. The weather has gotten cold, foggy, and always threatening of rain. The past three days have mostly consisted of me waking up in the morning, breakfast, computer/internet stuff, practice, rehearsal, gym, shows, bed. I have been sitting in with the jazz quartet though, so that’s been nice, unfortunately they sign off in Southampton, but I’ve been glad to take advantage of them while I could.
On the 19th I went to a talk that was given by a couple guest passengers on the cruise. The 3 people had actually been touring the world on their motorcycles, and their schedules lined up with our stop in Florida so that they worked out a way to get their bikes on the ship and get a ride back to England. They gave a 45 minute interview all about their trip, where they’d been over the past 7 months, and what all was involved. It was interesting to listen to and only encourages me with my seize the moment type arguably stupid ideas, but we’ll see if I ever organize a trip like that (but you can bet it’ll be on the blog if I do!). Anyway, it was great to listen to them and meet them afterward, and just cool that they were able to work this out with the cruise ship so that they didn’t have to air mail their bikes home.
That aside, this brings us to the end of the first cruise. As of the 20th, I’ll have 2 cruises left, or 29 days till I get home, meaning I’m a few days past the half way point. It was a long cruise, it was interesting and completely different from my other ships, but it’s been a lot of fun so far and I’m sure this final month will be over before I know it. As always, thanks so much for reading!!
At Sea
As usual, not much to report. The weather has gotten cold, foggy, and always threatening of rain. The past three days have mostly consisted of me waking up in the morning, breakfast, computer/internet stuff, practice, rehearsal, gym, shows, bed. I have been sitting in with the jazz quartet though, so that’s been nice, unfortunately they sign off in Southampton, but I’ve been glad to take advantage of them while I could.
On the 19th I went to a talk that was given by a couple guest passengers on the cruise. The 3 people had actually been touring the world on their motorcycles, and their schedules lined up with our stop in Florida so that they worked out a way to get their bikes on the ship and get a ride back to England. They gave a 45 minute interview all about their trip, where they’d been over the past 7 months, and what all was involved. It was interesting to listen to and only encourages me with my seize the moment type arguably stupid ideas, but we’ll see if I ever organize a trip like that (but you can bet it’ll be on the blog if I do!). Anyway, it was great to listen to them and meet them afterward, and just cool that they were able to work this out with the cruise ship so that they didn’t have to air mail their bikes home.
That aside, this brings us to the end of the first cruise. As of the 20th, I’ll have 2 cruises left, or 29 days till I get home, meaning I’m a few days past the half way point. It was a long cruise, it was interesting and completely different from my other ships, but it’s been a lot of fun so far and I’m sure this final month will be over before I know it. As always, thanks so much for reading!!
Ponta Delgada
March 16th
Ponta Delgada, Azores
Today was my first stop in the Azores, a group of islands I’ve been curious to visit for the past couple years. Ponta Delgada is the Capital City of the Azores (I think) and is on the biggest of the islands. But even though I’d never been there, I had a friend on the ship who had.
After a late arrival and some crew drills, I left the ship with John, a drummer in a different band, and a couple of photographers on the ship. John had been to the Azores a few times, and even spoke Portuguese, so I figured he’d be the best person to hang out with for the day. He usually likes getting a cab and going to some of the smaller cities on the island, which we ended up doing today. We had wanted to go up into the hills of the island, but it was cold and overcast outside, so we stayed near the shore where we knew we wouldn’t get stuck in tons of fog.
John, however, had his mind set on swimming today and I’d brought along my bathing suit to humor him. He knew of a municipal pool in the next town over, one that had naturally been formed by lava and cut out by the waves. The excitement of the place is that you’re essentially swimming in the ocean, but you have volcanic rocks all around you forming a sort of break-water, but ocean waves can still reach you depending on where you’re swimming. Technically, you could be in the wrong spot at the wrong time and have a wave throw you into a volcanic rock, but we don’t like to think about that.
Well, John had his heart set on swimming, and me, always desperate for a good story and taking advantage of the moment, decided we’d go for it. Mind you, it’s a completely overcast day, no sun, windy, about 60, and we’re on an island in the middle of the atlantic, and I don’t mean south Atlantic where it’s warm. I’m sure the water had to have been colder than the air temperature, but I don’t have an exact figure to give you.
We found ourselves a taxi and made a deal so that I’d jump with John only if he didn’t feel the water first. I figured that if I was jumping into the cold Atlantic, I wanted the full experience and full surprise. We soon arrived at the recreational building, which was closed, with a sign posted about swimming at your own risk and that they wouldn’t be responsible for your death, or so I gathered from the Portuguese. But the gate was open, and with them being closed down, that meant we didn’t have to pay the entrance fee, which was a good start. The pool area was really interesting though when you walked down to it. There were runs of volcanic rocks that surrounded the area and formed small pools, though you were never totally free of the waves coming in off the ocean. Had it been a nice day, this would have been an awesome place to hang out, but alas, it was far from a nice day. Well, I found myself an open changing room, put on my suit, and walked down to the water where I met John for the big plunge. I figured we’d make it a little more exciting by jumping off a 10 foot ledge into the water, which is slightly discerning when you can’t see what’s under the surface, but there was a sign that said it was ok, so why not? And as soon as we got the cameras out and had the two photographers get into position for the plunge, we counted down and jumped.
Water was cold…really cold. I popped up and just swam for shore. It wasn’t cold to the point where it was paralyzing, but it was cold to where the crashing sea waves and volcanic rock made you question your ability to combat the currents in such conditions. But we both made it out safely, John reentered one more time in a smaller pool, and I walked around half naked for a few more minutes till I eventually took a shower in the dressing room and changed into dry clothes. Stupid idea, check. Glad I did it, Check!
We left the pool area to find a restaurant John had experience at and highly recommended. It was a smaller, local place, just the type I like to look for, and we had some really nice food. They brought us a plate of cheese and bread, which was good, a huge carafe of wine, probably almost 2 bottles worth, which cost a total of 4 euro ($6), we had some small fried fish (great), and a bunch of desert cakes. Everything was great and everything was local, it’s one of those perfect types of meals that you hope you can find every so often. We didn’t eat a lot, it was mostly all appetizer type dishes, but it was perfect for making you feel like you were part of the culture.
Our cab driver met us at the restaurant at an already agreed upon time, and took us back to the ship where we were reintroduced to our real lives again. But it was a memorable day, something fun and stupid that you kind of just have to go for when the opportunity presents itself, and I’m glad I did. Next stop, England!
Ponta Delgada, Azores
Today was my first stop in the Azores, a group of islands I’ve been curious to visit for the past couple years. Ponta Delgada is the Capital City of the Azores (I think) and is on the biggest of the islands. But even though I’d never been there, I had a friend on the ship who had.
After a late arrival and some crew drills, I left the ship with John, a drummer in a different band, and a couple of photographers on the ship. John had been to the Azores a few times, and even spoke Portuguese, so I figured he’d be the best person to hang out with for the day. He usually likes getting a cab and going to some of the smaller cities on the island, which we ended up doing today. We had wanted to go up into the hills of the island, but it was cold and overcast outside, so we stayed near the shore where we knew we wouldn’t get stuck in tons of fog.
John, however, had his mind set on swimming today and I’d brought along my bathing suit to humor him. He knew of a municipal pool in the next town over, one that had naturally been formed by lava and cut out by the waves. The excitement of the place is that you’re essentially swimming in the ocean, but you have volcanic rocks all around you forming a sort of break-water, but ocean waves can still reach you depending on where you’re swimming. Technically, you could be in the wrong spot at the wrong time and have a wave throw you into a volcanic rock, but we don’t like to think about that.
Well, John had his heart set on swimming, and me, always desperate for a good story and taking advantage of the moment, decided we’d go for it. Mind you, it’s a completely overcast day, no sun, windy, about 60, and we’re on an island in the middle of the atlantic, and I don’t mean south Atlantic where it’s warm. I’m sure the water had to have been colder than the air temperature, but I don’t have an exact figure to give you.
We found ourselves a taxi and made a deal so that I’d jump with John only if he didn’t feel the water first. I figured that if I was jumping into the cold Atlantic, I wanted the full experience and full surprise. We soon arrived at the recreational building, which was closed, with a sign posted about swimming at your own risk and that they wouldn’t be responsible for your death, or so I gathered from the Portuguese. But the gate was open, and with them being closed down, that meant we didn’t have to pay the entrance fee, which was a good start. The pool area was really interesting though when you walked down to it. There were runs of volcanic rocks that surrounded the area and formed small pools, though you were never totally free of the waves coming in off the ocean. Had it been a nice day, this would have been an awesome place to hang out, but alas, it was far from a nice day. Well, I found myself an open changing room, put on my suit, and walked down to the water where I met John for the big plunge. I figured we’d make it a little more exciting by jumping off a 10 foot ledge into the water, which is slightly discerning when you can’t see what’s under the surface, but there was a sign that said it was ok, so why not? And as soon as we got the cameras out and had the two photographers get into position for the plunge, we counted down and jumped.
Water was cold…really cold. I popped up and just swam for shore. It wasn’t cold to the point where it was paralyzing, but it was cold to where the crashing sea waves and volcanic rock made you question your ability to combat the currents in such conditions. But we both made it out safely, John reentered one more time in a smaller pool, and I walked around half naked for a few more minutes till I eventually took a shower in the dressing room and changed into dry clothes. Stupid idea, check. Glad I did it, Check!
We left the pool area to find a restaurant John had experience at and highly recommended. It was a smaller, local place, just the type I like to look for, and we had some really nice food. They brought us a plate of cheese and bread, which was good, a huge carafe of wine, probably almost 2 bottles worth, which cost a total of 4 euro ($6), we had some small fried fish (great), and a bunch of desert cakes. Everything was great and everything was local, it’s one of those perfect types of meals that you hope you can find every so often. We didn’t eat a lot, it was mostly all appetizer type dishes, but it was perfect for making you feel like you were part of the culture.
