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!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
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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