**Written last night** :) :)
Look at this – two blogs in two days! Today’s excursion was so monumental I couldn’t pass up the chance to share.
Today the Celebrity Summit docked in Tortola – a British Virgin Island – and everyone onboard had heard about this amazing island right near Tortola, Virgin Gorda. So a bunch of people from entertainment and I get up at 8:30 am (yes, me. 8:30. Better believe it.) and catch a ferry to Virgin Gorda. The travel there was most of the day. We arrive and get on an open-air taxi/bus thing and finally make it to The Baths. Our adventure begins.
We squeeze through two huge boulders and begin a journey through one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. These rock formations looked like something out of Jurassic Park. I really did expect to see a pterodactyl overhead at some point. My friends and I climbed all over these things, taking photos and not believing our eyes. Massive boulders leaned against one another and let just a bit of sun peak in and say hello to the shallow water underneath. Diana climbed a rock and took a “Little Mermaid” photo and I was slightly jealous, knowing my little legs wouldn’t reach the top of that boulder. Then when we made our way through the caves the beach we arrived on was hands down, the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, and that’s saying something! It reminded me of those water parks in Orlando they were that perfect, but these weren’t man made. The water was a blue I struggle to describe. It was bright, almost like crystal. There were rocks standing out amongst the swimmers and snorkellers. Mountains in the distance kept us contained in our little paradise. It was incredible. I played “Categories” with a friend and laughed until I couldn’t breathe, each dunk underwater reminding me of playing that game as a kid. A little girl and her father swam near us watching the whole thing and she giggled each time I was thrown underwater. I started talking to her about the difference in “water wings” and “floaties.” My new little friend was named Sienna, she was turning 4 “on June” and with the stresses of ship life lately, she was the happiest conversation I’d had in days.
A little close call with all aboard time and we were back on the ship. It was a funny way to leave behind the Caribbean – literally running through the island of Tortola hearing Caribbean accents yelling, “You’ll be fine, baby. Slow down!” Now we sail off to Bermuda. I’m keeping an eye on the tracking of the ship. Sometime tomorrow we’ll be right along the same latitude as Daytona. I’ll be sailing past home. Perhaps a trip to the top deck and a squint of the eyes is in order. If those I love in Daytona happen
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Quite a Contract... So Far...
Ups and downs out here in the Caribbean and as one person very close to me has pointed out, I have neglected my blogging!
I feel so different coming to the last month of this contract. I know I have made incredible friends this time around and have even begun planning a post-ship life with a few of them. I have realized that while this job I hold is fun and rewarding in its own way, I need, have to have, crave and am completely miserable without creativity in my life.
I have begun editing again. My new assistant and I bounce ideas back and forth and generally work well together. I created a Nascar themed commercial for our race car challenge we do at the poolside (thanks Daytona). I made a commercial for our "Newlywed and not so Newlywed" Game Show in the style of the original show, and Baywatch was the inspiration for my Officer vs Guests Volleyball Tournament promo. It feels good to be creative and feel like I'm kind of turning this place around. There's a whole new archive of promos, I'm creating new movie slides and trying to amp up the production value on things. It seems to be receiving positive feedback.
We are currently sailing to St. Thomas for the last time and then we will be sailing north to begin our Bermuda runs. I am very excited for this. I love the Caribbean, but I am SO ready for something new. I need a new site to see and a new magnet for my wall.
The days run together down here. Nothing really stands out. There's the occasional cruise where something exciting happens (Tiffany being onboard, Lauri's parents on for a visit, Kyle DJs in the crew bar, Under the Sea birthday parties, etc.), but this last week was one of the best sea days ever! I woke up at 3:30 am - yes 3:30 am... ok maybe I was still up - to record the Royal Wedding so it would be rebroadcast throughout the day. So after a loooooong morning of backtiming and scheduling channels so everything would go off without a hitch, I went with Diana, Adam and Eric to high tea at our specialty restaurant, The Normandie. It was so delightful. Adam and Diana - being British - taught Eric and me - being American - all about British tea. As it turns out, I like English Breakfast Tea! We ate those and mini sandwiches and watched the waves roll by. Then we had to run because the tea party in the staff bar was beginning. We all wore tiaras and giant light up engagement rings and the Food and Beverage team even made a wedding cake for the event as we watched William and Kate say "I will." Poor Diana missed London and we all sat around waiting for the kiss. It was a nice way to spend the wedding day - and Diana and all the Brits felt so happy to have a day onboard where they could celebrate being British... seeing as onboard people are typically celebrating not being British.
