And I'm Back

It's so nice to come back to a ship you've been on before. So many familiar faces. I don't get lost, the trainings are a breeze, and this two week handover can be done in three days so my former manager, Eddy, is letting me "have a vacation" for the first week. Doesn't mean I'm not busy. I'm hard at work getting settled, finding my uniforms, making mental notes of what to change when I take over, and reuniting with friends.

You wouldn't believe how nice it is to hear so many people tell you how happy they are to see you again.

My first day onboard I pretty much followed Kirsty, the Activity Manager, around doing her errands with her and being caught up on everything onboard.

The next day I joined the ladies (Lauri, Katie, and Kirsty) for greasy egg muffins at the Delly Deck in St. Thomas. Nice to be back at some of my old hot spots.

I got off the ship again in St. Lucia with my friend from Eclipse, Nate. The two of us and two other musicians hit up Rodney Bay Beach. I swear I had no recollection of this island until we made it to the beach. Then I remembered how much I loved it there. I laid on the beach, read my book, played in the water and enjoyed re-obtaining the tan I had missed so much. When we arrived back at the port Nate and I spotted a little bar where we had a couple beers before getting back onboard.

And naturally, Thrusday was Barbados which means The Boatyard. Nowhere else like it. I got my Caribs, and spent about 4 hours in the sun playing frisbee and getting tanner. I did miss the Caribbean.

Now as we're sailing back to Puerto Rico I'm preparing myself to go visit Katie at karaoke. Honestly, it's almost like I never left.

Now I know there's some silly day coming up soon that I'd rather not speak of, but I know many of you want my new address in relation to said day. So here it is:

Mackenzie Ames
Broadcast Operator
Celebrity Summit
PO Box 019158
Miami, FL 33101-9158

Now off to butcher the sweet lyrics of Carly Simon.

Starting From Scratch?

"Starting From Scratch" was the soundtrack of my flight to Charlotte. Thank God for "This American Life." It keeps me awake for my long day of travel to San Juan.

I always like to think of the start of a new ship like starting from scratch. It would seem, however, this can no longer be the case. I'm returning to a ship I already know. On it are familiar faces from all my past ships. I'll revisit the Caribbean islands I know so well. I already know the best spots for breakfast, beaches and beers.

Much like when leaving Eclipse, I held back the tears this time when leaving home. It may seem like I'm getting better at this leaving thing. I don't think it'll ever be easy. As I told my mother, I get comfortable in places. After two months at home I loved having a couch, going to the grocery store and unlimited opportunities to pick up the phone and call my loved ones (though, admittedly, I did not do that enough). I loved having a space larger than a broom closet to call my own. I began to see how I could be really happy back on land.

However, as one friend put it, "You have the rest of your life to have a kitchen and groceries. and your friends are always here when you get back." Very true. Ship life is something most people never experience. So while I always have plans for my future on land in the back of my mind, I'll try and focus on the delicious Carib beers and sandy beaches I have ahead of me.