Our cab driver met us at the restaurant at an already agreed upon time, and took us back to the ship where we were reintroduced to our real lives again. But it was a memorable day, something fun and stupid that you kind of just have to go for when the opportunity presents itself, and I’m glad I did. Next stop, England!
At Sea...forever
March 11th-15th
Sea Daysssssssssss
Nothing to report, a lot of water, everywhere. Fairly calm seas. I did a lot of practicing and was able to sit in with the jazz quartet the last few nights, which has been a nice change of pace. It’s great to be able to play some real jazz music here on the ship, and the band I play with are all 70-80 year old men, one plays vibes, and they’re all real old-school players so it’s nice to sit in with people who have played these standards for the past 40-50 years. As far as other excitement, some drunk passenger fell in front of the stage during a show and made a big scene, so that was interesting, but that was about it. The 16th is a stop in the Azores, which will be a welcome change and a new port for me. Seeya!
Sea Daysssssssssss
Nothing to report, a lot of water, everywhere. Fairly calm seas. I did a lot of practicing and was able to sit in with the jazz quartet the last few nights, which has been a nice change of pace. It’s great to be able to play some real jazz music here on the ship, and the band I play with are all 70-80 year old men, one plays vibes, and they’re all real old-school players so it’s nice to sit in with people who have played these standards for the past 40-50 years. As far as other excitement, some drunk passenger fell in front of the stage during a show and made a big scene, so that was interesting, but that was about it. The 16th is a stop in the Azores, which will be a welcome change and a new port for me. Seeya!
Half Moon Cay - Bahamas
March 9th-10th
At Sea/Half Moon Cay
I’m a week late on writing this post, so the sea day simply blends in with all the other sea days I just experienced crossing the Atlantic, so I’m going to jump ahead to Half Moon Cay.
Half Moon Cay is a private island owned by Holland America, a sister cruise line to P&O, and as far as Caribbean islands are concerned, this one had the most picture perfect, beautiful beach I’ve seen. We arrived on a perfect day, everything about the weather was just right to spend the day on the beach, which was about all the island was. The island itself was shaped like a crescent moon, hence the name, with the interior “moon” edge all perfectly groomed beach area. There was no trash, no debris, nothing but perfectly white sand and the most perfect blue water you can imagine. I left the ship with John, the other sax player, we walked along the beach for a ways till we had gotten out of the first 200 yards of passenger-packed beach area, and set up a few chairs where we were out of reach from 99% of the passengers. We then went for a run down the beach just to get warmed up and do something healthy, and swam after that, usual beach stuff.
I had been told that they rented sailboats on the island, which actually had me quite excited because I figured there’d be nothing better than renting a sailboat and doing my own boating for a while. It wasn’t hard to find the hut that was renting the gear, where they were offering hobbie-cats at about $50 an hour, way more than I wanted to pay. I told John we’d come back towards the end of the day, after we knew they hadn’t rented anything, with the hopes of working out a better price. We then did our beach thing I already mentioned, got some food at the BBQ, and then returned to the hut to see how my negotiation skills were developing. I again asked for the price, and was again told $50. This is at about 2:00, wherein everyone had to be back on the ship by around 3:30 (last tender departure). I asked for a crew discount…she said no, she doesn’t give discounts. I then offered $25 for the hour, she said no, and reiterated the discount policy. I reminded her she hadn’t rented a single boat all day and I was ready to give her money, she still said no after checking with her boss, a similarly large black woman who spoke in indecipherable mumbles. I then asked them if they liked making money and if they had any interest in making money at all that day…which was followed with no comment from the peanut gallery, and on that cue, my friends and I left for the bar. It was a disappointment, but there was no way the boat was worth what they wanted and they had no leverage in the situation, just sheer economic stupidity. Who knows, maybe they’re subsidized by the cruise ship and they get paid to sit there regardless of what rents, but my guess is no. Anyway, that was the biggest excitement of the day…woohoo…
We then went to the beach bar, my friends got some drinks and I borrowed someone’s goggles and flippers to further enjoy the perfect conditions. It was really odd swimming at this beach, simply because when you went under water and looked around, all you could see was a perfect blue ceiling and white sand that continued on forever. No weeds, no rocks, just the occasional silver fish, it was an underwater picture of perfection, a perfect way to say goodbye to the Caribbean and greet two Atlantic crossings (out of the next 19 days, 16 are sea days). As always, thanks for reading!
At Sea/Half Moon Cay
I’m a week late on writing this post, so the sea day simply blends in with all the other sea days I just experienced crossing the Atlantic, so I’m going to jump ahead to Half Moon Cay.
Half Moon Cay is a private island owned by Holland America, a sister cruise line to P&O, and as far as Caribbean islands are concerned, this one had the most picture perfect, beautiful beach I’ve seen. We arrived on a perfect day, everything about the weather was just right to spend the day on the beach, which was about all the island was. The island itself was shaped like a crescent moon, hence the name, with the interior “moon” edge all perfectly groomed beach area. There was no trash, no debris, nothing but perfectly white sand and the most perfect blue water you can imagine. I left the ship with John, the other sax player, we walked along the beach for a ways till we had gotten out of the first 200 yards of passenger-packed beach area, and set up a few chairs where we were out of reach from 99% of the passengers. We then went for a run down the beach just to get warmed up and do something healthy, and swam after that, usual beach stuff.
I had been told that they rented sailboats on the island, which actually had me quite excited because I figured there’d be nothing better than renting a sailboat and doing my own boating for a while. It wasn’t hard to find the hut that was renting the gear, where they were offering hobbie-cats at about $50 an hour, way more than I wanted to pay. I told John we’d come back towards the end of the day, after we knew they hadn’t rented anything, with the hopes of working out a better price. We then did our beach thing I already mentioned, got some food at the BBQ, and then returned to the hut to see how my negotiation skills were developing. I again asked for the price, and was again told $50. This is at about 2:00, wherein everyone had to be back on the ship by around 3:30 (last tender departure). I asked for a crew discount…she said no, she doesn’t give discounts. I then offered $25 for the hour, she said no, and reiterated the discount policy. I reminded her she hadn’t rented a single boat all day and I was ready to give her money, she still said no after checking with her boss, a similarly large black woman who spoke in indecipherable mumbles. I then asked them if they liked making money and if they had any interest in making money at all that day…which was followed with no comment from the peanut gallery, and on that cue, my friends and I left for the bar. It was a disappointment, but there was no way the boat was worth what they wanted and they had no leverage in the situation, just sheer economic stupidity. Who knows, maybe they’re subsidized by the cruise ship and they get paid to sit there regardless of what rents, but my guess is no. Anyway, that was the biggest excitement of the day…woohoo…
We then went to the beach bar, my friends got some drinks and I borrowed someone’s goggles and flippers to further enjoy the perfect conditions. It was really odd swimming at this beach, simply because when you went under water and looked around, all you could see was a perfect blue ceiling and white sand that continued on forever. No weeds, no rocks, just the occasional silver fish, it was an underwater picture of perfection, a perfect way to say goodbye to the Caribbean and greet two Atlantic crossings (out of the next 19 days, 16 are sea days). As always, thanks for reading!
Ft. Lauderdale
March 7th-8th
Sea Day/Ft. Lauderdale
The 7th was the usual sea day. You’d think that we wouldn’t need a sea day to go from Key West to Ft Lauderdale, but apparently you do need one when you first sail south to Cuba at 8 knots and then come all the way back north. I think the ship does this to keep people on board where they will spend more money on drinks while the ship goes unusually slow saving money on gas. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I’m not the captain so who knows.
I was really looking forward to the 8th because I was planning on meeting up with my good friend from college who now lives in the Miami area. I woke up slightly earlier than usual to go up stairs and make some phone calls to confirm everything, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t get through to my friend. So I’m still not exactly sure what happened, but that was a slight disappointment. So instead I got off the ship and found a fruit smoothie café with free wifi, which became my home for the next couple hours as I organized my life so that I knew I wouldn’t have anything to worry about during my next 10 days at sea. So all in all, what I was able to get done was a better use of my time, but it still would have been nice to see an old friend.
Following the internet place, I made my way to a Win-Dixie grocery store to get some supplies for my crossing, made a few phone calls along the way, and ended up at a Coldstone paying way too much for ice-cream (granted, it’ll be the best ice-cream I have all contract). Then I just had enough time left for a walk over a bridge and back before I had to get back on my ship for a rehearsal.
The show that night was none other than the opera singer that no one really likes playing for. That being said, after you turn each song into some sort of inside joke between you and the other horn players, each tune becomes a lot more fun. So despite him singing “O Sole Mio” and “Time to say Goodbye”, tunes I’ve played for dozens of people, they finally paid off by providing all of us with a good laugh. It really all comes down to attitude, and when you have a bunch of horn players with immature senses of humor, there’s a lot of possibilities to have a great attitude about crap music.
And that’s about it. I made my final farewell phone calls between shows while I still had a signal, and watched the US slowly fade away for what would be the last time until I return home April 18th. It was great having a cell phone signal and being able to call people, or even just check my emails on my phone. But now I’m back to being confined to ship internet and the odd free WiFi café where I can make Skype phone calls. But with under 6 weeks left, I’m not to worried, I’ll be home again soon enough! Thanks!
Sea Day/Ft. Lauderdale
The 7th was the usual sea day. You’d think that we wouldn’t need a sea day to go from Key West to Ft Lauderdale, but apparently you do need one when you first sail south to Cuba at 8 knots and then come all the way back north. I think the ship does this to keep people on board where they will spend more money on drinks while the ship goes unusually slow saving money on gas. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I’m not the captain so who knows.