My friend Lauri likes to speak through lists. So because of her I have the urge to do this. Things I'm looking forward to:
1) Bermuda overnights
2) Spending more time with special people who will be gone soon
3) New Jersey... strange I know...
4) My vacation starting June 5th
5) My trip to the UK on June 10th
6) My first 4th of July in the States in 2 years!
7) A possible road trip to Charlotte
8) Going back to Unity
9) Publix
10)A full day of no work!
Still one month to go. If it's been anything like the last 6 have been I look forward to it. It'll be a month of extreme highs and way down there lows. Let's do it!
I feel so different coming to the last month of this contract. I know I have made incredible friends this time around and have even begun planning a post-ship life with a few of them. I have realized that while this job I hold is fun and rewarding in its own way, I need, have to have, crave and am completely miserable without creativity in my life.
I have begun editing again. My new assistant and I bounce ideas back and forth and generally work well together. I created a Nascar themed commercial for our race car challenge we do at the poolside (thanks Daytona). I made a commercial for our "Newlywed and not so Newlywed" Game Show in the style of the original show, and Baywatch was the inspiration for my Officer vs Guests Volleyball Tournament promo. It feels good to be creative and feel like I'm kind of turning this place around. There's a whole new archive of promos, I'm creating new movie slides and trying to amp up the production value on things. It seems to be receiving positive feedback.
We are currently sailing to St. Thomas for the last time and then we will be sailing north to begin our Bermuda runs. I am very excited for this. I love the Caribbean, but I am SO ready for something new. I need a new site to see and a new magnet for my wall.
The days run together down here. Nothing really stands out. There's the occasional cruise where something exciting happens (Tiffany being onboard, Lauri's parents on for a visit, Kyle DJs in the crew bar, Under the Sea birthday parties, etc.), but this last week was one of the best sea days ever! I woke up at 3:30 am - yes 3:30 am... ok maybe I was still up - to record the Royal Wedding so it would be rebroadcast throughout the day. So after a loooooong morning of backtiming and scheduling channels so everything would go off without a hitch, I went with Diana, Adam and Eric to high tea at our specialty restaurant, The Normandie. It was so delightful. Adam and Diana - being British - taught Eric and me - being American - all about British tea. As it turns out, I like English Breakfast Tea! We ate those and mini sandwiches and watched the waves roll by. Then we had to run because the tea party in the staff bar was beginning. We all wore tiaras and giant light up engagement rings and the Food and Beverage team even made a wedding cake for the event as we watched William and Kate say "I will." Poor Diana missed London and we all sat around waiting for the kiss. It was a nice way to spend the wedding day - and Diana and all the Brits felt so happy to have a day onboard where they could celebrate being British... seeing as onboard people are typically celebrating not being British.
My friend Lauri likes to speak through lists. So because of her I have the urge to do this. Things I'm looking forward to:
1) Bermuda overnights
2) Spending more time with special people who will be gone soon
3) New Jersey... strange I know...
4) My vacation starting June 5th
5) My trip to the UK on June 10th
6) My first 4th of July in the States in 2 years!
7) A possible road trip to Charlotte
8) Going back to Unity
9) Publix
10)A full day of no work!
Still one month to go. If it's been anything like the last 6 have been I look forward to it. It'll be a month of extreme highs and way down there lows. Let's do it!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Watch My Mouth
This will be short, but this event must be blogged about.
So things out here have been less than stellar. All details aside let's just say I've been a little frustrated with life at sea. I decided to share these frustrations at dinner and continue them in the elevator ride with my dear friend Lauri. What does this ship do to show her dislike for my comments?
The elevator shakes a few times, knocking my friend and I around and then just stops. Lauri and I begin making the necessary calls - well Lauri does - I proceed to hold on to the rail with visions of Disney's Tower of Terror running through my mind. I began theorizing whether or not sitting or standing in the dirty crew elevator would effect the injuries I'd receive once we plummeted to our deaths. I tried pressing every button, which made Lauri nervous. After a long talk discussing what we would ever do if we ever got out, we were just about to turn one another for food when the doors were pulled open by our savior! A vision in white!
Ok, so it had only been ten minutes and the hero was actually an electrician in white coveralls who seemed rather disgruntled that we had bothered his evening.
That's not how it'll be written in my sitcom one day, though.
I wonder if Tina was ever trapped in an elevator?
So things out here have been less than stellar. All details aside let's just say I've been a little frustrated with life at sea. I decided to share these frustrations at dinner and continue them in the elevator ride with my dear friend Lauri. What does this ship do to show her dislike for my comments?
The elevator shakes a few times, knocking my friend and I around and then just stops. Lauri and I begin making the necessary calls - well Lauri does - I proceed to hold on to the rail with visions of Disney's Tower of Terror running through my mind. I began theorizing whether or not sitting or standing in the dirty crew elevator would effect the injuries I'd receive once we plummeted to our deaths. I tried pressing every button, which made Lauri nervous. After a long talk discussing what we would ever do if we ever got out, we were just about to turn one another for food when the doors were pulled open by our savior! A vision in white!
Ok, so it had only been ten minutes and the hero was actually an electrician in white coveralls who seemed rather disgruntled that we had bothered his evening.
That's not how it'll be written in my sitcom one day, though.
I wonder if Tina was ever trapped in an elevator?
Sunday, January 2, 2011
All's Fair in Gum Drop Buttons and War
So my Christmas night ended as one of the funniest Christmases of my life.
Our friend Kyle bought a gingerbread man cookie making kit advertising 8 cookies. Well, we opened it up and found only 4... Sign #1 this was going to be an interesting night.
Then we see that to create the decorative frosting you had to create needed butter, milk and water. Being crew members with no kitchen access, we decided to just go with water, same diff, right? And tick off sign #2.
So as Kyle is stirring the powder from the bag into a paper cup obtained in the staff bar with bottled water also obtained from the staff bar, we realize this is going to be tricky.
We let Claire make the first cookie and she created a very generic and sweet looking ginger bread man. Then Kyle moved in and decided to create a Canadian gingerbread man complete with Maple leaf on his chest. Jack then takes it upon himself to give rise to an English cookie (albeit his 3 lions were not exactly recognizable). So of course, being the one American in the room I had to represent and decorate the remaining man with the stars and stripes! He was strong and adorable. Kyle gave me grief for taking all the red candies for my stripes. I simply yelled back, "They're for freedom!!" This sparked a war where England's head was bitten off and America lost a leg. We decided to deem the neutral cookie Switzerland. Then we realized that the Canadian cookie had disappeared. Andi - our French Canadian friend - had rescued him and his him behind a bottle of English vodka. She made the argument that since England was Canada's head of state, he was meant to be hiding there. Typical...
The Canada cookie has not been seen since.
We laughed til we were out of breath that night. It was pretty awesome.
New Year's Eve was not nearly as eventful. Simple countdown came and went. Hugs and kisses and glasses of champagne were in abundance. Crew party downstairs where there was, yes, I'll admit it... dancing.
Now I'm starting 2011 in the same place I was this time in 2010. Well, not exactly the same. Manager now. Cabin at the front of the ship. All new friends. New and very different crew here.
Looking back 2010 was full of more surprises and experiences than I ever imagined. 2011's got a lot to live up to. Big shoes to fill. Come on 2011, I'll be rooting for you. :)
Our friend Kyle bought a gingerbread man cookie making kit advertising 8 cookies. Well, we opened it up and found only 4... Sign #1 this was going to be an interesting night.
Then we see that to create the decorative frosting you had to create needed butter, milk and water. Being crew members with no kitchen access, we decided to just go with water, same diff, right? And tick off sign #2.
So as Kyle is stirring the powder from the bag into a paper cup obtained in the staff bar with bottled water also obtained from the staff bar, we realize this is going to be tricky.
We let Claire make the first cookie and she created a very generic and sweet looking ginger bread man. Then Kyle moved in and decided to create a Canadian gingerbread man complete with Maple leaf on his chest. Jack then takes it upon himself to give rise to an English cookie (albeit his 3 lions were not exactly recognizable). So of course, being the one American in the room I had to represent and decorate the remaining man with the stars and stripes! He was strong and adorable. Kyle gave me grief for taking all the red candies for my stripes. I simply yelled back, "They're for freedom!!" This sparked a war where England's head was bitten off and America lost a leg. We decided to deem the neutral cookie Switzerland. Then we realized that the Canadian cookie had disappeared. Andi - our French Canadian friend - had rescued him and his him behind a bottle of English vodka. She made the argument that since England was Canada's head of state, he was meant to be hiding there. Typical...