I was really looking forward to the 8th because I was planning on meeting up with my good friend from college who now lives in the Miami area. I woke up slightly earlier than usual to go up stairs and make some phone calls to confirm everything, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t get through to my friend. So I’m still not exactly sure what happened, but that was a slight disappointment. So instead I got off the ship and found a fruit smoothie café with free wifi, which became my home for the next couple hours as I organized my life so that I knew I wouldn’t have anything to worry about during my next 10 days at sea. So all in all, what I was able to get done was a better use of my time, but it still would have been nice to see an old friend.
Following the internet place, I made my way to a Win-Dixie grocery store to get some supplies for my crossing, made a few phone calls along the way, and ended up at a Coldstone paying way too much for ice-cream (granted, it’ll be the best ice-cream I have all contract). Then I just had enough time left for a walk over a bridge and back before I had to get back on my ship for a rehearsal.
The show that night was none other than the opera singer that no one really likes playing for. That being said, after you turn each song into some sort of inside joke between you and the other horn players, each tune becomes a lot more fun. So despite him singing “O Sole Mio” and “Time to say Goodbye”, tunes I’ve played for dozens of people, they finally paid off by providing all of us with a good laugh. It really all comes down to attitude, and when you have a bunch of horn players with immature senses of humor, there’s a lot of possibilities to have a great attitude about crap music.
And that’s about it. I made my final farewell phone calls between shows while I still had a signal, and watched the US slowly fade away for what would be the last time until I return home April 18th. It was great having a cell phone signal and being able to call people, or even just check my emails on my phone. But now I’m back to being confined to ship internet and the odd free WiFi café where I can make Skype phone calls. But with under 6 weeks left, I’m not to worried, I’ll be home again soon enough! Thanks!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Key West
March 5th-6th
Sea Day/Key West
The 5th was a normal sea day, nothing special. It was however my Mom’s birthday, so Happy Birthday Mom!
The 6th was Key West, a place I’ve visited many times with my parents but never on a ship. After a few phone calls in the morning (enjoying yet another port with cell phone service), I got off the ship with John to go explore the city. And really, that about all we did. I took him to the big tourist places, Sloppy Joes, Margaritaville, Hemmingway’s house, Southern Most Point, the 0 Mile Marker, and to a place for key lime pie. All that aside, I don’t know that there’s all that much to tell, nothing too crazy, just a lot of walking. I did buy a hat though, so that was my highlight. Thanks for reading!
Sea Day/Key West
The 5th was a normal sea day, nothing special. It was however my Mom’s birthday, so Happy Birthday Mom!
The 6th was Key West, a place I’ve visited many times with my parents but never on a ship. After a few phone calls in the morning (enjoying yet another port with cell phone service), I got off the ship with John to go explore the city. And really, that about all we did. I took him to the big tourist places, Sloppy Joes, Margaritaville, Hemmingway’s house, Southern Most Point, the 0 Mile Marker, and to a place for key lime pie. All that aside, I don’t know that there’s all that much to tell, nothing too crazy, just a lot of walking. I did buy a hat though, so that was my highlight. Thanks for reading!
New Orleans
March 3-4
New Orleans
The day started off with US immigration, just like any US port that a ship visits for the first time. It’s the same thing as when you fly into the states from another country, but this time customs officials come on the ship themselves and interview every employee and passenger. That being taken care of and immediately followed by a rehearsal, we had finished up everything just before the crew got the all clear to go a shore.
First thing I did, however, was make some phone calls! It’s always great getting the use of your cell phone back, and I took advantage of this brief period of time when I can feel connected to the world again. So after and during some phone calls, the band left the ship and headed towards the French Quarter, the area New Orleans is probably best known for.
I’m happy to report that New Orleans is easily in my top five ports of all time! It was just really cool walking through a city where music was such a huge part of it’s identity, and jazz music at that! Also, because of the French influence, there’s so much more culture in the city, in a way that I’ve never seen in another US port. You felt like you were somewhere totally removed from the states, but everyone still talked like you and used your money. If that’s not the perfect place, I don’t know what is!
Anyway, we simply walked up and down the French Quarter for a while stopping in the different shops and feeling out the area. We went in a number of souvenir shops just to look around, a voodoo shop where I inevitably received some sort of curse for taking a picture, and walked the length of Bourbon Street.
Being with some guys from the band, we wanted to find a music store because we all needed a few things. I asked around and found that there was a shop on the otherside of town that we’d be able to take a bus to, which we did successfully. The shop was small, aimed mostly towards school children and they didn’t stock some of the higher end gear I was hoping to find in a New Orleans Music Store, but I was able to get a pack of reeds that I needed. We then headed towards a bar the store owner recommended for burgers and had a really nice lunch with some local beer, Abita.
Following lunch, we ended up walking all the way back to the ship to go play our show for the night, which was for an opera singer no one really cared for much. The shows were played and we reassembled the group for a night out on the town (this is our one overnight port this cruise). The plan was to take a cab up to Frenchman street and go to a club (d.b.a) where I’d been told there would be good music (thanks Sully – an old college friend). We walked into a bar that didn’t at first seem to have that much going on, and no music playing. We paid a cover and got situated waiting for the band to begin playing again (it was about midnight at this point), and I was getting nervous that the band wasn’t going to be as good as I’d hoped…especially after telling all my friends that this was the place to go.
The band got started with a jazz tune, nothing special. The second tune was about the same, nothing that we were getting too excited about. But by the third song in they’d broke into a great funk tune and then maintained the energy for the rest of the night. The band turned out to be a fairly well known funk group and played a super high energy show from then up till 1:45 that night. Everything was absolutely great, the bar got packed, everyone was dancing, and I was feeling like I was at the right place in New Orleans at just the right time.
Everyone in my group left feeling really excited by what we just heard and we started to make our way back toward Bourbon street to see what was still going on. The group had actually increased in size because we’d run into some other ship friends at the club, and no one really knew how to get back to Bourbon Street, except for me with my now working iPhone and GPS abilities. I reveled for a moment in my ability to find my way to any where in the city because I was an American with an American phone, and then led the group to Bourbon street without a problem. Yeah, I felt cool.
We ended up walking past all the bars because they’d all changed from being small and charming to the late night standard, just another place blasting party music. We didn’t stop at a single one and finally ended at a late night pizza place where we grabbed some food and hung out till they kicked us out round 3:15AM. The group then made it’s way back to the ship and that was it for the overnight experience.
The next day we had a drill in the morning for the US coastguard, but then got off the ship once more before we were set to depart around 5. Day 2 wasn’t as exciting, it was just back to the French Quarter to hang out at some cafés, do some shopping, and just meander through the streets. We heard some live music at the cafes, which was nice and added to the authentic experience, but day two turned out to be more of a way to kill time off the ship. We hung out as long as we could and eventually got back on the ship around 4:30.
We had a production show that night which was fine, and I made a couple final phone calls before losing my signal for the sea day that was to follow.
Actually, we ended up leaving 3 hours late from the port because there was a crew member that hadn’t yet returned to the ship. I’m not sure what happened or if he was ever found, but apparently the USA won’t let a ship leave if everyone isn’t accounted for. Usually we would leave if someone went missing, so this was a strange twist to end the day with. I’ll let you know if I hear any more about how the problem was resolved. Thanks for reading!
New Orleans
The day started off with US immigration, just like any US port that a ship visits for the first time. It’s the same thing as when you fly into the states from another country, but this time customs officials come on the ship themselves and interview every employee and passenger. That being taken care of and immediately followed by a rehearsal, we had finished up everything just before the crew got the all clear to go a shore.
First thing I did, however, was make some phone calls! It’s always great getting the use of your cell phone back, and I took advantage of this brief period of time when I can feel connected to the world again. So after and during some phone calls, the band left the ship and headed towards the French Quarter, the area New Orleans is probably best known for.
I’m happy to report that New Orleans is easily in my top five ports of all time! It was just really cool walking through a city where music was such a huge part of it’s identity, and jazz music at that! Also, because of the French influence, there’s so much more culture in the city, in a way that I’ve never seen in another US port. You felt like you were somewhere totally removed from the states, but everyone still talked like you and used your money. If that’s not the perfect place, I don’t know what is!
Anyway, we simply walked up and down the French Quarter for a while stopping in the different shops and feeling out the area. We went in a number of souvenir shops just to look around, a voodoo shop where I inevitably received some sort of curse for taking a picture, and walked the length of Bourbon Street.
Being with some guys from the band, we wanted to find a music store because we all needed a few things. I asked around and found that there was a shop on the otherside of town that we’d be able to take a bus to, which we did successfully. The shop was small, aimed mostly towards school children and they didn’t stock some of the higher end gear I was hoping to find in a New Orleans Music Store, but I was able to get a pack of reeds that I needed. We then headed towards a bar the store owner recommended for burgers and had a really nice lunch with some local beer, Abita.
Following lunch, we ended up walking all the way back to the ship to go play our show for the night, which was for an opera singer no one really cared for much. The shows were played and we reassembled the group for a night out on the town (this is our one overnight port this cruise). The plan was to take a cab up to Frenchman street and go to a club (d.b.a) where I’d been told there would be good music (thanks Sully – an old college friend). We walked into a bar that didn’t at first seem to have that much going on, and no music playing. We paid a cover and got situated waiting for the band to begin playing again (it was about midnight at this point), and I was getting nervous that the band wasn’t going to be as good as I’d hoped…especially after telling all my friends that this was the place to go.
The band got started with a jazz tune, nothing special. The second tune was about the same, nothing that we were getting too excited about. But by the third song in they’d broke into a great funk tune and then maintained the energy for the rest of the night. The band turned out to be a fairly well known funk group and played a super high energy show from then up till 1:45 that night. Everything was absolutely great, the bar got packed, everyone was dancing, and I was feeling like I was at the right place in New Orleans at just the right time.