The Canada cookie has not been seen since.
We laughed til we were out of breath that night. It was pretty awesome.
New Year's Eve was not nearly as eventful. Simple countdown came and went. Hugs and kisses and glasses of champagne were in abundance. Crew party downstairs where there was, yes, I'll admit it... dancing.
Now I'm starting 2011 in the same place I was this time in 2010. Well, not exactly the same. Manager now. Cabin at the front of the ship. All new friends. New and very different crew here.
Looking back 2010 was full of more surprises and experiences than I ever imagined. 2011's got a lot to live up to. Big shoes to fill. Come on 2011, I'll be rooting for you. :)
Saturday, December 25, 2010
This Message is coming from the Bridge...
Santa has arrived aboard the beautiful Celebrity Summit!
Christmas morning on the Summit has been interesting. My closest friends onboard are youth staff so today they look rather jolly in their elf outfits and red cheeks.
Captain Costas made the announcement that Santa had arrived and was headed to poolside. Then as we all looked around there was the horn section of the orchestra leading a posse of elves and Santa Claus to all the waiting children. The kids were so excited and even I got a bit giddy at the sight of our Aussie Santa.
Last night I enjoyed the Christmas carolling in the Grand Foyer, the Philipinno choir singing a family song in Tagalog, Silent Night with candles and midnight martinis.
The day is so bittersweet. I love being surrounded by good friends and so much festivity but the sight of all the families make me miss my own. So to all those I love out there - and you know who you are - Merry Christmas! Can we do Christmas in July when I get home?
Christmas morning on the Summit has been interesting. My closest friends onboard are youth staff so today they look rather jolly in their elf outfits and red cheeks.
Captain Costas made the announcement that Santa had arrived and was headed to poolside. Then as we all looked around there was the horn section of the orchestra leading a posse of elves and Santa Claus to all the waiting children. The kids were so excited and even I got a bit giddy at the sight of our Aussie Santa.
Last night I enjoyed the Christmas carolling in the Grand Foyer, the Philipinno choir singing a family song in Tagalog, Silent Night with candles and midnight martinis.
The day is so bittersweet. I love being surrounded by good friends and so much festivity but the sight of all the families make me miss my own. So to all those I love out there - and you know who you are - Merry Christmas! Can we do Christmas in July when I get home?
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Whoopsie...
As someone very close to me dutifully pointed out, there has been a serious need for an update. In all honesty, it has absolutely everything and absolutely nothing to do with work. I have been busy on and off - as is the nature of my job. When things are working it's smooth sailing (no pun intended), but when things malfunction then I'm putting in 13 hour days. Therefore, my lack of blog has to do with being busy during the days of pesky equipment and then being lazy when it's smooth sailing. So what's there to tell? Let's see...
My birthday was an event - an event I'm sure my body has not yet recovered from. As I was in the middle of a handover and a giant entertainment cabin change was going on, I was moved to a guest cabin for my final couple nights until I could have my permanent cabin. Yes, I rang in the big 2-4 in a cabin with a double bed, a porthole and a couch. This is like being given the Ferrari as your rental car to your high school reunion - a nice perk to a dreaded event. It was a great night with old and new friends. Like I've said - it's a strange sensation being back on a ship with faces from Century, Summit and Eclipse. It's strange being in certain lounges or restaurants or ports without certain people. It was trippy (for lack of a better word) being in a staff bar filled with old memories with brand new friends and friends with even older memories.
Next big milestone... Thanksgiving. Not as awful as I thoguht it would be. The turkey in the staff mess was dry and I had to be told that the orange-ish thing in the pan was in fact sweet potatoe casserole. Yea...
Luckily I had an American friend who loves Thanksgiving and got us into the guest dining room. The food there was AMAZING! We did the cute little American tradition of going around the table and saying what we were thankful for. So there, sat between two Canadians, I gave thanks for a job I love and good people to spend my holiday with.