Everyone in my group left feeling really excited by what we just heard and we started to make our way back toward Bourbon street to see what was still going on. The group had actually increased in size because we’d run into some other ship friends at the club, and no one really knew how to get back to Bourbon Street, except for me with my now working iPhone and GPS abilities. I reveled for a moment in my ability to find my way to any where in the city because I was an American with an American phone, and then led the group to Bourbon street without a problem. Yeah, I felt cool.
We ended up walking past all the bars because they’d all changed from being small and charming to the late night standard, just another place blasting party music. We didn’t stop at a single one and finally ended at a late night pizza place where we grabbed some food and hung out till they kicked us out round 3:15AM. The group then made it’s way back to the ship and that was it for the overnight experience.
The next day we had a drill in the morning for the US coastguard, but then got off the ship once more before we were set to depart around 5. Day 2 wasn’t as exciting, it was just back to the French Quarter to hang out at some cafés, do some shopping, and just meander through the streets. We heard some live music at the cafes, which was nice and added to the authentic experience, but day two turned out to be more of a way to kill time off the ship. We hung out as long as we could and eventually got back on the ship around 4:30.
We had a production show that night which was fine, and I made a couple final phone calls before losing my signal for the sea day that was to follow.
Actually, we ended up leaving 3 hours late from the port because there was a crew member that hadn’t yet returned to the ship. I’m not sure what happened or if he was ever found, but apparently the USA won’t let a ship leave if everyone isn’t accounted for. Usually we would leave if someone went missing, so this was a strange twist to end the day with. I’ll let you know if I hear any more about how the problem was resolved. Thanks for reading!
Cozumel
March 1st-2nd
Cozumel
Here’s another port that I’ve been to quite a few times before today so I was in no rush to get off…that and I had “in port manning” and had to stay on the ship till 1. When I did get off, I went looking for internet. We were docked at the international port, meaning it was about a 30 minute walk to get into the city. The walk was interesting though because I ran into a couple huge iguanas, a couple of which took me by surprise simply because I’m not used to looking down at the side walk and seeing a gigantic lizard.
I ended up with Jukka and John (purely by coincidence) at some tourist bar just outside the city. They had a good internet connection, which was nice, but also tourist prices, so we ended up spending a little too much on some quesadillas that were good, but not quite as good as if we had gone to a local place without internet. But whatever, it was nice to be in Mexico having a beer and quesadillas. I hung out there for a while doing internet, then made a quick trip over to the grocery store for some supplies, and then caught a cab to go back to the ship. Sorry, no exciting story there.
The rest of the day was usual, show that night with the headstand piano guy (who didn’t do it the second show), and that’s about it.
The 2nd was a sea day on the way to New Orleans. The water was unusually rough and the weather unusually cold, which didn’t exactly help my hopes for New Orleans. But it was a normal sea day otherwise, nothing to write home about. Thanks!
Cozumel
Here’s another port that I’ve been to quite a few times before today so I was in no rush to get off…that and I had “in port manning” and had to stay on the ship till 1. When I did get off, I went looking for internet. We were docked at the international port, meaning it was about a 30 minute walk to get into the city. The walk was interesting though because I ran into a couple huge iguanas, a couple of which took me by surprise simply because I’m not used to looking down at the side walk and seeing a gigantic lizard.
I ended up with Jukka and John (purely by coincidence) at some tourist bar just outside the city. They had a good internet connection, which was nice, but also tourist prices, so we ended up spending a little too much on some quesadillas that were good, but not quite as good as if we had gone to a local place without internet. But whatever, it was nice to be in Mexico having a beer and quesadillas. I hung out there for a while doing internet, then made a quick trip over to the grocery store for some supplies, and then caught a cab to go back to the ship. Sorry, no exciting story there.
The rest of the day was usual, show that night with the headstand piano guy (who didn’t do it the second show), and that’s about it.
The 2nd was a sea day on the way to New Orleans. The water was unusually rough and the weather unusually cold, which didn’t exactly help my hopes for New Orleans. But it was a normal sea day otherwise, nothing to write home about. Thanks!
Grand Caymen (Sea Day)
Feb 28th
Grand Cayman (turned sea day)
We were scheduled to be in Grand Cayman today, a tender port that I’ve visited on the Navigator, but the captain decided to sail past it due to rough conditions that would have made tendering difficult, and considering the passengers on this ship, I’d agree with that choice. Unfortunately, it means I have to miss my port, but instead I get a sea day to try to accomplish a few things.
Not a lot got accomplished though. I used the gym for the first time on this ship two days ago, and after pushing myself too hard after too long a break from lifting, my arms are so sore today that I can neither fully straighten nor bend them, making usual activities slightly more difficult. I actually had a really difficult time putting my neck strap (for my sax) on my neck due to the stiffness. It kind of sucks, but it is what it is. So today I spent some time reading, ate my meals outside, worked on my computer, and played a play on/off for a comedian that night. I’ve also recently opened my French language recordings, so I’m trying to learn some French, the most productive activity of the day.
Tomorrow is Cozumel. No big plans, I’ve been there enough to know what there is to see, and chances are that I won’t even get off the ship, but we’ll see where we’re docked and how my arms are moving tomorrow morning. Thanks for reading!
Grand Cayman (turned sea day)
We were scheduled to be in Grand Cayman today, a tender port that I’ve visited on the Navigator, but the captain decided to sail past it due to rough conditions that would have made tendering difficult, and considering the passengers on this ship, I’d agree with that choice. Unfortunately, it means I have to miss my port, but instead I get a sea day to try to accomplish a few things.
Not a lot got accomplished though. I used the gym for the first time on this ship two days ago, and after pushing myself too hard after too long a break from lifting, my arms are so sore today that I can neither fully straighten nor bend them, making usual activities slightly more difficult. I actually had a really difficult time putting my neck strap (for my sax) on my neck due to the stiffness. It kind of sucks, but it is what it is. So today I spent some time reading, ate my meals outside, worked on my computer, and played a play on/off for a comedian that night. I’ve also recently opened my French language recordings, so I’m trying to learn some French, the most productive activity of the day.
Tomorrow is Cozumel. No big plans, I’ve been there enough to know what there is to see, and chances are that I won’t even get off the ship, but we’ll see where we’re docked and how my arms are moving tomorrow morning. Thanks for reading!
Sea day/Ocho Rios
Feb 26th-27th
Sea day/Ocho Rios
The 26th was spent at sea, nothing too exciting. The only interesting thing is that our guest artist that night what Cheryl Sinclair. I actually know Cheryl from my first ship, the Navigator, from when she was a singer in the production cast. She’s since quit production shows and moved on to doing her own guest artist act. It was good to play her show and see a friend from an old ship!
I visited Ocho Rios on the 27th, a Jamaican port that I’ve visited in the past. There was never a lot to do in the actual port, and the thing I remember most about my past visits was a local beach that no one knew about, so that’s where I went. Maybe you remember it from a post 2 years ago, but this beach is just a locally run area, they have a shack they sell drinks out of, and there are waterfalls you can climb up and have fun in. The weather was cloudy, which made it not the best beach day, but it’s always cool going back to a place you weren’t sure you’d see again.
The beach had slightly changed though. Apparently, some locals that “ran” it had been putting some time and effort into cleaning it and trying to make it slightly more profitable for themselves (via a tip jar). It was nice that it became slightly more legit simply cause it felt less nervous about people going through my backpack, but when I know that my tips will go to little more than helping the locals fuel an overwhelming marijuana habit, I get mixed feelings. Bu so what, “one love, mon”.
I spent some time there with John and Jukka before heading back to the ship to visit a café Jukka frequents for their Blue mountain coffee. This time around, the coffee wasn’t quite as good as he remembered, but John did order some jerk chicken, so I at least got to try and enjoy some of that. A little more time was wasted going into some shops and looking around, but we eventually headed back to the ship.
The show that night was Colin “fingers” Henry, a pianist comedian, who blew my mind. “Fingers” would do this trick where he’d play the piano while doing a headstand, and this guy’s 63 years old! I saw him do it at rehearsal and was amazed, and tried it myself when everyone had left. I failed miserably. I was able to get into the appropriate inverted position, but the mount of weight on my head was just so overwhelming that I couldn’t even focus enough to get my fingers positioned on the piano the right way. Maybe it’ll be a goal to work towards during this contract, but till then, I have massive respect for this guy. Check it out on YouTube, it should be posted. Otherwise, I did get a video of it that I’d be happy to show anyone when I get home.
And that’s about it, so thanks for reading, and remember: You can’t choose your face, but you can pick your nose. (thanks Fingers)
Sea day/Ocho Rios
The 26th was spent at sea, nothing too exciting. The only interesting thing is that our guest artist that night what Cheryl Sinclair. I actually know Cheryl from my first ship, the Navigator, from when she was a singer in the production cast. She’s since quit production shows and moved on to doing her own guest artist act. It was good to play her show and see a friend from an old ship!
I visited Ocho Rios on the 27th, a Jamaican port that I’ve visited in the past. There was never a lot to do in the actual port, and the thing I remember most about my past visits was a local beach that no one knew about, so that’s where I went. Maybe you remember it from a post 2 years ago, but this beach is just a locally run area, they have a shack they sell drinks out of, and there are waterfalls you can climb up and have fun in. The weather was cloudy, which made it not the best beach day, but it’s always cool going back to a place you weren’t sure you’d see again.
The beach had slightly changed though. Apparently, some locals that “ran” it had been putting some time and effort into cleaning it and trying to make it slightly more profitable for themselves (via a tip jar). It was nice that it became slightly more legit simply cause it felt less nervous about people going through my backpack, but when I know that my tips will go to little more than helping the locals fuel an overwhelming marijuana habit, I get mixed feelings. Bu so what, “one love, mon”.
I spent some time there with John and Jukka before heading back to the ship to visit a café Jukka frequents for their Blue mountain coffee. This time around, the coffee wasn’t quite as good as he remembered, but John did order some jerk chicken, so I at least got to try and enjoy some of that. A little more time was wasted going into some shops and looking around, but we eventually headed back to the ship.
The show that night was Colin “fingers” Henry, a pianist comedian, who blew my mind. “Fingers” would do this trick where he’d play the piano while doing a headstand, and this guy’s 63 years old! I saw him do it at rehearsal and was amazed, and tried it myself when everyone had left. I failed miserably. I was able to get into the appropriate inverted position, but the mount of weight on my head was just so overwhelming that I couldn’t even focus enough to get my fingers positioned on the piano the right way. Maybe it’ll be a goal to work towards during this contract, but till then, I have massive respect for this guy. Check it out on YouTube, it should be posted. Otherwise, I did get a video of it that I’d be happy to show anyone when I get home.
And that’s about it, so thanks for reading, and remember: You can’t choose your face, but you can pick your nose. (thanks Fingers)
Tortola
Feb 25th
Tortola
Another day, another brand new island. Before getting off the ship, I had heard good things about Tortola in regards to it’s scenery, but that there wasn’t much going on in the city. Half the band had decided to stay on the ship, and seeing as this was my one and only visit, I was struggling for a good idea to get the most out of the island. I ended up leaving the ship with a couple band mates to head towards a bar, never my preferred sightseeing activity, and it wasn’t till I got to the bar that I remembered I didn’t bring a bathing suit, cutting out a major option for things to do. I didn’t stay long before I got too impatient to see the city and headed off on my own, and my new goal for the island was a good one…get a scooter.
I walked around for a bit, stopped at a dive shop to enquire about the local trips, and eventually got pointed in the direction of a scooter rental place. The going rate was $20 per hour. I had about 2 hours to kill, but $40 was way more than I could justify for a scooter ride. I offered $20 for the rest of my day, the guy shook his head and said $25, and I told him he had a whole line of scooters in his lot no one was renting, and he took my $20. After working for my Dad selling snowmobiles all winter, it’s kind of nice to be on the other side of the negotiation.
Let me back up for a minute though and explain how bad of an idea this scooter rental actually is (just so that I can make Mom worry). First, scooter rentals are risky simply because it’s a rental unit you have no knowledge of, in a city where you have no experience, and with a time schedule that’s unforgiving (the ship won’t exactly wait). I got past that issue and went on to issue number two: I was all by myself. Well, after doing some riding last summer and falling back on some 24-year-old over confident tendencies, I got past the all alone thing. I figured I had something to prove anyway, had to show I don’t need my friends to enjoy a port. And the third obstacle I had in front of me was the slight problem that people drive on the left side of the road. This made me the most nervous, so my solution was to drive around the island, avoid traffic, and only make left turns so I wasn’t crossing traffic. I thought it was a brilliant solution. Oh, and then there was the problem that I didn’t have sunglasses, which is illegal in the states, but seeing as my renter didn’t mind, I figured I’d be OK.
I left some info with the office renting me the scooter (not a driver’s license though, he didn’t even ask to see it), the guy (Kip) showed me how to use a scooter, I told him I was a pro, and took off with an ill-fitting red helmet on my head, my backpack, and a map of the island that didn’t list road names, what could go wrong?
I pulled out, got confused by my first left turn, went in the direction to get out of the city, and was soon out of traffic and bonding with my “hog”, or so I call it in all my videos (not taken while driving). It was odd driving on the other side of the road, and not being familiar with the island, speed limit, road quality, or laws, any time a line of cars started to form behind me and pulled off and let them pass. I had a route planned by the office that took me around the east side of the island, up the mountains, around some beaches, and then back through the mountainous center towards the port. And I do mean mountains, these weren’t just hills. I can honestly say I’ve never driven on roads this steep, ever, and I’m doing it on a 125cc Yamaha Zuma. These roads were narrow, and about as vertical as I can imagine being feasible in any sort of vehicle. The roads would zig-zag up the hill, and if you took the inside corner too sharp, you’d literally flip the scooter backwards over your head, it was that steep. But no problem, I’m a pro, right?
Luckily, there weren’t any major problems. I did however almost hit a cow on the side of the road (he came out of no where!), came across 8 goats on a road that I failed to take a picture of, and almost had my scooter roll off a cliff when it came off it’s kickstand from being parked on a downhill slope. But that aside, I quickly adjusted to the hill climbs, the left hand driving, and the descents. Going down hill was worse than going up, because going down your forearms would actually get sore from holding the brakes for as long as needed to descend the entire mountain. This was when the majority of cars passed me, but there was no way I was going to try to keep up with a 4x4 truck. But that being said, I had plenty of opportunities to stop, take pictures, and enjoy the island I set out to see. I wish that I had had more time so that I could have gone swimming or gotten some food, but I saw what I wanted to see. And actually, saw it all in relatively good time, Kip expected about 90 minutes for me to run his route, I did it in 60. So, with another hour to kill, I decided to drive back through the city and towards the ship, see if I could maybe find some friends to impress with my excessively-masculine yellow Zuma. One problem though, it’s impossible to get to a ship to your right when you’re only comfortable making left hand turns. Before I knew it I was way on the other side of the city and harbor and had long since passed whatever exit took me to my ship. Didn’t matter though, my method of blindly following the car in front of me and using his tendencies as hints for how to drive in traffic successfully got me through the city. I ended up ascending another mountain just to kill the time, and then returned to the city on the other side of the road, where left hand turns WOULD get me back to the ship.
I took my time, blew the extra hour, and returned to the rental office without any damage to myself or the Scooter. All in all, everything was good, the near death experiences were kept to a minimum, and I was able to walk back to the ship knowing that I had a successful day in Tortola.
The rest of the day was uneventful, the show that night was a comic that didn’t really use the band, and that was about it. Thanks for reading and thanks for any prayers that made my Zuma experience a good one! Seeya
Tortola
Another day, another brand new island. Before getting off the ship, I had heard good things about Tortola in regards to it’s scenery, but that there wasn’t much going on in the city. Half the band had decided to stay on the ship, and seeing as this was my one and only visit, I was struggling for a good idea to get the most out of the island. I ended up leaving the ship with a couple band mates to head towards a bar, never my preferred sightseeing activity, and it wasn’t till I got to the bar that I remembered I didn’t bring a bathing suit, cutting out a major option for things to do. I didn’t stay long before I got too impatient to see the city and headed off on my own, and my new goal for the island was a good one…get a scooter.
I walked around for a bit, stopped at a dive shop to enquire about the local trips, and eventually got pointed in the direction of a scooter rental place. The going rate was $20 per hour. I had about 2 hours to kill, but $40 was way more than I could justify for a scooter ride. I offered $20 for the rest of my day, the guy shook his head and said $25, and I told him he had a whole line of scooters in his lot no one was renting, and he took my $20. After working for my Dad selling snowmobiles all winter, it’s kind of nice to be on the other side of the negotiation.
Let me back up for a minute though and explain how bad of an idea this scooter rental actually is (just so that I can make Mom worry). First, scooter rentals are risky simply because it’s a rental unit you have no knowledge of, in a city where you have no experience, and with a time schedule that’s unforgiving (the ship won’t exactly wait). I got past that issue and went on to issue number two: I was all by myself. Well, after doing some riding last summer and falling back on some 24-year-old over confident tendencies, I got past the all alone thing. I figured I had something to prove anyway, had to show I don’t need my friends to enjoy a port. And the third obstacle I had in front of me was the slight problem that people drive on the left side of the road. This made me the most nervous, so my solution was to drive around the island, avoid traffic, and only make left turns so I wasn’t crossing traffic. I thought it was a brilliant solution. Oh, and then there was the problem that I didn’t have sunglasses, which is illegal in the states, but seeing as my renter didn’t mind, I figured I’d be OK.
I left some info with the office renting me the scooter (not a driver’s license though, he didn’t even ask to see it), the guy (Kip) showed me how to use a scooter, I told him I was a pro, and took off with an ill-fitting red helmet on my head, my backpack, and a map of the island that didn’t list road names, what could go wrong?
I pulled out, got confused by my first left turn, went in the direction to get out of the city, and was soon out of traffic and bonding with my “hog”, or so I call it in all my videos (not taken while driving). It was odd driving on the other side of the road, and not being familiar with the island, speed limit, road quality, or laws, any time a line of cars started to form behind me and pulled off and let them pass. I had a route planned by the office that took me around the east side of the island, up the mountains, around some beaches, and then back through the mountainous center towards the port. And I do mean mountains, these weren’t just hills. I can honestly say I’ve never driven on roads this steep, ever, and I’m doing it on a 125cc Yamaha Zuma. These roads were narrow, and about as vertical as I can imagine being feasible in any sort of vehicle. The roads would zig-zag up the hill, and if you took the inside corner too sharp, you’d literally flip the scooter backwards over your head, it was that steep. But no problem, I’m a pro, right?
Luckily, there weren’t any major problems. I did however almost hit a cow on the side of the road (he came out of no where!), came across 8 goats on a road that I failed to take a picture of, and almost had my scooter roll off a cliff when it came off it’s kickstand from being parked on a downhill slope. But that aside, I quickly adjusted to the hill climbs, the left hand driving, and the descents. Going down hill was worse than going up, because going down your forearms would actually get sore from holding the brakes for as long as needed to descend the entire mountain. This was when the majority of cars passed me, but there was no way I was going to try to keep up with a 4x4 truck. But that being said, I had plenty of opportunities to stop, take pictures, and enjoy the island I set out to see. I wish that I had had more time so that I could have gone swimming or gotten some food, but I saw what I wanted to see. And actually, saw it all in relatively good time, Kip expected about 90 minutes for me to run his route, I did it in 60. So, with another hour to kill, I decided to drive back through the city and towards the ship, see if I could maybe find some friends to impress with my excessively-masculine yellow Zuma. One problem though, it’s impossible to get to a ship to your right when you’re only comfortable making left hand turns. Before I knew it I was way on the other side of the city and harbor and had long since passed whatever exit took me to my ship. Didn’t matter though, my method of blindly following the car in front of me and using his tendencies as hints for how to drive in traffic successfully got me through the city. I ended up ascending another mountain just to kill the time, and then returned to the city on the other side of the road, where left hand turns WOULD get me back to the ship.