The ports are all just how I left them. Delly Deck in St. Thomas, Boatyard in Barbados, Reggae Beach (yes, I visited the goat) in St. Kitts, etc. I have found a few new places - the bar with swinging chairs in St. Thomas and Coconuts in St. Croix. I've found new friends in the youth department and activity staff after saying goodbye to my closest friend this morning. I held back the tears, I am proud to say.
I'm finding the best part of this contract so far is how relaxed the environment is. This is probably because I am coming from the hustle and bustle of Solstice class and Europe, but unless things like a pivotal hard drive holding all the free-to-guest movie files crashes (yes, it did) then I'm pretty calm and happy here.
So Christmas is right around the corner and there's no doubt in my mind that I would rather be at one of my "land" homes. I'd rather have wine with my grandmother or watch little Ariell open her Barbie Dream House. I'd rather say good morning to my grandfather shoveling snow or hold my kitty while watching a parade on TV. I'd rather have my sister wake me up in the morning or bring a new book out to Chandler. I'd rather call my girls or stop by Mikey's. Above all, I'd rather go to midnight service at Unity.
However, I will get to put up my very own Santa Tracker on my channels. I will get to watch the activity staff go carolling around the ship. I will get to watch the most miserable British boy dress as a 6'4" elf. I will get to spend Christmas Eve on the beaches in Barbados. I will get to have a nice dinner in the restaurant and give out Secret Santa gifts. I will get to watch an international choir sing "Silent Night" in the theatre. I will get to go to a crew Christmas party and while we'll all be wishing we were home, we'll make our own home out here on the high seas for the holidays.
God, that was cheesey...
My birthday was an event - an event I'm sure my body has not yet recovered from. As I was in the middle of a handover and a giant entertainment cabin change was going on, I was moved to a guest cabin for my final couple nights until I could have my permanent cabin. Yes, I rang in the big 2-4 in a cabin with a double bed, a porthole and a couch. This is like being given the Ferrari as your rental car to your high school reunion - a nice perk to a dreaded event. It was a great night with old and new friends. Like I've said - it's a strange sensation being back on a ship with faces from Century, Summit and Eclipse. It's strange being in certain lounges or restaurants or ports without certain people. It was trippy (for lack of a better word) being in a staff bar filled with old memories with brand new friends and friends with even older memories.
Next big milestone... Thanksgiving. Not as awful as I thoguht it would be. The turkey in the staff mess was dry and I had to be told that the orange-ish thing in the pan was in fact sweet potatoe casserole. Yea...
Luckily I had an American friend who loves Thanksgiving and got us into the guest dining room. The food there was AMAZING! We did the cute little American tradition of going around the table and saying what we were thankful for. So there, sat between two Canadians, I gave thanks for a job I love and good people to spend my holiday with.
The ports are all just how I left them. Delly Deck in St. Thomas, Boatyard in Barbados, Reggae Beach (yes, I visited the goat) in St. Kitts, etc. I have found a few new places - the bar with swinging chairs in St. Thomas and Coconuts in St. Croix. I've found new friends in the youth department and activity staff after saying goodbye to my closest friend this morning. I held back the tears, I am proud to say.
I'm finding the best part of this contract so far is how relaxed the environment is. This is probably because I am coming from the hustle and bustle of Solstice class and Europe, but unless things like a pivotal hard drive holding all the free-to-guest movie files crashes (yes, it did) then I'm pretty calm and happy here.
So Christmas is right around the corner and there's no doubt in my mind that I would rather be at one of my "land" homes. I'd rather have wine with my grandmother or watch little Ariell open her Barbie Dream House. I'd rather say good morning to my grandfather shoveling snow or hold my kitty while watching a parade on TV. I'd rather have my sister wake me up in the morning or bring a new book out to Chandler. I'd rather call my girls or stop by Mikey's. Above all, I'd rather go to midnight service at Unity.
However, I will get to put up my very own Santa Tracker on my channels. I will get to watch the activity staff go carolling around the ship. I will get to watch the most miserable British boy dress as a 6'4" elf. I will get to spend Christmas Eve on the beaches in Barbados. I will get to have a nice dinner in the restaurant and give out Secret Santa gifts. I will get to watch an international choir sing "Silent Night" in the theatre. I will get to go to a crew Christmas party and while we'll all be wishing we were home, we'll make our own home out here on the high seas for the holidays.
God, that was cheesey...
Friday, November 12, 2010
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.
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.
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