I took my time, blew the extra hour, and returned to the rental office without any damage to myself or the Scooter. All in all, everything was good, the near death experiences were kept to a minimum, and I was able to walk back to the ship knowing that I had a successful day in Tortola.
The rest of the day was uneventful, the show that night was a comic that didn’t really use the band, and that was about it. Thanks for reading and thanks for any prayers that made my Zuma experience a good one! Seeya
St Maarten
Feb 24th
St Maarten
Today was my first and only visit to St Maarten, and I left the ship to find 3 other ships in port with me, one of which being the new Oasis of the Seas, the largest ship in the world. I got off the ship with John to head towards free wifi, which we were told could be found at the Green House. John and I sat down for “2 for 1” drinks and waited for the band to meet up with us. I had a margarita, simply because I was in the Caribbean and it seemed like a requirement. For whatever reason though, the band never showed and my internet signal was garbage, so we kind of blew 2 hours hanging out. But at the same time, it was a nice day, nice atmosphere, and I ran into a friend who was working on the Oasis who I haven’t seen for a year.
We eventually left to head towards promise of better internet on the other side of the beach to a bar called the Honky Tonk, which was supposedly packed with drunk dancer girls from a different ship, so how could we lose. John and I packed up and actually ran into the band on our way over, who were actually just leaving the Honky Tonk. We talked for a bit before they broke off to go to a gentleman’s club (yeah, it’s a cruise ship band), and John and I continued on.
The bar was empty by the time I got there though, which was actually perfect, because it meant I could get online with a really strong signal and get on Skype for a phone call. We hung out there for an hour or so before packing up and trying to get back to the ship before the approaching rain really hit.
That plan was foiled within minutes and John and I, hungry from not really eating anything all day, were forced into the quintessential local Caribbean restaurant….McDonalds, for a dinner attempt. It at least got us out of the heavy rains and we returned to the ship in a warm rain, not exactly the Caribbean dream, but way better than a Chicago snow!
Nothing special that night and that was about it for the day, thanks!
St Maarten
Today was my first and only visit to St Maarten, and I left the ship to find 3 other ships in port with me, one of which being the new Oasis of the Seas, the largest ship in the world. I got off the ship with John to head towards free wifi, which we were told could be found at the Green House. John and I sat down for “2 for 1” drinks and waited for the band to meet up with us. I had a margarita, simply because I was in the Caribbean and it seemed like a requirement. For whatever reason though, the band never showed and my internet signal was garbage, so we kind of blew 2 hours hanging out. But at the same time, it was a nice day, nice atmosphere, and I ran into a friend who was working on the Oasis who I haven’t seen for a year.
We eventually left to head towards promise of better internet on the other side of the beach to a bar called the Honky Tonk, which was supposedly packed with drunk dancer girls from a different ship, so how could we lose. John and I packed up and actually ran into the band on our way over, who were actually just leaving the Honky Tonk. We talked for a bit before they broke off to go to a gentleman’s club (yeah, it’s a cruise ship band), and John and I continued on.
The bar was empty by the time I got there though, which was actually perfect, because it meant I could get online with a really strong signal and get on Skype for a phone call. We hung out there for an hour or so before packing up and trying to get back to the ship before the approaching rain really hit.
That plan was foiled within minutes and John and I, hungry from not really eating anything all day, were forced into the quintessential local Caribbean restaurant….McDonalds, for a dinner attempt. It at least got us out of the heavy rains and we returned to the ship in a warm rain, not exactly the Caribbean dream, but way better than a Chicago snow!
Nothing special that night and that was about it for the day, thanks!
St Lucia
Feb 23rd
St. Lucia
Land, finally. After 5 days worth of crossing, we came to St Lucia and I was able to get off the ship. My only real concern for today was to find internet and catch up with everything that has been going on at home. Jukka, the bass player (from Finland), knew exactly where to go and John and I followed him to a mall café with free wifi, where I spent the next few hours draining my battery and attempting some phone calls.
When my battery eventually died, I packed up and decided to go on a walk around the city, get used to exploring new places again. I didn’t have anywhere specific that I wanted to go, so I just started walking. I wasn’t sure if it was just that I haven’t been somewhere new for a while, or if it just wasn’t the right place, but I was getting a slight vibe that made me think this wasn’t exactly the place to be exploring on my own. It just seemed to be impoverished to the extent where I felt that someone might want to mess with the white boy from the ship, so after ample uncomfortable-ness, I turned around and headed back to the ship.
I was talking to my drummer at the show that night, each of us talking about our days, and I let him know where I went and how I felt. That’s when he said, “Oh, didn’t I tell you? I was there a couple months back and went walking with my friends up a hill, where a guy stopped us and told us that we should turn around because we’ll be stabbed if we go any further. Yeah, it’s not the safest place.” Thanks for the heads up… So I’m glad I turned around and didn’t ignore the feeling I was getting. It could have been a very bad day instead of a very unexciting one. But it’s good to get that reminder that I’m not in Crystal Lake any more…
St. Lucia
Land, finally. After 5 days worth of crossing, we came to St Lucia and I was able to get off the ship. My only real concern for today was to find internet and catch up with everything that has been going on at home. Jukka, the bass player (from Finland), knew exactly where to go and John and I followed him to a mall café with free wifi, where I spent the next few hours draining my battery and attempting some phone calls.
When my battery eventually died, I packed up and decided to go on a walk around the city, get used to exploring new places again. I didn’t have anywhere specific that I wanted to go, so I just started walking. I wasn’t sure if it was just that I haven’t been somewhere new for a while, or if it just wasn’t the right place, but I was getting a slight vibe that made me think this wasn’t exactly the place to be exploring on my own. It just seemed to be impoverished to the extent where I felt that someone might want to mess with the white boy from the ship, so after ample uncomfortable-ness, I turned around and headed back to the ship.
I was talking to my drummer at the show that night, each of us talking about our days, and I let him know where I went and how I felt. That’s when he said, “Oh, didn’t I tell you? I was there a couple months back and went walking with my friends up a hill, where a guy stopped us and told us that we should turn around because we’ll be stabbed if we go any further. Yeah, it’s not the safest place.” Thanks for the heads up… So I’m glad I turned around and didn’t ignore the feeling I was getting. It could have been a very bad day instead of a very unexciting one. But it’s good to get that reminder that I’m not in Crystal Lake any more…
Sea Days
Feb 20th-22nd
Sea Days
I’m a week late in writing this blog, probably because there wasn’t much to write about. These were the last three sea days before getting to our first Caribbean port, St, Lucia. We had one of the nights off and went upstairs to a paid passenger restaurant, meaning for 7 “quid”, I could order a full 4 course steak dinner, which was the best 7 quid I’ve spent on a ship. But that aside, I can’t think of much to tell you. The code red health alert was lifted sometime during these sea days, which was nice because we could go upstairs to the buffet again. The rest of my time was spent primarily in organizing all of my music. And that’s about it…everyone just loves sea days!
Sea Days
I’m a week late in writing this blog, probably because there wasn’t much to write about. These were the last three sea days before getting to our first Caribbean port, St, Lucia. We had one of the nights off and went upstairs to a paid passenger restaurant, meaning for 7 “quid”, I could order a full 4 course steak dinner, which was the best 7 quid I’ve spent on a ship. But that aside, I can’t think of much to tell you. The code red health alert was lifted sometime during these sea days, which was nice because we could go upstairs to the buffet again. The rest of my time was spent primarily in organizing all of my music. And that’s about it…everyone just loves sea days!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sea Days
Feb 18-19
Sea Days
Days 1 and 2 out of five. Nothing too special to report home about. The other sax player came out of quarantine only to say he was never sick, just sea sick. I’ve been trying to get some decent practicing in on this ship, which would be a nice change from my other ship habits. But this ship doesn’t let me get online as easily (by easily, I mean I can’t find a way to beat the system and make internet usage free), so I’m trying to get some quality work done on my horn that I can’t otherwise accomplish at home. The shows have been the usual. The production shows seem like boiled down versions of the RCCL shows, but the show I played on the 19th at least allowed me to see what was going on and make my usual outbursts, which are still being found as humorous. But that aside, we’re still in code red and can’t go into passenger areas for our meals, and nothing more has happened. We’ve had some decently rough seas though, and with this being a smaller ship, the movement is felt that much more; Nothing too bad and I still have yet to get seasick on one of these ships! But I still have 3 days across the Atlantic to deal with, so let’s hope for the best and I’ll be writing again from the other side. Thanks!
Sea Days
Days 1 and 2 out of five. Nothing too special to report home about. The other sax player came out of quarantine only to say he was never sick, just sea sick. I’ve been trying to get some decent practicing in on this ship, which would be a nice change from my other ship habits. But this ship doesn’t let me get online as easily (by easily, I mean I can’t find a way to beat the system and make internet usage free), so I’m trying to get some quality work done on my horn that I can’t otherwise accomplish at home. The shows have been the usual. The production shows seem like boiled down versions of the RCCL shows, but the show I played on the 19th at least allowed me to see what was going on and make my usual outbursts, which are still being found as humorous. But that aside, we’re still in code red and can’t go into passenger areas for our meals, and nothing more has happened. We’ve had some decently rough seas though, and with this being a smaller ship, the movement is felt that much more; Nothing too bad and I still have yet to get seasick on one of these ships! But I still have 3 days across the Atlantic to deal with, so let’s hope for the best and I’ll be writing again from the other side. Thanks!
Madeira
Feb 17
Madeira
Today was another return to an old favorite port, one problem though…massive amounts of rain. That being said, I had a rehearsal at 11, meaning I missed a large part of the rain, which then starting to hold off as soon as the band got off the ship, but it still didn’t make for the sun-shiny island weather I was hoping for. I had nothing planned and decided to go out with the band to a restaurant they frequent for a decent meal before we left for a 5 day crossing.
The restaurant was small, but really classy considering it’s hole-in-the-wall appearance from the street. They brought over a huge platter of fish for today’s special, and after having decided on the way there to go for a steak, the red snapper that was presented on this platter looked too fresh to pass. Why get a steak that I could get anywhere when I have a shot at a really good, really fresh fish? The only problem is that anyone who knows my eating habits knows that I don’t like fish, and that I say I only like “good fish”. I was hoping this snapper was going to cross that line and land in the “good fish” category (and for 18 euro, it better be good). Meanwhile my friend ordered one of the other special fish, a parrot fish, something I’ve never seen served in a restaurant before (though I’ve seen them many times diving).
The service was a little slow for such a tiny restaurant, but I was with the band and it was a good hang. The music director ordered an appetizer of sardines, which were the biggest sardines I’ve ever seen in my life. When my fish eventually came, it came as one side of the fish, head to tail, which makes me wonder what they did with the other half when the place was too small to have a huge demand for Snapper halves. Regardless, I did enjoy my fish, maybe not 18 euro worth, but still a good fish experience which are few and far between. Apparently I didn’t know how to eat it though, and when the waiter came over to take my plate, he pointed out a small little packet of meat that resided on the fish’s cheek/eye area, supposedly the “best part”, that I had forgotten and was required to eat before he cleared my plate. Was it the best? I didn’t notice a difference, but I did find the eye ball which I decide to eat out of curiosity and it’s neighboring status to the “best part”, which ended up being slightly crunchy and salty.
Following the meal, we went to a grocery store to pick up supplies for our approaching sea days before parting ways to head back to the ship on our own time. The rest of my day was spent trying to find free internet, which didn’t quite pan out as planned. McDonalds supposedly had it, which turned out not to be true, and I couldn’t get the local system to work by the time the rain started up again and I was forced back onto the bus.
My one disappointment for Madeira was that I couldn’t find my name painted on the dock. Maybe you remember, but way back in 2007 when I was visiting here with the Navigator, I had my name painted on the dock along with two of my friends. I couldn’t find it today! Maybe I just didn’t look hard enough because of the rain, and I couldn’t remember off the top of my head exactly where I should have been looking, but it’ll be worth further investigation when I come back here in 6 weeks. I pulled up my old pictures, so I know exactly what I’m looking for.
The show that night was for a classical violinist performing the usual repertoire. My sax player was still out, which meant that I got stuck covering two parts. The other thing my devoted blog readers might remember is that I don’t have a good relationship with my clarinet. This guest performer didn’t care and wanted me to stand up before a song and perform an un-accompanied clarinet cadenza. Luckily, I could improvise a cadenza within my abilities and still make it sound good, but the whole act of me playing totally solo for a minute worth of cadenza isn’t quite my within my clarinet comfort zone. But everything went well, the band thought I played great, and there weren’t any other scares for that show.
And now it’s off for 5 straight days at sea, can’t wait!
Madeira
Today was another return to an old favorite port, one problem though…massive amounts of rain. That being said, I had a rehearsal at 11, meaning I missed a large part of the rain, which then starting to hold off as soon as the band got off the ship, but it still didn’t make for the sun-shiny island weather I was hoping for. I had nothing planned and decided to go out with the band to a restaurant they frequent for a decent meal before we left for a 5 day crossing.
The restaurant was small, but really classy considering it’s hole-in-the-wall appearance from the street. They brought over a huge platter of fish for today’s special, and after having decided on the way there to go for a steak, the red snapper that was presented on this platter looked too fresh to pass. Why get a steak that I could get anywhere when I have a shot at a really good, really fresh fish? The only problem is that anyone who knows my eating habits knows that I don’t like fish, and that I say I only like “good fish”. I was hoping this snapper was going to cross that line and land in the “good fish” category (and for 18 euro, it better be good). Meanwhile my friend ordered one of the other special fish, a parrot fish, something I’ve never seen served in a restaurant before (though I’ve seen them many times diving).
The service was a little slow for such a tiny restaurant, but I was with the band and it was a good hang. The music director ordered an appetizer of sardines, which were the biggest sardines I’ve ever seen in my life. When my fish eventually came, it came as one side of the fish, head to tail, which makes me wonder what they did with the other half when the place was too small to have a huge demand for Snapper halves. Regardless, I did enjoy my fish, maybe not 18 euro worth, but still a good fish experience which are few and far between. Apparently I didn’t know how to eat it though, and when the waiter came over to take my plate, he pointed out a small little packet of meat that resided on the fish’s cheek/eye area, supposedly the “best part”, that I had forgotten and was required to eat before he cleared my plate. Was it the best? I didn’t notice a difference, but I did find the eye ball which I decide to eat out of curiosity and it’s neighboring status to the “best part”, which ended up being slightly crunchy and salty.
Following the meal, we went to a grocery store to pick up supplies for our approaching sea days before parting ways to head back to the ship on our own time. The rest of my day was spent trying to find free internet, which didn’t quite pan out as planned. McDonalds supposedly had it, which turned out not to be true, and I couldn’t get the local system to work by the time the rain started up again and I was forced back onto the bus.
My one disappointment for Madeira was that I couldn’t find my name painted on the dock. Maybe you remember, but way back in 2007 when I was visiting here with the Navigator, I had my name painted on the dock along with two of my friends. I couldn’t find it today! Maybe I just didn’t look hard enough because of the rain, and I couldn’t remember off the top of my head exactly where I should have been looking, but it’ll be worth further investigation when I come back here in 6 weeks. I pulled up my old pictures, so I know exactly what I’m looking for.
The show that night was for a classical violinist performing the usual repertoire. My sax player was still out, which meant that I got stuck covering two parts. The other thing my devoted blog readers might remember is that I don’t have a good relationship with my clarinet. This guest performer didn’t care and wanted me to stand up before a song and perform an un-accompanied clarinet cadenza. Luckily, I could improvise a cadenza within my abilities and still make it sound good, but the whole act of me playing totally solo for a minute worth of cadenza isn’t quite my within my clarinet comfort zone. But everything went well, the band thought I played great, and there weren’t any other scares for that show.
And now it’s off for 5 straight days at sea, can’t wait!
Vigo/Sea Day
Feb 15-16
Vigo/Sea Day
I’ve been excited to stop at Vigo since finding out about this ship, because as some of your readers might remember, I have a friend in Vigo that I meet up with when I’m in town, and today was no exception. I had to stay on the ship all morning for In Port Manning (that safety policy where a certain number of crew have to be on the ship at all times), but then met up with Anna around 1:30. We decided to go for lunch at a traditional Spanish tapas restaurant that she was familiar with. We ended up ordering and cheese and sausage plate, all unique to Spain, croquettes (fried up “white sauce” balls with small pieces of ham), a Spanish tortilla (like an omelet with potatoes), a green been/ham dish, and calamari. Everything was absolutely great and reminded me why I like getting the inside story from the locals, she knew just where to go and what to order.
We spent over 2 hours there, which unfortunately left me with no time for anything else before heading back to the ship. I made a quick stop at a supermarket, but otherwise I went straight back to the ship where I was the last crew member to return.
But it was nice to see Anna again, especially when I wasn’t exactly sure that I’d ever be back to Vigo. The part that’s always funny with her is that she notices everything that makes me American. We never know how to greet each other, because me being American, I’m inclined to give her a hug, which in Spain is something reserved for close family members or boy/girlfriends. She always wants to give me the traditional cheek kiss, of which I still have no idea of what rules apply. So the hello was awkward, goodbye as well, but it’s always great to see her, listen to the Spanish language (which sounds much better than Mexican Spanish), and pretend like I’m a local.
Back at the ship I had a guest entertainer to play for, nothing worth writing about.
And as for the next sea day, everything was pretty standard. The only news though is that we had a break out of Norovirus (or I think that’s how they say/spell it). It does happen on ships and we’re prepared for it, it just means that I can’t go everywhere and do everything I’d otherwise like to do. They try to keep the chance of spreading the virus as small as possible by quarantining people to certain areas, like keeping the crew in the crew areas.
The other sax player however got seasick on the 16th right when they were announcing the outbreak. By regulation, we’re required to send him to the nurse, who has since quarantined him to a separate room for 48 hours, of which he can’t leave and has no contact with any one. He was only seasick and was better that afternoon, but the ship can’t realize that, so I get to cover his parts and compensate for the smaller horn section while he sits in a room all day feeling totally fine.
The show that night was a production show, of which I didn’t like as much as my other ships. The band isn’t incorporated into the shows here as much as they were on RCCL, which doesn’t make my job all that exciting. Instead, we were hidden behind scenery where no one could see us. I still made my usual outbursts to bring some energy to the show, which my band continues to give me a hard time about (in a good way), but it’s just not the same level of entertainment as RCCL, but at least I enjoy the people in the band.
And that’s all for now, tomorrow is Madeira and then a string of 5 sea days while I cross the Atlantic. Thanks for reading!
Vigo/Sea Day
I’ve been excited to stop at Vigo since finding out about this ship, because as some of your readers might remember, I have a friend in Vigo that I meet up with when I’m in town, and today was no exception. I had to stay on the ship all morning for In Port Manning (that safety policy where a certain number of crew have to be on the ship at all times), but then met up with Anna around 1:30. We decided to go for lunch at a traditional Spanish tapas restaurant that she was familiar with. We ended up ordering and cheese and sausage plate, all unique to Spain, croquettes (fried up “white sauce” balls with small pieces of ham), a Spanish tortilla (like an omelet with potatoes), a green been/ham dish, and calamari. Everything was absolutely great and reminded me why I like getting the inside story from the locals, she knew just where to go and what to order.
We spent over 2 hours there, which unfortunately left me with no time for anything else before heading back to the ship. I made a quick stop at a supermarket, but otherwise I went straight back to the ship where I was the last crew member to return.
But it was nice to see Anna again, especially when I wasn’t exactly sure that I’d ever be back to Vigo. The part that’s always funny with her is that she notices everything that makes me American. We never know how to greet each other, because me being American, I’m inclined to give her a hug, which in Spain is something reserved for close family members or boy/girlfriends. She always wants to give me the traditional cheek kiss, of which I still have no idea of what rules apply. So the hello was awkward, goodbye as well, but it’s always great to see her, listen to the Spanish language (which sounds much better than Mexican Spanish), and pretend like I’m a local.
Back at the ship I had a guest entertainer to play for, nothing worth writing about.
And as for the next sea day, everything was pretty standard. The only news though is that we had a break out of Norovirus (or I think that’s how they say/spell it). It does happen on ships and we’re prepared for it, it just means that I can’t go everywhere and do everything I’d otherwise like to do. They try to keep the chance of spreading the virus as small as possible by quarantining people to certain areas, like keeping the crew in the crew areas.
The other sax player however got seasick on the 16th right when they were announcing the outbreak. By regulation, we’re required to send him to the nurse, who has since quarantined him to a separate room for 48 hours, of which he can’t leave and has no contact with any one. He was only seasick and was better that afternoon, but the ship can’t realize that, so I get to cover his parts and compensate for the smaller horn section while he sits in a room all day feeling totally fine.
The show that night was a production show, of which I didn’t like as much as my other ships. The band isn’t incorporated into the shows here as much as they were on RCCL, which doesn’t make my job all that exciting. Instead, we were hidden behind scenery where no one could see us. I still made my usual outbursts to bring some energy to the show, which my band continues to give me a hard time about (in a good way), but it’s just not the same level of entertainment as RCCL, but at least I enjoy the people in the band.
And that’s all for now, tomorrow is Madeira and then a string of 5 sea days while I cross the Atlantic. Thanks for reading!
Chicago to Southampton
Feb 11-14
Chicago to Southampton
As of about 2 weeks prior to the 11th, I had no idea I’d be starting up the blog again, but I received a phone call from an agent offering me a contract that I didn’t want to pass up. I’d be working for P&O (an English cruise line), be committed to just a 2 month contract, get to go to the southern Caribbean, and get paid more. And with this being a slower season at home, the opportunity couldn’t work out better.
So I flew out on the 11th with British Airways direct to London Heathrow. The flight was usual, aside from everyone having a British accent. I was able to watch the new X-Men movie until my movie screen froze up on me and prevented me from watching anything else for the final 5 hours of the flight.
I was greeted at the airport by a sharply dressed man who held a sign with my name on it, as if I was someone extremely important. He took me to his new Audi A6, and let me know (in a very thick accent) that I was his only pickup. I was feeling pretty special having my own private driver with a British accent…special till I tried to get in the car on the American passenger side, only to confuse the guy when he saw me heading straight for the English driver’s side.
He drove me to the hotel and we had an interesting conversation about something I no longer remember, I just remember thinking that the driver looked young when he said he had kids my age. When I got my keys and entered my room, my roommate was already there. John was from the St. Louis area and was the other sax player signing onto the ship with me. Turns out that he’s a retired band teacher, and actually reminds me of my own highschool band director, but I thought it was kind of cool for someone to retire from teaching and go on a ship, of which he’s done multiple. He was trying to rest though, so I left the room to go find a decent lunch in Southampton, and was pointed by the hotel receptionist towards a place called “The Slug and Lettuce”, which turned out to be considerably upscale considering the creature it’s named after. And after eating way too much humus and BBQ chicken sandwich (not at the same time), I went to the mall to blow time at the Apple store before returning to the hotel to collapse. I woke up briefly for dinner, cleaned my horns, and went back to sleep for the rest of the day.
The 13th was my first day on the P&O Oriana. It was a usual first day filled with training, briefing, rehearsal, and meeting more people than one should be expected to remember. But it doesn’t take long to get a feel for a ship and how it’s different from what you’re used to.
First, the nice thing about this ship is that I can eat in passenger areas as long as I’m dressed somewhat nicely, something that would never fly on Royal Caribbean. The band also seems great. Unlike my other ships, this band all signs on and off together, so aside for me and the other sax player, the entire band has been playing together for a couple contracts. The musical director is also great, super laid back, and unusually normal for an MD.
The drawbacks though are in the vibe, where in the English company makes everything seem a little stuffy. And even though I have deck privileges, the musicians are put on a similar level to the rest of the crew and aren’t allowed in officer areas, which I usually would be able to get into on RCCL. The dancers however receive that privilege, which makes for a really strange disconnect between the dancers and the musicians that play their shows. When the most outgoing guy in the band doesn’t know all the dancer’s names, I get concerned. However, I do know one of the singers from when I was on the Queen Victoria, so that’s a nice surprise. This ship also has “In Port Manning”, meaning I have to stay on the ship at certain times while I’m in port as a safety precaution, which is when I’m writing this blog.
The first show was a welcome aboard show where I quickly established the fact that I like to cheer on the dancers with arguably unnecessary hoots and hollers. The band thought it was hilarious, started joining in, and a couple people came up and introduced themselves to the unusually vocal saxophonist. So at least I’m getting a decent vibe there, which will make the shows a lot more fun for everyone.
And finally the 14th was just a sea day. I spent it figuring out how to go online, doing some further ship explorations, and a little practicing. There was a Valentines Day party that evening that I went to, but in true English stuffiness, it was the worst attended party I’ve seen and I left fairly early. And that brings my to my first port of call for tomorrow, Vigo Spain!
Chicago to Southampton
As of about 2 weeks prior to the 11th, I had no idea I’d be starting up the blog again, but I received a phone call from an agent offering me a contract that I didn’t want to pass up. I’d be working for P&O (an English cruise line), be committed to just a 2 month contract, get to go to the southern Caribbean, and get paid more. And with this being a slower season at home, the opportunity couldn’t work out better.
So I flew out on the 11th with British Airways direct to London Heathrow. The flight was usual, aside from everyone having a British accent. I was able to watch the new X-Men movie until my movie screen froze up on me and prevented me from watching anything else for the final 5 hours of the flight.
I was greeted at the airport by a sharply dressed man who held a sign with my name on it, as if I was someone extremely important. He took me to his new Audi A6, and let me know (in a very thick accent) that I was his only pickup. I was feeling pretty special having my own private driver with a British accent…special till I tried to get in the car on the American passenger side, only to confuse the guy when he saw me heading straight for the English driver’s side.
He drove me to the hotel and we had an interesting conversation about something I no longer remember, I just remember thinking that the driver looked young when he said he had kids my age. When I got my keys and entered my room, my roommate was already there. John was from the St. Louis area and was the other sax player signing onto the ship with me. Turns out that he’s a retired band teacher, and actually reminds me of my own highschool band director, but I thought it was kind of cool for someone to retire from teaching and go on a ship, of which he’s done multiple. He was trying to rest though, so I left the room to go find a decent lunch in Southampton, and was pointed by the hotel receptionist towards a place called “The Slug and Lettuce”, which turned out to be considerably upscale considering the creature it’s named after. And after eating way too much humus and BBQ chicken sandwich (not at the same time), I went to the mall to blow time at the Apple store before returning to the hotel to collapse. I woke up briefly for dinner, cleaned my horns, and went back to sleep for the rest of the day.
The 13th was my first day on the P&O Oriana. It was a usual first day filled with training, briefing, rehearsal, and meeting more people than one should be expected to remember. But it doesn’t take long to get a feel for a ship and how it’s different from what you’re used to.
First, the nice thing about this ship is that I can eat in passenger areas as long as I’m dressed somewhat nicely, something that would never fly on Royal Caribbean. The band also seems great. Unlike my other ships, this band all signs on and off together, so aside for me and the other sax player, the entire band has been playing together for a couple contracts. The musical director is also great, super laid back, and unusually normal for an MD.
The drawbacks though are in the vibe, where in the English company makes everything seem a little stuffy. And even though I have deck privileges, the musicians are put on a similar level to the rest of the crew and aren’t allowed in officer areas, which I usually would be able to get into on RCCL. The dancers however receive that privilege, which makes for a really strange disconnect between the dancers and the musicians that play their shows. When the most outgoing guy in the band doesn’t know all the dancer’s names, I get concerned. However, I do know one of the singers from when I was on the Queen Victoria, so that’s a nice surprise. This ship also has “In Port Manning”, meaning I have to stay on the ship at certain times while I’m in port as a safety precaution, which is when I’m writing this blog.
The first show was a welcome aboard show where I quickly established the fact that I like to cheer on the dancers with arguably unnecessary hoots and hollers. The band thought it was hilarious, started joining in, and a couple people came up and introduced themselves to the unusually vocal saxophonist. So at least I’m getting a decent vibe there, which will make the shows a lot more fun for everyone.
And finally the 14th was just a sea day. I spent it figuring out how to go online, doing some further ship explorations, and a little practicing. There was a Valentines Day party that evening that I went to, but in true English stuffiness, it was the worst attended party I’ve seen and I left fairly early. And that brings my to my first port of call for tomorrow, Vigo Spain!
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